Support NeoGAF

[andthebeatgoeson]

***This thread isn't about the extremes (Nutella, Batman) which I think most agree would cause problems for the child. Read thread.***

Why do people often hate unconventional names? I see this constantly and I never understood it. You do realize that there are a lot of names out there that were once unconventional but now are widely used and accepted? We have names like Candy, April, May, June, Summer, August, etc (off the top of my head) that are widely accepted but if you name your child Winter, then holy shit "How could you?!?!" and "That's stupid!"

Sure, there are extremes like Nutella, Batman which can cause ridicule or unnecessary hardships but there is often hate towards any unconventional name. I remember when, I think it was, Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple and it was controversy then. That sounds like a beautiful name to me. I love unconventional names as long it's not on the extreme spectrum. By the way, I think Winter is a bitchin name.

So is it a conformity thing?

Well, for one, when have you met a person that 'hates' unconventional names? In real life? Do they hate them or 'hate' them. Because I 'hate' macadamia cookies with white chocolate but still eat them at work.

The problem with words is they usually require context. I suspect the amount of 'hate' you encounter is the online versions. Come up with a subjective hate scale from 1 to 10 and subtract 3-5 points for most online 'hate'.

 

[The Lamp]

Candy is socially acceptable? Thats news to me.

Some names just sound stupid or pretentious as hell, like Destiny, Mercedes, or North

Mercedes??? Mercedes is a common name in Latin American countries, and nicknamed Merci. It was a name before it was a car.

 

[Blargonaut]

GAF, I'm asking you now before I ever push these to my SO, but what do you think of the names, 'Direnna', 'Ellefane' or 'Kinoue' as possible names for an Asian kid (girl), or just as first names to be judged in public in general?

(not having a kid yet, just asking)

 

[Alx]

Mercedes??? Mercedes is a common name in Latin American countries, and nicknamed Merci. It was a name before it was a car.

Actually it's the name of a car because Benz's daughter was named Mercedes.

GAF, I'm asking you now before I ever push these to my SO, but what do you think of the names, 'Direnna', 'Ellefane' or 'Kinoue' as possible names for an Asian kid (girl), or just as first names to be judged in public in general?

(not having a kid yet, just asking)

For me, Kinoue works, Ellefane is too close to "elephant" (so no), and not sure about Direnna.

 

[The Beard]

The parent has a responsibility to not make bad decisions for their child. Naming your kid "Punch" or "Roundhouse" is a bad decision. Naming your kid Sairwra (pronounced Sara) is also dumb because it leads to a lifetime of correcting people and spelling your name for people on a regular basis.

 

[AudioNoir]

I don't mind giving a kid a weird/unique middle name, cuz they can go by it if they want to. If they hate it, no one even needs to know it exists, aside from legal docs. They can be plain Jane on their resume, and Fishtaco to their friends.

Don't think I'd go too weird with the first name. We already get mispellings and mispronounciation with our son, and his name is pretty damn common. Don't think I'd want to add mispellings, mispronounciations, and "lol your name is what?" on top of that.

 

[Escape Goat]

People dont like things that are different. Its human nature.

 

[Gustav]

im naming my daughter Lucina. you cannot stop me.

That's a fairly common polish name.

 

[BearFlexington]

I think giving your child a unique name is a great first step in showing them that they are special, that they're not like everyone else and don't need to be.

 

[Aaron Strife]

I don't like my name because no one - ever - can successfully pronounce it.

It's "Bryn." Everyone says Bryan. If I'm wearing a nametag at work I just smile and nod but a part of me dies inside every time. I've thought about changing it before because as minor as it is it bugs the hell out of me.

With that in mind if I have a son I'm naming him Dave or something.

 

[Cyan]

All children should be named Aidan or Madison.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

The holy grail for names is finding something that sounds unique but not something other people view as strange, like Nutella et al.

That's part of the reason that names shift over the years---people like the idea of their children having meaningful and/or unique names but if the perception is that it is odd then it could potentially cause the child issues in the future.

 

[Wiz]

I think I can get away with naming my daughter Rosalina

 

[Crayolan]

As someone with an unconventional name (at least in the US it is), it fucking sucks for the child. Years of anxiety over whether people will judge you for your name and if you're "normal" enough, hating yourself and your name for not being normal like everyone else's, getting teased in school to the point of hating your peers so much you develop antisocial tendencies, and constantly dreading the inevitable, "so what's your name?" when you meet someone new--or, even worse, whenever you get a new teacher every year throughout all 12 years of grade school. Bonus points if you have a foreign name and get "what was that?" or "(insert your name here pronounced wrong)?" every time you tell someone your name.

Sure, kids get over it by high school (personally I stopped caring about social standing entirely by 6th grade), but it's torture on the kid for the 13 years before that. Even after that it's still fucking obnoxious having to be extensively questioned about your name every time you meet someone who gets curious. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Giving your child a weird name for the sake of being "unique" is one of the worst things a parent can do.

 

[CREMSteve]

We went with Dahlia (Silent Hill), Sienna (Miller) and Hudson (game over man, game over!) for our kids. Didn't want names that we felt were too overused. The toughest part was finding names we agreed on, lol.

I think you should name your kids whatever the heck you want to. Who are we to say that Popil is any better/worse than Abdul or Beatrice? They're all just words that someone at some point made up.

 

[theusedversion]

GAF, I'm asking you now before I ever push these to my SO, but what do you think of the names, 'Direnna', 'Ellefane' or 'Kinoue' as possible names for an Asian kid (girl), or just as first names to be judged in public in general?

(not having a kid yet, just asking)

Personally, I like the way Ellefane sounds when you say it but dislike the word when looking at it. If that makes any sense. Also, I keep thinking of Cellophane.

 

[Abounder]

Why do people hate unconventional names for children?

Because that's what nicknames and middle names are for.

Give your kid a common first name so they don't stand out on a list or a search engine. And so they won't hate you.

 

[TalonJH]

When we come back to Gaf in 20 years you'll see girls named Katniss and boys named Peeta complaining about people giving children unique names. Unique names become common over time. Name your kid what you like (just make it easy to pronounce and not something like Batman).

 

[Wthermans]

My daughters name is Paisley Autumn.

Come at me GAF.

 

[KdylanR92]

Ok, so my real name is Kyule and i always have to explain that it's just kyle with a "U" in the middle. People have thought my name was japanese and have the hardest time pronouncing it, to the point where i have never met anyone who said my name right on the first try.

It also doesn't help that i have a Spanish last name but I'm black so when i go in for interviews it's like....."hey your name-face doesn't match your face-face"( I was told this before)

 

[phen0m24]

A good friend of mine used to say:

Think about how your kids' names sound when:

You're screaming their name(s) out the front door to get them to come inside or

When you say their complete name when they're in trouble.

I would add when the professor tries to say their name in front of 200 people in a college classroom.


If it sounds pretentious or if they have to defend their name all the time.. I could see that getting old.

 

[Alx]

Who are we to say that Popil is any better/worse than Abdul or Beatrice? They're all just words that someone at some point made up.

As a matter of fact, traditional names aren't entirely made up. Most of them have a meaning.
Abdul = servant
Beatrice = blissful

 

[TalonJH]

Ok, so my real name is Kyule and i always have to explain that it's just kyle with a "U" in the middle. People have thought my name was japanese and have the hardest time pronouncing it, to the point where i have never met anyone who said my name right on the first try.

It also doesn't help that i have a Spanish last name but I'm black so when i go in for interviews it's like....."hey your name-face doesn't match your face-face"( I was told this before)

Funny but sad.

As a matter of fact, traditional names aren't entirely made up. Most of them have a meaning.
Abdul = servant of the powerful.
Beatrice = blissful

Yeah, but so are a lot of unique names. I have a nephew-in-law named Drakon which is just Greek for dragon.

 

[Hours Left]

 

[Violence Jack]

We went with Dahlia (Silent Hill)

Think I'm adding Alessa to my list as well. Forgot about the Silent Hill names.

 

[GameGuru59]

How many CEOs are named Apple? This is why:



Source

Thread never should have made it past the first page. Name your kid some crazy name if you want to, you're hurting them later on in life though.

 

[kamorra]

I named my son after Dante Alighieri. It's not a unconventional names per se but still pretty rare.

Because its cruel and will lead to them getting bullied mercilessly.

I think every name can be misused to make fun of someone.

 

[thechristoph]

I think it's kind of mean to give your kid an unconventional spelling to a common name. Your child is going to have to be that person that has to say everyday, "Um, actually, it's spelled a-s-h-l-e-i-g-h." Okay snowflake, you're special.

 

[Unbounded]

For those arguing that you shouldn't give your kid an unconventional name, what do you plan on naming your kid assuming you plan on having any?

I named my son after Dante Alighieri. It's not a unconventional names per se but still pretty rare.



I think every name can be misused to make fun of someone.

And if they can't use the first name they'll use the last name.

And if they can't use the last name they'll put some odd spin on it so that they can.

 

[thecouncil]

I think "October" would be a pretty cool boy name.

"November" is a pretty cool girl name.

Or vice versa because who cares?

 

[TalonJH]

How many CEOs are named Apple? This is why:



Source

No CEOs named Apple but we have a president in the USA named Barack Obama.

Of course there won't be as many CEOs with unique names. There are fewer people with that name.

 

[GameGuru59]

For those arguing that you shouldn't give your kid an unconventional name, what do you plan on naming your kid assuming you plan on having any?

Something after one of my family member's names. Someone brought up Knox as a first name, and it is a family name... but I don't think it flows well with my last name.

 

[Symphonia]

My daughter has a unique name, though I wouldn't class it as unconventional. That said, I don't know or know of anyone else with the same name as her.

 

[GameGuru59]

No CEOs named Apple but we have a president in America named Barack Obama.

Pretty easy to pronounce that though. And I'm convinced Obama was only possible because Bush was sooooo shitty. Look at all the shit he gets now. Had 08 been a "normal" election, I doubt he would have made it. Outstanding president though.

 

[nullref]

People look down on it largely because it can feel like an ego trip on the part of the parents.

• I'm so creative and nontraditional, let me express my creativity through my child's name.
• My child is special and unique, and deserves a special and unique name.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

I think a person's name is critical in establishing their identity and having them feel like they belong. Having a name that makes you stand out as an 'other', ugly as the notion is, will cause a lot of unnecessary hardship for the name bearer.

My name is the most Spanish name you could imagine, which is fine for a Spanish speaking country, but made me a curiosity growing up in Australia. Did it prejudice people against me? Perhaps, perhaps not, but it did mark me out as 'exotic', which is not always a good thing, especially as a socially awkward child who just wants to fit in.

My son, on the other hand, has a very English first name followed by a Spanish middle name and the traditional Spanish double surname. I hope that helps him have an easier time fitting in than I did.

How is Mercedes stupid or pretentious? It's a real name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_(name)

I know a few women named Mercedes. They're all elderly or middle aged Hispanic ladies. Because of this, I always thought of it as a grandma name.

It's basically a Spanish equivalent of Grace.

Ah, that makes sense.
Also, is it a bad idea to name my daughter Arya (From Game Of Thrones)?
But again, what about foreign names? Like my name, Abhishek which is an Indian name.

Aria with an 'i' is already a legitimate name. It means 'song' in Italian.

 

[Prinz Eugn]

I think it's kind of mean to give your kid an unconventional spelling to a common name. Your child is going to have to be that person that has to say everyday, "Um, actually, it's spelled a-s-h-l-e-i-g-h." Okay snowflake, you're special.

Yeah, that seems to be more disruptive than just having an unusual name no one would presume how to spell, and shows even less creativity on the part of the parents. Want to be unique, but aren't brave enough to find something actually special? Substitute some Y's in there, or whatever (sorry, Arryns of the world).

 

[TalonJH]

Pretty easy to pronounce that though. And I'm convinced Obama was only possible because Bush was sooooo shitty. Look at all the shit he gets now. Had 08 been a "normal" election, I doubt he would have made it. Outstanding president though.

So it's less about how unique the name is and more about if it is easy to pronounce.

 

[thecouncil]

My daughter has a unique name, though I wouldn't class it as unconventional. That said, I don't know or know of anyone else with the same name as her.

So what is it then?

 

[trixx]

My parents were going to use my "English" name for school. Said nah fuck it. Same thing for my bro

 

[Zen_Arcade]

So it's less about how unique the name is and more about if it is easy to pronounce.

It makes it easier because it eliminates the whole confusion element of the situation. Which outside of this reason:

People look down on it largely because it can feel like an ego trip on the part of the parents.

• I'm so creative and nontraditional, let me express my creativity through my child's name.
• My child is special and unique, and deserves a special and unique name.

Is the main reason I don't like them.

 

[TalonJH]

It makes it easier because it eliminates the whole confusion element of the situation. Which outside of this reason:

I'm not disagreeing; I'm just pointing it out.

 

[paparazzo]

I just wanted to shake my head when I heard my second cousin was named Rider.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I'm not disagreeing I'm just pointing it out.

Oh I didn't think you were disagreeing, I thought you were asking. Like trying to reaffirm his reasoning. My mistake.

 

[Yamauchi]

I don't have a problem with unconventional names. What's in a name, anyway?

The whole -aden fad is a little funny (Jaden, Kaden, Braden, Ayden, Hayden, etc.), but it's just human nature to follow fads.

If a person 'hates' unconventional names, he/she is probably just the type of person that hates change or new things in general.

 

[Angelus Errare]

Personally if I had a kid, I'd love them too much to give them a fucked up name that hurts them more than it helps because I want them to be "unique".

These dumb names speak more to the parent than the kids.

"Oh hey my daughter is named 'Daenerys Khaleesi Smith' such unique!"

Not really, your daughter name to most people can't be pronounced unless their GOT fans and her resume gets trashed at a greater rate. She also gets teased at school constantly with people asking her where are her dragons... Congrats on making getting employed that much harder for her. But hey, you finally got Khaleesi as your daughter like you always wanted ever since you started watching GoT. =\

 

[Symphonia]

So what is it then?

Anna-Lily.

Spoiler

This is where GAF proves me wrong

 

[TalonJH]

Oh I didn't think you were disagreeing, I thought you were asking. Like trying to reaffirm his reasoning. My mistake.

I have no problem with unique names if they are easy to pronounce and not something like Auqaman.

 

[nel e nel]

A sample of some of the more unique babies I've met since we had our son:

Odin
Zorro
Wolf (just Wolf, not short for Wolfgang)
Mondegreen

 

[nel e nel]

Anna-Lily.

Spoiler

This is where GAF proves me wrong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAH3DDkVHLs

;p