Why do people hate unconventional names for children?

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robochimp

Member
It's just stupid, apple is a ridiculous name for a person, or should I call my kid banana? while i'm at it i will change my name by deed poll to peas. hmmm

This guy right here is the poster boy for your question. It boils down to people not understanding or caring to understand the culture of others.

I have a niece who goes by Apple, because her full name is Apollonia which was her great great grandmother's name. Language and culture are fluid, peoples brains tend not to be.
 
This guy right here is the poster boy for your question. It boils down to people not understanding or caring to understand the culture of others.

I have a niece who goes by Apple, because her full name is Apollonia which was her great great grandmother's name. Language and culture are fluid, peoples brains tend not to be.
A shortened nick name isn't the same as purposefully naming your daughter Apple after a fruit. Most of the reason people dislike "weird names" is the reasoning behind naming the child that, not the actual name itself.
 
This guy right here is the poster boy for your question. It boils down to people not understanding or caring to understand the culture of others.

I have a niece who goes by Apple, because her full name is Apollonia which was her great great grandmother's name. Language and culture are fluid, peoples brains tend not to be.

Eh this is not the same thing. In your case Apple is a cute nick name or a shortened version. I think he was talking about actually having the name on the birth certificate being "Apple".
 
Just pick a name that is not too common, but is common enough that people will have heard of it.

Our son's name is Cole. It's not in the top 50..but it's popular enough to be recognized
 

kmax

Member
It really depends though.

It's nothing wrong with naming your kid something unique, it's just odd. But If I'd name my kid Snowball for example, I'd be pretty naive. It's just uncaring.
 
Stupid spellings bug me more.

Things like Sean/Shawn are fine, but Ashleigh? Name your son Alycks while you're at it.

Yeah. I'm OK with weird names, it's the common-sounding names with impossible-to-spell arrangements that I hate.

Also, any name that rhymes with "en" is probably awful. Jaedyn, Aiden, Kayden, and so forth.
 

Infinite

Member
A shortened nick name isn't the same as purposefully naming your daughter Apple after a fruit. Most of the reason people dislike "weird names" is the reasoning behind naming the child that, not the actual name itself.

But once again it's not their problem and the child's name and why the parents gave it to them has zero impact on their lives. Why care.
 

EulaCapra

Member
I love unconventional names! I even have an appreciation for the Sharkeisha's. But I rather go right in-between common names like John/Madison and more unconventional names like Khaleesi or god forbid, Pilotinspektor.

So basically Airbender/Korra names would be the right compromise. Tenzin may not fly as well with stingy assholes who have hiring power, but Bolin and Asami sound Eastern/Western enough that they might just fly.

I'm personally going for Sennet and Merin.
 

Ophelion

Member
Kids are going to make fun of your name no matter what. Can anyone say they've not had anyone make s silly rhyme with their name like "Dirty Dave" or "Smelly Shelly". Names are meant to be identifiers. We've all had to specify which Matt or Justin we were talking about at some point. Sure, please don't name your kid Aquaman but there is nothing wrong with something unique. The names we think are normal were unique a decade ago.

To be fair, I'm bias because as I've said before, my name sounds like It came out of a fan-fic name generator.
Talon Hampton

Bingo. In fact, even if kids don't make fun of your name they are going to make fun of something.

What people afraid of naming people unique things need to realize is that this is just a reality of growing up. Kids are going to make fun of other kids. No one could ever take enough precautions to prevent this. Every kid has got to face the music. If you help them learn how to face that bullshit head on rather than cringing from it, they're going to do a lot better with ridicule in school than if you give them a conformist, boring ass name.

Also, consider a name with an X in it. Really hard to make a stupid rhyme work when your name has an X in it.
 

reckless

Member
Bingo. In fact, even if kids don't make fun of your name they are going to make fun of something.

What people afraid of naming people unique things need to realize is that this is just a reality of growing up. Kids are going to make fun of other kids. No one could ever take enough precautions to prevent this. Every kid has got to face the music. If you help them learn how to face that bullshit head on rather than cringing from it, they're going to do a lot better with ridicule in school than if you give them a conformist, boring ass name.

Also, consider a name with an X in it. Really hard to make a stupid rhyme work when your name has an X in it.

Well its not just being made fun of, having an uncommon name hurts your job prospects later on in life.
 
Sophia and Olivia are not new names dude, they are quite conventional

Phillip is Greek, not Judeo-Christian.

the weirdo names to me are Caleb, Aiden, and Logan... oh Wolverine

Yeah, names can be old as dirt and still be unconventional. I know people picking names out of Greek and Norse mythology.

The point is those names weren't anywhere on the chart 30 years ago, it was largely dominated by Judeo-Christian names. Its just interesting to see my generation picking different names than the ones they grew up with, yet all picking the same names.
 

Alx

Member
Can't say I hate them, but I find it sad when a name sounds like parents trying too hard to be unique, rather than sounding like a "real" name. Maybe they're just bad at inventing them, but then there are so many choices from all languages and cultures around the world and through history...
 

GamerJM

Banned
My parents always talk about how much they dislike them because they're "pretentious," but it usually just sounds like old people complaining about something inconsequential being "different," >_>.
 

Ophelion

Member
Well its not just being made fun of, having an uncommon name hurts your job prospects later on in life.

Easy fix for that is that any unique name I'd give to a kid has an easy diminutive that feels common. Like people saying they'd name their daughter Lucina? She just puts Lucy on her job application, doesn't she?

If I actually used my screen name for a son, I'd tell him to put Leo on job apps and resumes.

You can have your cake and eat it too.
 

Flappy

Banned
I went through childhood with a conventional, boring as fuck name. It was lame.

When I became an adult I took matters into my own hands and changed it by deed poll.

I'd make sure to give my kids something unconventional, yet not stupid sounding.
 
But once again it's not their problem and the child's name and why the parents gave it to them has zero impact on their lives. Why care.
Yes it does, in cases. Because then people get mad when these unconventional names sound odd to people and then they get offended. If you work at a call center like I have and mispronounce names you've never heard and people get mad at you for it, it becomes very grating when you have to deal with people with unconventional names. They're irritated because every time they have to say their name to someone they don't know it's met with the need for pause and clarification, and I'm irritated because I'm getting yelled at for not knowing how to say a word that someone I don't know made up.

Like my previous example of my friend Dea. If I'm with Dea and we want to order food, she will use my name as the pick up name because she's tired of having to repeat and spell out her name over and over. She says it's just easier to use my name because it's more common. So yes, while minimal, it does have an impact on peoples lives, and I can only assume that those little annoying instances add up, otherwise my friend wouldn't be so fed up with it that she feels the need to use a fake name just for convenience. These aren't people making fun of her name or putting her down for it. It's just naturally more difficult to go through a life with an unconventional name that people aren't used to hearing.

But as I said, it's less about the name itself and more about how it's annoying that parents do it so their child as a cheap way to stand out and look special. It's people purposefully doing something weird in hopes that people pay attention to them. And I find that to be an annoying trait.
 

genjiZERO

Member
Stupid spellings bug me more.

Things like Sean/Shawn are fine, but Ashleigh? Name your son Alycks while you're at it.

I'm pretty sure Ashleigh is the most proper spelling of the name. Also, Sean is more proper than Shawn or Shaun.

June and August are good, strong Roman names. One should be proud to be connectdd to the Empire in such a way.

When my wife and I have a boy he will be named Julian after Emperor Julian the Apostate.

June and August aren't really "Roman names" though. August is a title, the name form of which is Augustine, and June is after Juno/Hera but nor really a personal name. Romans had personal names like Paullus, Gaius, Marius, Titus, etc. So if you want to be really authentic I'd go with Paul, Mary*, Marc or something like that. Julian is a good name too, but it's a later Imperial period name**.

*The name "Mary" is actually the feminine form (Maria) of Marius which was a Roman praenomen. The biblical person's name was Mariam not Maria and mean totally different things. This was conflated to Maria when translated into Greek and Latin.

**The Julii were a particular family, and thus Julius was not a personal name but a "last name" as we colloquially call it today. So for example, people didn't call Julius Caesar "Julius" they would have called him Gaius. As a result to modernize his name it would be better to think of him as Gaius Julius like you would say John Smith. Caesar was actually a cognomen a sort of nickname. So for example "Eric the Red" the "the Red" bit is his cognomen. The word Caesar means either "to cut" or "head full of hair", but probably the later.
 

Fireblend

Banned
I like Valeria. But then again, it's a spanish name and I live in Costa Rica so it's all good. Plus it's a beautiful name
even if my girlfriend disagrees
.
 

Zingerale

Banned
It shouldnt hurt your job prospects and a lot of other factors can too so the same point can be made here.

Recently a study was made that showed that resumes with common names are more likely to get the job then ones with unconventional names.

There's a lot more discrimination in the labor market than in the playground for sure.
 
I just hate people that, no offense, but name their kids the most generic names ever like Mike, Jim, Chris, etc. Spend some time and think of a good name that isn't used by tens of millions of people already.
 

reckless

Member
Easy fix for that is that any unique name I'd give to a kid has an easy diminutive that feels common. Like people saying they'd name their daughter Lucina? She just puts Lucy on her job application, doesn't she?

If I actually used my screen name for a son, I'd tell him to put Leo on job apps and resumes.

You can have your cake and eat it too.

Well they are probably just going to use the more common version of their name everyday, so might as well just make their actual name Lucy or Leo...etc.

Trying to make your kid standout a little bit isn't really worth it.
 

Infinite

Member
Well yeah it shouldn't, but studies have shown it does, and its an extremely easy problem to avoid.

Progress doesn't work this way.

Yes it does, in cases. Because then people get mad when these unconventional names sound odd to people and then they get offended. If you work at a call center like I have and mispronounce names you've never heard and people get mad at you for it, it becomes very grating when you have to deal with people with unconventional names. They're irritated because every time they have to say their name to someone they don't know it's met with the need for pause and clarification, and I'm irritated because I'm getting yelled at for not knowing how to say a word that someone I don't know made up.

Like my previous example of my friend Dea. If I'm with Dea and we want to order food, she will use my name as the pick up name because she's tired of having to repeat and spell out her name over and over. She says it's just easier to use my name because it's more common. So yes, while minimal, it does have an impact on peoples lives, and I can only assume that those little annoying instances add up, otherwise my friend wouldn't be so fed up with it that she feels the need to use a fake name just for convenience.

But as I said, it's less about the name itself and more about how it's annoying that parents do it so their child as a cheap way to stand out and look special. It's people purposefully doing something weird in hopes that people pay attention to them. And I find that to be an annoying trait.

Sounds like a rather benign "problem"
 

HylianTom

Banned
I like Valeria. But then again, it's a spanish name and I live in Costa Rica so it's all good. Plus it's a beautiful name
even if my girlfriend disagrees
.
For me, Valeria is forever associated with a certain MST3k episode - Robot Holocaust. The character named Valeria talks like Elmer Fudd, so I giggle when I see the name anywhere.

0201_hexfield.jpg

"You and your dawtuh aww doomed!"
 

The Beard

Member
Bingo. In fact, even if kids don't make fun of your name they are going to make fun of something.

What people afraid of naming people unique things need to realize is that this is just a reality of growing up. Kids are going to make fun of other kids. No one could ever take enough precautions to prevent this. Every kid has got to face the music. If you help them learn how to face that bullshit head on rather than cringing from it, they're going to do a lot better with ridicule in school than if you give them a conformist, boring ass name.

Also, consider a name with an X in it. Really hard to make a stupid rhyme work when your name has an X in it.

Why not just name your kid "Orange" ? Good luck finding a rhyming nickname. Take that Bullies !
 

reckless

Member
Progress doesn't work this way.



Sounds like a rather benign "problem"

Making your kids fight for progress seems pretty mean. Instead of forcing your kids to have to deal with easily avoided problems their whole life, why not just legally change your own name?
 
Progress doesn't work this way.



Sounds like a rather benign "problem"
Not really. If it were benign I doubt my friend would be trying to find work arounds so she doesn't have to use her given name. And it's a problem that could be completely avoided if people just picked a conventional name instead of naming their kid something like Shoe, which will net the kid zero benefits in life.

I'd say having to name your kid something conventional instead of making one up or naming them after an inanimate object is a much more benign problem. Someone naming their kid Punch isn't forwarding society in any meaningful way.
 

jmood88

Member
Most of those names you listed under "Names we accept" sound like stripper names.

Also, as someone who has sorted through stacks of resumes before cutting down candidates, if i'm deciding between 2 people with nearly identical resumes, but one is named "Sarah" and the other is named "Candy", i'm cutting Candy and saving Sarah.
...which is so fucking stupid.
 
I'm going for an unconventional middle name when I have kids, but some name, I just don't understand. I recently had to create a computer account for a new hire whose first and name is Unique Queen. I've known women named Princess or Divinity, and I think those are pretty ridiculous. I'm fine with the hard to pronounce names, but I couldn't imagine how scarred my kid would be giving her one of the other names I mentioned.

I'm still fighting my girlfriend on Samus or Liara if it's a girl.
 

tokkun

Member
It shouldnt hurt your job prospects and a lot of other factors can too so the same point can be made here.

Shouldn't, but does. It has been proven in study after study that your name impacts your likelyhood of getting an interview after submitting a resume.

Yeah, there are a lot of other factors that can unfairly hurt your career success, such as height or physical attractiveness, but those are things you have no control over. Why further disadvantage your child with something you can control?

There's nothing courageous about giving your kid a weird name as some kind of political statement toward name-equality progress, because they are the one who faces the consequences, not you. If someone want to make that kind of statement, they are free to change their own name.
 

TalonJH

Member
Well its not just being made fun of, having an uncommon name hurts your job prospects later on in life.

My name is Talon and I honestly have gotten complimented on my name in every job interview I've been to. It stands out, but since I am a Web/Graphic Designer/Developer, I think people expect me to stand out. Same reason why my resume is hand draw instead of being a white page. That may be the reason why admittedly.

I believe it's more ethnic names that cause trouble (according to the Freakenomics podcast and NPR) but thats a different problem.
 

Ophelion

Member
Well they are probably just going to use the more common version of their name everyday, so might as well just make their actual name Lucy or Leo...etc.

Trying to make your kid standout a little bit isn't really worth it.

What? No, I have several friends who are thankful for that chameleon ability. Sometimes you want to stand out. Sometimes you want to fit in. (Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't...) If your name can do both based on, circumstance, you get the best of both words.

And it would never be about naming my kid something strictly to make them stand out. It would always be because it was a name I thought was worthy and beautiful enough for my kid.
 

Infinite

Member

What's contradictory here?

People saying they don't like unconventional names because it annoys them to some extent. My answer to that is how does this effect you in anyway where it becomes annoying to you? It doesn't nor should it. Grow up.

People saying parents should name their child conventional names because it means they wouldn't get bullied because of it or their job prospects aren't hindered. To that I say BS. If we truly are a progressive society we shouldn't be demanding that people name their children "conventional" names in hopes of a better life for them we should strive for a society where they aren't to be judged or discriminated against by such factors. It's a terrible argument to throw around. Yes I know it is the status quo but the status quo sucks and ought to be changed. Since "unconventional" names frequently extends to names that aren't of European origin not just names like Moonman that quirky eccentric parents like to give their kids.
 
What's contradictory here?

People saying they don't like unconventional names because it annoys them to some extent. My answer to that is how does this effect you in anyway where it becomes annoying to you? It doesn't nor should it. Grow up.

People saying parents should name their child conventional names because it means they wouldn't get bullied because of it or their job prospects aren't hindered. To that I say BS. If we truly are a progressive society we shouldn't be demanding that people name their children "conventional" names in hopes of a better life for them we should strive for a society where they aren't to be judged or discriminated against by such factors. It's a terrible argument to throw around. Yes I know it is the status quo but the status quo sucks and ought to be changed.
I just gave you ways it effects both the child and the people around them. It doesn't suddenly not count because you personally deem those problems "Benign".
 
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