Very strange names for children

I have taught a number of Chinese students over the years and, bless 'em, they seem to have a tradition of choosing westernised names that we can say with ease. For example Venus, Seven, Elvis, Grey, Willy, Star - ain't that nice!?!?

widgeon - especially Balcony, bless her little cotton socks.

I taught a girl whose first two names were Chemise Caleche. We wondered if her mother had been frightened by a French dictionary during pregnancy. Vest Coach didn't sound nearly so.....interesting

I worked with some whose parents thought they were comics, Neil Standing, Shaun Lamb and Cherry Orchard, poor kids suffered many taunts.

I taught a child called Pagan. But the daftest name I think is Neveah. Because it's Heaven spelled backwards, and that is the actual reason for the name. Better than Lleh, I suppose

Not a strange name but one I can't stand is my beloved new grandson's name. He's a beautiful baby (as they all are) and they have called him Samson. On being told his name, my cousin, never one to mince words, said to my daughter in law, have you been watching too much Emmerdale, my dear?

Going back to the African theme they often have meaningful names I knew an Innocent, Precious, and Last ( because they thought they weren't having any more children but they did, so he wasn't) and best of all Ringostarr

chocolatepudding - are you Huldah?

Have we had Hecubah?

No correct answer yet.......

chocolatepudding if you don't tell us your real name soon we will eat you
Hester, Hardanger, hangover, hollyoaks, hortatory, hoitytoity, hello, halo, honesty.

Havanah, heva, Heaven, hells bells, Harley....are we getting close at all chocolatep

Harlow? Hadeya? Hakidonmuya? Give us a clue!

My middle name is Regina. You can imagine what school children made of THAT one - as did the teachers, some of whom ridiculed it and read it out to the class, to my extreme shame.
I think I was named after my father's sister Regine. They were German refugees. It was also Coronation year!

But that, with my hard-to-pronounce German surname, made me a target for teasing and bullying

My cousin's daughter is at secondary school with a very blonde, pale, blue eyed girl named........Pocohontas!

dramatic and * crafting* if she doesn't tell us soon I might burst

Like Annemac101 I remember being at school when nearly every girl in the class had one of the same three names. Anything foreign-sounding or unconventional was looked on with suspicion. I remember one new girl called Anne-Marie (which would be regarded as quite conventional today). When adding her name to the register, the class teacher said, in front of everyone, "Once and for all, is your name Anne or Marie?" She pronounced Marie to rhyme with starry. Poor Anne-Marie went red and didn't know what to answer. Times have certainly changed since then, but maybe not entirely for the worse!

I think every child should have at least two given name so they will have a choice. I know a number of people who have chosen to use their middle name. My father-in-law did this and so did our younger son. I'd say it's best to aim for one fairly unusual name and one more standard name (Like John or Thomas). Worth considering how well the name sounds with your surname so you don't end up with some horrible pun or double meaning!

Granny gear. Wouldn't have helped my college friend Edna, hated her name. We said use your middle one. Gladys? She said sadly. Named after two aunts.
That would have made me Beatrice Elsie, very 'auntish' in the 1940s and 50s but both back now for babies!

Bluebelle - Wisdom would be about 16 now. Junior school teachers often asked him to live up to his name, re behaviour rather than work!

GrannyGear, ( Like John or Thomas) , but not together.

I always understood that the proper Welsh pronunciation for Caitlin was Kat-lyn (as in 'mat'). There is an adult somewhere in South Africa called 'Mrs Cooper's Orange Marmalade' (based on the fact that children were named after something really impressive)and my mother knew an unfortunate called Roland Butter - so there's nothing new under the sun really.

I thought Caitlin was a Welsh name because of Dylan Thomas's wife. But she was Caitlin O'Hara and Irish so I'm unsure now. Is it both? The Irish pronunciation sounds to me very similar to Kathleen but with an Irish accent, which makes sense, I think.
Taking an unfamiliar class register I paused at Grainne and a girl quietly said 'Gronya, miss' I was very grateful!

"Crafting" has almost hit the nail on the head.......but not quite

I wonder whether there's a little Harley Davidson somewhere!