Gransnet forums

Chat

Strange baby names

(255 Posts)
Grammaretto Tue 19-Mar-19 15:40:51

I've just read the list of names chosen last year in Scotland. There's a Lucifer and a Corbyn.
Why would anyone inflict such a heavy burden on a baby?
I have no objection to unusual names or old fashioned ones and I appreciate you don't want the child to be one of 4 or 5 in the class with the same name - as I was, but really awful to name your child after the devil. Perhaps Corbyn's sister is May.

KatyK Wed 20-Mar-19 12:12:31

I keep thinking of more now! My nephew has a friend and her name is Pebbles. I thought it was her nickname, but it's her real name. Sweet.

Julia9TC Wed 20-Mar-19 12:18:10

We gave our children unusual names; it seemed like a good idea at the time. Later I told them they could change their names, or use one of their middle names, but none have chosen to do this. My older son said it meant people remembered him.

Squiffy Wed 20-Mar-19 12:18:20

. . . . . and Adelaide have been around for years

I love the idea that a place is named after a person (Queen Adelaide) and then, centuries later, people are named after the place!

Julia9TC Wed 20-Mar-19 12:19:50

Where have all the Lindas gone? There were two in my primary school class and one at my grammar wchool - still a very good friend of mine.

KatyK Wed 20-Mar-19 12:24:23

When I was at school I would have given anything to be Linda, Susan or Jacqueline. I considered my name 'too Irish' but I love it now and am proud of my Irishness.

glammanana Wed 20-Mar-19 12:27:06

My friends at school where Linda/Irene/Jennifer we also had Graham/Harold and Bruce.

Witzend Wed 20-Mar-19 12:33:33

There were lots of Lindas in my year at senior school.
Ditto Christines.
A few Elizabeths, too, but unlike the other two, that doesn't date anybody.
Jean is another that was popular, but you never hear of a baby Jean now. Maybe in another 30 years, when it'll be a newly popular 'old lady' name?

I wonder when John and Mary will make a comeback? Top of the popularity charts for centuries, surely due a revival soon - especially by any parents not wanting another 5 with the same name in their child's class at school.

HannahLoisLuke Wed 20-Mar-19 12:41:37

You're right Phoenix. David Bowie's son is now Duncan Jones.

The daftest name I've heard so far was a baby girl called Ikea!
Speaks volumes.

Day6 Wed 20-Mar-19 12:50:08

One of my former neighbours has a husband called Graham. I remember a conversation in which she said "They don't name little boys Graham any more.." A few weeks later a teacher friend told her there was a six year old Graham in her class but the parents had hyphenated it. He was Gray-Ham shock They insisted he was called Gray (pause) Ham, so it was like going to the butchers and asking for some gray ham grin

Makes you wonder if the parents did it deliberately or because they just weren't aware.

Nvella Wed 20-Mar-19 12:50:57

We had a Nefferteetee in the school I worked in

Day6 Wed 20-Mar-19 12:56:05

Ooops, I mean grey ham (although the child was a Gray)

Elenkalubleton Wed 20-Mar-19 12:57:49

My name is Victoria,which I loathed in school,being the only one,when the national anthem was sung I used to curl up wirh embarrassment because my name was mentioned.
“Sender Victorious”Dont mind it now.I have cousins named Star,and Dallas.Have heard of a baby Cyril recently.

Anneeba Wed 20-Mar-19 12:58:16

In the boys' grammar, next door to my girls' one, there were two super cool, tall, slim, beautiful and in those days fairly unusual for what was a largely white intake, black lads called Blaze and Storm. So loved them both and their names! Long time ago it must be said.

paddyann Wed 20-Mar-19 13:17:44

I was my neices godmother way back in 1970 ,the parish priest refused to let her be baptised Karen as he said it wasn't "Christian" I had to think on my feet and gave her her mothers name as a middle name ..a good saints name and that seemed to be OK .There was only me and my boyfriend there as the babies father and his family didn't want her baptised a catholic so they boycotted it and my family stayed away to keep the peace and just went to the house afterwards for tea .
I'd forgotten about it until quite recently when we all met up and were talking about christenings and the parties and I told her that I had to go back to her parents and tell them she had a different name from the one she left home with.It caused much hilarity as its not on her birth certificate just her baptismal one.
Of course we now now its a derivative of Katherine, wish I'd known that when I was 16

Nandalot Wed 20-Mar-19 13:26:13

I once taught a boy called Joe King. I assume it was a remarriage otherwise a bit cruel.

phoenix Wed 20-Mar-19 13:27:52

Was she delivered flat packed, Hannah?

TrazzerMc Wed 20-Mar-19 13:32:53

When did it become ok to just name your child the nickname of the actual name if you know what I mean?
The first time I knew of this personally was about 35 years ago when some friends named their son Ricky not Richard.
My DGCs go to school with Eddies, Millies, Joes etc these are the actual names not nicknames. Also am I right in thinking that in the UK you cannot call your child Prince/princess/Lord/Lady etc? If so does that mean that celebs who do this must register the birth outside the UK?

Craftycat Wed 20-Mar-19 13:50:34

When my dad was young his neighbours had a daughter called Hermione- which they always pronounced
Her Mee Own.
I guess these days with Harry Potter so popular now they would have got it right.

HellsBells Wed 20-Mar-19 14:08:19

love all my grandchildrens names - Reuben, Finlay,Elliot.Josh, Bethany, Cooper, Zachary, Fergus, Buster, Mabel, Frank, Harvey, Taylor, Buddy, Missy, Eleanor and Nathan - wouldn't dream of criticising their choices

Wheniwasyourage Wed 20-Mar-19 14:24:05

I know what you mean, Grandma2213 about shortened versions of names. My DGS was threatened with being called Jamie, but fortunately his parents reconsidered, and he was christened James. He is still known as James, but he now has complete freedom to call himself Jamie (or Jim) if he wants to. I do much prefer to see children given the full name rather than an abbreviated one, whatever they are usually called. I know you can call yourself whatever you like, but it just seems more logical to go from full version to short version rather than the other way round.

A lot of fishing families here used to call girls after their fathers, as in Thomasina, with the 'i' pronounced as the letter name, not as 'ee'. You would come across a Jamesina or even an Angusina. They would very often just be called Ina!

DanniRae Wed 20-Mar-19 14:27:45

I LOVE the name Stanley as it was my dad's name ........... and now my great nephew's too.
I always loved the name Robert when I was growing up ......... a bit of a crush on a boy I knew and meant I loved the song "I want to be Bobby's Girl" so I always knew if I had a son he would be named Robert.........I did and he is!! smile

Purpledaffodil Wed 20-Mar-19 14:37:44

I’ve got a very boring 1940/50s name. When I asked my mother why she didn’t call me after my grandmother who was Sarah Jane, she said it was because that was considered a servant’s name.?
Am very touched that DD called HER baby after her grandmother. It’s one of the virtue names and DM would have been so pleased to be remembered like that.

pce612 Wed 20-Mar-19 14:39:34

Lucifer probably named after Lucifer Morningstar, of Amazon's series.
I once watched Oprah, one of the guests' son was called Draylon. Perhaps furnishing fabrics have different names.....
I also know of a Lacey Curtin. There are numerous examples of unfortunate initials.

If children don't like their given names, they can choose to be called something different, I wish that I had.

Saggi Wed 20-Mar-19 14:39:49

Don’t mind unusual names....if I never hear another Daniel or Matthew it’ll be too soon.... my son had five Dans and four Matts in his class in the ‘90s...he’s a Greg...and when the teacher yelled Greg....only one of him turned around.

Grammaretto Wed 20-Mar-19 14:55:31

I have always liked names and naming my dolls and pets when I was a child. I luckily got some of the worst ones out of my system that way so I could be sensible when naming our children who all have plain, strong names easy to spell and to pronounce as are the DGC mostly.
I do hear a lot of dogs being called by, what I consider, human names. Whatever happened to Rover and Bandit?