Naming your kids

[elisera]

Do you think parents should have unlimited choice when it comes to naming thier children?

Or do you think that some of the names kids get now are cruel and unneccesarily odd!?

Whats the strangest name you have ever come across?

Personally I think parents should be able to name their kids whatever they want but I also think they need to have a bit more consideration for the child when it is growing up.. Sometimes names which sound strange at first can turn out to be beautiful (I know a little girl called Harvest Savannah - odd at first but really grew on me), and other names which can sound very cutesy at first will just sound ridiculous once the child grows up and has to get a real job etc...

I would consider excluding celebrities children from this dicussion as it could be said they grow up in different circles where their name may not seem so odd but I think sometimes celebs can go a bit too far and ignore the fact that their child might never want to be in the spotlight (bit hard with names like Fifi Trixibelle and Apple...)

So what are your thoughts?

[Disclaimer: Comments made about specific names in no way reflect on anyone with that name. ]

 

[Lamp]

This guy's got a pretty unfortunate name

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Assman

 

[Marc]

Names of some people I know/went to school college with

Mark Park
Ronald McDonald
James Bond
Rick O'Shay
Richard Head

 

[old.Tohtori]

Anyone can change their name when they turn 18, so really, get over it Dick Hiney!

 

[Thorwyn]

Nope, you can´t... at least not in Germany. You only can if the name is blattantly inappropriate, insulting or somehow rude... and that´s only possible for the last name. The first name is being checked by an institution before the baby is born and they´re going to filter out all "esoteric" names like Winnetou etc. However, puns like Ronald McDonald would certainly go through (because the name is 100% legal). So, at least over here, the person would be snookered.

 

[elisera]

Yea but lets face it tohtori, the teasing they will get will start a LONG time before they are 18 and could cause them some serious problems...

 

[Naetha]

Imo (and the same will apply when I name my kids) is that the first name has to be a functional name that can be applied all the way through their life, it will sound just as good and as appropriate when they're 4 years old as when they're a 45 year old lawyer.

They shouldn't be overly elaborate, and should go reasonably well with the surname.

The middle name however is where parents get their revenge. You should be able to make it as outlandish or as embarrasing as you want. My grandfather (who is as Welsh as you can get) is called Meredydd Worthington Evans, and I hope to keep up the Worthington tradition in my family for as long as I can - thats a cracking middle name (for a boy anyway).

As I'm Welsh myself, I'd also like to get a Welsh name in, either as the first name, or as the middle name.

<goes into a minor reverie about what outlandish Welsh names she can call her children>

 

[old.Tohtori]

Nope, you can´t... at least not in Germany. You only can if the name is blattantly inappropriate, insulting or somehow rude... and that´s only possible for the last name. The first name is being checked by an institution before the baby is born and they´re going to filter out all "esoteric" names like Winnetou etc. However, puns like Ronald McDonald would certainly go through (because the name is 100% legal). So, at least over here, the person would be snookered.

Oh..damn...in finland you can change your name once for free, then it costs, but still can do it.

Don't know if i could name myself; Firstname: Teh Lastname: Seel, but i have to find out.

Atleast it's free if you change to your mothers maiden name and so forth.

Yea but lets face it tohtori, the teasing they will get will start a LONG time before they are 18 and could cause them some serious problems...

Hey...i was teased as a kid, all through basic schooling (9 years) about my name and i turned out...oh i see what you mean...

 

[elisera]

My bf's family have a name which gets passed down through the boys and I wouldn't mind carrying it on but I will admit I do tend to like "different" names... I don't think any of them would be considered cruel through..

I agree with Naetha as well that the name has to suit the child as they grow up though... I feel sorry for the children of the future that will have grannies called things like Chardonnay...

 

[Lamp]

In the UK you can change your name (by deed poll, you pay a fee) as often as you like as long as its not for deceptive or fraudulent purposes.

http://www.deedpoll.org.uk/

Why is it called a Deed Poll?
A Deed is a written legal agreement that has been signed and delivered (shown to all concerned parties). Poll is an old English word used to describe a legal document that had its edges cut (polled) so they were straight. This was done to visually distinguish between a deed signed by one person (a polled deed - hence the term Deed Poll) and a deed signed by more than one person (an indenture), which had an edge indented or serrated. Interestingly, indentures were originally written twice (side by side) on one piece of parchment, which was then torn down the middle and each half given to each party. The impossibility of matching the tear was a guard against forgery. Deed Poll documents for a change of name can be traced back to 1851 and can be seen at the National Archives, which is situated at Kew in Richmond, Surrey.

 

[Hansmoleman]

i know someone who is pregnant and wants to call the child leaf..

 

[elisera]

i know someone who is pregnant and want to call the child leaf..

Prime example!!

What is that woman thinking?!! :touch:

 

[Naetha]

Leif would be cool though

I'd like to call my kids something like Max Worthington or Emily (shortenable to Millie) Gwenllian...

However...my cats are called Max and Millie....is it wrong to name your children after your cats?

 

[elisera]

Leif is fine, I new a Norwegain guy aclled that once but plain old Leaf is just odd..

I wouldn't have a problem naming my kids after my pets except they may get confused about which one is being called! I love most of the names my DAoC chars have had... Is it wrong to name kids the same?

 

[Aile]

I got called Casey, never ever liked it as a guy, but whats the point in changing it

 

[Lamp]

Hmm...I'm not sure I'd name my kids Tiddles, Mr. Whiskers, Paddy Paws, Felix, Spike, Astrocat, Moggie, Kitty Litter, and so on

Naming after cats is a little sad

 

[Pirkel]

[..] I love most of the names my DAoC chars have had... Is it wrong to name kids the same?

My first kid gets named after my best friend (if it's a boy). If it's a girl she gets named after my sister.

The second kid however is fucked ... cause it will get named after one of my daoc chars . If my wife agrees ofcourse.

 

[Naetha]

Leif is fine, I new a Norwegain guy aclled that once but plain old Leaf is just odd..

I wouldn't have a problem naming my kids after my pets except they may get confused about which one is being called! I love most of the names my DAoC chars have had... Is it wrong to name kids the same?

I think if you live in Scotland/Ireland (including NI - both have the same heritage) and Wales you can probably get away with much more "fantastical" sounding names, i.e. ones that might crop up in DAoC as well as Celtic mythology.

My family has a history of good solid first names, then Welsh middle names:

Ellie Sioned (me)
Kathryn Siwan (my sister)
Gareth Rhisiart (my brother)
Louise Eluned (my mother)

which seems to work quite well. I don't generally put Sioned down as my middle name as most of the time its too much of a faff, but its good to know its there to remind me of my heritage

 

[Naetha]

Hmm...I'm not sure I'd name my kids Tiddles, Mr. Whiskers, Paddy Paws, Felix, Spike, Astrocat, Moggie, Kitty Litter, and so on

Naming after cats is a little sad

Your cats are unimaginatively named then!

Although I do like the name Felix...

 

[elisera]

Every child in our family (except for me...) has their middle name taken from an older relative. Oddest examples are Mary Thomasina and Keil Guiney..

Mine is Erin Elise which people thought was quite odd when my mum picked it way back when...

EDIT: And i agree about being able to get away with slightly more outlandish names as well Naetha, another reason to be glad that I live where I do

 

[Dreamor]

There was a guy at work (the customer) who was Richard Burns... he said to just call him 'Dick'

 

[Kathal]

Hmm...I'm not sure I'd name my kids Tiddles, Mr. Whiskers, Paddy Paws, Felix, Spike, Astrocat, Moggie, Kitty Litter, and so on

Naming after cats is a little sad

One of the Danish princes are called Felix

 

[elisera]

I think Felix is quite a nice name although it would remind me alot of the cat food...

 

[Thorwyn]

A guy I know (or rather: knew...he´s dead now) had the rather interesting first name "Mohandas" (it´s actually an indian name). Problem was, that his last name was Smith. :/

 

[Lamp]

A guy I know (or rather: knew...he´s dead now) had the rather interesting first name "Mohandas" (it´s actually an indian name). Problem was, that his last name was Smith. :/

LOL

My father's friend has a dog called Malcolm

 

[elisera]

Thats the other problem, putting really weird and wacky forenames with plain surnames! I think sometimes parents think they will make their child appear more intelligent/better off if they give them "posh" sounding names...

 

[razeredge]

Have u heard the name of the head of the anti doping agency, thats been in the news lots l8ly - Dick Pound, ud think he'd go by Richard wouldn't you

 

[confused]

One of my best friends "Nick Charles Andrew Stanfield Smith Wade"

Now seriously how is that fair?

edit: aparently its Andrew Charles, but still

 

[Lamp]

No prizes for guessing what this guy got teased with at school

http://ca.geocities.com/mhs51@rogers.com/ThenNow/Washer.htm

 

[haarewin]

my brother was gonna have enough "middle names" to spell out his first name.
hes only missing A and I ;P

personally i wouldnt ever give a kid a wierd name. maybe a 'foreign' word that could be seen as a misspelled english name. like 'Hana' for a girl - its Japanese for 'flower'. although i do like a lot of japanese names too. 'Ai' (love) is nice..
prolly never gonna happen though because if i ever had a kid it would be through adoption.