<p>My niece just had twins. She named them Wren and Whilma…Wren is interesting, but Whilma…</p>
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<p>slyvan, my oldest son has a fairly comman name, not hard to pronounce nor spell. But people mispronounce it ALL the time. AND he has to spell it for people. Second son has a name that doesn’t even make the baby name monitor. He never has to spell it and people get it right all the time. Go figure.</p>
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I thought perhaps it was a (more or less) phonetic spelling of Marquis, sort of like the many spellings of Antoine.</p>
<p>“^^ And have you noticed that the media hardly ever refers to him as Barack Hussein Obama? They seem to want to pretend that he doesn’t have a middle name (especially THAT one).”</p>
<p>Like they always called the Bushes “Pres George Herbert Walker Bush” on every page, and “George Walker Bush.” Or “William Jefferson Clinton.” </p>
<p>Gotta save a little ink. First-name, last-name works fine in newspapers & on the air.</p>
<p>I am also against made up spellings of otherwise classic names. I grew up with a one-syllable first name and a mouthful of a last name–ALWAYS had to spell it, INCLUDING making sure that people understood all the letters (I can STILL say “T like Tom” and “F like Frank” in my sleep), and most people still couldn’t pronounce it.</p>
<p>I married a man with a one-syllable last name but it took me a full year to give up my mouthful-of-a-maiden name; I realized that I liked the uniqueness, and that the name was part of who I was. When I was working, I always used it as my middle name on business cards and on all formal documents–I just didn’t use it when introducing myself in person or on the phone. I admit that I do miss it.</p>
<p>On behalf of ParentofIvyHope I’d like to know what first names are those that are most accepted into Ivy League colleges, so I can rename my children and increase their chances of getting accepted into HYPed schools.</p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>F. Blaine Jefferson Walker von Dunninghammer III</p>
<p>Most of this thread is more than two years old. That’s long enough for fashions in baby naming to change again.</p>
<p>The “Latrina” comment reminded me that we’ve got a state senator in Florida whose first name is Larcenia. I always think of larceny when I see it. Given the sorry state of politics in Florida, I guess it might be kind of fitting.</p>
<p>I’m not sure it’s a socio-economic thing. I know upper-income parents who give their kids names like Madison and MacKenzie. Not to mention Austin and Justin – but, then, those are saints’ names of venerable vintage, so they would have been popular back in the day as well.</p>
<p>CTTC, LOL! A teenage girl who used to work at a local drugstore was named Latrina. I always wondered what on earth her parents were thinking! But the girl herself was gorgeous, poised, confident, and unfailingly cheerful, with an absolutely radiant smile. If she was bothered by her name, it sure didn’t show!</p>
<p>On youtube you can look at the top 60/70/100… ghetto/Indian/Mexican/white… names that are so funny! There are quite a few versions. Alot of stereotypes but different posters having fun with the way we name our kids.</p>
<p>I have always loved by name. It’s unusual, and I’ve only met two other people with the same name. My mother got it from a little French girl down the street. I feel like it’s rareness matched my unique personality.</p>
<p>Well, a couple of months ago, my sons told me that they think it sounds ghetto! I swear, I’ve had an identity crisis since.</p>
<p>I knew of a man working in the high end corporate world whose name was Harry Balls. We could never say the name without giggling a bit. Still, the name was never forgotten.</p>
<p>* I know upper-income parents who give their kids names like Madison and MacKenzie. Not to mention Austin and Justin – but, then, those are saints’ names of venerable vintage, so they would have been popular back in the day as well. *</p>
<p>Wow…I didn’t know that those names were saints’ names…except Justin, of course.</p>
<p>When son #2 was born, we didn’t have a boys name ready. I quickly came up with a name that I liked (H agreed), but it was more of a modern/trendy kind of name. His middle name is also trendy.</p>
<p>The following month when we had the priest home visit to discuss baptism, I panicked because I realized that I hadn’t chosen a saints name for my child. I expected a mild scolding and I expected to be told to choose a saints name for the middle name. However…the priest said nothing about our son’s name, so I breathed a sign of relief.</p>
<p>Fast forward a few years…my older son’s name is a VERY COMMON saints name (for instance, James), so my older son asked WHICH one was his patron saint. Hmmm, I had no idea…son had been named after my H. So, I went to a Catholic book store that had this multi-volume set of saints to look up which “James” had a feast day near my older son’s B-day.</p>
<p>Then, I thought…hmm…younger son doesn’t have a saints name, so maybe I should look up which saint has the feast day that is my younger son’s B-day. So, I looked up July XX…and lo and behold…there was my second’s son’s “trendy” name…that saint was a first century martyr thrown to the lions. And his feast day was my son’s Bday…Divine intervention I would say… :)</p>
<p>No wonder the priest didn’t blink when I said my second son’s name…Father already knew it was a saints name.</p>
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<p>Our situations are so much alike! My first name is simple, two syllables. My last name is very unusual, and must be spelled every time. I, too, can recite “P, and in Peter…N as in Nancy” in my sleep. It is actually pronounced exactly the way it is spelled, but most people just look at it and freak out. There are literally two people in the US with this name at this point, one of whom is me.</p>
<p>I married a man with a nice, 1-syllable last name, but I didn’t take it. I’ve never regretted it. I did offer to let him hyphenate with me if he wished. Oddly, he declined. :D</p>
<p>*My last name is very unusual, and must be spelled every time. I, too, can recite “P, and in Peter…N as in Nancy” in my sleep. It is actually pronounced exactly the way it is spelled, but most people just look at it and freak out. *</p>
<p>I had the same issue with my maiden name. The first two syllables were spelled the same, so people would think I was repeating when I spelled it for them. It is also pronounced exactly like it’s spelled…yet, people would always slaughter it.</p>
<p>My married last name is very similar to a girl’s first name…so people get confused and call ME by this girls name.</p>
<p>I have an unusual first name that is more common now so I hear it a lot for younger girls - I’ve always loved it though and never minded not finding personalized gear. My kids have a very common last name so I wanted them to have a unique first name too, and have always preferred names a bit different. Oldest D has a less common name that again picked up popularity with younger girls, middle D has a name that wasn’t trendy when I picked it, or so I thought…LOL but it fits her and she can 2 out of 5 times find things personalized with her name and for youngest, my S, I went totally out of left field. It was a risk, because I likely could have saddled him with relentless tormentors growing up, and I used my Mom’s maiden name for his middle name (an Irish name) because it was incredibly special to me after my grandfather, so he doesn’t have many options if he hates his name BUT he loves it, has never been teased, usually gets great reviews for his name and it’s not a name you forget which works for him. </p>
<p>Funny part was I orginally wanted to use his middle name as his first name but my mom had huge reservations thinking it wouldn’t work. It wasn’t worth starting huge waves about and I wasn’t sold on using it as the first name so I went with what I went with and then I think my Mom would have preferred I use the middle as the first 
It all worked out well!</p>
<p>And I wasn’t on CC for the start of this thread originally but I love it and am glad it was revived!</p>
<p>Oh and I hated my maiden name and was happy to get rid of it, then took my ex’s last name which was the very common one, it was fine but it wasn’t until I got remarried and took my current usually misspelled, often mispronounced name that I loved including my last name and signing my signature.</p>
<p>Names are a funny thing :)</p>
<p>We live in a community with a large Nigerian population. I love some very common Nigerian first names, including Prince and Princess (who knew Michael Jackson was Nigerian), Precious (for boys too) and Innocent (also for boys too). My husband’s confirmation name is Innocent and he wanted to use it for our son (he favored Ignacio Innocent) but I balked at that one. Both of our kids have common first names to go with our very ethnic last name.</p>
<p>I never got the thing about naming your kids after saints. I mean who were the saints named after?</p>
<p>I admit that both D and S have very traditional first and middle names and all 4 are popular saint names.</p>
<p>On last week’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me Show” on NPR, someone called in, and when asked her name, gave it – and it was a unique name. “What kind of name is that?” asked Peter Sagal, the host. Without missing a beat, the woman replied: “My first name.” The audience roared. This woman obviously figured out the perfect response to inquiries about her unusual name.</p>
<p>People who judge others based on their first names – thinking they don’t want a doctor named Ricky or a corporate lawyer named Bambi – forget that very few people choose their own first names, just as they don’t get to choose the families they are born or adopted into.</p>