I have two fave names for this bubba on board, one is a unique name, the other quite traditional.
I'm torn between having an 'memorable name that most will not know how to spell, which will no doubt leave the child to have to spell out their name for life' vs the option of picking 'a popular name where the child will be one of 3 or 4 in any given group of children and their surname initial may need to be used to differentiate each child'.
I keep going back and forth between the two options.
So tell me, what helped you decide - unique or traditional???
i went with unique as there is nothing worse than having 3 or 4 other children at school in their class with the same name! but thats me :P but then traditional isnt bad as well as some names aren't used as much nowadays.
I vote traditional every time. The scenario of your child being one of 3 or 4 in the same class is going to last only a few short years in the long run - whereas a 'unique' name leads to a whole lifetime of having to repeat yourself, spell it out loud, correct people when they pronounce or spell it wrong, or have to work twice as hard to 'prove' him/herself to people who are going to judge based on a name... things like job applications come to mind. We as a society may be moving forward but I can't help but feel that an older employer is going to take a resume from Madeline Smith more seriously than a Maddah-Lynn Smith, kwim?
I personally feel that a child is going to have an individual personality and be known for WHO they are, rather than what people call them, so I'd concentrate more on practicalities. My own name is technically 'traditional', but my parents did it in a way that is 'unique' and I have resented it for over 20 years - I don't think I'll ever get past it. The only saving grace is that 99% of people in my life now know me as Donna, not Donna-Lee as I was christened. It may be 'memorable', but it is actually quite humiliating when I bump into an old school friend and they shriek, 'OMG Donna-Leeeeee!' in front of everyone... yurgh! It's just Donna now, for the love of God! I just want to blend in and be normal! Donna's unusual enough in a generation of Melissa's, Carly's and Angela's!
Of course I only speak from my own personal experience, and there are lots more 'unique' names out there these days so chances are your LO won't be the only kid with a 'different' name in his/her class, but even so, I don't think a traditional name is a bad thing, even if a last-name initial has to be used for a couple of years, kwim? JMO, but I'd vote for traditional - saves a heck of a lot of frustration when LO grows up and can't get anybody to spell/say it right!
honestly, i take it on a case by case basis itms? some names i love are super traditional- but i have to be honest, i am get a little 'over' all the traditional names around atm and sometimes like something a bit unusual. for me, it really comes down to liking individual names over other ones rather than traditional vs unusual. not that that probably helps you at all!
Im more for unique names... but not one's so bad they cant be spelt properley iykwim? Still to this day no-one I meet can pronounce my name properley so I introduce myself by my nickname, I dont mind though Id way rather that than a boring common name.
Im not naming your baby though, you are so good luck!
I'm another case by case basis person. DS has a common name but it spelt different. Yes he will have to spell it out for everyone but I've had to my whole life and I've survived. DF even has to and his name is ridiculously common.
I like traditional names that aren't very common. My DD has landed a name with an ambiguous spelling (Eleanor) but it's a real name that has stood the test of time. My name has ambiguous spelling too, and I have grown up to be awesome at spelling. Could be coincidence, but I'm going to stick with causality
I have trouble with mis-spelt names, but like unusual ones (aka "unique")
I have only met two other Auroras in my life and have to spell it every time. But it doesn't have a made-up spelling.
I'd go traditional every time, there are lots of uncommon traditional names just begging to be used out there, that will command more respect later in life than a made-up sounding name.
ALSO...don't forget we live in an online world - having some kind of anonymity when your name is googled is a good thing...otherwise every single thing you do online for your entire life is immediately traceable if you are the only bearer of that name. Think about that.
I like uncommon names, but nothing really out there. There are a LOT of traditional names that I LOVE, but DH just don't agree and always seem to end up with 'different' names. So I guess I'm a case to case sort of a person too!!! lol
I must add that people are spelling traditional names so differently these days that even with a common name I'd say they'd still always be asked the spelling?!!!
Honestly i don't think having a unique name is any more of a PITA with spelling as a 'traditional' name, so many traditional names have variations now your almost guaranteed to ask 'how is that spelt' my name was common in high school yet the other 3 girls i knew with it all had a different spelling.
I think go with what 'feels' right, which do you like most, is it JUST the spelling stopping you from using the unique name?
Ours are Traditional names but not "Australian" traditional.. Russian
But the girls will probably end up spelling them bacause, there are so many variations of "traditonal" names anyway...
We also didn't want them to be one of many in a class.
I would suggest looking at OCBA - Births Deaths and Marriages, that way you can look up the same, and the various spellings of the name and see what is the monst commong spelling of the name, you also get to see how many in the state have been called that name, in any preceeding year And to see the unusual ones sort by how many times they were used and got to the bottom of the list ~ there are some "interesting" names
Another who thinks it really depends on the name. My kids both have unusual names although we didn't 'make them up' One is a shortening of a traditional family name Xander (which yes is his 'offical name' on his birth certificate - some people call him Alexander, thinking Xander is his nick name) Our daughters name is based on a traditional Indian name which meant something to both DH and I - but with differnt spelling as we felt the traditional Arya would be mispronounced in Australia as ARE YA instead of ar REE yah so she is Ariya. Both DH and I have very traditional names and although I was all for an Ethan and an Emma DH was very keen on something unique and now I couldn't imagine them any other way. Having said that, as a teacher I have taught in a class with 3 Jacks, 2 Daniels and 3 Joshua's and it was a little much. Now yes this year they possibly won't all be in the same class but last year I had to resort to calling them by their last names as 4 of them had the same initial as well!
Finally I do agree unique doesn't have to mean weird. there are some traditional names that have gone out of fashion and would now be considered unique... So the question really is... is the name you are thinking of - a traditional one spelt differently, a unique name, or a traditional name that has gone out of fashion :-)
PS - both my kids LOVE thier names -only difficulty is finding cups etc with their name on it but thanks to the internet we can customise just about anything these days
Reply With Quote
Registered User
Unique VS Traditional
so good luck!
Bookmarks