Unique VS Traditional

I need your help!

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 vote unique. No matter what your child is going to have to spell their name out anyway because of all the different types of spelling ppl have now.

EG: Ashleigh, Ashlee, Ashley, Ashly etc ....

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 :D

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.

Traditional.

Trust me.

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?!!! :)

Depends on what you other childrens names are.. If they are traditional then IMO 'throwing in' a unique name is odd and vice versa...

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... :lol:

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 :D 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 :rofl:

I'm going with traditional.

I'm thinking you lot are about 50 / 50...

My other kids have fairly common names, spelt 'normally' too....for info :).

I think its more about standing out (not in a show off sense) as opposed to blending in childhood and adult hood. Anyone have a crystal ball lol!!

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

i vote unique.
names dont have to be a burden just because they are uncommon.
we prefer to have our children be the only one in their class room (hopefully) with their name

:

---

i vote unique.
names dont have to be a burden jsut because they are uncommon.
we prefer to have our children be the only one in their classroom (hopefully) with their name

---

:yeahthat:

:

---

Depends on what you other childrens names are.. If they are traditional then IMO 'throwing in' a unique name is odd and vice versa...

---

:yeahthat:

I'd say traditional because so many people are trying to give their children ewnikque names that it's kind of not at all unique to have a unique name which ironically makes a traditional name more unusual.

Dare I say that a "unique" name is kind of bogan? Nah. hehehehe
http://thingsboganslike.com/a-bogue-by-any-other-name/

:

---

I'd say traditional because so many people are trying to give their children ewnikque names that it's kind of not at all unique to have a unique name which ironically makes a traditional name more unusual.

Dare I say that a "unique" name is kind of bogan? Nah. hehehehe
http://thingsboganslike.com/a-bogue-by-any-other-name/

---

:rofl:

Just had a quick look at that list and found this Xal (pronounced Crystal) Seriously, :wtf: ???

We went traditional but I still love the unique name (well it's not unique in Arab countries) we had for a girl and would like to use it if we had another DD but, like a PP said, I'm not sure it would go that well with DD1's 'traditional' name

DH made the final call on DDs name. I loved both so I didn't mind but he really loved the name we chose so traditional it was.

PMSL how about L-a? Pronounced Ladasha.

Ladasha? :o I'm going to pee my pants soon! Check out this one MLE (emily)

Sorry for hijacking the thread!

TBH I dont think it matters one little bit tradtional or unique. What you class as traditional isnt traditional to everyone and unless its a totally simple name like Bob, he/she will always have to spell it. My SIL is Lisa, but often gets Leisa, BIL is Matthew but often gets one T missed out. To me I think its more important the spelling of the name follows basic English rules of sound (unlike La - dash-a), so that it can atleast be read out/pronounced correctly.

:

---

Maddah-Lynn

---

:rofl: Gold!


I am a bit of a traditional person, but I would also depend on what your other kids names are and if they suit each other too. I know that doesn't really matter, but to me it is just stupid to have a Moon Unit and a Katherine, iykwim.

Why don't you wait and see what she looks like when she gets here?

:

---

but to me it is just stupid to have a Moon Unit and a Katherine, iykwim.

---

:rofl:

Traditional every time.

I don't mind my name now, but people can be so rude about it. It is not pronounced "Crane" (by teachers, who did not listen to my corrections) and as to "why do you spell it like that?"... because I came out of my mother's womb perfectly articulate and saying "Please, mother dearest, give me a name with an unusual spelling so idiots have to start a new form when I speak to them on the telephone seventeen years from now." I think there is a central computer with that has flagged me up with "don't mention the name" as it stopped happening completely after I started to have fun. But until I did that, it really hurt. And I mean really. I still have a friend who mocks my name a little, but I do his so it's all good fun. Having strangers and people who have power over you doing it... not nice.

My son has traditional names, but an unusual nickname. (I call him Welly, although Liebling is fairly unusual around here too.) He actually has the same name as a brewery when you google him (great for future employment: employers less likely to find his drunken teen photos.) Although his name isn't uncommon, the girl name we had picked out for him is normal, easy to spell, pretty, traditional... just hasn't been used a lot in recent years. Traditional doesn't have to mean same as everyone else.

I would usually say traditional. I am a pretty traditional kinda girl. My first two children have traditional names, spelling and all- Lily, and Liam. But with #3 we just could not agree on a name until we came across the name Caelan. Not a totally unusual, out there name, but definately not traditional.
I say if it tickles your fancy, use it. Traditional or not, it's up to you and if you like it, why not??

I think it depends on what the 2 names are...woud you share them???

I go between unusual and traditional names.....but I agree with whoever it wa that said it before sometimes the traditional names are unique.

For example ds2 Spencer...old old name but I've never met or heard of another one (other than Spencer Tracy and that idiot off the hills - but no one irl)

Noah old too but much more common and it does annoy me a little that its more common now and in his kindy class their r Noahs...the one little Noat gets Noah e, my noah just gets noah. But at the end of the day I love love love the name and he just soooooo suits his name, the meaning of it and everything I couldn't imagine him to be anything else and so it doesnt really both me that its common

I have a traditional name, and I was the only person with my name when I was in primary school. There was another one with my name in high school, but she wasn't even in very many of my classes, so it never bothered me.
I'd go traditional names, but that's because DS has a traditional name too ;)

If your worried about kids in their class/group having the same name because you picked something traditional, think again. At DS school he is the ONLY Dylan in his grade, 70% of the kids have very unique names and theres a lot of double ups.

Personally and this is just my opinion, I don't understand the reason behind "new" spelling of names. My SIL recently called her DD Khloe and now that kid it going to go through life correcting everyone. I guess I just don't see a point, because it's not like we walk around with a name badge stating the way our names are spelt, Khloe and Chloe are still going to be "Klo-ee".

However I don't think having to spell out a first name because it's a unique name is that big of a deal. Every time I have to give my surname I have to spell it and also with Australia being so multicultural there are a lot of uncommon names as first names.

I guess my point it most people will assume the spelling of a common name so "new" spellings will constantly have to be fixed but if the name is unique most people will just ask "how do you spell that".

It makes sense in my head but maybe not so much so on paper :rofl:

I prefer traditional personally. We picked a traditional name for DS but not one in the top 10. I intentionally avoided top 10 names for the double up reasons. It has increased in popularity recently though. Funnily enough, when DS started daycare, his name was the only name that was doubled up in the nursery room and there were quite a lot of top 10 names in there. Now he's in the toddler room and his name is still the only one doubled up.

I'm not sure I understand the difference between unique or traditional anymore. Names have to start somewhere. Wendy was unknown before Peter Pan was written. Are names like Taylor or Mackenzie unique or traditional now? because they're common as muck.

One thing I do absolutely loathe with a passion is crappy, made up spelling. It screams bogan to me. If you're going to name your kid Jason, spell it Jason. I honestly believe the weird spelling damns the kid to a lower socio-economic status. I think there was a study done recently - weird names increase the likelihood of criminality. Whether that's because criminal types can't spell or prefer calling their kids Briyahnah or Jaycen or Skyleen or the poor little sods are just doomed from birth, I don't know.

I look at the top 20 names and exclude them. That said, every time I like a name, it becomes really common and then I don't want to use it - what's with that? Am I a name guru or something? :) Another way I rule out names: if they're printed on cushions in homewares or kids shops, they're too common.

After all that, I prefer what I'd call traditional names, within reason. I'd name my kid Amelia after a grandmother, but not Beryl.

:

---

One thing I do absolutely loathe with a passion is crappy, made up spelling. It screams bogan to me. If you're going to name your kid Jason, spell it Jason. I honestly believe the weird spelling damns the kid to a lower socio-economic status. I think there was a study done recently - weird names increase the likelihood of criminality. Whether that's because criminal types can't spell or prefer calling their kids Briyahnah or Jaycen or Skyleen or the poor little sods are just doomed from birth, I don't know.

---

If you can borrow the Feakanomics book from your library you're gonna love the chapters about about names.

unique vote here! My name isn't particularly unique but I still have to spell it and it's never bothered me. It's not like you have to tell new people your name every day and once you are in a new job or class room or any group and people know your name then that's it, people get to know you are remember your name kwim. The only time I have to spell my name is if I am verbally giving it to someone to fill in a form for me such as over the phone which realistically hardly ever happens.

I am all for unique names here.

I have only ever met two other kids with the same names as my boys and I love it. Kees (pronounced Case, its dutch) is the only one who has ever said something to me about having a problem with his unusual name. He always gets called "keys" until they get told that how to say it properly.


My name has many variations and I get asked all the time how to spell it, its not an unusal name at all but lets face it even John, Jon, Jonn has different ways it can be spelt.
I dont think it matters how you spell it someone is always going to get it wrong.

It is a very personal choice naming your baby and something many couples think about for months.
You are never going to please everyone with your choice some will love it some will hate it but its what you think that matters

I used to hate my name coz it was so different when I was a kid. Then someone went to my high school with the same name for a few months & I hated it! i liked being one of a kind, no matter what comments I got (ground, cloud, etc)
These days its more common (I have 5 on my FB friends list!!)

I wanted unique, but not hugely different for my kids. Something a little different, but not something they could get teased about. I'm happy with them :) Brianna was alot more common then I planned in the next few years, but there aren't too many.

Most people have to spell their names these days, no matter what they are. Sarah/Sara, Brianna/Breanna/Breeanna...

Its hard, but its only a decision you can make :)

lol i just found my name on that site spelt a very weird way Nikohl!!