Thoughts on uncommon or trendy names in general

alliperry1

My husband and I have been having trouble coming up with a name for our first baby, a boy.  We've been through the arguments and disagreements.  My husband loves the name Calvin (Cal for short), which I really do not like, to put nicely.  I suggested on a whim, since he likes Cal, Callen (like Allen with a C).  I thought I made the name up, but it turns out I didn't.  In any event, my husband loves the name, surprisingly.  I like the name, but worry that it's too trendy or uncommon.  I also worry that he'll constantly tell people how to say it.

Has anyone been in a similar position and gone with a trendy or uncommon name?  Are you happy with your choice?  Does you child like his or her name?  Does it bother you, or him/her, that it's so uncommon?  

drunkindonuts

I don't like trendy names. I've never heard of Callen; I've heard of Callum. I dislike Callen.

TyrinM03

I know a Calin, pronounced the same. I like the name. 

cmomma3

My brother's name is Kaland and he has always gone by Kale. It is not common and kind of trendy but everyone always compliments his name. Most people think Kale is short for Kaleb which can be annoying at times too him.

emnoahmom

I like the suggestion of Callum a lot. I adore the nn Cal and I think Callen is a nice compromise.

FrecklesInside

For me, Callen falls under the "I wanted the name to be different but so did a bunch of other people camp" which is how a name ends up trendy (after a few years, more and more people catch on, like anything that becomes "hip" and before you know it, what you thought was unique, is very common and dated). I also think this is one of those names that might be picked by people who wanted an Aiden/Kaiden/Jaiden etc. name but didn't want to be too common by following that trend. 

I know I didn't answer all of your questions, but that is my take on the name. 

FrecklesInside

Also, it is very difficult to make up a name. Look at the beyond the top 1000 list. I find it odd when someone honestly believes they made up a name. 

MrsAery-to-be

DS1 is Callen. We have never had issues with pronunciation. We purposefully went with a name we had never heard before and we don't regret it. We love his name! We don't use Cal as a NN and have only had 1 person who has tried to. Nothing wrong with it just NMS. DS1 is only 3 so he doesn't really have an opinion on his name but we think it fits him perfectly!

StinaLeigh

I like Calvin and Callen.  If you aren't into Calvin, Callen seems like a good compromise to me.

JMU_Bride09

I have a very uncommon name.  I am always dealing with people mispronouncing it and spelling it incorrectly.  I just brush it off.  I love having a unique (not made-up) name.  I definitely wouldn't let that put you off from using a name.  Some people might hate it, and you'll never know for sure.  You could give your child a name that is super easy to spell/pronounce that everyone knows (like David), and he could wish that he had a more uncommon name.  Just use the name you love.  

And FWIW, I don't know anything about the name Callen, but I like the way that it sounds.

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SuperMom17

I hate Callen... Not a fan of Callum either, but I do like Kellen.

emmy236

Only Callen I know is a girl. I think they spell it Kalyn and my friend spends her life saying "Callen... Like calendar". She goes by Kallie though which I like (not spelled with a K though). My nephew is Kellan which I like a million times more. DS has an uncommon name but it went from not even being in the top 1000 5 years ago to in 300s now. So it's trending forward. Still the only other one I know is my Dad for whom he's named after. A lot of people have said that as long as you're not really in the top 100 you probably won't come across anyone else with that name too often

capulet

I think trendy and uncommon are different things.  I guess a name can fit in with a trend (like surnames as FNs or -en/-an names for boys) without being common on its own.  But I usually think of trendy names as either popular or rising in popularity, which means they wouldn't be uncommon.

So I'll just speak from my own experience.  DD has a very uncommon name, my mom's last name, that usually has to be spelled for people, and sometimes the pronunciation has to be explained even though it's phonetic.  She likes her name.  I don't really mind the inconveniences that come with an unusual name, but the main reason for that is that the name is meaningful.  I think it would feel like more of a hassle if it had been something I either (thought I) made up or didn't have any significance for us.