So, we keep seeing people list all these "unusually" spelled names.
I would like an "unusual" or "uncommon" name for my child, but I want it spelled the way the name has previously been found, even if it's not a very commonly found name. That, to me, makes the name more "special."
Can someone explain to me why there is a desire to spell a name "unusually"? For example, if in my class growing up, there are girls named Kelly, Kelli, Kellie, and Kelley, as far as I'm concerned, we still have four girls named "Kelly" who are all going to get confused with each other. Spelling it "uniquely" doesn't fix that.
Why wouldn't a parent want the most traditional, expected spelling of a name, so the kid won't have to always correct people on how to spell their name?
Re: General spelling question
We chose a very unusual name for our 1st DD but spelled it the traditional way. Not that it will help people know how to spell or pronounce it in her case, it's a name that's pretty much unheard of in the US. Our 2nd DD has a more common name and we spelled it one of the standard, legit ways.
What MJ said. I don't get it either. It's like reading a post full of spelling errors, I want to fix them!
I agree and I'm just as confused as you are. I've always wanted my name to be spelled traditionally. It's too confusing for others and it doesn't have to be.
-Keri
Rainbow Surprise Baby due 05/26/2017
This!
I don't get it either. Enter Freakonomics theory:
https://www.freakonomics.com/tag/baby-names/
Lovely traditional names spelt incorrectly are awful!!! I soooo don't get it and that's a popular opinion on this board.
However, I love unusual names but spelt the way they traditionally are. EG. My son is Hudson (which still isn't popular here) and we want it spelt the correct way. Not Hudsyn or something!
Our second son will be Ethan. I couldn't imagine taking a name so beautiful like that (that is very common) and changing it just to be you-neek. It really takes away from the name.
I agree with this. There are lots of names that have variant spellings or sound-alikes in different languages. In those cases, I think that whatever spelling has the most relevance for your language/ethnicity/family traditions is fine. Emily and Emilie are both fine, but I'd veto Emmaleigh.
Baby Name Popularity by State