Do you have a "unique" name?

whispergrrl · February 2011

I have a unique name. It is Marrisa Sanee (accent over the first e...I don't know how to do that on the computer!). It rhymes with Teresa Renee. My mother's Spanish great aunt was at the hospital with her when I was born, and mentioned this name (As opposed to "Cary" or "Carrie" that mom had picked out - regardless of gender!), and mom loved it.

Anyway...I was wondering, for those of you with unique names....do you prefer unique names for your children too, or do you tend to go with more common names?

I've always loved more unique names....I loved not having any other Marrisa's in my class growing up, while all of my friends were Heathers, Jennifers, and Amys.

However, DH loves traditional/common names. With the current trend of using wildly unique/different names, I'm actually getting to be more OK with a more traditional name for our child!

Just curious on your thoughts. Thanks!!

Aris112 · February 2011

I love the unique names that's why I picked Evangeline for a girls name. It's harder for a boy because kids can be really cruel with boys names.

ijack · February 2011

Yep. My name is Ivory and my MN is Hawaiian, so definitely unique.

I HATED my name growing up, even though I grew up in a town of hippies so everyone had a unique name. I just wanted a normal name. DD's name is Emma, so I guess you can say I like traditional names. I know it's wildly popular, but we haven't had any issues with kids her age having the same name. I don't mind unique names, I just hate unique spellings and names where people don't know how to initially pronounce them.

JenJune3 · February 2011

My name is Jennifer, which is really common...at least it was when I was in high school! I don't think I really have a preference on common or unique names for my kids. My DD's name is Emma, which I liked way before Ross and Rachel on Friends made that one one of the most popular girl names for the last 10 years or so! This time DH likes Ava for a girl, which is also super popular, and I want more of a less common name this go around!

crystal959 · February 2011

Most people would say I have a not at all unique name but I didn't have another Crystal in my class till high school. I've only ever met one Marisa.

I like names that are recognizable but not too common or too unique. My best friend is a Brittani and I can't even count how many Brittany/Brittani/Britney's we went to school with.

whispergrrl · February 2011

I agree with the PP who said they dislike names that are easily mispronounced or misspelled. That is one thing that has always annoyed me with my own name. Everyone wants to call me Marissa (mah-riss-uh) and spell it every way BUT my way.

I've had people argue with me on the spelling and pronunciation of my own name! Let me tell you, THAT pissed me off....it's my name, I think I'm the authority on the spelling and pronunciation of it! *lol*

SarahPLiz · February 2011

I would pronounce your name as mah RISS ah as well... because there is an I in it. If your mom wanted Mer REH sah, then she should have made it an E. If you are going to give a child a unique name, I agree that it should be phonetically correct or no one will ever pronounce it right.

I have the most common name in my region and the country the year of my birth.. Sarah Elizabeth. I know another with the same last name, birthday, and father's name in my small town of 2,500. I've encountered many more. I'm not impressed. Our child will have a significant name for our family, which may be popular by the time she gets it (if this baby is a she) but we aren't using it because its popular. Family names on my side for boys are either way too French.. or are William and James, which are way too common and plain for my taste.

MrsMiller1002 · February 2011

My name is Rayna, (my mom is irish and my dad colombian.) Reina is the spanish way of spelling it but my mom wanted it to be different, As reina is a very popular name in spanish. But Rayna.. not popular at all.

I really love my name, I loved how no one else had it in school. DH is all irish and his name is Sean, so he really likes all traditional names. Me... not al all! haha

We agreed on the name Brielle for is we have a girl. From my understanding it is becoming popular but it's a unique name. So in a way DH and I came to a happy middle

whispergrrl · February 2011

SarahPLiz:
I would pronounce your name as mah RISS ah as well... because there is an I in it. If your mom wanted Mer REH sah, then she should have made it an E. If you are going to give a child a unique name, I agree that it should be phonetically correct or no one will ever pronounce it right.

I certainly don't fault people for saying my name incorrectly if they haven't heard it yet (like if they just see it written). mahRISSah is much more popular for the pronounciation (along with a different spelling than mine). What gets me is when I say my name to someone, and they STILL say it wrong! Oh well....I suppose there are much bigger things in life to let bother me, right?

mvn1102 · February 2011

Marrisa - in Novi, Michigan.

Smile

My name is Marisa (Ma-ree-sa) in South Lyon, Michigan.
One name I've been considering - if it's a girl is Arden or Marin. Which is different.

CBC08 · February 2011

My name is fairly uncommon. I'd say about 8 times out of 10 it is pronounced incorrectly by people who don't know me. I pronounce it (Chandra) with a hard "CH" sound. I usually tell people, "Think of Jackie Chan. Then think Jackie Chan-dra." Otherwise I get Shandra or Shondra, but I've learned to answer to them all

Anyway I will be giving my children very easy, classic names. No cutesy spellings for me! I figure if my kids don't have to automatically spell out their name on the phone or repeatedly correct people, it's just one little way I can make their lives easier. That's just my experience though, I don't mean for any of that to sound judgey Big Smile

jennypenny1014 · February 2011

JenJune3:
My name is Jennifer, which is really common...at least it was when I was in high school! I don't think I really have a preference on common or unique names for my kids. My DD's name is Emma, which I liked way before Ross and Rachel on Friends made that one one of the most popular girl names for the last 10 years or so! This time DH likes Ava for a girl, which is also super popular, and I want more of a less common name this go around!

I am also Jennifer...Jennifer Marie, to be exact - I dont think you can get any more common than that. I always had at least 1 other Jennifer in my class growing up, til I got to high school; I had 4 other Jennifers in my sophomore history class, and 2 of them had the same last name. Currently at my work there is another Jennifer with a last name similar to mine (mine is Oland and hers is Ohler) - for months now people keep confusing us, to the point where I was congratulated by people when she got a new position in Engineering, and some of those people, even AFTER explaining that we're not the same frickin person, STILL send me repair issues thinking I'm her.

If my mom would have named me Martine (pronounced Mar-TEE-neh) or Johanna (pronounced yo-HAH-nah) like she originally was going to (we're Dutch), I probably would have it a lot easier. LOL

JenJune3 · February 2011

jennypenny1014:

JenJune3:
My name is Jennifer, which is really common...at least it was when I was in high school! I don't think I really have a preference on common or unique names for my kids. My DD's name is Emma, which I liked way before Ross and Rachel on Friends made that one one of the most popular girl names for the last 10 years or so! This time DH likes Ava for a girl, which is also super popular, and I want more of a less common name this go around!

I am also Jennifer...Jennifer Marie, to be exact - I dont think you can get any more common than that. I always had at least 1 other Jennifer in my class growing up, til I got to high school; I had 4 other Jennifers in my sophomore history class, and 2 of them had the same last name. Currently at my work there is another Jennifer with a last name similar to mine (mine is Oland and hers is Ohler) - for months now people keep confusing us, to the point where I was congratulated by people when she got a new position in Engineering, and some of those people, even AFTER explaining that we're not the same frickin person, STILL send me repair issues thinking I'm her.

I'm Jennifer Ann- is that an 80's name or what!

2BWEDN2007 · February 2011

I am a Sara Ann which is definitely not unique for the 80's. One thing I did like about my name growing up is that I didn't have the traditional "h" at the end so I was slightly different, but they are pronounced the same so I was one of 4 girls in my class with that name each year. Funny thing is, when I had DS and I joined the Preemies board on here, I found a whole slew of Sara's without an h. There has to be close to 10 of us on there and we joked in the beginning how you must have to be named 'Sara' to have a preemie.

DS is so popular and overdone, but I was doped up on morphine and had just awakened from general anesthesia and was tricked into naming him Jacob.

DD is Grace (also popular, but not too popular). It was #18 on the SSA list the year she was born, but I always wanted a Gracie!

If this is a girl, she will be named Annabelle which is NOT popular at all so I am excited to have one kid with a unique name. If it is a boy Micah and Jonah are on the list (also not popular) so this child will most likely have a unique (enough) name.

crystal959 · February 2011

2BWEDN2007:
I am a Sara Ann which is definitely not unique for the 80's. One thing I did like about my name growing up is that I didn't have the traditional "h" at the end so I was slightly different, but they are pronounced the same so I was one of 4 girls in my class with that name each year. Funny thing is, when I had DS and I joined the Preemies board on here, I found a whole slew of Sara's without an h. There has to be close to 10 of us on there and we joked in the beginning how you must have to be named 'Sara' to have a preemie.
DS is so popular and overdone, but I was doped up on morphine and had just awakened from general anesthesia and was tricked into naming him Jacob.
DD is Grace (also popular, but not too popular). It was #18 on the SSA list the year she was born, but I always wanted a Gracie!
If this is a girl, she will be named Annabelle which is NOT popular at all so I am excited to have one kid with a unique name. If it is a boy Micah and Jonah are on the list (also not popular) so this child will most likely have a unique (enough) name.

I love Anabel and Isobel but DH isn't sold.

MrsCase1 · February 2011

i never thought my name was unique per se, but it has caused annoyances. my name is "casey" and nobody can spell it, ever. people would make stoopid comments when i worked retail as a kid such as, "that's my niece's name but she spells it the girl way" or, "that's my dog's name!" apparently there are a lot of dog's named casey, LOL!!!!! in my early twenties i'd be bombarded by older men who would make stoopid pick-ups like, "ever heard of KC & the sunshine band?" or "like casey at bat?" i would always retort, 'well, since you're my dad's age you'll get the reference-im named for a greatful dead song.' meow. lol. allllll that said, i still detest common names. of course, to each her own but for me and mine i am going to try to come up with something unique but not so unique my child will grow up to hate me. my husband and i already agreed we wont be spelling anything phonetically, lol. i married a guy with the most common name in the entire country (i think) so he is up for something different, too.

MrsGo4Hockeychick · February 2011

My name is definitely not unique pronunciation wise, but it is an unusual spelling. (Christie).

I've hated having to always spell my name. When I was kid I always got upset that I could never find a souvenir with my name on it, because my name is not Christy or Kristi.

It's one of the reasons I'm a huge advocate for properly spelling names. Misspelling (or choosing an unusual spelling) doesn't make your child's name unique. I had still had to be Christie S growing up because I was never the only one, even if I was the only one spelled that way.

Mrs. Stew · February 2011

I'm Rebekah, and people always have trouble spelling it. Either that or they assume it's spelled Rebecca. I love that it's not the common spelling, but it drives me crazy when people say "Oh, that's different!". No, it's not...it's the original biblical spelling.

Mrs. Stew · February 2011

Whoops, forgot to answer the second question. We will give our kids names that are easy to spell and pronounce, but try to stay away from the very very popular names.

mairanellis · February 2011

My name is unique and made up AND 8 letters long. If you see my name, you'd have a hard time pronouncing it. If I told you my name, you'd never figure out how to spell it. I like my name, but it's a pain when someone needs my name (like for an order or phone call) and I have to spell it out for them.

ETA: I will give my children common names with common spellings.

Meehanbride · February 2011

I am a Heather. My mom thought it was unique when she named me that, until I got to school and there were 2 Heather's in my elementary class and 3 in my High School class.

We named DD Olivia which we thought was fairly new at the time (5 years ago) which hit populatrity shortly after that. Funny thing is, it isnt all that popular around here. There is only one other Olivia (that we know of) around here and she is younger than ours.

I do actually prefer a unique name, one that you dont hear 10 of everyday but not so odd that everyone is like huh?

My SIL is Marissa (maRISSa) and I know 2 young girls names (MerREsa)

Travelgnome · February 2011

My name is Naomi & I love the fact that I do not personally know another Naomi. I like unique names but not over the top so it is hard for me to come up with any that I really love. We picked out Lucas' name over 11 years ago when it wasn't popular but now it is rising in popularity - sometimes you just never know with a name.

samanthahollman · February 2011

My name is Samantha, fairly common. However, there was never another Samantha in my school of 800+, so I thought that was neat.

My DD's name is Mara Brianne. The only thing that drives me nuts is that one lady actually told me we pronounce it wrong. Her middle name is her dad's middle name (Brian) and my middle name (Anne) combined.

With this one we're going to name it Maxwell Pearce (Pearce is a family maiden name, and we'll call him Max) and for a girl we have no freaking idea!

B&R+A=love · February 2011

24 years ago Bradi was pretty unique and I still have never heard of another girl with my name but I have heard a ton of little boys with their name being Brady. I love my name and I never thought I had a boys name until I watched Sex and the City. My sons name is Andrew but we were going to go with something more unique until we decided to name him after DH. With this baby I am in love with Arabelle and Briar Rose as girl names and Finn, Sawyer and Brahm for a boy. I like names that are unique but still sound classic.

eesome · February 2011

My name is Lawrene. It looks like Lawrence, and many people read it too quickly and call me that.
They also mispronounce it as Loraine, Lorene, or La-ren.

While it's rather annoying, I like it because I don't know one other person with my name.

Megnucrzy16 · February 2011

I don't have a unique name....as common as they come..."Megan". BUT my mom and sister both have unique names (at least to me)...Mom is "Teal" and Sister is "Aspen". They both love having unique names, especially my sister because she never has had to share a name in school, like my other sister (Rachel) and I.

mlc100805 · February 2011

My name is Miranda, and I never had another Miranda in any of classes growing up. I have always liked that it is unique without being too out there. DD is Delaney, which I think follows suite with my name, unique without being weird. For this baby, we are considering Wyatt for a boy, although I fear it is starting to become popular and that does turn me off slightly from it. For a girl a few names we've thrown around are Holland, Maren, Karis, and Ansley. My criteria in naming my kids has really just been that I love the name and that they won't be one of many kids by the same name in their classes growing up.

BetsyDavis · February 2011

My name is Betsy(which is not short for anything people always think it's short for Elizabeth). I've only met a few people with my name. My daughter name is Ellie Rose. I'm not so much for the unique more the traditional or what sounds good.

mantle · February 2011

ijack:
I don't mind unique names, I just hate unique spellings and names where people don't know how to initially pronounce them.

This exactly!

My name is not unique. DD's is slightly unique (Annabella). I like something that is not in the top 20, but not so out there that people can't say it or spell it. I am actually surprised out how many people have a hard tie spelling Annabella.

mantle · February 2011

Mrs Case:
my name is "casey"

After looking at your name and 'Mrs. Case", I am just curious, are you Casey Case?

Anyway, I just wanted to say I love Casey for a girl. I think it's pretty. (I am also named after music, Melanie, the hippy girl who sang about roller skates.)

mantle · February 2011

mlc100805:
DD is Delaney,

I really wanted DD to be a Delaney, but we live on Delanie (pronounced like Delaney) and DH said it was too weird.

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