Amazon.com Widgets

Baby Names: Should Parents Choose An Unusual Name For Baby?

Synka | Aug 11, 2009 | 0 comments

Giving a name to your baby is one of the most important gifts you will give him or her apart from life itself. The first question to be considered is do you choose a traditional name, a traditional name but with different spelling, or do you go for a unique name? Increasingly parents are opting for the latter, but is this a good idea?

You may decide that an unusual baby name will result in your child being ‘different’: he or she won’t need an initial after the first name because someone else in the class has the same name, and your child will stand out from the crowd and not be confused with anyone else. However, in later life the only people who will be able to spell your child’s name will be you and his or her spouse! And kids can be very cruel. Teasing and bullying can have a deep effect on a child and it will just be a matter of time before someone in the playground seizes on the weird name you chose and will use it as a weapon against your child.

Studies have shown that people react negatively to those with unusual names. The author of The Name Game and The Baby Report Card, Dr Albert Mehrabian, reports that, sociologically, a general finding is that people don’t react well to things that are new and unusual. They aren’t comfortable with it, and that applies to names.

In a study conducted during the last 10 years, Dr Mehrabian looked at how a person’s name affects their life. He found that those with unusual names suffered low ratings in all categories: such as success in life, cheerfulness, and morality.

Furthermore, the doctor says that out of the many people in his survey who were ridiculed by their fellow workers, those that suffered the most were the ones with the more unusual names.

Johnny Cash’s song ‘A Boy Named Sue’ may have been amusing at the time, but the theory that naming a boy Sue would toughen him up is a fallacy. I knew a man whose middle name was Mary. His parents wanted him to have a saint’s name and for some reason chose Mary. He was ashamed of his name and tried to keep it very quiet.

Try to avoid the really weird names. Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow who named her daughter Apple, and Frank Zappa whose kids were name Dweezil and Moon Unit, can afford to give their children weird names as the kids are much less likely to be bullied. Avoid the really weird names and spare your kids from teasing.

You don’t need to give your baby a unique name for your baby to be unique, she or he already is. And think ahead: baby is going to grow into an adult, so make sure the name you choose will suit a grown up.

However, if you still decide to go ahead with an unusual baby name and need a personalised gift for a baby, we can help; visit our store.