Baby Names - You're kidding Right???

[Metalchick42]

I'm surprised that I haven't seen a link to Baby's Named a Bad, Bad, Thing

I looked on this site is awesome, in an awesomly bad way.  If you look at their bottom 25 names, they gives props to e-hell.  Appartently, one mom wants to legally change the baby's name after she's born.  Mom named baby after a family member and now wants to change it!  Commentator says mom should be sent to e-hell  
http://www.notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/bestof.html

[Kelso]

"The only odd thing about Kellie (and it's pretty minor) is that it's more often spelled Kelly. The only problem with it is that you will most likely get the non-applicable spelling."

Yep - my name has been misspelled so many times that unless it's on a legal or otherwise official document, I just go with it. It really doesn't bother me anymore. Unless I don't like you, and then I will correct you. Preferrably loudly, and in public. LOL.

-Kels

[baconsmom]

We had a test for any name we considered for Bacon: we stuck it onto the end of two diametrically opposed sentences.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, [insert name here]."
"Now appearing on the main stage of the Eager Beaver Gentlemen's Club, [insert name here]."

If it was more appropriate for the second sentence than the first, we ditched it. Don't know what we'd use for a boy's name, though.

[Brentwood]

There's still the actress Michael Learned - she played the mother Olivia Walton in  The Waltons TV series during the 1970s and on the credits she was always shown as "Miss Michael Learned" - perhaps they wanted everyone to know that it wasn't a cross-dressing guy?

There's also Michael Steele of the Bangles.

[Twik]

ETA: I hope for Miichael's sake that she'll be a big fan of red tape and very long conversations with bureaucrats.

And let's hope that she's brought up not to get all huffy when no one notices the second "i", and spells it Michael. Or addresses her in business as Mr. M. Jones.

Life is hard enough, why set your children up for lots of extra hassle because you think it looks "unique"? Even Prince didn't stay "symbol" forever.

[Shores]

I'm pretty sure the NZ Govt. will not allow offensive names either,

Ok, yes, I do agree that the government should not allow names with slurs, curse words or names like hlmglmrtgbmnwqsd. But Miichael isn't offensive. Neither is Metallica.

[nordique]

ETA: I hope for Miichael's sake that she'll be a big fan of red tape and very long conversations with bureaucrats.

Please explain. 

Well, if you read the post a few pages back from someone who explained that she had a common name with an unusual spelling very similar to the one you're currently contemplating, it should be quite self explanatory. She described sitting in corporate headquarters because people couldn't find her employment records due to a mis-spelling, the college not being able to match her application to her high school records, lost medical records, insurance documents etc etc. Basically, that the unusual spelling meant she has to spend hours upon hours dealing with clerical mistakes and red tape. She even mentioned having to have her passport reissued twice.

I think Michael is a lovely name, and while I wouldn't pick it personally for a girl I don't find it shocking at all. I just don't understand why you would want to create hassle for your daughter over something that, in my humble opinion, doesn't improve the name in the slightest. I also think a lot of people will think it alters the pronounciation in some way, although that is irrelevant to my comment about the red tape and bureaucrats.

[Brentwood]

My son's name is Julian. It's a perfectly normal, male name dating back centuries. Julian.

You would not BELIEVE the number of people who think it's a made up name, or people who say they've never heard of it. (Not even Julian Lennon? How about Julian McMahon?)

Anyway, the nurse at our old pediatrician's office insisted on pronouncing it Julie-Anne instead of the tradional pronunciation. She always seemed surprised to see that he's a boy. Other people have pronounced it Jillian, thinking for some reason I misspelled his name and am pronouncing it incorrectly.

I wanted to use the name Julian for a son ever since I was 15. He was born when I was 35, and I finally got to use the name! Who knew that people would find it so unusual?

My 7-year-old daughter is named Jane. I like the spelling Jayne, but I stuck with the traditional spelling in part because it's also my middle name and in part so she would have the minimum number of misspellings thrust upon her!

[Arianoor]

You know what REALLY bothers me about the odd spellings?  It ruins it for the rest of us!  My name is Bonnie.  I am the third Bonnie in a row.  But, I'm the only one who constantly has to spell it for people.

[Brentwood]

I used to work customer service and I knew to always ask the customer "And how do you spell that?".

My name is Cathy. Almost everyone who doesn't know me spells it with a K. Recently at Starbucks, when I gave my name, the barista asked, "Is that with an i or an ie ?"

Um, that'd be with a y, thanks. It didn't occur to her to ask C or K.

[Brentwood]

A customer of mine.....a really awesome and *gorgeous* man (not that it has anything to do with this thread....it just makes me smile to think of him  )  was named YVON.  Pronounced IVAN.  But my middle name is Yvonne, so you can see what I first thought.

Which is funny, because the Russian pronunciation of Ivan is ee-VON.

[Brentwood]

Penn Jilette named his daughter Moxie CrimeFighter.

While I wouldn't choose it myself, I admit I actually like the name Moxie Crimefighter. It seems to fit Penn Jillette well, and if he's anything to go by, his daughter WILL have a lot of moxie.

[Brentwood]

My name is Becky...just Becky.  I get many of those official people renaming me Rebecca. 
Becky

My full name is Catherine, but I generally go by Cathy. Over the years, there have been many people who have taken it upon themselves to call me "Cathleen." Cathleen is a perfectly nice name, but it's not MINE!

[nordique]

Well, if you read the post a few pages back from someone who explained that she had a common name with an unusual spelling very similar to the one you're currently contemplating, it should be quite self explanatory.

Yes...I read that.  I thought I addressed that concern when I mentioned that I had had to put up with this nonsense my entire life...and my name is not spelled differently than any of the other people who share it with me. 

I guess that's why the comment sounded slightly snarky to me.

Is this where I mention that we had to have our marriage license printed 3 times before the clerk got it right.  It makes a great story.   

I apologize if any snark was leaking.

I've been dealing with a lot of bureaucrats lately (applying for visa, getting documents from the necessary organisations etc), and I just know I would want to spare my child from that as much as humanly possible. You mention that you've had problems with your name and yours is spelled the way it always is. Just imagine how much more of that she'll have to deal with when the spelling is unusual. Just something you may want to think about.

[Brentwood]

I've never known anyone named Simon.   

My father-in-law is named Simon, but he came by that name in his twenties. He was born in Poland and didn't come to the US until he was 23 or so, and his name was Szymon, pronounced sha-MON (with a long "o"). He changed it to Simon to make life easier on himself.