Regarding backwards names: my husband teaches a kid named "Yorel" (dad: Leroy) and he hates his name- people think he's a spin-off of Jor-el from the Superman comics.
The celebrity baby names bother me. Jason Lee named his kid "Pilot Inspector." I know there are lots of others, but that's the one that has always really bugged me- how self-involved do you have to be to give your child a name like that, because it's "funny?"
Deb, not to be nit-picky, but Jason Lee spells his kids name Pilot Inspe
ktor. Hubby and I make a point of over-pronouncing the K. I know I've stated here before, Shannon Sassymon named her son Audio Science-I repeat my general response-course titles are not good names. Penn Jilette named his daughter Moxie CrimeFighter.
My boys have uncommon, but not unusual names. They are all Gaelic or Gypsy in nature, to honor family, and are all pronounced fairly phoenetically. None of them stand out too much, and the most uncommon belongs to the oldest, who has a wide array of nic names to choose from.
My step-sister named her first son Colt James Lee (last name), and doesn't understand the looks she gets from people when she tells them so.
My name is a tribute to my Great-Grandma-it is hyphenated, it is Greek, it is spelled in a way slightly different than pronounced, and is a very common female name to appear in jokes in MN-most of my life I have had my name said wrong, or listened to horrid jokes by people who think they are clever.