A few years ago, I was working in Social Services. I was overseeing the Childcare room a few times and was shocked at some of the names. These kids had names that I couldn't pronounce and some that I could were spelled in ways that I could never remember. One kid's name was prounced Michaeleen, but I couldn't even begin to write it here the way that mother spelled it. My name wasn't common when I was a kid and it always aggravated me how much trouble people had with Kristen, even now spelled with an e and not an i. People constantly called me Christine, Christy, Kirsty, etc. My high school principal even read my name at graduation as Krista. Its not really a hard name but I had plenty of trouble so I cannot imagine all the Deztynees or Sharlaqueenyns of the world.

What about Ezekial Zachariah? He can go by E.Z. ...or Zeke any thoughts?

Or what about Abigail Catherine?

I went and looked at the high-income names for white girls. Those freakonomics fellows have quite a sense of humor.

hmmm... well the freakonomics guys would be against assigning causality to this idea. Naming kids is always a weird mix of tradition, aspiration, and hope... but stray too far from expectation and there may be some raised eyebrows. However, There are a lot of reasons to think that it doesn't set your destiny. After all, the Trang's, Mai Lin's, and Svetlana's I know don't seem to have a problem being successful...

Teachers are no different than anyone else, and many of us cast a wary eye on a name that is somehow unfamiliar to us...

I'm partial to different names. My name is different, but most folks who grew up in the U.S (and Europe) have heard it and don't have a problem saying/spelling it.

Having an uncommon, yet not totally outrageous and made-up name, is great. People remember it yet most people can't say it's totally awful - I think it's a nice name, but how things sound to people is personal.

I'm glad my parents didn't go with family names, which include: Hedwig (Heddy), Helmut, Horst, there was a Brunhilde in there somewhere, too. My aunt's name at birth was something like "Hytrun" (no idea how it's spelled but that is how it sounds when my Oma says it...) which she legally changed to Heidi. The H them is bad enough without picking godawful names.

I worked for a nonprofit food program right out of college. The organization reimbursed home day care providers for the meals they served the kids, provided they met certain standards. Meals for kids from low-income families were reimbursed at higher rates. So, we spent a lot of time checking reimbursement claims, making sure the kids were enrolled. The name that sticks out the most in my mind is Cinnamon. Her last name was Daynsh. Yes, really. I have also heard a story about a woman who wanted to name her daughter Fagina, because she kept hearing the name in the hospital, and thought it was really pretty...

After all, the Trang's, Mai Lin's, and Svetlana's I know don't seem to have a problem being successful...

"Trang," "Mai Lin," and "Svetlana" are all traditional names, not made up or "cute." "Anfernee" or "Dwyane" indicate you had dislexic or illiterate parents. "Heaven" or "Destiny" is what you rename yourself after you take up a profession that involves a pole.

I have also heard a story about a woman who wanted to name her daughter Fagina, because she kept hearing the name in the hospital, and thought it was really pretty...

I worked with a woman who told me about a coworker who named her child Formica Dinette. She saw it in a Sears catalogue and thought it sounded pretty.

I read an article in the Globe (Boston Globe...) for class back in high school about the town of Orange, MA. Basically, if you live in MA you know that there is some animosity among people west of 495. This is b/c everyone east of 495 pretty much forgets that the state exists outside the ring of that highway. Western MA has a lot of poverty, mostly because there are so few job opportunities.

Any way. The story focused on a kid whose family name was change to Pickup. And his parents gave him a first name of Chevy and a middle name of Van.

Chevy Van Pickup. The mother admitted to having more kids to get more welfare right in the article. Absolutely horrifying.

"This is b/c everyone east of 495 pretty much forgets that the state exists outside the ring of that highway"

To finish my incomplete thought, in case anyone cares, the reason there is actual animosity for forgetting about the western part of the state is because the folks feel gypped out of funding. Basically all the tax dollars are invested into the area surrounding Boston.

As beautiful as the landscapes may be, it was really depressing when I went out there. And forget Springfield. No wonder they name their kids Chevy Van - there is nothing else to do.

I have an aunt Madonna (semi-frequent Catholic name). My father also went to school with a girl named Placenta. Again, Mom heard it in the delivery room and thought it was pretty.

-Julie

I've always been glad my parents named me Elizabeth. It's so versatile. I've been Liz, Elizabeth, Beth, Lizbeth, even (horrors) Lizzy for a few months in the seventh grade. Liz was an athlete, Elizabeth was going to marry an attorney and wear a lot of twinsets.

I worked in collections for a few years and I came across some truly horrible names in my time. Names that I would look at and wonder, "Didn't this mother want her child to grow up and be a contributing member of society?" Getting saddled with a moniker like Dezztynni is not going help accomplish that. And that's one of the pronouncable ones.

Conan, those may be traditional in their country's of origin, but so is Trevor or Iain... This is very regional from that perspective. Misty is fine some places and not others.

Heh, when I was in HS, I knew a Timothea [everyone called her Teemo] who hate, hate, hated her name... Until I told her it was almost as beautiful as her eyes. Her boyfriend wasn't amused. Actually Dinette is pretty cool too, as long as nobody associates it with the 4chair $99 special.

On the other claw you could get the most overused name in the known universe, which is prolly still Michael this year.

"Calling a baby Angel, Heaven, Misty or Destiny is tantamount to wiping tens of thousands off the child's future annual income."

I dunno, maybe the kid'll grow up to have giant boobs, and graduate college with a pile of $1s and $5s and no debt.

I think one reason why bizarre names condemn people to the lower socio-economic strata of life is because the people that give their children bizarre names are the types that either do not or cannot teach them to climb to a higher socio-economic stratum.

Misty is fine some places and not others.

Of course. Everyone remembers that famous CEO, Misty Johnson. Or that famous lawyer, Misty Douglas. Oh wait, I just made those up.

Misty will always be the lovable, but dense bouncy blonde on "Hee-Haw." If you name your kid Misty, don't start saving to attend her Nobel Prize ceremony.

I worked in collections for a few years and I came across some truly horrible names in my time.

When I was in collections, we used to keep a file of the truly strange ones. Including some "your parents wanted you to star in blue movies" names like, Anita Mann.

Did you know that there are something like 36 different ways to spell Kristen? I know because when I was younger I used to keep track of the different spellings I would get. I once had someone (can't remember who) write it down as Krystyn.

My cousin's name is Fredricia. Named after her father. She has always gone by Fredye.

My kids have commonly used names (Nicholas and Jacob). You wouldn't believe how many times they get misspelled - including by family members. But at least their names don't get mispronounced like mine did as a child.

I always wished for a more unique name as a child. It seemed in every class I took there were at least two other 'Julies'. It was nice in the Army because at least I was able to go by my last name. It was chronically mispronounced, but it was at least unique to me.

-Julie

During immigration process to U.S., the judge told us, a bunch of immigrants, that "Now, if you want to change your name to more suitable American names, like Michael or John, this is your only chance to do it for free of charge."

One of the guys from the Middle East changed his name to "Valentine". Encouraged by this, I seriously thought about changing my name to "Romeo".

I never knew Angel was a stripper name! (although there were the occasional prostitute comments) My name does make some people uncomfortable, since it sounds like a term of endearment.

People also seem to *want* me to be an angel. People are horrified when I cuss, for example.

I've always liked my name and never felt like it was held against me, professionally. Maybe it helped that I spent most of my professional life in the military, being officially addressed by my last name. I'm also a brainiac and bear not even the slightest resemblance to a woman of low repute.

Oh - and I also get called April a lot. And it amazes me how many people want to spell my name "Angle".

I'm a children's librarian, so I get to see a lot of these.

Typically, I find that the more ridiculous the name (for a white child), the more indulgent the parent is. Isla and Winsor and Tait (all girls) are terrors. Meanwhile, Lindy, Clara, and Grace are much better behaved. For boys, my terrors are Ravi, Scooter, and Luca. My best behaved boys are Peter, Ian, and Ethan. I think this correlates to how desperately you want your child to be special and unique and snowflake-y to how practical you are and that reflects your parenting technique. Granted, there are exceptions... a little girl named Miller is really fun, but her friend Emma is a pain.

The rules are the same for black kids, except with them you get to include the ridiculously made up names. My friend's class this year in school is really well-behaved. They almost all have plain boring names. Earl, Angela, etc. Last year it was more made-up or special names (Diamond, Arraunte, Kyrage, etc) and they had more behavior problems. Like I said, I think it reflects on the parent's expectations for the baby and how indulgent they are. To some extent, at least.

On the "Funny Names I Have Known" front: When I first started my job, one of the HR people had the first name Chlamydia. Needless to say, she went by a nickname.

And I have a list I keep at work of "Kids Named After Superheroes". So far I have a Storm, Nova, Blaize, Raven, and Phoenix. I've got my fingers crossed for a Wolverine or Thor.

@Cornerdemon: "I've got my fingers crossed for a Wolverine or Thor."

Gotcha on that one! I worked in the same directorate as a lady who named her new baby Thor, pronouncing it "Tor," which I guess was supposed to sound more authentically Scandinavian.

Also, in keeping with the Viking theme, I went to high school with a kid named Odin.

I just remembered, I went to college with a woman who named her child Dragon. They were really into D&D and all of that crap. My husband and I laughed long and hard over that one.

-Julie

My parents gave me a hooker name, and they're uneducated, smalltown rednecks. There you go.

My cousin is having a baby in the next month or so, and she's naming her Icely Alexandria; she thinks it "sounds pretty." I guess one could do worse.

heh, Conan, point taken...
we have 20 Mistys and only 2 Destinys, and most of em are engineers and analysts... but there are 200+ Janets, and lotsa Angelas, but not so many Angels. :shrug:

And it amazes me how many people want to spell my name "Angle."

Maybe they think you're acute. Or obtuse.

This seems a non-libertarian stance for Amy on this issue.

You think the government should be involved in this and taking away kids with 'bad' names. Or was that hyperbole?

Seems like everyone - including every politician will have a different idea of what names are acceptable.

If you're not aware of it, many countries (France, Mexico, ...) have legal limits on what names parents can give their kids.

It's loads of fun to call out some names in a crowded waiting room. Take for instance, Vagina (I pronounced it Vageena)-I wasn't corrected either. Or, this one: Demon (I pronounced it Dahmon). Who knows what these parents are thinking. Some faves: Lemongelo and Orangelo: spelled Lemon-jello and Orange-jello. I'm thankful my parents didn't name me something a porn star would use for an assumed name.

Conan,

I'm acute angle, except when being obtuse serves my purposes better. :)

And of course, I'm always right! :D

Like SwissArmyD, I'm fairly relaxed about novel names - even when they grate.

Mozart, apparently, played fast & loose with his moniker.

Wiki says: Amadeus' may have originated as a facetious name; Mozart signed himself in three letters as "Wolfgangus Amadeus Mozartus" (this was certainly no accident as in one letter he did the same to the date of the letter as well: adding "us" to the end of each word).

(Although wiki also notes that Amadeus IS the legit Latin version of "Theophilus," one of his baptismal names).

Here are my two criteria for naming....

1. Can it be yelled across the yard, parking lot, soccer field, etc. with ease?

2. Will it cause the poor kid to be picked on by his/her peers?

When I was substitute teaching I started to notice that the girls named "Precious" were almost always horrible terrors. There was only one who was actually respectful and did not terrorize the other kids. This was also true for the girls named "Treazure/Treasure."

I agree with other posters on here that it is not really the name itself, but more likely that the parents who choose those names raised their kids to be self-entitled and rude.

My son is Cuban-American. He named his own son Angel, after his own Grandfather.

This is a paraprhrase, I think, from Lords and Ladies By Terry Pratchett (I know it was Pratchett not sure of book):

They named their children for the the virtue they wanted the child to emulate.

Chastity ended up exchanging her virtue for recompense down by the docks.

It was an absolutely hilarious passage.

In addition, I found out some version of "Patel" means fortune in the Indian language. So when you see the name Patel as the family name -- a lot are Indian (the country) -- changing the name for US immigration.

Basically the relation of name to ethnicity is getting meaningless. Associating name with general features is going to be virtually impossible.

The first sponsor to my first USAF base was Ramero Ramirez. You would expect a 5'7" very Hispanic guy? He turned out to be 6'1" with skin whiter than mine.

My parents actually sat down and thought about what would be a good name for me if I were CEO of GM. I have been so immensely grateful for them putting in that forethought.

It helps too that Alexandra can be shortened to about a zillion different nicknames

I was going to school part time and working full time at a pizza restuarant. One of the other workers had professors for parents and was named Lamda. Her sister was Theta. Did not brother her much at all.

Keep working ,great job! I'm loving the new post.

Theta state during our sleep is almost the same as forcing its state using Theta Healing. The results are almost the same, which is promoting a relaxed and calm state of mind. Clear thought and positive outlooks will also result in this.