Sharing Parental Experiences

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?

There are advantages in choosing an unusual baby name: people with such names stand out from the crowd; at school they won’t have to use an initial after their name because someone else in the class has the same name; and they won’t get confused with anyone else. However, nobody will know how to spell their name; it may be mis-pronounced; and other kids can be very cruel. There’s nothing worse than being teased and kids will quickly pounce on a weird name as a reason for teasing or bullying.

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.

During the last ten years, Dr Mehrabian has studied how a person’s name effects them. His findings suggest that when compared to a more traditional name, the ratings of unusual names are much lower in every category: for example a person’s happiness, success, and morality. By choosing an unusual name parents think they are being creative and are ensuring their kids are individual. But green hair is individual and having green hair is not necessarily a good idea!

Mehrabian says he has counselled many adults who were ridiculed by their co-workers because of their names, and finds that the more unusual the name the harder it is to adjust.

I knew a man whose middle name was Mary. Apparently his parents wanted him to have a saint’s name and chose Mary. He was embarrassed by it 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.

Should you choose an unusual baby name and need a personalised gift for a baby, we can help; visit our store.