| The
Art of Baby Naming - Page 2
Uniqueness
It’s
difficult to find a nice balance between a name that is unique but doesn't
appear to be too weird. Having an unusual name has the advantage
of making you stand out from the crowd. However, a name no one has heard
of or can't pronounce can bring embarrassment and unwanted attention to
a child. Common names that are easily recognized and easy to spell
will cause your child less problems in the schoolyard in early years.
If the name is all too popular your child may find himself one of several
“Johns” in the classroom. this can be confusing and frustrating for
the children and the teacher. Having a unique name, however, may make your
child stand out and feel extra special. One way of finding a compromise
is to choose a familiar first name if the child's surname is unusual, and
vice versa. If your son's surname will be Jones, you will want to consider
something more unusual than Jack for his first name. However if his surname
is Friedensteinkopf then Jack might be preferable to, say, Archibald, as
a first name.
Spelling
and Pronunciation
Unique
names are often difficult to spell or pronounce because people haven’t
heard them before. It’s an important factor to consider. If
it’s a name that is hard to pronounce it would probably also be difficult
to spell. In the same way, creative spellings or pronunciations of
popular names will cause your child no end to the task of correcting people
that make mistakes in spelling or pronouncing their name. An extra
task they would rather do without, and you will get the blame for it.
Unusual
spellings will also mean you have to special order or do without the personalized
items that are sold in many shops.
Invent
a New Name
Inventing
a completely new name can cause many problems. Other people will
not know how to spell it or pronounce it. There are plenty of well known
names to choose from. Besides, a child with an odd name may suffer ridicule
at school.
 
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