Cant see anything through me 'Port Goggles'!!! :-D
   *ø¤º°*¨`*:» 'HIC' «:*¨`*°º¤ø*              

Right, now if you don't tell me how to make all those 'ickle symbolly fings I is gonna get a reet strop on!!!

I don't see ANYTHING wrong with giving a child a name that is unique -as long as the child itself doesn't hate it -in which case they can come up with an abbreviation or similar that they like. Not everyone is going to like the same names -but when they DO, it gets difficult. When I was in school there were 3 Peters in my class and 2 Mariannes etc etc and it was always such a problem keeping tracks of who was who. Everyone will have different opinions. To me, Casey is a DOG's name and indeed I had a dog called Casey, and I also have a cat called Katie. Clearly to other people those are human names -and why not?

My niece has a slightly more unusual name...her name is Belle Lani.

Belle meaning beautiful and Lani is Maori for flower so she is really Beautiful Flower!

Keira (Belle's mum) and my brother always liked the name Belle but couldn't decide on a middle name.  As Keira originally emigrated to New Zealand age 3 (came back to England 7 yrs ago) we mentioned a Maori name as New Zealand is part of Belle's background and I found the name Lani meaning flower and it just stuck....

....and at 14 mths she really is a beautiful flower!

> Personally.. I absolutely detest the name Katherine.. but.. I am allowed to ;-)

Yes, you are allowed to detest the name Katherine, but kayc I find it a bit rich that you have just been accusing someone else of being tactless!! I had already posted that Katherine is my daughter's name. so I find that equally tactless.

I think Kay was joking seeing as how her name is....guess what!? ;-)

Honeybee.. my name is Katherine lol... and I hate my name ;-)

> 'Jack' and 'Daniel'

When ever my son gets hammered he blames his mates , Jack and Daniel...(as in "Jack Daniels") !!!

Hmm, that could perhaps be used somehow, by an unscrupilous choccy getter??? If there were any CHOCOLATE around at all??? ;-)

> When I was in school there were 3 Peters in my class and 2 Mariannes etc etc and it was always such a problem keeping tracks of who was who.

My Oh's granny was called Marion, as was her older sister, they both got called Morag ( big Morag and wee Morag), now how confusing was that ? :-D Actually their surname was Morrison so they both could have been John Wayne :-D :-D

I'm Marion too (and I hate it but not enough to change it) but fortunately, not got the Morrison part.

As a complete aside, there was a doctor in Mallaig called Dr Donald DUCK, he was born before the cartoon character, his parents obviously didn't see that one coming :-D

See now I can't look at the name Chiara without thinking of this! http://www.cavalierhealth.org/syringomyelia.htm It's wrong I know and I apologise, but I can't help it! I would love an exotic name by the way...I'm just plain old Dawn x :-)

> When ever my son gets hammered he blames his mates , Jack and Daniel...(as in "Jack Daniels") !!!

LOL, that's how Daniel got his name.
We were convinced our second baby was going to be a girl, never had a scan for it, we just had a 'hunch'. We had some girls names lined up, but nothing for a boy, after a few hours of being in this world we felt baby deserved a better name than 'Baby'! and 'Daniel' just seemed to fit in nicely with 'Jack' :)

I'm just plain old Dawn

That's exotic and beautiful to me -it doesn't exist in Swedish. :) I have a cat called Dawn and I've stuck with that theme. Her father is Dusk, her sons Twilight and Daybreak, daughter Daylight, grandsons Moonlight, Sunrise and Eclipse. :D

My daughter's baby is going to be Daisy mai or daisy isla... i like libby tho...
I do like daisy.. is a pretty name and def goes with our surname!
Was going to be alfie had she of been a boy
My daughter is chanelle abbey
Me? im just plain old Donna

Donna xx
(and my boysxx)

I knew a Katinka - apparently a totally made up name - never met another so poss the only one??

I know a Kalena - again never heard this name before?

There is a little girl at my daughters school named Dennis (not Denis but Dennis like Dennis the menace) but she isn't a menace at all!

Think they are the most unusual names I know x

Never liked my name though but guess you just get used to it!

ive been following this thread with interest, im currently 14 weeks pregnant, baby due at the end of May.  I dont like these "new" names, even my pets are called human names !!

Ive been quite drawn to the old fasioned names and I love Ellie, Elsie and Mae for a girl (but as it is due in May it might be a bit naff )  Im struggling with boys names though - quite liking Lewis, Jake, Jack but cant really think of anything else.  Think I need to get a decent name book, the one I have is a bit too American. 

OH likes Lily and Daisy - Lily is my mums dogs name and I know quite a few Daisy's although I do like the name.

Im with you on not being overly keen on my name Rachel, there were about 10 Claire/Clair/Clare in my year at senior school and I always have to spell my name because it has so many spellings !!

I'm not a mum but had enough pregnant friends to recommend one tip - don't tell anyone what name you picked! As you can see from this thread people have opinions about names and they often aren't shared. I've witnessed too many expectant parents finally decide on a name only to have everyone they tell state how much they dislike it. :( Introducing your baby that is named such and such will not draw the same critiques. So save your special name for introductions - it should be a personal choice not influenced by anyone else. :) There are a lot of websites with names, their meanings and origins. Not all terribly accurate but good enough to give you some ideas.

Am i the only person who thinks the sex of the baby should be a surprise? Therefore the name cant be decided before the little mites even made it into this world? :-)

Why can't you pick one of each? A name isn't something I'd like to spend a day thinking about.

> Mae for a girl (but as it is due in May it might be a bit naff <IMG alt=eek src="/images/eek.gif"> )

My mate is called June guess when she was born......AUGUST!!!

> Am i the only person who thinks the sex of the baby should be a surprise?

I'm with you FM. It seems to be unusual expectant parents these days who don't find out the sex of the baby. Easy for me to say, never been there - I suppose it is far more 'practical' to know (although have personally known of two cases who were told they were expecting girls and gave birth to boys!), but it really was one of the few genuine surprises left in this world.

Now instead of hearing that a baby girl named Gertie has been born on x date at x weight, quite often the weight is the only bit that's the suprise, with scheduled inductions too.

M.

I havent had one but when i do have a baby i want to have something to look forward to, a nice surprise at the end of a painful labour.

You dont have to pick the name in a day, you have several weeks before you need to register it, so why not go home and "see" what your baby is. My cousin was going to be Charlotte, then when she was born she didnt "look" like a charlotte. She became lauren, after a few days.

Unless it was twins, i dont really see a reason why you need to know. Just my opinion. Babys wear baby grows initially which you can buy in neutral colours and then you get showered with gifts of clothes. The nursery doesnt have to be decorated striaght away as bubs sleeps with parents first, or else, why not decorate in neutral colopurs too.

I just think the parents always seem that bit more excited when they dont know the sex. rather than, yeah we've had the baby, its we've had a baby girl/boy!!!

Freds mum, I think  most people have a boys name and a girls name.

We havent decided yet if we are going to find out, I have no patience so would love to know but then apparantly its nice to have the surprise at the end.

My brother went for over a week without a name lol!

Congratulations Claire - only just seen on THAT norty footwear thread you're an expectant mum too :)

I had boys and girl names picked for months before my daughter was born but we were convinced she'd be a boy so less thought on hindsight about girls' names.

When she arrived she just didn't seem to suit any of the names we'd planned (even the girls LOL) so for 3 days she was just baby B.  Then her name just came to me in a flash and when I looked into her little face it seemed just right :)  It's such a personal thing and a HUGE step really.  All part of the excitement of course :)

Just to add my congrats to you Claire - wow!!!  Great news.

We had boys name and girls name with our first(didn't find out sex was a surprise) - we had originally picked the name Sophie if a girl - Sophie Elizabeth then found out someone's cat was Sophie and that was that!  and Harry Robert for a boy - so many people said she was going to be a boy so it like you Teri it was definitely a surprise when she was a girl!  Named her Emily Claire.  We did find out with Jessica and it was at one point was going for the name Hannah - but can't remember why changed my mind on that one - we eventually decided on Jessica Elizabeth and kept it a secret - like you say so many people have opinions on names.

I agree, it is a huge step and for that reason dont know how anyone can have a name set when they havent even met the baby!!! Each to their own though

Lori, were you born erudite and sensible? :-) You have way too much common sense, it's unbelieveable! ;-) I think you got my share too! :-)

Actually I say that about my doggies too, I can't name any of them until I have met them!

must admit when we saw both the names did fit - don't know what I would have done if they hadn't - and even now they still fit them somehow!

> Lori, were you born erudite and sensible? :-) You have way too much common sense, it's unbelieveable! ;-) I think you got my share too! :-)

Well I don't know about the first part of your post but the last sentence is a given! :-p

>I agree, it is a huge step and for that reason dont know how anyone can have a name set when they havent even met the baby!!! Each to their own though

I dont think you have a name set but you have a few ideas you dont want to be thinking it up from scratch - Im going to have more important things to think about once its born eg. how do I change a nappy (or do you just paper train   ;)  )

I think you just carpet the house in pee pads! ;-)

Simple Claire - just crate train it :-)
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Before the PC Brigade line me up and shoot me i am joking :-)

> I agree, it is a huge step and for that reason dont know how anyone can have a name set when they havent even met the baby!!!

We had picked boys and girls names ready for our first born. For a boy we struggled finding something we liked, Jack was my OH's late gramps name and Thomas was my late gramps name, so we couldn't think of anything nicer than Jack Thomas, as our first was a boy he was named in memory of both of our Gramps :)

> Introducing your baby that is named such and such will not draw the same critiques.

by that time they will be too busy saying how ugly it is so the name wont matter

lol only joking.  Im quite a stubborn person and dont generally take much notice what other people say - unless its backed up with very good reasoning :)

> I agree, it is a huge step and for that reason dont know how anyone can have a name set when they havent even met the baby!!!

I have twins (my first pregnancy) and for obvious reasons we really wanted to know their sex but the hospital trust made it a policy not to let anyone know so at 5 months we had quite a few names on our list with various combinations for both boys and girls.  One of the girls names was always going to feature (if I had a girl!) and that was Sophia after my grandmother, although it was on the list both as a first and second name and Thomas was going to be a definite boys name somewhere as it meant "twin".  They were both girls.

We found out the sex of our next child as the trust had changed its policy and they routinely told people unless specifically told otherwise.  I didnt initially want to find out during my scan but it just happened.  I was pleased that I did because it meant that I didnt have to buy hardly anything.  We chose Elizabeth, again when I was 5 months pregnant because I loved the idea of shortening it to Libby but over the next couple of months, the more I said it to myself, it just didnt feel right.  We eventually chose Alisha which was quite unusual at the time, or so I thought, but does seem a lot more popular with 3 alone in Alisha's year at school!

For my 4th (and very much a surprise!!) we paid to have a private scan done (because we had moved to a new area and the hospital trust wouldnt tell us).  I wanted to know this time round for definite because having 3 girls, it would have been nice to have a boy plus the fact that being a complete surprise pregnancy we didnt have any baby things in the house so had to start from scratch again with everything from cot, bedding, toiletries and pram etc etc.  Although I loved the name Thomas it didnt feel right to use it because of why we chose it initially, ie its meaning (for me personally - not saying anything about other people wanting this name ;-) :-)).  Again I chose quite early on the name Archie and it just seems to suit him down the ground!

Throughout all my pregnancies we never told anyone the names, not even the middle names, until after they were born although we did tell everyone what we were expecting (apart from the twins of course!).  Obviously people did try and give us suggestions on names! 

I didn't have a name for my first born and when he was born, the nurse said what are we going to call him and I looked at his Dad (Jim) and said James.  How quick was that, his friends and him call him siidney!  don't ask and yes there are two ii's in it! and we the family call him simply 'J'.

Second born was always going to be amy for a girl and Alex for a boy, was girl so I have Amy.

Third born and a surprise! Was always and going to be Alex again for a boy and it was !

Fourth (planned) was always going to be Hannah for a girl and Thomas for a boy, was  girl and we got Hannah.  Initially she was going to be Daisy May after hubby's grandma but we settled for Hannah early on in the pregnancy.  Unfortunate choice some may some due to our surname but never for one minute did I consider people would start changing letters of surname to given name fifteen years ago! Bless her! She laughs too!

When I came out of hospital with my last baby he was still wearing his name tag 'Baby Bird' and it could have stayed there for a few weeks as I couldn't think of a name, in the end having received a phone call from the registrar to tell me I had 2 days left to register the birth or I'd be breaking some law I plumped for Christopher. It took me that long and he's not keen on it so guess what his mates call him?
Yep BIRD :)

> im currently 14 weeks pregnant, baby due at the end of May.

How lovely, congratulations :-).  What about British Waterways? :-D

> How lovely, congratulations :-).&nbsp; What about British Waterways? :-D

Isabel!!! I hope she's been reading the KC names post or that will make no sense! ROFL I laughed, how stupid is my humor :-p

you lost me there for a split second ;)

Problem is I dont have an affix

Doesn't make any sense to me either!

Congratulations Claire, I bet you can't wait can you?

Congratulations Claire...how exciting for you.

Going back to daft or unusual names...Here are some ive come across doing my job........

Isis,
Devon,
Coralina,
Levi,
Gervais as a first name,(poor lads surname was Lorraine...I kid you not)
and heres a daft girls one....Jordan.... wait for it...Jordan poor kid what were her parents thinking?

Mind you you only have to look at American chat shows for a whole host of silly names......they probably all makes sense to the people who name the kids but to me i cry with laughter at some of them..

p.s.....if you know my surname you will realise that unfortuneatly through marriage I have been blessed with a totally ridiculous name.
I hang my head when its called out at doctors ,dentists etc....
If you  wanna know,I can tell you but then id have to kill you.......................

I don't know why so many people seem to think the name Levi is odd.  It is a good old biblical name, not just a jeans manufacturer  :-)

> If you&nbsp; wanna know,I can tell you but then id have to kill you.......................

Delphia? :-D

Isabel, that has got to be your loopy sense of humour for sure :):):)

> I can tell you but then id have to kill you.......................

But Isabel, in the light of the above... surely it'd have to be Lucretia ;) :-D

> But Isabel, in the light of the above... surely it'd have to be Lucretia

Maybe, but in the light of the above, do I want to get it right :-D