Simple baby names aren’t so common anymore as parents are opting for unusual and unique monikers instead. There is so much innovation involved, and folks put a lot of effort into researching and finding interesting names for their kids. Sometimes, though, people take this creativity too far.
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The weirdest situation happened with this person whose aunt thought of the craziest baby names for her twins. The horrified poster could not believe that anyone would think of naming a kid “Violance", and they tried hard to stop the aunt.
More info: Reddit
Pregnant lady wants to give twins unique names while her shocked relative desperately tries to dissuade her from using the bizarre ideas
Image credits: Nicolas Lesueur (not the actual photo)
The poster explained that their aunt was pregnant with twins and chose not to know the genders until birth which is why she came up with several baby name ideas
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)
If she had a girl and a boy, she wanted to name them "Violance" and “Violet,” whereas twin daughters would be called "Alyja" and "Avanue"
Image credits: rascal_raider_420
The author was baffled by the names and tried to reason with their aunt that such monikers would cause the kids many issues later in life, especially using “Violance” for a boy
People with unique names often say that it’s a “complicated gift” because it makes them stand out from the crowd. On the other hand, it can also lead to issues with pronunciation and documentation. For the aunt’s kids, having names like Violance, Alyja, or Avanue could either make them memorable or turn them into the butt of all jokes.
To understand this situation better, Bored Panda reached out to Pamela Redmond, the CEO and co-creator of Nameberry, the largest website devoted to baby names. She is also the coauthor of ten books on the subject and the world’s leading expert on names. We asked her what the effect of having a unique name could be on a child.
Pamela said, “People are much more accepting of unique names now than they were a generation ago. There are thousands more names in circulation now than there were a few generations ago, and a higher proportion of babies receive unique names of all kinds. Nature and place names, gender-neutral names, last names as first names, and culturally diverse names have all become common.”
“But there's a difference between unique names and names that are a joke, which is how I see the Violance and Violet example you mentioned. Those names are designed to get a specific reaction from people, which is laughter, shock, and teasing,” she added. Some commenters also suggested the same thing and said that maybe the aunt was pulling her relative’s leg or was aiming for a high shock value.
Out-of-the-box baby names can also leave the parents with regret. A poll of 1,000 UK parents found that 18% regret their kid’s moniker. 32% knew that they’d made the wrong decision within the first 6 weeks of their child’s birth, and 23% regretted it when the kid started school. But a distinctive name isn’t all that bad.
To get a different perspective, we contacted Mike and Tara Campbell. They run a site called Behind the Name, which helps people learn about the etymology and history behind names. Mike told us, “Both of our kids have somewhat unusual, though not unfamiliar, names. Introducing yourself with an unusual name might make people ask you to repeat or spell it. You may also get comments like ‘what an interesting name!’ which could be viewed either as a conversation starter or as tiresome.”
Image credits: cookie_studio (not the actual photo)
Mike Campbell did tell us that “research has suggested that resumes with unfamiliar names may get less attention from prospective employers. Sadly, this bias also applies to racially distinctive names borne by minorities.” In this case, the aunt’s ideas weren’t racially or culturally significant. She had merely chosen them for their distinctiveness.
But, the name “Violance” does conjure up some negative connotations. Unfortunately, there have been studies on individuals with negative names that show that they experience a lot of discrimination and prejudice. Students with such names are often less popular among classmates and are graded less fairly by teachers. Some folks with unattractive or negative names are neglected by potential partners on dating apps.
Even Pamela Redmond shared that “a name that's very difficult to spell or pronounce, or that provokes teasing and rudeness can cause tremendous problems for your child for their entire life. We've interviewed adults with unique names, and many say they didn't like explaining the name over and over again. [Still, as] they got older, they appreciated having a name that was distinctive and that others would remember.”
Mike shared some advice for a parent who wants to give their kid a unique name. He said: “If you are considering a very unusual name, it might be a good idea to give your child an ‘out’ if they decide they don’t like it in the future. You could do this by providing a more familiar middle name or considering an unusual name that could be shortened into a familiar diminutive.”
A name holds so much power, and it’s something a person has to live with for the rest of their life. Parents should experiment with a whole host of baby names before finalizing things. Hopefully, the poster’s aunt will ask other folks to weigh in on her ideas and then only make a decision.
What do you think about the pregnant woman’s baby name ideas? What alternative suggestions do you have? Share them in the comments.
Netizens were not happy about the aunt’s prospective baby names, some people even shared personal examples of the effect of such “unique” monikers
Image credits: AnyaShopStudio (not the actual photo)
