(no subject)

[briannablade.livejournal.com]

Is it just me or do a lot of people just not like creative ways of spelling names? Why is everyone so incredibly hung up on how their kids will be teased? I don't remember any kids getting teased for their names in school. They got teased more for their dress, for their hair, for their glasses, for "physical" appearance things and for sucking up to the teachers and being teacher's pet. I don't think that if someone spells a name with a different spelling that people should automatically put it on "the bad" list. I understand that some people are traditionalist, but why do so many people want to pull down the ones that want to be creative. Some people do get a little carried away, I'll give you that. But there are a lot of people out there who want to name their kids geek names, athletic names, anime names, etc. It depends on the parents interests. *shrugs* I don't know. What do you guys think? Is it just me that feels this way or am I alone in this?

Comments

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

The thing that bothers me about creative spellings is that (a) if I was going to a doctor to have surgery done, and his name was Jakekub (a spelling of Jacob that I've actually seen), all I'd be able to do is thinking HOLY SHIT his parents are stupid! and (b) I know how often people spell MY name wrong (Lindsay --> Lindsey/Lyndsie/Lyndsey/etc.) and my name is actually an accepted spelling; imagine how annoying that's going to be for all of the Braydins and Aydans and Jakekubs of the world.

Besides, I don't think that adding a "y" in the middle of a name is "creative." It's trendy. There's a difference.

[lneef.livejournal.com]

I am so with you on the Lindsay thing, only I'm a Lindsey. It's very annoying.

[sevensevenfour.livejournal.com]

I'm a Lindsey too and quite agree on that part.

[briannablade.livejournal.com]

Just something I observed.

[lneef.livejournal.com]

It takes the history away from a name with history and the meaning away from a name with meaning. It makes the whole family look uneducated from the point of view of anyone who appreciates that names have history and meaning. And it's incredibly inconvenient for the child.

[easter.livejournal.com]

Agreed, 100%

[lovablemess.livejournal.com]

Children do get teased because of their names. All of the time. And I have what can be seen as a "normal" name (it's Leah, pron. Lee-uh), but the misspellings and misprounciations of it drive me BATTY!!

[politicking.livejournal.com]

i think that sometimes it just makes you look like you were REALLY trying to make your child unique... but in the end, it's the same name. people don't spell your name when talking to you, most of the time. they do not say, "A-y-d-y-n, how are you?" it's going to be said the same as Aiden/Ayden/Aidan/etc.

[samaside.livejournal.com]

My last name is Wildman. There was a lot of teasing and stupid "shouldn't it be wild WOMAN hahaha" jokes.

Though, any Star Trek fans tend to find my name pretty cool.

[lneef.livejournal.com]

Do they ask you if your first name is Naomi and then laugh their asses off like they're the first ones ever to say that?

[samaside.livejournal.com]

Well, the thing is that it's actually Samantha Wildman. XD

[lneef.livejournal.com]

Naomi's her daughter. Seven of Nine tended to call her by her full name so she's the Wildman I always think of first.

[padfootinpurple.livejournal.com]

For me, changing the spelling of a name makes me put emphasis on different syllables, but I can't think of an example off the top of my head. I may be alone in this though...

But mostly, I think there's a big difference between different spellings of a name (Meghan vs Megan) and unnecessary letters (Meaghanne).

I hated always having to spell my name (Kathryn) when I was younger, and nothing made me angrier than having a friends' mom spell my name "Catherine" on a goody bag from a party. So whenever I see some new spelling of a name I haven't seen before--like Meaghanne--I cringe because the poor kid is always going to be reciting their name off.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is that I know a Meaghanne.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_toasterhead/]

i think is is...i'm going to name my child just MEGAN.

[nothingbuthp.livejournal.com]

Agreed! But we've been over this before, I do believe.

I don't so much mind the H in my name (Meghan) because I find the spelling Megan bizarre now.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

It's pronounced the same.

[padfootinpurple.livejournal.com]

I pronounce them differently, too, although I've noticed most people--at least in my area--don't; I know a Katherine who pronounces her name Kath-ryn, and the whole of my Language class, when studying Wuthering Heights, pronounced Catherine Kath-ryn (eventually I stopped paying attention to whenever someone said "Catherine" or "Kathryn" and relied on the fact that the teacher rarely called on me, anyway).

I prefer Meghan spelled with the 'h', maybe because it's how one of my closest friends spells her name. I've always thought it was pretty.

[nothingbuthp.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Kat, I didn't know you found my name pretty. :p

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Because being 'creative' isn't being creative at all. Spelling Madison 'Madysin' or Alexander 'Alixzandar' isn't the mark of an original mind, it's the mark of someone who wants attention. Giving your child a trendy name, or trendy spelling of a normal name, makes you look like white trash, or someone desperately trying to be 'unique'.

Or cute. I hate that word so much. You should never name your kid something because you think it's 'cute'. It may come as a shock to some people, but your adorable baby is going one day be 15, 18, 30, 45, 60, 80... can you imagine a 60-year-old named Madysin? Or Tanner? It's just ridiculous, people, come on.

Anyway, that's my rant.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

exactly! Because being 'creative' isn't being creative at all. Spelling Madison 'Madysin' or Alexander 'Alixzandar' isn't the mark of an original mind, it's the mark of someone who wants attention. Giving your child a trendy name, or trendy spelling of a normal name, makes you look like white trash, or someone desperately trying to be 'unique'.

[lneef.livejournal.com]

*agrees 100%, except non-white people can be trashy in this as well*

[easter.livejournal.com]

Giving your child a trendy name, or trendy spelling of a normal name, makes you look like white trash, or someone desperately trying to be 'unique'.

Thank you!

[sevensevenfour.livejournal.com]

I'll be the odd vote and say that I agree with you. I have a name that is spelled a million different ways, but it hasn't made me hate my name or my parents for giving it to me. Does it get annoying having to always spell my name? Sure. Does it get annoying having people assume my name is spelled a different way? Sure. It is what it is, though. I do agree with you and everyone that sometimes people go too far, but sometimes I just automatically prefer a different spelling over another. I'm not going to sacrifice my taste in order to appease people who have, in my opinion, been spelling it wrong. I also don't have any problem with "different" names. If someone likes comic books and wants to name their kid after a character, I have no problem with that. I think that it is just the difference between traditionalist and non-traditionalist. *shrugs*

[tia-karen.livejournal.com]

i also agree with this. when i see names spelled badly, i just assume the parents (a) are idiots or (b) can't read. it's like typos in a letter. if something is spelled wrong once i'll give them the benefit of the doubt and think they were a little careless. if they spell it wrong consistently, they are clearly daft, so i think less of them.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

The legit changed spellings are usually result of different cultures.
My friend has a friend called Ema, I assumed her parents wanted her to be cool, or she'd ropped an M somewhere along the way in an effort to stand out- turns out she's Scandinavian and that's the way it's spelt. She was born in England, but it was homage to her grandmother.

[x-cherrydarling.livejournal.com]

Unique spellings don't bug me that much, unless they alter the pronunciation. What's the big deal if you think Karlee is prettier than Carly?

Naming a child something that you like the look and sound of is more important than choosing the socially acceptable option just because you feel you should, in my opinion.

[sarahrose.livejournal.com]

You are NOT alone! And good for you taking a stand in a place that is notorious for not liking creative spellings!

I probably agree with you more than you do. ;-)

[briannablade.livejournal.com]

:D

[mystickiwi.livejournal.com]

I dont know about being teased, I really dont think it will be that much of a problem, but theres a huge difference between alternate spellings and creative spellings.

No ones gonna look at a kid funny if she says "hi, my name is Erika, with a K" however if she says "my name is A-I-R-Y-K-A-H, like Erika!" she's gonna get a "what the hell were you parents on?" look, as well as constant confusion over how her name is spelt, moreso than just one letter...

[zorianna.livejournal.com]

I kind of agree with what you're saying, but not completely. I think what people tend to frown upon the most is names that are butchered so much in the spelling that it's simply ridiculous. I came across a little girl the other day named Kaydynn. To me, that's completely excessive, when Caden or even Kaden are perfectly fine spellings despite being a "trendy" name.

[water-melanie.livejournal.com]

I got teased a lot for my name (Melanie), and so did a lot of other kids. Kids will butcher a name in any way to make it into something teasable. I think it's more common now then when most of us were kids to have uncommom spellings. But I remember as a child how important it was to me to have my name on those pencils, keyrings, etc that they sold at stores. Stupid reason, but it was important to me as a kid.

[mystickiwi.livejournal.com]

They now make "write your own damn name on it" stuff (well, its worded a bit more.. pc) in walmart they had personalized pencils, calculators, stickers, etc, and then a bunch of blank stuff that came with stickers to put your own name on it, in the unfortunate event youre a Madysinnn

[isoldereverie.livejournal.com]

People's perceptions are funny things. I never wanted to find my name on those keyrings or pencils. Every time I saw a rack with those personalized items on it I meticulously checked every hook for my name. When I didn't find it (which I rarely did) I walked away feeling like one in a million!

As for creative spellings: these days so many parents are following the trend that all the kids in this generation will be used to spelling their name. It won't matter if it's the traditional spelling or a trendy variation, every single child will have to spell their name forever just because of this trend. It's just going to be a fact of life.

Personally, different spellings don't bother me. Vivian morphed into Vivienne at some point and today it's accepted as normal. However, I agree with Zorianna that creative spellings, such as Meaghanne and Tayt'T'Aana (for Tatiana), are way too much. They do make the parents look uneducated plus it is a burden for the child.

So what about names from other languages? Norwegian, Russian, Welsh, Celtic, Asian I love the names Aiofe and Siobhan but could never use them in the US because most people (most) have no clue how to pronounce them nor do they recognize that these are legitimate names with a rich cultural history going back for centuries. To them names like these look like uneducated jibberish. ::sigh::

Bottom line: To each his/her own but pray for good sense to prevail! :) lol

[nothingbuthp.livejournal.com]

I grew up saying "Meghan with an h" as well, but that was because my best friend was named Megan.

It was always such a big deal when I found something personalized as Meghan!

[nothingbuthp.livejournal.com]

I've met two other Meghans recently. And looking through the yearbook I think there are two others just in my year that I've never met!

My English teacher last year told me that she's only had a few Meghan/Megans.

[ladydiddymus.livejournal.com]

But there are a lot of people out there who want to name their kids geek names, athletic names, anime names, etc. It depends on the parents interests.
That didn't make any sense to me at all. I don't know the difference between a geek name or an athletic name... I know Hebrew names and Italian names and Arabic names and Slavic names, but I've never heard of a geek name or an athletic name. Taking the effect of a name on your child's life is underrated because believe it or not, your child will be an individual regardless of what name you give them or how you spell it. "Ocean" will not make a child meditative, "Britni" will not make a child unique, and they certainly are not guarenteed to be an extension of their parents or share in their interests.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

I think there is a difference between spelling it differently and trying to be creative. Most names have a couple of spellings that wouldn't be considered silly but when you start adding extra letters just because you can?? No thanks!

Take a name like Emily. I actually love it spelt Emilie and that is fine but when you start spelling it Emmilleigh, then you are just being over the top.

[amai-amaya.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you.
The spelling of a name rarely bothers me, especially if it's something like Jakekub or Britni or whatever... spelling it Jeykekub would be a bit much, though.
But why shouldn't parents spell the names of their kids differently?
Everyone's always assuming it's because they want to stand out and be unique and all... perhaps they just like a change?
Creativity and the ability to be creative is a talent.
Not everyone is creative.
My name is Kim, that's 3 letters and still everyone spells it wrong like Chim/Khim/Cim/Kimm etc...
So, no matter what you name your kid, it will probably always have to spell its name, whether forename or surname.

[queen-mab.livejournal.com]

It's not really about kids getting teased in school by other kids about their name. It's about when they grow up and have to put these hideous names on their job applications and having to spell their name out for others their entire lives. And changing something like Madison to Maddysen or something equally as stupid-looking doesn't make the parents, the child, or the name itself anymore unique. It just makes the parents look like complete idiots. I'm more likely to respect and hire a lawyer named James than a lawyer named Jaymz.

[seksimaggie.livejournal.com]

I knew a girl named Hannah, but it was spelled Hanannah. It was somehow culturally significant, I forget the story, but she got picked on all the time. We didn't like her so we called her "han-anna" to bother her.

I also got laughed at a lot, "Maggie is a dog's name!"

I'm not saying that you shouldn't name your kids what you want, but kids definitely do get picked on for their names. Because kids will pick on absolutely anything, and giving your kid a weird name is giving the other kids ammo.

Also I tend not to like the creative/trendy different spellings. Not because I think kids will automatically suffer emotional abuse in grade school for it, but because it's ugly to me.

[seksimaggie.livejournal.com]

Also, what's to be gained by adding or changing letters? Your child may be Jaymz rather than James, but it sounds the same, so he'll still be one of six Jameses in his class, you know? (stole that example from the post above mine)