Is it just me?

[kockxfight.livejournal.com]

Spelling names in an nontraditional way irks me for some reason. I mean I know it's completely up to the parents how they name thier child but I would never do it to my kids.

Does anyone else feel this way? I don't know it's just a huge pet peeve for me. I'm 9 months pregnant and I'm naming my daughter Harley. My best friend would like me to spell her name differently so that it is more feminine i.e. Harleigh, Harlie, or Harlee. I don't want the name to be more feminine though, if I had wanted a feminine name I would have chosen one, right?

Also a friend of mine named her daughter Kamryn. I love the little girl to death and I really like the name but hate the spelling, I just don't understand why people cannot leave well enough alone.

What are all of you thoughts?

Comments

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

No, it's definitely not just you. It's a major pet peeve amongst most of the posters in this community, I'd say. It irritates me because the parents are trying so hard to be "unique" when all they're doing is changing the spelling, which has no effect whatsoever when conversing verbally and, when written, only causes the headache of trying to spell the name correctly. Changing the spelling might make the name look more "feminine", but the name will be said more than it will be written, and the name will still be pronounced the same non-feminine way, regardless of spelling.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

I can't stand it.
It always seems to me like the parents are less educated when they do, which is somewhat illogical to think, but I can't help it.

[depeche810.livejournal.com]

Yeah I completely agree with you. I'd keep it as Harley. Cause at the end of the day, Harlie, Harleigh, and Harlee are all pronounced like Harley so it doesn't make it any different. It just makes it look funny.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

i've found that A LOT of people who want non-traditional spellings with more traditional names (ie: turning Amelia into Ahmelya- which i've seen before) do it just for the sake of their child being "unique." guess what, people, an Aiden is an Aidan is an Adeyn is an Aydynn. they are all said the SAME way. if you want a "unique" name, then pick one, don't butcher a perfectly fine name just because you think it will make your child "so unique!"

[thorabrighid.livejournal.com]

I think if you are giving your kid a name that doesn't have any well known variations, you should spell it the way it's meant to be spelled, so they poor kid isn't having to spell it for everyone all their life. I hate when i see names like Jennifer being spelled Ginnyfer. It's just not worth it, it's still said the same way, and that's all that really matters.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

It depends. I usually don't mind little changes like Alyson/Alison or Aidan/Aiden, but I don't like random 'y's thrown in or excessive, unnecessary double letters (i.e. Maddysyn).
I also don't like if classic names are spelled differently (i.e. Jaymes, for example). I don't know why, because I don't even really like most classic names ;)

As for Harley (great name, by the way) I would definitely keep it this way.

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

Some names have traditional different ways to spell it, for example, Cathryn. Some people spell it Cathryn, some people spell it Kathryn.

But I can't stand when people get all creative and add a few y's, or like everyone else said - Aydyn or Maddysn? I don't get that.

[rubytitania.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. I always think it makes the parents look a bit ignorant - like they've heard a name somewhere and just guessed at how to spell it.

[quite-rosie.livejournal.com]

Overly creative spellings annoy me, but I don't mind variants. For example, I have a friend named Kelle. She LOVES having her name spelled that way.

My name is Tara, and I wish my mom would have followed her instincts and had it be Tarah instead. I know a girl who is a Tarah, and people actually call her Tarah (like Sarah) instead of "Taaaaaaaaahra" Grrr. "Taaaaaaaaahra" is dumb.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

That's weird, because I'd pronounce Tarah 'TARR-ah', and Tara 'TAIR-ah'.

[lilacmermaid.livejournal.com]

It drives me crazy too. Especially when the name becomes unrecognizable because of it. It does become tricky when you're dealing with a name that *does* have multiple accepted spellings (Katherine/Catherine, Lindsay/Lindsey, etc.), but for the most part there is a right and a wrong way.

What's even worse is when you have a more 'feminized' version of the name, and it's on a boy! I have a (male) cousin whose name is Kamryn!

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

It's a simple matter of being fair to the kid and everyone else who has to spell their name. If you spell Kellie with an 'ie', she's doomed to a life of having to tell people how to spell her name. It also makes the parents look illiterate, or like they were trying too hard to be 'unique'. Unfortunately, some people have really bad taste.

[quite-rosie.livejournal.com]

LOL then you and your type of people need to come around by me! In all honestly, it isn't a huge deal being called Taaaaahra, except when I tell people 50 times and they won't stop. But yeah, that girl said she never had a problem since people assumed it was like "Sarah" with a T.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

The only name I find it acceptable for is Katelyn and that's only because I have a real hatred of Caitlins who decide they can be "Caits" or "Catie." Seriously, I hate Cait and Caitie and other such things so much more than Katelyn that I'd rather Katelyn be the traditional spelling that most people use.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Well, I was always extremely thankful that my parents chose to spell my name the correct way, and not try to make it 'unique'. Spelling a name differently doesn't make it a different name. It's pronounced the same, so it just leads to confusion. It's unfortunate that people actually believe that spelling a name in some random way makes the name unique or individual, because it doesn't. It just looks trashy. That's my opinion, and a lot of other people feel the same way, but you're free to name your kids whatever you want.

[djador.livejournal.com]

I know a girl named Harleigh and a boy named Harley and I much prefer the Harley spelling. I would stick with that for sure. =]

[missinfinity.livejournal.com]

Cameron is an old Scottish surname. Means crooked nose. Because it has that sort of heritage, technically, Cameron is the correct way.

[missinfinity.livejournal.com]

Lol, I like Katelyn the best too! I just don't like C's on Kates.

[missinfinity.livejournal.com]

"Cathryn"'s not actually a traditional spelling... it is Kathryn.

Both are usually considered contractions of Katherine. :)

[anapology.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, spellings that are botched for whatever reason irk me too.

Masculine names on girls irk me also, but hey.. that's a debate for a another time.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

Ahmelya hurts my eyes.

How dare someone botch up my favourite name. urgh!

[anapology.livejournal.com]

Tara pronounced the way you hate it is the british pronunciation. I'd never think to pronounce it 'Tair-ah'.

But aren't you happy you have a legitimate spelling? Tarah is just odd..

[anapology.livejournal.com]

Kamyrn makes the sound Cammy-rn.. and 'rn' doesn't even make a proper sound.
& if you mean 'Kamryn' then the typo added to my argument. A random smush of latters that don't even look like a proper name are hard to take seriously..
& since your name is a big part of who you are and how you come across to others- sometimes first impressions- it's important to be taken seriously.

[solagirl.livejournal.com]

A random smush of letters that don't even look like a proper name are hard to take seriously..

I agree. If some one spells school as skewl I assume they are illiterate. If you spell Cameron as Kamryn or Kamyrn I am inclined to assume the same.

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

I get really annoyed with that, too. I think it bothers me most because it's pronounced the same way, so it's not really making them "unique" at all, AND it makes Ahlyzibeth look like a dumbass when people think, "Holy shit her parents didn't know how to spell Elizabeth." So I really don't see the point in doing it, except to "be different," which is the dumbest reason I've ever heard for doing something. There's nothing wrong with conforming to things like SPELLING RULES if you like the freaking name.

[heure-actuelle.livejournal.com]

i agree with you. what really irks me is names that just end in "i". i have three friends--who i love dearly--Chelsi, Jami, and Ashli....but it's like gahhh that bugs me SO MUCH. it's just so awkward because when you see it instinct tells you it should sound like "LIE" instead of "LEE"

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

To me, it's boring to see everyone called the same thing.
But they're still all called the same thing. Whether you spell the name Caden, Kayden, Cayden, or Cayhdin, it's still the same name, so why make life more difficult for your kid? Plus, changing the spelling of a name to look more unique is something you do when you're 14 and immature and it will make your (future) 30 year old daughter look like she never grew out of it.

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

Amen, sister!

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

I didn't know that, but I didn't think Cathryn was considered a kr8tive way to spell it... I guess that was the point of my comment.

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

I knew some people who pronounced it "Tair-ah" and they were spelled Tera. When I look at Tara I instantly think "Tahra" like you said.

[eleanorgrace.livejournal.com]

I guess I just worry that it looks/will look unprofessional and silly as a kid ages. I would be wary of a Dr. Maddysynne Smith, even though I know technically that spelling is likely not her fault. Madison, whether you like the name or not, just looks better than Maddysynne. Obviously there are names with variants that are less annoying and even totally accepted, so the degree of variation (and illiteracy implied) makes a big difference.

[pale-september.livejournal.com]

Go with Harley. For one, it's your daughter and just because she's a girl doesn't mean you have to put her into the typical female stereotype of a "cutesy" name or spelling.

[quite-rosie.livejournal.com]

eh, Tara is fine. I just wish people would pronounce it the right way. LOL, if that dumb little h would have done the trick, I'd take it.

[o-honeybee-o.livejournal.com]

I never new that Tara/Tarah could be pronounced tair-uh. The only way i've heard either pronounced is Tar-uh. I'm in England though, so maybe that's just here.

[kandeekiss.livejournal.com]

No it's not just you. Some alternate spellings are OKAY if they're commonly used, but I hate when people just make up new spellings for a name. It's like, do you NOT realize your child will have to spell his/her name out for the rest of their life? What a pain in the butt.

[jewelzrpretty.livejournal.com]

That bugs me so much, not if it's only a little like Lindsey to Lyndsay, but I know someone who spells in Lynnsdee or something weird, it's so annoying it wasn't even like that on her birth certificate, she just thinks it makes it look cooler.

[blue-suspenders.livejournal.com]

I dislike most of the spelling changes people make. Especially with Y's. Someone in my textbook spelt their name "Jyssica" which I really don't like the look of...

[yellowsummers.livejournal.com]

I have a borderline- kre'8tyff name: Laurah. I like the spelling a lot, though, and I'm chill about people leaving it off... it doesn't bother me.

[lauren5678.livejournal.com]

I don't like most spelling changes either, it bugs me too. I prefer more traditional names in general... even Harley would be a little too non-traditional for me.