An eye-opening experience....

[kjash1971]

I’m a 41-year-old guy, and my wife and I are expecting our first child. Within a few days of learning we were pregnant, we had pretty much figured out a boy’s and a girl’s name. I’m learning by reading a couple baby namingw forum the names we have picked are pretty tame by most standards. We are going with family names (people we want to honor from our families) and are using standard common sensical spellings.

Having only recently investigated naming a baby, I had no idea the amount of energy and creativity parents are applying to creating names. It’s as if some think a person’s name will be (or should be) their child’s most distinguishing quality, and that the uniquer and more Z’s the better.

My wife is an elementary school teacher and was telling me that unique spellings are more and more popular, and that some parents get quite perturbed when others cant correctly pronounce their child’s fourteen letter name (when six letter would have sufficed). And she says it’s not getting better.

In my research of names, I learned the name [name]McKenzie[/name] (a beautiful name for a girl) has one of the most numerous number of spellings. [name]One[/name] site I found, listed “some” of the different spellings (70 in all). They are:

[name]Mackenzie[/name]
[name]Mackenzi[/name]
[name]Mackenzy[/name]
[name]Mackenzee[/name]
[name]Mackenzey[/name]
Mackenzea
Mackenzei
[name]Mackensie[/name]
[name]Mackensi[/name]
[name]Mackensy[/name]
Mackensee
Mackensey
Mackensea
Mackensei
[name]McKenzie[/name]
McKenzi
McKenzy
McKenzee
McKenzey
McKenzea
McKenzei
McKensie
McKensi
McKensy
McKensey
McKensee
McKensea
McKensei
[name]MacKenzie[/name]
[name]MacKenzi[/name]
[name]MacKenzee[/name]
[name]MacKenzy[/name]
[name]MacKenzey[/name]
MacKenzea
MacKenzei
[name]MacKensie[/name]
[name]MacKensi[/name]
[name]MacKensy[/name]
MacKensey
MacKensee
MacKensea
MacKensei
[name]Makenzie[/name]
Makenzi
Makenzy
Makenzey
Makenzee
Makenzea
Makenzei
[name]Makensie[/name]
Makensi
Makensy
Makensey
Makensee
Makensea
Makensei
Mikenzie
Mikenzi
Mikenzy
Mikenzey
Mikenzee
Mikenzea
Mikenzei
Mikensie
Mikensi
Mikensy
Mikensey
Mikensee
Mikensea
Mikensei

Maybe it’s a guy thing, and I know I’m being somewhat curmudgeonly, but I just dont understand some people’s need to be so unique that it borders on the absurd. It’s almost like [name]John[/name] and [name]Mary[/name] stand out more than Mikenzea! Perhaps it’s some symptom of our society. I cant help but think that if parents spent more time reading up and researching on how to be better parents rather than what they will be called, kids would be better off. Again, I think a name is important; I just dont think it’s THAT important.

I’m off the soapbox now. And I apologize for anyone that maybe offended. [name]Just[/name] a commentary here.

[jemama]

I have always been of the mindset that if you want to give your child an unusual name, do just that. Please do not take a well known name and gift your child with a life time of “It’s spelled M-a-d-y-s-y-nn not M-a-d-i-s-o-n”. As a parent myself knowing of how my husband and I struggled and stressed to find a perfect name for a future adult, it is mind boggeling to see some birth announcements in my town! Off my soap box now. The book Freakanomics has an excellent chapter on names affecting a child and what a kreeatyve spelling says not only about the parents but how it may affect the child in the future.

[kjash1971]

Great point jemama–if you want to be unique, dont do it with spelling.

[happywriter]

I love what jemama said about naming a future adult- because that’s exactly what it is, isn’t it? I’m mostly on here to get ideas for characters, since I’m a writer (and hopefully someday I’ll get to name children, too!) but it makes me think about how much importance a name really carries. I’m in the middle of the hiring process right now for a new job- giving my name every five seconds makes me realize how glad I am that my name can sound serious and respectable when I need it to be, and I can go by a nickname when I’m around friends and family. Naming a baby is one thing- babies are so cute they can pull off kre8iv spellings and five middle names. But what about when that name is going on job applications and marriage certificates?

[rollo]

Thank goodness that we still hav e some new parents with common sense! I am tired of this extreme trend to butcher good every day names i can’t believe that the parents truly believe that the HORRIBLE spelling enhances the name. So if you choose john and [name]Mary[/name] i will be cheering.

[mckenziegrace]

I agree! The so called “common” names are not common at all any more! I actually like the name [name]Mary[/name] and it so uncommon and I only know 1 [name]John[/name]. What you said about multi-spellings; my name is [name]McKenzie[/name] and some of my relatives still can’t spell it. I can’t believe how many different versions there are! I would totally name my child a “not-made-up” name. I don’t the purpose of making names overly complicated!

[name]McKenzie[/name]

[jennipea382]

I totally agree! A friend of mine said once that she made her kids names “unique” by spelling them differently. I did everything I could to just smile and nod. I love the kids to death (and the spellings aren’t THAT bad compared to others…) but I don’t agree with this at all. In the end, [name]Katie[/name] and Kayteigh are the same name. [name]One[/name] is just misspelled. And one of them will have a harder time in school and at work when she has to constantly spell her name for everyone and eventually just gives up and accepts people spelling her name as [name]Katie[/name].

I chose to go by a less common spelling of my nickname (it made more sense to me this way). It’s a pain to get people to spell it right (it’s only one letter!), but in general I let it go when people spell it wrong. It’s not exactly the same but I can feel the pain of people not spelling your name right when it’s right in front of them. I chose the alternate spelling, I can’t imagine how it feels to have it forced on you!

[system]

[name]Love[/name] this post! Yes, spelling a name different doesn’t make it unique! My name is [name]Ashley[/name], but it’s rare for anyone to spell it correctly with all the spellings out there.

I think unique is wonderful, but over spelling names drives me insane!

[bettyblowtorch]

I don’t have the Freakanomics book, but I have seen studies where people with “black names” like [name]Jamal[/name] or [name]Keisha[/name] get less job interviews than those with “white names” like [name]William[/name] or [name]Catherine[/name] when the credentials are the same. [name]Even[/name] when the credentials were slightly higher for [name]Jamal[/name] and [name]Keisha[/name], [name]William[/name] and [name]Catherine[/name] still got the job interviews most of the time. It really worries me for all the Mackenzees, Madysyns, and Aadyns out there. When my mom was job hunting in the late '90s, it wasn’t unheard of for there to be 1,000 applicants with only 2 job openings. The people going through applicants look for just about anything to turn you down, especially spelling and punctuation errors.

I believe some studies have shown that [name]Londyn[/name] has a harder time in school than [name]London[/name]. It can be rather tricky to learn phonics when your name is misspelled. Teachers might forget the spelling of the name and try to correct it.

You’re very fortunate to have family members that you love that you want to honor. I come from a very small family with not a lot of people I want to honor. That’s part of the reason why websites like this exist. I’m also not [name]Christian[/name], so I would like to stay away from Biblical names and if I can prominent saints.

I’m not going to have kids anytime soon, I’m just fond of names. That being said I have a few rules:

1. No overly [name]Christian[/name] or Biblical names
2. No names after Gods or Goddesses
3. Has intuitive spelling and pronunciation (this one can actually be a little tricky)
4. Looks great on a job resume, yet I have no problem yelling throughout the hills

Getting opinions from others helps me figure out if I’ve gone too crazy. Naming can also get very intense, because it goes into ones philosophy on child rearing. There are a lot of different theories on raising a child out now. I strongly agree with Jemama that it’s about naming an adult, others seem to feel differently.

[kjash1971]

Bettyblowtorch, I like your “rules” save for the non-[name]Christian[/name] names. We are active Christians, and we’ve noticed certain names are used a lot among our [name]Christian[/name] firends, especially for girls (i.e. [name]Grace[/name], [name]Faith[/name], [name]Sarah[/name], etc.). We dont want an absurdly unique name for our son, but at the same same time, we dont one that’s too common. We hate the prospect of a faddish name. I absolutely agree with your thinking down the line and considering the impact the name may have on your child’s career prospects. I dont want ANY characteristics to be be assumedabout or attributed to my child based on his or her name.

I have to hire at my company and get a lot of resumes to cull through in order to tell HR which ones I want to talk to. Rightly or wrongly, it’s hard to get past the name sometimes when it’s something like Kymberlie Opheliamay, Xanthan [name]Hercules[/name], or Peaceful [name]Nirvana[/name] (trying to be extremely absurd here for example but you get the point). And I cannot imagine going into a board room for a meeting and introducing an employee with a name like [name]Apple[/name] or [name]Fort[/name]!

The are plenty of creative, beautiful names (and combinations thereof) that can give a child a unique name that dont get the eyeroll behind the parents’ back and the potential for negatively impacting the future. The name should be about the child and not an avenue for showing how creative and non-comformist the parents are.

[blueberrya]

Thank goodness for this thread and the original post. Sir, I could not agree more. It’s nice to know I’m in good company Also, good point about a child learning phonetics when their name is misspelled

[bettyblowtorch]

My no Gods or [name]Goddess[/name] rule has more to do with the fact that they are big shoes to fill. [name]Diana[/name] is a [name]Goddess[/name] name, but a woman named [name]Diana[/name] isn’t strange or outrageous. Others have no problem with this, it’s just my personal rule. In some [name]Neo[/name] Polytheist communities it’s sort of like naming your son [name]Messiah[/name]…which is on the top 1000 baby names list here for the US.

“[name]Messiah[/name], clean up your room!”

Sheesh, I hope for the boy’s sake he isn’t a messiah. [name]Jesus[/name] lead a very hard life. I know I would be happy if my hypothetical son had a job and a family he loved. I’m all for standing up to principals even if your life depends on it, but you can get that by naming your son [name]Abraham[/name] (after [name]Abraham[/name] [name]Lincoln[/name]) or [name]Martin[/name] (after [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name] [name]Jr[/name].).

The non [name]Christian[/name] names is just a matter of respect since I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. Most Christians wouldn’t dream of naming their son [name]Mohammed[/name] even if they loved the sound.

Wow, Kjack71, you actually go through resumes! Thanks for your insight. While you take the time to go through each resume, I know not all people do. The name is the first thing a respective employer is going to see. Again, if [name]Keisha[/name] and [name]Jamal[/name] [name]Robinson[/name] are less likely to get jobs based on their names because of racism, if someone thinks Mikenzea [name]Smith[/name] looks uneducated simply by her name, in the trash it goes.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because my mother went to college while raising me, took her ten years to graduate in a male dominated field. Many did not want to hire a 40 year old woman with a teenage daughter when they could hire a 30 year old man. So I went traveling with her on various interviews (where she certainly couldn’t hide that she was on average 5 to 10 years older than most applicants), sometimes she felt like she nailed it, only to get yet another rejection letter. [name]Job[/name] hunting is hard, no need to make it harder. I’m not the only one who wonders about this: http://www.nancy.cc/2011/12/01/name-discrimination-at-elite-firms/
Name Discrimination! How It Affects Job and Career Choices, Life Status, Overall Success

Here’s the one about name spelling and academics:

Good or Bad, Baby Names Have Long-lasting Effects

So why not just name your son [name]Jacob[/name] (the number one boy name in the states) and call it a day? Well, you can end up with the opposite problem. [name]Jacob[/name] could be the only one in his class of 30, but he could be the fifth [name]Jacob[/name] in the past five years and not all of them were very nice boys. Good teachers put that aside, but bad teachers, not so much, and we’ve all had bad teachers. In subjective subjects he might not be getting the grades he deserves, which might even affect what college he is able to go to.

Back in the day, like 200 years ago, there would be 3 Johns or [name]Marys[/name] per class (and classes would be like 10 or so kids), so names weren’t as big of a deal. [name]John[/name] A. could have been the neighborhood bully, but [name]John[/name] W. could have been your best friend. In turn, each of those children would be very different so teachers and other authority figures wouldn’t be suddenly reminded of a bad encounter.

Whether it’s appropriate or not, many see personality traits in names (Are Names Destiny? | Nameberry), and even if you don’t want to make a statement with a child’s name, you are because other people are. Choosing a baby name these days is like trying to find that just right bowl of porridge: bold but not pretentious, unusual but not strange, nothing too faddish, just right.

[bettyblowtorch]

My no Gods or [name]Goddess[/name] rule has more to do with the fact that they are big shoes to fill. [name]Diana[/name] is a [name]Goddess[/name] name, but a woman named [name]Diana[/name] isn’t strange or outrageous. Others have no problem with this, it’s just my personal rule. In some [name]Neo[/name] Polytheist communities it’s sort of like naming your son [name]Messiah[/name]…which is on the top 1000 baby names list here for the US.

“[name]Messiah[/name], clean up your room!”

Sheesh, I hope for the boy’s sake he isn’t a messiah. [name]Jesus[/name] lead a very hard life. I know I would be happy if my hypothetical son had a job and a family he loved. I’m all for standing up to principals even if your life depends on it, but you can get that by naming your son [name]Abraham[/name] (after [name]Abraham[/name] [name]Lincoln[/name]) or [name]Martin[/name] (after [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name] [name]Jr[/name].).

The non [name]Christian[/name] names is just a matter of respect since I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. Most Christians wouldn’t dream of naming their son [name]Mohammed[/name] even if they loved the sound.

Wow, Kjack71, you actually go through resumes! Thanks for your insight. While you take the time to go through each resume, I know not all people do. The name is the first thing a respective employer is going to see. Again, if [name]Keisha[/name] and [name]Jamal[/name] [name]Robinson[/name] are less likely to get jobs based on their names because of racism, if someone thinks Mikenzea [name]Smith[/name] looks uneducated simply by her name, in the trash it goes.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because my mother went to college while raising me, took her ten years to graduate in a male dominated field. Many did not want to hire a 40 year old woman with a teenage daughter when they could hire a 30 year old man. So I went traveling with her on various interviews (where she certainly couldn’t hide that she was on average 5 to 10 years older than most applicants), sometimes she felt like she nailed it, only to get yet another rejection letter. [name]Job[/name] hunting is hard, no need to make it harder. I’m not the only one who wonders about this:http://www.nancy.cc/2011/12/01/name-discrimination-at-elite-firms/
http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/02/name-discrimination-how-it-affects-job-and-career-choices-life-status-overall-success/

Here’s the one about name spelling and academics:
http://www.livescience.com/6569-good-bad-baby-names-long-lasting-effects.html

So why not just name your son [name]Jacob[/name] (the number one boy name in the states) and call it a day? Well, you can end up with the opposite problem. [name]Jacob[/name] could be the only one in his class of 30, but he could be the fifth [name]Jacob[/name] in the past five years and not all of them were very nice boys. Good teachers put that aside, but bad teachers, not so much, and we’ve all had bad teachers. In subjective subjects he might not be getting the grades he deserves, which might even affect what college he is able to go to.

Back in the day, like 200 years ago, there would be 3 Johns or [name]Marys[/name] per class (and classes would be like 10 or so kids), so names weren’t as big of a deal. [name]John[/name] A. could have been the neighborhood bully, but [name]John[/name] W. could have been your best friend. In turn, each of those children would be very different so teachers and other authority figures wouldn’t be suddenly reminded of a bad encounter.

Whether it’s appropriate or not, many see personality traits in names (https://nameberry.com/blog/are-names-destiny), and even if you don’t want to make a statement with a child’s name, you are because other people are. Choosing a baby name these days is like trying to find that just right bowl of porridge: bold but not pretentious, unusual but not strange, nothing too faddish, just right.

[bettyblowtorch]

My no Gods or [name]Goddess[/name] rule has more to do with the fact that they are big shoes to fill. [name]Diana[/name] is a [name]Goddess[/name] name, but a woman named [name]Diana[/name] isn’t strange or outrageous. Others have no problem with this, it’s just my personal rule. In some [name]Neo[/name] Polytheist communities it’s sort of like naming your son [name]Messiah[/name]…which is on the top 1000 baby names list here for the US.

“[name]Messiah[/name], clean up your room!”

Sheesh, I hope for the boy’s sake he isn’t a messiah. [name]Jesus[/name] lead a very hard life. I know I would be happy if my hypothetical son had a job and a family he loved. I’m all for standing up to principals even if your life depends on it, but you can get that by naming your son [name]Abraham[/name] (after [name]Abraham[/name] [name]Lincoln[/name]) or [name]Martin[/name] (after [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name] [name]Jr[/name].).

The non [name]Christian[/name] names is just a matter of respect since I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. Most Christians wouldn’t dream of naming their son [name]Mohammed[/name] even if they loved the sound.

Wow, Kjack71, you actually go through resumes! Thanks for your insight. While you take the time to go through each resume, I know not all people do. The name is the first thing a respective employer is going to see. Again, if [name]Keisha[/name] and [name]Jamal[/name] [name]Robinson[/name] are less likely to get jobs based on their names because of racism, if someone thinks Mikenzea [name]Smith[/name] looks uneducated simply by her name, in the trash it goes.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because my mother went to college while raising me, took her ten years to graduate in a male dominated field. Many did not want to hire a 40 year old woman with a teenage daughter when they could hire a 30 year old man. So I went traveling with her on various interviews (where she certainly couldn’t hide that she was on average 5 to 10 years older than most applicants), sometimes she felt like she nailed it, only to get yet another rejection letter. [name]Job[/name] hunting is hard, no need to make it harder. I’m not the only one who wonders about this: http://www.nancy.cc/2011/12/01/name-discrimination-at-elite-firms/
http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/02/name-discrimination-how-it-affects-job-and-career-choices-life-status-overall-success/

Here’s the one about name spelling and academics:
http://www.livescience.com/6569-good-bad-baby-names-long-lasting-effects.html

So why not just name your son [name]Jacob[/name] (the number one boy name in the states) and call it a day? Well, you can end up with the opposite problem. [name]Jacob[/name] could be the only one in his class of 30, but he could be the fifth [name]Jacob[/name] in the past five years and not all of them were very nice boys. Good teachers put that aside, but bad teachers, not so much, and we’ve all had bad teachers. In subjective subjects he might not be getting the grades he deserves, which might even affect what college he is able to go to.

Back in the day, like 200 years ago, there would be 3 Johns or [name]Marys[/name] per class (and classes would be like 10 or so kids), so names weren’t as big of a deal. [name]John[/name] A. could have been the neighborhood bully, but [name]John[/name] W. could have been your best friend. In turn, each of those children would be very different so teachers and other authority figures wouldn’t be suddenly reminded of a bad encounter.

Whether it’s appropriate or not, many see personality traits in names (https://nameberry.com/blog/are-names-destiny), and even if you don’t want to make a statement with a child’s name, you are because other people are. Choosing a baby name these days is like trying to find that just right bowl of porridge: bold but not pretentious, unusual but not strange, nothing too faddish, just right.

[bettyblowtorch]

My no Gods or [name]Goddess[/name] rule has more to do with the fact that they are big shoes to fill. [name]Diana[/name] is a [name]Goddess[/name] name, but a woman named [name]Diana[/name] isn’t strange or outrageous. Others have no problem with this, it’s just my personal rule. In some [name]Neo[/name] Polytheist communities it’s sort of like naming your son [name]Messiah[/name]…which is on the top 1000 baby names list here for the US.

“[name]Messiah[/name], clean up your room!”

Sheesh, I hope for the boy’s sake he isn’t a messiah. [name]Jesus[/name] lead a very hard life. I know I would be happy if my hypothetical son had a job and a family he loved. I’m all for standing up to principals even if your life depends on it, but you can get that by naming your son [name]Abraham[/name] (after [name]Abraham[/name] [name]Lincoln[/name]) or [name]Martin[/name] (after [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name] [name]Jr[/name].).

The non [name]Christian[/name] names is just a matter of respect since I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. Most Christians wouldn’t dream of naming their son [name]Mohammed[/name] even if they loved the sound.

Wow, Kjack71, you actually go through resumes! Thanks for your insight. While you take the time to go through each resume, I know not all people do. The name is the first thing a respective employer is going to see. Again, if [name]Keisha[/name] and [name]Jamal[/name] [name]Robinson[/name] are less likely to get jobs based on their names because of racism, if someone thinks Mikenzea [name]Smith[/name] looks uneducated simply by her name, in the trash it goes.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because my mother went to college while raising me, took her ten years to graduate in a male dominated field. Many did not want to hire a 40 year old woman with a teenage daughter when they could hire a 30 year old man. So I went traveling with her on various interviews (where she certainly couldn’t hide that she was on average 5 to 10 years older than most applicants), sometimes she felt like she nailed it, only to get yet another rejection letter. [name]Job[/name] hunting is hard, no need to make it harder. I’m not the only one who wonders about this: http://www.nancy.cc/2011/12/01/name-discrimination-at-elite-firms/
Name Discrimination! How It Affects Job and Career Choices, Life Status, Overall Success

Here’s the one about name spelling and academics:

Good or Bad, Baby Names Have Long-lasting Effects

So why not just name your son [name]Jacob[/name] (the number one boy name in the states) and call it a day? Well, you can end up with the opposite problem. [name]Jacob[/name] could be the only one in his class of 30, but he could be the fifth [name]Jacob[/name] in the past five years and not all of them were very nice boys. Good teachers put that aside, but bad teachers, not so much, and we’ve all had bad teachers. In subjective subjects he might not be getting the grades he deserves, which might even affect what college he is able to go to.

Back in the day, like 200 years ago, there would be 3 Johns or [name]Marys[/name] per class (and classes would be like 10 or so kids), so names weren’t as big of a deal. [name]John[/name] A. could have been the neighborhood bully, but [name]John[/name] W. could have been your best friend. In turn, each of those children would be very different so teachers and other authority figures wouldn’t be suddenly reminded of a bad encounter.

Whether it’s appropriate or not, many see personality traits in names (Are Names Destiny? | Nameberry), and even if you don’t want to make a statement with a child’s name, you are because other people are. Choosing a baby name these days is like trying to find that just right bowl of porridge: bold but not pretentious, unusual but not strange, nothing too faddish, just right.

[bettyblowtorch]

My no Gods or [name]Goddess[/name] rule has more to do with the fact that they are big shoes to fill. [name]Diana[/name] is a [name]Goddess[/name] name, but a woman named [name]Diana[/name] isn’t strange or outrageous. Others have no problem with this, it’s just my personal rule. In some [name]Neo[/name] Polytheist communities it’s sort of like naming your son [name]Messiah[/name]…which is on the top 1000 baby names list here for the US.

“[name]Messiah[/name], clean up your room!”

Sheesh, I hope for the boy’s sake he isn’t a messiah. [name]Jesus[/name] lead a very hard life. I know I would be happy if my hypothetical son had a job and a family he loved. I’m all for standing up to principals even if your life depends on it, but you can get that by naming your son [name]Abraham[/name] (after [name]Abraham[/name] [name]Lincoln[/name]) or [name]Martin[/name] (after [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name] [name]Jr[/name].).

The non [name]Christian[/name] names is just a matter of respect since I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. Most Christians wouldn’t dream of naming their son [name]Mohammed[/name] even if they loved the sound.

Wow, Kjack71, you actually go through resumes! Thanks for your insight. While you take the time to go through each resume, I know not all people do. The name is the first thing a respective employer is going to see. Again, if [name]Keisha[/name] and [name]Jamal[/name] [name]Robinson[/name] are less likely to get jobs based on their names because of racism, if someone thinks Mikenzea [name]Smith[/name] looks uneducated simply by her name, in the trash it goes.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because my mother went to college while raising me, took her ten years to graduate in a male dominated field. Many did not want to hire a 40 year old woman with a teenage daughter when they could hire a 30 year old man. So I went traveling with her on various interviews (where she certainly couldn’t hide that she was on average 5 to 10 years older than most applicants), sometimes she felt like she nailed it, only to get yet another rejection letter. [name]Job[/name] hunting is hard, no need to make it harder. I’m not the only one who wonders about this: http://www.nancy.cc/2011/12/01/name-discrimination-at-elite-firms/
http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/02/name-discrimination-how-it-affects-job-and-career-choices-life-status-overall-success/

Here’s the one about name spelling and academics:
http://www.livescience.com/6569-good-bad-baby-names-long-lasting-effects.html

So why not just name your son [name]Jacob[/name] (the number one boy name in the states) and call it a day? Well, you can end up with the opposite problem. [name]Jacob[/name] could be the only one in his class of 30, but he could be the fifth [name]Jacob[/name] in the past five years and not all of them were very nice boys. Good teachers put that aside, but bad teachers, not so much, and we’ve all had bad teachers. In subjective subjects he might not be getting the grades he deserves, which might even affect what college he is able to go to.

Back in the day, like 200 years ago, there would be 3 Johns or [name]Marys[/name] per class (and classes would be like 10 or so kids), so names weren’t as big of a deal. [name]John[/name] A. could have been the neighborhood bully, but [name]John[/name] W. could have been your best friend. In turn, each of those children would be very different so teachers and other authority figures wouldn’t be suddenly reminded of a bad encounter.

Whether it’s appropriate or not, many see personality traits in names (https://nameberry.com/blog/are-names-destiny), and even if you don’t want to make a statement with a child’s name, you are because other people are. Choosing a baby name these days is like trying to find that just right bowl of porridge: bold but not pretentious, unusual but not strange, nothing too faddish, just right.

[bettyblowtorch]

My no Gods or [name]Goddess[/name] rule has more to do with the fact that they are big shoes to fill. [name]Diana[/name] is a [name]Goddess[/name] name, but a woman named [name]Diana[/name] isn’t strange or outrageous. Others have no problem with this, it’s just my personal rule. In some [name]Neo[/name] Polytheist communities it’s sort of like naming your son [name]Messiah[/name]…which is on the top 1000 baby names list here for the US.

“[name]Messiah[/name], clean up your room!”

Sheesh, I hope for the boy’s sake he isn’t a messiah. [name]Jesus[/name] lead a very hard life. I know I would be happy if my hypothetical son had a job and a family he loved. I’m all for standing up to principals even if your life depends on it, but you can get that by naming your son [name]Abraham[/name] (after [name]Abraham[/name] [name]Lincoln[/name]) or [name]Martin[/name] (after [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name] [name]Jr[/name].).

The non [name]Christian[/name] names is just a matter of respect since I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. Most Christians wouldn’t dream of naming their son [name]Mohammed[/name] even if they loved the sound.

Wow, Kjack71, you actually go through resumes! Thanks for your insight. While you take the time to go through each resume, I know not all people do. The name is the first thing a respective employer is going to see. Again, if [name]Keisha[/name] and [name]Jamal[/name] [name]Robinson[/name] are less likely to get jobs based on their names because of racism, if someone thinks Mikenzea [name]Smith[/name] looks uneducated simply by her name, in the trash it goes.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because my mother went to college while raising me, took her ten years to graduate in a male dominated field. Many did not want to hire a 40 year old woman with a teenage daughter when they could hire a 30 year old man. So I went traveling with her on various interviews (where she certainly couldn’t hide that she was on average 5 to 10 years older than most applicants), sometimes she felt like she nailed it, only to get yet another rejection letter. [name]Job[/name] hunting is hard, no need to make it harder. I’m not the only one who wonders about this: http://www.nancy.cc/2011/12/01/name-discrimination-at-elite-firms/

http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/02/name-discrimination-how-it-affects-job-and-career-choices-life-status-overall-success/

Here’s the one about name spelling and academics:
http://www.livescience.com/6569-good-bad-baby-names-long-lasting-effects.html

So why not just name your son [name]Jacob[/name] (the number one boy name in the states) and call it a day? Well, you can end up with the opposite problem. [name]Jacob[/name] could be the only one in his class of 30, but he could be the fifth [name]Jacob[/name] in the past five years and not all of them were very nice boys. Good teachers put that aside, but bad teachers, not so much, and we’ve all had bad teachers. In subjective subjects he might not be getting the grades he deserves, which might even affect what college he is able to go to.

Back in the day, like 200 years ago, there would be 3 Johns or [name]Marys[/name] per class (and classes would be like 10 or so kids), so names weren’t as big of a deal. [name]John[/name] A. could have been the neighborhood bully, but [name]John[/name] W. could have been your best friend. In turn, each of those children would be very different so teachers and other authority figures wouldn’t be suddenly reminded of a bad encounter.

Whether it’s appropriate or not, many see personality traits in names (https://nameberry.com/blog/are-names-destiny), and even if you don’t want to make a statement with a child’s name, you are because other people are. Choosing a baby name these days is like trying to find that just right bowl of porridge: bold but not pretentious, unusual but not strange, nothing too faddish, just right.

[bettyblowtorch]

My no Gods or [name]Goddess[/name] rule has more to do with the fact that they are big shoes to fill. [name]Diana[/name] is a [name]Goddess[/name] name, but a woman named [name]Diana[/name] isn’t strange or outrageous. Others have no problem with this, it’s just my personal rule. In some [name]Neo[/name] Polytheist communities it’s sort of like naming your son [name]Messiah[/name]…which is on the top 1000 baby names list here for the US.

“[name]Messiah[/name], clean up your room!”

Sheesh, I hope for the boy’s sake he isn’t a messiah. [name]Jesus[/name] lead a very hard life. I know I would be happy if my hypothetical son had a job and a family he loved. I’m all for standing up to principals even if your life depends on it, but you can get that by naming your son [name]Abraham[/name] (after [name]Abraham[/name] [name]Lincoln[/name]) or [name]Martin[/name] (after [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name] [name]Jr[/name].).

The non [name]Christian[/name] names is just a matter of respect since I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. Most Christians wouldn’t dream of naming their son [name]Mohammed[/name] even if they loved the sound.

Wow, Kjack71, you actually go through resumes! Thanks for your insight. While you take the time to go through each resume, I know not all people do. The name is the first thing a respective employer is going to see. Again, if [name]Keisha[/name] and [name]Jamal[/name] [name]Robinson[/name] are less likely to get jobs based on their names because of racism, if someone thinks Mikenzea [name]Smith[/name] looks uneducated simply by her name, in the trash it goes.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because my mother went to college while raising me, took her ten years to graduate in a male dominated field. Many did not want to hire a 40 year old woman with a teenage daughter when they could hire a 30 year old man. So I went traveling with her on various interviews (where she certainly couldn’t hide that she was on average 5 to 10 years older than most applicants), sometimes she felt like she nailed it, only to get yet another rejection letter. [name]Job[/name] hunting is hard, no need to make it harder. I’m not the only one who wonders about this: nancy.cc/2011/12/01/name-discrimination-at-elite-firms/

Name Discrimination! How It Affects Job and Career Choices, Life Status,...

Here’s the one about name spelling and academics:

Good or Bad, Baby Names Have Long-lasting Effects

So why not just name your son [name]Jacob[/name] (the number one boy name in the states) and call it a day? Well, you can end up with the opposite problem. [name]Jacob[/name] could be the only one in his class of 30, but he could be the fifth [name]Jacob[/name] in the past five years and not all of them were very nice boys. Good teachers put that aside, but bad teachers, not so much, and we’ve all had bad teachers. In subjective subjects he might not be getting the grades he deserves, which might even affect what college he is able to go to.

Back in the day, like 200 years ago, there would be 3 Johns or [name]Marys[/name] per class (and classes would be like 10 or so kids), so names weren’t as big of a deal. [name]John[/name] A. could have been the neighborhood bully, but [name]John[/name] W. could have been your best friend. In turn, each of those children would be very different so teachers and other authority figures wouldn’t be suddenly reminded of a bad encounter.

Whether it’s appropriate or not, many see personality traits in names (Are Names Destiny? | Nameberry), and even if you don’t want to make a statement with a child’s name, you are because other people are. Choosing a baby name these days is like trying to find that just right bowl of porridge: bold but not pretentious, unusual but not strange, nothing too faddish, just right.

Note: The forum won’t let me use links, so I’m using text links. [name]Just[/name] put the http:// before the links.

[bettyblowtorch]

My no Gods or [name]Goddess[/name] rule has more to do with the fact that they are big shoes to fill. [name]Diana[/name] is a [name]Goddess[/name] name, but a woman named [name]Diana[/name] isn’t strange or outrageous. Others have no problem with this, it’s just my personal rule. In some [name]Neo[/name] Polytheist communities it’s sort of like naming your son [name]Messiah[/name]…which is on the top 1000 baby names list here for the US.

“[name]Messiah[/name], clean up your room!”

Sheesh, I hope for the boy’s sake he isn’t a messiah. [name]Jesus[/name] lead a very hard life. I know I would be happy if my hypothetical son had a job and a family he loved. I’m all for standing up to principals even if your life depends on it, but you can get that by naming your son [name]Abraham[/name] (after [name]Abraham[/name] [name]Lincoln[/name]) or [name]Martin[/name] (after [name]Martin[/name] [name]Luther[/name] [name]King[/name] [name]Jr[/name].).

The non [name]Christian[/name] names is just a matter of respect since I’m not [name]Christian[/name]. Most Christians wouldn’t dream of naming their son [name]Mohammed[/name] even if they loved the sound.

Wow, Kjack71, you actually go through resumes! Thanks for your insight. While you take the time to go through each resume, I know not all people do. The name is the first thing a respective employer is going to see. Again, if [name]Keisha[/name] and [name]Jamal[/name] [name]Robinson[/name] are less likely to get jobs based on their names because of racism, if someone thinks Mikenzea [name]Smith[/name] looks uneducated simply by her name, in the trash it goes.

The reason why I feel so strongly about this is because my mother went to college while raising me, took her ten years to graduate in a male dominated field. Many did not want to hire a 40 year old woman with a teenage daughter when they could hire a 30 year old man. So I went traveling with her on various interviews (where she certainly couldn’t hide that she was on average 10 years older than most applicants), sometimes she felt like she nailed it, only to get yet another rejection letter. [name]Job[/name] hunting is hard, no need to make it harder. I’m not the only one who wonders about this (sorry, the forum won’t let me link articles so here is where you can find them): search for [name]Nancy[/name]'s baby names: name discrimination at elite firms?
search for thedigeratilife: name discrimination how it affects jobs and career choices, life status, overall success

Here’s the one about name spelling and academics:
search for livescience: good or bad, baby names have long-lasting effects

So why not just name your son [name]Jacob[/name] (the number one boy name in the states) and call it a day? Well, you can end up with the opposite problem. [name]Jacob[/name] could be the only one in his class of 30, but he could be the fifth [name]Jacob[/name] in the past five years and not all of them were very nice boys. Good teachers put that aside, but bad teachers, not so much, and we’ve all had bad teachers. In subjective subjects he might not be getting the grades he deserves, which might even affect what college he is able to go to.

Back in the day, like 200 years ago, there would be 3 Johns or [name]Marys[/name] per class (and classes would be like 10 or so kids), so names weren’t as big of a deal. [name]John[/name] A. could have been the neighborhood bully, but [name]John[/name] W. could have been your best friend. In turn, each of those children would be very different so teachers and other authority figures wouldn’t be suddenly reminded of a bad encounter.

Whether it’s appropriate or not, many see personality traits in names (search Nameberry: are names destiny), and even if you don’t want to make a statement with a child’s name, you are because other people are. Choosing a baby name these days is like trying to find that just right bowl of porridge: bold but not pretentious, unusual but not strange, nothing too faddish, just right.

[amberdaydream]

Since the vast majority of us are name-obsessed, we do a lot of going through birth announcements and statistics before posting them here so we do see a lot of odd spellings. Most people on Nameberry would discourage names that are spelled far too kreeatyvleigh.

Some names have so many spellings it’s unbelievable. [name]How[/name] many ways can you spell [name]Kaylee[/name]/[name]Kayleigh[/name], for example? [name]Cayley[/name], [name]Kaley[/name], [name]Caley[/name], [name]Caylee[/name], [name]Kailey[/name], [name]Caileigh[/name], [name]Caelee[/name], [name]Kayli[/name], [name]Caylie[/name], Keilie, [name]Kaylea[/name], [name]Caly[/name]. It goes on and on. And those are only the phonetically possible ones, lol.