What are your absolute limits on how out-there a name can be? For example, I love the Chronicles of [name_f]Narnia[/name_f]. but I’d never consider adding Puddleglum [my favorite minor character] to my naming list, even as a GP.
A name with no discernible entomology (ie. something “made up”) is too odd for me. Something with a totally “you-neek” spelling that was created in the past ~decade is too odd for me. Anything is fair game for my GP list, but I don’t see myself particularly drawn to super odd names – the most are probably [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] or [name_u]Neptune[/name_u] (though I also have a bit of a soft-spot for Uranus but, uh, I’m sure people can see why that would be an issue!).
It’s hard to define… when I heard name that is too odd for me I just know it.
I guess odd for me means teasing potential definite… For example, I would consider [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] (Cessilly), but never Puddlegum. I would consider [name_f]Cassiopeia[/name_f], but not Richeldis, I would consider [name_f]Leda[/name_f] or [name_f]Danae[/name_f], but not [name_m]Cyrill[/name_m], I would consider Briseida, but not Sophonisba.
I guess I like names I heard before, names I know for a while, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get used to new names. Briseida is Croatian version of Briseis and while it’s not common or used at all, everyone knows who Briseida was. [name_m]Cyrill[/name_m] is English version of one Orthodox name and Croatians have bad association to Orthodox and it’s people. We learn who [name_m]Cyrill[/name_m] was in school and all children know it’s Orthodox name.
One member here, loved Nimue and [name_f]Melusine[/name_f] and I started to love these names, while in beginning I didn’t like them. But some names I instantly like them since I see them.
[name_u]Unique[/name_u] spelling are automatically odd.
I think if you’re even slightly embarrassed to share the name with anyone else, then it’s too strange. I love the name [name_m]Hezekiah[/name_m], which has gotten a few negative responses, but I am not embarrassed to share the name with friends or family. However, [name_f]Clover[/name_f] is a big GP of mine, and just thinking of telling anyone I know that I love the name, makes me feel embarrassed, so I know that is definitely not a realistic name to use. Haha, I don’t know if that actually makes sense, but it does to me.
I also agree with made up names, names without a history, and unusual spelling. Although, a lot of the popular names on here I find rather odd, but everyone’s tastes are going to vary to what they are used to. A lot of people I know have uncommon Biblical names, so they don’t seem strange to me. Where as, I’ve never been interested in mythology, so a lot of those names do seem strange to me, but I’m sure there’s people who are the opposite.
For me it has to be a name who’s origin and meaning are appropriate for me and would suit my child ~ basically its etemology is sound and suitable. The name has to sound like a name or be a word that is recognizable enough and suitable as a name… Like [name_f]Hope[/name_f] for example or [name_m]Simon[/name_m], both meet all those standards. Something like Manna ( word , has a meaning and sounds like a name… But the meaning isn’t appropriate) sequoia I like but dh Thibks while meaning wise its fine it doesn’t fit is idea of what a name needs to look and sound like and I see that, there are a number of uncommon name sounds and while I like it probably because its right on that just different enough line for me; its understandably as it is too much the word to dh. [name_f]Apple[/name_f] hit the media in a huge way because who doesn’t just think of an apple! That for me us too much but [name_f]Lily[/name_f] on the other hand is fine… Puddlegum I understand what you’re saying about liking the character but for me I find it best to avoid names tied to characters or something that would Be an overwhelming connection. So the fact that its a character alone mostly removes it for me. But I also agree its just not a name its 2 silly words lol. But yea I hope that helps and makes sense.
To me “too odd” is when a name just sounds silly or embarrassing when you say it. I have a friend who is a strong advocate of noun names and often suggests that I use names such as [name_u]Finch[/name_u], [name_u]Juniper[/name_u], etc. While they’re fine names [name_u]Finch[/name_u] [name_m]Baker[/name_m] or [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] [name_m]Baker[/name_m] sounds like they bake those things. The oddest suggestion she gave was [name_m]Stone[/name_m].
If you won’t share a name with a friend or wouldn’t want it to be your name, its too odd.
What is “odd” for one person is fine for another so the question is very subjective. Personally, a name is too “odd” if it would cause a child any of the following:
Ridicule
Embarrassment
Harassment
[name_m]Constant[/name_m] Teasing
Shame
Guilt
Self-Loathing
[name_m]Major[/name_m] Target for Bullying
One More Thing: If I wouldn’t love having the name myself, then it’s an “oddity”. 
Ditto Sunkissed Child with being embarrassed about the name. If you legitimately cannot tell someone you like the name without internally (or externally) cringing, imagine how the kid would feel- not so much because it might be a really odd name, but because their own parents treat it that way. You would also have to love having the name yourself- if I cannot imagine myself honestly going around for the rest of my life saying: ‘[name_m]Hi[/name_m], I’m Unicorn [name_m]Smith[/name_m], how can I help you today?’ or ‘You can call me Corn for short’, I drop the name. All the names on my list also have personal or honorary connections, or have a particularly poignant meanings, which I feel would make them less odd for the child.
I probably wouldn’t go super unique. Part of that is my husband won’t let me. A few of my favorite names, like [name_u]Vesper[/name_u] and Atrella, are pretty weird, but not crazy.
I think you can have a very strange name that is still not yooneek in a bad way, but it’s harder.
In my opinion, a better kind of strange is beautiful real names that aren’t weird enough to be off-putting, but are underused enough to be rare, such as [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f], and [name_f]Sophronia[/name_f].
For my GP list nothing is too odd, and made up names don’t bother me; absolutely anything I fancy goes on the GP list. But my real name list has a dozen criteria to meet before the name can be added.
Right now I’m struggling with [name_f]Amethyst[/name_f] because it’s an object name, not a person name (which makes it odd to me). I know I can use the nn [name_f]Amy[/name_f]. But [name_f]Amethyst[/name_f] may need to stay on the GP list. In general, object names are too odd for me.
Another thing that is too odd for me are spellings that are so removed from pronunciation that I can’t take it. I love the sound of SEER-sha but the spelling, [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f], is just too odd for me. In fact, a lot of Irish names sound heart-breakingly beautiful but I cannot cope with the spelling, it’s just beyond me.
Anything harmful, sexual, or very tease-able is a No-No ([name_m]Talon[/name_m], [name_m]Chester[/name_m] the Molester, [name_f]ANALee[/name_f], [name_f]Myrtle[/name_f] Ninja [name_m]Turtle[/name_m]).
Anything name with famous negative namesakes is too odd (lots of other Berries disagree with me), and I mean negative in MY perception. Lots of Berries love [name_f]Pandora[/name_f], [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f], [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] but the stories are not positive enough for me. The exception to the negative namesake rule are common names like [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. [name_f]Jane[/name_f] is the namesake for so many ppl in literature, history, music that it neutralizes the negative namesake rule.
Any name for a person that has already been a name for a pet is too odd for me, as a general rule. [name_f]Suki[/name_f], [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], Chessa, [name_f]Francesca[/name_f], [name_u]Valentine[/name_u], and a few others are off limits for me.
Obviously completely made up sounds rather than actual names are just ridiculous, also well established boy names on girls really grates on me. But what I find almost WORSE than made up names, are when nice, classic names are just deliberately misspelt in the quest to be unique. For example “[name_m]Jaymz[/name_m]” “Kloie” and one I saw in the paper recently “Phylissity”
I wouldn’t name them something like that, that sounds like a child named it, no.
But other than that and profanity, almost nothing is off limits to me.
The world would be scared if I kept having babies lol.
I absolutely adore odd names, the only time they’re too “odd” for me is when they don’t have a nice ring to them. I love odd names more than standard names so I try to be open minded, even if it’s a name I’m not particularly fond of.
Closing the thread like I do most of the time.