Hiya, berries!
its Hala90 here, full name [name]Mahala[/name].
Now, I have an unusual name (at least where I come from it is), and I would like some parents to be know what it is like to have a name like mine.
First off, I [name]LOVE[/name] my name, would not change it for the world. I am eternally grateful for my mum choosing that over [name]Pansy[/name]! [name]Pansy[/name], can you imagine it!!
I do not have a middle name, something I have never missed to be honest, simply because Mum could never find a name that went with my first name. So I’m simply [name]Mahala[/name]. But parents, be warned, if you want to find a mn for an unusual first name, its going to be tough sometimes, although I love unusual first names and traditional middles. On that note, my surname is [name]Oaks[/name], plain and simple. If you have a simple surname, be more adventurous but if your surname is quite unusual, dont pick an unusual name. Go for a simpler one, or its just too hard to pronounce.
Second, I am always correcting people on how to pronounce it and spell it. [name]Mahala[/name] is pronounced “Ma-harl-a” but I have been called “[name]Mahayla[/name]” and even [name]Michaela[/name] before. It was never a problem with school teachers, after the first time of telling them how to say it, they got it. My friends got it. My bosses got it once I told them how to say it. There is never any problems on that side of things, just my doctor/dentist/random receptionists never remember, so you will have to correct them frequently.
Parents worry that children will get tired of correcting their names, or spelling them, and while some children probably do, I personally didnt. I have never regretted pronouncing my name, actually i loved correcting people when i was younger as i loved being different. I felt so Proud with my name, proud of being different, and i still do. 
If you are worried about bullying, then i will just say that my surname [name]Oaks[/name] got more teasing than my first name. Although, children can be cruel, so do think carefully about any obv teasing or nns. But, generally, I think most names are ok, even if they are different. As long as its not a disease, or [name]Adolf[/name], or merlin or something as then, I can assure you, they [name]Will[/name] be bullied.
Spelling: my name is relatively easy to spell in my opinion. its only 6 letters long and three of them are As! but i tend to get people adding extra letters such as Maharllah, Mahallah, Maharlah etc. Personally, I dont mind spelling my name, and i didnt have trouble learning to write it, but your child will probably spend a lot of time spelling their name, so dont make it too long, or shorten it if you can. If a child has to know the whole alphabet before they can write it, then its too damn long. Example: my neice is called Kamania, she is know as Kammy.
Nicknames: my nn have been: Haz, Harla ([name]Hala[/name]), [name]Harley[/name], [name]Lala[/name]. My mum and family have always called me [name]Mahala[/name].
Meanings: my mum chose the Hebrew version [name]Mahala[/name], derived from [name]Mahalia[/name], and it means tenderness. [name]Mahala[/name] is also an arabic name, that means love/affection/gentle but strong or something like that. Good meanings I think. I have been told by hawaiin people that there is a similar name of Mohala/Mahola and I cant remember the meaning but it was still a nice meaning. However, I was at work one day and I had a South African customer. She asked about my name, saying that in [name]Africa[/name] (or the town she was from) it meant “for sale”.
Now, the words “for sale” are not a translated name, you will not find it in any baby or name book, and you cannot find the name [name]Mahala[/name] with any reference to an african meaning, or a meaning “for sale”. [name]Mahala[/name] is either the Hebrew or Arabic version. But the point is this: [name]Just[/name] because a name means something lovely in your language, be prepared for other languages to enlighten you on what it means to them.
I dont care what other people say about my name, because I know better about it, having lived with it for 21 years now!! And if someone says something bad about my name, I either A dont talk to them or B remind them that my name is better than theirs (especially if its a popular/common name) it makes my day then!
Personally, if you like the names meaning in your language, or a language you like, then just ignore all the foreign people saying it means something dfferent in their language. It’s not their language that’s important to you is it? If it has a nice meaning to you, then use it regardless and don’t worry about what other people might say. I have had far more people say to me “oh isnt that unusual” than “oh that means so and so in our language” and I have only had that 1 south african women make a negative remark about it, all the rest have been different, positive meanings, and every one else i have ever met have all said what a wonderful/beautiful/lovely/unusual name etc you get the idea.
There is a pro and a con to every argument, but personally I have had more pros than than cons with my name
Sorry for such a long post, but I hope this has helped any parents-to-be with their unusual names.
