I don’t think there’s any need or excuse for grown adults to be rude to anyone, especially through a keyboard and hidden behind anonymity. It’s immature and petty. We all have very strong opinions about the names we like and why they’re “better” or “acceptable.” After all, expectant parents are making a choice of name above others, on behalf of someone else, in order to avoid very real, negative social issues. It’s not just about personal taste. This is what fuels so much fire, I think. A lot of people think there are only certain names that will not do a disservice to a child, while others think they are overreacting and being snobby.
This being said, I do think people may come off as a little detached from reality if they think any name in the Top 100 is truly “unique and underused.” If you want a truly unique name, use one, and then don’t complain that you or others think those names are “weird.” I think people need to truly understand the ramifications of names. Moreover, common or popular names with non-standard spellings are not unique, they’re just bastardized.
By the same token, people who believe in traditional names and traditional names only without the possibility of any consideration for a popular, contemporary, or unique name are also detached from reality. The world changes, people change, that’s OK, and everyone can and should have a place. Ironically, names like [name_m]John[/name_m] and [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] are the truly unique names today, in a world where what we think of as “common” is actually very antiquated. I think that bothers ultra-traditionalists and people who like off the grid alike. Tempers flair.
I think everyone just needs to agree to disagree, instead of attack people over the internet. At the end of the day, I’d like to believe that most people get along find, regardless of their name, within reason. I hardly even think about mine, or anyone’s in my life. I just know/love them, and they are “them” to me, whatever I happen to think about their name intellectually. The novelty of names wears off when people become constants. We all know examples of truly, genuinely bad names. Most people don’t have them. If we are being objective, is [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] a bad name? No. It’s just a name that may not be my style, but is someone else’s. Someone given the name [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] will probably grow up to have a job, pay taxes, and contribute to society, just like most other normal, functional people. And in that day and age, people will not give it a second thought, least of all the person who really matters in this scenario. [name_u]Jayden[/name_u]! Same, with [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] or anything else.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] I think some names are silly and really bad choices, yes. But what matters is what the person who carries it feels about it, and someone can feel just as bad about a name like [name_u]James[/name_u] as they can about [name_f]Apple[/name_f]. People have personal histories, emotional issues, and their own personalities which contribute to that. It’s not so intellectual or academic when it is real life.