Unusual vs unusable

Where would you draw the line between names that you love and are unusual, perhaps very much so, and names that aren’t useable for a kid? For instance, I love the name [name_m]Septimus[/name_m] but would flinch at giving it to a child. Or [name_u]Percy[/name_u], which is a darling nickname but too nicknamy to stand alone and has the super weighty choices [name_m]Percival[/name_m] and [name_m]Perseus[/name_m] to give it some gravitas. And then [name_m]Hadrian[/name_m] which I have loved for years but would come across as out there I think. For our boys we chose [name_u]Finley[/name_u], [name_m]Simon[/name_m], and [name_u]Bran[/name_u] which are unusual but not on the same level as [name_m]Septimus[/name_m]…

I worry about the teasing factor with boys, not just because of names, but in general. So when it comes to names I look for bad rhymes, pop culture, cartoon/videogame associations. It’s easy to google [name_m]Septimus[/name_m] and find out what pops and if it might be a problem - I think it’s a Final [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f] name but I’m not sure. I think a great nn can tip the scale. Like nn [name_m]Timo[/name_m] for [name_m]Septimus[/name_m]. But for [name_u]Percy[/name_u] I hear Purse as a nn, so that would be a no-go for me. Getting others’ feedback is important too.

There were lots of names I liked that I would have never named our child, for the simple fact I didn’t want them to be teased and / or forever having to restate their name. If it wasn’t easily understood or spelt, it was out. If it was likely to make them a target for bullies, it was out (I have older children now and kids can still be cruel).

I was just talking to someone (a guy) who really wanted to name his son 0pt1mus Pr1me. As in “0pt1mus Pr1me really beat the sh*t out of [name_m]Johnny[/name_m] today!” I’m not sure why he wanted his kid to be the bully but, I guess it’s better than expecting your kid is the one being beat up. Lol.

I don’t know where I’d draw the line - I personally think all my top choices are useable - they are also mostly on the top 1000 US list - so clearly enough people agree. I think that either a “mainstream”/easy full name or nickname is helpful. For example: I love [name_m]Leonidas[/name_m] nn [name_m]Leon[/name_m], [name_m]Hendrik[/name_m] nn [name_m]Henri[/name_m], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] nn [name_m]Thor[/name_m], etc. I think giving your future kid as many options on what s/he wants to be called that link back to the name you choose for them can only make their lives easier. ([name_f]My[/name_f] fn is [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] and I really like that I’ve always had a plethora of nn options. I want to give that to my future kids as well.)

Georgia[/name_f]]I find that very hard to do for the most part. The only off limit names to me are names that have been used more than 10 times lol. Seriously though, I don’t find much off limits.

I personally draw the line when a name gets too unfashionable. I love [name_m]Archibald[/name_m], but I realize that my child probably won’t. It likely isn’t going to be ‘cool’ anytime soon either. Picking out a unique name is great, but it’s important to consider the odds of whether or not your child will like the name. I think [name_m]Ulysses[/name_m] (nn Ulyss) is pretty cool…and I like to think that my child would agree that it is a better choice than [name_m]Archibald[/name_m].