Why do parents of kids want to name their babies strange, odd names?

Favorite Answer

If you're looking here, be aware that most questions of this sort aren't asked by parents or even about-to-be parents, they're asked by kids who are fantasizing about being parents.

Heck, at 13 I thought it would be ultra cool to call my children something "unique", unspellable and unpronounceable too. Especially cool if you couldn't hope to guess what gender it was for. Fortunately, by the time I had kids, I'd grown up....Show more

There is nothing wrong with the popular names. Some parents want there baby to have a special and unique name that no one else has. Other parents just don't want their child to be always known as Sarah T or John A in school. For example, these days I hear Bella, Hannah, Liam, Emily and Sophie most often. Often enough that it would discourage me from using the names....Show more

Well, define 'strange, odd names'. Are you talking about naming babies Kynydee, Emersyn, Jaxxyn and Nevaeh? Or are you talking about uncommon names in general?

If the former, then I can honestly say that I have no idea why parents (wannabe or otherwise) would subject their children to such cruelty. In my mind, it's an injustice that has gone on for far too long and should, technically, be prosecutable by law - hence why I believe that, overall, we MIGHT just benefit from bringing in licenses on who can and cannot have children.

If you're addressing the latter then, I'd have to stand up and object. To my mind, as long as a name is legitimate, isn't something ridiculous like Gaylord, Nimrod or Fannie, and will not hold a child back from achieving his or her full potential, then it should be accepted. Some of my favourite names, such as Sylvester, are completely outdated at this point, but they're not going to cause any problems...

So... yeah. That's my answer. Hope you enjoyed it; I'm off to have a sandwich....Show more

There are several views on this.

Some parents want to give their children original names out of love, pride and hope that they grow up to be just as individual as their name. They don't want to call their girl a common name Sarah, or their boy John. So instead they give them something that they feel will one day represent the person they are. All names define people, and even if you name your boy Cloud (like my guy friend is called) he may one day grow to have blonde hair as shiny as the sun, and eyes as blue as the sky. =)

Then there are some people who are more or less weird, and try to name their children after famous murderers ect....so as long as you're not doing that, then you can call your kids any other exotic name you wish in my opinion!! xD
....and then there are the people that call their son Gaylord. A nice name back in the Middle Ages, but 'gay' has been tied to a sexual preference so it's no longer suitable for out times. :/

Some parents like to give more thought to names. Exotic names only sound weird/strange because a large percentage of the world (major continents anyway) are under English influences or have been colonised. Then exotic names that are close to the English language (like Michello / Michaelangelo) are adopted/shortened or translated into 'Michael' or just 'Mike'.

Sometimes it's nice to have meaning to your name. =) It gives you a story to tell. Everyone in my family holds an uncommon name. Navarre (French), Isabeau (french), Zsi Zsi (JiJi-African? I think xD), Nashira (African), Thalia (Greek), Porcia (Roman), Vena't (french), Orianne (made from the constellation Orion + Anne) etc. etc. :) It's something to be proud of....Show more

They don't want them because they don't want them to run into a million people with the same name especially if there are 4 of them in the same class or something.
It's got to do with individuality
Unique names are good but as long as they sound like a name and not a bunch of scrambled up letters....Show more