How do you feel about 'strange' names? Do you ever think that there are some names that are entirely too odd? When do you think that 'different' or 'unique' names go too far?

I think a name should be one that a chilld won't get picked on for, one that won't always get misspelled, and one they can live with as adults. If you want a cutsy name, find a full name that's more adult appripriate. For instance, if you want Candy, name her Candace. And don't spell Chrystal "Kristale" since you know she'll have it misspelled.

I wouldn't spelling it "Chrystal" either then. :D

Personally, my feeling is a child will get picked on for something. As long as the name isn't too easy or terrible (you know, Seymour Butts/Ivana Humpalot sort) then you are okay chosing whatever.

That said, I'm not a huge fan of creative spellings. I do like more unique/less popular names, but I don't like made up names. I like to think of the name as it sounds on an adult, not just a sweet little baby. And I like names to be gender-specific. I know lots of people like it, but I hate seeing little girls named Taylor and Aiden and stuff like that. It doesn't have to be a froofy name, but I like my girls to have a girl's name, you know?

Sometimes people like to name their kids after people in their ancestry which is a nice thought but some of those names are so out-of-date that it just doesn't sound right, you know? And I hate it when people name their kids after the hippest star right now...do you have any idea how many little Britneys, etc, are out there?

Great point about naming kids after an ancestor. My sister decided to do this, and her daughter's names are Mildred, Dorothy, and Violet. I'm not saying that these aren't beautiful names, they are just so out of date for today that it's odd.

The names I can't manage are the concatenations of both parents' names, like Waynette, from Wayne and Annette. Then I remember when African names were in vogue. My son's name is Nikolas and we constantly have to make a point that it's spelled with 'K'.

I agree with you SeattleMom, I believe names should still fit you when you become and adult, it's really odd when you hear a name called and you expect a child to respond and you see an adult emerge.:)

I never cared for the combinations of the parents' names. An example of this would be Britney Spears' sister, Jamie Lynn. Her mom's name is Lynn and her dad's name is Jamie. I just think it's kind of confusing.

I would check to see if the child will get teased for the name or not before anything else. Otherwise I am open to just about anything, odd or not. ;)

Lol, my parents are hippies so I figure I got off pretty easy compared to the Sky, Tree, and other weirdos out there my age. I definitely like gender specific unless its not really seen as either, and no psycho spelling either. I remember going to a mostly African-American high school and not being able to pronounce most of them let alone spell them. Can you imagine a kid trying to learn them?

My brother in law and his wife named their boys after them selves, like this: christopher, christian and colten. I told them they have no imagination! :D

I think names should be given to kids for very good reasons, not after some soap opera character, especially if the actions of the person on tv is less than desirable. Names should reflect what you want your child to be.