Need help with unusual baby names

[sbaker]

DH and I are expecting the arrival of Baby #2 sometime around Christmas. We have already started discussing possible baby names. We gave our first son my great-grandfather's name Rayce. Now for kiddo #2 I'm stumped. We don't want a common name. (Both my father and FIL's names are Bob!) We want something unusual. I was hoping maybe y'all could give me some ideas. We don't know the sex of the new baby yet, so suggestions for both boys and girls names would be great!
THANKS!

Just my two cents...
:) :+ :)
Sara
SAHM to Rayce
02/09/02

[AngelaS]

We have an Adrienne. She's the only one we know. :)

My nephews are Garner and Bronson. My friend has a son named Cael.

[ginalc]

My oldest DD is named Pernille. It's quite common in Scandinavia where she was born, as popular as Jennifer even! I believe that she's the only one with this name in the midwest at the moment. :)

Pronounced: pair-NEE-la or per-NIL-a

Other names in our family that aren't too common:

girls: Macey, Sadie, Eliisa, Neve :)

boys: Mason, Isaac, Gary, Hans, Rex

BTW, I have seen some baby books with Pernille's name. If it's got that, it's got MANY other not-so-common names!

gina, mom to 3

Edited to add: I've also learned that you've really got to stand behind the name you choose. At some point in time, your child will confront you and ask "Hey Mom, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!" :)

[divabell]

My DH seemed to think the names I liked were unusual. Two of my favorite girl names were Caitrin and Kaylin. But they got vetoed... so there you go! :-) I also love Kerstin, which I don't think is so unusual... still holding out that I might get to use that one someday.

I don't really have any boys' names to suggest, but there are baby name web sites out there with bulletin boards and there are ALWAYS lots of unusual names to be found there. Maybe someone else can supply URL's?

Good luck!
--Lori R.
EDD 12/2/03

[mharling]

Ds's name is the maiden name of one of my great-grandmother's. Any possibilities like that in your family?

Mary & Lane 4/6/03
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3237413c427 - New 6/18

[Rachels]

Look through the old threads on the I'm Pregnant forum at www.mothering.com/discussions. Everybody over there seems to HATE the idea of naming their babies anything that any other baby is named. I've seen tons of baby name threads with really unusual names.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[August Mom]

Well, an unusual girl's name comes to mind -- mine! Chanda (like panda with the "ch" in cheese). Others that are somewhat unusual: Danae, Alanna, Ashlyn, Annalise or Annelise, Livia, Ophelia, Portia.

As for boys, DH was adamant that we not have an unusual boy's name, so I can't help much there.

If you want to see some unusual names, check out the message boards at babynames.com. You'll see all kinds of interesting suggestions.

[sarasprings]

DS was given the last name of his great-grandfather. I love the idea of using a family name.

For girls, DH and I both liked Chiara (ch is pronounced as a hard c) or Cambria (he nixed this one).

My name is not common and I really like it that way.

[new_mommy25]

When I was growing up nobody had the name of me and my sisters
Angelita Aoe (pronounced Ah-Oh-eh, Chinese for I love you)

Gabriela Marie Lilinoe (Lilinoe is Hawaiian, and describes the beautiful mists you see high in the mountains. Of course now Gabriela is very common, but I never met one when I was younger)

Deirdre Valeria (Deirdre is celtic. I always felt kind of sorry for my sister because no one could ever pronouce it right. They always called her Deedree or Deedra though we pronounced it Dare-drah. Valeria is my grandmothers name)

I have two cousins named Mamie Rose and Moira. THose are pretty unusal. I also know a baby named Naima (Na-ee-mah) which I think is beautiful.

My father and all the boys in his family have my grandmothers maiden name for a middle name, Raso. I was thinking about doing that for one of my children because my grandmother would be very happy.

We are thinking of going with Ras Isaac Kaiwakapu. Ras is pronounced like Ross and means lord or prince. Kaiwa (Ka-ee-va) is hawaiian and is DH's middle name, although he goes by Kaiwa as opposed to his first name of Jean-Marc.

I always wanted to name my son Athens, and am toying with that name as well.

It was hard for me when I found out I was having a boy because there were so many beautiful and unique girls names out there I was considering, but it seems as though boys names tend to be more common. I have one baby name book (From Jennifer to Madison, or something like that) but have found it pretty much useless.

Good Luck!

Edited to say, my brothers name is Charles Fredrick Kaleolani. The first two were for both grandfathers and Kaleolani was the name of a hawaiian singer whom my mother loved. We always called my brother Kaleo when he was growing up and still do, but ever since intermediate school he's been Charles to his friends and work. I think he just got tired of telling people he went by his middle name. Anyway, both Grandfathers were thrilled that he had their names.

[luvbeinmama]

Since you're looking for something totally unusual, for a girl you could try one that I made up, but didn't end up using: Allandra Kalyn (uh-lon'-dra ka-lynn'). I liked it a lot, but DH didn't really care for it. We ended up using Joelle (jo-el'), and it has turned out to be very unusual for baby girls, but I have met a few grown ladies with that name.

Sorry, I'm having a tough time coming up with unusal boys' names right now. I think I'm having mother's brain lock!

[partyof5]

How about the name Inigo for a boy? That's the name of my DH cousin's
son. Although I don't know the meaning of it, I think it's original.

~Cindy
mommy to...
Isabella (1999)
Sophia (2001)
Ethan (2003)

[MelissaTC]

I am terrible with unusual names but I do love the name Elias for a boy. It is biblical but not common, like Matthew :P

[egoldber]

I also like unusual Biblical names. Some cousins names (and hence names we can't use) are Ezra, Jonah, Naomi, and Noah. Noah is a family name that has been used for both boys and girls.

Eli was our "boy name", and it is still in the running for this time. :)

[MartiesMom2B]

I like the name Seamus (pronounced Shay-mus)for a boy. It's the Irish version for James, and I think its different. DH has a different opinion of it though. :(

Good luck and have fun picking out a name!

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[momathome]

I love Anneliese, Emmeleine, and Kendall for a girl. I think Hayden is a wonderful name that I have heard for both boys and girls. Of course, my dh would say Jessica, Kelly, Rachel, and Stacey are wonderfully original names - basically, he likes the names of any girl who was popular in his high school 15 years ago - ugh!!! Good luck!
-Lauren
mom of Elizabeth Liana (Liza) 2-3-98
and Kasey Rebecca 2-8-01

[lukkykatt]

I like when a name means something to you, like your first son's name. We named our first son Nathan (which I thought was unusual at the time) because it means God's gift - we had just been told that we would probably need to do in vitro when I found out I was pg. Our second son is Davis, after Miles Davis - DH is a huge jazz fan.

I had wanted Blake for a boy, because I thought it sounded very masculine, but was vetoed on that one. I had been thinking about Geneva, Marina or Vienna for girl's names. I also like Peyton - which can be a girl or a boy, just because I like the way it sounds. DH hated all my girl names, so I am lucky we never had to worry about that!

Keep us posted as you start narrowing it down!

[jojo2324]

We always wanted to incorporate DH's father's name (Clinton) into our first son's name. But we didn't want it to be his name, simply an honorary thing. So we call him Gannon, but his first name is Clinton.

Names that were in the running:

BOYS

Peyton
Sterling
Dempsey
Odin

GIRLS

Charlotte
Sorrel
Olivia
Dakota

Gannon would be Olivia if he had the parts :P, but I am really liking Sorrel for down the line. I don't know about a boy's name.

[Melanie]

http://unusual-baby-names.com/

I think you should find a meaning then pick a name. For example, if you wanted to name the baby after Grandfathers Bob, select a name that starts with a "B" (or "R")...

I never knew that was how you spell 'Seamus,' I thought it was something like "Shaymus."

Are you going to find out the sex of the baby before the birth? Dh & I were all set on a girl's name and it 'meant' something to us as it was in honor of our grandmothers, however when the tech said it was a boy -- we were stumped! We decided on the letter and the sounds that did NOT work with our last name then I started asking around online. An online friend listed "Jonah" and poof! Funny thing, Sleepless in Seattle is one of my FAVORITE movies and 'Jonah' never even occured to me!

I'm one of those mothers who doesn't want her child to have the same name as anyone else in their class. What happens after Jonah is born? A stupid-freakin' movie comes out with his NAME! ugh...oh well...he'll be the oldest and the grade below him will have 15 in it. =)

Melanie
(who spent many years wishing she was a "Jennifer")

[newbelly2002]

I think unusual can be good, when it really means something to you. We've taken a lot of flack for Dante's name in the meantime, but I still love it. We did it because I took DH's last name when we got married but didn't want to lose my Italian heritage. So we looked and looked and finally choose Dante Rosario (the middle name is for my granddad). For girls we had a little harder time but stuck with something Italian. I would also suggest, if your families are the "vocal" sort, to keep the name underwraps until after the birth.

As far as suggestions, I'm partial to Biblical names--not traditional--such as Beth mentioned: Elias, Zachariah, etc. And, of course, Italian names such as Luca, Pia, Chiara.

It's really amazing what you can find if you look far enough back in your own family. A friend named his new daughter "Honor" after a great-great aunt. And then there are memories and a history attached to the name as well.

Good luck on the up-coming arrival!
Paula, Mama to Dante 8/1/02
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b339c8d20516

[josephsmom]

If DS had been a girl, he would have been Elissa Joy. Those names aren't terribly uncommon, but I thought they went beautifully together.

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[smomom]

my DH also vetoed Seamus. Since DH's name is Sean, I was hoping I could convince him to go Irish. I also love Liam. I am still holding out hope for that one down the road.

[smomom]

We went for a semi-unusual name for a boy also. We chose Sage for our son. Our last name is a little odd and long and it needed a short (preferrably "S" name). I actually found Sage in a book and it was one of my top picks. The deal was sealed when I found a "psychic baby namer" on a web site. I think it was epregnancy.com, but they've redesigned the web site since I was pregnant.

Anyway, after answering a few questions about myself the "psychi" returned 5 names each for a girl and boy. The first boy name on the list was Sage. I considered it a sign - and from then on we stayed with Sage.

We didn't find out the sex, so we had our girl name too. We had chosen Ellery Grace. I liked the flexibility of Ellery - in that it could be Elle, Ellie, Ella, etc. I thought that name would grow with my little girl. The "E. G." initials are also the same as my dad's inititals and unfortunately he died several years ago. It breaks my heart that my kids and their grandaddy will never meet on this earth. But that's another story....

Good luck with your choice! Choosing a name is so much fun!

[MartiesMom2B]

Joanne:

I love the name Olivia. When presented to DH, he made a face like he was smelling a dirty gym sock.


Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[kransden]

I wanted something different, but dh didn't hence Katie. I went to the library and there were several really great name books. Celtic names etc. Also check heraldry books. You can do inter-library loan since you have time. My only suggestion is if you do choose a common name don't spell it weird, that has been the bane of my life.

Karin
Katie 10/24/02

[jojo2324]

Paula, I love your new pics! Well, they aren't that new, but I forget to click the links sometimes. :) Dante is the cutest, but I do miss his captions. (It's a bad hair day. Okay, it's a bad hair week.) :D

Oh, and discussing names for number two the other day, Shawn said he LOVED the name Dante. Great minds think alike, huh? :)

[newbelly2002]

Thanks for the compliments. I actually need to update the website but I've been lazy this month. I thought I had put captions, guess I need some new ones. And I'm so impressed you remember my old ones. Girl, you have one heck of a memory.

And as for the name, I'm glad someone besides us likes it! Tell Shawn that when the time comes I might let him lease the name for a while :)

At my grandmother's funeral a few months ago, My aunt came up to Dante and talking right at him said, " Dante, now when I first heard your name I thought what will the otehr children say? You'll be made fun of on the playground and beat up. No one will want to play with you. But now I hear that name all the time, everywhere. I guess it's not so strange after all." Then she smiled at me and moved on. I'm up there thinking: "um, hello, didn't I CHOOSE that name?" Nice, huh?

On second thought, tell Shawn I'll let him use it free of charge, for having such good taste to be together with such a wonderful gal as you. :)

Paula, Mama to Dante 8/1/02
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b339c8d20516

[August Mom]

I thought of a few other unusual names as DS and I were out walking today.

Girl: Emmalynn/Emmalyn, Jade, Shana, Amelia (I'm not sure how unusual it is, but apparently too unusual for my DH), Adelia, Adela, Jacee/Jacie/Jacey/Jaycee, Jocelyn, Janel/Janelle, Janna, Vonda, Larissa

Boy: Aiden/Aidan, Acton, Addison, Anderson, Jackson, Harrison, Gunner

[mharling]

Helene -
I have a cousin who is Alisa (long e) Joy. I always thought that was beautiful! Elissa Joy is too!!

Mary & Lane 4/6/03
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3237413c427 - New 6/18

[bluej]

Names we considered during my last pregnancy include Josiah, Ezra, Sawyer, Gage, Quinn. A few days before birth we came up w/ Ryden. How we came up w/ it is beyond us, it just sort of came to us. It took several baby name sites before we actually found it (for some reason it HAD to be a real name before we could use it, my mother was convinced we were making it up). My favorite girl name is Naida...very simple, but not common. I also like Laurel, Brielle, Brienne and Noelle.

[sbaker]

Jen,
Do you happen to remember what website you found it at? BTW, I really like the name Ryden.
Thanks!

Just my two cents...
:) :+ :)
Sara
SAHM to Rayce
02/09/02

[mama2be]

Whew...thanks mom and dad for not spelling it like that I already have problems with folks prmouncing it wrong. the actress Neve Campbell goes by "nev" mine is pronounced like "eve" but pronounce the "n" in front..."neve" :)....

I went to college with a "Shiobhan" (sp) pronounced "chevon, shevon"
we called her "Bunny" and she was a delight...Irish name :)

We have picked out
Girls: Aynsleigh and Bronwyn
Boys: Ashton, Gavin, Trevor........

Some are not too unheard of but not really popular...yet...I supect Tristan is getting popular and so is Trevor here which is why we did not go with it (it was my first choice for over a decade)...

Now the biblical names are huge here where I live...they seem to be getting very popular...

[bluej]

http://www.babyzone.com/babynames/

Thank you! We are quite fond of it too. And even though we don't know any Ryden's to compare him too, the name seems to fit him.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I like the name Arden for a boy. I suppose it could be for a girl too.

I wanted something unusual, but not too far out there, so I compromised by giving my girl a boy's name (Logan).

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[zen_bliss]

if you do a google search for "unusual names" you get a good assortment of sites. i wish i had bookmarked it, there was one in particular that i enjoyed while looking for 'just in case' backup ideas that was quite comprehensive and had them divided thematically celtic/greek/shakespearean. there's also a kabballah one that is pretty interesting. you could also use this as an excuse to brush up on some fun mythology reading! celtic mythology is pretty wonderful. i am also fond of maeve, siobhan, bronwen, rhiannon.

we had been set on the name from my 3rd month pg and did not disclose it to anyone. i highly advise keeping unusual names under wraps until the birth -- when it's done and final, everyone will simply accept it and say "what a beautiful name" but if you broadcast it ahead of time, you invite irritating commentary. i watched my cousin suffer throughout her pregnancy with all the chatter about "sydney" (girl) and she learned a lesson... they didn't tell anyone about "kelly" until she arrived (ok, the opposite problem, flak for too common a name). zazi's name was not up for discussion so we kept it to ourselves (especially after i had to listen to all that 'this needs to be an aries baby' nonsense!) i think a unique name is a lifelong gift. best wishes!

[josephsmom]

Thanks, Mary! When DS was born, I had just a momentary pang realizing that I wouldn't be able to use it.

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[Sheila]

Just wanted to say that I think Karin is SO much prettier than Karen. I always loved that spelling!!

Sheila



________
Cheap Magazine M83 Only Airsoft Electric (http://airsoft-shop.info/p/magazine-m83-only-airsoft-electric/)

[JustMare]

My girlfriend's 4 year old daughter's name is Chandler. She's now pregnant and if it's a girl, they have picked Camden.

Just my 2 cents! :)

[4S Ranch]

Here are some from our list of unchosen names...

Girls - Shea (Shay), Ivy, Talley, Avery, Violet, Lily, Bay, Verity

Boys - Sebastian, Julian, Rowan, Remy, Wren, Ash, Tru, Rex, Tate

I don't know how many of these were ever REALLY in the running (DH is pretty picky), but I like them for various reasons. Some were middle name choices.

One book that I really liked because of the way they were categorized (Comfy names, place names, etc.) was "Beyond Jennifer & Jason & Madison & Montana.

I also used the baby name finder on www.babycenter.com quite a bit because you can enter the number of syllables you want as well as a starting letter and/or ending letter.

Good luck! :)

Shelly

[stella]

Inigo Jones was a famous British architect in some past century - how's that for specific??

[spencersmommy]

Hello,
My friend just named her baby boy Tegan, which is different and cute! Another friend has a daughter named Hadley, also cute! We named our son Spencer, which most people love because there aren't many Spencers they know. Someone said there are more Spencers on the East coast, I'm not sure if it's true or not. If we have girl next, we'll probably use Kendyl.
Good luck!
Amy
Mom to Spencer 6-4-03

[jojo2324]

LOL, my brother's name is Spencer, and we're East Coasteners. :D My other siblings are Alexander, Amelia, and Julia. Julia was going to be Stella or Ivy. Or Hawk or Levi.

[phirey]

Keegan, Hewitt and Margot are my contributions. Oh, and Arabella.

We have a family name thing here, too. My grandmother's maiden name was Firey (she was Margaret but went by Peggy, as I do -- but notice the screen name). When she married she took her last name as her middle name and became Margaret Firey Hewitt. Then she named my mom Margaret Firey and called her Margot (see a trend?). Then my parents named me Margaret Firey. Both of my parents and my grandmother were deceased by the time my baby was born, and I just didn't have the guts to break the line. So we now have a the fourth Margaret Firey in a row and call her Margot...

But my more interesting find when we were thinking of names was the boys' names. I toyed with Hewitt as a first name. Then going through name books I noticed that the boy's name Keegan is the gaelic word for "fiery."

Arabella is another family name from way way back that I liked.

[votre_ami03]

Penny, Keegan was also on our list too. :) What a wonderful way for you to carry on a family tradition w/a new twist though.

Our boy list had, Nolan (#1), Rhys (#2), Connor (#3), Camden, Caleb, Keegan, Kieran, to name a few.

Our girl list had, Sydney, Morgan, Mackenzie, Madison.

Some of our family names are, Austin (2), Alexandria, Morgan (boy), Spencer, Sierra, Hannah, Sean (girl) & Chelsea.

Christy
EDD - 7/26
Boy! Nolan

[bethwl]

We've chosen Annike (or Anneke or Annika, not sure how to spell yet) for our baby due in August. We chose it because our last name is very long and German, so we're going with a German name.

Others considered:
Anya
Charlotte
Tabitha
Shea (pronounced Shay)
Mia
Kendra
Angelika
Helene
Ainslie
Antonia
Rowan
Avery
Iliana

[Melanie]

That is so funny! I know someone who's 1st & last name is Elisa Joy.

[Melanie]

I love Annika! It's such a pretty name, it reminds me of the old dubbed Pippi Longstocking movies.

[josephsmom]

I'm so surprised you considered Helene. People so often say "HUH?" when I tell them my name, and I get called Helen all the time. I've always hated my name! Hmph. You never know..... :-)

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[votre_ami03]

Bethwl, A friend of mine has a DD named Annika. Her DH's family is also German. Their Annika I believe was also an August baby (approaching 1 yo). She's an adorable little blonde haired girl!

Christy
EDD - 7/26
Boy! Nolan

[mama2be]

There's a guy on Amazing Race named Reichen...I like that a lot!!!

[bethwl]

Thanks for the compliments on Annike. My family doesn't really seem to like and I don't think DH's mother does either (but she's quieter about it than my mom). My mom said she's getting used to it now, but she's moved on to complaining about possible spellings (if we go with Anneke, she says everyone will pronounce it 'Uh-neek'. I said "Hopefully, not more than once.)

I have always liked the name Helene, but I can see how it would get mispronounced a lot (or shortened to Helen). I get annoyed with constant shortening (or lengthening) of names, as if it's not acceptable to just call people what they say their name is. My full name is Beth and many people have called me Elizabeth. I even had to correct my paychecks at my current employer because they made them out to Elizabeth ___, even though I filled out a million forms with my name on them.

[votre_ami03]

Smae here Beth. My mother named us what she wanted us to be called. I am often asked if Christy is short for Christine or Christina & some call me Chris.

My friend's Annika is pronounced Onn-ika.

Christy
EDD - 7/26
Boy! Nolan

[Raidra]

I'm Icelandic and Welsh, so we're trying to stick with names from either of those two cultures, which leads to interesting names.. here's some of ours:

Girls:
Arianwen (Ah-ri-ahn-win)
Arwen/Anwen
Brenna
Brynja (Brin-ya)
Tresa (From a book, The Still)

Boys:
Colwyn
Anavar (from The Still)
Elryc (also from The Still)
Rustin (again, from The Still)
Thorsten

We know we're having a boy and will either use Colwyn Anavar or Colwyn Thorsten. I really liked Anavar and Rustin, but am worried about the nicknames (Anavar being like Anakin Skywalker, and they call him Ani, or Rustin being called Rusty).

[Melanie]

Oh...nonono...don't tell the families before the baby is born! There's nothing but trouble on that front! =)

We didn't tell until Ds was born & named. There's nothing to be said then, and they didn't.

[mama2be]

My old boyfriends ex wife was named Tresa...I always loved name once I heard it...hers was pronound "tresa" like "dress" not like "theresa"...

[colleenfs]

My friend just had a baby boy named Holden. She also considered Aidan, Ethan, Elliot, Simon, and Sebastian.

I've seen Taryn for both a boy and a girl (perhaps with a variant spelling.)

I really like Gemma for a girl. V. British.

Rowan is pretty too. I saw someone else mentioned that.

How about Tate, thanks to Sex and the City?


Colleen
Mama to Julia 1-10-02

[bethwl]

I learned my lesson on telling family with this baby. I told my mom that with the next child, we'll call her and tell her the name when the baby is born. I have tried "closing the discussion" on the name Annike, saying "Ok, we're not going to talk about it anymore, I'll tell you what the name is for sure when she's born." But that hasn't worked. To borrow a line from When Harry Met Sally, "you can't take it back, it's already out there."

[parkersmama]

I always assumed that your name was "nev"...glad to know the real pronunciation!!

[parkersmama]

My SIL is named Caren. I think she's always had trouble with it, too. I've often heard her explain to people that she was named after someone who spelled it that way and that her parents weren't just looking for a weird spelling! LOL!

BTW, you wouldn't believe how many times we've been asked, "How are you spelling Amy?" And I thought we were giving her a name she wouldn't have to spell out all her life!! LOL! With a last name like Rhinehart you need at least one that you don't have to spell. :-)

[Melanie]

http://www.namenerds.com/

[westgre]

We also don't like common names. Our girl list became much loner than our boys list after the ultrasound revealed we were having a girl. Here's our list:

girls: Caleigh Bronwyn, Saqarrah Moon (pronounced suh-car-uh -- it's Egyptian), Violet Genevieve, Tempest Soleil (pronounced so-lay), and Lyra Rylee (pronounced leer-uh). I also really like Rhiannon, but couldn't find anything that sounded good with it. We chose Lyra Rylee for DD.

boys: Xander Gaelin, Eli Rune.

I've always liked that I was the only Gretchen in my class.

Gretchen & Lyra (12/30/02)

[August Mom]

I just met a woman named Ilona (eye-lone-ah) today, so I thought I'd pass that along.

[TracyBee]

A friend of mine has a daughter named Channing. I think it's beautiful!

[heva]

We have some great names in our family for boys (some admittedly a bit too unusual for my taste):

Harmon
Septimus
Elton (the Elton John reference a bit overwhelming, I'm afraid)
Laird
Hawes (love it, but DH won't go for it)
Lenhardt (German version of Leonard)

A dear friend named her son Rome Tyce. Her first name is Ames, a favorite of mine for girls.

I knew a fellow named Lichen. Couldn't get past thinking of him as a green crusty thing on a rock, though.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I just remembered I know a baby girl named Lyric. I thought that was pretty, and unusual.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[mam615]

Very late reply...

These are all real names of people my age (mid-thirties) or of their children. So while some may be fairly common for middle-aged or elderly folks, I still think of them as unusual. Many are from other countries, or have parents from other countries.

GIRLS
Keisha (KEE shah)
Thelxiope (THELKS ee O pee)
Alanya
Nora
Connaught (CON ut) (a county in Ireland I think)
Lorna
Rana (RAY na)
Kaja (KAH ja)
Summer
Sunny
Sierra
Lillian
Marin (MAR in -- unlike the county in California)
Ida (EE da -- but everyone always calls her EYE da at first)
Penelope
Arax
Astrid (Scandanavian -- supposed to be AW strid, but many Americans say A strid, like aspirin)
Shagarica (SHAG a REE ca)
Sabra (SAY brah)
Louise
Circe (I think it's technically KYR kee, but she says SIRCE)
Kyra
Martha
Marla
Mari
Mara


BOYS
Tor
Brint
Fin
Cleon
Irving
Hastings
Lajace
Arthur
Henry
Caswell
Jorrit (YOR it -- lots of teasing as a child)
Sebastian
Arly
Axel
Arun
Makund
Liam
Stig (STEEG -- Danish -- everyone gets this wrong)
Dane
Blaine
Harrison
Sri