What would you do?

It’s about the child

Naming a child should be more about what the child has to live with for the rest of their life, rather than parents wanting to avenge what they went through.

Marie Therese

Don’t do it

There are only a few of us and all spelled and pronounced differently. Eventually you get sick of automatically telling people how to spell and pronounce your name. You just get used to it being wrong. I hated having an unusual name growing up and craved a common name. The other thing is kids are cruel. Think of what limericks and nicknames they may give the kid. Mine was spindle and I hated it.

Lyndel Trevena

Make it easy to spell

People don’t listen even when you spell your name to them.

But as a teacher of primary kids for umpteen years there have been many head-shake moments. Unusual names are fine but not weird and not crazy spellings of ‘normal’ names to make them different. Make them easy to spell, easy to pronounce and think about how they work as a whole name, with initials or as a nickname. And realise that unless you get something specifically made, there is never anything you can buy with your child’s name on it. No-one can ever spell my name either. It has no ‘i’!

Clare Scott

Mine is unique

My name is my grandparents’ names, Donald and Irene, joined together. I always spell it and explain but it doesn’t take long out of my life to do. It’s kind of unique but I don’t answer to Donna. That got me in trouble at school once as there was another Donna in class and I didn’t answer.

Donarene Anderson

It’s not their child

My partner and I had an agreement – at birth if it was a boy he names him, if it was a girl I get to name her. We had a boy and my partner said all along, Alucard if it’s a boy. My family and some of his hated it but they never once said you can’t do that and I don’t think they should be pushing their opinions onto you both about your chosen name. It’s not their child. I listened to myself. I wasn’t keen on it the morning after my son’s birth so we compromised and put it as his middle name and chose another first name. Don’t let them influence you, go with what feels right to you and your partner.

Melanie Henry

Go for it!

The only people who should be making that decision is you and your husband. If you both agree on a unique name then go for it.

It’s their name, they will make it their own and it will become a part of their identity. No matter what you name your child, they will always be asked: ‘How do you spell that?’ I get asked all the time how to spell my name and my name is very common. I have worked in childcare for 15 years and have seen some beautiful unique names. At the end of the day, it is your decision. Don’t be swayed.

Jackie Fisher