Having a unique name is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it’s nice to know that I’ve made it nearly 30 years without meeting another Adelaide in person. On the other hand, however, I’ve endured a lifetime of butchered pronunciations and spellings, people forgetting my name the second I say it and being asked, “But is there a nickname you go by?” dozens of times. And while I wouldn’t trade my name for the world, I’m glad that my parents chose something that is an actual name, rather than a made-up word or phrase.
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One Utah resident started collecting all of the baby names that have been used in her state 5 years ago and recently decided to share the most creative ones on Reddit. Enjoy making your way through this list, and keep reading to find a conversation with Laura Wattenberg, founder of Namerology.com and author of The Baby Name Wizard!
Parents seem to get more and more creative when it comes to baby names every year
Image credits: neill233 / reddit (not the actual photo)
So one woman decided to start documenting all of the bizarre names that have popped up in Utah in recent years
Image credits: anon / reddit (not the actual photo)
Later, the author revealed how many different versions of "Michaela" she's come across
Image credits: innersparkcounsel / reddit (not the actual photo)
Image credits: capobeira
Utah is notorious for having extremely unique baby names
Image credits: digipaks / reddit (not the actual photo)
Naming a child is a lot of pressure. Parents might consider family names, names that remind them of loved ones, names that aren’t too common, names that aren’t too challenging to spell and names that don’t remind them of anyone from their past they have bad memories of. Making a list and pitching your favorites to your partner can turn out to be a full-time job!
In this day in age, where everyone wants to stand out from the crowd, many parents resort to “creating” their own unique names that (they assume) have never been used before. And for some reason, Utah seems to be the epicenter of these strange names. According to Haley Swenson at Slate, one factor that plays into why parents name their kids so creatively in Utah is the prevalence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She notes that, “if you’re a Mormon kid in Utah, it can be hard to stand out from the pack,” so having an uncommon name can be one easy way to be considered unique. Over 40% of residents in Utah identify as members of the LDS church, but in some towns, over 90% of the inhabitants are Mormon. And Mormon adults between the ages of 40-59 have had an average of 3.4 children each, compared to the national average in the United States of 2.1 kids.
There can be even more pressure to come up with unique baby names when you’re living in a community where almost everyone you know has several children. You don't want your daughter to be one of ten Sarahs in her class! But the reality is that choosing a name that is too creative can backfire. Kids can be cruel, and nobody wants to give their child a name that will lend itself to cruel words from bullies. Plus, it’s important for parents to remember that you’re not just naming a baby; you’re naming an adult too.
Image credits: StockRocketStudio / envatoelements (not the actual photo)
"Today, the menu is limitless, and the goal is style, which puts pressure on parents to make bold choices"
To learn more about how to choose the perfect name for a child, we got in touch with Laura Wattenberg, founder of Namerology.com and author of The Baby Name Wizard. Laura was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss why baby names have gotten so creative in recent years.
"We’ve seen a revolution in the very nature of naming. In past generations, most parents took for granted that they’d pick from an established set of traditional names. Today, the menu is limitless, and the goal is style, which puts pressure on parents to make bold choices," the naming expert shared.
"Also, in the internet age we’re all accustomed to choosing usernames so we expect names to be unique identifiers. Parents will look up a full name they’re considering, see that it’s 'taken,' and move on," she added.
We also asked Laura what she believes are the most important factors for parents to consider when naming their children. "An unlimited menu of choices is a recipe for decision paralysis. Parents stress over name choices so much that they talk themselves out of their own taste," she pointed out. "I recommend that once you have your short list of candidates, instead of narrowing the list down, try narrowing it up. Focus on what you love most about each name and see what rises to the top."
Finally, we asked the baby naming expert how parents can find unique names without landing on anything that they'll later regret. "If you’re choosing a name with special meaning for your own community and interests, take a moment to imagine how it will come across to someone with a totally different frame of reference," she told Bored Panda. "Your child may go far and have experiences you can’t imagine. Will that name travel flexibly with them?"
Some countries even regulate baby names to prevent parents from getting too creative
Image credits: wasant1 / envatoelements (not the actual photo)
While we all want to be considered special, there’s a fine line between having a beautiful name that catches the attention of others and one that will be mocked in Facebook groups for years to come. But is there anything we should be doing to ensure that baby naming doesn’t get too out of control? Well, some countries have taken it upon themselves to regulate baby names and outright reject or ban names that they don’t consider suitable.
Residents of Germany, Sweden, China and Japan are required to have their children’s names approved by the government before they’ll be published on a birth certificate. And in Iceland, the government keeps an eye on children’s names to ensure that they follow grammar and gender rules and won't subject the child to embarrassment.
Certain names have also been banned around the world because parents attempted to get a little too creative when naming their kids. In France, the name Nutella was shot down, and in Sweden, the government had to put its foot down to prevent parents from naming kids Metallica, Superman, Veranda and Ikea. But as we’ve seen from this list, the United States is a bit more lax when it comes to naming.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Do you think moms and dads should be allowed to use these unique names? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda piece discussing “Tragedeighs,” look no further than right here!
Later, the name collector answered a couple of questions from readers and provided more info
Many readers were amused and horrified by all of the creative names
Some even shared interesting names that they've come across in Utah as well
