S/O What is the most "out there" name you've heard on a child recently?

[Anonymous]

I guess that it is Jane, as in Jane Fonda. I love the name Jane and do know a 2nd grader named Jane. My bf's daughter's middle name is Jane. I named a cat Jane Grey once,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lucien, Mercy, Maurice, Patience, India, Octavio, Lachlan/Lochlan, Euphemia, Luella, Clover, Delphine, Forrest, Salome, Sabine, Zelda, St. John, Noel, and Ivo are all classic names that have gone in and out of favor since the 17th century and before that. There is nothing "out there" about them.

According to the Baby Name Voyager (which is awesome):

Of those names, Mercy peaked at 981 out of the top 1000 in the 1880s -- that is, 14 instances per MILLION names, and has not been in the top 1000 names since. Euphemia was slightly more popular (rank 963 - about 15/million in the 1880s) but likewise had not been heard of since. Patience also went out about 1890 (rank 855 - about 20 per million), but has had a comeback in the last 20 years.

Lachlan, Lochlan, Clover, Ivo, and Sabine, however, have not been in the top 1000 names at any point since the 1880s. While it may be true that they were popular at some point before that, I don't think it's stretching very far to say that a name that has not been among the top 1000 names for the past 140 years is, to some degree, "out there."

(Most of the rest are also relatively unusual -- whether they are "out there" enough for pp is open to debate)

Note that there's nothing wrong with an "out there" name. My DC has a name that's not in the top 1000 for any period, and hasn't even been mentioned on this thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A celebrity recently used the name (with one of the more common spellings) for her daughter, and that is the ONLY person I have seen using this name in the past 10 years.

I feel like we hit the jackpot for our daughter's name - practically unused but not a name that gets you the side-eye when you meet someone for the first time. I usually get "Great name - don't hear it a lot these days"

Now I'm dying to know what this name is.

http://nameberry.com/celebrity-baby-names/2011

Search this name list -it's in there.

I'm guessing it is Maxine - popular in the 20s but rarely heard now. I like it!

No, it isn't Maxine - but I like that too. It isn't used much anymore because of a public figure that people either love or hate. Nameberry.com even says "Too bad, it's such a lovely name"

Ugh, Delilah. Not your DD, but the radio woman. Every time I hear that show I have to check to see whether I've gone back in time to the early 70s.

Come on people. It's obviously Moroccan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lucien, Mercy, Maurice, Patience, India, Octavio, Lachlan/Lochlan, Euphemia, Luella, Clover, Delphine, Forrest, Salome, Sabine, Zelda, St. John, Noel, and Ivo are all classic names that have gone in and out of favor since the 17th century and before that. There is nothing "out there" about them.

According to the Baby Name Voyager (which is awesome):

Of those names, Mercy peaked at 981 out of the top 1000 in the 1880s -- that is, 14 instances per MILLION names, and has not been in the top 1000 names since. Euphemia was slightly more popular (rank 963 - about 15/million in the 1880s) but likewise had not been heard of since. Patience also went out about 1890 (rank 855 - about 20 per million), but has had a comeback in the last 20 years.

Lachlan, Lochlan, Clover, Ivo, and Sabine, however, have not been in the top 1000 names at any point since the 1880s. While it may be true that they were popular at some point before that, I don't think it's stretching very far to say that a name that has not been among the top 1000 names for the past 140 years is, to some degree, "out there."

(Most of the rest are also relatively unusual -- whether they are "out there" enough for pp is open to debate)

Note that there's nothing wrong with an "out there" name. My DC has a name that's not in the top 1000 for any period, and hasn't even been mentioned on this thread!

Mine too! And I love, love, love my children's names.

[Anonymous]

But doesn't Baby Name Voyager use SSA data? So a name that was very popular in Britain or Canada wouldn't be accounted for, and yet could be within a lot of people's cultural frame of reference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Come on people. It's obviously Moroccan

You're too funny. Yup, definitely Moroccan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But doesn't Baby Name Voyager use SSA data? So a name that was very popular in Britain or Canada wouldn't be accounted for, and yet could be within a lot of people's cultural frame of reference.

Exactly. And anyone who is culturally literate has heard these names before.

India -- hugely popular Victorian name and remained popular all the way through the 30's. Readers of Gone With the Wind will remember that Ashley Wilkes' sister, and Scarlett's nemesis, was named India Wilkes.
Noel and St. John (pronounced Sinjin) -- perpetually popular British boys' names. Remember in "A Fish Called Wanda" how Kevin Kline's character makes fun of the name St. John?
Luella -- I guess everyone has forgotten Luella Parsons, the extraordinarily powerful 1930's-40's-50's Hollywood gossip columnist, who could make or break a career
Zelda -- Zelda Fitzgerald, already mentioned upthread
Mercy, Patience -- and other "virtue names" -- go in and out of fashion all the time. Prudence, Honor, Noble, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My coworker's two kids are Junebug and Sergeant Fury. I still can't believe she named her kids those names.

I think Junebug is kind of adorable. But guess it wouldn't work past age 5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My coworker's two kids are Junebug and Sergeant Fury. I still can't believe she named her kids those names.

I think Junebug is kind of adorable. But guess it wouldn't work past age 5.

I know a guy in his 40's who was called Junebug as a child which was then shortened to June. He tries to get everyone to call him by his actual name but everyone still calls him June.

[Anonymous]

It's Clover. Do I win?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn't a weird name, but Joy. I'm not really a fan of naming kids after attributes, for the following reason:

There is something ironic about the name since the Mother has terrible moods and not a very happy person (apparently it was the Dad's idea). It'll only be weird if the kid turns out to be not a real 'Joy.'

I work with a Joy and she is anything but.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But doesn't Baby Name Voyager use SSA data? So a name that was very popular in Britain or Canada wouldn't be accounted for, and yet could be within a lot of people's cultural frame of reference.

Exactly. And anyone who is culturally literate has heard these names before.

What point are you trying to make? Can you give me the cultural references for Lachlan, Ivo, and Clover please? I'd hate to be ignorant.

Also, the SSA database is the correct frame of reference for determining whether a name is common or not in this country, which is the frame of reference for people posting on this board. Shostak may be the most common female name among the Dobe !Kung people, but it's out there for here.

[Anonymous]

Lochlan is Scottish. I like it quite a bit.

[Anonymous]

I actually came thisclose to naming DS "Lachlan." It's in the Top 5 names in Australia (or was -- in 2007, when DS was born). DH really liked the name too, with Lach for a NN. However, as we started to use it, we came to the conclusion that it was a hearty sounding name -- may be too hearty for a boy that was likely to be built like us: slight. So, we moved on. I still love the name, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teagan

Ailish

Nao

Athanasius

Maurice (pronounced mar-iss)

Lachlan

Freya

Octavio (8th child of the family)

Mercy

Patience

India

None of these names are strange. Ailish (correctly spelled as Ailis, prounounced Ailish) is gaelic for Alice and Maurice pronounced as Morris is the traditional Irish pronunciation.