BabyBitsAndBytes.com

No one wants a name for their baby that they will grow up hating. A more creative name than the usual may be a name that everyone else grows to dislike. These types of names have their drawbacks in life and here are a few.

Names that are too creative can be a pain to spell. Substituting “y’s” for “i’s” and vice versa will become confusing right away. The name “Kim” is usually shortened from Kimberly. Changing the spelling to Kymberli, for instance, is a nightmare waiting to happen. People won’t normally ask for this name to be spelled because it can be sounded out. If the spelling is drastically different, it will almost always be misspelled. In school, this will happen on awards certificates, diplomas, and degrees. As your child ages, it will happen on driver’s licenses, official documents, and other important places. Changing the spelling of a name on these types of records can be a nuisance. It is a good thing to keep in mind when trying out various spellings of a common name.

This also happens with boys’ names. The conflict arises when choosing names of foreign descent such as African, South American, and Asian. Some of these names are not written as they are phonetically pronounced. For instance, a name pronounced mal-eek, can be spelled, Malik or Maleek. Another example is the name pronounced ja-sun. It can be spelled Jason, Jacen, Jasen, or Jacon depending on the parents’ preference. Someone who expects the common spelling will get the name wrong every time.

What about long names with many syllables? These names are a nightmare for the best of teachers. Your own child may get mixed up when spelling it as well. One of the worst sounds is a mispronounced name. No child wants to be recognized for something in front of a crowd and have the announcer say their name the wrong way.

There are discrepancies made with gender when creative names cross the gender lines. More and more, names that were once only given to boys are now being given to girls. To hear the names Taylor, Bobbie, Hunter, or Morgan, immediately a picture of a boy’s face comes to mind. Today, these names could also belong to a girl. If you think having their name pronounced wrong is bad, how about having people come up to you and wishing you well on the bouncing baby boy when it is actually a bouncing baby girl.

There is nothing wrong with being creative with baby names. Problems come when the names are hard to spell or not gender neutral. Be kind to your baby when considering their lifelong name.