A curious question about naming babies! :)

gypsyatheart · Aug 1, 2004

It is indeed incredible what people come up with to name their kids. I have seen some bizarre, off the wall spellings and names. I do the same and usually ask the parents to spell the name for me, so I can "clarify" that's what they want. You have to be careful not to offend people. One time the mom and dad knew what they wanted to name the baby, but neither one of them knew how to spell it, they asked me if I knew how it was spelled, so I spelled it for them, and they agreed! (very common name)

Ali_Oop07 · Aug 1, 2004

The two that stick out in my mind the most are: Aquanette and Sh*thead
(pronounced Shi-theed). THAT one someone should have intercepted!!! These are only 2 of the "unique" names I encountered over my 10 years working at a children's hospital.

I have heard this before. It seems many people have met this child! I had just assumed it was an urban legend!

Ali

hypnotic_nurse · Aug 1, 2004

My mom worked home health for a long time. One of her patients who had deliverd at home filled out the birth certificate and asked my mom to look at it. She had misspelled "Brian" as "Brain".

When my mom let her know it was usually spelled "Brian", the teenage mom got huffy and said that's the way she meant to spell it. It's almost 30 years later and mom occasionally brings it up and wonders how that affected that boy.

Ellen_0ncall · Aug 1, 2004

I use to work in Birth Registry before I became an RN. I DID point out to people that the spelling was "unusual," and asked if they intended to spell it that way. I would also, point out the proper way to spell it, the way other people might say it wrong, and the way other people may perceive it. I would advise that it was my duty to point these things out to new parents, and that in no way was I trying to influence how they spelled it. Some would change it, others would leave it the same. I never received criticism from any of them. :rolleyes:

This is just something that I've wondered about for a while...
When your new moms and dads are naming their babies, do you ever point out to them that they have spelled their new little one's name in an unusual way? We recently had a mom and dad who named their son "Daniel"...they spelled it Danil. Eight weeks later, when the birth certificate came back from the state, they figured out that it is generally spelled Daniel and are going through the state to have the spelling corrected. They complained to the hospital that we should have pointed out to them that they spelled their baby's name wrong. With all of the different names out there now and all the parents who are coming up with new spellings, how were we to know?
Do you ever suggest to parents that their choice of name spelling might appear to be an error?

Jill1215 · Aug 1, 2004

I used to work at a pharmacy and someone named their child Abcde (pronounced absidee). Poor kids. As if children are not mean enough without a strange name to make fun of.

jackieliz · Aug 1, 2004

Have you ever seen the Saturday Night Live episode with Nicholas Cage as a guy named A$$wipe, pronounced Azz-weepay?? Funny.

BRANDY LPN · Aug 1, 2004

I usually say something like "Oh that is really unique, I've never seen that name spelled like that before" that way they have the option of asking how it is usually spelled if they want. I also write down the name however they say they want it spelled then show it to them to make sure I have got it right.

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Aug 2, 2004

... many people have met this child!...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Know what you mean. I hear that kid, Sh*thead, being called all over the place... including across several states I've lived in.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2004

Sh*thead (pronounced Shi-theed)

I went to school with a kid named Hardick Patel. His Indian family insisted on pronouncing it "hard-d***" of course! :imbar