mod3072: You know what's really cool? Take a fairly common name, and then change the spelling so that it looks exotic! Just replace an "I" with a "Y" here or there, or you could change "Michael" to "Mikale" or something. I'm sure your kid will appreciate the special feeling he or she gets every time she has to spell it out 3 farking times to people.

I wonder if people are going to start naming their kids with symbol substitutions like those used a lot in passwords. "Meet my son $@mu3|"

namegoeshere: Osomatic: I often wonder what little Jedi has turned out to be like. He'll be turning 8 next Tuesday.

Oh lord, I hope they sobered up and let him use Jed, which is classic and nice.

I knew a Jed. He was/is a dick.

DROxINxTHExWIND: I never understood why people are so fascinated with what other people are called.

Is your name Spock? Because I totally read your post in his voice.

I've been a believer in the Shandean Theory of Names since I read Tristram Shandy as a boy. In Sterne's famous "avant-garde before avant-garde was cool" novel, the father of the narrator believes that the name you give a child has a profound influence on their character, personality and fate in this world (presumably by influencing how people treat the child and the expectations that are raised by the name in both the child and other people). Research confirms that people stereotype names in this way. Tristram Shandy regrets the unfortunate choice of "Tristram" (which sounds like the French word "triste", sad) which he was given despite his father's belief in the importance of names. My own name(s) are aristocratic, unusual and somewhat off-putting in that there are no diminutive forms, so people can't really call me by a nickname.

If I had been named "Bob" or "Joe" I would no doubt have been a very different person especially to people who only saw my name on my card or résumé.

In France, the State decides which names are allowed. You are pretty much obliged to give a child a first name from the list of Roman Catholic saints (if Roman Catholic) or perhaps a stereotypically French name, then a second name that the child and family can choose to use if the first name(s) are unweldy. There is no allowance for joke names, advertising, outlandish or foreign names, etc. Less freedom, but more common sense prevails, perhaps because the dirigiste state feels responsible for the well-being of the citizens and protects them from themselves.

Fortunately, it is fairly easy and cheap to change your name by deed poll or simply asking for people to call you by your chosen name, but the damage may be done before the child is even born if you choose an outlandish or unfortunate name like "Adolf Hitler" or "Trevor".

LabGrrl: My son has the same name as a bathroom.....


WC?