Uncommon Names...

I normally don't talk about stuff that doesn't fit this blog's purpose, but I decided I had to tackle this subject because I felt personally targeted by something I saw. So I read this article about giving kids uncommon names, especially boys, would result in them being depressed and becoming violent. This is the kind of "study" that I just refuse to believe, borderline offensive. What's funny is that the data most of these studies provide is highly debatable.

First, from my experience, I've met several guys with uncommon (not wacky) names that had no problems groing up. I'm also a testimony to that since I'm named Skye, and while there are several Skyler's that go by that as a nickname, few have Skye as a full name. This also applies to guys with the so called "unisex" names, I've never met one that was exclusively bullied because he had a "girls" name. Bullies don't bully someone because of their name, they will bully kids that they feel are "weaker" because of the way they act, they sence fragility and prey on it. Of course they will most likely make fun of their name, but they'll make fun of pretty much everything about them, it won't matter to them if you're a John or a Kerry, both will get teased. I've met several men with unisex names that were never bullied, because they never put themselves in that position, and others named Christopher, Matthew and Michael who were teased to no end - and that's just the way things work when it comes to bullies.



Second, I'd like to discuss the argument that concluded that boys with uncommon names were likely to become bullies or react in some negative way towards other people. I mean obviously since they are so uncommon, the statistics probably say 1 in 5 boys named Rafferty will cause problems. But doesn't that statistic probably apply to all names? If I were to count up the names of all the killers and rapists, and discovered that most of them had names like William, John, Robert or Daniel, should I come to the conclusion that these names are likely to turn your kid into a killer or rapist? No, because obviously there are more killers named John than Flynn due to the fact that there are millions of guys named John in the US. There are probably 1 in 5 John's that have a bad temper, or 1 in 5 Michael's that cause problems at school, but since those names are super popular everywhere people don't care to do statistics on those names, and would rather focus their "analysis" on names that stand out....

Third, the way we view names also influences the way we assume people are. We assume a boy named Charles or Richard will be polite and educated, when he will most likely be like every other kid around, jumping, screaming and annoying everyone around them ;) Movies say that the heroes are always named Jack - but then there is Jack the Ripper, let's not forget, and probably Jack the local school bully. British people according to the telegraph birth announcements have always common or grandpa like names such as George, Richard, James, Oliver or Arthur, yet you look at their baby names ranking and you've got Kai, Luca, Harley, Bailey, Reece, Kayden, Riley, Finley and McKenzie in the top100, which most of us wouldn't associate as being that popular with brits. This is a misconception spread by the media, movies and tv series in general. But this stereotype is also reinforced by a lot of naming blogs, and many people who read those blogs assume that's how all british parents name their kids...

Lastly, I just wanna ask people to stop with the generalizations, maybe then we can put an end to these misconceptions about certain baby names. Names don't come with virtues and qualities that your baby immediately picks up once you decide on one - it's your parenting skills that will give them those qualities you want them to have. The name Garret may mean "brave", but your kid won't be brave because he has that name, same for other meanings. A boy named Aubrey won't think he'll become a woman because there's a girl Aubrey in his class.. A girl named Nevaeh doesn't necessarily have to live in a trailer. A boy named Ryder doesn't have to be a cowboy. I hope you get my point...