Would You Give Your Child a Name You Wouldn’t Want for Yourself?

There’s no denying that the “Nameberry style” of baby names is generally a little — or a lot! — more adventurous than that of the general population.

Fabulous names featuring in the Nameberry Top 100 include Rumi, Astrid and Allegro for girls, and Dante, Magnus and Winston for boys. And it’s not at all unusual to see real rarities like Balthazar and Bellatrix, Warwick and Willodean swimming across the “Names Searched Right Now” banner, or thrown out as suggestions in the Forums.

Plenty of Berries love the idea of that truly unique baby name: that stunning, surprising, show-stopping choice that can’t help but stand out in a crowd… for all the right reasons, of course.

But how often do we stop and think about whether that’s really something that we’d want for ourselves?

So, today’s Question of the Week is specifically about those names on your list that you couldn’t imagine on yourself, but would love to use for a child. Perhaps they feel too quirky for you, or too cutesy, or simply don’t seem to “fit” your personality. Perhaps they’re associated with a certain country, culture or character that you have no ties to. Or perhaps they’re even too popular for you, when you’d personally prefer a more distinctive moniker.

Would you — should you — bestow these kinds of names on your child?

Are there any names on your own list that you just can’t picture on yourself? Why not?

How do you even begin to go about choosing a name for someone you haven’t met yet? How can you ever be sure that they will like your final choice?

And the kicker: how much of modern naming do you think is about the parents, and how much about the child?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, or come and join the conversation on our Facebook and Twitter pages!