caretaker

If Oprah Winfrey married Deepak Chopra, she'd be Oprah Chopra.

Shirtback

Understood. We’ve done the not-matching surnames and not-matching nationalities/names-in-passports/PR card thing. One gets used to it/to carrying a stock of documentation, explaining, over the years .

Shirtback

I get irrationally annoyed about “alternative” spellings of names sometimes, then I remember (or am reminded! ) that I’m in the people who live in glasshouses category re names

I didn’t think that my sons’ names could be abbreviated, until they hit High School

Paul_Shepherd

Again I think this is a case of people trying to be different....but what does it actually achieve?, no one is ever going to spell it with the "alternative" spelling except for the poor person its been bestowed on, who will have to keep explaining....no thats not the way you spell my name, why do that?

They are just setting the poor child up for complications they don't need! and to stand out for the WRONG reasons! Like you say maybe the parents can't spell......but Im more inclined to believe its down to what I call "celebrity-itus"

Interesting you say that about your son...the one requirement for his name was that it couldn't be shortened, my mom told me that too!

scrubbedexpat091

My parents just went with the flow of the late 70's and chose one of the top 22 names for me.

My step sisters went with more unusual names but as far as I know their names have never caused them issues.

DandNHill

My parents wanted something unusual... so unusual there were four of us in my class one year!!

BristolUK

Nothing wrong with that. Just not in all cases.

Who wants to be called behind the bike shed or Alley behind the club?

Jingsamichty

I hate all the "xxx-Mae" nonsense.... Billy-Mae, Lily-Mae, Ellie-Mae, Rosie-Mae....puuuuuuuuke.

Oink

Really? In my experience they tend to indicate a certain friendliness.

Danny B

I shall leave this here

Dorothy

We wanted our children to have names that were not unusual but not top 10. My daughter's name is now very common, however 23 years ago when she was born it wasn't. My son was Colin.

My partner has 6 children and they all have fairly uncommon names. Not weirs or odd spelling but kind of not what you would hear often. 4 of the 6 grandchildren have kind of strange names though.

caretaker

I can't take credit for this; I think I heard Deepak Chopra say it.

Partially discharged

Same with our 17 year old. We thought we had picked a name that could only be spelt in one way. Many people, especially long standing Canadians and Americans spell it as "Collin".

misplacedheidi

Called my kid John.

Always being asked is it Jon or Jonathan!

No, it's John as in:
Mathew, Mark, Luke and John or King John, Magna Carta.

Common as muck years ago but now rare, as they are all Jacks.

Funny a while ago at the docs....John was called and 2 lads stood up(one mine), the nurse was expecting an old guy apparently and was most surprised.

Dorothy

Or pronounce it as "Colon". Um....no he's not the 2 dots after a statement. Neither is he the final section of the digestive system. It's Colin.