Monday 1 September 2014

THAT'S NOT MY NAME…

We asked CC readers with cool and unusual names to tell us the pros and cons of having an out-of-the-ordinary name! 

Piper says:
I didn't used to like my name when I was younger - I wanted to be called Lucy or Holly like the other girls. Now that I'm older, I enjoy having an unusual name and I think it's very cool to be the only Piper in the school! Although I can never find anything with my name on it in gift shops! My mum is called Karen and she said she wanted me to have an unusual name because she was at school with lots of other Karens and didn't like that… she decided early on that if she had children, they'd be given unique names! It was actually my dad who chose the name Piper, though; he loves old films and so I am named after an actress called Piper Laurie!

Agnia says:
My name is from Greece originally, but is also used in Russia, where it is pronounced 'Ag-nee-ya'. Hardly anyone can pronounce it right! It is linked to the Indian name Agni, named for an important  Indian god, and in poland it is used as Agnieszka. I am Russian, so my name has always been Agnia! Having a foreign name can be annoying. Some of my teachers say it wrong, but some ask about it and say they like it, which I really appreciate! I sometimes get teased for my name and some kids make up silly nicknames from it, but I just ignore things like that. My friends call me Agnes or Agz, which I am totally fine with!

Yilonda says:
My name is Yilonda Elaine… Yilonda means violet and Elaine means bright light. Having unusual names gives you that feeling of being special and unique… different from everyone else. When I introduce myself to new people, my name is always complimented, but having an unusual name DOES have disadvantages. People rarely get my name right to begin with… they say Yilinda, Yolond… and for Elaine they say Lilain, Helen, Lane, even Snail, once! It can be a little bit annoying! When I was younger, I was teased with embarrassing synonyms to my name but that doesn't happen so much now. I'm African, so few people in my country have heard of these names I have, but I see them as a blessing.



Sioned says:
My name is Welsh and means 'God's gift'. My mom chose my name when she was reading a Mills & Boon historical novel in which the heroine was called Sioned; Mom wasn't familiar with the name, but she liked it. She asked my dad how to pronounce it and he told her he'd read a science fiction book which also had a heroine called Sioned! Mom decided right there and then that this would be my name. I love having a unique name because you usually don't know anyone with the same name, which makes it all feel special. I also love that books inspired the name, because I love to read! The only downside I can think of is that you don't get your name on any merchandise.

Alinka says:
I am Indian, but was born into a Catholic family and we usually keep  the traditional Christian names… but my parents wanted a rare Christian name, and one beginning with A as that was Dad's initial too. My cousin, who was eight at the time, first came across the name Alinka and my parents chose it for me. It's not even an Indian name and I hated it as a child; people often pronounced it wrong and I was always envious of my Christian friends with names like Stacey, Lauren and Amanda. One day i saw a feature in a newspaper about rare foreign flowers, and one particular rose caught my eye… it had my name below it! I literally squealed and shouted with joy! Finally, I'd seen my name somewhere! Slowly, I started to like the name. The name Alinka is rare and unique… and so am I!

Cathy says:
I love these names and the very cool and positive attitudes they have created in these readers! It's great to stand out from the crowd and be memorable, right? Do YOU have an unusual name you'd like to tell us more about? Or a favourite name from those mentioned above? COMMENT BELOW and have your say!

16 comments:

  1. These names r all super cool! I think its exciting to have an unsual nmae. My name is slightly unsual coz its actually arabic but people often find it easy to pronounce! Hamdi:)xxx

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  2. Elaine is quite a popular name in the UK and Ireland, so we know how to pronounce it! I love ALL these names! oh yeah. for anyone who gets it wrong, it's pronounced el-ane.

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  3. I used to hate my name when I was little every used to say I was a holly bush and I hurt people , they used to sing songs about my name and used to anoy me I was bullied for five years so it didn't bother me so much but to day I love my name and since then I have moved schools and started secondary

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    1. How could they bully u with a beautiful name like Holly?! I was actually shocked reading this coz I've always loved the name Holly and always wanted that to be my name! I think ur name is so pretty, Hamdi:)xxx

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  4. There's a tutor at my college called Yeolande. I don't know how to pronounce it which is scary because she takes me for Psychology and we call our tutors by their first names. Maybe I can give her a nickname like Big Y or Y-Dawg so I never have to use her name?
    I was nearly called Sioned but Mum didn't like the name and said NO WAY. She wanted to call me Crystal but she wasn't allowed. So I ended up being common. Caitlin. Urgh. EVERYONE'S called Caitlin. :-/
    Blue.

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  5. My name is Jasmine, nothing out of the ordinary but it is hard to find my name on personalised items. Favourite names of mine are mainly Marvel related for example: Remy (aka Remy Lebeau/Gambit) Logan (Wolverine) Bucky (Bucky Barnes) Laura (Laura Kinney) There not really unusual, well Remy maybe but that's because it's Cajun.

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    1. Same if I want somethin with my name on my name is never there coz my name is arabic! Hamdi:)xxx

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  6. My name is Mi Sung ( pronounced ME-SONG ) and it's Korean as my mother and father thought it would be creative and eccentric. Like Piperi used to hate my name but now I'm liking it's uniqueness, it's just that its impossible to find it on a key chain! ;)

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    1. I love ur name mi-sung. I like the sound of korean names! Hamdi:)xxx

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  7. My name is Siobhan, a common name in Ireland but elsewhere I've known it to be pronounced See-ban,See-o-ban and So-ban! It is rreally pronounced Shu-von. I feel I've had an easy deal; my sister is called Eibhlis (pronounced Eye-leesh); and I have neighbours that are triplets called Emerald, Sapphire and Amethyst! Siobhan x

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    1. aww ur name sound lovely siobhan! Hamdi:)xxx

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  8. My name is Méabh which people always spell wrong! I've seen Meabh, Maeve, Meadhbh, Maebh, and even Mave! It's based on Celtic mythology. I have an accent called a "fada" (meaning long) over the "e", which is what makes it Irish. I live in Ireland, and in the language we pronounce "bh" like a "v", so without the fada I'd be Meeb! I don't mind too much if people spell it wrong if they don't know me so well... But if my friends leave out the fada (especially in texting) it annoys me a bit, as it's just laziness! Other than that, I love my name!!!

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  9. My name is Amira and everyone spells it wrong

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    1. Same! Evryone spells my name with a Y at the end for Rosie and people call me rose which gets annoying! What's the point of having a name if nobody calls you by it? Smiles Rosie.
      PS: My other comment wouldn't come up so I made another one

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  10. My name is Willow and I think its unusual. But I like being the only Willow in the school and I think its unique. I've never been teased about my name though.
    Willow xx

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  11. CookieMonster261030 December 2014 at 20:10

    My name is Jessica and there is only one other girl in the school with my name! Agnia who wrote something for this blog is my best friend in real life and every word she wrote is true! There are some really weird names people make up for her (my dad calls her aggers who knows why?!) but she is a really nice person and I'm so glad she's my friend.
    Jess xx

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