W?hen it comes to choosing baby names, some parents just go for it.
They get an idea and understand it is unusual ¡ª are told it is unusual, even ¡ªbut go ahead with it, consequences be damned.
But those babies grow up and have opinions, many lamenting the names that have been given to them.
Sometimes it's even the parents themselves who express regret over their choice.
And because who doesn't love an out-there baby name, 9Honey Parenting tracked down some of the most unusual monikers parents have actually dared to use.?
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When parents have unusual names themselves, often they will opt for more traditional names for their kids.
Not so for one couple, who are looking for "unique/uncommon names" to match the baby's dad.
The dad's name? Kale. Like the vegetable. ?
Taking to Reddit, the anonymous woman explained: "My husband's name is Kale and we have been talking about names for our future children."
"Does anyone have recommendations that could potentially 'match' the same standard as his name?"
Many people advised the mum-to-be ?to be wary.
"Be careful going too unique," one said. "You don't want your kids name to be too easy to Google."
"Completely agree!" said a doctor "I've had patients google me and tell me they know my personal phone number, parent's home address and even my party registration. It's scary and creepy!"
Others couldn't resist making a food-related joke.
"How about Quinoa??" suggested one. "Seeing as Kale was a superfood when your husband was conceived, thought I'd bring you both up to the 21st century. You're welcome."
"Arugula. Mesclun. Romaine. Caesar. Endive. Radicchio," commented another.
A woman has called out her sibling for giving her niece an unusual name that she despises.
"Just found one of my least favourite names I've seen in the wild," the aunt shared to Reddit.
The disappointed woman uploaded a screenshot of a Facebook post where the parents wished their daughter a happy birthday, revealing the little girl's name to be 'Adistyn'.
?"Love you Adistyn! So happy we celebrated together!" the post read, which had the parent's names scribbled out and the photo attached cut off.
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After posting on Reddit, many users expressed their shared disappointment in the parents for choosing such a unique name.
"This hurt my head to read," one commented.
Another asked, "How do you even pronounce that name?"
"Just¡ why? I swear it's like the parents are purposefully trying to see their kid fail," said another.
Others utilised the name in some very clever jokes.
"Sensible names are just Adistyn memory," one wrote.
Another jokingly likened it to a popular celebrity name, "Jedifer Adistyn?."
The woman initially kept her relationship to the parents and child anonymous, but then revealed in the comments that she is, in fact, Adistyn's aunt.
M?any parents have paid homage to a favourite song or novel through their child's name.
No one would blink an eye at being introduced to baby Rhiannon, the offspring of Fleetwood Macobsessed parents.
Or young Holden, whose parents really loved the Catcher in the Rye.
But baby Mandalorian Michael? Yeah, those parents are getting some questions.
Taking to a Reddit thread for unusual names, a user posted a photo of a baby announcement, which proudly shared their son's name.
For the uninitiated, it's a Star Wars reference to the Mandalorians - a military power who side with the Sith in a war against the Jedi. If that makes it any clearer.
While his parents no doubt felt they'd given their son a unique nod to the powerhouse franchise, people were not here for it.?
"This ruined my week and the week just started," said one.
"Heads up to parents: you can be a fan of something but not go this far. It's possible to like something but not name your kids after it especially if that name is Mandalorian," argued another.
"Being so attached to a franchise that you'd name an actual kid after it?," agreed a third.
And another simply said: "Just no."?
Many parents look to geography for inspiration to name their baby, such as countries or cities that may hold a special place in their heart.
However, one couple has raised eyebrows for their unusual twist on a travel-inspired name.
Drum roll: Italeigh?.
"I just saw a girl named Italeigh," shared an anonymous critic on Reddit. "Yes, like Italy. Discuss amongst yourselves."?
While opinion was divided, the majority of people were quick to condemn the name and judge the parents for their 'selfish' choice.
"No. Just no," said one. Poor kid. What a tragedeigh."
"I despise the 'leigh' trend. Italy is fine. I actually like it. But Italeigh is a literal eye roll", commented another.
"I think place names that were never real first names to begin with sound stupid," declared another critic. "Naming your child India or Malaya or Winona is just as ridiculous as Italeigh."
"That reminds me of a girl I knew named Irelynd growing up. She hated her name. These parents are so selfish!"
O?ne mum has taken brand loyalty to a new extreme after it was revealed she named her newborn daughter 'Sephora'.
In a post to the Reddit 'Name Nerds' forum, an anonymous poster revealed that a ?make-up obsessed mum in her hometown had decided to name her newborn after the makeup conglomerate.
"I know the origins of it mean "pretty" but it's definitely a unique name!" the anonymous poster wrote.
Redditors thought the name was pretty but too closely associated with the global chain store.
"It's too strongly associated with the store for me, but I can understand the appeal of it sound-wise ¨C in which it reminds me of Zipporah, Sapphira and Seraphina," one commenter wrote.
"?I kind of cringed. It's not an ugly name, but all I can think of is 'influencer wannabe' naming their kid after a make-up chain kind of vibe," another commenter reiterated.
One Redditor simply commented, "Nope, nope, nope."?
As far as naming a child after a chain store goes, at least it's not Walmart.?
W?hen it comes to unusual baby names people have actually used, this one takes the cake.
A TikTok user took to the platform recently to answer a question from a follower who asked, "Your mum had nine months to think of your name and she named you??"
In response, he flashed what is believed to be a copy of his birth certificate from the Canadian province of British Columbia, which shows his given name is AK-47 DYLAN.
An AK-47 is an assault rifle which was developed in the Soviet Union.
In response to a commenter who asked what people called him, he replied, "Dylan, because it's not scary."
But it seems his moniker had caused some problems, with him also admitting a previous TikTok account was deleted, probably because it carried his name. ?
Another commenter pointed out the name "would've been refused in Australia?."
And this is likely the case. According to The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria, "some names are prohibited if they cannot reasonably be used by the community and/or on legal identity documents."
This includes names that are obscene or offensive; can't be established by repute or usage; or are contrary to the public interest.
A name that is obscene or offensive includes names that might be considered reasonably likely to insult, humiliate, offend or intimidate a person.
Many parents have looked to their own passions for inspiration for their child's name. In a lot of ways this makes sense ¡ª name them after someone you love.
But there's a fine line between a tasteful, passing reference and an all-out tribute.
And that's why one mum is being mocked online for suggesting that she name her daughter 'Ocean'.
"I'm pregnant. DH (darling husband) has said he 'can't think' of any names for DD (darling daughter)," the mum wrote on Mumsnet.
"I've thought of a few and really like 'Ocean' but my husband is saying it's an 'embarrassing' name but he hasn't suggest any names himself?."
But if the mum was looking for support, she didn't find it.
"Unsure. I think I prefer STORM," joked one. "It's awful, sorry. It's not even a name, it's a word," added another.
"?Try to imagine introducing yourself as an adult as Ocean. It's cruel to a child and ridiculous and embarrassing for an adult!," agreed a third.
Rather than take their criticism onboard, however, she commented herself to say her daughter could always change her name when she was older.
So it looks like Ocean will be!?
Many parents choose to name their child after a colour. Think Indigo, Violet, even Ruby.
All of which are lovely, sound names. For one mum, however, these were nowhere near unique enough. And wanting to choose a name that gelled well with her eldest son's name ?¡ª Neon, she decided Green was the perfect pick.
But as her brother wrote on Reddit, many of their family didn't like the pick.
"Neon is still a cute name as to what she has come up with now: 'Green'. I was the first one she told this to and I immediately told her that it is not cute or unique, it is just weird," the man said.
"She did not heed my advice and has started crocheting beanies and tiny sweaters for the baby with the name 'Green' on them. I tried to subtly give her (and brother-in-law) actually unique names for boys but none of them batted an eye.?"
"I told her nobody wants that name because it is not a name."
Many on the forum agreed. "Yes, it's a stupid name. Yes, it's not a name, it's a color. Yes, the poor kid is going to get bullied," one bluntly surmised.
"I hope her children will change their names as soon as they legally can, those names are literally code for "'Hey bullies come at me, also HR please don't promote me or hire me'," agreed another.
Journalist Lisa Almond was scrolling through Instagram when she came across an article entitled 'Top 20 weirdest baby names in history'.
Having an unusual name herself she couldn't resist having a read but was shocked to find the name 'Almond' came in at number one.
While 'Almond' is her surname and not her first name, she has certainly received some ribbing over the years, as has her brother.
And was surprised to learn that name site Nameberry had declared it the top pick for their list of the 'Quirkiest, strangest and craziest' names ever used.
The website found six baby boys were given the name in 1885, although it was most likely a variation of the name 'Almund', which in itself is a variant of 'Adalmund', which means "noble protection."?
One woman on social media lamented the name her parents gave her, which has been likened to a dinner order.
"My momma looked me dead in the face when I was born and named me Teriyaki," she wrote.
A screenshot of her post has been shared on Reddit, prompting debate about the delicious-sounding name.
?"Samosa and Chutney would be a great choice for twins," one joked.
"Someone really should be asking these women, 'You sure you're not just trying to order lunch?'," another person wrote.
Another comment read: "Someone posted earlier about a 'Chowmain M. Jones,' but I can't find their post.?"
One mum who named her daughter Esmee has spoken of her desire to change the girl's name thanks to the Twilight movie franchise.
Posting to Mumsnet, the woman lamented the name's newfound popularity. "I gave her a name which, I thought, was very original as I hadn't heard another girl called it in about 20 years," she said.
Enter the Twilight movie franchise and the matriarch's name, Esme, which caused a boom in popularity.
Not many Mumsnet users supported her choice, with one reminding her that her daughter 'isn't a puppy' and being four years old, it wasn't a good idea.?
A mum who asked for people's opinions about her son's intended name has ultimately proceeded with the controversial choice, despite the criticism and confusion it sparked.
Explaining on Reddit how she wanted to call her son 'Bair', the mum said she'd been told by others it sounded like a typo version of the name 'Blair.'
Before adding they had originally planned to spell it 'Bear', but later changed their minds, leaving many confused.
"I thought it was Blair until I read the part about sounding like bear and had to go back and read it again," one person wrote.
"Oh this just seems like a typo of Blair/e to me. I'm all for bear as a nickname but yeah I'm truly not a fan of this," another said.
One teacher commented, saying if she saw the name on a class list she, too, would think it was a typo.?
Answering the question 'What do you think of parents who give their children oddball names?' Store manager Samantha Anderson admitted she is racked with regret over her daughter's name.
Posting on the question and answer site Quora, ?the mum said she regularly apologises for her choice. And reminds her 'Wasn't trying to make things harder for her'.
"I was 18 when I got pregnant with my oldest," she explained, adding that at the time "I was reading one of the MANY cheesy romance novels my aunt had given me and the main female character was named 'Persephone' and called 'Sepha'.
"Well I LOVED it! 'Persephone' is the Greek goddess of spring and rebirth and yes the queen of death, but I mean you can't escape it so better to rule it right? Plus the name is just so pretty."
While it certainly has different names depending on the country or city you hail from, many people in Australia would have heard of a manufactured meat known as Devon.
Sold in Australia and New Zealand as Devon, and in other states as 'bolony', 'luncheon', 'Belgium' or 'fritz', Devon was somewhat of a delicacy for many who grew up in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s. Especially when served on white bread with lashings of butter and tomato sauce. It is also similar to the popular lunch meat known as bologna in the US.
Devon is also a county in south east England and a type of British cow (this might be where the meat Devon got its name).
None of these facts scream name-worthy, but ?thought to have inspired the name 'Devony' which was listed among Nameberry's highly unusual girls' names.
Devony is thought to be both a variation of place-name Devon and an invented girl's name, and while there are no recent records of its use, the name has been used a handful of times. According to Nameberry it's pronounced the same way as Stephanie.
When mum Neysa Brandon uploaded a video to her TikTok account, featuring her kids saying their names so people could hear how they were pronounced, she wasn't anticipating such a strong reaction from her followers.
"Shepherd, Ezrah, Shiloh, Hezekiah, Ebenezer, Hannahniah", one-by-one the kids appeared in the clip. While dad Jason introduced toddler Cozette and mum held baby Ansel.
The video has been viewed 5.9 million times and immediately the family, who also have a podcast and Instagram page, came under fire for their name choices.
"Ebenezer? Isn't that like a disease?", remarked one. "It's Scrooge's first name actually," replied someone else.
"They really just flipped to a random page in the bible and said 'This'll do'," commented another.
"Hannahniah is a keyboard smash, not a name," noted a third.
As a primary school teacher, Mr Rester comes across a lot of kids each day. Combine that with the fact that his wife is a children's nurse, and the two have heard many unique names over the years - but some really take the cake.
The US teacher took to his TikTok account to share 'The most memorable' names of students he has crossed paths with during his many years in the school system.
Names that include numbers, roman numerals and some that are pronounced completely different to how they read feature heavily.
But it's the name Mr Rester starts his video with that's proved the most memorable, as he reveals a former student was named '8den' by his parents, which he says is pronounced 'Aiden'.
A new dad has shared the story of his daughter's unique name and the trouble it landed him in on Reddit.
He and his wife chose the name 'Laurel' for their newborn baby girl, picked from a shortlist they made ahead of her birth.
But during a recent visit by the woman's aunt, both she and his wife asked where he got the name from, and he explained it was inspired by a comic books character.
Unimpressed, his wife searched for an alternate meaning. After finding the name symbolises victory in Greek and Roman history, they now tell people that is the origin of their daughter's name.?
A?n ex-wife whose son's name is the slightly unusual Barnaby has shared a story on Mumsnet about her former husband welcoming a child with his new partner.
And what did they call their son?
Barnaby, just like his first child, prompting Mumsnet users to hit out at the his poor judgement.
"What an absolutely nutter... how odd," one wrote.
"Your ex and his partner are both complete idiots. Honestly, some people are ridiculous," added another.
Another said: "This can't be for real surely?".
O?ne 9Honey Parenting reader shared their own story of a bizarre name encounter, saying they once met a woman named 'Erica'.
While it sounds a perfectly nice name at first, after seeing it written they had many questions.
Rather than opt for the standard five-letter spelling, her parents opted for a more creative letter arrangement.?
The spelling? 'Airwrecker', which may be due to phonetic reasons or perhaps an attempt at uniqueness. Either way it's definitely memorable!