Pros and Cons of Giving Your Baby a Unique Name

I love unique baby names! It is probably because both my husband and I have boring names. When attending elementary school, there was not a class that I didn't share a name with some other girl. I got tired of being referred to as "Sarah R." Why couldn't I have a name that no one had?

Then there is the other point. How can you have six different spellings for a unique name that is hard enough to pronounce? There are so many complaints when a child is named Bob, but his name is spelled Boghb. I am just kidding, but in reality, there are pros and cons to naming your child a unique names.

Pros of Giving Your Baby a Unique Name

1. If you name your baby a super unique name, your child will never worry about sharing names. I think this one is the best part of having a different name. You are priceless and are given an outstanding name on top of that.
2. Let your child set their legacy. You name your child John or Mary. Then they have a million others that they are named after. They have the stereotype of a "John" or "Mary" the rest of their lives. Whatever that is supposed to be.  
3. It doesn't have to be crazy strange to make it your idea. Mady can be Madison, Madalin, Madina. It is up to you!
4. Unusual names become a good conversation starter. Our kids have different names. Adalee and Carbon will always be asked about how they got their names. It is a fun start to a conversation. I will never be asked how I got the name, Sarah!
5. Your child will become outstanding at spelling their name. By three years old, some kids will know how to spell it by heart. How couldn't they when they have heard their parents spell it 400 times?
6. It is easy to find your name in records. I love working on family history. Then I get to a William Smith, and my family search might as well be over. Do you know how many William's there have been in the past 100 years? Smack my head on a table! That is how many. haha

Cons of Giving Your Baby a Unique Name

1. It is hard for everyone around to remember, spell, and pronounce different names. I am asked all of the time how to say Adalee. Her name isn't even that hard. Wait until the Le-a's come into your lives.
2. Most children rather have a common name if they have a hard one. My best friend in high school was named Tegan. She complained about how she hated that no one could spell or pronounce her name.
3. The child usually goes by another name to make it easier on others. Adalee goes by Addy. Most Madison's go by Mady. Donahue goes by Donny. So is there a point in naming your child something they will never use?
4. If your child does something wrong, it is easy for everyone to know who did it. If you hear that Mary graffitied the school, there are a million Mary's, so no one knows who it was. If an Abner did the same thing, then the whole town knows your child did it.
5. It is easier for internet creepers to stock your child on social media. My brother dated a girl that went by Emily to anyone that she just met. Her name was so unique that she was the only one with that name. She was tired of being stocked by creepy guys on social media. This point alone might be a game changer!

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." - Pros and Cons Team

Written By: Sarah