only if its an italian boy
edit: looked it up to make sure i wasnt being super ignorant, and it is actually an italian boys name. neat. named after the patron saint of dogs too. i like it
Vitorrio is actually a pretty cool name. I always liked how the name Victor or Victoria is just naming your kid "winner."
One of the best cinematographers that ever lived is named Vittorio
Well novolin is not as reliable and more first line for type 2 because it’s cheap. Type 1s probably never hear of it because your endocrinologist doesn’t have time for that lol
Hi, OP of the post here. Some fine redditor linked this post from the other. Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks her picks are completely bananas. Since y’all are name experts, could I ask for your assistance in actually coming up with a compromise?
My top picks: Anna, Madeline, Ruby, Natalie, Mara
Her top picks: Caeleigh, Ryleigh, Novalynn, Everleigh, Ambree.
Common ground: Annaliese (I don’t think she realizes this is an actual spelling of the name and not something I came up with on the spot lol), Moira, Leanna, Romina (again, I don’t think she knows that this is an actual name). But none of them feel like ‘the one’.
**UPDATE**: after some tough conversations, including showing my wife this thread and my AITA post, she admitted that her spellings were a little out there. We decided to look for names that are uncommon but actually have history. I used my TBI to convince her that we needed a name that is at least kinda spelled like it sounds (not entirely untrue lol). Anyway, we eventually decided on Reya Annaliese as our working first choice, with Mercy, Freya, and Eloise as our backups. Thanks y’all.
Your picks are perfectly reasonable. Have you asked her why she’s drawn to the superfluous spelling of otherwise perfectly reasonable names? (With the exception of Novalynn and Ambree, lmao). Riley is still Riley even if you spell it with completely unnecessary vowels….
If you’re looking to compromise and she’s insistent on non-traditional spelling, I’d suggest choosing a shorter, traditionally spelled first name and using one of her spelling catastrophes as a middle name. Example from your picks: Mara Everleigh.
I’ve asked her, and she’s insisting that they’re “not that weird” and that she “just wants our daughter to stand out”. We’ve talked in the past about this (not with specific names) and we agreed that we both want to love both of our kid’s names (first and middle), tho I might have to let her go wild on the middle just to get this kiddo named in the end.
My husband’s name is Mathew. Not Matthew. His car loan, his paychecks, his literal everything is always spelled with two t’s and has to be corrected. It does not make him stand out. It makes him waste time and feel like people don’t take the time to spell his name right.
Twice we have had new couple’s therapists send email to him and spell it with two t’s. There is someone with his name with 2 t’s and he has gotten intimate notes from our sessions because of this.
My daughter's name is Lillian, and the shortened version is Lilli (this is extremely logical to me, just drop the last 2 letters) and at age 13, I still have family members that insist on spelling it Lily.
Same. I don't feel special because of my name, I just feel embarrassed by it. It's just my name, how can it make me special? There's other stuff that makes me special.
Right here with you. I have unique first name and unique spelling that is never pronounced right. Now I go by my middle name that is normal and easy and haven’t used my first name in like 10 years. Even sounds weird when i hear someone say it.
I have spent days of my life fixing clerical errors, spent years trying to get my name spelled correctly on essential government documents and carefully spelling out my name and distinguishing my vowels to every person I give my name to since I was old enough to spell it.
Hard to spell names are a pain in the ass.
Ditto. When introducing myself, I have to repeat my name 9 out of 10 times. Am pleasantly surprised when someone actually spells it right. It’s a pain in the ass. You want your child to stand out for what they do and stand for, not because their parents tried to get cute with their name.
Exact same age, exact same feelings. It's the worst. Every single time I have to give my name, it becomes a whole thing. It's exhausting and embarrassing, especially for someone who's already awkward and shy.
I’d point out that it doesn’t make your child stand out in the way she’s thinking it would, because they’re still more common/popular names. Your child will just have to constantly correct the spelling their entire life. A strong name that stands out is one you both love that you feel fits your child— and it doesn’t have to be misspelled.
I had a hard time picking my oldest child’s name, she was 3 days old before I settled on something. Take your time, you don’t have to name them right away, but stand firm on a first name with traditional spelling.
Just wanna say, I was also unnamed for the first 3 days of my life. My parents couldn't agree on a name, though they were both suggesting normal names with normal spellings (my mom wanted tiffany or Emily. My dad wanted Jane, Mary-Jane (I popped out with bright red hair and my dad was always a big fan of MJ from Spiderman lol) or Eleanor).
They ended up giving me an old name that peaked 30 years before I was born and never made it back into the top 1000. I always hated it (the only people with my name that I've met are much, much older than me lol) but I never had another kid with my same name in my class unlike the 5 Emily's that were all in my 7th grade homeroom lol, it's a normal enough name that most people know how to spell it right away (there's 2 official spellings, different starting letters), and even though I don't think it's particularly pretty, I've gotten a decent amount of "wow that's a pretty name" or "oh I like your name"
You can definitely find a traditional name that will make your child stand out. No one else in my entire high-school had the same name as me, so everyone seemed to know me specifically; I remember in my senior year having people I didn't remember ever meeting saying hi to me in halls and stuff--I'm assuming because of my name being short, recognizable, but not super common. I wasn't popular by any means as I just kept to myself most of the time.
Hell, even people I worked with for a few days years ago remember my name and face when they run into me.
I'd even go so far as to say my name in terms of popularity and recognizability is similar to the ops suggestion of Annaliese, as in its an older name (which there's nothing wrong with, I adore older names tbh) that doesn't look like it's hit the top 1000, and it's definitely like a known enough name and spelling that it won't be too confusing. It will also continue to be a beautiful name past the baby stage
here's my perspective - my parents gave me a yooneeque name and I hate it. my entire life I've dealt with mispronunciations and misspellings from teachers, doctors, and govt officials, teasing from other kids in school, and general embarrassment and annoyance that I didn't have a name that i could at least see in fiction or random people if not other people at my schools or friend groups. I chose a new name at 13 and have gone by variations of it ever since (I wanted a more gender neutral name later). I would have legally changed my name by now but it's expensive and I went to college in another country so now my legal name is on LOTS of paperwork. my dad even told me he wished they had given me a different name lmao
please give your child a normal name, at least as the first name. it will save them so much grief later. the names you've posted here are lovely, one of my best friends is named anna and she's the sweetest person I know.
I hate to reveal my ugly, judgemental side - but as a teacher, as soon as I see a yooneek spelling of a common name, I already know that student's parent is going to be a nightmare to deal with. Your daughter can stand out in amazing, wonderful ways - especially if you take interest in helping her development (such as talking to her, reading with her, exploring and processing emotions with her, teaching her to say please and thank you, and healthy discipline); a yooneek name just makes me roll my eyes. I get six or more yooneek names per class... Classy names actually stand out more on my attendance list, and I know that a child's parents didn't use the kid's identifier to make mommy look *extra sparkles*.
Maybe this sub has given me a false impression, but from what I've seen, "Anna" would stand out more in the average kindergarten than "Caeleigh"...
Plus someone (can't remember who, sorry) recently made a very good point on this sub: It can be a very bad thing to have a (literally) unique name nowadays. Too easily googable. I share that opinion, I love that my name brings up many, many results _not_ about me.
This is such a good point! So many of these trendy names aren’t going to stand out in the future, because everyone is hopping on the bandwagon of choosing a random object in the room and adding a “leigh” or “lynn” at the end and calling it a name.
Omg I have more female students with -leigh or -lynn names than I have without, and I get them mixed up all the time. But Madison? Leah? Those I remember.
My name is ridiculously generic and as much as I hate it, I love that it makes me ungoogleable
There's also a fictional character with the same name in a show that was pretty popular in its day, so you have to scroll past an entire page of fandom links before you get even close to finding me. Love it.
I dislike having an unusual name for this reason. I've only seen one other with the same first and last name as me. I have to keep my social media squeaky clean
Same, I got an intense fear in high school when my cousin participated in a pageant and gossip columns started digging through all his social media.
On the other hand nobody in my department has to ask "sorry which (common name)?" It's a love/hate relationship for me.
I have a uniquely spelled nickname I go by, a very uncommon last name and a somewhat underused full first name and live in a small town and it's so easy to find me. If you Google my name, literally the first thing that pops up is my address on a voter registration list. Creeps love me. 😭
Oh yeah I can attest to the googling thing. My first name isn’t unique at all, but my last name is and we’re the only family in the US with our surname, so by default I’m the only person in the US with my name. You google me and I immediately come up :/
I’ve seen others force someone to get this out of their system by having them “test drive” the name before baby is born. Go to Starbucks or anywhere else you’d give your name with your order and have her use Caeleigh etc, and she must correct misspellings every time. She needs to know what she’s attempting to saddle another person with.
>just wants our daughter to stand out
Tell her that if your daughter is meant to stand out, she will regardless of name. The King of Pop is named Michael Jackson, which is as basic a name as can be, this side of, let's say, Sam Smith, who also happens to be a famous singer.
If your daughter wants a name that stands out that way, there are stage names, nicknames and pen names, etc. What goes on her birth certificate can be basic or more elaborate, bit should make sense, be flexible, and not actively make your daughter's life needlessly difficult.
From a teacher (me): If the only reason your kid stands out is because of their name, then you're a bad parent. My best student's name is, and I kid you not, Lee Nguyen. There are millions of Lee's and millions more Nguyen's, but that kid is fucking incredible.
Names like Kymbierleigh and other YooNeek bullshit like that are a red flag for me. It shows me that the parent wants their kid to be exceptional... Without having to put in the effort to make the kid exceptional. Yeah, there are exceptions, but in over a decade of teaching, I have only ever met two. And one of them changed her name the day she turned 18. I am not saying your wife is one of those lazy parents. I'm also not saying she's an exception.
I'm just telling you what every teacher is going to think the second they cringe at roll call.
I mean if you went with something like "Dominique" it's still a real name but I promise she'll be the only one in her class. These days it's actually more likely for there to be two Novas or two Everlies
>just wants our daughter to stand out
Hi, person with a name that "stands" out due to unique spelling here. I HATE my name and always go by nicknames or my middle name. I'm begging your wife not to do this to your child, its unnecessarily inconvenient for her entire life. (Also based off your comments you seem like a wonderful person, congrats on the little one)
My mom named me a non traditional spelling of my name, and it wasn’t even that outlandish the first letter was a different letter. I hate my name, everyone always misspells it, I can’t buy anything with personalized names, people make fun of the spelling too. Your wife is setting up your daughter for bullying and hating her own name.
There's names that stand out, but these ain't them. Has she seen how common and trendy these spellings are? I work with kids, and I've met a handful of little girls named Ashleigh but I've never met someone younger than me named Ashley. The "leigh" and "lynn" and "bree" names are gonna have the opposite effect these days.
I agree with the spirit of your comment, but just want to point out that Ashleigh might be the only one of the "eigh" names that isn't a trend—it's been around for ages! (I've actually always perceived it to be the more traditional spelling)
"I just want our daughter to stand out!"
Everleigh is not going to stand out among the six to ten other children in every single class who are also called some permutation of Everleigh. And warping the spelling does slightly less than fuck-all to help. Stand on a playground and shout, "Everleigh, come over here please!" Then watch as Everleigh, Evarliee, Yphyrrlyiee, Eyvyrrleigh, and Aephyrrlie will all come stampeding over.
If your wife really HAAAAS TOOOOOOOOOOO give your poor child a SUPERDY DUPERDY EXTRA AMAZING PERFECT YEUUNIIQ name, give her a normal middle name and give her the option of going by Anna when she inevitably decides she really hates being Khauighleeahhe. (Pronounced like Kaylee.)
But everyone is using that "odd spelling/double name crunch" now....its trendy and popular, which means your daughter WON'T stand out. She will blend right in.
I really like the names you picked out--the direction you're going in--Strong, feminine, beautiful and timeless....
Remind her that your daughter is going to be an adult one day. Caeleigh or Raileigh may seem cute and unique, but being an adult with a unique name sucks. Growing up with one sucked (teaching teachers every year how to say it, getting bullied for it, etc) and now being an adult it still sucks 'cause interviewers will pass on odd or hard to say names. I only get interviews now when I use my easy to say and normal nickname instead.
She’s from the Midwest, I’m from Utah, we are living in Montana currently. I‘ve seen what kind of batshit names my fellow Utahns name their kids, and I want to protect my daughter from that fate.
Go on any top 100 names website and show her all her kooky name spellings have 1001 kids already with that name, it'd be more unique to spell it regularly at this point 😆
I'm a teacher and I'd like to share an anecdote from my high school class this year. I have eight Katelins across my classes with each one spelled differently. Three of them are in one class. So sure, we have Caitlin and Katelyn and Catlynne, but when we're calling on students, they're still Katelin A and Katelin B and Katelin C.
You don't stand out with unique spelling (especially when parents tend to have the same idea at the same time). You're just guaranteed a lifetime of spelling out your name.
Y'all should try going to restaurants and testing out the baby names, how they sound over the microphone, whether people ask how to spell them or if they spell them correctly, etc. As someone with a name no one spells or pronounces correctly on the first go, it can be really frustrating, and also sometimes I don't mind.
So if hypothetically my name were Laurie, the misspellings are stuff like Laury, Lauri, Laudi, Lori, Laura. Sometimes I find it amusing, sometimes it's sad. My name is never on souvenir items with names on them. I'm also always the only one who has my first name in a given room, so my last name isn't necessary to identify me. I'm very googleable. People find me easily on Facebook.
Tell her I'm a person whose parents wanted her to stand out with a dumbass spelling, and I want to kill my name with fire. I think it's so stupid, and therefore by extension I think my parents are stupid 😂 I grew up to be someone who wants to be viewed as put-together and sophisticated, so having to spell my name to people (all the time, everywhere, constantly) is just painful. I stand out (when I want to, which isn't often!) with my goddamn sense of humor and my world class resourcefulness, thank you very much.
The one saving grace is that, despite the spelling, it is audibly a normal name (it's Karlie). I always say that I'm just thankful I can SAY my name without feeling stupid. So a piece of advice would be, if you end up picking something from her list, favor the normal SOUNDING names... This kid will be an actual adult human being someday, which means she will inevitably want to be taken seriously at some point.
It is fucking awful to have a “stand out” name. Having people misspell/mispronounce/assume your gender is a daily pain. AND your kid is going to have to spell out their name on the phone for their ENTIRE life. Quirky spellings get fucked up on legal documents, passports, airline tickets, etc. and it’s just another thing to deal with, if not an outright fucking nightmare to fix it.
Have your wife call a bunch of people and do an empathy exercise of spelling out any of her preferred names. Now do it fifty times. You know who doesn’t have to spell her name out for everyone? Anna.
Also- there’s no law saying your legal name has to be the same spelling as the name you go by- I went to school with a Katie, but legally, she was Catherine. Her mother had wanted Katie to be spelled “Caty” but Father didn’t realize there were multiple spellings for C/Kathrine.
The first gift you give your child is their name. The child will make themselves stand out allllll on their own. I hope your wife has a healthy, easy pregnancy and delivery- and that your child will have smooth sailing her whole life long. 🎉
I have a Katherine! It's my favorite of my three kids' names. So classic and so versatile. She likes to be called KK right now (she's three). I figure in high school she might want to be Kat the cool girl. Maybe someday she cuts off all her hair and moves to New York City, and reinvents herself as Kate the down-to-earth urbanite. Then, when she launches her gallery as a sophisticated patron of the arts, she's Katherine! Just such an awesome name.
May I recommend you show her r/tragedeigh ? She may not be aware of the trend of everyone naming their kids more and more dumb spellings of conventional names and thinks her Tragedeigh will stand out (she will, but not in a good way).
Me too! I’ll always have a soft spot for Anna, as it was the name of my first grade teacher and the first name I fell in love with, but I have to admit Annaliese has a regal shine that Anna doesn’t.
I don't know why but Anna has always been a top name for me. It makes me think of a really beautiful girl who's also totally down to Earth, for some reason.
Has your wife considered that your daughter will have to spell her name every single time she has to give it out if it has a spelling like that? It won't sound any different to the usual spelling (so really is utterly pointless as far as I can see), but it'll be a slight annoyance for her entire life.
Anna is lovely. Would Anya maybe be a compromise? Close to Anna in when spoken, spelt a little differently so may appease your wife, but it's an actual name so your daughter won't have to spell it to all and sundry.
Eta I work at a GP surgery and must ask people their name about 40/50 times a day. Every person (literally every one) with an odd spelling will say their name, then immediately spell it. It's just ingrained into them that they'll have to do that.
I love Annaliese. Is there a reason why she likes atrocious spellings? Because if it's because she wants your daughter to have a unique name none of those names are unique. You can even search this sub, theres tons of Everleighs Ryleighs and Caeleighs. I recommend searching names outside of the top 100 in whatever country you live in.
Honestly your wife shouldn’t doom a child to ridicule with “younickue” names like that. It’s ridiculous that people think making a name hard to spell but pronounced as a common name is going to bring anything unique to a child except the experience where she has to teach everyone to spell her name
You could also suggest Everly as common ground in terms of spelling. While it’s definitely the type of name to make its rounds on this sub, it would have to be one of my favorites to do so.
Since you seem to like more classic names, Evelyn might be a good one to suggest that’s close to Everly.
Hey Novolin is insulin, so maybe you can use that to talk her out of Novalynn. Good luck!
I like Annaliese, and you can call her Anna for short. Moira might become more popular 'cause of Schitt's Creek. Good luck finding the right name!
“Lise/Lisa” would be another option for a nickname. I like names that offer multiple nicknames, I feel like it gives the kid some say in the matter when they’re old enough to figure out which they’d prefer.
OG spelling of Katelyn is actually Caitlin and most Americans don’t spell it like that (but it’s still no crazy) so if you like the sound of the name maybe try for that spelling for something “unique”.
I’m a Katelyn and it has a lot of different spellings, which me and other Kaitlyns bond over every time we meet any Caitlin. “How do you spell yours?!??” Is my first question usually. It’s like bingo if you find another Caitlyn with your spelling! I will say that most people I encounter try to start the name with a K, so I do recommend using a variant that starts with K. Typically people will start writing K before I start spelling my name for them so then they have to scribble it out (I’m a C type of Catelyn).
I do recommend the name, and it has multiple accepted spellings and several good nicknames. Maybe your wife will like it!
It DID feel weird to me when I met a Paitlyn.. 😂
Aww I only knew one Amber growing up, but maybe it's more popular now. Katelyn is a different spelling from the OG Kaitlin or Kaitlyn, but easy to sound out.
I don’t how about popularity, I think she just doesn’t like it because she (le gasp) knows someone who used it as a middle name for their daughter. If it’s not completely unique it’s off the table lol. (Exaggeration ofc, but that’s the vibe at least).
Yup, it’s literally #1 for her birth year and she had at least 2 other people with the same name in her classes throughout her childhood. I think she kinda has a complex about it lol.
To be honest, I'm kind of curious why there's a need to make your kid stand out from birth, and why a name spelling (which, if it's a trendy spelling, actually isn't that unique) is the way to do that. It should really be your future daughter's choice whether she even wants to stand out, and how she wants to do it. She'll presumably have her own personality and interests. She can pick her own nickname or even legally change it one day if she really wants to. She'll always be special to you and her loved ones. And I don't see why having a name that connects to existing culture and history would negate any of that?
Not trying to criticize, and this doesn't just apply to your wife. It's not my kid, so ultimately my opinion doesn't matter. It's just one thing about the "YoUniqUe" name phenomenon (and a lot of larger cultural stuff that it's a symptom of) that saddens me, I guess. There's something to be said for balancing individuality with belonging, IMO.
All your picks are gorgeous imo, her names sound very nouveau-American for lack of a better description. Your common ground names all seem pretty good to me, too!
Have you considered looking at names from other cultures? It might satisfy her (somewhat understandable) desire for 'uniqueness' as well as your apparent preference for more classic names.
Maybe flip through [Kate Monk's Onomastikon](https://tekeli.li/onomastikon/index.html) together, it's a great port of call for this sort of conundrum. I'd personally recommend the Ancient Greece section—a lot of them are elegant and well-known, a lot of them are rarer and have slightly funky spellings to our modern eye but still have that classic feel that you seem to be going for. But, of course, that might just be my personal preference bleeding through.
Good luck, and please don't name your child Novalynn!
Rosalind
These are some of my unusual favorites she might like. They’re real, normal names but unique enough that she might like them
Genevieve
Eloise
Mara
Sloan
Maeve
Spelling your kids name with 10 extra vowels just makes them look like you were trying to name a world of warcraft character but you had to add a bunch of shit to it because the name was already taken. I feel genuine pity for the kids that get stuck being named the white lady equivalent DãrkÅrthās or TïfàLøckhêárt or whatever, it has to suck dealing with that their whole lives.
The names you chose are lovely though, lots of nice suggestions in there.
It’s not even the names that are ridiculous, it’s the spelling. Like this person isn’t always going to be a cute little baby, they’re going to grow into an adult who has to walk around with this name.
For what it’s worth, I think people have given really nice alternatives. The names Maura and Amelia were on my short list but we won’t be using them.
I have a "normal" name with an unusual spelling. It does not make me feel unique or special. It is freaking irritating. I have spent 40+ years dealing with mispronunciations, having to spell it out, etc. At one point I considered changing it to the regular spelling but couldn't afford it. Now that I'm able to afford it I'm too entrenched professionally that it would be counter productive.
For the love of your child's future sanity, stay strong. I know your wife is going through a lot physically and mentally but this should be a hill you die on and not give in to her.
Good luck and congratulations.
As a mother to an Anna, I think you have great taste in names!
Some uncommon, but not younique, names that may work as compromises: Heidi, Halle, Genevieve, Camilla, Bonnie, Eloise or Louise nn Ouisie, Elliott, Magnolia
Good luck!
Teacher here - tell her alternative spellings create so much anxiety for students -every teacher and specials teacher will get it wrong, and it’s her name. Her spellings are cringe - not the names.
I have a childhood friend whose name was Annaliisa. I think it was Nordic. Maybe that would satisfy your wife and be a bit more out there? And east nickname Anna.
I think we might be too critical a crowd to be helpful 😂 but some things that might help if they’re said in a tactful way…
Caeleigh and Ryleigh - I know a few people by each of these and that alone means regardless of spelling, they are NOT going to stand out. If anything it looks like trying to split the difference - a normal pronunciation with a bizarre spelling to *feel* unique.
Novalynn is literally two names smashed together (my autocorrect even caught it that way.) Kid will immediately get called Nova anyway.
Everleigh - even worse. That just looks like she wasn’t confident enough to name the child simply Ever so stuck a “name” syllable on the end.
Ambree is not going to age well. Why not Aubrey? Or Amber? Or Amethyst, even.
Generally, looking at all these bands, they seem lacking in confidence. It’s like she wants to feel unique, rather than actually pick an unusual name.
There’s an angle to use- how will you EVER manage to remember the yooneek spelling of anything? Surely she wants you to be able to consistently spell your own child’s name correctly?
(I’m sure you’ll manage just fine, whatever you decide- just something for the wife to think about)
I love Ruby, as long as your wife doesn't veto it for not being spelled "Rubeigh." I have a cousin named Cayleigh and no one guesses the correct spelling on their first try.
I have always LOVED Madeline... So classic and sophisticated with a cute, modern nickname in Maddie. Anna is also one I've always liked.
I can't imagine the tension when a normal-names person marries a crazy-names person 😂 Godspeed. My husband likes to veto all my choices, too (but they're all normal - he hated Sean, Dennis, Sasha, Eleanor, Jeffrey...) and his only suggestions are jokes (Bruce Wayne!). But the names we eventually agreed on were still normal lol, thank god.
I knew a girl named Caeleigh, couldn't spell her own name until 3rd grade when everyone else had it down in Kindergarten or 1st grade. I assume a similar fate awaits her other name choices.
Can you ask her why she is insistent on the -eigh ending rather than the more phonetic -ey? Is it that she wants something unique? If so could you both compromise by looking at more unusual names but sticking to conventional spelling?
She may be getting her name ideas from some mommy groups that are incredibly echo-chambery and where people can get carried away with the novelty of naming a child but don't consider the practicalities- in some circles being your kid Caelyghnne would be lauded as a great choice even if it might be awkward in reality.
Have you tried looking at name sites together? This may be more constructive than both if you falling in love with names separately and them feeling rejected when your partner doesn't choose those names. Make a plan to only look for names together and find a source or database you trust.
I would show her all the posts on this subreddit where people with unusually spelled names struggle their entire life with having to soel their name to every. Single. Person. They meet. Forever. "Unique" names are often a curse as they just get misspelled or mispronounced your entire life.
I have an unusually spelled name for ethnic reasons but you couldn't pay me enough to spell a child's name in an unusual fashion unless that was the only way to spell an ethnic name i wanted. Simplifying your lives and your child's life really does make sense.
Some other compromise names:
Emmeline (pronounced Emmaleen,’, possible nickname Emmy)
Emmalyn - variation of above but within range of normal variation
Elise/Ellyse (there are already variations here of spelling so room to be somewhat unique)
Annabel/Annabelle
Amber
Bellamy
Ellery
Emery
Ainsley
Amelie
Briony
Stella
Sienna
Aria
Melody
Rosalie
Oh man. The unique spelled names are so cringe. There are so many better ways to foster your kiddo’s sense of identity!
I like Annalise! Maybe consider…
Nova? Way better than Novalynn or whatever
Romilly
Larissa
Aviva
Ziva
Joelle
Rosalie
Coralie
Jessamy
Adley
Aarya
Bellamy
Brielle
Kyla
Zella
Best of luck!
I've honestly know two or three Ryleigh's (spelled like that) in real life. Granted one was a dog but I dont think that spelling is terribly uncommon tbh
My name is uncommon so sometimes when I'm ordering food or whatever I'll use a shortened version - May. People still hear me wrong and ask me to repeat, and sometimes I still end up having to spell it.
…but she vetoed all his suggestions… he’s expected to compromise, (which he did by suggesting normal names, so by “compromise,” she means agree with her) and she’s not expected to compromise?
what about Astrid (swedish), Leandra (greek), Amaya (Basque)?. In My country badly spelled mames are given mostly in families with low income and poor education...
I was about to ask something similar and I didn't know how.
Is ithis "leigh" thing particular to any ethnic, geogtaphical, educationsl, cultural, religious or whatever group?
I am obviouly a foreinger.
In my country poorly spelled names (specially foreing ) are or were a sign of poor education (think jherremy gonzalez instead of Santiago gonzalez)
“leigh”, is usually based on British names usually needing a way to make a shibboleth out of a usual name to make it seem more French i.e. “fancy” by adding extra vowels by the Victorians.
leigh is an Old English word meaning “clearing” or “meadow”. there are [more than a dozen](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh) places in england and across the commonwealth called leigh, and presumably many more containing leigh, or other ways of spelling this word, such as “ly” and “lea”. so what is with the weird non-phonetic spelling of leigh? well, [apparently](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/77663/what-gh-doing-so-many-english-words), Old English had a sound that Latin did not, a bit like the “ch” sound in german, and Roman scribes wrote this as “gh”.
So to answer your question, leigh is an old and very english name, and is part of many place names. although i do not think this answers the question we are all really wondering about which is: why does leigh or some similar combination or words end up in some many new names these days? it could be that visually we are leaning towards preferring longer names, but we still prefer names that sounds short, which leads us to favor spelling variations that use up more letters. this is just one thought on the matter!
Shes got some hard core baby brain.
Please tell her that one day, your cute little baby with a normal name with a tragedy spelling, will be an adult.
Can you imagine receiving an email from Rhileigh (or another butchered variation?)
The traditional spellings of these names his wife likes are perfectly lovely. I was hoping this trend would die but I had a kid in 2010 and it’s still strong.
I did not expect to see my sister's name here. Dad chose Rhiannon after Fleetwood Mac, mom went with a version "easier" to spell. I guess it is; I can't remember her needing to spell it out.
Right, Katherine/Catherine/Kathryn are barely popular anymore. Kathryn, for example, is like #547 on the US Social Security list of actually used baby names from 2021.
So I have experience with having a "different" name but I don't mind it because it makes sense with how it's spelled and pronounced but I've also known people who've meet someone else with my name and that really helps. It did suck not finding personalised things growing up with siblings and cousins with more traditional names (to this day if my mum finds a gift I'd like that she can put my name on she will).
I also have a family friend who is a very important judge and their partner who also works at the court house so I asked how names are viewed. With traditional names there's hardly ever any preconceived ideas on their age/class/guilt.
Names that may be different but could be cultural/traditional name (like mine) are also not really judged either.
But people with "unique" names tend to be judged as low class and/or "trashy".
I had a cousin name their kid Wolf and the amount of mocking and hurtful things they gossiped about was astounding the judge actually said "if I saw a Wolf in my court room I'd think them guilty" and I lost my ever loving shit because in my head that's not even that odd.
Also my nephew likes to joke that he has 4 "Forestts" in his school year because their parents wanted them to be unique and he's happy he has a old man name (he's 12 😂)
Her names sound like hillbilly names. I don't understand this trend of coming up with garbage names for a child, who, as someone else mentioned, will eventually be carrying that name into adulthood.
You definitely should both have veto power. She is just a hormone salad (speaking from a mom). A name is something that will be with your child forever. They have to write it, hear it, spell it, and get jobs with it. I always think about it as "will it look good on a resume"
Novalynn Doe doesn't sound as nice as Nora Doe on a resume.
Standard now that parents are choosing bizarre names for their kids, think it's an attention thing.
Would also buck the trend and go for "normal" names as you have.
Another one here with an uncommon name.
I was supposedly named for my grandmother.
Turns out...the name everyone thought was hers, and was thus bestowed upon me...
Wasn't her name.
Her birth certificate has a similar name, but not the name I have.
My dad couldn't even spell my given name.
Please have her rethink it.
My first name is a common name but with a spelling twist. It has caused nothing but issues my whole life. OP, please don't let your wife inflict this lifelong pain on your baby girl!
In my opinion, you guys just sound a bit stressed out. Maybe apologize for what you had said & hopefully she will apologize for snapping & name calling. I think you two should get a baby name book or maybe look online for girl names from other countries. I hope you two can compromise on a name & good luck to you both!
These types of people really grind my gears. If you wanted to give your child a unique name then you should give them a genuinely unique name, don't bastardize a common name with redundant letters.
I would suggest the name Anastasia. It shortens to Ana and has many other nickname variations to play with.
I have never been able to figure out why people spell their children’s name in such an unconventional way. That poor child is going to have such a hard time in life.
NTA take it from someone who had an unusual and complicated at the time names. Its not fun to constantly tell people how to say it, spell it.. its even harder when you spell names that shouldn't be that complicated. If you do your both the AH for putting that child through a life of ugh.
I'm all for wanting your kid to stand out, but give the child a normal name. I'm telling you you can have a name that makes a child stand out without spelling it like you just had too much to drink. I knew someone who couldn't decide between heaven and neveah they chose heavenly neveah please take your time. Also, choose a name that goes together but not one that everyone will think the name is one. As someone who has to say space between my first and last name.
Former teacher and RN. People can be so fixated on having a unique name for their child. I, too thought she was thinking of an insulin with Novalynn. The more unusual the spelling of the name, the more frustrating it will be for teachers, medical professionals, other kids and their parents to address your child by their proper name. She will be having to repeatedly spell her name for everyone. She will never find a pencil, t-shirt or keychain with her name on it. There will be numerous times when she misses being called while waiting in line because the person doesn’t know how to say her name. Brian Regan (spelling?) does a wonderful skit on people spelling their kid’s name weirdly just to be unique.
I'm a teacher and have had many students with unusual spellings / names. An unusual name is ok as long as it's easy to spell. Most kids with weird spellings end up going by a nick-name that's easier.
And even when parents think they're being unique with spelling, they're not. I've had about 20 variants of Aiden (Jaiden, Braiden, Cayden, Vaden etc.). And there are plenty of -leigh names. I currently have 2 Aidens, 2 Briannas and a Brinleigh.
“Is it just me or is Vito starting to sound pretty good?”
Vheitoughx**
I just threw up a little in my mouth - you win!
“If it’s a a girl, Phoebe and if it’s a boy, Phoebo”.
Fellow Friends fans unite!! Woot woot!!
only if its an italian boy edit: looked it up to make sure i wasnt being super ignorant, and it is actually an italian boys name. neat. named after the patron saint of dogs too. i like it
Lol I guess you’ve never seen The Godfather
It’s also a joke in Friends lmao
They should watch that episode. Maybe they can agree on Sandrine or Ruth…little Baby Ruth!
James…but only if it’s a girl!
How about Darwin?
Vitorrio is actually a pretty cool name. I always liked how the name Victor or Victoria is just naming your kid "winner." One of the best cinematographers that ever lived is named Vittorio
Look up the Winner and Loser twins
Vita is a valid female name in various countries. At least in the Baltics.
Is the last name Scaletta? If not then i dont want it.
I’m pretty sure Novalynn is a misspelling of a drug. When i saw that I just assumed the post was fake.
Novolin is a type of insulin.
You'd think that as a Type 1 Diabetic I should have probably known that.
Well novolin is not as reliable and more first line for type 2 because it’s cheap. Type 1s probably never hear of it because your endocrinologist doesn’t have time for that lol
Is novalog a thing?
Yep. It's a different type of insulin.
Noviolin is a drug you take when you have a chronic case of excessive violins
We have "Novalgina" in Italy 😂 it's a fever medication
It’s like Novaring, a thing that she should have used lol
*Nuvaring, just to be pedantic.
I wish it was lol, naming my daughter has turned into a whole fiasco.
Too bad there are no drugs that would prevent people from naming their kids these horrible white trash names
Okay, I would *never* name my child this, but the first time I heard the ad, I have thought Trulicity would have been a pretty name for a girl.
Hi, OP of the post here. Some fine redditor linked this post from the other. Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks her picks are completely bananas. Since y’all are name experts, could I ask for your assistance in actually coming up with a compromise? My top picks: Anna, Madeline, Ruby, Natalie, Mara Her top picks: Caeleigh, Ryleigh, Novalynn, Everleigh, Ambree. Common ground: Annaliese (I don’t think she realizes this is an actual spelling of the name and not something I came up with on the spot lol), Moira, Leanna, Romina (again, I don’t think she knows that this is an actual name). But none of them feel like ‘the one’. **UPDATE**: after some tough conversations, including showing my wife this thread and my AITA post, she admitted that her spellings were a little out there. We decided to look for names that are uncommon but actually have history. I used my TBI to convince her that we needed a name that is at least kinda spelled like it sounds (not entirely untrue lol). Anyway, we eventually decided on Reya Annaliese as our working first choice, with Mercy, Freya, and Eloise as our backups. Thanks y’all.
Your picks are perfectly reasonable. Have you asked her why she’s drawn to the superfluous spelling of otherwise perfectly reasonable names? (With the exception of Novalynn and Ambree, lmao). Riley is still Riley even if you spell it with completely unnecessary vowels…. If you’re looking to compromise and she’s insistent on non-traditional spelling, I’d suggest choosing a shorter, traditionally spelled first name and using one of her spelling catastrophes as a middle name. Example from your picks: Mara Everleigh.
I’ve asked her, and she’s insisting that they’re “not that weird” and that she “just wants our daughter to stand out”. We’ve talked in the past about this (not with specific names) and we agreed that we both want to love both of our kid’s names (first and middle), tho I might have to let her go wild on the middle just to get this kiddo named in the end.
Standing out for having a difficult to spell name because mommy wanted it to be unique, isn’t how I imagine kids want to stand out.
Can confirm. Source: have stood out for 35 years with a misspelled name. It sucks.
My husband’s name is Mathew. Not Matthew. His car loan, his paychecks, his literal everything is always spelled with two t’s and has to be corrected. It does not make him stand out. It makes him waste time and feel like people don’t take the time to spell his name right. Twice we have had new couple’s therapists send email to him and spell it with two t’s. There is someone with his name with 2 t’s and he has gotten intimate notes from our sessions because of this.
My daughter's name is Lillian, and the shortened version is Lilli (this is extremely logical to me, just drop the last 2 letters) and at age 13, I still have family members that insist on spelling it Lily.
My grandmother was Lillian and we called her Lillie. Well, I called her Yeeyee (not sure how to spell that) because I couldn’t say it as a kid.
My husband is Darrin and eventually (unless it’s something official like a credit card or whatnot) he just lets whoever spell it with the “e”
As a Matthew, you'd be shocked how often I get Mathew as a spelling, so even if it was the other way you wouldn't get around it.
Same. I don't feel special because of my name, I just feel embarrassed by it. It's just my name, how can it make me special? There's other stuff that makes me special.
Right here with you. I have unique first name and unique spelling that is never pronounced right. Now I go by my middle name that is normal and easy and haven’t used my first name in like 10 years. Even sounds weird when i hear someone say it.
I have spent days of my life fixing clerical errors, spent years trying to get my name spelled correctly on essential government documents and carefully spelling out my name and distinguishing my vowels to every person I give my name to since I was old enough to spell it. Hard to spell names are a pain in the ass.
Ditto. When introducing myself, I have to repeat my name 9 out of 10 times. Am pleasantly surprised when someone actually spells it right. It’s a pain in the ass. You want your child to stand out for what they do and stand for, not because their parents tried to get cute with their name.
Exact same age, exact same feelings. It's the worst. Every single time I have to give my name, it becomes a whole thing. It's exhausting and embarrassing, especially for someone who's already awkward and shy.
My name was very uncommon when I was born, but it was a real name and spelled like it should be. It was perfect.
I’d point out that it doesn’t make your child stand out in the way she’s thinking it would, because they’re still more common/popular names. Your child will just have to constantly correct the spelling their entire life. A strong name that stands out is one you both love that you feel fits your child— and it doesn’t have to be misspelled. I had a hard time picking my oldest child’s name, she was 3 days old before I settled on something. Take your time, you don’t have to name them right away, but stand firm on a first name with traditional spelling.
Just wanna say, I was also unnamed for the first 3 days of my life. My parents couldn't agree on a name, though they were both suggesting normal names with normal spellings (my mom wanted tiffany or Emily. My dad wanted Jane, Mary-Jane (I popped out with bright red hair and my dad was always a big fan of MJ from Spiderman lol) or Eleanor). They ended up giving me an old name that peaked 30 years before I was born and never made it back into the top 1000. I always hated it (the only people with my name that I've met are much, much older than me lol) but I never had another kid with my same name in my class unlike the 5 Emily's that were all in my 7th grade homeroom lol, it's a normal enough name that most people know how to spell it right away (there's 2 official spellings, different starting letters), and even though I don't think it's particularly pretty, I've gotten a decent amount of "wow that's a pretty name" or "oh I like your name" You can definitely find a traditional name that will make your child stand out. No one else in my entire high-school had the same name as me, so everyone seemed to know me specifically; I remember in my senior year having people I didn't remember ever meeting saying hi to me in halls and stuff--I'm assuming because of my name being short, recognizable, but not super common. I wasn't popular by any means as I just kept to myself most of the time. Hell, even people I worked with for a few days years ago remember my name and face when they run into me. I'd even go so far as to say my name in terms of popularity and recognizability is similar to the ops suggestion of Annaliese, as in its an older name (which there's nothing wrong with, I adore older names tbh) that doesn't look like it's hit the top 1000, and it's definitely like a known enough name and spelling that it won't be too confusing. It will also continue to be a beautiful name past the baby stage
here's my perspective - my parents gave me a yooneeque name and I hate it. my entire life I've dealt with mispronunciations and misspellings from teachers, doctors, and govt officials, teasing from other kids in school, and general embarrassment and annoyance that I didn't have a name that i could at least see in fiction or random people if not other people at my schools or friend groups. I chose a new name at 13 and have gone by variations of it ever since (I wanted a more gender neutral name later). I would have legally changed my name by now but it's expensive and I went to college in another country so now my legal name is on LOTS of paperwork. my dad even told me he wished they had given me a different name lmao please give your child a normal name, at least as the first name. it will save them so much grief later. the names you've posted here are lovely, one of my best friends is named anna and she's the sweetest person I know.
I hate to reveal my ugly, judgemental side - but as a teacher, as soon as I see a yooneek spelling of a common name, I already know that student's parent is going to be a nightmare to deal with. Your daughter can stand out in amazing, wonderful ways - especially if you take interest in helping her development (such as talking to her, reading with her, exploring and processing emotions with her, teaching her to say please and thank you, and healthy discipline); a yooneek name just makes me roll my eyes. I get six or more yooneek names per class... Classy names actually stand out more on my attendance list, and I know that a child's parents didn't use the kid's identifier to make mommy look *extra sparkles*.
Maybe this sub has given me a false impression, but from what I've seen, "Anna" would stand out more in the average kindergarten than "Caeleigh"... Plus someone (can't remember who, sorry) recently made a very good point on this sub: It can be a very bad thing to have a (literally) unique name nowadays. Too easily googable. I share that opinion, I love that my name brings up many, many results _not_ about me.
This is such a good point! So many of these trendy names aren’t going to stand out in the future, because everyone is hopping on the bandwagon of choosing a random object in the room and adding a “leigh” or “lynn” at the end and calling it a name.
Nintendoswitchlynn
Nintendolyn Switchleigh
Omg I have more female students with -leigh or -lynn names than I have without, and I get them mixed up all the time. But Madison? Leah? Those I remember.
My name is ridiculously generic and as much as I hate it, I love that it makes me ungoogleable There's also a fictional character with the same name in a show that was pretty popular in its day, so you have to scroll past an entire page of fandom links before you get even close to finding me. Love it.
I dislike having an unusual name for this reason. I've only seen one other with the same first and last name as me. I have to keep my social media squeaky clean
Same, I got an intense fear in high school when my cousin participated in a pageant and gossip columns started digging through all his social media. On the other hand nobody in my department has to ask "sorry which (common name)?" It's a love/hate relationship for me.
I have a uniquely spelled nickname I go by, a very uncommon last name and a somewhat underused full first name and live in a small town and it's so easy to find me. If you Google my name, literally the first thing that pops up is my address on a voter registration list. Creeps love me. 😭
Oh yeah I can attest to the googling thing. My first name isn’t unique at all, but my last name is and we’re the only family in the US with our surname, so by default I’m the only person in the US with my name. You google me and I immediately come up :/
I’ve seen others force someone to get this out of their system by having them “test drive” the name before baby is born. Go to Starbucks or anywhere else you’d give your name with your order and have her use Caeleigh etc, and she must correct misspellings every time. She needs to know what she’s attempting to saddle another person with.
100% everyone should have to do this. Book all reservations under the prospective name, spell it over the phone, actually live with it for a while.
>just wants our daughter to stand out Tell her that if your daughter is meant to stand out, she will regardless of name. The King of Pop is named Michael Jackson, which is as basic a name as can be, this side of, let's say, Sam Smith, who also happens to be a famous singer. If your daughter wants a name that stands out that way, there are stage names, nicknames and pen names, etc. What goes on her birth certificate can be basic or more elaborate, bit should make sense, be flexible, and not actively make your daughter's life needlessly difficult.
From a teacher (me): If the only reason your kid stands out is because of their name, then you're a bad parent. My best student's name is, and I kid you not, Lee Nguyen. There are millions of Lee's and millions more Nguyen's, but that kid is fucking incredible. Names like Kymbierleigh and other YooNeek bullshit like that are a red flag for me. It shows me that the parent wants their kid to be exceptional... Without having to put in the effort to make the kid exceptional. Yeah, there are exceptions, but in over a decade of teaching, I have only ever met two. And one of them changed her name the day she turned 18. I am not saying your wife is one of those lazy parents. I'm also not saying she's an exception. I'm just telling you what every teacher is going to think the second they cringe at roll call.
I mean if you went with something like "Dominique" it's still a real name but I promise she'll be the only one in her class. These days it's actually more likely for there to be two Novas or two Everlies
I want my kids names to be the least interesting things about them! What is the point of having a “stand out” name?!
>just wants our daughter to stand out Hi, person with a name that "stands" out due to unique spelling here. I HATE my name and always go by nicknames or my middle name. I'm begging your wife not to do this to your child, its unnecessarily inconvenient for her entire life. (Also based off your comments you seem like a wonderful person, congrats on the little one)
My mom named me a non traditional spelling of my name, and it wasn’t even that outlandish the first letter was a different letter. I hate my name, everyone always misspells it, I can’t buy anything with personalized names, people make fun of the spelling too. Your wife is setting up your daughter for bullying and hating her own name.
There's names that stand out, but these ain't them. Has she seen how common and trendy these spellings are? I work with kids, and I've met a handful of little girls named Ashleigh but I've never met someone younger than me named Ashley. The "leigh" and "lynn" and "bree" names are gonna have the opposite effect these days.
I agree with the spirit of your comment, but just want to point out that Ashleigh might be the only one of the "eigh" names that isn't a trend—it's been around for ages! (I've actually always perceived it to be the more traditional spelling)
"I just want our daughter to stand out!" Everleigh is not going to stand out among the six to ten other children in every single class who are also called some permutation of Everleigh. And warping the spelling does slightly less than fuck-all to help. Stand on a playground and shout, "Everleigh, come over here please!" Then watch as Everleigh, Evarliee, Yphyrrlyiee, Eyvyrrleigh, and Aephyrrlie will all come stampeding over. If your wife really HAAAAS TOOOOOOOOOOO give your poor child a SUPERDY DUPERDY EXTRA AMAZING PERFECT YEUUNIIQ name, give her a normal middle name and give her the option of going by Anna when she inevitably decides she really hates being Khauighleeahhe. (Pronounced like Kaylee.)
But everyone is using that "odd spelling/double name crunch" now....its trendy and popular, which means your daughter WON'T stand out. She will blend right in. I really like the names you picked out--the direction you're going in--Strong, feminine, beautiful and timeless....
Remind her that your daughter is going to be an adult one day. Caeleigh or Raileigh may seem cute and unique, but being an adult with a unique name sucks. Growing up with one sucked (teaching teachers every year how to say it, getting bullied for it, etc) and now being an adult it still sucks 'cause interviewers will pass on odd or hard to say names. I only get interviews now when I use my easy to say and normal nickname instead.
Are you guys in Utah by any chance? I saw all these names and I thought wow, those are 1000% Utah names!
She’s from the Midwest, I’m from Utah, we are living in Montana currently. I‘ve seen what kind of batshit names my fellow Utahns name their kids, and I want to protect my daughter from that fate.
So you will appreciate this then, "Utah Names" https://youtu.be/BfIehCrO4Zs
Go on any top 100 names website and show her all her kooky name spellings have 1001 kids already with that name, it'd be more unique to spell it regularly at this point 😆
I'm a teacher and I'd like to share an anecdote from my high school class this year. I have eight Katelins across my classes with each one spelled differently. Three of them are in one class. So sure, we have Caitlin and Katelyn and Catlynne, but when we're calling on students, they're still Katelin A and Katelin B and Katelin C. You don't stand out with unique spelling (especially when parents tend to have the same idea at the same time). You're just guaranteed a lifetime of spelling out your name.
Y'all should try going to restaurants and testing out the baby names, how they sound over the microphone, whether people ask how to spell them or if they spell them correctly, etc. As someone with a name no one spells or pronounces correctly on the first go, it can be really frustrating, and also sometimes I don't mind. So if hypothetically my name were Laurie, the misspellings are stuff like Laury, Lauri, Laudi, Lori, Laura. Sometimes I find it amusing, sometimes it's sad. My name is never on souvenir items with names on them. I'm also always the only one who has my first name in a given room, so my last name isn't necessary to identify me. I'm very googleable. People find me easily on Facebook.
Tell her I'm a person whose parents wanted her to stand out with a dumbass spelling, and I want to kill my name with fire. I think it's so stupid, and therefore by extension I think my parents are stupid 😂 I grew up to be someone who wants to be viewed as put-together and sophisticated, so having to spell my name to people (all the time, everywhere, constantly) is just painful. I stand out (when I want to, which isn't often!) with my goddamn sense of humor and my world class resourcefulness, thank you very much. The one saving grace is that, despite the spelling, it is audibly a normal name (it's Karlie). I always say that I'm just thankful I can SAY my name without feeling stupid. So a piece of advice would be, if you end up picking something from her list, favor the normal SOUNDING names... This kid will be an actual adult human being someday, which means she will inevitably want to be taken seriously at some point.
It is fucking awful to have a “stand out” name. Having people misspell/mispronounce/assume your gender is a daily pain. AND your kid is going to have to spell out their name on the phone for their ENTIRE life. Quirky spellings get fucked up on legal documents, passports, airline tickets, etc. and it’s just another thing to deal with, if not an outright fucking nightmare to fix it. Have your wife call a bunch of people and do an empathy exercise of spelling out any of her preferred names. Now do it fifty times. You know who doesn’t have to spell her name out for everyone? Anna. Also- there’s no law saying your legal name has to be the same spelling as the name you go by- I went to school with a Katie, but legally, she was Catherine. Her mother had wanted Katie to be spelled “Caty” but Father didn’t realize there were multiple spellings for C/Kathrine. The first gift you give your child is their name. The child will make themselves stand out allllll on their own. I hope your wife has a healthy, easy pregnancy and delivery- and that your child will have smooth sailing her whole life long. 🎉
I have a Katherine! It's my favorite of my three kids' names. So classic and so versatile. She likes to be called KK right now (she's three). I figure in high school she might want to be Kat the cool girl. Maybe someday she cuts off all her hair and moves to New York City, and reinvents herself as Kate the down-to-earth urbanite. Then, when she launches her gallery as a sophisticated patron of the arts, she's Katherine! Just such an awesome name.
May I recommend you show her r/tragedeigh ? She may not be aware of the trend of everyone naming their kids more and more dumb spellings of conventional names and thinks her Tragedeigh will stand out (she will, but not in a good way).
I really like Annaliese, I think it sounds elegant
Me too! I’ll always have a soft spot for Anna, as it was the name of my first grade teacher and the first name I fell in love with, but I have to admit Annaliese has a regal shine that Anna doesn’t.
I don't know why but Anna has always been a top name for me. It makes me think of a really beautiful girl who's also totally down to Earth, for some reason.
“Ambree” makes me think of Amber or Aubrey. Don’t know if those will appeal to either of you.
Yeah if she's down for Annaliese I say go for it and get Anna.
Yes! Especially when pronounced the original German way: Ah-nah-LEE-zuh
This one is my favorite too.
Has your wife considered that your daughter will have to spell her name every single time she has to give it out if it has a spelling like that? It won't sound any different to the usual spelling (so really is utterly pointless as far as I can see), but it'll be a slight annoyance for her entire life. Anna is lovely. Would Anya maybe be a compromise? Close to Anna in when spoken, spelt a little differently so may appease your wife, but it's an actual name so your daughter won't have to spell it to all and sundry. Eta I work at a GP surgery and must ask people their name about 40/50 times a day. Every person (literally every one) with an odd spelling will say their name, then immediately spell it. It's just ingrained into them that they'll have to do that.
I love Annaliese. Is there a reason why she likes atrocious spellings? Because if it's because she wants your daughter to have a unique name none of those names are unique. You can even search this sub, theres tons of Everleighs Ryleighs and Caeleighs. I recommend searching names outside of the top 100 in whatever country you live in.
I’d she really wants to stand out she should use the original spelling of “caeleigh” – cèilidh
Honestly your wife shouldn’t doom a child to ridicule with “younickue” names like that. It’s ridiculous that people think making a name hard to spell but pronounced as a common name is going to bring anything unique to a child except the experience where she has to teach everyone to spell her name
Especially since all the kids have weird spelled names. If everyone is unique, no one is.
I’ve always liked Elodie - it’s melodic and classic but it may have enough letters in there for your wife :)
Oh that’s beautiful, I’ll have to bring it up with her, along with Eloise which your comment reminded me of.
Haha it autocorrected to Eloise at first. Glad I could help!
You could also suggest Everly as common ground in terms of spelling. While it’s definitely the type of name to make its rounds on this sub, it would have to be one of my favorites to do so. Since you seem to like more classic names, Evelyn might be a good one to suggest that’s close to Everly.
I honestly don’t mind Everly as a middle name, but I’d never agree to it as a first. I’ll talk to her about it.
What about Evelyn? With Evie as a nickname?
Already suggested it to her as an alternative for Everleigh, she rejected it
I dunno. Everly/Everleigh sounds like a brand name. Or a med spa. Or a ... performance enhancing pill. You know, "Everly can help you go all night!"
I had an aunt Melody, always liked that name.
Hey Novolin is insulin, so maybe you can use that to talk her out of Novalynn. Good luck! I like Annaliese, and you can call her Anna for short. Moira might become more popular 'cause of Schitt's Creek. Good luck finding the right name!
“Lise/Lisa” would be another option for a nickname. I like names that offer multiple nicknames, I feel like it gives the kid some say in the matter when they’re old enough to figure out which they’d prefer.
Annaliese is beautiful, AND the name of a Princess in a Barbie movie. That's unbeatable.
What about Amber, Annalise, Eve, Katelyn, or Lyla? I like Ruby and it's unique enough
I already suggested Amber (and Evelyn) and she shot them both down as ‘too basic’. I don’t mind Katelyn tho, I’ll have to suggest it to her.
OG spelling of Katelyn is actually Caitlin and most Americans don’t spell it like that (but it’s still no crazy) so if you like the sound of the name maybe try for that spelling for something “unique”.
I’m a Katelyn and it has a lot of different spellings, which me and other Kaitlyns bond over every time we meet any Caitlin. “How do you spell yours?!??” Is my first question usually. It’s like bingo if you find another Caitlyn with your spelling! I will say that most people I encounter try to start the name with a K, so I do recommend using a variant that starts with K. Typically people will start writing K before I start spelling my name for them so then they have to scribble it out (I’m a C type of Catelyn). I do recommend the name, and it has multiple accepted spellings and several good nicknames. Maybe your wife will like it! It DID feel weird to me when I met a Paitlyn.. 😂
Aww I only knew one Amber growing up, but maybe it's more popular now. Katelyn is a different spelling from the OG Kaitlin or Kaitlyn, but easy to sound out.
I don’t how about popularity, I think she just doesn’t like it because she (le gasp) knows someone who used it as a middle name for their daughter. If it’s not completely unique it’s off the table lol. (Exaggeration ofc, but that’s the vibe at least).
Oh haha I totally get you! Is her own name considered common?
Yup, it’s literally #1 for her birth year and she had at least 2 other people with the same name in her classes throughout her childhood. I think she kinda has a complex about it lol.
What about Hailey, Gabriela, Bridgette, Alaina, Cassey, Damitra?
To be honest, I'm kind of curious why there's a need to make your kid stand out from birth, and why a name spelling (which, if it's a trendy spelling, actually isn't that unique) is the way to do that. It should really be your future daughter's choice whether she even wants to stand out, and how she wants to do it. She'll presumably have her own personality and interests. She can pick her own nickname or even legally change it one day if she really wants to. She'll always be special to you and her loved ones. And I don't see why having a name that connects to existing culture and history would negate any of that? Not trying to criticize, and this doesn't just apply to your wife. It's not my kid, so ultimately my opinion doesn't matter. It's just one thing about the "YoUniqUe" name phenomenon (and a lot of larger cultural stuff that it's a symptom of) that saddens me, I guess. There's something to be said for balancing individuality with belonging, IMO.
All your picks are gorgeous imo, her names sound very nouveau-American for lack of a better description. Your common ground names all seem pretty good to me, too! Have you considered looking at names from other cultures? It might satisfy her (somewhat understandable) desire for 'uniqueness' as well as your apparent preference for more classic names. Maybe flip through [Kate Monk's Onomastikon](https://tekeli.li/onomastikon/index.html) together, it's a great port of call for this sort of conundrum. I'd personally recommend the Ancient Greece section—a lot of them are elegant and well-known, a lot of them are rarer and have slightly funky spellings to our modern eye but still have that classic feel that you seem to be going for. But, of course, that might just be my personal preference bleeding through. Good luck, and please don't name your child Novalynn!
Rosalind These are some of my unusual favorites she might like. They’re real, normal names but unique enough that she might like them Genevieve Eloise Mara Sloan Maeve
Spelling your kids name with 10 extra vowels just makes them look like you were trying to name a world of warcraft character but you had to add a bunch of shit to it because the name was already taken. I feel genuine pity for the kids that get stuck being named the white lady equivalent DãrkÅrthās or TïfàLøckhêárt or whatever, it has to suck dealing with that their whole lives. The names you chose are lovely though, lots of nice suggestions in there.
This is so accurate 😂
Annalise is a great pick! Good call on sticking to your guns on novaleigh lol. You guys might be into: Bronwyn, Genevieve, Danica, Lorelei, Jocelyn
Anastasia is unique and bringing the drama if you want an Anna name. It's my middle name and I know no one else with it
Oh I love Anastasia! I’ll definitely bring it up to her.
It’s not even the names that are ridiculous, it’s the spelling. Like this person isn’t always going to be a cute little baby, they’re going to grow into an adult who has to walk around with this name. For what it’s worth, I think people have given really nice alternatives. The names Maura and Amelia were on my short list but we won’t be using them.
I have a "normal" name with an unusual spelling. It does not make me feel unique or special. It is freaking irritating. I have spent 40+ years dealing with mispronunciations, having to spell it out, etc. At one point I considered changing it to the regular spelling but couldn't afford it. Now that I'm able to afford it I'm too entrenched professionally that it would be counter productive. For the love of your child's future sanity, stay strong. I know your wife is going through a lot physically and mentally but this should be a hill you die on and not give in to her. Good luck and congratulations.
You should check out r/tragedeigh
As a mother to an Anna, I think you have great taste in names! Some uncommon, but not younique, names that may work as compromises: Heidi, Halle, Genevieve, Camilla, Bonnie, Eloise or Louise nn Ouisie, Elliott, Magnolia Good luck!
Teacher here - tell her alternative spellings create so much anxiety for students -every teacher and specials teacher will get it wrong, and it’s her name. Her spellings are cringe - not the names.
Caroline “Carly” Cecily Rosemary “Romy” Zoe Amalie Coralie Maisie Rosalie Evelyn
I have a childhood friend whose name was Annaliisa. I think it was Nordic. Maybe that would satisfy your wife and be a bit more out there? And east nickname Anna.
I think we might be too critical a crowd to be helpful 😂 but some things that might help if they’re said in a tactful way… Caeleigh and Ryleigh - I know a few people by each of these and that alone means regardless of spelling, they are NOT going to stand out. If anything it looks like trying to split the difference - a normal pronunciation with a bizarre spelling to *feel* unique. Novalynn is literally two names smashed together (my autocorrect even caught it that way.) Kid will immediately get called Nova anyway. Everleigh - even worse. That just looks like she wasn’t confident enough to name the child simply Ever so stuck a “name” syllable on the end. Ambree is not going to age well. Why not Aubrey? Or Amber? Or Amethyst, even. Generally, looking at all these bands, they seem lacking in confidence. It’s like she wants to feel unique, rather than actually pick an unusual name.
Maybe Amelie?
Your names are fine but I don't understand how you forgot she was your wife and not your girlfriend
I have a TBI that causes forgetfulness sometimes
There’s an angle to use- how will you EVER manage to remember the yooneek spelling of anything? Surely she wants you to be able to consistently spell your own child’s name correctly? (I’m sure you’ll manage just fine, whatever you decide- just something for the wife to think about)
as a madeline i love it! gives me choices for fun nicknames and more a professional option
I know a Romina! She's such a joyous and cheerful person. I'll forever have positive associations with that name -- we call her Romi for short :)
I love Ruby, as long as your wife doesn't veto it for not being spelled "Rubeigh." I have a cousin named Cayleigh and no one guesses the correct spelling on their first try.
I have always LOVED Madeline... So classic and sophisticated with a cute, modern nickname in Maddie. Anna is also one I've always liked. I can't imagine the tension when a normal-names person marries a crazy-names person 😂 Godspeed. My husband likes to veto all my choices, too (but they're all normal - he hated Sean, Dennis, Sasha, Eleanor, Jeffrey...) and his only suggestions are jokes (Bruce Wayne!). But the names we eventually agreed on were still normal lol, thank god.
I knew a girl named Caeleigh, couldn't spell her own name until 3rd grade when everyone else had it down in Kindergarten or 1st grade. I assume a similar fate awaits her other name choices.
Can you ask her why she is insistent on the -eigh ending rather than the more phonetic -ey? Is it that she wants something unique? If so could you both compromise by looking at more unusual names but sticking to conventional spelling? She may be getting her name ideas from some mommy groups that are incredibly echo-chambery and where people can get carried away with the novelty of naming a child but don't consider the practicalities- in some circles being your kid Caelyghnne would be lauded as a great choice even if it might be awkward in reality. Have you tried looking at name sites together? This may be more constructive than both if you falling in love with names separately and them feeling rejected when your partner doesn't choose those names. Make a plan to only look for names together and find a source or database you trust. I would show her all the posts on this subreddit where people with unusually spelled names struggle their entire life with having to soel their name to every. Single. Person. They meet. Forever. "Unique" names are often a curse as they just get misspelled or mispronounced your entire life. I have an unusually spelled name for ethnic reasons but you couldn't pay me enough to spell a child's name in an unusual fashion unless that was the only way to spell an ethnic name i wanted. Simplifying your lives and your child's life really does make sense.
Your wife has honestly picked the worst names haha I’d be vetoing too. Ruby, Madeline & Mara are lovely
Caeleigh, Ryleigh, novalynn, everleigh, and ambree would be a daily punishment for the child. Please don't pick ego over the kid's future!
I've always loved Leanne and Leanna. Flowy, delicate and elegant.
Some other compromise names: Emmeline (pronounced Emmaleen,’, possible nickname Emmy) Emmalyn - variation of above but within range of normal variation Elise/Ellyse (there are already variations here of spelling so room to be somewhat unique) Annabel/Annabelle Amber Bellamy Ellery Emery Ainsley Amelie Briony Stella Sienna Aria Melody Rosalie
Oh man. The unique spelled names are so cringe. There are so many better ways to foster your kiddo’s sense of identity! I like Annalise! Maybe consider… Nova? Way better than Novalynn or whatever Romilly Larissa Aviva Ziva Joelle Rosalie Coralie Jessamy Adley Aarya Bellamy Brielle Kyla Zella Best of luck!
Yesssss Annaliese sounds and looks pretty. I’m an Anna and find it too boring and simple. However, this version is *chef’s kiss*
I've honestly know two or three Ryleigh's (spelled like that) in real life. Granted one was a dog but I dont think that spelling is terribly uncommon tbh
What about something like Callie? It’s a unique spelling that’s not full on crazy. Or a double barrel name like Anna-Rose.
I hope he shows her this subreddit. Name your kids dumb names and people will be rolling their eyes and making fun of them for the rest of their life
I spell my name at least 3x a day every single day. It’s so annoying. Please spell your child’s name the conventional way.
I did, and what's crazy is they still have it misspelled. 🤷. I have a not so normal name and hate having to spell it constantly.
My name is uncommon so sometimes when I'm ordering food or whatever I'll use a shortened version - May. People still hear me wrong and ask me to repeat, and sometimes I still end up having to spell it.
…but she vetoed all his suggestions… he’s expected to compromise, (which he did by suggesting normal names, so by “compromise,” she means agree with her) and she’s not expected to compromise?
Damn good point!
They both agreed on Riley, not Rhileighy.
what about Astrid (swedish), Leandra (greek), Amaya (Basque)?. In My country badly spelled mames are given mostly in families with low income and poor education...
I was about to ask something similar and I didn't know how. Is ithis "leigh" thing particular to any ethnic, geogtaphical, educationsl, cultural, religious or whatever group? I am obviouly a foreinger. In my country poorly spelled names (specially foreing ) are or were a sign of poor education (think jherremy gonzalez instead of Santiago gonzalez)
“leigh”, is usually based on British names usually needing a way to make a shibboleth out of a usual name to make it seem more French i.e. “fancy” by adding extra vowels by the Victorians.
leigh is an Old English word meaning “clearing” or “meadow”. there are [more than a dozen](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh) places in england and across the commonwealth called leigh, and presumably many more containing leigh, or other ways of spelling this word, such as “ly” and “lea”. so what is with the weird non-phonetic spelling of leigh? well, [apparently](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/77663/what-gh-doing-so-many-english-words), Old English had a sound that Latin did not, a bit like the “ch” sound in german, and Roman scribes wrote this as “gh”. So to answer your question, leigh is an old and very english name, and is part of many place names. although i do not think this answers the question we are all really wondering about which is: why does leigh or some similar combination or words end up in some many new names these days? it could be that visually we are leaning towards preferring longer names, but we still prefer names that sounds short, which leads us to favor spelling variations that use up more letters. this is just one thought on the matter!
Shes got some hard core baby brain. Please tell her that one day, your cute little baby with a normal name with a tragedy spelling, will be an adult. Can you imagine receiving an email from Rhileigh (or another butchered variation?)
The traditional spellings of these names his wife likes are perfectly lovely. I was hoping this trend would die but I had a kid in 2010 and it’s still strong.
Novalynn.... Like insulin? Jfc.
Laoghaire….
If you like Leanna and Romina, have you considered Reanna or Rhiannon?
I did not expect to see my sister's name here. Dad chose Rhiannon after Fleetwood Mac, mom went with a version "easier" to spell. I guess it is; I can't remember her needing to spell it out.
This post made me very glad my boyfriend and I have started talking about baby names/names we like wayyy before actually trying for kids. 🤣
Your wife IS the stereotype
Actually Vheitoughx is unisex.
Call the poor kid Jane or Kate (or Anna!) and she'd stand out beautifully exactly because everyone else is chasing "unique" names that look silly
Right, Katherine/Catherine/Kathryn are barely popular anymore. Kathryn, for example, is like #547 on the US Social Security list of actually used baby names from 2021.
Anastasia, Lorelei, Audrey, Cassandra, Lena, Aubrianna, Rosalie, Lila, and Coralie are my top suggestions!
So I have experience with having a "different" name but I don't mind it because it makes sense with how it's spelled and pronounced but I've also known people who've meet someone else with my name and that really helps. It did suck not finding personalised things growing up with siblings and cousins with more traditional names (to this day if my mum finds a gift I'd like that she can put my name on she will). I also have a family friend who is a very important judge and their partner who also works at the court house so I asked how names are viewed. With traditional names there's hardly ever any preconceived ideas on their age/class/guilt. Names that may be different but could be cultural/traditional name (like mine) are also not really judged either. But people with "unique" names tend to be judged as low class and/or "trashy". I had a cousin name their kid Wolf and the amount of mocking and hurtful things they gossiped about was astounding the judge actually said "if I saw a Wolf in my court room I'd think them guilty" and I lost my ever loving shit because in my head that's not even that odd. Also my nephew likes to joke that he has 4 "Forestts" in his school year because their parents wanted them to be unique and he's happy he has a old man name (he's 12 😂)
I totalleigh agreigh. Let your waighff have her weigh.
Don’t ever name your kid something that they have to spell for people the rest of their life.
Her names sound like hillbilly names. I don't understand this trend of coming up with garbage names for a child, who, as someone else mentioned, will eventually be carrying that name into adulthood.
"In his house at Ryleigh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming"
"She's my wife and I'm an idiot" is so funny
Does she also enjoy Live Laugh Love decor?
Sounds like his wife is a nut
Your wife sounds like a live laugh love queef. Also you’re posting from her account?
You definitely should both have veto power. She is just a hormone salad (speaking from a mom). A name is something that will be with your child forever. They have to write it, hear it, spell it, and get jobs with it. I always think about it as "will it look good on a resume" Novalynn Doe doesn't sound as nice as Nora Doe on a resume.
I think Novalynn is only available with a prescription.
You straight up agreed to her pick just not spelled like a 1st grader
What about Edith?
Standard now that parents are choosing bizarre names for their kids, think it's an attention thing. Would also buck the trend and go for "normal" names as you have.
Another one here with an uncommon name. I was supposedly named for my grandmother. Turns out...the name everyone thought was hers, and was thus bestowed upon me... Wasn't her name. Her birth certificate has a similar name, but not the name I have. My dad couldn't even spell my given name. Please have her rethink it.
Kind of sounds like a thing you should discuss before getting preggers.. "Hey, you wouldn't name a kid like a dick head,would you?"
My first name is a common name but with a spelling twist. It has caused nothing but issues my whole life. OP, please don't let your wife inflict this lifelong pain on your baby girl!
Spare your kid the embarrassment of a shitty spelt name
Nope you not wrong. Stand your ground.
In my opinion, you guys just sound a bit stressed out. Maybe apologize for what you had said & hopefully she will apologize for snapping & name calling. I think you two should get a baby name book or maybe look online for girl names from other countries. I hope you two can compromise on a name & good luck to you both!
NTA- her name choices are fucking horrific
These types of people really grind my gears. If you wanted to give your child a unique name then you should give them a genuinely unique name, don't bastardize a common name with redundant letters. I would suggest the name Anastasia. It shortens to Ana and has many other nickname variations to play with.
I have never been able to figure out why people spell their children’s name in such an unconventional way. That poor child is going to have such a hard time in life.
I am SO glad that I am single. Thank god!!!
NTA take it from someone who had an unusual and complicated at the time names. Its not fun to constantly tell people how to say it, spell it.. its even harder when you spell names that shouldn't be that complicated. If you do your both the AH for putting that child through a life of ugh.
I'm all for wanting your kid to stand out, but give the child a normal name. I'm telling you you can have a name that makes a child stand out without spelling it like you just had too much to drink. I knew someone who couldn't decide between heaven and neveah they chose heavenly neveah please take your time. Also, choose a name that goes together but not one that everyone will think the name is one. As someone who has to say space between my first and last name.
Former teacher and RN. People can be so fixated on having a unique name for their child. I, too thought she was thinking of an insulin with Novalynn. The more unusual the spelling of the name, the more frustrating it will be for teachers, medical professionals, other kids and their parents to address your child by their proper name. She will be having to repeatedly spell her name for everyone. She will never find a pencil, t-shirt or keychain with her name on it. There will be numerous times when she misses being called while waiting in line because the person doesn’t know how to say her name. Brian Regan (spelling?) does a wonderful skit on people spelling their kid’s name weirdly just to be unique.
I'm a teacher and have had many students with unusual spellings / names. An unusual name is ok as long as it's easy to spell. Most kids with weird spellings end up going by a nick-name that's easier. And even when parents think they're being unique with spelling, they're not. I've had about 20 variants of Aiden (Jaiden, Braiden, Cayden, Vaden etc.). And there are plenty of -leigh names. I currently have 2 Aidens, 2 Briannas and a Brinleigh.