Some parents decide to name their children in an unusual (for some particular time and place) way. While in many countries there are basically no boundaries, in Poland there exists the Polish Language Council – the official language regulating organ of the Polish language. One of their main responsibilities is to set standards for naming children and expressing views on non-standardized given names.
A fun fact. The list of possible given names that are valid to choose for a child in the Polish civil registry comes from a book from 1983. You can find it under the following link(starting from page 84):
http://www.rjp.pan.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1129&Itemid=58
It is interesting that on the list of possible names for children in Poland are those derived from Slavic, Jewish and Christian cultures as well as ancient ones. Possible names are for example: Dobiegniew, Ezechiel, Klemens, Apollo, Herakles, Demetria, Dioniza or Kleopatra.
Since then the Polish Language Council provided few additional documents that make this list even a bit longer, but the main set of names stays the same. It’s important to mention that all restrictions are valid only for children whose parents are both Polish.
Some of least popular names given in Poland in the last few years:
Girls:
· Aida
· Annabella
· Irina
· Karmen
· Ofelia
· Raisa
· Bernadeta
· Kamelia
Boys:
· Horacy
· January
· Lucjusz
· Modest
· Antoniusz
· Robin
· Anatol
· Rafael
Do you have an uncommon name? Would you mind if your name was more/less common?
Do you know many people with uncommon names?
What is the most extraordinary name of someone you know?
Would you give an uncommon name to your own child?
Comments
I wouldn't mind my name was more or less common. It would be interesting to have one but I don't think it would affect me so much. It is important to have a name that doesn't make you embarrassed. This is something that parent has to be careful about too, when deciding on more unique name.
I had a pleasure to meet a guy whos name was "Mieszko". It was pretty hilarious!
Other uncommon names that I've met people had were "Halszka", "Błażej", "Kunegunda", "Apolonia".
I would consider giving my child a name that is uncommon but it's not essential for me at this time.
Here is a site where parents made a poll so people could choose what their daughter would be named. I even voted on that. Anyway "Cthulu" was on the top for a very long time but eventually people chose the girl to be named Amelia Savannah Joy McLaughlin.
http://www.namemydaughter.com/pending.php
http://time.com/70292/internet-names-couples-baby/
And another case is about parents that named their son Adolf Hitler, "interesting" couple.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063487/Parents-named-children-Adolf-Hitler-Aryan-Nation-wont-receive-custody-newborn-son-Hons.html
I don't plan on having kids but supposedly I think that I would choose something that I would like but wouldn't give a child a boring (what every second child is called) name but I also wouldn't name it something really weird.
I have a friend whose second name is Regina. There was nothing wrong with that name for a long time... till they started to advertise toilet paper Regina in the TV. It was nightmare for her (in grammar school kids can be cruel) and it wasn't even her first name. On the other hand there was one Fortunata in the school and she was very popular :D
Sometimes there is no way to predict things... :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgUL3ut4gyQ
I know her from the movie Narnia which was in cinemas a couple of years ago. The track I sent you was my favourite.
For my whole life I meet people with uncommon names. I meet them often and it isn't something anything new for me. Some of more uncommon name like Bliżka or Aria. I think that people with most extraordinary names are the easier to remember.
I personally think my name is quite uncommon, I mean I hardly find anyone called Natalia :) What I really like. But I don't think it belongs to the "weird" list. So from this point of view I would like to call my child quite uncommon, but not getting things extreme ;)
My name, Tomasz, isn't really uncommon. Generally, I don't really care about it, if my parents had had a really good reason to name me with something weird, I would be okay with that.
Now I can recall only one person that I personally know and has a uncommon name, it's Cyryl. I really like this one, it's pretty unusual but still sounds great. Also the meaning of this one is interesting - everybody would probably want to be called "Lord" or "Master" (it origins from Greek I guess).
Anyway, I don't think the name is that important, it doesn't define ourselves, so if future mother of my child wants to call our child with the unusual name, I'll have nothing against that, until it's something meaningful and sounds well.
I don't know many people with uncommon names. At first time polish names were for me uncommon, but now not.
Yeah, I'd like to give a special not very popular name to my future child, I think it's very interesting to have such name.
Thanks for all the links!
And I think Aria could be pretty popular in school these days. If other children know what GoT is... I suppose they do.
It's tricky that the fashion is constantly changing. After the movie 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain' the name Amelia started to be very popular and stays in top10 for few years now.
I've met some people with strange names, the weirdest being Salomea Pia (both are names).
However, that's not even half as bad as naming your child with the names I've recently read about in a newspaper: in 2014, Polish people named their children Żyraf, Myszon or Jarzyna. I seriously think those people crossed a line; it's one thing to have an unusual name, but another if your name is clearly a joke.
I know only few people with uncommon names like "Kunegunda", "Konstanty".
Here you can read about most popular name given in Warsaw since 2004 and here you can check popularity of name in poland, even you can generate diagram of popularity and compare with other names :).
When my parents were naming me, Julia was a pretty uncommon name and for a long time I would be the only Julia among my friends, but now it has changed and this a very popular name.
My name is now 65th in popularity rank of names in Poland. I would say it's in the middle of the way between common and uncommon name.
Would you mind if your name was more/less common?
I notice duality in this question. Do I mind if I had the same name but it was less common xor I had other name which would already be uncommon one.
I like my name so I would stick to it, but I probably would mind if it became more common. I don't want to have popular name.
Do you know many people with uncommon names?
I know Nina, which is uncommon to me, but ranks say otherwise.
Would you give an uncommon name to your own child?
If I were living abroad sure I would, but in Poland I would probably give my child fairly uncommon but not weird name.
My boyfriend knows the guy, who is called " Łiliam Bonder"....;)
name as mine quite often.
I don't know a lot of people with uncommon names. The most unusualy named person I came across personally was Joy. But this wasn't really that surprising considering the fact that one of her parents was Amercian.
Would I give an uncommon name to my child? I'm not sure. Maybe, but first I would make sure that it doesn't sound stupid.
When you know why you want to name your child in some way, you know the meaning of the name, you have some personal connection to it, some story... then it's not just a name anymore.
does I know people with uncommon names? Of course, I know some of these people. I know Krzesimir and Kajetan and they never complained about their names.
In my opinion strange names are a problem for small children, adult with such a name is satisfied from it.
My name is totally common, even if it's not that important for me, I'd rather have more unique one. I haven't thought about that before, but I think I wouldn't give any usual name to my own child, but something too odd wouldn't be considered as well.
It's easier to remember person with less common name. However, there is a fine line between not very popular, the original name and the strange name. Parents should responsibly give their children names because they can expose them to unpleasant situations in childhood.