Baby Names // Current

Jennifer Stone Has a Secret

The secrets of teen stars made it onto the cover of 'Tiger Beat,' which means they're... more

Conor_Knighton
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Couple wants to name their baby 4Real, can't, name him Superman

A New Zealnd couple wanted to name their baby 4Real, but the New Zealand government... more

nazbags
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4 months ago
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6 comments

Paltrow and Beckham in unoriginality shocker

Quirky names are not a product of the modern era, research by Ancestory.co.uk unveiled... more

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6 months ago
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Carrie Oakey and Hazel Nutt make list of "most unfortunate names."

Researchers from TheBabyWebsite.com have been digging through phone books and online... more

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9 months ago
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Worst celebrity baby names of 2008

Ever think that your parents saddled you with a strange name? Thinking about making... more

KCKate
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11 months ago
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Obama 'Obabies'

Newborns named after Obama, his wife or children after election

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Palin to name expected child 'Zamboni'

Loving hockey is a stereotype in Alaska, but is naming your child after the ice... more

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1 year ago
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Man names baby 'Sarah McCain Palin' behind wife's back

A Tennessee man couldn't give much to the McCain/Palin campaign, so he gave his... more

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1 year ago
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Traditional UK names 'dying out'

Some traditional British names such as Edna, Norman and Gertrude are in danger of... more

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Sweden relaxes rules on naming children

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Swedish authorities say parents can now name their newborns... more

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Your parents named you what? The pros and cons of unusual names

When you hear the name "Indiana Jones," you think of an archaeologist carrying an idol and dodging a giant boulder. When you hear about "Dow Jones," you might wonder if it's up or down that day. However, in this case, Indiana and Dow Jones are siblings, 12 and 7 years old, respectively.

Indiana Elizabeth Jones shared her story with the iReport community, and we spoke with her mother, Jennifer Jones. The Port Deposit, Maryland, resident says Indiana got her name simply because her husband's family is from that state. Dow and Indiana Jones participate in many sporting events. Indiana says, "announcers love to say our names."

As for Dow Joseph Jones, there was serious talk of naming him Jack Ryan Jones, to keep the Harrison Ford theme. (Jack Ryan is the character Ford played in a series of action movies.) Instead, her husband named their son Dow on a dare while Jennifer was asleep in the hospital bed after giving birth.

She said she cried when she found out and even thought about having Dow's name changed.

CNN.com asked users to share their unusual names after a 9-year-old New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii won the right to change her name. Dozens of members of iReport.com community explained the stories behind their odd names, as well as what they've experienced in their day-to-day lives.

Some names might not seem problematic until they're actually used on a daily basis. Open Weaver Banks of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey (speaking of odd names), says that she shared her story with iReport.com in hopes that parents would think twice before giving their children an unusual name.

Open is an unusual name, but it's not necessarily a name that one might expect to cause regular difficulties. Weaver Banks, however, says that she often has problems with it. iReport.com: Check out Banks' story

"I have a hard time using my credit cards for personal items, because clerks will accuse me of using a business card. I cannot tell my name to someone without having to explain it. Some days, it is exhausting, and I can't even disguise the annoyance in my voice."

Banks' childhood was "painful" because of her name, too. "I still give my mother a hard time about the name choice, and she tries to explain that she was young, she liked how it sounded, it was 1970 and various other reasons," she explains. "I actually tried going by another name for a year, and I realized that as much as I truly hate my name, it is embedded in me and so much a part of my experience." iReport.com: Read about more unusual names

Some people avoid the use of their name altogether to avoid questions, confusion or embarrassment. "At times, for the sake of avoiding an uncomfortable conversation or throwing someone off guard, I answer to the names of 'Mary' or 'Kelly'," says Bluzette Martin of West Allis, Wisconsin. At restaurants, "the thought of putting an employee through the pain of guessing how to spell and pronounce 'Bluzette' just isn't worth it to me."

Martin was named after "Bluzette," an up-tempo jazz waltz written by Jean "Toots" Thielemans. Despite her daily problems with this name, it certainly has its perks, like when she met Thielemans in 1987 at a club in Los Angeles. "When I met [him], he thanked my mother," she says.

She called her mother in the middle of the night and told her that she had a surprise for her. She gave the phone to Thielemans, and he started doing his famous whistling, to the tune of "Bluzette."

Even celebrities aren't immune to the use of unusual names. Take boxer George Foreman's children, all named George. (Or actor Jason Lee's son, Pilot Inspektor, or comedian Penn Jillette's daughter, Moxie CrimeFighter.) These are just-plain bizarre names.When you hear the name "Indiana Jones," you think of an archaeologist carrying an idol... more