Since the above names are very popular, despite their supposed uniqueness, kids are likely to run into many other children whose names sound similar to theirs. While little Jayden’s parents didn’t want their son to be the fifth Michael or John in his class, he will actually likely be one of several boys whose names are modified forms of the name Aidan. Ironically, had his parents called him Michael or John, he might not have had any other kids in his class who shared his name or one that sounded very similar.
Something that these parents probably don’t think about when they are signing their children’s birth certificates is how these creative misspellings will make their kid's life difficult, and how they will make them and their children appear to others. For example, young Quixandra (pronounced ‘Kiss-an-dra’) is going to have to correct the pronunciation of her name for every single person she ever meets. People may assume that her parents and by extension Quixandra herself are less educated since it might seem that the parents apparently didn’t know how to spell the name “Cassandra.” Quixandra herself may also have a difficult time reconciling the English phonetic system with the spelling of her name, making learning to read and write more challenging than it might otherwise have been for her.
Another thing parents will sometimes do when giving their children names is to use some sort of noun. This often leads to names like “Apple,” “Jazz,” and “Boulder.” While these are familiar and usually correctly-spelled words, giving a child a name like this may be the cause of vicious teasing and bullying from their peers during childhood and adolescence.
One characteristic that all three of these types of names possess is that they often won’t translate well into adulthood. While a childish-sounding name might be an impediment in an adult’s social life, an ill-fitting name can do much more harm when it comes time for the person to look for a job.
For example, if a person has a strangely spelled name, an interviewer might be less likely to call them in for a job interview than they would be if the person had a more common name. Perhaps the interviewer isn’t sure how to pronounce the name and isn’t interested in making a fool of him or herself trying to puzzle it out over the phone.
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