Having an odd name could also make it less likely that a person would even be considered for that position in the first place. Pronunciation issues aside, many names that parents give their children just aren’t professional-sounding, or are unfortunately associated with professions parents probably wouldn’t be too thrilled about their kids entering. For example, “Candy” and “Bubbles” are more likely to evoke “Joe Schmoe’s Gentlemen’s Club” rather than “Darvish, Fisk, and Rottler, Attorneys at Law.” Businesses need to maintain a certain level of professionalism with their staff, and this can often be extended to their employees’ names.
As can be expected, children with unique names also stand a good chance of disliking the name their parents gave them. Many parents respond to this by saying that once they’re adults, their children can change their names if they don’t like them. While changing one’s name is a possibility, it is not one that many 18-year-olds can feasibly accomplish. Legally changing one’s name can be time-consuming and expensive, and usually requires going to court. Not many teenagers can afford that, especially if they are in college or living on their own.
Even if the person manages to get his or her name changed, much of the damage has already been done by spending 18 years saddled with a moniker likely made fun of by peers and that had to constantly be spelled or pronounced. All of this can be deeply humiliating, and those experiences stay with a person for life.
Many parents who give their children these names say that they do so in order to make their kids more unique. Uniqueness, however, can be a significant burden in children’s lives, so parents should consider the uniqueness aspect itself. Thousands of parents give their children similarly “distinctive” names. If so many different people are doing the same thing, is it really unique anymore? And if these kinds of names aren’t actually truly unique, what positive purpose is there in giving them to children?
Article comments