This is what I usually tell people. Kids are way more likely to accept a unique name nowadays than adults are, and a kid with a unique name won't necessarily be bullied for it!
This. I cannot imagine that if they were face to face with a person named Birklee or baby Neveah that they would utter half the cruelty in these comments. It’s really sad. The cruelest people are indeed on this sub and not in the elementary school’s.
Couldn’t agree more!
I am a cisgender woman who has a masculine name (though it is technically unisex). Growing up, other children were rarely judgemental. It was ALWAYS adults who made a thing of it.
Now I am remembering a girl I went to elementary school named Scott. I remember a particular sub who would not believe that she was Scott, but none of the kids had a problem with it. (As an adult I do wonder about her parents, though)
I also work with kids and don't hear name bullying. It might happen, but not often. Even when kids talk about people they know, no one giggles or asks questions or anything. The biggest thing I've heard is someone was talking about dating someone and they have the same name, with a different spelling. It was like Charlee and Charlie, and the other kids were all like "oooh, when you get married, you'll have the same name, how cute!" (But they're like 14, they're probably not getting married.)
I completely agree. Adults tell people that “oh, kids are gonna make fun of/bully your kid if you name them that.” Kids are way more accepting than adults. Sure, there’s kids that bully others but most of the time, it’s not over a name. I think one of the reasons why people say things like that is just because they personally don’t like the name so they try to convince the parents to change the name.
Right bullies will use a name, but it's not why they bully someone. I have such a basic name (Amanda) and there were kids that made fun of my name "A man, duh!" But I haven't heard kids make fun of names in forever. Some of the kids I work with have questioned my name bc apparently there is a horror game with a character of the same name, but they drop it pretty quick.
But anyway, everytime I see grown ass people on here criticizing names so harshly I'm just flabbergasted.
I know, me too. It’s irritating because people criticize names so harshly through a screen but wouldn’t in person. It’s okay to have opinions on certain names but there’s a way to go about it. I’ve seen people say “you shouldn’t have kids if you name your kid that.” Like??? The same people who say those things are the same people who’ll name their kids after a disease or something.
Growing up the taunt was “Michael Michael motorcycle. Turn the key and watch him pee”
Made no sense, but I couldn’t agree more that it’s not only unique names that could be made fun of.
My name is Michael and somehow the “turn the key and watch him pee” part is new to me. I’m laughing now but I’m glad people around me didn’t know it when I was a kid.
Thanawat **😇✅**
Butt 😠😂🫵
I agree with your post. Kids can be *really* unpredictable: They always surprise me with how open-minded and accepting they are. And kid bullies are always gonna find a way to be cruel, regardless if the someone's name is Michael or Marzipan.
I've worked with kids (taught preschool/early years) and I've had 4 kids of my own. I've never heard kids making fun of each others names. I'm not saying I've never seen bullying happen, just that in my experience it's usually older kids, and they don't pick their victim based on their name.
I have a really weird name, I got bullied 30 odd years ago, but it was never about my name. I got bullied because I was a weird kid who didn't know how to read social cues, and spent top much time reading novels instead of interacting with my classmates.
My whole life, never did I see anyone get bullied for their name. Kids would turn other kids’ names into mean things, but it was just because they were making fun of the kid, not the name. Kids are creative. They can work poop or farts or butt into anyone’s name.
When my kid was learning to read, he came across the name ‘Lisa’ and pronounced it ‘Liss-ah’. I corrected him, and he said ‘Lees-ah? That’s a weird name!’
His class was full of Avas and Olivias and Hadleys. He’d never met a Lisa.
I think this is true! My kids school is very ethnically diverse so the kids are used to their friends having names that are different from the standard Western fare and so they don’t seem to think much of kids having all kinds of different names. It’s definitely the adults going “what kind of name is Brixlee?!” Or my boomer parents mispronouncing/making fun of the ethnically diverse names 🤦♀️🤦♀️
Same! I grew up and currently live in a diverse city, so as a child and as an adult, I encounter a lot of unique names — ethnically unique, or unique spellings, or completely new/modern names. I’m sure I’ve come across some names that have surprised me at first, but my first inclination wouldn’t be to make fun of it or gasp with horror “what kind of name is that?”
If anything, I’m curious about the name and I’d love to learn about it more, even names such as “Neighvy” or “Brixlee” that get dragged a lot.
Speaking of made up names: No one would raise their eyebrows at the name “Miranda,” but Shakespeare completely made it up based on a Latin word “mirandus.” Before he came along, the name “Miranda” didn’t really exist.
When my siblings and I were in school, we got made fun of a LOT for our names. While I was a teacher, there was kids who got made fun of a LOT for their names. It does happen a lot in some places. Definitely not everywhere but it does happen a lot.
I never really understood that. I mean, unique names are becoming common, so it should be almost normal by now. But I'm pretty lax when it comes to names, because my brother went to school with a kid named cocaine, so...
I agree. Kids don’t know what names are weird or not. I remember growing up with a kid who went by Brook, which was is middle name. His first name was something classic, think James. We only heard it during attendance at school and he was only ever teased for his “old fashioned” first name, not the potentially girly name he went by. I fully thought Brook was a male or unisex name until I was a teenager.
They definitely exist! I think (objectively) it works well as a male name. But if someone came on here asking about Brook for a boy, I think a lot of responses would be about how they’d be teased for having a girl name!
Believe it or not, bullies less likely to bully each other in front of adults...and even other kids.
When I was a kid, people did it all the time. I doubt things changed that much.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I was also a kid once. Kids made fun of my basic name when I was younger, but they weren't bullying because of the name, they were bullying because they were little jerks. I have heard kids bully each other many many times and it was never about the other kid's name.
Maybe its just the area I was raised in, but the kids (me included) with less common names 100% got made fun of for it. Kids with common names did not get the same treatment.
Interestingly, a lot of people on this sub hear "kids" and think "young kids", when that's really not the real worry. Of course second graders don't know that a girl named Liam is weird, but Liam's meaner peers will be not-so-subtly sneering behind her back in high school. Five year olds wouldn't even think twice about a boy named Gurklee, but if Gurklee's "friends" are laughing to his face in eighth grade, that's not something his parents really have any right to be surprised about.
Sure, young children are innocent, and of course I wished they stayed that way, but they don't. Children grow up, and while they do, they go through a super nasty tween/teen phase. I made it to sixth grade before the mean girls starting noticing my name, and in high school I knew a girl named Killian who was consistently excluded because she was seen as "weird" for having a boy's name. My sister is still in high school, and the current "name bullying" victim is Kcayla. The kids just think the spelling is humorous, I guess. Luckily they're not *too* mean, but I'd have to imagine the situation has made Kcayla self-conscious about her name.
Middle and high school are hard enough. If you want to give your kid an out-of-the-ordinary name, that's your prerogative. However, it's not entirely unreasonable to lose a tad bit of respect for someone who names their kid "Dancer" with the justification that "eight year olds don't know what's weird".
Of course little kids will bully anyone and anything that catches their eye, but teenage bullies tend to be more tactical. They know to go for things that are unusual about a person, and given that names are SO personal, "name bullying" is a lot worse than bullying about clothes or what boy you like. It sticks with you.
TL;DR - "kids" really means "teenagers". If you think teenagers won't bully kids with weird names, respectfully, you probably don't know teenagers as well as you think you do.
_TL;DR - "kids" really means "teenagers". If you think teenagers won't bully kids with weird names, respectfully, you probably don't know teenagers as well as you think you do._
Thank you!
It's ridiculous that there are people in this sub so tone deaf they insist their personal experience equals everyone else's personal experience. They fail to understand that the implications of having an off kilter name begin in the older tween and teen years when kids start to understand the social implications of standing out in ways that can be perceived as negative in greater society. It's not the six year olds who are making fun of someone's name. It's the kids aged 12+.
My parents did the boys name on a girl thing for me with my first name, unfortunately. When I was little the social implications of this flew over my peers heads. Little kids don't have broad social awareness. By the time my classmates and I were young teens I was getting shit about being a girl with a boy's name and that continued into high school.
I see what you're saying about anecdotal evidence but I feel like you are also doing that. Your experience is not the same as other people's either and there are other comments on this post from people with boy names on a girl who had the opposite experience as you. I will recognize it may be different in different geographical areas but I have spent a lot of time around teens and preteens when I was growing up, but also in the last few years (in schools where I've heard a lot of bullying unfortunately) and again, I've truly not heard a lot of name related teasing at all, but when I have it was just an added bonus to other teasing and the name did not have to be unique in any way. When I was a teen there was a guy people called "Lee the Flea" and a few months ago I heard something like "imagine being named David"
_but I have spent a lot of time around teens and preteens when I was growing up, but also in the last few years (in schools where I've heard a lot of bullying unfortunately) and again, I've truly not heard a lot of name related teasing at all, but when I have it was just an added bonus to other teasing and the name did not have to be unique in any way._
So what you're saying is because you don't have first hand knowledge of it happening, then it doesn't happen...right?
You're missing the point.
People here who haven't witnessed this behavior assume somehow those who have are less credible. Oh, no people never get teased or harassed for their names... The name isn't the cause for teasing or negative comments, it's really the fault of the person with the name for engaging in behavior that draws bullies to them. It's their fault. They're asking for it..and it's never about the name. 😒
This the umpteenth thread on this subject to pop up here and it always works the same way.
When I said kids I meant all ages of kids. I work with kids ages 6-18. I was a pre-teen and teen. And my daughter is a pre-teen almost teen with a unique name like most of her friends. I'm not saying kids won't make fun of a name, but I've almost always experienced any name teasing as just an added way to make fun of a kid they are already bullying in other ways. And in those cases they are just as likely to make fun of a "normal" name.
I’m sorry, my experiences just directly contradict yours. A high school student with a unique name, in my experiences, will be judged and/or excluded by the kids with normal names. It’s not always direct bullying, but it creates a pre-conceived notion in the bullies’ heads that the kid is weird.
I know kids will bully for anything they want, but sharks will eat anything they want. Just as I’m not naming my daughter Frank, I’m not covering my kid in chum and taking them to swim past the buoys.
I’m immensely happy that your tween has had a positive experience so far, and I hope it’ll stay that way during her teen/high school years.
It may also be worth clarifying that I’m talking about noticeably odd names, not names that sound normal but happen to rank low.
small kids dont have the same social awareness so they might not realise when a name is considered lame or quirky. rather they might think its interesting. id say they start making fun of names around middle school
Yes! And especially if your kids are growing up in a diverse city, they will hear all kinds of names. My son has never once mentioned anything about a kid’s name.
Yes! I have made similar comments a few times recently.
I have never heard my kids (or their friends) make fun of other kids' names.
They have no idea that the wonky spellings aren't the traditional spellings.
It makes me feel like a weird bully myself for talking about kids' names.
All names are made up; we're just seeing a fresh batch and young children don't know the difference.
100% agree with this! I grew up with quite a few unique named kids but I didn’t realize their names were unique until I became an adult because I never questioned it. My name is a masculine name, not normal for a female to have, and I never had anyone make fun of it either.
In my experience, little kids just accept names. They have no preconceptions or frame of reference for what a “weird” name might be.
Older kids, though, pre-teens and teens…it can get ugly. It doesn’t necessarily relate to “weird” names. But if a kid wants to tease another kid, they will use whatever is handy. It might be anything, but a name that rhymes with an insult or “funny” or “gross” word will get used if it’s there. I had kids make fun of me because my mother’s *initials* sounded like slang for poop.
Also, if a name has cultural references, it can get used. I knew an Annie who was always getting asked if she was an orphan. Just completely dumb stuff.
But I definitely would not assume that an adult’s feeling about a name will have any bearing on how little kids wil take it.
I commented something like this a few times. Kids don't question names, they are all valid to them. Most names are still unknown/new to them, a unique name is just one more new name. And you're correct that it's usually parents/adults.
That's what I said! If a child makes fun of another child for their name then they heard an adult do it and learned from them. Everyone in my family told my parents I (and both of my siblings) would be massively bullied and it never happened. I was the only one in my class with my name and teachers mispronounced it constantly but no child ever made fun of my name. Ever. Middle school and high school included. I hate how brutal and judgmental people can be about an individual's name.
Well to kids, all names outside of their family home are new to them. They have no frame of reference as to what is weird, unique, old fashioned, made-up etc. They are just their classmates names and they accept them as just a matter of fact.
In elementary school I had a classmate with the initials GAG, and there were a few students who directed some light teasing towards her for that. It wasn't anything serious though, just kids having fun getting on each others nerves. I haven't seen any actual mean-spirited treatment of others because of a name though.
I work with kids, and none of them ever bat an eye at their classmate Joaquin. They ask what a friend's name is, check that they heard it right, and start calling them by it whether it's Mark or Midge (nickname, but still works), even when they're a bit harder for them to say. If a kid is making fun of a name, it's probably because they learned that behavior from somewhere, not always their parents, but somewhere.
I think part of the reason kids don't think 'unusual' names are weird is because EVERYTHING is new to them, so it's not particularly weird for a name to be new or different
I also grew up with an 'unusual' name, and no kid ever really said anything bad about it, besides maybe an occasional 'that's weird' but that was really it. In fact, it was my classmates who corrected our substitutes on the right way to say my name
I remember being teased by 2 boys in 1st grade. They were taunting me by calling me a name that semi rhymed with my name. Both my name and the name they were calling me were completely normal names. I was distraught and in tears. Kids will find anything to tease each other and will get upset by the smallest thing.
This is what I usually tell people. Kids are way more likely to accept a unique name nowadays than adults are, and a kid with a unique name won't necessarily be bullied for it!
Kids don’t make fun of the names but the adults do. Some of the huge nerds of this sub are absolutely brutal about names.
I know and it always bothers me so much!
This. I cannot imagine that if they were face to face with a person named Birklee or baby Neveah that they would utter half the cruelty in these comments. It’s really sad. The cruelest people are indeed on this sub and not in the elementary school’s.
Couldn’t agree more! I am a cisgender woman who has a masculine name (though it is technically unisex). Growing up, other children were rarely judgemental. It was ALWAYS adults who made a thing of it.
Now I am remembering a girl I went to elementary school named Scott. I remember a particular sub who would not believe that she was Scott, but none of the kids had a problem with it. (As an adult I do wonder about her parents, though)
I also work with kids and don't hear name bullying. It might happen, but not often. Even when kids talk about people they know, no one giggles or asks questions or anything. The biggest thing I've heard is someone was talking about dating someone and they have the same name, with a different spelling. It was like Charlee and Charlie, and the other kids were all like "oooh, when you get married, you'll have the same name, how cute!" (But they're like 14, they're probably not getting married.)
I completely agree. Adults tell people that “oh, kids are gonna make fun of/bully your kid if you name them that.” Kids are way more accepting than adults. Sure, there’s kids that bully others but most of the time, it’s not over a name. I think one of the reasons why people say things like that is just because they personally don’t like the name so they try to convince the parents to change the name.
Right bullies will use a name, but it's not why they bully someone. I have such a basic name (Amanda) and there were kids that made fun of my name "A man, duh!" But I haven't heard kids make fun of names in forever. Some of the kids I work with have questioned my name bc apparently there is a horror game with a character of the same name, but they drop it pretty quick. But anyway, everytime I see grown ass people on here criticizing names so harshly I'm just flabbergasted.
I know, me too. It’s irritating because people criticize names so harshly through a screen but wouldn’t in person. It’s okay to have opinions on certain names but there’s a way to go about it. I’ve seen people say “you shouldn’t have kids if you name your kid that.” Like??? The same people who say those things are the same people who’ll name their kids after a disease or something.
Growing up the taunt was “Michael Michael motorcycle. Turn the key and watch him pee” Made no sense, but I couldn’t agree more that it’s not only unique names that could be made fun of.
You just unlocked a memory!! Why and how is that universal? Lol
I’m more impressed that silly things like that got around without the internet. Just kids talking to each other… word of mouth.
My name is Michael and somehow the “turn the key and watch him pee” part is new to me. I’m laughing now but I’m glad people around me didn’t know it when I was a kid.
Thanawat **😇✅** Butt 😠😂🫵 I agree with your post. Kids can be *really* unpredictable: They always surprise me with how open-minded and accepting they are. And kid bullies are always gonna find a way to be cruel, regardless if the someone's name is Michael or Marzipan.
I've worked with kids (taught preschool/early years) and I've had 4 kids of my own. I've never heard kids making fun of each others names. I'm not saying I've never seen bullying happen, just that in my experience it's usually older kids, and they don't pick their victim based on their name. I have a really weird name, I got bullied 30 odd years ago, but it was never about my name. I got bullied because I was a weird kid who didn't know how to read social cues, and spent top much time reading novels instead of interacting with my classmates.
My whole life, never did I see anyone get bullied for their name. Kids would turn other kids’ names into mean things, but it was just because they were making fun of the kid, not the name. Kids are creative. They can work poop or farts or butt into anyone’s name.
Kids don’t know something is “weird” until they’re told so a lot of the time
When my kid was learning to read, he came across the name ‘Lisa’ and pronounced it ‘Liss-ah’. I corrected him, and he said ‘Lees-ah? That’s a weird name!’ His class was full of Avas and Olivias and Hadleys. He’d never met a Lisa.
I think this is true! My kids school is very ethnically diverse so the kids are used to their friends having names that are different from the standard Western fare and so they don’t seem to think much of kids having all kinds of different names. It’s definitely the adults going “what kind of name is Brixlee?!” Or my boomer parents mispronouncing/making fun of the ethnically diverse names 🤦♀️🤦♀️
Same! I grew up and currently live in a diverse city, so as a child and as an adult, I encounter a lot of unique names — ethnically unique, or unique spellings, or completely new/modern names. I’m sure I’ve come across some names that have surprised me at first, but my first inclination wouldn’t be to make fun of it or gasp with horror “what kind of name is that?” If anything, I’m curious about the name and I’d love to learn about it more, even names such as “Neighvy” or “Brixlee” that get dragged a lot. Speaking of made up names: No one would raise their eyebrows at the name “Miranda,” but Shakespeare completely made it up based on a Latin word “mirandus.” Before he came along, the name “Miranda” didn’t really exist.
When my siblings and I were in school, we got made fun of a LOT for our names. While I was a teacher, there was kids who got made fun of a LOT for their names. It does happen a lot in some places. Definitely not everywhere but it does happen a lot.
Kids learn to bully from the adults in their lives
I never really understood that. I mean, unique names are becoming common, so it should be almost normal by now. But I'm pretty lax when it comes to names, because my brother went to school with a kid named cocaine, so...
I agree. Kids don’t know what names are weird or not. I remember growing up with a kid who went by Brook, which was is middle name. His first name was something classic, think James. We only heard it during attendance at school and he was only ever teased for his “old fashioned” first name, not the potentially girly name he went by. I fully thought Brook was a male or unisex name until I was a teenager.
The singer Brook Benton was a man. That was just his stage name, but still!
I know a male Brook. 🤷🏻♀️
They definitely exist! I think (objectively) it works well as a male name. But if someone came on here asking about Brook for a boy, I think a lot of responses would be about how they’d be teased for having a girl name!
Believe it or not, bullies less likely to bully each other in front of adults...and even other kids. When I was a kid, people did it all the time. I doubt things changed that much.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I was also a kid once. Kids made fun of my basic name when I was younger, but they weren't bullying because of the name, they were bullying because they were little jerks. I have heard kids bully each other many many times and it was never about the other kid's name.
Maybe its just the area I was raised in, but the kids (me included) with less common names 100% got made fun of for it. Kids with common names did not get the same treatment.
Interestingly, a lot of people on this sub hear "kids" and think "young kids", when that's really not the real worry. Of course second graders don't know that a girl named Liam is weird, but Liam's meaner peers will be not-so-subtly sneering behind her back in high school. Five year olds wouldn't even think twice about a boy named Gurklee, but if Gurklee's "friends" are laughing to his face in eighth grade, that's not something his parents really have any right to be surprised about. Sure, young children are innocent, and of course I wished they stayed that way, but they don't. Children grow up, and while they do, they go through a super nasty tween/teen phase. I made it to sixth grade before the mean girls starting noticing my name, and in high school I knew a girl named Killian who was consistently excluded because she was seen as "weird" for having a boy's name. My sister is still in high school, and the current "name bullying" victim is Kcayla. The kids just think the spelling is humorous, I guess. Luckily they're not *too* mean, but I'd have to imagine the situation has made Kcayla self-conscious about her name. Middle and high school are hard enough. If you want to give your kid an out-of-the-ordinary name, that's your prerogative. However, it's not entirely unreasonable to lose a tad bit of respect for someone who names their kid "Dancer" with the justification that "eight year olds don't know what's weird". Of course little kids will bully anyone and anything that catches their eye, but teenage bullies tend to be more tactical. They know to go for things that are unusual about a person, and given that names are SO personal, "name bullying" is a lot worse than bullying about clothes or what boy you like. It sticks with you. TL;DR - "kids" really means "teenagers". If you think teenagers won't bully kids with weird names, respectfully, you probably don't know teenagers as well as you think you do.
_TL;DR - "kids" really means "teenagers". If you think teenagers won't bully kids with weird names, respectfully, you probably don't know teenagers as well as you think you do._ Thank you! It's ridiculous that there are people in this sub so tone deaf they insist their personal experience equals everyone else's personal experience. They fail to understand that the implications of having an off kilter name begin in the older tween and teen years when kids start to understand the social implications of standing out in ways that can be perceived as negative in greater society. It's not the six year olds who are making fun of someone's name. It's the kids aged 12+. My parents did the boys name on a girl thing for me with my first name, unfortunately. When I was little the social implications of this flew over my peers heads. Little kids don't have broad social awareness. By the time my classmates and I were young teens I was getting shit about being a girl with a boy's name and that continued into high school.
I see what you're saying about anecdotal evidence but I feel like you are also doing that. Your experience is not the same as other people's either and there are other comments on this post from people with boy names on a girl who had the opposite experience as you. I will recognize it may be different in different geographical areas but I have spent a lot of time around teens and preteens when I was growing up, but also in the last few years (in schools where I've heard a lot of bullying unfortunately) and again, I've truly not heard a lot of name related teasing at all, but when I have it was just an added bonus to other teasing and the name did not have to be unique in any way. When I was a teen there was a guy people called "Lee the Flea" and a few months ago I heard something like "imagine being named David"
_but I have spent a lot of time around teens and preteens when I was growing up, but also in the last few years (in schools where I've heard a lot of bullying unfortunately) and again, I've truly not heard a lot of name related teasing at all, but when I have it was just an added bonus to other teasing and the name did not have to be unique in any way._ So what you're saying is because you don't have first hand knowledge of it happening, then it doesn't happen...right?
Right before that I literally said we all have different anecdotal evidence so no I am not saying that.
You're missing the point. People here who haven't witnessed this behavior assume somehow those who have are less credible. Oh, no people never get teased or harassed for their names... The name isn't the cause for teasing or negative comments, it's really the fault of the person with the name for engaging in behavior that draws bullies to them. It's their fault. They're asking for it..and it's never about the name. 😒 This the umpteenth thread on this subject to pop up here and it always works the same way.
Respectfully, I think you're missing the point. In no way did I ever say any of that. But I apologize if it came across that way.
When I said kids I meant all ages of kids. I work with kids ages 6-18. I was a pre-teen and teen. And my daughter is a pre-teen almost teen with a unique name like most of her friends. I'm not saying kids won't make fun of a name, but I've almost always experienced any name teasing as just an added way to make fun of a kid they are already bullying in other ways. And in those cases they are just as likely to make fun of a "normal" name.
I’m sorry, my experiences just directly contradict yours. A high school student with a unique name, in my experiences, will be judged and/or excluded by the kids with normal names. It’s not always direct bullying, but it creates a pre-conceived notion in the bullies’ heads that the kid is weird. I know kids will bully for anything they want, but sharks will eat anything they want. Just as I’m not naming my daughter Frank, I’m not covering my kid in chum and taking them to swim past the buoys. I’m immensely happy that your tween has had a positive experience so far, and I hope it’ll stay that way during her teen/high school years. It may also be worth clarifying that I’m talking about noticeably odd names, not names that sound normal but happen to rank low.
small kids dont have the same social awareness so they might not realise when a name is considered lame or quirky. rather they might think its interesting. id say they start making fun of names around middle school
Yes! And especially if your kids are growing up in a diverse city, they will hear all kinds of names. My son has never once mentioned anything about a kid’s name.
Yes! I have made similar comments a few times recently. I have never heard my kids (or their friends) make fun of other kids' names. They have no idea that the wonky spellings aren't the traditional spellings. It makes me feel like a weird bully myself for talking about kids' names. All names are made up; we're just seeing a fresh batch and young children don't know the difference.
I also work with kids in a school and they definitely don't focus on names/bully with names like they use to when I was a kid in school.
100% agree with this! I grew up with quite a few unique named kids but I didn’t realize their names were unique until I became an adult because I never questioned it. My name is a masculine name, not normal for a female to have, and I never had anyone make fun of it either.
In my experience, little kids just accept names. They have no preconceptions or frame of reference for what a “weird” name might be. Older kids, though, pre-teens and teens…it can get ugly. It doesn’t necessarily relate to “weird” names. But if a kid wants to tease another kid, they will use whatever is handy. It might be anything, but a name that rhymes with an insult or “funny” or “gross” word will get used if it’s there. I had kids make fun of me because my mother’s *initials* sounded like slang for poop. Also, if a name has cultural references, it can get used. I knew an Annie who was always getting asked if she was an orphan. Just completely dumb stuff. But I definitely would not assume that an adult’s feeling about a name will have any bearing on how little kids wil take it.
I commented something like this a few times. Kids don't question names, they are all valid to them. Most names are still unknown/new to them, a unique name is just one more new name. And you're correct that it's usually parents/adults.
That's what I said! If a child makes fun of another child for their name then they heard an adult do it and learned from them. Everyone in my family told my parents I (and both of my siblings) would be massively bullied and it never happened. I was the only one in my class with my name and teachers mispronounced it constantly but no child ever made fun of my name. Ever. Middle school and high school included. I hate how brutal and judgmental people can be about an individual's name.
Well to kids, all names outside of their family home are new to them. They have no frame of reference as to what is weird, unique, old fashioned, made-up etc. They are just their classmates names and they accept them as just a matter of fact.
In elementary school I had a classmate with the initials GAG, and there were a few students who directed some light teasing towards her for that. It wasn't anything serious though, just kids having fun getting on each others nerves. I haven't seen any actual mean-spirited treatment of others because of a name though.
I work with kids, and none of them ever bat an eye at their classmate Joaquin. They ask what a friend's name is, check that they heard it right, and start calling them by it whether it's Mark or Midge (nickname, but still works), even when they're a bit harder for them to say. If a kid is making fun of a name, it's probably because they learned that behavior from somewhere, not always their parents, but somewhere. I think part of the reason kids don't think 'unusual' names are weird is because EVERYTHING is new to them, so it's not particularly weird for a name to be new or different
I also grew up with an 'unusual' name, and no kid ever really said anything bad about it, besides maybe an occasional 'that's weird' but that was really it. In fact, it was my classmates who corrected our substitutes on the right way to say my name
I remember being teased by 2 boys in 1st grade. They were taunting me by calling me a name that semi rhymed with my name. Both my name and the name they were calling me were completely normal names. I was distraught and in tears. Kids will find anything to tease each other and will get upset by the smallest thing.