Unusual Names

[Holland Park]

Martin & Charlie Sheen, Jude Law, Marilyn Manson, Tom Cruise, Nic Cage and Jason Schwarzman are just a tiny sampling of actors/singers who use stage names - it's as prevalent now as ever. You just have to look at all the rapper-actors who still use their 'gangster' names on screen to see that: LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg...

It's actually probably more common now we have paparazzi around. If Charlie Sheen checks into a hotel, who's going to think of looking for Carlos Estevez?

[bruno2]

My dd's name is slightly unusual and I think its a real pain, she always gets called Kelly or Kayleigh or even Kiley, and even if they get the name right they spell it wrong ! dd gets really fed up with it and thats just her first name. So I suppose it can be a pain having a different name.

[TOOTSWEETS]

HI EVERYONE!!!!!
HAD TO COMMENT ON THIS POST AS MY DD'S FIRST NAME IS VERY UNUSUAL AND ALSO HAS A DOUBLE BARRELLED SURNAME AND I'VE GOT TO SAY I LOVE IT!!!!! I JUST LOVE UNUSUAL NAMES - EVEN IF PEOPLE DON'T PRONOUNCE IT RIGHT IT JUST MAKES THEM REMEMBER THAT SHE'S DIFFERENT!!!!! YOU CAN GET SO MANY PERSONALISED GIFTS ONLINE NOW TOO. X

[bruno2]

HI EVERYONE!!!!!
HAD TO COMMENT ON THIS POST AS MY DD'S FIRST NAME IS VERY UNUSUAL AND ALSO HAS A DOUBLE BARRELLED SURNAME AND I'VE GOT TO SAY I LOVE IT!!!!! I JUST LOVE UNUSUAL NAMES - EVEN IF PEOPLE DON'T PRONOUNCE IT RIGHT IT JUST MAKES THEM REMEMBER THAT SHE'S DIFFERENT!!!!! YOU CAN GET SO MANY PERSONALISED GIFTS ONLINE NOW TOO. X

Yep I know what you mean as your dd has a lovely name, but if for instance she is sitting in the doctors waiting room and receptionist calls out "Tamara your next", or even "Sally for short" completely wrong name but sounds similar. I think it becomes annoying. Doesnt it Nitpola !!!!

[aliceinwonderinc]

I have an extremely unusual last name - I'm actually pretty sure that my family are the only people in the world who have it, and although I haven't been around in the pro acting world long enough for it to have been any help, my mum says that she finds it really useful. Whenever she meets someone in her field of work they often recognise her name because it's so unusal, and are then really interested in her because they remember that she did X, Y and Z, which wouldn't be so easy if her name was Jane Jones or something!

[DancingQueen191]

I have a VERY common first name, but theres a few different ways of spelling it so some people get confused.
My surname is a different matter altogether!

It's a German surname, and it sounds a bit like the surname Russell, but everyone seems to get it wrong, even tho it's not that hard to pronounce. The worst person to get it wrong was my French teacher, it took her AGES and many explantions to get it right . Now, when she calls everyone else by their last names,she calls me by my first!
My middle name is different too, but it is Welesh, so I suppose in Wales its quite common.

[bruno2]

What is your middle name ? I'll let you know if its common in Wales.

[DancingQueen191]

my middle name is Rhian. (with an accent on the a)

[janine]

well im welsh too & had 3 Rhians in my class, many moons ago. But i think its lovely especially if said correctly!

[sparklymommy]

All of my children have unusual names, as do I myself and my sisters. However, what was unusual when we were named are now quite common so it doesn't always work. My daughter has a very unusual name and it does help. She is the only one everywhere she goes which means that when lists go up she's like Madonna in that she doesn't have to bother with her surname (which is shockingly normal!). All my children have unusual christian names but more normal middle names.

[It's Showtime]

I think if an unusual name or spelling, then you have to correct who says or spells it & you get it mentioned twice!! I always remember listening to an interview with Cliff Richard (showing my age now!) when he changeD his name (on advice from management) from Harry Webb to Cliff Richard. When his surname was mentioned in the early days, people would say Cliff Richards, so he could correct them to Richard. That way his name got mentioned twice! Hope that helps

[Mimi-cat]

We have a fairly normal surname but the amount of people who pronounce it incorrectly is amazing lol. I must admit I didnt want my kids to have ordinary names but I wouldn't pick anything like Shiloh Pitt (can you imagine if that gets put round the wrong way in the playground) so mine were fairly different at birth but now their names are becoming more common. I do think if you have an unusual name it sticks in the brain but you do have the disadvantage of people either spelling it incorrectly or not being able to pronounce it lol.

[igloobabe]

WE have the same problem - people are always adding a g or pronouncing it 'Hudson' . GRRRR.

[charlotterose]

Our Family is the only one in the world who has our last name so it is Very unusual- it is Irish and I love it
My first name is very common and so is my middle name but i think that outside of acting (I don't know about inside) people remember me because of my name, though they always pronounce it wrong.
So I think it is useful to have an unusual name as it does make you more memorable.