My parents did the name thing with very common names (for me and my seven siblings). I find myself wishing I had a more uncommon name. You can only hear “Joe” so many times before it gets bland.
Good point. I hadn’t considered that perspective.
Same here. My mom always said that she chose names that wouldn't have to be spelled out over the telephone. She also thought a name should lend a certain dignity to its bearer. I've got no complaints.
When I first met my (future) wife, she told me that she'd had the name for her first daughter picked out for over a decade. I didn't argue with that, and when our daughter arrived, she was named Briagh (bree-ah). It's Scots Gaelic for 'fine, pleasant, or beautiful'.