What I do want is a name that is unique and sounds dignified without being “laughable”. What I do NOT want is a name that is so different, it takes a lifetime to get used to. My mother did that to me and I fuss with her about it to this day (I’m almost 34). She named me Zebrena Nanzet (which is a variation of Sabrina Nanzette), which she says she found in a baby book in the late 60s. No matter how much emphasis I put on pronouncing the ‘Z’ in my first name, people have already started spelling Sabrina. Let me just tell you that I have been cursed with spelling my name everywhere I go. And I do mean everywhere.

We believe you. Poor thing. Having a perfectly normal middle name like Nanzette spelled so strangely.