What's so wrong about making up a new name for a baby, or choosing one that is uncommon?

[weirdo]

That's how names came to be, by people making them up. While I admit, some names are ridiculous, like a woman naming her kid "Hashtag," why do some people shun names just because they're unusual? Just because something's unusual doesn't mean it's bad, but a lot of people seem to be confusing the two. Unusual can sometimes be very beautiful, and common can sometimes be horrid. Parents need to be teaching their children to accept what's different, and maybe then not as many kids would be bullied for something as silly as their name. Whether or not you like a name shouldn't depend on if you've heard it before, but rather how it truly sounds to you. That's what I think.
Joseph C.- Did you not read what I said? Not all made up names are going to sound anything like 'Lashadaonka-Marrone'

[petitestew738]

Amen!
Depends what the name is though

[Joseph C.]

Because 'Lashadaonka-Marrone' is not a name. It's a crime against humanity.

[bravesnake978]

I completely agree.

[Angela]

I'm not sure what your question is here?... There is nothing wrong with it. But, people are people and everyone has feelings and opinions and they aren't always going to be the same as other people's. I think what you're talking about has less to do with what people are really thinking and more to do with how they're reacting on those thoughts...? You can't please everyone.

[Turquoise]

I think that this would make sense if people were at all reasonable but they're unfortunately not. They'd go for some incredibly wacky name like the example you used - Hashtag. That's why originality is shunned - because people can't seem to wrap their heads around what is unusual and acceptable versus what is unusual and utterly ridiculous by others' standards. I think making up names is a wonderful route to go but only if you've considered what could go wrong with that name - perhaps spelling or pronunciation or god knows what else. As long as you are confident in your own decision, the name will be fine. The "common" names of today are those that have survived the trials that time presents and the ridicule that surely accompanied them at their beginnings. Those are the reasons that classic names are beautiful too, in their own way.

[Elizabeth G.]

A made-up name can add unnecessary headaches to your child's life when people misspell it, mispronounce it, can't tell their gender from their name, and so on. It can also give the impression that they come from a lower-class and/or less educated background, which can cause people to make negative assumptions that they then have an uphill battle to overcome.

There's nothing wrong with uncommon names per se, but if the name is TOO uncommon (i.e. totally unfamiliar to most people) it can have the same problems as a made-up name.

[Kay]

There is nothing wrong with it per se, but you have to keep in mind a child is going to be saddled with your creative naming experiment for life. Including some very insecure formative years when all they want to do is fit in, not stand out because their name is bizarre to everyone. Not because people are necessarily bullying, but because they haven't heard it before, and are constantly asking how to pronounce it, how to spell it, and how they came to be named that in the first place. Believe me, your son Zorco is going to wish he was Bill or Charlie or Joe a thousand times just so Zorco doesn't become a topic of conversation with every intrigued new person he meets.
I would save the made up names or very unique ones for pets.