Pros and Cons of Unusual Baby Names

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pamela-redmond-satran/unusual-names-why----and_b_333282.html

Unusual baby names are becoming more and more common not just in America. Chinese parents are using unconventional combinations of letters, numbers and symbols for their children's names, such as 1A, or the @ symbol. Many European countries restrict the possible names for children, but in Belgium, where there are no restrictions, over half of children receive unique names such as Testimony and Cherub. 

Most modern studies find that children with unusual names do as well as others in school and with peers. Martin Ford, a developmental psychologist claims that the probability of an unusual name having a positive effect on a child's development is as likely as that of it having a negative effect. Authors of Bad Baby Names claim that children named Ima Muskrat and Happy Day were less distressed by their names than they were proud of standing out in a crowd. 

According to psychologist Brett Pelham, your associations with your own name can influence your life through what career you choose, where you live, etc. For instance, people named Georgia are more likely to become geologists, move to Atlanta, and marry men named George than they are to make choices less connected with their names. People with very unusual or unique names may not have these cultural associations, which could be seen as an advantage or disadvantage.