If there is one thing that surrounds all of us in our daily lives, it is names. Not only does every human have a name, but places, landmarks, animals, and even our vehicles have names. Some names are fairly normal, like Ashley or Owen, while others are out-of-the-box insane.

Because I am a female named Andie, I have had an unspoken bond with those who have been blessed/cursed by non-traditional names. To provide a bit of background on the name “Andie,” in the last 100 years only 206 people have been named “Andie” — a majority of whom are men. To make matters worse for me, my namesake is rooted in the Greek name “Andreas,” which literally means “manly.”

But, “Andreas” also means “strong,” and that is an adjective I like to think I wholeheartedly possess.

I have received letters in the mail addressed to Mr. Andie Balenger, my name is never spelled correctly on my Starbucks order, and most people ask me “is it short for Andrea?” Even worse, I was never able to buy cute Christmas ornaments or collector’s mugs with my name on them because they simply did not exist. I always had to settle for the generic “Princess” or some other alternative for the misfit kids like me.

Whenever I ask my parents why I was given this unique name, there is never a solid or sure answer. Sometimes they say it was inspired by Andrew, a disciple in the Bible. On other days, they say they stole it from actress Andie MacDowell. But when my mom really wants to push my buttons, she will say:

“You know, like the kid from Toy Story. Andie, Andie, Andie. It’s all about Andie!”

The line is spoken by Jessie, the sassy, kick-butt cowgirl in the film after she gets annoyed with Woody and his obsession with his owner, Andy. My mom also wanted an excuse to write my name on the bottom of all my shoes, similar to how Andy did with his toys in the movie.

But just like me, my brother was given a pretty unusual name as well. Elijah, which is a more straightforward Bible reference, is not by any means a popular name. Yet, my parents chose it simply because they “liked the sound of it.”

With both my brother and me being born at the turn of the century, it got me wondering if my parent’s infatuation with out-of-the-box names was a trend at the time. According to The Atlantic, in 1955 half of the children being born in America had one of just 78 names. This number pales in comparison to the 520 names in 2019. It was also noted that in the mid-20th century, American parents did not want their children to stand out, instead forcing them to blend in with the several other “Marys” and “Johns” in their class (two of the most popular names during that time).

Since the late 1960s, however, that sentiment from parents has dramatically changed. In fact, most parents now want their children to stand out from the rest. Many have taken traditionally masculine or feminine names and given them to the opposite sex (like me), or parents will choose a name that unforgettably appeals to the ear (like my brother).

We see celebrities taking this approach when naming their children. For instance, Elon Musk and Grimes gave their children such unpronounceable names that they settled on calling their son “X” and their daughter “Y” — like the letters of the alphabet. But, unusual names are not limited to celebrity children. I know plenty of people who have some pretty odd names. In my experience, however, most of these names are odd in spelling, not sound.

Unusual spellings have been a common trend as of late, with names like “Jason” now being spelled “Jayceson.” Another naming trend that is often talked about online is adding “leigh” to the end of any standard name: like Everleigh, Kayleigh, or Ryleigh.

From personal experience, many of us with unusual or non-traditional names have grown to like them over the years. As a child, I secretly dreamed about changing my name, mainly because I wanted to fit in (I sympathized with the main character of the Johnny Cash song “A Boy Named Sue”). But, I have grown to like my name over the years, seeing it as a personal identifier that cannot be confused with the rest of the boring, popular, or traditional names.

It is fair to conclude that unusual, bizarre, and non-traditional names are not going away anytime soon. I strongly believe that what we consider to be common names, like Sarah and George, will be extinct in the near future. In place of them, names will become more and more convoluted as parents attempt to one-up each other and make their children stand out.

If and when I choose to have kids, I already have their names chosen. Now, this may be spiteful of me, but I am almost certain they will never have to worry about sharing a name with someone else.

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Andie Balenger is a native of Gladstone and is currently attending Northern Michigan University. Her column focuses on college life and runs Thursdays in the Daily Press.