So, I am currently 16 weeks pregnant with my first and have been thinking about names. We haven't had an anatomy scan yet so we don't know gender, but I am feeling girl. We would be happy either way, but I constantly think of this baby as a girl. As we're talking about possible names, I somewhat shyly mentioned to my husband and SIL that I have always loved the sound of one particular name but have never seriously considered it because it's a) very unusual, and b) largely inspired by a nerdy TV show. I was very surprised when both my husband and SIL reacted positively to the name, since I assumed they'd think it was too weird.

Now, if you know the reference in my avatar and HB handle, it's obvious I'm a nerd (both are in reference to Doctor Who), and I have no problem celebrating my nerdhood. My concern is that I don't want my kid to hate me for giving them such a unique name, or to get a lot of grief from my family for using a name that is linked back to a sci-fi show.

The name is Illyria (Il-lee-ree-ya). I first heard it on the show Angel (spin-off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and fell in love with the sound of it. I later learned it is also referenced in at least one Shakespeare work and is a historical name for a province in Hungary. Given that half my family is Slavic in origin (Ukraine/Poland), that part is not such a stretch. I could imagine using the nickname Lily or Lyri if she doesn't like the full name.

So I'm throwing it out there.....thoughts on the name? Would my kid hate me for giving such an unusual name? Obviously this is moot if the baby is a boy, but I won't know that for a few more weeks so humor me