A name can say a lot before you have the opportunity to say much for yourself. Parents put a lot of thought into names and sometimes all that thought and research results in some of the strangest names you have ever heard.

Oba, which he is popularly called, said though some people have made fun of his name and laughed at it he looks at it as "small thing." "I born and grow up with that name, I must like it," he said proudly.

Schon Maharaj was named after Neil Schon, a vocalist of his father's favourite band, Journey. The 18-year-old said he will also give his child an unusual name though most people don't even understand his, which is pronounced "shun" not "shawn".

His name means 'already' which, when coupled with his surname, means 'already great king.'

Although he loves his name, Schon said there are changes he would make to it but that he wouldn't change it in its entirety.

"I would probably add something on to my name. I love the name, it's Hebrew, Uwriel, which means flame of God," he said.

Like most people with strange names, Schon is occasionally teased by friends about his name because of its pronunciation.

"They would call me "Scorn" or "Skon" or something like that but it's usually in good fun," he laughed.

Yehudi Walters, a Form 5 student of Fatima College, said he's proud of his name "because of its uniqueness."

"It makes people want to try to figure it out and want to know the meaning," he said.

The name Yehudi (yeh-hu-di) means 'praises be to God'. He said he was teased by his colleagues on only one occasion that he can recall. They sang 'Who dey, who dey oh' for him when the popular Machel Montano song, Congo Man, was released in 2008.

Though he would repeat it, most people just can't seem to get his name right. He said he corrects people about 70% of the time on the pronunciation of his name.

"They would call me Yuhidi and sometimes they just don't know how to pronounce it," he laughed.

Despite this, Yehudi has never asked his parents why they chose this name for him because he has always accepted it and likes it a great deal.

Now and then however, names carry a very significant meaning and are chosen to ensure the child stands out in a crowd of millions of Michaels and Amandas across the world. Once they are all grown up, most children come to appreciate the individuality. They're actually very proud of it.

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