40 People Share What Baby Name Immediately Makes Them Lose All Respect For The Parents And Why
Names are given to us at birth and are with us for the rest of our lives, so a lot of people would probably agree they're quite important. Before naming their child, parents usually look into the meaning and origin of the name. Some even think about if it's easy to make fun of the name. However, some parents seem like they don't care at all about that stuff and have come up with the most ridiculous ideas.
A Redditor asked fellow internet users: "What baby name immediately makes you lose all respect for the parents and why?" And loads delivered interesting answers. It's hard to believe some parents actually gave their kids these names. From Golden Sagon to Chardonnay or even Tequila, their creativity doesn't cease to amaze us.
Scroll down to see some really interesting choices parents made! And if you want more articles like this, click here or here.
This post may include affiliate links.
Nevaeh is the most obnoxious to me (please explain that it's heaven backward again, so clever)
However, I've met a baby named Felonee and that takes the cake.
Do those parents realise that Felonee will have to introduce herself a million times to other people during her life?
We got an interview with baby name expert Emma Waterhouse and she graciously answered some questions for us. To start off, Emma shared some thoughts about whether it's important to have the 'perfect' baby name for your kids: "The 'perfect name' is really in the eye of the beholder! We all come to the naming process with different tastes and requirements, so what is perfect for one family won't necessarily work for another. But I do think it's important to consider how your chosen name will wear throughout a lifetime. Our name is generally the first thing new people learn about us, and whether we like it or not people do make assumptions based on names, often subconsciously. A name is the first gift you give your child as a parent, so of course you want it to serve them well no matter where life takes them."
Got a student named “Yeyson”. The mom got pissed when I was saying “ Yay-son”. She yells at me “It’s Jason like English!” Well lady, maybe f*****g spell it like English then.
When AL Gore was VP, I had a meeting with him. There was a lawyer speaking on the panel. Her name was Baby Girl Smith. She had not let a dumb name hold her back.
Emma W. shared her own favorite and least favorite names: "I have a longer surname and I come from a multicultural family, so my preferred names are generally quite short, simple, and easily pronounceable in multiple languages. I tend to prefer names that are known but not too common – a combination that so many parents are looking for! Some of my personal favorite names include Vita, Caro and Ines for girls; Felix, Caspar and Ivo for boys."
Any of Nick Cannon's kids' names. They are all so over the top bad.
Moroccan, Monroe, Golden Sagon, Rise Messiah, Powerful Queen, Zion Mixolydian, Zillion Heir, Beautiful Zeppelin, Legendary Love, Onyx Ice Cole and Zen.
Why?
Worked at a hospital for many years. One of the obstetric nurses had to talk a new mom out of naming her child “Urethra”.
Bored Panda also asked the expert if it's better to have a common or unique name: "Unique or common is really a matter of personal preference, although you might want to take surname and/or sibling names into account. If you already have a Zephyr and an Artemis, name your third baby John and he might feel a little short-changed! Likewise, if your surname is simple and common, like Smith or Lopez, you can afford to go a little more adventurous in the first name spot. Arabella Smith feels more distinctive and memorable than Anne Smith."
My brother once had clients named Jerry and Mary Derryberry. We didn’t believe him so he took a picture of whatever account papers. (Don’t even remember what his job was at the time, who gives a s**t). But the series of events to have a married couple be named Jerry and Mary Derryberry is just so delicious.
The only way it could be better would be if they had a son and named him Perry.
Rednecks who name thier sons Gauge, Ryfle, Remington, Colt and any other hunting related stupid s**t.
Colt doesn't seem so bad. The gun was named after a person in the first place
Emma W. also shared what baby-naming trends she completely disagrees with: "Having worked with many families with a wide variety of naming styles over the years, I can honestly say that I can see the appeal in almost any name at this point, even those that I would never choose for myself. The trend that most confuses me is probably the respelling of very common names to make them more 'unique'. There are so many unusual and unconventional names out there – there's more variety than ever before in the American baby name pool right now – that it seems a shame to just respell one of the top names to achieve that. After all, when in the playground or at school, the name will still sound very popular, even if the spelling is different."
We also wondered if parents should take the meaning of the name into consideration: "For me personally, meaning isn't a priority, but a really bad meaning might put me off. Think Cameron, which means 'crooked nose', or Gulliver, 'glutton'! But many of the families we work with as part of our name consulting service are looking for a specific meaning, which might be something with family or cultural significance, or perhaps something that gives a subtle nod to their journey to parenthood. An example might be the name Iris, meaning 'rainbow', which is often considered by parents who have experienced a previous loss, to represent hope and beauty after adversity."
And if you're not sure what to name your baby, consider visiting the website Emma works for the perfect baby names!
I work in health care so looking at 40-70 charts everyday I see so many ridiculous a*s spellings for normal names.
You’re not creative you’re an idiot. If you’re creative pick a creative name don’t butcher the spelling of a normal name.
Example: Avery spelled Aevuhree
Candida. Cool, you essentially named your child "yeast infection".
Two little boys drew me a couple pictures while their mother was getting some dental work done. They had signed their names. The names were just so…odd. Even after repeating them and writing them I still couldn’t figure out what the names were.
When the mother came out and saw them, she ripped them down from where I had taped them, crumpled them up and put the papers in her purse. She told me that those names she gave them were invented by her and copyrighted.
I wish I were joking. Those little kids looked crushed.
Edit: spelling
When I was working at a motel, I took a phone reservation from a woman for her daughter: Sri Lanka, S R I space L A N K A... is the name of a woman. Me: Oh, like in the country! Woman: What do you mean, country?!
Renesmee. If you name your child that, I don't trust you.
I have seen the rise of Brinlee or Brynlee latelty.. ugh
ALSO DEN names
Hayden, Braiden, Kayden, Jayden, Zayden. etc.. The live Laugh Love type names
Any name as alcohol. Chardonnay, Tequila, etc. Saw those a lot as a teacher. Had a male student named Crash Danger. Not kidding.
That's why I'm sometimes kind of glad my country has rules for names you can give your kids 😅
Horribly misspelled to seem different. The irony is that my boyfriend's name is Krysteffor
Tom, but it’s short for Tomothy. And Tim, but it’s short for Thimas.
Personally…I’ll never understand how someone can look a baby in the eye and decide their name should be Larry
All the names with X thrown in the middle or even two. Jaxxtley. Braxxton. Braxley. I hate them.
When I were younger, I had a girl in my class named Cookie. Only to find out she had younger siblings named (I kid you not these are their real names) Candy, Honey and Skippy.
I too confuse my grocery list with a birth certificate sometimes
I knew a girl just out of high school, her name was dymond, her daughter was safire (diamond and Sapphire for those playing along at home). This is the result of multiple generations of teen pregnancy, and non participation in spelling bees.
I respect the attempt, but maybe if daughters didn't become mothers until they were out of their teenage years they might've reconsidered their name choices.
Off subject, but my wife is friends with a teen mom who became a grandma at 33. 4 generations of teen moms with all daughters, no sons, no boyfriends, no brothers, or fathers living under one roof. Great great grandma was 67 at the time.
Anything spelled unconventionally. My cousin named her kid Micaiah. It’s pronounced like Micah, but the kid’s going to have to spend his whole life telling people it’s not “Mike-ay-uh”. Or he could just go by Mike.
When picking names, parents should always consider how it will sound in attendance at school or in a government office
I used to be on tumblr back in the day of Supernaturals glory, and someone named their poor child "Destiel". I get it, you like the ship. But you have an actual child that is TOTALLY gonna be pissed you named your kid after a fictional relationship on a show about demons and other supernatural things. The lack of respect or forethought like???
Uhm well yeah, that's like the Mazikeens born today ... Edit: this turned out to be a fun conversation! The name Mazikeen was a bad example, I realise that now. She's definitely a cool and badass character, in fact, I liked her a lot!
Joaux (Joe) is a personal favorite 🤣
I definitely read that as "wox"...it looks like the person tried for Joaquin and didn't quite get there
Relatively benign names spelled like a cat puked on the keyboard and keys got stuck..
Sorry, Axchleeigha, I f*****g hate your parents..
the hell do you pronounce "axchleeigha"?? axeleeyuh?? ackzeeya??
Anything that’s way off from a traditional spelling. I still hold a grudge about having been a child who was never able to find a souvenir with her name on it.
I named daughter Tegan and have only seen it represented in Wales. As I am Welsh (don't live there anymore), we can't really complain.
My little sister's name is that but spelled Teaghan. It mean Beauty and Worth. It's a beautiful name to a child. (gender-neutral name)
Load More Replies...
My name is a Welsh name. Never been able to find it on a keychain.
My name is so common, all the souvenirs would be gone. Also in school had to be called by our last names because there were like 20 of us (small school BTW) Also, not Frank.
I sympathize. There were 5 of me in every class. Mom picked an extremely popular name for the time. And it had--unfortunate--rhyming possibilities.
Load More Replies...
I have a traditionally spelled name. The alternative spelling is actually easier to find.
Literally 3 different spellings of Haley, but I can never find my sister, Hadley. Not an uncommon name, Haley, Hailey, Haighley, Heylee, Hayli, Haylee, Heyli, etc. take up too much space i guess.
Dude, my name is supposedly conventional (Brent) & even I am hardly able to find it on souvenirs if at all. Honestly I can't even remember the last time I did find one...
You dont have to have a weird name for that. I have never found one with my name on. Maybe today but 30 years ago it was impossible.
And then the stupid parents get their panties in a twist because they can't find stuff like the keychains with'their' spelling on it. I've heard it. "My baby's going to feel left out!" Well, whose fault is that, you stupid cow???
Thought I had problems being named Beatrice and never finding my name on souvenirs! As an adult I bought an embroidery machine just so I could put my name on stuff!
When I named my daughter Chloe 2005 there were no items with that name on it... now 2022 it's very common!! Taste changes.
Years ago, I encountered a place that sold souvenir license plates. Nor idea why but that is beside the point.
They had a machine that cut whatever you wanted on the license plate (obviously within limitations) but the Kay chain is the one and only souvenir item like that I ever had with my name in it. It is battered, has been repaired as it snapped at one point,but I still have it and use it.
Load More Replies...
I hate that all the souvenirs are white names. Do you think my partner ever found anything with the name Raj? Super common Indian name, but not white enough to be on a keychain
I agree. A made-up rare name is a better alternative (only slightly) to a common name with "unique" spelling.
But aren’t almost all names made up. I agree with all of the posts on here about the idiocracy of so many parents’ decisions, but I read a post on a page like this and someone wrote: “All names are made up.” Got me thinking about history… kinda neat to ponder. Aside from names in religious text, people… just made up names I guess. Like band names. People names. (Now I know I doing research on where names have come from) And yeah, you don’t need to name your kid Tiphanyiee - life is hard enough.
Load More Replies...Anything having to do with royalty or religious hierarchy titles. Lord, King, Queen, Saint, etc...
Any name after a car or luxury brand.
I see a girl name Lexus and imagine IS300 tattooed on her lower back.
I used to work data entry & once entered in a patient name J’Adore. My only thought is the parents were watching tv & the perfume commercial came on & they were like “oh that’s a fancy name for our daughter”
There's a kid who goes to a daycare near where I work named "Stone Blaze" but answers to "Hunter." The worst part is that he's a junior; his father has the same name.
If your name is Stone Jr, I reserve the right to nickname you Arkansas...because Little Rock
The quirky/cutesy spellings of names like Bryttanee, Mykayleigh. Or the names that will get their sons beat up during recess: Ryeful, Hemi, Leaf, Forrest.
My neighbors named their new baby, Master. They are white.
I know someone who named their kid Chozyn. The kid wasn’t adopted either.
Well, to me, 'Chozyn' would be in the same category of names like Desiree, Diletta, Dieudonné, and there are undoubtedly many more that have this kind of meaning. "Chozyn" is just a little too obvious for me, and with an obnoxious spelling. But names of that kind are definitely around, and not uncommon either.
A guy running for some office near me is named Rocky Rhodes.
How does one look at their tiny newborn and think…. “Rocky! Looks like a Rocky to me. And you know how much I love ice cream!”
The driver for a chartered bus taking high school seniors on the senior trip to NYC in 1992 was named Campbell Soup. We didn't believe him until he showed us his ID.
Gonna go against the grain here, the names that really irk me are the double names. Like “Susie-Ellen, or Martha-May” like middle names already exist, you don’t need a hyphenated first name. I used to work with a summer camp and so many girls had double names.
My grandmother apparently had a name like that. The reason why I can't remember what it was is actually twofold: a) She died before I was born, and b) No-one ever called her by it because her parents changed their minds as soon as they got home from the hospital. They decided to just call her by the new name they had picked, and screw what it said on the birth certificate.
Note: this post originally had 87 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
I do not know about you guys but I am really starting to hate the name Sarah Elizabeth. "I am making 90 US dollars an hour working from home...." Yeah of course you are. Twatbasket.
T-basket made Orange Mtn Dew come out of my nose and mouth.
Load More Replies...
I can't believe that every ridiculous cat name I know is better than what these people called their poor children. Mr Snugglemuff IV is still ten times better
It should become popular for parents to use the chosen baby name for themself for a few weeks befor birth. Getting your Starbucks right, introducing themselves to strangers when making smalltalk... hey, for social media include the reaction when after a minute they proudly tell that's not their actual name but their future baby's name. Just live the reactions to the name.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again—think twice before giving your kid an unusual name. My name is rather unusual and if people are pronouncing it wrong, they’re spelling it wrong, and correcting everyone gets old real damn quick. An unusual name is not a gift, it’s a burden.
Yeah, "Mario" is not my real name. I use it to avoid the endless spelling, explanation, corrections, etc. I didn't even have a middle name, but the IRS got confused with my wife's middle name and gave me a "FirstName M. Strada" name in official letters, so I decided "Mario!" that should be easier. I have used it ever since.
Load More Replies...
Where I went to High School, we had a kid that was a few years below us that was named Oscar Mayer...which I thought was weird....until we found out he was the grandkid of the founder of Oscar Mayer.
I actually knew him. He was in my high school until his parents sent him to boarding school. He was a nice guy and you would not know he came from money.
Load More Replies... Inventing deliberately obtuse spellings is usually annoying. If you tell me your child's name is "Lucy," I am under no obligation to listen to you tell me that it's spelled, "Looesseigh." Ethnic variants are cool, and should be respected, but if your family is filled with Michaels, Patricks, Shawns and Marys, you can name your own kid, "Ashley." (Personally, I prefer Sean to Shawn, for instance.) Please don't name your kid after fantasy characters. In fact, if you're a fantasy writer, keep your names phonetic, so we don't have to figure out how to pronounce, "Renesmee" and "Daenerys." Please make sure you know what a word means, including all its connotations; "Siphyllis" may remind you of your aunt Phyllis, but please. No.
For a while, in the local black community, it became popular to use a Swahili word as a name for your child. This was an actual conversation: Client: My baby's name is [Gargle]. Me: Spell it, please. Client: [G-A-R-G-L-E]. (proudly) It's Swahili. Me: That's cool! What does it mean? Client: How the f--k should I know? Me: You just heard a word at random and decided to use it? You do know you may have just named your child 'Stinking Pile Of Dung', don't you? Story moral, know the meaning of a foreign word before you saddle your kid with it.
Load More Replies... How in the world did: AMERICA, FREEDOM, LIBERTY, ETC. not make this list!!!
I know a woman whose birth name was Justis. Her legal name is Liberty Ann. I know for a fact her dad chose it. If I were her mother I'd have exercised veto power!
Load More Replies...
I wanted to name my son Jeremiah, but my MIL said "Oh, we can call him Jerry". Um, no - you can't. She went ahead and ordered things with Jeremiah printed on them. I named him Joshua.
Students get very upset when a new teacher mispronounces their "unique" name. I finally came up with a first-day speech. "If I mispronounce your name tell me politely, and I'll do my best. Don't blame me though; my children are named Anna and Joseph. If you have an unusual name that people can't say correctly, blame your parents."
Saw a criminal on the news named D'alcapone. No surprise he's a criminal.
The “baby name expert” selection for 2023: Wilde, Tru, Sunday, Sayer, Marigold, Luxury, Halston, Everest, Breland, Vita… They are worst than most names on the article. I mean… Luxury, Everest or Vita. Seriously.
Marigold is a nice name though... what am I missing there?
Load More Replies...
There are some old-fashioned italian Catholic names that sound weird in Italian if one stops to think about their meaning and certainly do not translate very well at all: "Annunziata" = Announced (by god/angels, etc), "Addolorata" = Full of pain/Pained (the Spanish version is "Dolores" which is common enough), "Concetta" = Conceived, meaning "Immaculate Conception", "Rosaria" = Rosary. There are many more, some that are ever worse, but I can't remember them. "Addolorata" has always stuck in my mind as a cruel name for a baby. At least "Dolores" is not immediately connected in italian (or in Spanish, due to how common it is), but the meaning is the same.
I used to work processing funding applications for the University of the Arts London, so I saw a lot of names on a daily basis. In the 2 years I was there, my favourite was Luke Sky Walker, but the worst was definitely Flip Wibbly Jelly (they have a website as a photographer now, so I guess it didn't hold them back)
My last name is Rose and I really love flower names or nature themes but that will just haunt my child. I LOVE the name Poppy for a girl, and Poppy Rose is super cute! But my mother brought up, "What if she wants to be a judge or supreme court justice? It'll be too cute for then." I saw her point. I think it'll just be a nickname.
My cousin and his wife named their youngest son Newin. Because he was “the new one”. This is a direct quote from his Nana (who does not want to be referred to as Grandma). My cousin’s wife almost died giving birth to both of her sons and I believe my cousin has had a vasectomy so they don’t put her through that again (understandable decision!) but I could not help but wonder, before I knew that she’d almost died birthing my second cousins (I always forget what the right term for what a person’s cousin’s kids are to them) and that my cousin is “snipped”, what they would name the newer one. I wonder if his mom was high on the epidural when she came up with the name. Or high on endorphins of just having given birth and loving her son. He’s an okay kid (he’s 10 and his older brother is 11) but I’m not really a fan of kids so I’m glad they live in a different province and I only see them every other year.
i’m from utah, the home of awful weird names. allow me to bless you with some names of my current or past friends, or just people i go to school with. karmindi and carmindy, (the same just spelled different), dak, kwincee, lauyrn, xandan, v (literally the letter v), rakkel (raquel), stratton, venus (with her sisters saturn and jupiter), brynlee, kambree, kalyana, and so so so many more. my personal favorites are these sisters i knew in elementary school, named cleopatra, aphrodite, athena, and nefertiti
Some pretty names I wish were more popular, but as it stands now Venus and Aphrodite will be screwed if they are not beautiful. (By the way: Aphrodite is a normal name in Greece as far as I know. My husband new a girl named that. She was born around 1970)
Load More Replies...
I loathe the name Gary. Who looks at a baby and thinks yeah....Gary. Also knew a Verlin (Vern) who changed his name as soon as he could. Personally hate my name.
People need only think. This child has to live with that name (at least until they are old enough to make a legal change if so desired, though most don’t because they become accustomed to answering to the name). They should take a moment to see how it will appear on a business card.
Why? Just, why? I hope some of these kids will change their name as soon as they're old enough to do so.
Worked with a young woman who named her sons "Stone" and "River." Sister-in-law of a friend named her kid "Ocean." I know a woman whose actual name is D'Juana, pronounced "Didjawanna?" as in when her sperm donor asked her (young teen) mother "Did you want to (have sex)?" Father has never been in the picture. It was Detroit. My SIL's daughter named her first kid "Mackaiah," but it's spelled so weirdly, I'm not sure I got it straight. He knew how to spell it by the time he was 4. He's now 27, and stuck with always having to spell it out for everyone. Took his wife some time to learn it, poor girl.
I have a friend who named two of her sons "special" names and one of her sons a "normal" name (the oldest has the normal name). Nyaylan and Floki. No. I like the name Nyaylan now, because I knew the kid and I really loved him like a little brother. But in the beginning I though "poor kid". We always called him "Aylan" instead. Never met Floki though, as me and the mom grew apart.
I've always, and I mean from young childhood, hated the names Ina, Ida, Ila, Erma, Bertha, Berniece, Betty, Bettina, Gertrude (who in their right mind would name a tiny newborn "Gertrude, especially Gertrude Berniece???), Gladys, Wanda...just can't stand those names, among a bunch of others. My daughter died at birth, but I still named her---Jennifer Elizabeth Rose (Rose after my own beloved mother)---and my son's name was Jayson (not by my choice). Ordinary names, but I've sure heard some bizarre ones, including my SIL's first grandson. To this day, I can't spell it, and he's 26 now!
There are plenty of good biblical names, but I met a child named Nebuchadnezzar. You could have named him Joseph, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, you could have even named him Paul. But no we went with Nebuchadnezzar.
Using names from other countries can become a bit weird. It is okay when it is from country that´s relatively close to yours geographically/culturally (like me being a german with a french name), but if my parents had chosen an asian name for example...
A little bit of a tangent, but I noticed a long time ago how many couples have the same number of letters in their first names (and in those days accordingly, their last names) from having to hand type mortgage documents. Yeah, 1980s.
I know someone who named her daughters Oakleigh, Skyleigh, and Raeleigh (ray-lee) 🤮
I know a Liliey. It might be Lilliey. I can never remember if it's one or two L's.
Load More Replies... Just met a lady with two daughters, Harmony and Korine. I don’t know if she named them after the writer/director, but what are the odds? And just whyyyyyyyyyyyy??? I appreciate the movie KIDS for what it was, I myself partied a lot in my youth and learned tough lessons, but that choice is v questionable.
I like the names Iris, Avery, and Trixe. Are any of those super weird? OH and I met a little girl named Avery the other day, she's the cutest little thing
My husband worked as a jailer and there were a couple of guys in jail that were brothers. They were named Lemongello and Orangello.
I don't get the hate for some of these names, some of them are not bad and culture evolves along with names. It's inevitable.
Not bad first names at all, but my parents used to work with ladies named Teresa Green and Frances Francis
Any name with an apostrophe. Ugh! I was at the doctor the other day- a woman was making an appt for her daughter- said the name- can't recall it exactly- and the reception lady attempts to spell it. This woman got all angry and said: there's an apostrophe after the A! I made a face- and the reception lady and I were in stitches laughing.... sorry to that woman- as she left mad and without an appt after all- and sorry to her daughter as well for being subjected to this her whole life forward.
I have known middle aged and senior women named Pebbles, Gidget, Dimple, and Cheerful, just for starters. Given names.
The first two are the result of 1960s television: Pebbles from "The Flintstones" and Gidget from, well, "Gidget."
Load More Replies... Names that are phonetically obnoxious, like the football player Cooper Kupp. Why, Kupp parents?
My daughter had a kid in her class with his name spelled Shithead but pronounced “Sha-thead” I wonder what became of him….
"Wait, you changed your name TO Madame Latrine? What did it used to be?" "Madame Shithouse."
Load More Replies...
My cousin and his wife named their daughter Kynzleigh. Suppose to be pronounced Kinsley. 🙄
I wouldn't want my daughter's name coming up on Google whenever someone researched Kinsley.
Load More Replies...
I know some people woth weird names Cash, Mercedes, and justice (sorry for terrible wording)
Mercedes is a normal girls name. The car was named after Mercédès Adrienne Ramona Manuela Jellinek
Load More Replies...
In Taiwan we get some real odd names people take as English names. I had a student who proudly named herself Sandía as a variety of Sandy. She didn't know it's Spanish for watermelon, and didn't believe me when I suggested she change her name.
A few years ago while standing in line, two little boys stuck up a conversation with my sister and I. We finally asked “so what are your names?” (And to this day we are still shocked), and their mother answered “this is Trigger” (wait for it) “and this is Shooter”. And nope she wasn’t kidding. Ahhhh only in Texas. (And now my grand nieces Violet “Vi for short” and they have chosen Scarlet for the new baby … and how will that be shortened .. Scar?” ).
A small hope: Vi could have been short for the beautiful name Violence - - - Edit: I know a girl named Arlet, called Letti
Load More Replies...
My given name (no not listing it) was picked because my mother saw it in the newspaper as someone was getting married. No relation to them at all and I checked they lived about 10 miles away.
I do not know about you guys but I am really starting to hate the name Sarah Elizabeth. "I am making 90 US dollars an hour working from home...." Yeah of course you are. Twatbasket.
T-basket made Orange Mtn Dew come out of my nose and mouth.
Load More Replies... I can't believe that every ridiculous cat name I know is better than what these people called their poor children. Mr Snugglemuff IV is still ten times better
It should become popular for parents to use the chosen baby name for themself for a few weeks befor birth. Getting your Starbucks right, introducing themselves to strangers when making smalltalk... hey, for social media include the reaction when after a minute they proudly tell that's not their actual name but their future baby's name. Just live the reactions to the name.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again—think twice before giving your kid an unusual name. My name is rather unusual and if people are pronouncing it wrong, they’re spelling it wrong, and correcting everyone gets old real damn quick. An unusual name is not a gift, it’s a burden.
Yeah, "Mario" is not my real name. I use it to avoid the endless spelling, explanation, corrections, etc. I didn't even have a middle name, but the IRS got confused with my wife's middle name and gave me a "FirstName M. Strada" name in official letters, so I decided "Mario!" that should be easier. I have used it ever since.
Load More Replies... Where I went to High School, we had a kid that was a few years below us that was named Oscar Mayer...which I thought was weird....until we found out he was the grandkid of the founder of Oscar Mayer.
I actually knew him. He was in my high school until his parents sent him to boarding school. He was a nice guy and you would not know he came from money.
Load More Replies... Inventing deliberately obtuse spellings is usually annoying. If you tell me your child's name is "Lucy," I am under no obligation to listen to you tell me that it's spelled, "Looesseigh." Ethnic variants are cool, and should be respected, but if your family is filled with Michaels, Patricks, Shawns and Marys, you can name your own kid, "Ashley." (Personally, I prefer Sean to Shawn, for instance.) Please don't name your kid after fantasy characters. In fact, if you're a fantasy writer, keep your names phonetic, so we don't have to figure out how to pronounce, "Renesmee" and "Daenerys." Please make sure you know what a word means, including all its connotations; "Siphyllis" may remind you of your aunt Phyllis, but please. No.
For a while, in the local black community, it became popular to use a Swahili word as a name for your child. This was an actual conversation: Client: My baby's name is [Gargle]. Me: Spell it, please. Client: [G-A-R-G-L-E]. (proudly) It's Swahili. Me: That's cool! What does it mean? Client: How the f--k should I know? Me: You just heard a word at random and decided to use it? You do know you may have just named your child 'Stinking Pile Of Dung', don't you? Story moral, know the meaning of a foreign word before you saddle your kid with it.
Load More Replies... How in the world did: AMERICA, FREEDOM, LIBERTY, ETC. not make this list!!!
I know a woman whose birth name was Justis. Her legal name is Liberty Ann. I know for a fact her dad chose it. If I were her mother I'd have exercised veto power!
Load More Replies... I wanted to name my son Jeremiah, but my MIL said "Oh, we can call him Jerry". Um, no - you can't. She went ahead and ordered things with Jeremiah printed on them. I named him Joshua.
Students get very upset when a new teacher mispronounces their "unique" name. I finally came up with a first-day speech. "If I mispronounce your name tell me politely, and I'll do my best. Don't blame me though; my children are named Anna and Joseph. If you have an unusual name that people can't say correctly, blame your parents."
Saw a criminal on the news named D'alcapone. No surprise he's a criminal.
The “baby name expert” selection for 2023: Wilde, Tru, Sunday, Sayer, Marigold, Luxury, Halston, Everest, Breland, Vita… They are worst than most names on the article. I mean… Luxury, Everest or Vita. Seriously.
Marigold is a nice name though... what am I missing there?
Load More Replies... There are some old-fashioned italian Catholic names that sound weird in Italian if one stops to think about their meaning and certainly do not translate very well at all: "Annunziata" = Announced (by god/angels, etc), "Addolorata" = Full of pain/Pained (the Spanish version is "Dolores" which is common enough), "Concetta" = Conceived, meaning "Immaculate Conception", "Rosaria" = Rosary. There are many more, some that are ever worse, but I can't remember them. "Addolorata" has always stuck in my mind as a cruel name for a baby. At least "Dolores" is not immediately connected in italian (or in Spanish, due to how common it is), but the meaning is the same.
I used to work processing funding applications for the University of the Arts London, so I saw a lot of names on a daily basis. In the 2 years I was there, my favourite was Luke Sky Walker, but the worst was definitely Flip Wibbly Jelly (they have a website as a photographer now, so I guess it didn't hold them back)
My last name is Rose and I really love flower names or nature themes but that will just haunt my child. I LOVE the name Poppy for a girl, and Poppy Rose is super cute! But my mother brought up, "What if she wants to be a judge or supreme court justice? It'll be too cute for then." I saw her point. I think it'll just be a nickname.
My cousin and his wife named their youngest son Newin. Because he was “the new one”. This is a direct quote from his Nana (who does not want to be referred to as Grandma). My cousin’s wife almost died giving birth to both of her sons and I believe my cousin has had a vasectomy so they don’t put her through that again (understandable decision!) but I could not help but wonder, before I knew that she’d almost died birthing my second cousins (I always forget what the right term for what a person’s cousin’s kids are to them) and that my cousin is “snipped”, what they would name the newer one. I wonder if his mom was high on the epidural when she came up with the name. Or high on endorphins of just having given birth and loving her son. He’s an okay kid (he’s 10 and his older brother is 11) but I’m not really a fan of kids so I’m glad they live in a different province and I only see them every other year.
i’m from utah, the home of awful weird names. allow me to bless you with some names of my current or past friends, or just people i go to school with. karmindi and carmindy, (the same just spelled different), dak, kwincee, lauyrn, xandan, v (literally the letter v), rakkel (raquel), stratton, venus (with her sisters saturn and jupiter), brynlee, kambree, kalyana, and so so so many more. my personal favorites are these sisters i knew in elementary school, named cleopatra, aphrodite, athena, and nefertiti
Some pretty names I wish were more popular, but as it stands now Venus and Aphrodite will be screwed if they are not beautiful. (By the way: Aphrodite is a normal name in Greece as far as I know. My husband new a girl named that. She was born around 1970)
Load More Replies... I loathe the name Gary. Who looks at a baby and thinks yeah....Gary. Also knew a Verlin (Vern) who changed his name as soon as he could. Personally hate my name.
People need only think. This child has to live with that name (at least until they are old enough to make a legal change if so desired, though most don’t because they become accustomed to answering to the name). They should take a moment to see how it will appear on a business card.
Why? Just, why? I hope some of these kids will change their name as soon as they're old enough to do so.
Worked with a young woman who named her sons "Stone" and "River." Sister-in-law of a friend named her kid "Ocean." I know a woman whose actual name is D'Juana, pronounced "Didjawanna?" as in when her sperm donor asked her (young teen) mother "Did you want to (have sex)?" Father has never been in the picture. It was Detroit. My SIL's daughter named her first kid "Mackaiah," but it's spelled so weirdly, I'm not sure I got it straight. He knew how to spell it by the time he was 4. He's now 27, and stuck with always having to spell it out for everyone. Took his wife some time to learn it, poor girl.
I have a friend who named two of her sons "special" names and one of her sons a "normal" name (the oldest has the normal name). Nyaylan and Floki. No. I like the name Nyaylan now, because I knew the kid and I really loved him like a little brother. But in the beginning I though "poor kid". We always called him "Aylan" instead. Never met Floki though, as me and the mom grew apart.
I've always, and I mean from young childhood, hated the names Ina, Ida, Ila, Erma, Bertha, Berniece, Betty, Bettina, Gertrude (who in their right mind would name a tiny newborn "Gertrude, especially Gertrude Berniece???), Gladys, Wanda...just can't stand those names, among a bunch of others. My daughter died at birth, but I still named her---Jennifer Elizabeth Rose (Rose after my own beloved mother)---and my son's name was Jayson (not by my choice). Ordinary names, but I've sure heard some bizarre ones, including my SIL's first grandson. To this day, I can't spell it, and he's 26 now!
There are plenty of good biblical names, but I met a child named Nebuchadnezzar. You could have named him Joseph, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, you could have even named him Paul. But no we went with Nebuchadnezzar.
Using names from other countries can become a bit weird. It is okay when it is from country that´s relatively close to yours geographically/culturally (like me being a german with a french name), but if my parents had chosen an asian name for example...
A little bit of a tangent, but I noticed a long time ago how many couples have the same number of letters in their first names (and in those days accordingly, their last names) from having to hand type mortgage documents. Yeah, 1980s.
I know someone who named her daughters Oakleigh, Skyleigh, and Raeleigh (ray-lee) 🤮
I know a Liliey. It might be Lilliey. I can never remember if it's one or two L's.
Load More Replies... Just met a lady with two daughters, Harmony and Korine. I don’t know if she named them after the writer/director, but what are the odds? And just whyyyyyyyyyyyy??? I appreciate the movie KIDS for what it was, I myself partied a lot in my youth and learned tough lessons, but that choice is v questionable.
I like the names Iris, Avery, and Trixe. Are any of those super weird? OH and I met a little girl named Avery the other day, she's the cutest little thing
My husband worked as a jailer and there were a couple of guys in jail that were brothers. They were named Lemongello and Orangello.
I don't get the hate for some of these names, some of them are not bad and culture evolves along with names. It's inevitable.
Not bad first names at all, but my parents used to work with ladies named Teresa Green and Frances Francis
Any name with an apostrophe. Ugh! I was at the doctor the other day- a woman was making an appt for her daughter- said the name- can't recall it exactly- and the reception lady attempts to spell it. This woman got all angry and said: there's an apostrophe after the A! I made a face- and the reception lady and I were in stitches laughing.... sorry to that woman- as she left mad and without an appt after all- and sorry to her daughter as well for being subjected to this her whole life forward.
I have known middle aged and senior women named Pebbles, Gidget, Dimple, and Cheerful, just for starters. Given names.
The first two are the result of 1960s television: Pebbles from "The Flintstones" and Gidget from, well, "Gidget."
Load More Replies... Names that are phonetically obnoxious, like the football player Cooper Kupp. Why, Kupp parents?
My daughter had a kid in her class with his name spelled Shithead but pronounced “Sha-thead” I wonder what became of him….
"Wait, you changed your name TO Madame Latrine? What did it used to be?" "Madame Shithouse."
Load More Replies... My cousin and his wife named their daughter Kynzleigh. Suppose to be pronounced Kinsley. 🙄
I wouldn't want my daughter's name coming up on Google whenever someone researched Kinsley.
Load More Replies... I know some people woth weird names Cash, Mercedes, and justice (sorry for terrible wording)
Mercedes is a normal girls name. The car was named after Mercédès Adrienne Ramona Manuela Jellinek
Load More Replies... In Taiwan we get some real odd names people take as English names. I had a student who proudly named herself Sandía as a variety of Sandy. She didn't know it's Spanish for watermelon, and didn't believe me when I suggested she change her name.
A few years ago while standing in line, two little boys stuck up a conversation with my sister and I. We finally asked “so what are your names?” (And to this day we are still shocked), and their mother answered “this is Trigger” (wait for it) “and this is Shooter”. And nope she wasn’t kidding. Ahhhh only in Texas. (And now my grand nieces Violet “Vi for short” and they have chosen Scarlet for the new baby … and how will that be shortened .. Scar?” ).
A small hope: Vi could have been short for the beautiful name Violence - - - Edit: I know a girl named Arlet, called Letti
Load More Replies... My given name (no not listing it) was picked because my mother saw it in the newspaper as someone was getting married. No relation to them at all and I checked they lived about 10 miles away.
