“What Were The Parents Thinking?” 30 People Share The Most Terrible Names They’ve Encountered (New Pics)

To learn more about this hilarious, and slightly tragic, Facebook group, we reached out to administrator Zane Mauldon-Green. He actually was kind enough to speak with Bored Panda the last time we covered the group as well, about 8 months ago. He explained then that he is not the founder of That Name is a Tragedeigh 2.0, but he joined shortly after it was created. “I’ve since taken over running the group, as the original creator has two young kids and is very busy with all the tasks that come with being a mum,” Zane explained.

The group has been around since 2020 and was formed to be a place to laugh at insanely unique spellings of names, without tolerating the shaming of traditional or cultural names from around the world. "Our members work really well together to create a healthy respect for all the cultures,” Zane previously told Bored Panda. "The members are so active that we are actually constantly being summoned to review posts and keyword alerts. We have even lovingly referred to the group as essentially a full-time job at times," he noted. "I myself take full advantage of that level of engagement by the occasional fictitious name post for everyone’s amusement."

Since it has been a while since Bored Panda checked in with That Name is a Tragedeigh 2.0, we asked Zane if he could fill us in on what the group has been up to. “It’s hard to believe it’s been 8 months, so much has happened,” he shared. “We’ve hit a milestone which was great to see, having now surpassed 50k members!”

“We also had to take an extensive break and suspend the group for a while to avoid Facebook deleting it,” Zane noted. “Unfortunately, their decisions aren’t always reviewed by an actual person, which can make having those decisions appealed quite difficult,” he explained.

Zane also revealed that there have been quite a few new name trends that have emerged this year. “The most common one tends to be names of characters from new TV shows or movies, which is very unfortunate for those children. Namely, the most recent one being Wednesdaigh, which has become quite popular due to the recent show.”

We were also curious if Zane believes people have gotten worse at naming our children over the years, or if we’ve just become more aware of these tragic names since we now have the ability to roast one another via the internet. “I think we have definitely gotten worse,” he shared. “Obviously, there have always been tragic names. However, as more and more children are born, many parents become desperate to give their children something to set them apart from others.”

“This has been happening with increasing regularity,” Zane noted. “For example, one I saw just this week was Nae-then as a freak version of Nathan. My cousin's name is Dylan (he’s 6), and there are 3 other kids in his year each with a different spelling. The most tragic one would be Dihlen.”

“As it happens, the ‘old fashioned’ names such as Margaret I believe will reappear in the future, as it becomes harder and harder to mangle standard names into tragic spellings,” Zane added. 

Earlier this year, we asked him what some of the most appalling names he had ever seen were, and he shared, "I think any names that are deliberately spelled incorrectly for the purpose of being unique are some of the worst names. For example, Emma-leigh instead of Emily.”

“However, two of the worst I have seen are Knoxxli Blayze and Addilyn,” Zane noted. “Mainly just because they aren’t names, just weird mashups of other words or something worse."

We were also curious what Zane thinks parents need to keep in mind when they are naming a child. “The most important thing to consider would simply be this: Your child has to use that name. If it’s a tragic or ‘unique’ spelling, they are constantly going to have to correct people, which gets exhausting and can be quite upsetting over time.”

“Also remember not to give children silly names,” he added. “A lot of businesses take every aspect of professionalism very seriously, and they will show bias against names they think are silly. Some may even ignore applications, believing them to be a hoax.”

To any parents out there considering giving their little ones a particularly unique spelling of a common name, Zane urges you to rethink your decision. “Your child will be unique without a tragic name. Everyone is different; we all have our own personalities and mannerisms. They don’t need a butchered name to be unique or special.”

On a more positive note, we wanted to hear what some of Zane’s favorite names are, or any names he would actually consider using if he were to have children. “Honestly, I have a lot of names I like, but running this type of community wouldn’t work if I agreed with tragic names,” he shared. “Having said that, some of my favorite names are Theo, Julian, Harrison, Lance, Thomas, Emily, Sarah, Jessica, Breeanna and Kayla.”

“Basically any name that has been around for at least 2 generations is a good start,” Zane noted. “Don’t make new ones, look back in your family tree or in your yearbooks from when you were at school. There are plenty of names out there!”

“At the end of the day, you are naming a person, not a pet,” Zane says. “Their name shouldn’t amuse you or be the name of your favorite movie character. Really consider what you would sound like if you had to call out their name in a busy shop. If it sounds embarrassing or silly, then don’t use it.”

“Kids at school can be really cruel, try to avoid names that could be used maliciously or turned into mean nicknames!” he added.

Finally, Zane urges parents to avoid ever butchering names from other cultures. “It's disrespectful and insulting to the cultures the names originally belong to,” he explained. “Do some research, and check the origin of names before you start using them. Some have quite important meanings in those cultures, and if your child ever travels later in life, they will hear about it, and the blame for it ultimately lies with the parents.”

We hope you’re enjoying this list of tragic names! While it can be extremely difficult to choose a name for a child, it’s important to always consider the ramifications of any name. Keep in mind how easy it is to spell, what it rhymes with, how many other people or famous characters have that name, and finally, if you yourself would be willing to be called that. Keep upvoting the pics you find most hilarious, and let us know of any other “chrajik” names you’ve heard in the comments below. Then, if you haven’t checked out Bored Panda’s previous article featuring That Name is a Tragedeigh 2.0, you can find it right here!