People Shared 50 Ridiculous Baby Names Parents Thought Were Clever But They Weren’t At All

65% of current/aspiring parents lean towards more unique choices for their children’s first names. In fact, the younger the parents, the more likely they are to pick out an unconventional name, with 83% of Gen Z and only 43% of Baby Boomers feeling enthusiastic about giving their kids an unusual name. 

"I think there's a lot of encouragement from society right now to be individual, be true to who you are, be yourself, that kind of thing. A massive factor in that is having a name that really reflects that," says Kimberley Linco, social researcher at McCrindle, which releases annual baby name reports based on data.

The popularity of unique names also comes down to the simple fact that nowadays parents are exposed to more options, Linco says. "If we look back to previous decades, today there's just so much more access to names. Prior to that, the only names that people were given were names that people were aware of." The first known baby name lists only started appearing in the 1980s in the form of baby name books, which suggested more ideas to parents looking for baby names.

The choices parents have are also amplified by social media, adds Linco. “With Instagram, we're able to see such unique insights into celebrities' lives. It's nothing like we've ever seen before. And celebrities today are almost showing the world that it's OK to give your kids a unique name."

Even though nowadays most babies are given unconventional names, there are still a few that end up topping the charts. Now that the entire Generation Alpha has been born (2010-2024), numbers show that Oliver and Charlotte are the most common names across the youngest generation. According to McCrindle, there are 30,818 Gen Alphas with the name Oliver and 24,256 Gen Alphas with the name Charlotte. In fact, the name Oliver has been the top boy name for the last 12 years.

However, the popularity of one name doesn’t mean you’ll encounter few kids with the same name in a playground or classroom. Even though kids are given popular names, the number of specific common names is decreasing dramatically every year. This lessens the likelihood that a kid will meet their namesake.

“The No. 1 name today is not even a fraction as popular as John and Mary used to be, or even Jennifer and David a couple of generations back. In a way, you could argue that there is no such thing as a common name today,” said baby name expert Laura Wattenberg.

With the new generation, Gen Beta, starting to be born this year (2025), it’s predicted that some of the fastest trending names should be Millie, Maeve, Remi, Eden, Delilah, Eliana, Margot, and Lottie for girls and Beau, Theo, Ezra, Miles, Luke, Billy, Louie and Roman for boys. Inspiration for some names also comes from big events from 2024, like the total solar eclipse. Therefore, names like Eclipse, Sol, and Orion were among fastest-growing names for boys and girls in 2025.

This, of course, wasn’t the only event that inspired babies’ names in 2025. The Olympics that happened in France also had quite a lot of influence on parents’ choices for kids’ names. Common French names became quite popular in the US because of them, such as Raphael, Louis, Louise, Beaux, Remi, Gustavo, Elodie, Arlette, and Jolie. Another sporting event that made monikers like Caitlin, Kamilla, and A’ja rise to popularity was the NCAA basketball tournament last year, with the WNBA (the Women's National Basketball Association) gaining more exposure.

With so many names out there, popular and unique, it can get all too overwhelming for parents who are trying to figure out what to name their precious little one. Sherri Suzanne, a professional baby names consultant, reassures parents that if they care enough to stress out about their future child’s name, they are likely not to make a mistake, whatever their choice is. For those parents who need a little extra guidance, she advises them to explore.

“Once you come up with your list of candidates, see how they work in the real world. Lift them off the paper. You want your child to be able to introduce him or herself with confidence.”

“Imagine your kid walking into an important meeting and introducing themselves, then picture the reaction of others,” suggested parenting educator Michael Grose. “Pick a name that will last the test of time and that won’t go out of fashion. Think long-term,” he said. “You get one chance to make a good first impression and a name has a lot to do with that.”