For the most part I think the Berries have excellent taste in names. However, there are some names popular with lots of people on Nameberry that I just do not understand (and that’s fine because everyone has different tastes and that’s what ultimately let’s us give our children unique names).
That said, I just do not get the name - [name]Seren[/name]. I’ve seen it in many threads lately and everytime I see it I immediately think of Sarin nerve gas. Who would want their child to share a name with a chemical weapon?
Which popular nameberry name makes you cringe? why?
I agree with [name]Seren[/name] and [name]Rufus[/name]! My mom used to have a dog named [name]Rufus[/name] the Doofus. Although I like the vintage feel, [name]Rufus[/name] is a big no-no for me.
I don’t understand [name]Beatrice[/name]. No matter how hard I try, I can’t imagine it on anyone but a plump, flustered British house maid from the early 20th century. [name]Ophelia[/name] is another one I don’t get. It’s too easy to tack on prefixes and turn the name into pedophilia, necrophilia, etc.
I don’t know if I’ll ever love [name]Bert[/name]. I love [name]Bertram[/name] and I like [name]Albert[/name], but I don’t think I can love “[name]Bert[/name]”. I don’t know if any Berries have said they love this one.
One that I like that I’m afraid is lost to syrup forever is [name]Jemima[/name]. I wish Berries would get over it and start liking [name]Jemima[/name]. Together, we can overcome any ad campaign.
And one that I do not understand is [name]Callum[/name]. I will not slander it any further than to say I [name]DON[/name]'T GET IT!!
[name]Beatrice[/name] is definitely got the British taint to it, but I actually like it. I don’t think I’ll be using it as a first name, but it can be a cute middle:
See also [name]Beatrix[/name] ([name]Potter[/name], who wrote children’s books). Possible nicknames [name]Bea[/name], [name]Trix[/name] or [name]Trixie[/name].
I second Dashiel and [name]Greer[/name]. Gross!I don’t like those names or any name that is both yuppy and tacky sounding to me.
And I don’t like the name [name]Carter[/name]. Not for a boy and most certainly not for a girl. There are a lot of surnames that could be acceptable as first names but do they always have to end in -er or -son?
I once knew a lady who saw the last name Eisley on a grave stone and used it for her daughter. It was interesting and pretty and it didn’t into the -er or -son box.
[name]Eliza[/name], [name]Jasper[/name], and [name]Clementine[/name].
[name]Eliza[/name] just reminds me of a snooty, bratty little British girl. Like the girl from [name]Willy[/name] Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. “Daddy, but I want one NOW!”
[name]Jasper[/name] just sounds so gruff to me. It sounds like raspy… throat. And the image of one of the bumbling puppy burglars from 101 Dalmations. (sorry, I could compare everything to a Disney movie…)
[name]Clementine[/name] sounds like a lanky country girl with pigtails and buck teeth, barefoot and playing a fiddle. Bleh.
Yeah, I don’t get [name]Seren[/name] either.
I love [name]Rufus[/name] on someone else’s kid, but I would never name my own son [name]Rufus[/name].
I think I must be a very boring namer because I only love classic names for my own family. It is a quandary. I am a very creative and original person, so why do I adore names like [name]Anna[/name] and [name]Thomas[/name]?
I think [name]Jemima[/name] is adorable - if you don’t live in the U.S.
Definitely not a fan of [name]Rufus[/name]. I, too, picture a big dog. I kind of like [name]Seren[/name], though. I think it’s a sweet alternative to [name]Sarah[/name], for someone who can’t get past [name]Sarah[/name]'s popularity.
I’m with Agirlinred about [name]Beatrice[/name]/[name]Beatrix[/name]. I just do not see the beauty in that name. [name]Even[/name] its nicknames don’t work for me: [name]Trixie[/name] is a bleach-blonde cocktail waitress whose real name is something else, and [name]Bea[/name] is the tall [name]Golden[/name] Girl with gray hair. The sound of “[name]Beatrice[/name]” just doesn’t conjure a cute little girl to me.
Also:
[name]Matilda[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name]
[name]Brody[/name] - too much like “grody,” a word we used when I was in elementary school for something especially gross
[name]Dashiell[/name]
I often feel like [name]Susan[/name] when I browse the message boards: I think I must be a boring namer, too! My favorites for boys are often biblical-sounding–[name]Seth[/name], [name]Micah[/name], [name]Isaac[/name], and the like. Most of my favorites for girls are 19th-century-sounding–[name]Grace[/name], [name]Anna[/name], Eizabeth, and so on.
I agree about [name]Beatrice[/name], [name]Greer[/name], and [name]Rufus[/name].
I’m also not a fan of [name]Rafferty[/name], [name]Persephone[/name], or [name]Beatrix[/name].
I know a lot of people like [name]Beatrix[/name] and the possibility of nicknames [name]Trix[/name] or [name]Trixie[/name]. My issues with that are: a) [name]Trixie[/name] is my cat’s name, so I can only picture it on a cat, and b) it sounds like a hooker or stripper name to me. I’m sorry to say it, but that’s what I think of.
Two names I’ve really tried to like that are popular on Namberry are [name]Isla[/name] and [name]Genevieve[/name].
I like the look of [name]Isla[/name], but I don’t really care for the sound of it.
[name]Genevieve[/name] I started to like for awhile, because of the nickname [name]Jenny[/name], but it’s too proper for me. I feel like a [name]Genevieve[/name] would be a snooty British person with a daughter named [name]Buffy[/name]. I really tried with this one, but it just didn’t work for me.
Also, [name]Casper[/name]/[name]Caspar[/name]. I’ve seen a few people on here like it, but I think of [name]Casper[/name] the Friendly Ghost.
Also not a fan of [name]Matilda[/name] or [name]Cecilia[/name]. All I think of when I see [name]Cecilia[/name] is cilia, which is an organelle in the body. I much prefer [name]Cecelia[/name], and I also pronounce it differently.
There are a lot of names I “get,” but don’t fit the criteria of what name berries are looking for. I see a lot of people on this site who are extremely concerned about not giving their children popular or trendy names, but they forget that in certain circles, [name]Henry[/name], [name]Eliza[/name], [name]Oliver[/name], and [name]Nora[/name] are top 10 names. The town where my sister goes to school is VERY hipster-y, and in her school of 150 kids, there are 2 Henrys, 2 Elizas, 3 Jacks, 2 [name]Lucas[/name], 3 Olivers, plus a few kids with other nameberry faves like [name]Dorothy[/name], [name]Frances[/name], [name]Georgia[/name], and [name]Dashiell[/name]. Yet in the whole school, there is not a single [name]Ava[/name] or [name]Aiden[/name]. I agree that many of these names are great, and personally I don’t care at all about popularity, but they are still popular and trendy in certain circles.
[name]Imogen[/name] - This names sounds and looks just plain ugly to me!
[name]Celia[/name]/[name]Cecilia[/name] - This name sounds so ssslimy and like a ssseal.
[name]Ophelia[/name] - I can only think of Oh, feel ya!
[name]Penelope[/name] - I hate the ending Lope.
[name]Matilda[/name] - Grungy and musty, this name is to me.
Ignatious - This name sounds like a plump little boy with glasses.
[name]Tobias[/name] - I’ve been seeing this a lot lately, but all I can see is the word Bias.
I dont get the [name]Declan[/name] appeal. I have never heard of that name anywhere but on Nameberry.
It just sounds awkward to me any way I pronounce it. Maybe I’m pornouncing it wrong. I was guessing its either pronounce D’Clan or Decklin. Am I wrong? If not, it just sounds soooo awkward.
