Names You Can't Wrap Your Head Around

General Name Discussion
24

I used to have a lot of strong opinions about names, too trendy, too frilly, too clunky, etcetera. But I’m mellowing as I age, and after having named children of my own. Now, the only names that really make me cringe are incredibly trendy names, like when my husband’s co-worker recently announced the birth of their new son, [name_u]Aiden[/name_u]. And even then, all I can think of is how happy the parents must be every time they say their baby’s name, and who am I to cringe at that?

As for misspelled names, I used to be pretty militant about using the “correct” spelling, but I’ve since heard a number of good arguments for using less common spelling. [name_m]Even[/name_m] my daughter’s first name appears misspelled, but it’s a family name, so if I spelled [name_f]Adele[/name_f] “correctly”, it would have lost it’s tie to my family. So while I do still occasionally cringe upon seeing a name with a less common spelling, I try to remind myself there could be a very good reason for it. Spelling something uniquely just for the sake of uniqueness still bothers me, though. Because names are largely aural, and unique spelling does not a unique sound make.

25

I hate the names [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f], [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and [name_f]Susan[/name_f].

26

Girls:

[name_f]Sophia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilly[/name_f]
[name_f]Chloe[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]
[name_f]Aria[/name_f]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f]
[name_f]Aaliyah[/name_f] in any spelling
[name_u]Sierra[/name_u]
[name_u]Brooklyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
[name_f]Scarlett[/name_f]
[name_f]Destiny[/name_f]
[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]
[name_f]Kinsley[/name_f]
[name_f]Ashleigh[/name_f]
[name_f]Miley[/name_f]

Boys

[name_u]Ashton[/name_u]
[name_m]Drake[/name_m]
[name_u]Dustin[/name_u]
[name_u]Logan[/name_u]
Lucus
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]
[name_u]Tyler[/name_u]
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u]
[name_m]Ian[/name_m]
[name_m]Jim[/name_m]
[name_m]William[/name_m]
[name_m]Jack[/name_m]
[name_m]Jake[/name_m]
[name_m]Oscar[/name_m]
[name_m]Hank[/name_m]
[name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m]
[name_m]Braxton[/name_m]

27

I’m old enough that I don’t get the appeal of the names now coming back into style…for me they’re just old & clunky. Not all of these are “in” again, but they all share that dusty feel [name_f]IMO[/name_f]. There are also quite a few names that were popular or just fading out of popularity when I was growing up that have zero appeal to me.

[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Agatha[/name_f]
[name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]
[name_f]Bertha[/name_f]
[name_f]Augusta[/name_f]
[name_f]Dolores[/name_f]
[name_f]Doris[/name_f]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Mildred[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u]
[name_f]Phyllis[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]
[name_f]Abigail[/name_f] (even though I love [name_u]Abbey[/name_u])
[name_f]Adelaide[/name_f]/[name_f]Adele[/name_f]/[name_f]Adeline[/name_f] etc.
[name_f]Edith[/name_f]
[name_f]Ethel[/name_f]
[name_f]Ida[/name_f]
[name_f]Hilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Barbara[/name_f]
[name_f]Susan[/name_f]
[name_f]Carol[/name_f]
[name_f]Delilah[/name_f]
[name_u]Eloise[/name_u]
[name_f]Elise[/name_f]
[name_f]Esme[/name_f]
[name_f]Elsie[/name_f]
[name_f]Enid[/name_f]
[name_f]Debra[/name_f]/[name_f]Deborah[/name_f]
[name_f]Donna[/name_f]
[name_f]Molly[/name_f]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]/[name_f]Marie[/name_f]/[name_f]Maria[/name_f] (I was bullied by girls w/these names)
[name_f]Katrina[/name_f] (ditto above)

[name_m]Albert[/name_m]/[name_u]Bert[/name_u] (& [name_m]Ernie[/name_m], for that matter)
[name_m]Alfred[/name_m]
[name_m]Frederick[/name_m]/[name_m]Fred[/name_m]
[name_u]Clem[/name_u]
[name_m]Hank[/name_m]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m]
[name_m]Hubert[/name_m]
[name_m]Wilbur[/name_m]
[name_m]Wilfred[/name_m]
[name_m]Homer[/name_m]
[name_m]Mortimer[/name_m]
[name_m]Gerald[/name_m] (even though it’s my dad’s name)
[name_m]Edward[/name_m]
[name_u]Percy[/name_u]
[name_m]Harold[/name_m]
[name_u]Stanley[/name_u]
[name_m]Aaron[/name_m]
[name_m]Floyd[/name_m]
[name_m]Chad[/name_m]
[name_m]Charles[/name_m]

I could probably go on & on, but I’ll stop here. :slight_smile:

28

[name_u]Ainsley[/name_u]. I just don’t get the appeal at all, especially when people use it on girls.

29

I dislike the names with the “creative” spellings. They just make me cringe.

I also dislike word names like [name_u]Poet[/name_u], and surname-names ([name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_m]Connor[/name_m], …).

I really felt sorry for a kid the other day that I met. His name is [name_m]Nimrod[/name_m].

[name_f]Susan[/name_f]

30

Poor [name_f]Susan[/name_f] and [name_f]Karen[/name_f] have become the quintessential “awful name, awful person” names.

[name_u]Poet[/name_u] and [name_u]Lyric[/name_u] as names on people bother me a lot as well. Also I see that [name_m]Cove[/name_m] and [name_u]Bay[/name_u] are becoming popular. I like [name_u]River[/name_u] as a name so I feel like I should like [name_m]Cove[/name_m] and [name_u]Bay[/name_u] as well but they sound terrible as actual names for humans.

31

I usually say I don’t like a name and I soon like it. It’s quite annoying because it makes me look like a hypocrite lmao. I don’t like -aylee, -son, -aiden, or -insley ending names. Although, I do love [name_f]Eilidh[/name_f] haha. I also dislike surnames as first names, word names, creative spellings, or overly frilly names. (for ex: [name_m]Montgomery[/name_m], [name_m]Wolfgang[/name_m], Tynslee, or [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f].

32

Haha this is why I’m very careful about name snark. I used to loathe [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], I thought it was so fusty and I couldn’t imagine the appeal, and then less than a year later I nearly used the name for my daughter.

33

[name_f]Agatha[/name_f], [name_f]Agnes[/name_f]… anything that starts like agony.
[name_f]Katelyn[/name_f]… is it [name_u]Kay[/name_u]-tel-in? [name_f]Kate[/name_f]-lyn doesn’t flow at all.
[name_m]Archibald[/name_m]… what male wants bald as part of his name?
[name_f]Olive[/name_f]…Have you seen [name_f]Olive[/name_f] Oyl? Not pretty.
I’m not fond of unisex names, especially now that most ppl know the sex before the birth.

34

[name_f]Clementine[/name_f] especially with the nickname [name_u]Clemmie[/name_u] which just sounds like clammy to me

[name_f]Ava[/name_f]/[name_f]Eva[/name_f] - not sure why just can’t find it in myself to like them

[name_f]Maud[/name_f] - sounds too close to mud

[name_m]Bodhi[/name_m] - all i see is body

[name_m]Olin[/name_m] - it just feels insubstantial to me

[name_m]Hugh[/name_m] - to me it sounds like you’re just letting out a breath, though i do like [name_m]Hugo[/name_m]

35

This is tough, but from the top 200…
[name_u]Noah[/name_u], any name that rhymes with [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] (excluding [name_u]Hayden[/name_u]), [name_u]Logan[/name_u], [name_m]Joseph[/name_m], [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_m]Jaxon[/name_m] (and any other misspelling of [name_m]Jackson[/name_m]), [name_m]Aaron[/name_m], [name_m]Josiah[/name_m]/[name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m], [name_m]Nolan[/name_m], [name_m]Declan[/name_m], [name_m]Jayce[/name_m]/[name_u]Jace[/name_u], [name_u]Camden[/name_u], [name_m]Malachi[/name_m], [name_m]Alan[/name_m]/[name_m]Allan[/name_m], [name_m]Waylon[/name_m], [name_m]Patrick[/name_m]
[name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Camila[/name_f]/[name_f]Camilla[/name_f]/[name_f]Camille[/name_f], [name_f]Savannah[/name_f], [name_u]Genesis[/name_u], [name_f]Naomi[/name_f], [name_u]Hadley[/name_u], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Leilani[/name_f], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] (love for boys though), [name_f]Valeria[/name_f]/[name_f]Valerie[/name_f], [name_u]Finley[/name_u] (fine for boys), [name_u]Jordyn[/name_u]/[name_u]Jordan[/name_u] (on both genders), [name_u]Teagan[/name_u] (on both genders), [name_f]Nicole[/name_f], [name_u]Presley[/name_u]

36

Traditionally masculine names on girls, especially anything ending in -son.
[name_m]Joshua[/name_m] – the -ua just sounds weird.

37

Y’s replacing vowels: [name_u]Jadyn[/name_u], [name_f]Kym[/name_f], etc.
Ae (shudder): [name_u]Jaeden[/name_u], Grae, [name_u]Kaelin[/name_u]
K names. Sorry. They tend to feel made up or like “Klever” respellings of C names: [name_u]Kameron[/name_u], [name_m]Kristopher[/name_m], Karlos

38

I don’t like ‘hip’ or ‘spunky’ names like [name_u]Parker[/name_u], Mckenzie, [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_u]Piper[/name_u], etc. I don’t see the appeal at all. They are empty words to me that do not sound pretty. I mean, if it’s a profession that has meaning to you I understand, but otherwise…

I also dislike ‘preppy’ names such as [name_m]Trent[/name_m], [name_u]Dayton[/name_u], [name_m]Preston[/name_m], etc. They sound like a cup of coffee.

[name_f]Edit[/name_f]: female names that sound like they REALLY wanted a son instead. [name_f]Roberta[/name_f] for instance.

39

So many of mine have been said, but in general anything ending with -ayden for boys, or -lyn for girls.

Anything that sounds like you just mushed two names together because you couldn’t decide. [name_f]Emilyn[/name_f]. Graceleigh. Not for me.

Word names that should stay words. [name_f]Clover[/name_f]. [name_u]Poet[/name_u]. [name_u]Ever[/name_u]. [name_u]True[/name_u].

In general I can’t get on board with the boy names for girls trend, except maybe as a middle as an honor name.

I am also not personally drawn to unisex names but I don’t roll my eyes too hard at them.

Alternative spellings are kind of an awful thing to do to a kid in my opinion.

Also sometimes a name not being in the top 5000 just means it’s a weird name, not that it’s a special gem.

Whew. Felt good to get that off my chest.

40

I agree with the unnecessary “kre8tive” spellings for names. However I think certain spellings flow better with middle or last names, and it’s nice when parents put thought into that.

I hate [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], it litteraly makes my mind go to “pedo…” right away.

I hate most of the K/C names, [name_f]Caylee[/name_f], [name_f]Kayla[/name_f], kathleen/[name_f]Kat[/name_f]/[name_f]Kate[/name_f]/[name_f]Katie[/name_f], [name_u]Kayden[/name_u], most names ending in “den”

I don’t like a lot of girl names starting with A. They all
Sound like the same name but slightly different ”

Anything like [name_m]Lazarus[/name_m] or Artimus is a no for me aswell

Obviously not meaning to be offensive

41

[name_u]Wren[/name_u] - I just…can’t get it? It’s so much the name of a bird to me that I can’t imagine it on a person.

[name_m]Atticus[/name_m] - Pretentious, and even more cringe because it’s like trying to show off that the parents read the book like it’s not something everyone reads in school at least once.

[name_f]Isadora[/name_f] - I hate the ‘dora’ sound

[name_f]Lucy[/name_f] - I feel like every [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] I’ve ever met has been spoilt and annoying. I also don’t like the ‘oose’ sound

[name_m]Hugh[/name_m] - It doesn’t sound like a name to me, just an exhale. And the spelling literally has “ugh” in it.

[name_f]Clover[/name_f] - I can’t imagine this on a person at all. It sounds like a cow’s name.

Also, people using a name from another culture that people who speak their native language will find very difficult to pronounce/spell. Like Americans using Caoilainn, or [name_f]Orlaith[/name_f]. If the majority of people around that child will struggle, then you have given your kid an unnecessary burden, rather than a name that will take them seamlessly through life. I find it so…obnoxious when parents do this? Like they’re trying to show off how well-cultured they are at the expense of their child.

42

[name_f]Every[/name_f] single surname/unisex used as a first name (and all the mispelled variations)…[name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_u]Peyton[/name_u], [name_u]Bailey[/name_u], [name_u]Kendall[/name_u], [name_u]Hadley[/name_u], [name_u]Quinn[/name_u], [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], McKenzie, [name_u]Reese[/name_u], [name_u]Avery[/name_u], [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_u]Logan[/name_u], [name_u]Sullivan[/name_u], [name_u]Mason[/name_u], [name_f]Winslet[/name_f], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], [name_u]Emery[/name_u], [name_u]Addison[/name_u], [name_u]Piper[/name_u], [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]…every last one of them is boring…

Presidents names for girls: [name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_u]McKinley[/name_u], [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u], [name_u]Reagan[/name_u], [name_m]Lincoln[/name_m], [name_u]Monroe[/name_u]…I sure hope this trend ends soon or soon there will be girls named [name_m]Nixon[/name_m], [name_m]Bush[/name_m] and Trump…ugh…

Nature names: sorry but [name_u]Juniper[/name_u], [name_m]Fox[/name_m], [name_m]Bear[/name_m], Stormi, [name_f]Lavender[/name_f], [name_f]Snow[/name_f], [name_u]Winter[/name_u], [name_f]Summer[/name_f], [name_f]Autumn[/name_f], [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f], [name_f]Sparrow[/name_f], [name_f]Willow[/name_f], [name_f]Luna[/name_f], [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_u]Sky[/name_u], [name_f]Maple[/name_f], etc…seem so pretentious and the people naming kids these names weren’t ever hippies!

Word Names: blue, cadence, lyric, poet, haven, apple, poet, vale, scout, echo, hunter, true, pilot, heaven, paisley, reign, dream, sonnet, atlas, sailor, chance, north, south, east, west…Capitalizing the first letter makes it a silly name [name_f]IMO[/name_f], and you don’t see this done with boys as much as girls…why?

[name_m]Calendar[/name_m] Names: [name_u]January[/name_u], [name_f]April[/name_f], [name_u]November[/name_u], [name_f]Sunday[/name_f], [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f], [name_f]Wednesday[/name_f]…why? [name_m]Just[/name_m] why???

Place names: [name_f]Alaska[/name_f], [name_u]Tennessee[/name_u], [name_u]Brooklyn[/name_u], [name_f]Savannah[/name_f], [name_u]Dakota[/name_u], [name_u]Montana[/name_u], [name_u]Camden[/name_u], [name_u]London[/name_u], Chicago Oh my…at this rate, there will soon be kids named Connecticut, Chatanooga and Clearwater.

[name_f]Virtue[/name_f] names: [name_f]Faith[/name_f], [name_f]Hope[/name_f], [name_f]Prudence[/name_f], [name_f]Constance[/name_f], [name_f]Patience[/name_f], [name_f]Honor[/name_f], Temperence, [name_f]Chastity[/name_f] (worse yet when mispelled/mispronounced [name_f]Chasity[/name_f])…why should girls be given these names when rarely boys are…hear of many boys named [name_m]Noble[/name_m], Modest, [name_m]Loyal[/name_m], [name_m]Valor[/name_m], Brave, [name_m]Innocent[/name_m], [name_m]Earnest[/name_m] or [name_m]Valiant[/name_m]???

Misspelled & Kre8tiv names…sorry, but studies have shown that these names have consequences. When kids with traditional names like [name_f]Chloe[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Corinne[/name_f], [name_u]Courtney[/name_u], [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f], [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_u]Sydney[/name_u], [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], [name_u]Cameron[/name_u], [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m], [name_m]Giovanni[/name_m], [name_u]Aiden[/name_u], [name_m]Christopher[/name_m], [name_u]Michael[/name_u], [name_m]Jeffrey[/name_m], [name_m]Jackson[/name_m] that are mispelled as [name_f]Khloe[/name_f], Aalivyah, Korynn, [name_f]Kourtnee[/name_f], [name_f]Ginnifer[/name_f], [name_f]Emmalee[/name_f], Izobel, [name_f]Cydnee[/name_f], [name_u]Dillan[/name_u], [name_u]Kameron[/name_u]/[name_u]Kamryn[/name_u], [name_m]Johnathon[/name_m], [name_m]Jovanny[/name_m], [name_u]Aydan[/name_u], [name_m]Kristoffer[/name_m], [name_m]Mykel[/name_m], [name_m]Jeffery[/name_m], [name_m]Jaxson[/name_m], it affects self-esteem and often others have lower expectations of them. It tends to reflect a lower-socio-economic status and less intelligence.

Names I think sound so very ugly: [name_f]Mabel[/name_f], [name_f]Bronwyn[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Marjorie[/name_f], [name_f]Brenda[/name_f], [name_u]Morgan[/name_u], [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_f]Mildred[/name_f], [name_f]Norma[/name_f], [name_f]Sybil[/name_f], [name_f]Greer[/name_f], [name_f]Imogen[/name_f], [name_f]Hortense[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Martha[/name_f], [name_f]Gail[/name_f], [name_f]Gwyneth[/name_f], [name_f]Elowen[/name_f], [name_u]Blair[/name_u], [name_f]Rhonda[/name_f], [name_f]Ethel[/name_f], [name_f]Paige[/name_f], [name_f]Edith[/name_f], [name_f]Dolores[/name_f], [name_f]Blythe[/name_f], [name_f]Enid[/name_f], [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], [name_f]Ramona[/name_f], [name_f]Opal[/name_f], [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Ardith[/name_f], [name_f]Beryl[/name_f], [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], [name_u]Kyle[/name_u], [name_m]Hugh[/name_m], [name_u]Tristan[/name_u], [name_m]Arnold[/name_m], [name_m]Caleb[/name_m], [name_m]Leroy[/name_m], [name_m]Earl[/name_m], [name_m]Wayne[/name_m], [name_m]Duane[/name_m], [name_u]Dale[/name_u], [name_m]Horace[/name_m], [name_m]Norman[/name_m], [name_m]Chester[/name_m], [name_m]Floyd[/name_m], [name_m]Lloyd[/name_m], [name_m]Otto[/name_m], [name_m]Eugene[/name_m], [name_m]Ralph[/name_m], [name_m]Jerome[/name_m], [name_m]Boyd[/name_m], [name_m]Otis[/name_m] and all the -ayden’s.

43

I don’t see the appeal of “cutesy” nicknames as given names like [name_u]Alfie[/name_u], [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_u]Billy[/name_u] or [name_u]Ollie[/name_u]. They sound forever childish to me.