Heard these on the British show [name_m]Junior[/name_m] Bake Off (I live in the US. I found it online by chance while looking for more cooking shows to watch) :
Aasiya (The S almost sounded like a cross between S and Z. It was pronounced with 3 syllables, or at least that’s what my ears heard. Girl)
[name_f]Abigail[/name_f] - It’s pretty, but popular.
[name_u]Amari[/name_u] ([name_m]AH[/name_m]-mar-ee. x2. 1 was a boy and 1 was a girl) - Not too bad, especially for a boy. I prefer [name_f]Amara[/name_f] for a girl.
[name_u]Cameron[/name_u] (x3. Boy) - Awful! I don’t get the appeal of it.
[name_f]Saffron[/name_f] - Not a fan. She was a cute kid, but the name feels show off-y.
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f] (x2) - Pretty, but it’s extremely popular.
[name_f]Coco[/name_f]-[name_f]Nina[/name_f] - I don’t like it at all. [name_f]Coco[/name_f] sounds like a dog’s name and doesn’t flow well with [name_f]Nina[/name_f]. I love [name_f]Nina[/name_f] though.
Sangita (SAHN-gee-ta. Girl) - Definitely exotic. A bit too close in sound to sangria. Other than that, I don’t mind it.
[name_u]Galway[/name_u] (GALL-way. Girl) - That doesn’t sound the least bit feminine to me. It’s terrible. I don’t get why people have to use surnames/boys’ names for girls. Not cute!
[name_f]Freya[/name_f] - Okay. Nothing wrong with it, just how fast it jumped up. Seems common in [name_m]Britain[/name_m] and it’s rising quickly here too. I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets near the top 100 in the next couple years. It’s only been in the top 1000 since 2013 and now it’s at #417 which is a huge rise in only two years.
[name_u]Stanley[/name_u] - Not bad. A refreshing change from all the trendy names out there.
[name_f]Zyta[/name_f] ([name_f]ZEE[/name_f]-ta. Girl) - The spelling makes no sense phonetically. The name itself isn’t bad. Better as a middle name.
[name_f]Joy[/name_f] - Okay. Somewhat unexpected choice for a kid. I usually hear it as a middle name or on a woman over 35.
[name_u]Kieran[/name_u] (Boy) - Kind of like it, but can’t use it because I have a 3rd cousin with this name.
[name_m]Conal[/name_m] ([name_u]CON[/name_u]-al. Boy) - Okay. Would never use it.
[name_m]Hari[/name_m] (Boy. Pronounced like [name_m]Harry[/name_m]. There were also 3 [name_m]Harry[/name_m]'s and a [name_m]Harrison[/name_m]) - I like [name_m]Harrison[/name_m], but wish it wasn’t so popular. [name_m]Harry[/name_m] is okay, but too associated with [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m].
[name_f]Marie[/name_f] - So common in the middle. More interesting to hear as a first name.
[name_f]Aaminah[/name_f] - The spelling looks terrible, the name itself is decent. I would have spelled it [name_f]Amina[/name_f].
Kavern (KA-vern, rhymes with [name_f]Laverne[/name_f] as in [name_f]Laverne[/name_f] and [name_f]Shirley[/name_f]. Boy) - Why?! face palms
Brinta (Girl) - I don’t know what her parents were going for here. Maybe a combination or [name_f]Britta[/name_f] and something else?
[name_m]Louis[/name_m] - Great!
[name_m]Monty[/name_m] - I think of it as a pet’s name.
[name_m]Archie[/name_m] - [name_m]Archie[/name_m] Bunker is the first thing that comes to my mind. I’m not sure about it for a little kid. Dislike [name_m]Archibald[/name_m] as well.
[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] (and an [name_f]Isabel[/name_f]) - Pretty, but too trendy because of [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] and other -belle/bella names.
[name_u]Alfie[/name_u] - I prefer [name_m]Alfred[/name_m].
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] (x2) - Pretty.
[name_f]Zainab[/name_f] (ZAY-nab. Girl)
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] (a couple of them)
Alyth (AY-lith) - Sounds like [name_f]Alice[/name_f] with a lisp.
[name_m]Euan[/name_m] ([name_m]YU[/name_m]-an/en. Boy) - The sound throws me off.
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] - Beautiful. I love it. Very strong and feminine at the same time.
Purdey - Sounds like hillbilly slang for “pretty” to me (not sure how they’d spell it). [name_m]Way[/name_m] too much to live up to.
[name_f]Grainne[/name_f] (I don’t remember exactly how they said it, but I thought it sounded a bit similar to [name_f]Anya[/name_f] but with a Gr sound) - Too harsh for my taste.
[name_f]Francesca[/name_f] - Very pretty! I love it, but maybe as a middle because another one of my cousins has this name.
[name_f]Maisie[/name_f] - I don’t get the appeal of this one either. I think of the cartoon mouse from [name_u]Nick[/name_u] [name_m]Jr[/name_m]. or whatever channel it was on.
[name_f]Jenna[/name_f] - I like it. Not as common as it used to be.
[name_f]Lottie[/name_f] - I don’t care for it. Sounds too much like ‘lottery’, but I like it slightly more than [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] (I don’t like what it rhymes with).
[name_f]Evie[/name_f] - Gorgeous! I love it as a nickname.
[name_m]Hamish[/name_m] (HAY-mish) - Not a fan.
[name_f]Elodie[/name_f] - [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t like it. I love [name_f]Melody[/name_f]; oddly, I strongly dislike this one.
[name_f]Millie[/name_f] (x2) - Okay, but I don’t care for nicknames as given names. I prefer [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] or [name_f]Milana[/name_f].
[name_m]Oliver[/name_m] (and an [name_u]Ollie[/name_u]) - [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] is a great name, but getting overused. Dislike [name_u]Ollie[/name_u] because it reminds me of skateboarding.
[name_f]Mimi[/name_f] - Reminds me of the [name_u]Drew[/name_u] [name_u]Carey[/name_u] Show.
Shriyana (Girl)
[name_m]Nigel[/name_m] - The [name_m]Wild[/name_m] Thornberrys cartoon and it’s a little stuffy [name_f]IMO[/name_f].
[name_f]Macy[/name_f] - Flimsy and not cute. Teen Mom’s [name_f]Maci[/name_f] ruined it even more.
[name_m]Harvey[/name_m] - Interesting choice for a kid, but I think it’s kind of cool.
[name_m]Ben[/name_m] (5 of them) - Great classic name, wildly popular. I know several.
[name_f]Rachel[/name_f] - A bit plain for me, but a good name.
[name_f]Hannah[/name_f] (a few of them) - Pretty, but plain. I prefer [name_f]Hana[/name_f].
[name_m]Oscar[/name_m] - It’s cool. It’s getting more common now, but I wonder if people would associate it with [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] the Grouch all the time.
[name_m]Peter[/name_m] - Good name, but can’t use it. There are already a couple in my family.
[name_m]Griffin[/name_m] - Trendy.
[name_f]Esther[/name_f] - Reminds me of the movie Orphan.
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] - [name_u]Love[/name_u] it! Classic and beautiful; still way too common. Perfect as a middle.
[name_f]Anna[/name_f] - Beautiful! I’d use [name_f]Annika[/name_f], [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f], or [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f], nn [name_f]Anna[/name_f] or [name_f]Anya[/name_f].
[name_f]Lily[/name_f]-[name_f]Grace[/name_f] - Hate [name_f]Grace[/name_f], but [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is pretty.
[name_f]Emma[/name_f] - Classic, but tired and boring.
[name_f]Grace[/name_f] - Sounds a bit too much like “grease” when I say it. I don’t know why. lol
[name_f]Megan[/name_f] - [name_u]Love[/name_u] this spelling. It’s nice. I know too many people with it, with various spellings.
[name_f]Sienna[/name_f] - Pretty. Not too common, but on its way up again it looks like.
[name_u]James[/name_u]
[name_u]Freddie[/name_u] - Can’t shake the [name_u]Freddy[/name_u] Krueger or Scooby-Doo associations.
Hafsa (Girl)
Sufia (Sa-fee-ah) - Odd spelling.
[name_u]Finlay[/name_u] (Boy) - Very trendy. Not crazy about it or the nickname [name_u]Finn[/name_u].
[name_m]Tom[/name_m], [name_m]Will[/name_m], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_u]Alex[/name_u], [name_f]Katie[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], and [name_u]Sam[/name_u] were heard more than once too. I don’t know if these were their full names or not. They didn’t say.
What are some names you’ve seen/heard lately on TV or while watching videos online?