Unpopular opinions [Name edition]

I love boy names to girls.
I have a crush on [name_f]Nevaeh[/name_f],a long time now.

I really like [name_f]Kimberely[/name_f] for a boy and wish it hadn’t switched to a girls name.
I hate [name_u]James[/name_u] on a girl.
I don’t like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] which seems to be getting more popular. The nn [name_u]Penny[/name_u] is literally a monetary value!

I hate the sound of [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], and -belle/-bella in general. I thought [name_f]Bella[/name_f] was a horrible name even before it became extremely popular. I make an exception for [name_f]Isobel[/name_f] for being interesting to look at, with an antiquated kind of charm.

[name_m]Even[/name_m] though I (like everyone else, I’m sure) have several older relatives and acquaintances with the name, I don’t find [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] boring. I think [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] and [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] have a charming sound no matter how much I hear them, and I don’t think it would be in any way unkind to make one’s child one of the next generation’s considerably fewer Jennifers.

Apart from still being a bit old-mannish, I think [name_m]Jasper[/name_m] is just phonetically awkward and it confounds me how many people think it sounds cool.

I wish everyone could hear [name_m]Bart[/name_m] and [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] with fresh ears (in the case of [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], people outside of Europe, where it’s more appreciated without remark). They’re both solid and pleasant names, and if they were just used a little more, they wouldn’t be stuck with only one shared association.

I don’t really like long ornate name combinations, especially of three given names. I find the actual names get lost in long meaningless syllable strings, or else just sound like the names of several different people read together. (When I have kids, I’ll probably stick to simple middles that honour friends and family, provide a short and simple complement to the first name to tie it with the last, or just skip them entirely.)

I hear [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] as a boy’s name, and I wish other people did too. It’s more interesting that way, with respectable roots. As a girl’s name it’s just a bunch of sounds that struck someone as feminine. Choosing to name a girl [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] instead of adopting one of its several feminine forms is practically the equivalent of naming your daughter [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] instead of [name_f]Samantha[/name_f]. [name_m]Just[/name_m], why?

I don’t like the trend of taking attractive boys’ names for girls wholesale, at least not while “unisex” names that are given to girls are seen as unusable for boys. If it doesn’t go both ways, it’s not really an expression of modern gender neutrality, it’s just a tacky trend. But this probably isn’t a super rare opinion.

Actually [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] has always been overwhelmingly feminine (in [name_u]America[/name_u] at least). You can see its popularity throughout time here: Pregnancy, Parenting, Lifestyle, Beauty: Tips & Advice | mom.com

And I don’t think [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] is too tied to the Simpsons at all. It was #1 in the 60’s, so there are probably a lot of Lisas out there.

I dislike overly masculine names for girls such as [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_u]Billy[/name_u], [name_u]Sam[/name_u], [name_u]Blake[/name_u] etc. And I despise names like [name_u]Jayden[/name_u], [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] and [name_u]Kayden[/name_u] (any spelling) for either sex.

I like place names, older names and very feminine names for girls. I am currently in love with [name_m]Boston[/name_m], [name_m]Leo[/name_m], [name_f]Evalin[/name_f] and [name_f]Vivi[/name_f]

I don’t like people using deity names; I think it’s in pretty poor taste. I do understand the appeal of a lot of them-- I’m not going to insult your choices just based on my preferences!-- but it weirds me out.

I love the name [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] (thank you, [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]!), absolutely adore it. I also really like [name_m]Bartholomew[/name_m] nn [name_m]Bart[/name_m] (and a lot of other ‘old mannish’ names e.g. [name_m]Eugene[/name_m], [name_m]Clarence[/name_m], [name_m]Solomon[/name_m]).

I also don’t understand the popularity of [name_f]Sophie[/name_f]. [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]/[name_f]Sofia[/name_f] I really like, but [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] is bland and odd sounding to me.

Grandmotherly names also weird me out a bit. [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Mildred[/name_f], [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f], and [name_f]Gladys[/name_f] are things we name our cows and goats because we can’t seen them on real babies.

And I too love [name_f]Hephzibah[/name_f] (pronounced with a ff sound instead of p).

I dislike
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Adelaide[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabella[/name_f] (any form except [name_f]Isobel[/name_f])
[name_f]Ava[/name_f]
[name_f]Eva[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f]
[name_f]Sophia[/name_f]/[name_f]Sophie[/name_f]/[name_f]Sofia[/name_f]
[name_f]Mia[/name_f]
[name_u]Alexis[/name_u]
[name_u]Aubrey[/name_u]/[name_f]Aubree[/name_f]

I’m sure there’s more but that’s all I’ve got for now…

I dislike [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] and [name_m]Zach[/name_m]/[name_m]Zack[/name_m]. I just don’t see the appeal, it sounds harsh. That goes for almost every Z name ([name_f]Zoe[/name_f], [name_m]Zane[/name_m], [name_f]Zelda[/name_f], etc)

I love unisex names on boys, but not girls. [name_u]Dakota[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], [name_u]Alexis[/name_u], etc.

I also don’t like [name_m]Wyatt[/name_m], [name_m]Edward[/name_m], [name_f]Edith[/name_f] (or any lispy sounding name), [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] (so many people on this site love this, to me it sounds like saying [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] with a stuffed up nose), [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], [name_m]Isaac[/name_m], and [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] (but I love [name_f]Viviana[/name_f])

I know people love it but I hate the name Wyatt.
I hate the whole Lorelei nn Rory or any names with Rory as a nn or the name in general, I just do not see the appeal.

I dislike most O names. The sound is just not appealing. [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Olive[/name_f], [name_m]Oscar[/name_m]. But a lot of people seen to like them.

Probably my most unpopular opinion is my absolute dislike of the names I only see on Nameberry that came out of nowhere. [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f], [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], [name_m]Bodhi[/name_m]. I have no idea why these names are considered nice, to be honest. They’re a bit weird.

I actually like a few unisex names for both genders - [name_u]Addison[/name_u], [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], [name_u]Hadley[/name_u], [name_u]Kendall[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u].
I don’t get the weird fascination with [name_m]Felix[/name_m] and [name_u]Arlo[/name_u]. Both sound terribly unattractive to me.
I adore cutesy nicknames as firsts - [name_f]Dollie[/name_f], [name_f]Pixie[/name_f], [name_f]Honey[/name_f], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u] (boy), [name_u]Ollie[/name_u] (b), [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], etc.
I think [name_f]India[/name_f] is a pretty name.
I really like some ‘kr8tive’ names; [name_f]Jayde[/name_f], [name_u]Kelsie[/name_u], [name_f]Fearne[/name_f], [name_f]Esmae[/name_f], [name_f]Poppie[/name_f], [name_f]Rubie[/name_f], [name_f]Daisie[/name_f], [name_f]Darcie[/name_f], [name_f]Skyla[/name_f]

For some reason I love [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] for a girl, even though I generally cannot tolerate -aiden/-ayden names or boys names on girls. I also like [name_f]Heather[/name_f] a lot and don’t find it too dated or tacky. It’s a non-frilly flower name with a lovely whispery/raspy sound.

I also take guilty pleasure in names with sad meanings or histories- [name_f]Dolores[/name_f], [name_f]Perdita[/name_f], [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], [name_f]Solange[/name_f], [name_f]Iphigenia[/name_f], [name_f]Evening[/name_f], [name_m]Orpheus[/name_m], etc. I like the weight and pathos of these names, even though I wouldn’t necessarily use all of them for a real child.

I won’t use any names that reference a pagan god- that means Isadora, Thora, Artemas, Apollo, Ingrid, etc. are out. I like all of them based on sound alone, but I just don’t fancy connecting my child to those deities.

I hate the names: [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f], [name_u]Cassidy[/name_u], [name_u]Meredith[/name_u], and mary- for a girl
and I hate the names: [name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_m]Marcus[/name_m], [name_m]Caden[/name_m], and [name_u]Max[/name_u] for a boy

My Fav-- Girl: [name_u]Blakely[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_u]London[/name_u] [name_u]Reese[/name_u]
My fav-- boy: [name_m]Austin[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_u]Blake[/name_u] [name_m]Stetson[/name_m]

I have never liked the names [name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_m]George[/name_m], [name_m]Bodhi[/name_m], [name_f]Rose[/name_f] (or any [name_f]Rose[/name_f] name), [name_f]Olive[/name_f], etc.

I hate [name_f]Jane[/name_f]
I love unusual Gaelic names
I love [name_u]Evan[/name_u] on a girl
I hate [name_u]Gale[/name_u] or variations of it on a boy!

  1. I think that ‘popular’ names (I.E. [name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_u]Brady[/name_u], [name_m]Brandon[/name_m], [name_u]Addison[/name_u], etc.) are way overused and sound oily.
  2. I despise mythology names unless they relate to constellations.
  3. I cannot stand generic middle names (I.E. [name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Marie[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]) and think that they are only okay if you want to honor family or friends that are named this.
  4. If your child is named [name_u]Madison[/name_u] but will be called [name_f]Maddie[/name_f] (of your choice, not theirs) than just NAME THEM [name_f]MADDIE[/name_f].
  5. I strongly dislike when boy names are used for girls and vice versa.
  6. I dislike ‘trendy’ spellings of names (I.E. Rozye, Trynyty, etc.)
  7. No long names just for ‘adorable’ nicknames.
  8. [name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_f]October[/name_f], HATE [name_u]Toby[/name_u].
  1. No boys names for girls
  2. No ‘trendy’ spellings
  3. No generic middle names unless you want to honor somebody that was named that.
  4. No naming your kids a long name for a short nickname unless they choose the nickname themselves ([name_m]JUST[/name_m] NAME YOUR KID [name_u]TOBY[/name_u], NOT [name_f]OCTOBER[/name_f] IF YOU WON’T [name_u]EVER[/name_u] CALL THEM THAT)
  5. No mythology names unless relating to constellations or sound acceptable (I.E. no [name_f]Athena[/name_f], but [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is okay)

Not a particular name/names, but I dislike when people describe the “imagery” of certain names and basically just turn it into an ethnic stereotype (i.e. names being called “exotic,” Spanish names being called “spicy” (seriously), or Celtic names being called “witchy”)

On a related note, I really despise the “witchy names” trend… I’m a bit confused as to why you would want your child’s name to sound so spooky? Such a strange trend – names like [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] [name_f]Moon[/name_f] Onyxia or [name_f]Morgana[/name_f] [name_u]Ember[/name_u] [name_f]Solstice[/name_f], etc. I’m all for cool word names but I just don’t get this “haunting” vibe so many people go for.

I also can never understand why people like the names [name_f]Freya[/name_f], [name_f]Snow[/name_f], [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], or [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], and yet these are all wildly popular on Nameberry. I also can’t get behind the same boring names being relegated to the middle spot ([name_f]Rose[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Marie[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], etc.) … but I would love to see these up front more!

On the other hand, I’m a big fan of the names [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u], [name_u]Hilary[/name_u], [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Clare[/name_u]/[name_u]Clair[/name_u], [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] (my own middle name… and I’m a man), [name_u]Kelsey[/name_u], [name_u]Leslie[/name_u], [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u], [name_u]Whitney[/name_u], etc. for boys. A name I like equally for boys and girls? [name_u]Shelby[/name_u].

As a teacher, some names that would normally not be at all my style have grown on me because of the experiences I’ve had with students who had those names. One of these names is [name_m]Brayson[/name_m]!

Finally, I really don’t mind names having a strong association as long as it’s a positive one. Several people have mentioned that the name [name_m]Grover[/name_m] on my list is “too strongly tied to [name_f]Sesame[/name_f] [name_m]Street[/name_m],” but that doesn’t bother me in the slightest… I myself have a name often associated with a cartoon/comic character (“You mean [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] like the Ninja [name_m]Turtle[/name_m]?”) and I think it’s fun.

  1. I dont like [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f], [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], [name_f]Philippa[/name_f]/[name_f]Pippa[/name_f].
  2. I like nicknames as stand alones.
  3. I like boy names on girls.