Which of these naming trends do you dislike (and why)?

General Name Discussion
1

See the results of this poll: Which of these naming trends do you dislike?

Respondents: 163 (This poll is closed)

  • Nicknames given as legal first names : 38 (8%)
  • Parents insisting on only full name used : 14 (3%)
  • Surnames as first names : 31 (6%)
  • Place names : 23 (5%)
  • Word names (jewels, trees, plants, etc.) : 14 (3%)
  • Double/hyphenated middle names : 26 (5%)
  • Hard to spell/pronounce names : 62 (13%)
  • Male names for females : 81 (16%)
  • Made up or misspelled names : 133 (27%)
  • $ names like Cash, Chase, Royce: 71 (14%)
2

Nicknames as full names, boy names on girls and misspelled names.

3

The ones that annoy me are (no offence to anyone):
Nicknames as legal full names- Only because a lot of the time they sound cute on a child, but not so much on an adult. I love [name_u]Finn[/name_u] and [name_f]Fae[/name_f] as nns, but I feel as if they sound a bit childish on an adult, or would only suit an adult with a certain personality.
Surnames as first names- This really irritates me. I don’t mind surnames that actually sound like first names, but most names ending in -son/ -an e.g. [name_m]Anderson[/name_m], [name_m]Jackson[/name_m], and [name_m]Donovan[/name_m], and really common surnames like [name_m]Smith[/name_m], are clearly surnames and, to me, just sound a bit wrong as first.
Names like [name_m]Cash[/name_m] etc.- Personally, I think they sound a bit tacky. [name_u]Chase[/name_u] might be okay on a child or teenager.
Also, depending on the name, I don’t mind made up names or names that are spelled differently. I like [name_m]Silas[/name_m] spelt [name_m]Sylas[/name_m], because I think it looks nicer, and it’s not been altered too much. It’s only if a name has 5 extra letters, or looks/ sounds ridiculous (if made up); it’s actually quite annoying when people automatically disregard names straight away just because they’re “made up”. I’ve liked the name Saren, since I was 7 or 8, and I didn’t even know it was made up until I looked it up and couldn’t find the meaning etc. [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] for example, one of the top names on Nameberry, was (unintentionally) made up.
Parents insisting on using full name- It’s okay when the child’s younger, but ultimately it should be their choice to use their full name or a nn.
I love double mn; you can use more of your fave names, and difficult to spell/ pronounce names are okay, as long as the pronunciation doesn’t have to be taught to everyone you meet. As in, “It’s said B as in baby, o as in orange” etc.
Sorry for the ramble btw.:stuck_out_tongue:

4

about the parents insisting that the child is ONLY called by the whole name or by their nickname choice [name_u]FOREVER[/name_u].

While I think it is fine for them to call [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], I don’t actually think it’s their business at all what other people call her. [name_u]Ara[/name_u], [name_f]Belle[/name_f], [name_f]Bella[/name_f], or even [name_f]Plum[/name_f]. Most of my high school girlfriends had nicknames, many of which had nothing to do with their actual name or their parents: [name_f]Jen[/name_f], Wilt, Marbles, Kel, Treefrog, [name_f]Denie[/name_f]… And only one of those lasted ([name_f]Jen[/name_f]) so some parental relaxation would be a good idea.

5

Absurdly violent, hyper-macho names: [name_m]Wrecker[/name_m], [name_m]Breaker[/name_m], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u]. The only [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] I know is a pretty disturbed and violent kid, which doesn’t help.

I don’t take “[name_u]Chase[/name_u]” as a money name. I think of it in the sense of pursuit–so more dashing than crass.

I might like some made-up names, but misspelled is another matter.

6

I voted for:

Nicknames as full names. It just sounds way too cutesy for me, especially on an adult.
(That being said, I generally prefer the full names anyway.) Actually, I would be one of those parents who always or mostly uses the full name and ask others to do so until they’re old enough to have an opinion, at which stage it’s not really up to me any more. ([name_f]Pet[/name_f] names I do find cute and would use, but obviously that’s not the same.) Ironically, my laptop and phone have names and I call them by nicknames about half the time. It makes me sad when people have beautiful full names and then go by a nickname that’s okay but not all that interesting.

I like more obscure surnames as first names- as in, something you don’t hear as a surname very often even if it is technically one, e.g. [name_m]Tennyson[/name_m]. But not [name_m]Smith[/name_m], [name_m]Jones[/name_m], etc. because it could get really confusing and I just find it… weird.

I love double middles if the combo goes well together, but I don’t like hyphenated middles. I’m not a fan of hyphenated firsts either. The really traditional ones like [name_f]Anne[/name_f]-[name_f]Marie[/name_f] or [name_f]Mary[/name_f]-[name_f]Jane[/name_f] are okay but I’d rather see them as an unhyphenated double name.

I like some made-up names, if they sound nice. I would never dislike a name just because it was “made up”, I mean, a lot of names in common usage now were made up once upon a time too. The problem for me is that a lot of made-up names sound terrible, strange, or just not name-like.

I don’t mind if names are hard/unintuitive to spell or pronounce, e.g. [name_f]Roisin[/name_f]. Variant spellings are okay too as long as it’s still recognizable as whatever name it is… But a combination of the two- misspelled to the point the pronunciation is unintuitive or impossible to guess- drives me nuts. Especially when it’s not even phonetically correct- I’d say Alycesaundra like a combination of [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_f]Sondra[/name_f], not like [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]!

I don’t like money names or random word names either- many nature names are fine, but obviously something like Windowsill is not! I don’t like brand names either, it makes your child sound like a product. (Though I do love the sound of [name_f]Gucci[/name_f] and Versace.)

7

I’m iffy on parents insisting on full names. Personally, I wouldn’t use a name if I can’t stand any of the nicknames. So I wonder why you’d use [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] if you hate [name_u]Chris[/name_u]. On the other hand, if I’ve chosen a name it’s because I love it so I’d like it to be used. I love [name_u]Linden[/name_u], no nn. If people call him/her [name_u]Lyn[/name_u]/[name_f]Lindy[/name_f]/[name_u]Denny[/name_u] then I won’t like it but I won’t police it.

Boy names on girls don’t bother me in and of themselves. The excuses of some people are what annoys me. It’s so one-sided. “I want to name my daughter [name_m]Patrick[/name_m] to honor my dad. I want to use his full name, not a feminization”, yet they would never be so adamant about naming their son [name_f]Angela[/name_f] to honor their mom. He may get [name_m]Angelo[/name_m] or [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] but no way would he be [name_f]Angela[/name_f]. Why be so rigid in one case but not the other?

  • I also hate the ‘I didn’t know it was a boy name’ excuse. So you’re admitting you did zero research on the name you stuck your kid with for at least 18 years? Very responsible.
  • I really really hate when the boy-name-on-girl crowd discourages people from using names on boys. So not only are they using men’s names but they’re actively trying to diminish their usage on boys. As much as I love [name_m]Jasper[/name_m] for a girl, I’d never say ‘it’s girly’ or try to sway someone from using it for a boy.

Yes, I dislike the machismo-type names. What if Rykker doesn’t fit the parents expectations, which are clearly that he will be a rough and tumble boy and grow into a ‘manly’ man?

8

Place names – Depends on the place. [name_f]Georgia[/name_f], [name_f]Carolina[/name_f], and [name_f]Alberta[/name_f]? They’re fine. Bismark, [name_u]Sweden[/name_u], and [name_f]Jamaica[/name_f]? Over the top unless you have an actual connection to the place. [name_m]Even[/name_m] then, it’s best as a middle name.
Male names for females – If you’re not going to name your son [name_f]Sue[/name_f], don’t name your daughter [name_u]James[/name_u]!
Made up or misspelled names – I don’t have a problem with slight misspellings, like [name_f]Norah[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Nora[/name_f]. But spelled Noarha it’s rather ridiculous and makes you (and your child by proxy) look uneducated.
$ names like [name_m]Cash[/name_m], [name_u]Chase[/name_u], [name_u]Royce[/name_u] – They just sound silly.

I also agree with the hyper-macho names!

9

Place names aren’t my style, though I love word names. It’s just a personal preference.
Made up and misspelled names can be the absolute worst. I don’t get why you would pick a trending name, then misspell it in order to be unique. [name_m]Just[/name_m] pick something less common.
Names like [name_m]Cash[/name_m]. I would group this with [name_u]Bentley[/name_u], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], [name_m]Colton[/name_m], [name_m]Nash[/name_m], [name_m]Jaxon[/name_m], etc. Very rural south.

10

My biggest peeves are…

Made up spellings: [name_m]Little[/name_m] flares because of a language difference like [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] vs [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] is fine. Alliksandorah is not.
Surnames as first names: I’m so tired of [name_m]Jackson[/name_m], [name_m]Samson[/name_m], [name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_u]Addison[/name_u], [name_m]Anderson[/name_m] etc (especially if it’s a girl!)
Hard to spell/pronounce or with nonintuitive spellings for a native English speaker who hasn’t seen the name before: This includes some common names like [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], [name_m]Isaac[/name_m], [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], etc. I also get bothered by words like February or [name_f]Wednesday[/name_f], so I’m probably just a weirdo on that one. Hah!

Also very tired of girl names that end in “a” and any name than ends in “en”/“an”/“on”… Though I am as guilty as the rest because I like [name_f]Alma[/name_f] and [name_f]Hannah[/name_f], and [name_m]Alan[/name_m] and [name_m]Simon[/name_m]. I just wish the SS top 5 lists weren’t so harshly dominated by them in the last 5-10 years.

11

Mine are:
Made up/Misspelled names: I feel like this just makes the parents look dumb and illiterate, and less creative.
Boys names for girls: As a mom to three boys, it is hard enough finding a great name without them all being taken over by little girls and turned feminine.
Surnames as first names: but only if it is totally not a normal surname to first. I have an [name_u]Elliott[/name_u], so I can’t totally be against this. But something like [name_m]Johnson[/name_m], I don’t really care for.
Hard to Spell/Pronounce: for obvious reasons.

It depends on the word name… there are plenty of word names that I adore ([name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], etc), but names that label ([name_u]Hunter[/name_u], [name_m]Christian[/name_m], etc), I don’t care for.

12

I do not like boys’ names on girls. It bothers me SOOO bad. And misspelled names are pretty infuriating, too.

13

Made-up/misspelled: [name_m]Just[/name_m] makes the parents seem kind of ignorant and wannabe-ish. I’d actually be okay with any made-up name that sounded like enough of a name (ie, could fool the average person into thinking it wasn’t made up, I guess.)

14

Place names: It really depends on the name on whether it bugs me or not.
Surnames as first names: I don’t mind these.
Double/Hyphenated middle names: I don’t mind these.
Nicknames as first names: They bug me a little, but only because the person with the name may decided later they want a more formal name. I much prefer a full first name and then a child can get any nickname, whether related to their actual name or not. And then they constantly get ‘[name_f]Vickie[/name_f]. That’s short for [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], right?’. My brother is named [name_u]James[/name_u] and went by [name_m]Jimmy[/name_m] as a kid into his late teens. In his early 20’s he decided to be called [name_u]James[/name_u]. That would have been a hard transition if he didn’t have [name_u]James[/name_u] to fall back on when he wanted to.
Parents only using full names or nicknames: It doesn’t bug me too bad, but it does a little bit. I know a little boy named [name_m]Jacob[/name_m] and his mom HATES [name_m]Jake[/name_m]. She refuses to use it or for anyone else to use it. At some point friends, teachers, anyone else who comes into his life later might start calling him that and he could like it. Then she’ll cringe every time she hears his name. I [name_f]LOVE[/name_f] [name_m]Henry[/name_m] (too popular to use now), but hate [name_m]Hank[/name_m]. Sooner or later if I have a kid and choose that name someone else will call him that and I wouldn’t like it. So that’s another reason I’d never use it.
Word names: [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t like these. Sometimes it’s like people just look through a dictionary and point to a word. I know of a Pick (a boy, apparently it’s a family name) and brothers named Duck and Tree. I wouldn’t name a kid Table. Those types of names just seem odd to me.
Hard to spell/pronounce: This drives me crazy! If I have to spend 5 minutes staring at a name just to figure out how it’s supposed to be pronounced then I just think how hard it would be once they got to school. I have a cousin due in [name_u]March[/name_u] and is planning on naming her daughter Meleighia with the nickname of [name_f]Milly[/name_f]. [name_f]Malia[/name_f] is easy to pronounce and spell. [name_m]Noone[/name_m] will be able to spell her daughters name right.
Male names on females: Irritates me to no end! It would drive me crazy if I would have to identify my gender every time told someone my name when they couldn’t see me. Or to have to guess the gender when I see a name written down. My sister has had to deal with this her whole life and has only liked it once.
Made up/misspelled Names: [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t like these at all. You wouldn’t misspell words deliberately in everyday life. Why would you do so with a name? And if you’re changing the spelling of a common name it’s still a common name, just one that’s harder for people to spell. Jaedyn G., [name_u]Jaiden[/name_u] B., [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] K., [name_u]Jaden[/name_u] Z. and [name_u]Jadon[/name_u] R. all have the same name. A changed spelling doesn’t make the person unique, how they are as people do.

15

I voted surname, $ names, and made-up/creatively spelled names but I feel like it’s necessary to add that there are a few names in each of these categories I do like. Well maybe not $ names but that may be just because I can’t think of many.

16

The ones on your list that don’t bother me:

Nicknames as full names doesn’t bother me unless they sound overly cutesie and just wouldn’t work on an adult, e.g. [name_m]Liam[/name_m] is fine (and widely accepted as a full name now) but [name_m]Tommy[/name_m] or [name_f]Emmie[/name_f] I can’t see on an adult

Double middles - I love names (as we all do) so I always think it’s quite exciting when there are several middles :slight_smile:

Whilst I can’t stand misspelled or made up names in general, I think that if a name has etymological meaning and history and was made up with this is mind then it is quite cool

The other ones all annoy me

17

I don’t mind made up names as a rule. They could be good, they could be bad. All names were made up at some point by somebody, right? The odds of coming up with a really great name that no one else has thought of yet seem skim, though.

I really dislike creative spellings, especially when people inadvertently spell a completely different legitimate name. For instance, there is a blogger who wanted to name her son [name_u]Mason[/name_u], but decided it was too popular. So she named him Mazen, which is a horrifying misspelling of [name_u]Mason[/name_u]. But it also happens to be an Arabic name, which she apparently did not bother to google at any point. Mazen is pronounced differently than [name_u]Mason[/name_u]. That kind of thing just seems ignorant to me.

Also, if people want to give their daughters boys names, they should not be offended when people mistake sweet baby [name_u]James[/name_u] for a boy. I don’t know if it just me, but I find that parents who give their girls boy names get really upset when everyone doesn’t automatically know that the two week old baby is a girl.

18

I dislike all of these trends with the exception of two: (1) parents insisting on the full names (it’s their choice. Some people aren’t into nicknames and that’s ok) and (2) word names (nature). Another exception would be place names. For example, I don’t mind them if a certain place has a special significance for a couple (birthplace, childhood memories, honeymoon etc…), I think that would be fine.

Other Trends I dislike:

(1) macho and/or violent-sounding names like [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] turn me off.

(2) The craze for Anglicized spellings. Why is [name_m]Ciaran[/name_m] so difficult for people to grasp compared to [name_u]Kieran[/name_u]? My philosophy is that the more people are familiar with different cultures and their quirky spellings, the more tolerant we become! :slight_smile:

(3) Cutesy girl names ending in “ee” like [name_u]Paisley[/name_u] and [name_u]Ainsley[/name_u] make me cringe.

I’m going to stop there because I don’t want this post to turn into a rant!

19

Yes! I totally agree with this. It really annoys me that people anglicise names to reduce pronunciation issues, if more people used the original spelling the name would become more widely known and everyone would learn how to pronounce it. (It particularly confuses me with Ciaran because it’s so easy to pronounce anyway!) :wink:

Edit - oops I don’t know what happened with the quote :confused:

Ren-- The closing slash was missing :slight_smile:

20

I only selected three options:

Nicknames given as legal first names. While this is the parents’ choice, it does tend to annoy me a little. I understand the argument, “Well, we wanted her to be called [name_f]Ally[/name_f], so we named her [name_f]Ally[/name_f]! No muss, no fuss!” However, this means [name_f]Ally[/name_f] (or [name_m]Jimmie[/name_m], or [name_u]Drew[/name_u]) has nothing formal to fall back on if s(he) ever wants it. For a name like [name_f]Ally[/name_f], this even diminishes its history and meaning. It could be short for [name_f]Alison[/name_f], or [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]/[name_f]Alexandria[/name_f]/[name_u]Alexis[/name_u], or [name_f]Alana[/name_f], or something else, but no…it’s just [name_f]Ally[/name_f].

Male names for females. I’ve become more tolerant of some unisex names, especially nature names like [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] and [name_u]Cedar[/name_u], but just plain boy names on girls is very annoying. I’d be annoyed by girl names on boys, too, if that was happening.

Made up or misspelled names. I have to be careful when I say “made-up,” especially when I’m talking unusual names with my critical younger siblings, because every name out there was “made-up” at some point in history. The ones that tick me off are the ones clearly invented for sound, with no regard for etymology or history. I know a little Jimothy. I also dislike blatant misspellings.

None of the other trends listed bug me without exception. If parents want to insist on the full first name, that’s their choice, at least until the child is old enough to let friends call him or her by a nickname. I don’t like a lot of surnames as firsts, but I’m fine with some, and if parents are using a family surname, I understand that. I like a lot of place names, word names and nature names, though obviously some are over-the-top. I love double middles when they’re done well, though I usually prefer them un-hyphenated. If it’s a real name, I don’t care if it’s hard to spell or pronounce, especially if it’s foreign. Teach me to spell it and say it and I’m good to go. I love [name_f]Aoife[/name_f], [name_m]Tadhg[/name_m] and [name_m]Ruari[/name_m]! I may not care for the “money names,” but many of them are also surnames and could be used to honor family. They don’t bug me that much.

P.S. I’m a hunter myself and know many others, so for me [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] doesn’t fall into the Violent-Super-Macho category with [name_m]Wrecker[/name_m] and [name_m]Breaker[/name_m]. It was very popular for a while there, too–many people identify with the hunting culture who wouldn’t go so far as these other, more unusual, “bad-boy” names.