Why are some Nameberry descriptions so mean?

Why are some Nameberry descriptions so mean? I mean, I understand lighthearted jokes, but some of it is just bullying. We can’t even comment on name pages anymore to correct them.
For example, I was just reading this:

It says:
“Harsh and slight – an unfortunate combination.”
Excuse you! Gita is not an English name, and if you say it as it’s meant to be said I think you’ll find it’s not very harsh at all. It’s quite a sweet name actually.
You don’t have to like a certain name, but unless if using it would be out of the question (e.g. Gaylord, Bloodrayne, etc.), I see no reason to be so harsh!
What are your opinions?

2 Likes

You’re not the first to notice this issue, the opinionated entries have actually been a hotly discussed topic on here for a long time. To a degree, it’s intentional - opinions and advice on the names are supposed to make the difference between Nameberry and sites that offer “just” data. To be honest, I often struggle with that part, too. When you feel like it crosses a line, you should post it to the thread @Tedrix mentioned. And you definitely should if you find something that’s factually wrong!

5 Likes

Because there are a ton of names and a bunch could use updated descriptions. I do think it would be boring to have only facts and nothing critical. You can request a names description be improved in the forums.

4 Likes

Here is the topic mentioned upthread :point_down:

Please do post there if you come across any entries that are offensive, outdated or factually inaccurate. We do review posts there on a regular basis and always update where appropriate.

I’m sorry if you’ve come across entries you feel are mean. That’s obviously not what we’re aiming for and we would always want to rectify those instances. I have just updated the entry for Gita, and you should see the changes go live on the site within a few days (there’s always a short delay for technical reasons).

Not an excuse but an explanation: many of the name entries date from the original baby name books from several decades ago. In the books, space was extremely limited and descriptions were required to be “pithy”. They were brought across wholesale when the site was set up and, while a great many have since been updated and expanded, some now outdated descriptions have fallen through the net due to the sheer number of names in the database.

This is why we really appreciate members flagging problematic entries so that we can take a fresh look.

6 Likes

Thank you. <3