Your naming pet peeves

General Name Discussion
1

Not necessarily specific names you dislike - just naming patterns, styles, themes etc. that bother you. No offense to anyone who likes these names, and keep it as civil as possible.

For me, the main ones are:

  • Random words that aren’t normally used as names. A lot of the more recent nature names fit this category for me, [name_m]Bear[/name_m] and [name_f]Lark[/name_f] for instance.

  • Surnames with no personal significance.

  • A lot of the “old lady” names - [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] and [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] come to mind.

2

I guess what bothers me the most is when people are too afraid to give their child the name they really want to give them because it’s unusual. I don’t like the phrase ‘guilty pleasure name’. Being different is nothing to be ashamed of.

1 Like
3

Same. It makes me so sad to see someone forced to choose a name they barely like, or even dislike. Or they go with the safe option solely because they are afraid of judgement.

My pet peeves are:

  1. strange or odd spellings of otherwise common names.
  2. Smooshing two names together to create a new hybrid name (ie. [name_f]Renesmee[/name_f] from Twilight).
  3. All kids names start with the same letter.
4

I hate it when people have multiple kids with the same ending syllable, such as [name_f]Kylie[/name_f] and [name_u]Waverly[/name_u], or [name_m]Fletcher[/name_m] and [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m].

5

These are some good ones. Definitely not a fan of surnames, totally a fan of unique names but not wacky spellings/extra letters/y instead of I ([name_u]Wynter[/name_u]), and matching endings for all the kids - it might happen once and work but for all kids…nah.

[name_m]How[/name_m] about when they all start with the same letter? I have seen a few instances where it works, but for the most part don’t care for it (a la duggars)

6

I’ll probably edit this 373835 times, but

  1. Informal middle names. Like [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]. I just don’t like it and I don’t know why.
  2. Same letter sibsets.
  3. Not big on really old lady names, like [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_f]Theodora[/name_f], [name_f]Margaret[/name_f].
  4. I know there’s a name for it, but there’s a particular group of name I don’t like. These kinds of names although they’re mega popular here:
  • [name_m]Archibald[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Forrest[/name_m]
  • [name_f]Esme[/name_f]
  • [name_f]Willow[/name_f]
  • [name_m]Lucian[/name_m]
  • [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m]

I don’t have a problem with people liking those names, I just think they aren’t my style.

  1. Not amazingly big on surnames unless they have a connection to me, eg [name_m]Palmer[/name_m], for me is nice because it was a character I liked’s middle name.
  2. Greek mythology names.
  3. Ahbbeigayle. Nuff said.
  4. Unless it’s a name like [name_f]Sadie[/name_f] or [name_f]Jenna[/name_f], which have become popular as a full on their own right, nicknames as full names. I’m talking about just [name_f]Maddie[/name_f] or [name_u]Alfie[/name_u] or [name_m]Tommy[/name_m] as the full name.
  5. Animal names.
  6. Occupational names.

EDIT: For some of the catergories, there are exceptions. I’m just talking about the group in general.

7

Nicknames as middle names bug me too. It just looks/feels wrong.

Thought of another one: overly religious names. Biblical names I can put up with, but wouldn’t use myself, however names like [name_f]Faith[/name_f] and [name_u]Angel[/name_u]? Really can’t stand them.

8

I’m not a fan of:

  1. Two middle names. Unless you’re royal, I think it’s overkill.
  2. Boy’s names on girls. Leave some names for the boys.
  3. On the opposite side of the coin from not giving your child a name because it’s unusual are the names that seem like you’re trying just a bit too hard to be unusual.
9

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t surnames just the last name? And aren’t they usually the same as the parents?

10

Here are mine:

Names meaning “[name_m]Son[/name_m] of ___” used on girls. I just can’t stand it. It’s okay on boys, but not on girls, it makes no sense and it is just unnecessarily trendy example [name_u]Madison[/name_u]. AND NO, changing [name_m]Son[/name_m] to Syn does not make it feminine example [name_f]Madisyn[/name_f]

Names ending in “-[name_u]Leigh[/name_u]”. it just looks like too many letters to spell a short sound and It just looks weird and messy when you add it to things example, [name_f]Ashleigh[/name_f]

11

Surnames as first/given names is what I mean. E.g. [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_u]Jameson[/name_u] and so on.

12

Things I’m not a fan of are the following:

  1. Giving classic boys’ names to girls. Such as [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], etc.

  2. Made up names, word names that aren’t usually word names, and trying-too-hard-to-be-‘edgy’ names. (Examples: Brindy/Brynlyn, Jayelle; [name_m]Saint[/name_m], [name_m]Buddy[/name_m], [name_m]Bear[/name_m]; Jaxx)

  3. Names with dark or overly negative origin (typically, in religion) that won’t work too well in society. Such as [name_m]Lucifer[/name_m] and [name_f]Lilith[/name_f].

  4. Animals names. (Especially ones that are popular for dogs.) [name_m]Bear[/name_m], mainly.

13

My biggest pet peeves;

  1. Over the top names a la [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m], [name_m]Ptolemy[/name_m], or [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] - I get wanting to stand out, but these just seem to be a bit too excessive for me.

  2. Matching sibsets - I don’t mind same letters, but things like [name_f]Millie[/name_f] and [name_f]Minnie[/name_f] or [name_f]Tilly[/name_f] and [name_f]Milly[/name_f] are a bit strange imo. Also having a sibset pattern and disrupting it for one child - my ex and his brothers all had names beginning with J, however his sister, who was born in the middle of the sibset had a name beginning with S. Also, the 4 older children all had two middles, and names that could be shortened, the youngest had a nickname as a first, and only one middle. It used to drive me insane, lol.

  3. People who insist a name needs to “age well because you’d never have a president named ______” - eventually there will be lawyers and doctors and presidents named [name_u]Haley[/name_u], [name_u]Jayden[/name_u], [name_u]Remington[/name_u], [name_m]Maverick[/name_m], etc. etc.

  4. Animal names - [name_u]Wren[/name_u], [name_m]Bear[/name_m], [name_m]Fox[/name_m], [name_m]Wolf[/name_m], etc. They seem a bit silly imo.

  5. Title names and overly religious names - [name_f]Princess[/name_f], [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], [name_m]King[/name_m], Royalty, etc.

14

Yes, “surname” and “last name” mean the same thing (family name, most commonly inherited from the father).

15

My pet peeves are

1, nicknames as given names. if you want to call a baby a cute name, I get it, but those cute names rarely carry the child into adulthood well. ex [name_f]Maddie[/name_f], [name_f]Hattie[/name_f], [name_f]Lori[/name_f], [name_m]Eddy[/name_m], [name_u]Barry[/name_u], etc

2, kre8yv spellings. unless changing for a familial pattern, I don’t see the point in saddling your kid to a lifetime of corrections and errors on paperwork. altering to an international variant like [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] to [name_u]Vivien[/name_u], or [name_m]Damien[/name_m] to [name_m]Damion[/name_m] or [name_m]Damian[/name_m], doesn’t bother me, but changing [name_m]Jackson[/name_m] to [name_m]Jaxon[/name_m], [name_u]Kelly[/name_u] to Kelleigh, or [name_f]Caitlyn[/name_f] to Kaetlin is too extra imo.

3, names that imply an intense amount of religion. i respect religious naming traditions, but having lived in the bible belt without being christian, i just can’t get behind names that imply any sort of heavy religion, such as [name_m]Christian[/name_m], Islam, [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_m]Jedidiah[/name_m], [name_m]Moses[/name_m], [name_u]Messiah[/name_u], [name_m]Saint[/name_m], Conception, [name_u]Noah[/name_u], or any of the angelic names. I don’t have this problem with [name_f]Lillith[/name_f], [name_f]Eve[/name_f], or [name_m]Lucifer[/name_m] for some reason, go figure.

4, really short names. I have a flair for dramatics myself, and while that’s not for everybody, I think both a short first and middle make for a boring name. individually, I like quite a few when they are paired with a longer name to balance the full name out, but double short names ex [name_f]Sara[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f], [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_m]Marcus[/name_m] [name_m]Luke[/name_m], [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] just seem almost empty to me.

5, rhymed sibsets. for nicknames, this is acceptable, as nicknames can change with age and circumstance. as a formal name, making your kids’ names play off each other in sound can become tacky really fast. ex [name_u]Freddie[/name_u], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Jennie[/name_f], [name_m]Eddie[/name_m]; [name_u]Aiden[/name_u], [name_u]Jayden[/name_u], [name_u]Braydon[/name_u], [name_f]Kaelyn[/name_f]

16

I only have two. Misspelling and boys names on girls.

But to be honest, I’m not being made to name my kids that so I don’t really care what other people do.

17

My biggest pet peeves are probably:

Boy names on girls like [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_u]Drew[/name_u], [name_u]Alex[/name_u], [name_u]Sam[/name_u]
Yooneek spellings like [name_f]Apryl[/name_f], [name_f]Alivia[/name_f], [name_f]Madisyn[/name_f]
Overly cutesy nicknames as full names like [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], [name_f]Annie[/name_f], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Lottie[/name_f]. I love these as nicknames but not as full names. I would use [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] “[name_f]Maisie[/name_f]”, [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] “[name_f]Annie[/name_f]”, [name_f]Lucille[/name_f] “[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]” and [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] “[name_f]Lottie[/name_f]”.
Animal names like [name_m]Bear[/name_m], [name_m]Wolf[/name_m], [name_f]Birdie[/name_f], [name_f]Kitty[/name_f].
Over the top names like [name_f]Princess[/name_f], [name_f]Precious[/name_f], [name_m]King[/name_m], Duchess, [name_u]Messiah[/name_u]
Made-up trendy names like [name_f]Skyla[/name_f], [name_f]Everleigh[/name_f], Braxtynn, Maevery

18

I don’t always have consistency with what I like and don’t like.

For example
Some “old man names” like [name_m]George[/name_m], [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_m]Edward[/name_m], I don’t care for; but I love [name_m]Archibald[/name_m], [name_m]Montgomery[/name_m], [name_m]Amos[/name_m], and [name_m]Solomon[/name_m].

Overly religious names I just can’t get behind. Names like [name_f]Faith[/name_f], [name_f]Hope[/name_f], and [name_u]Angel[/name_u].

Cutesy names like Navie, [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], etc

I actually don’t mind gender swapping names because those trends change all the time. There was a time when [name_u]James[/name_u] was given pretty equally to boys and girls. And I have known men named [name_u]Lindsey[/name_u] and [name_u]Tracey[/name_u], so it doesn’t bother me. I also find it kind of ridiculous when people say to “save some for the boys”, I find it [name_m]WAY[/name_m] easier to find boys names than girls names.

I like some Surnames as given names, same with profession/occupation names, like, [name_m]Connor[/name_m] and [name_u]Dexter[/name_u], but some annoy me, like, [name_m]Butcher[/name_m] and [name_m]Rider[/name_m] .

I can’t stand it when people try to assign gender to names that are used equally for boys and girls, especially surnames that aren’t “son of” names, like [name_u]Lennox[/name_u], and [name_u]Lennon[/name_u]

I also get super annoyed when people start over using more unique names to the point that they become extremely popular again, like [name_m]Oliver[/name_m], [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], and [name_f]Isla[/name_f].

I don’t mind nature names until it becomes over the top. Like, [name_f]Meadow[/name_f] is fine, but for the love of god don’t make her middle name [name_f]Lark[/name_f]

19

Twins with very similar-looking names (because I’m a pharmacist and have seen this contribute to medical errors)

Cultural appropriation and names–when a name is known to offend some minority, people are told about this, and choose to use the name anyway (Eg you name your kid [name_m]Cohen[/name_m] after NB members told you that it offends some Jewish people)

Traditionally male names given to females unless the same person has a son(s) with a traditionally female name.

20

Everyone said mine, but here we go

  1. “Guilty Pleasures” being regulated to the middle name spot or not used at all. I can understand not using a name that has obvious teasing potential, but stop trying to appease others.
  2. Creative spellings. Things like [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] vs [name_f]Catharine[/name_f], i don’t care, but [name_f]Alivia[/name_f] does not make your child more unique then all the Olivias.
  3. Gender labels. I actually could care less if someone names their daughter [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]William[/name_m] or [name_u]Kyle[/name_u]. I wouldn’t do it but that’s my taste. I just get annoyed when those same people have a hey day when someone suggests [name_f]Jade[/name_f] or [name_f]Alice[/name_f] for a boy.
  4. [name_f]Virtue[/name_f] names or over religious names…[name_f]Grace[/name_f], hope, [name_f]Evangelina[/name_f]. Biblical is one thing, but labels such as [name_f]Faith[/name_f] is another in my book
  5. The idea that “there can only be one” …names like [name_f]Oprah[/name_f], [name_f]Madonna[/name_f], [name_f]Apple[/name_f]. I think these are usable and I wish parents who wanted to use them, did instead of chickening out- guess that goes back to “guilty pleasures”
  6. Made up names. I don’t mind nature names. People have used [name_f]Rose[/name_f] for years, whats wrong with [name_f]Tulip[/name_f]? No I’m taking about things like Mazzlynn.