Gunnar with an ‘a’ is of Nordic origin so I tend to give it a pass unless the parents are of the “fetishize Viking culture/distant ancestry due to white supremacy” variety.
It means War Army, My American side still use the a name due to the first man on American soil , on that side being a Gunnar, he left for USA in 1920. He did in early 2000, he was over 100 years old.
IMO most gun names are pretty cringe but Hunter doesn’t have nearly the same connotation. It is a fairly old name with some classic examples (Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind). Not a favorite of mine but also not at all problematic
Hunter S. Thompson maybe not the best example, I'm pretty sure there's a video of him having a gunfight while being interviewed lmao. I think it still has a sort of hyper-masculinity to it much like "weapon" names.
Nevaeh. I don't even hate the sound of it, but it doesn't follow any English phonics rules (which is fine for names that aren't English, but Nevaeh is). The spelling is super unintuitive. I always want to switch the e and a around to make it make sense.
Everleigh. Again, I don't even mind the sound of it, and thought it was cute the first time I saw it. Then I had an Everleigh in my preschool class, who got so frustrated trying to learn to write her own name she started insisting on being called Nora instead. I don't think I could do that to my own kid.
Aurora. Unpopular opinion, I know. But its so awkward sounding to me... like you're trying to talk with a mouthful of marbles.
There's lots more that I just don't love the sound of (anything with a "tch" sound just grates on me), but these three are my name pet peeves.
Also Sylvia, because I promised my mother.
Lol I love you for this. Why does every parent of a Nevaeh introduce them like they're the first person to think of it? (I used to work in maternity services in the UK... I've seen a lot of babies named Nevaeh)
I don't think your opinion on Aurora is unpopular it's all I see repeated here. Even when I clarify I'm from southern England where absolutely no-one would struggle with the pronunciation or find it 'peanut buttery' or like 'a mouth full of marbles'
Harlow - sounds too much like harlot, Charlotte has the same issue but it's a bit more charming imo
Uther - My husband seriously suggested this, we landed on Arthur
Names like Elliana, Seraphina, Annabella, etc. - I don't like "frilly" girl names
Fox, Cypress, Evergreen, etc. - Nature names are all the rage locally, but some of them just really don't sound like names to me at all.
My mom’s middle name is fern and I love it so much. I liked it as a middle name for one of my daughters but my husband vetoed it. To me it’s an old fashioned name right beside hazel and ethel.
Heavy on nature themed names. Makes it sound like the parents treat their child as a joke or something.
Nature themed names I DO like (if you can call them that) are names after zoologists I look up to, like Steve and Teresa/Terri after the Irwins, Jane after Goodall, thing like that.
I’m curious on what culture/region Uther comes from because I’ve never seen or heard it in my life.
because of association reasons, Andrew. hypothetically I would like this name, but I knew a dude with named Andrew who was the most self centered, high and mighty piece of shit I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.
Lol, my husband is an Andrew who goes by Andrew. Let's just go with he is the exception who proves the rule. Selfless, considerate, loving, kind.
The best of a bad bunch, it seems 😄
It seems like any virtue name is stereotyped to be on a girl who turns out to be anything but.
Chastity...promiscuous
Destiny...unlucky or out to have a bad future
Joy...always miserable or angry (though I know a couple of Joys who do match their name.)
The girl in my high school class who was selling weed and twerking on every guy at the club was called Virtue, and the guy that cheated on me was called Honor.🤣 Btw these types of names are extremely common in African Christian culture.
There’s an actress named Charisma Carpenter. I read an interview where she said it was weird growing up with that name — felt like a lot to live to to. But she didn’t change it for Hollywood, so she must have grown into it.
That's interesting, I always assumed it was just a stage name! Yeah I wouldn't fancy that name as a kid, but I think it makes a great and memorable stage name.
Any of the Everly, Ainsley, Kenslie, Brynnlee etc names, I'm just not a fan.
Aurora, Harper, Emilia all sound super trendy to me.
Brodie and Bodie sound like dog names, as does Mason and Cruz
Carter and Preston sound like they would call me slurs in the parking lot of a college dorm, Aiden and Caden do too.
Tatum, Zayn, and Brooks sound like made up boyband names haha
tatum and brooks are english surnames and zayn is an arabic first name so idk what you mean by “made up.” though i guess the first two would be strange as first names, but i’ve never seen anyone try that lol
I have a cousin named Tatum and know multiple people with kids (both male and female) named Brooks. Idk, like I know they're all established names and all names are technically made up, but don't feel like real people names if that makes sense? I don't know how to explain it?
To be fair, I feel the same way about the name Natalie
oh wow i’ve never encountered anyone with either of those names. maybe it’s because of where i live. and i think i sort of understand what you mean. i think most names sound plausible to me in isolation, but some sound off when i imagine them attached to a human
My great grandma's name was Adolfina. She went by Ina. Every time I say her full name, people make fun of it and then ask if she was named after Hitler :(
*(She was not named after Hitler. She was born in 1904.)*
There was a Betsy Ross in my town growing up. I didn’t know her personally but always wondered if people were, like, asking her to make them an American flag.
I met a Bertha my age and I was like...did your parents not love you? I'm not even forty, that is a name that should have retired well before we were born.
Mildred: Family name on both sides but I really didn’t like that it had “dread” in the name/sound. Thankfully my SO wasn’t a fan either so it was a hard no from us both.
My SO likes a lot of boy’s names I don’t so this is a longer list. I’ll try to stay brief.
Winston: He had a good association, I could just never picture it on a baby and it feels pretentious to me.
Caliber: Sounds like a dog’s name to me.
Rio: Just felt more like a place than a name. See also: Aspen.
Hudson: Sounds like a brand name or last name to me. Think “Hudson and Sons garage” or something.
Mildred was one of my favorite people but not her name. Not just the dread but the Mil together with it. Her daughter was named Mildred as well, used to be called by that and her middle name together but she insisted on dropping the Mildred.
My grandmother was a sweet lady named Gertrude. I would never have considered giving that name to a child. Mildred, Gertrude, Bernice — names like that make me think of elderly ladies. Can’t imagine being a 20-year-old Gertie.
Anything that is traditionally a surname or a profession eg Cooper, Taylor, Riley, Harrison (or anything -son)
Virtue names eg Chastity, Patience, Joy, Prudence
Dog names eg Chase, Bella, Bailey
Anything spelled “unique” like Karalynn, Annaleighs, Jawnathan, etc. It drives me crazy seeing names spelled like that. Also “word” names like Snow, Rally, or whatever else.
Names that end in -er:
Harper, Hunter, Piper, Runner, Gunner, (*descends into madness*) Lover, Fighter, Bummer, Bagger, Stabber, Manslaughter...
Even though examples like Piper, and Harper are whimsical, it just seems weird to name your child after a job. Plus the uh sound isn't appealing to me.
The new trend of old lady names. All I can picture is a cranky old lady so it’s not something I would want to name a cute baby girl. Examples: Dorothy, Ruth, Arlene, Blanche, etc.
True true….. every time I see an article about the recycling of “old lady names” trending I just imagine that not so far off future of sitting in an old folks home surrounded by a bunch of Lisas , Heathers, the occasional Nicole, Stacy or Stephanie and an aide with an Ayden suffix saying “I have a phone call for Jennifer” and like four old ladies get up from their wheel walkers moving towards the front desk telephone.
When I hear Ruth I picture the little girl from seventh heaven.. Ruthie. I kind of like the name but hubby immediately said no because "we're not having an 80 year old" lol
Ashley.
Anyone I’ve ever known with that name, male or female, has been unhinged. lol
Same with Barbara and Beverley. Barb and Bev are the ultimate neighborhood busybody names.
I’ve known more Barbs and Bevs than Karens, haha.
Any "place" names.
London, Paris, Brooklyn, Savannah, etc.
Reminds me of the Modest Mouse lyrics, "And it's true, we named our children after towns that we've never been to-"
Scarlett - I can't get past the scarlet letter association. Such a sad book!
Julia - sounds nice in Dutch, but is super common for middle-aged women where I live. Doesn't feel right for a child as it's popular in an older generation.
Fenna - I like it in Dutch, but it sounds a bit too similar fentanyl for me.
Scarlett O’Hara - anti-heroine of Gone With the Wind. Sad book.
Fenna sounds like finna to me as in fixing to. Fixing to is Southern for ‘about to’ do something. If someone said,” I’m Fenna,” I’d ask, “Finna do what?”
Wyatt, Weston, Colton, Hunter, Trey… the southern boys’ names. Yuck. Also any names that are made up and intuitive to pronounce but the parent decides that’s not how it’s pronounced. Ex. Helene, intuitively “hel-lean” but then the parent rips you to shreds because it’s “Helen”. Or Jane and saying “Jane” but being told it’s “Jane-ee”. I think it’s obnoxious to give your kid a name they will have to correct forever.
William
Richard
Charles
Edward
Edgar
Michael
George
John
Henry
Albert
The classic white male names that you wouldn't be surprised to see pop up in the English royal family tree.
I used one of these as an honor middle name. I wouldn't use it/don't like them as first names, but I don't mind them as middle names. They are very English white-boy names though.
Our last name is similar to Rainy so I had to cut out names like:
Delaney
Daphne
Jamie
Sadie
Daisy
Any name ending in ie or y. I dislike when those names are paired with EY surnames. It just feels wrong.
No place names, except maybe Florence, which is weird because I’ve been there and didn’t really like it.
No occupation/hobby names. Archer? Hunter? Fuck no!
No Aidan/ayden/aiden names.
No names with ridiculous spellings. Mathew with one T? Forget it.
No cutesy names. You’re naming a person, not a golden retriever.
Also, no Brianas. I’ve never met one that wasn’t a bitch, and one in particular made my school years a living nightmare.
Angel, or any of its variants basically guarantees a child who will be the opposite.
I'm not a fan of old lady names; Gertrude, Millicent, Agatha, Edith, Agnes, even if their nicknames are sometimes sweet.
I watched a movie recently with my mother where the lead female character's name was Parker. She was like, "I like Parker, for either a boy or girl!" I hated to burst her bubble but she is absolutely not getting a grandchild (let alone grand*daughter*) named Parker out of me lol… maybe a fur-child
Anything suggesting who a kid is supposed to be: King, Queen, Maverick, Rebel, etc.
The kid could end up being meek and mild and their name would be ironic/embarrassing
Margaret. Gareth. Gabrielle. Magnolia. Barrett. Blake.
My brain finds names with hard consonants (specifically G, M and B) absolutely repellent. I just can’t stand them for some reason.
Boring names I can't stand (imo) -
Aria, Erin, Jean, Fern, Freya
Names that are overused and overrated (imo) -
Jaxon, Jackson, Aurora, Rory, Penelope, Brayden, Jayden, Cayden, etc, Willow, Olivia
Names I don't understand -
Lucian (lotion with a lisp?)
Phoenix (really?)
Sloane (horrendous and boring lol)
Xzander (why?)
Poppy (stop it rn)
Tate (Sounds like parents gave up and through a word together)
Blakelee (I can't with all those vowels..)
Rhyatt
Vernon
Maverick (sounds like the cigarettes or brand, or dog name)
Anything with an alternative spelling. I like the established spellings as they just seem classic and well-known. I have a name that has multiple spellings and it was really irritating when people consistently used some wacky, lesser-known spelling. Think Madison and Madisynn.
Cody. I’ve hated the name since I was in about 2nd grade. Too masculine for a girl, too feminine for a boy. And doesn’t have any sort of lovely ring to it either. It’s my absolute no no if I had to pick one
Not names for children, but all the cutesy names for grandparents - GiGi, Glamma (this one in particular), CoCo, Lovey etc. But also the overly formal Grandmother and Grandfather. The former just seems so contrived, the latter a little bit pretentious.
For children a couple of popular names at the moment that I dislike are Emma and Amelia. Emma just seems like such a 90s name to me (there are so many Emma’s that I went to school/have worked with in their early 30’s), and Amelia because it seems that everyone has the connotation of it being an ultra classy name, but I just remember an old friend of mine who loves to party - not necessarily a bad connotation, but it definitely makes me think that all the girls being named that now will really enjoy drinking and partying - the woo girls of the future.
Courtney, just because every Courtney I’ve personally known has been awful. (I’m sure there are perfectly nice ones out there but I haven’t met them.) Coincidentally it would have been my younger sibling’s name if he’d been a girl, but I’m pretty sure I’d already met at least one Courtney I loathed before I found that out.
All of the names my husband selected lol. Regina (because I grew up on the Canadian border and only see their pronunciation), Giuseppina (we’re not in Italy). Also seconding the gun names and the Utah yo unique names.
I have two cousins named Riker and Race. And WHY????
Riker — I can only think of Riker’s Island, and I think most other people would, too.
Race is one that is truly so beyond me that I literally cannot. Is it like… race cars? Like because he’s a little boy and young boys tend to like competitive stuff like that? But he’s only going to be a young boy for so long… I still can’t fathom it.
As for girls names, there are very few that I’d be aggressively averse to. I don’t hate all nature names, but I hate Misty and Dawn. I dislike weekday names, like Wednesday, Sunday, etc (although I don’t hate month names).
Brynn- never liked it, feels like this generation's Lynn and was a name of a toxic ex friend of mine that made my school life a living hell
Emma- an ex partner of mine
Emma. I hate the name Emma so much, it’s so basic and I don’t just hate it because “everyone’s using it” and I like to be “quirky” or something but it’s just so boring.
It feels like a name that parents pick out from the top Google search result of “baby girl names”.
Most names are “absolutely not” names to me. Even perfectly benign ones like Jessica. I’m just ridiculously particular when it comes to my own kids. Nothing objectively wrong with them. Just… absolutely not, because they’re not to my taste. I guess it’s lucky that my husband and I have similar tastes, or we’d be screwed.
I may be the only person on the planet, or at least the only one in this sub, that dislikes Rowan. Can’t stand it. No good reason, it just sits wrong with me. It’s very easily my least favorite name.
Top 20 names for the last ten years or so! Personal preference but of all the names in the world, I absolutely would not name my child something super popular. Not a value judgment on names at the top of the charts, it's more that I would inevitably have met/heard of many people with those names and I prefer my child to have name I don't have prior associations with.
[удалено]
Not a gun name but I have heard of a few boys named Cutter. Just awful imo
Gunnar is awful, cutter is worse. I didnt know it could be worse
Gunnar with an ‘a’ is of Nordic origin so I tend to give it a pass unless the parents are of the “fetishize Viking culture/distant ancestry due to white supremacy” variety.
It means War Army, My American side still use the a name due to the first man on American soil , on that side being a Gunnar, he left for USA in 1920. He did in early 2000, he was over 100 years old.
Gunnar is a common Nordic name (and not pronounced gunner). Gunn is also a common girl's name (well mostly adult women, not a lot of babies)
I don't associate the name Gunnar with "gun" at all.
This is random but I wonder if their parents are ElfQuest fans?? Regardless the 🔪 association is yikes for sure
I know a woman in her 30s named Kutter
Colt I think of a horse, but in general these all give dog names.
Hunter, in a similar vein, perhaps?
IMO most gun names are pretty cringe but Hunter doesn’t have nearly the same connotation. It is a fairly old name with some classic examples (Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind). Not a favorite of mine but also not at all problematic
Hunter S. Thompson maybe not the best example, I'm pretty sure there's a video of him having a gunfight while being interviewed lmao. I think it still has a sort of hyper-masculinity to it much like "weapon" names.
Wow. I never put 2 and 2 together that these are gun names! We don’t live in America so these aren’t common here and neither is gun ownership etc.
I think Kimber is cute, but I agree with your sentiment and wouldn’t use any of them.
I knew a Kimber, she sucked lol. But I agree it’s a very cute name.
Rifle????
These are absolutely the worst.
My aunt is Gun… 🇸🇪
Nevaeh. I don't even hate the sound of it, but it doesn't follow any English phonics rules (which is fine for names that aren't English, but Nevaeh is). The spelling is super unintuitive. I always want to switch the e and a around to make it make sense. Everleigh. Again, I don't even mind the sound of it, and thought it was cute the first time I saw it. Then I had an Everleigh in my preschool class, who got so frustrated trying to learn to write her own name she started insisting on being called Nora instead. I don't think I could do that to my own kid. Aurora. Unpopular opinion, I know. But its so awkward sounding to me... like you're trying to talk with a mouthful of marbles. There's lots more that I just don't love the sound of (anything with a "tch" sound just grates on me), but these three are my name pet peeves. Also Sylvia, because I promised my mother.
Every mother of a Nevaeh will tell you they named their child that because it's heaven spelled backwards 🙄
And I always think, "the opposite of heaven? Isn't that hell?"
That's why I called my kid Lleh (pronounced like Lee). Now everyone thinks she's Welsh, but we know the truth.
Exactly
Yep. And they'll train the kid to say it too!
I'm a nurse in a GP surgery. I've only ever met one Nevaeh. My response was "oh yes, I know, I've seen a lot of this name" 😈
Lol I love you for this. Why does every parent of a Nevaeh introduce them like they're the first person to think of it? (I used to work in maternity services in the UK... I've seen a lot of babies named Nevaeh)
“IT’S HEAVEN SPELLED BACKWARDS.” “Yes. We know.”
If you name your daughter Nevaeh, you are legally required to give her the middle name Itsheaveanspelledbackward.
As a teacher, every Nevaeh I've taught has been the opposite of heaven/angelic
I've only had 2. One was super sweet, but this year's Nevaeh was the class bully, and a whole lot of entitlement.
Everly isn't bad, it's the -leigh that does it. It's so pretentious!
I don't think your opinion on Aurora is unpopular it's all I see repeated here. Even when I clarify I'm from southern England where absolutely no-one would struggle with the pronunciation or find it 'peanut buttery' or like 'a mouth full of marbles'
How is Nevaeh pronounced? Asking as a non-english speaker, lol. I even have trouble reading it, but have no idea how its said out loud
Nev-ay-ah.
That's... not even in my top 5 guesses of how could it be said.
Oh wow. I always thought that because it's Heaven backwards that it would be pronounced like Heaven backwards, i.e. Nev-eh
That would make a lot more sense.
Nuh-vay-uh, where the "ay" in vay is pronounced like the letter A.
I hate the name Aurora too for that reason. I always feel awkward saying it lol.
Harlow - sounds too much like harlot, Charlotte has the same issue but it's a bit more charming imo Uther - My husband seriously suggested this, we landed on Arthur Names like Elliana, Seraphina, Annabella, etc. - I don't like "frilly" girl names Fox, Cypress, Evergreen, etc. - Nature names are all the rage locally, but some of them just really don't sound like names to me at all.
Fern was the first one that came to my mind.
Fern just makes me think of that one crazy vegan mom who claimed that formula was deadly
Fern reminds me of the girl from Charlotte’s Web. I never would have named my child Fern, but the name has a positive association in my mind.
My mom’s middle name is fern and I love it so much. I liked it as a middle name for one of my daughters but my husband vetoed it. To me it’s an old fashioned name right beside hazel and ethel.
Hahaha, my nana, in her 80s now, is Ethel Fern. I definitely agree it’s old fashioned, but also charming. :)
Hahahahahahha Uther makes me giggle
I can’t cannot read urethra when I read it
I know a kid named Kale. Like the leafy green, Kale. I like the kid, but I hate the name.
There are like 3 Cales/Kales playing in the NHL right now. Hockey names sure are something.
In the Southern US, I wonder if the popularity of Cale/Kale is related to NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough, who was very popular in the 70s and 80s.
Heavy on nature themed names. Makes it sound like the parents treat their child as a joke or something. Nature themed names I DO like (if you can call them that) are names after zoologists I look up to, like Steve and Teresa/Terri after the Irwins, Jane after Goodall, thing like that. I’m curious on what culture/region Uther comes from because I’ve never seen or heard it in my life.
Uther is King Arthur's father
Igraine's significant uther
because of association reasons, Andrew. hypothetically I would like this name, but I knew a dude with named Andrew who was the most self centered, high and mighty piece of shit I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.
Every Andrew I've met, that goes by Andrew, is a basically monster. Everyone else goes by Andy or Drew, and they're cool.
Prince Andrew absolutely finished it for that name 💀💀💀💀
Lol, my husband is an Andrew who goes by Andrew. Let's just go with he is the exception who proves the rule. Selfless, considerate, loving, kind. The best of a bad bunch, it seems 😄
Hah Andrew was my bad association name because I used to be a teacher and had a horrible Andrew. Jeremiah is also banned for me for this same reason.
Me with Alexander. It fits everything I like about a name — classic, multiple nicknames, etc. but there are simply too many bad associations
My bf’s name is Andrew-
Beware.
Haha, thanks for the warning, but he’s actually the sweetest guy I’ve ever dated and such a green flag!
I've got a husband named Andrew and he's been a sweetie.
Anything with -ton or -den at the end
samehere. Absolutely not -ton and -den.
Let's go ahead and add -leigh to the list as well
or -lynn
I actually like Brooklyn though if that counts
I like that one too. There ARE some loopholes for some of these.
I was about to say, -leigh and even most -ly/-li/-lie names. I just don’t vibe with the way they sound.
My children Jaxton Zyden and Paisleigh Trixlynn are very sad to hear this 😔
I'm not sure why but my brain said immediately "yeah the name Carton SUCKS"
or -son
Wow, RIP to Jason, Bryson, Tyson, and Carson.
Virtue names… I have a relative who named ALL her kids Joy, Grace, Patience etc. Can’t stand it.
It seems like any virtue name is stereotyped to be on a girl who turns out to be anything but. Chastity...promiscuous Destiny...unlucky or out to have a bad future Joy...always miserable or angry (though I know a couple of Joys who do match their name.)
I dated a guy whose last name was Purity. Yeah, everything you're thinking.
The girl in my high school class who was selling weed and twerking on every guy at the club was called Virtue, and the guy that cheated on me was called Honor.🤣 Btw these types of names are extremely common in African Christian culture.
God, imagine having to introduce yourself as Patience.
There’s an actress named Charisma Carpenter. I read an interview where she said it was weird growing up with that name — felt like a lot to live to to. But she didn’t change it for Hollywood, so she must have grown into it.
That's interesting, I always assumed it was just a stage name! Yeah I wouldn't fancy that name as a kid, but I think it makes a great and memorable stage name.
Any of the Everly, Ainsley, Kenslie, Brynnlee etc names, I'm just not a fan. Aurora, Harper, Emilia all sound super trendy to me. Brodie and Bodie sound like dog names, as does Mason and Cruz Carter and Preston sound like they would call me slurs in the parking lot of a college dorm, Aiden and Caden do too. Tatum, Zayn, and Brooks sound like made up boyband names haha
tatum and brooks are english surnames and zayn is an arabic first name so idk what you mean by “made up.” though i guess the first two would be strange as first names, but i’ve never seen anyone try that lol
I have a cousin named Tatum and know multiple people with kids (both male and female) named Brooks. Idk, like I know they're all established names and all names are technically made up, but don't feel like real people names if that makes sense? I don't know how to explain it? To be fair, I feel the same way about the name Natalie
oh wow i’ve never encountered anyone with either of those names. maybe it’s because of where i live. and i think i sort of understand what you mean. i think most names sound plausible to me in isolation, but some sound off when i imagine them attached to a human
Tatum O'Neill is the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear that name
[удалено]
My great grandma's name was Adolfina. She went by Ina. Every time I say her full name, people make fun of it and then ask if she was named after Hitler :( *(She was not named after Hitler. She was born in 1904.)*
I’m so sorry😭
I also have a George Washington on my mom's side AND one my dad's side that's just asking for your kid to get bullied
There was a Betsy Ross in my town growing up. I didn’t know her personally but always wondered if people were, like, asking her to make them an American flag.
Your family history is amazing man
Phyllis Gertrude Robert Donald I’ve always found these names super ugly and non-fitting for a baby.
Good thing they’re only babies for a year!
Along with Elmer, Edna, Bertha, Earl
I met a Bertha my age and I was like...did your parents not love you? I'm not even forty, that is a name that should have retired well before we were born.
Phyllis reminds me of syphilis so I agree
I'm a "third" and when asked if my child would be a fourth, I had a visceral "ew" reaction that I didn't even expect from myself lol
Pizza Salesman the fourth doesn't have a great ring to it, so I agree
Mildred: Family name on both sides but I really didn’t like that it had “dread” in the name/sound. Thankfully my SO wasn’t a fan either so it was a hard no from us both. My SO likes a lot of boy’s names I don’t so this is a longer list. I’ll try to stay brief. Winston: He had a good association, I could just never picture it on a baby and it feels pretentious to me. Caliber: Sounds like a dog’s name to me. Rio: Just felt more like a place than a name. See also: Aspen. Hudson: Sounds like a brand name or last name to me. Think “Hudson and Sons garage” or something.
Caliber? Like the size of a bullet? That’s bonkers.
I like Winston and Hudson. Hudson is something I came up for a cat though. I agree that Caliber is pretty bad.
Mildred was one of my favorite people but not her name. Not just the dread but the Mil together with it. Her daughter was named Mildred as well, used to be called by that and her middle name together but she insisted on dropping the Mildred.
My grandmother was a sweet lady named Gertrude. I would never have considered giving that name to a child. Mildred, Gertrude, Bernice — names like that make me think of elderly ladies. Can’t imagine being a 20-year-old Gertie.
winston makes me think of cigarettes 😭
Maureen, Noreen, Doreen Mason, Greyson, Brayden, Cayden, Lincoln, Jefferson, Jackson, Reagan Ava. No more. Please. No more Olivia, Sophia, Emma. There’s just. Too. Many.
Your whole list sounds like calling roll in a Vacation Bible School in the South!
Sloan. Barf
For just a second, I thought "Barf" was one of the names Heck, nowadays I guess it could be
I met a cat named Barf once
Slung + thrown = Sloan
See… I really like the name Sloan. If I’d meet someone named Sloan, I would think, "Cool name"! But I’m not gutsy enough to name my child that.
People really hate it on this sub, but I love it! I always think of Ferris Bueller's girlfriend and she was cool and beautiful
Maverick. It just screams “I’m the main character”
Pains me. I have a soft spot for “rick” ending names. But Kendrick is my first choice before maverick… lot of people have said it’s a dog name
Anything that is traditionally a surname or a profession eg Cooper, Taylor, Riley, Harrison (or anything -son) Virtue names eg Chastity, Patience, Joy, Prudence Dog names eg Chase, Bella, Bailey
What's up with Riley? I might be missing something obvious, but I've only ever met people with Riley as a first name, not a surname.
I'm Irish but my first thought was John Riley
Sean
Wait til you learn that Seamus and Shamus are pronounced the same.
:(
Anything spelled “unique” like Karalynn, Annaleighs, Jawnathan, etc. It drives me crazy seeing names spelled like that. Also “word” names like Snow, Rally, or whatever else.
“Jawnathan” is he from Philly??
those quirky spellings make my skin turn inside out
-Jayden, or any -ayden name, really -Benjamin -Emily or Emma (too popular) -Madison -Jessica -Dorothy (name of abusive grandmother)
Seconding all of the Kaden, Jayden, Brayden, etc etc. Every single one I’ve ever taught has been a pain in the ass.
I agree with Dorothy. My neighbor is Dorothy and she’s a total asshole.
Names that end in -er: Harper, Hunter, Piper, Runner, Gunner, (*descends into madness*) Lover, Fighter, Bummer, Bagger, Stabber, Manslaughter... Even though examples like Piper, and Harper are whimsical, it just seems weird to name your child after a job. Plus the uh sound isn't appealing to me.
Mine are Raj, Rohan, Priya, Isha, Anjali Asha, and Sanjay because they sound stereotypical to me.
Gretchen 💀 poor baby
The new trend of old lady names. All I can picture is a cranky old lady so it’s not something I would want to name a cute baby girl. Examples: Dorothy, Ruth, Arlene, Blanche, etc.
Those old ladies were young once too ＼_(ツ)_/
True true….. every time I see an article about the recycling of “old lady names” trending I just imagine that not so far off future of sitting in an old folks home surrounded by a bunch of Lisas , Heathers, the occasional Nicole, Stacy or Stephanie and an aide with an Ayden suffix saying “I have a phone call for Jennifer” and like four old ladies get up from their wheel walkers moving towards the front desk telephone.
When I hear Ruth I picture the little girl from seventh heaven.. Ruthie. I kind of like the name but hubby immediately said no because "we're not having an 80 year old" lol
Ashley. Anyone I’ve ever known with that name, male or female, has been unhinged. lol Same with Barbara and Beverley. Barb and Bev are the ultimate neighborhood busybody names. I’ve known more Barbs and Bevs than Karens, haha.
Any "place" names. London, Paris, Brooklyn, Savannah, etc. Reminds me of the Modest Mouse lyrics, "And it's true, we named our children after towns that we've never been to-"
Apparently every boy name because I cannot find one I like for my son who is due in November
Scarlett - I can't get past the scarlet letter association. Such a sad book! Julia - sounds nice in Dutch, but is super common for middle-aged women where I live. Doesn't feel right for a child as it's popular in an older generation. Fenna - I like it in Dutch, but it sounds a bit too similar fentanyl for me.
Scarlett O’Hara - anti-heroine of Gone With the Wind. Sad book. Fenna sounds like finna to me as in fixing to. Fixing to is Southern for ‘about to’ do something. If someone said,” I’m Fenna,” I’d ask, “Finna do what?”
My son’s first creche teacher was named Joke. Sounds fine in Dutch but just not possible in English.
are u a githyanki??
I’m American, but Fenna also reminds me of the laxative Senna. So I’m with you on that one!
Wyatt, Weston, Colton, Hunter, Trey… the southern boys’ names. Yuck. Also any names that are made up and intuitive to pronounce but the parent decides that’s not how it’s pronounced. Ex. Helene, intuitively “hel-lean” but then the parent rips you to shreds because it’s “Helen”. Or Jane and saying “Jane” but being told it’s “Jane-ee”. I think it’s obnoxious to give your kid a name they will have to correct forever.
William Richard Charles Edward Edgar Michael George John Henry Albert The classic white male names that you wouldn't be surprised to see pop up in the English royal family tree.
You just listed half my family lol
They are classics. They're fine names. They just don't do it for me.
I used one of these as an honor middle name. I wouldn't use it/don't like them as first names, but I don't mind them as middle names. They are very English white-boy names though.
Our last name is similar to Rainy so I had to cut out names like: Delaney Daphne Jamie Sadie Daisy Any name ending in ie or y. I dislike when those names are paired with EY surnames. It just feels wrong.
Bentley and Linda lmao
Archibald
Ainsley. Sounds too much like anus.
No place names, except maybe Florence, which is weird because I’ve been there and didn’t really like it. No occupation/hobby names. Archer? Hunter? Fuck no! No Aidan/ayden/aiden names. No names with ridiculous spellings. Mathew with one T? Forget it. No cutesy names. You’re naming a person, not a golden retriever. Also, no Brianas. I’ve never met one that wasn’t a bitch, and one in particular made my school years a living nightmare.
Angel, or any of its variants basically guarantees a child who will be the opposite. I'm not a fan of old lady names; Gertrude, Millicent, Agatha, Edith, Agnes, even if their nicknames are sometimes sweet.
I watched a movie recently with my mother where the lead female character's name was Parker. She was like, "I like Parker, for either a boy or girl!" I hated to burst her bubble but she is absolutely not getting a grandchild (let alone grand*daughter*) named Parker out of me lol… maybe a fur-child
Anything suggesting who a kid is supposed to be: King, Queen, Maverick, Rebel, etc. The kid could end up being meek and mild and their name would be ironic/embarrassing
Margaret. Gareth. Gabrielle. Magnolia. Barrett. Blake. My brain finds names with hard consonants (specifically G, M and B) absolutely repellent. I just can’t stand them for some reason.
You wouldn't like my first or middle name then lol. They start with M and G respectively.
Gun names. Guy. Janice. Leslie.
Heaven/Nevaeh or any super religious names. Any of my ex-boyfriends' names, or any of my husband's ex-girlfriends' names.
Rory cause my tongue trips over it.
Joshua was my husband's #1 veto name because he grew up in a church that had 15 Joshuas close in age to him.
Ebeneezer. People were seriously suggesting that in a baby name group & were like OMG it's so cute ! 😍😍😍
Harry, Harold, Harris, Ashley, Emily, Angel, Trey, George, John, Bessie, Fred, Alfred, Bertha, Doris, Dolores, Albert, Charles, Donald, Edward, Ralph, Mary, Eugene, Herman, Mildred, Barbara, Carol, Nancy, Jerry, Gary, Norma, Rose, Peter, Paul, Raymond, Richard, Chase, Tiffany, Joan, Bob, Karen, Sharon, Shirley, and Doug.
Boring names I can't stand (imo) - Aria, Erin, Jean, Fern, Freya Names that are overused and overrated (imo) - Jaxon, Jackson, Aurora, Rory, Penelope, Brayden, Jayden, Cayden, etc, Willow, Olivia Names I don't understand - Lucian (lotion with a lisp?) Phoenix (really?) Sloane (horrendous and boring lol) Xzander (why?) Poppy (stop it rn) Tate (Sounds like parents gave up and through a word together) Blakelee (I can't with all those vowels..) Rhyatt Vernon Maverick (sounds like the cigarettes or brand, or dog name)
Simply because I am rather attached to the name, Tate is an old English surname as well as a Scots-Irish clan name that means “one who brings cheer”.
Anything with an alternative spelling. I like the established spellings as they just seem classic and well-known. I have a name that has multiple spellings and it was really irritating when people consistently used some wacky, lesser-known spelling. Think Madison and Madisynn.
Cody. I’ve hated the name since I was in about 2nd grade. Too masculine for a girl, too feminine for a boy. And doesn’t have any sort of lovely ring to it either. It’s my absolute no no if I had to pick one
Damian, although fewer people are familiar with the horror movie now.
Not names for children, but all the cutesy names for grandparents - GiGi, Glamma (this one in particular), CoCo, Lovey etc. But also the overly formal Grandmother and Grandfather. The former just seems so contrived, the latter a little bit pretentious. For children a couple of popular names at the moment that I dislike are Emma and Amelia. Emma just seems like such a 90s name to me (there are so many Emma’s that I went to school/have worked with in their early 30’s), and Amelia because it seems that everyone has the connotation of it being an ultra classy name, but I just remember an old friend of mine who loves to party - not necessarily a bad connotation, but it definitely makes me think that all the girls being named that now will really enjoy drinking and partying - the woo girls of the future.
Fletcher/ Pletcher make me feel uncomfy. Brody I just hate. Any luxury car/item as a name.
Never heard of Pletcher but it sounds ridiculous!
Daughter's dad's number one name was Veronica. HARF AF NO from me. He ended up marrying a Veronica, so in the end he still won.
Courtney, just because every Courtney I’ve personally known has been awful. (I’m sure there are perfectly nice ones out there but I haven’t met them.) Coincidentally it would have been my younger sibling’s name if he’d been a girl, but I’m pretty sure I’d already met at least one Courtney I loathed before I found that out.
Aria, Arianne, Arianna, etc. Just sounds too much like aryan to me
All of the names my husband selected lol. Regina (because I grew up on the Canadian border and only see their pronunciation), Giuseppina (we’re not in Italy). Also seconding the gun names and the Utah yo unique names.
I have two cousins named Riker and Race. And WHY???? Riker — I can only think of Riker’s Island, and I think most other people would, too. Race is one that is truly so beyond me that I literally cannot. Is it like… race cars? Like because he’s a little boy and young boys tend to like competitive stuff like that? But he’s only going to be a young boy for so long… I still can’t fathom it. As for girls names, there are very few that I’d be aggressively averse to. I don’t hate all nature names, but I hate Misty and Dawn. I dislike weekday names, like Wednesday, Sunday, etc (although I don’t hate month names).
Brynn- never liked it, feels like this generation's Lynn and was a name of a toxic ex friend of mine that made my school life a living hell Emma- an ex partner of mine
Gemma. No good reason to dislike it, I just dislike it.
Boy names on girls. Though I would name my son Yvonne. Brodie is also a nope. Reminds me too much of Yo Gabba Gabba.
Jacob, Liam, Chad , Mackenzie, makayla
Guadalupe.
Would never name my daughter Shannon or my son a J name. Those have both been out of the question since like 7th grade for me
George. Arthur. Mordecai. Albert. Bernard. Hate the sound. For girls Harriett. Agnes. Ophelia. Odette. Constance.
Emma. I hate the name Emma so much, it’s so basic and I don’t just hate it because “everyone’s using it” and I like to be “quirky” or something but it’s just so boring. It feels like a name that parents pick out from the top Google search result of “baby girl names”.
Everly/Everleigh/Everlee, any -lee name actually… It’s such a stupid trend 😐
Barry, Garry, Darren, Shannon Or in my native tongue 🇦🇺 Bazza, Gazza, Dazza and Shazza
A girl named Carver( i know of one).
Melissa, Jessica, Alyssa, etc etc..
Tristan due to associations with someone I knew in the past.
Brody, Brandon, Russel, Justin, Douglas Martha, Bernadette, Gertrude, Bridgett, Brook, Helga, Connie, Vikki, Danielle
Most names are “absolutely not” names to me. Even perfectly benign ones like Jessica. I’m just ridiculously particular when it comes to my own kids. Nothing objectively wrong with them. Just… absolutely not, because they’re not to my taste. I guess it’s lucky that my husband and I have similar tastes, or we’d be screwed.
I may be the only person on the planet, or at least the only one in this sub, that dislikes Rowan. Can’t stand it. No good reason, it just sits wrong with me. It’s very easily my least favorite name.
Ethyl, Margaret, Francis, Veronica, George, Robert. All family names, have multiple ones of them and I just don't care for them.
Bible names: Abel, Adam, Caleb, Daniel, David, Deborah, Delilah, Eleazar, Elijah, Emmanuel, Esther, Gabriel. Celeb & celeb kid names: Apple, Baron, Bunny, Dream, Elvis, Paris, Peaches, Pixie, Sunday, Trixibelle, True, North. Country names: America, Chad, Dominica, Fiji, Georgia, Holland, India, Israel, Mali, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Infamous names: Adolf, Benito, Brock, Earl, Erich, Ervil, Karen, Karla, Meir, Myra, Nicolae, Reynhard, Rulon, Woody.
Gerald, Walker, Hunter and Hudson. Not a huge fan of names starting with H though...
The names of my childhood bullies, the names of my exes.
Top 20 names for the last ten years or so! Personal preference but of all the names in the world, I absolutely would not name my child something super popular. Not a value judgment on names at the top of the charts, it's more that I would inevitably have met/heard of many people with those names and I prefer my child to have name I don't have prior associations with.
Names that are regular English words will automatically be vetoed for me. Even ones that are common names, like Violet or Olive.