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When it comes to the worst baby names in the world — we have to go to the internet to find them. After all, it is where all parents meet to discuss their cruel mistakes. However, don’t rush to judge these bad baby names. The intentions behind them were wholesome (in most cases), only they splashed straight down to the ground soon after.
Take Ohnasti, for example. It sounds exotic, but most importantly — it’s unique! It’s hard to find a person with such a name. You need to listen closely to find the problem with it. The name sounds like, “oh nasty.” While it might be one of the worst names to name your child, the fun does not stop here!
Today, we have the power of the internet to help us find these unfortunate (horrible) names. Luckily, people decided to share their terrible baby names on Reddit. Frasepalm asked an interesting question — “What baby name immediately makes you lose all respect for the parents and why?”
However, don’t rush to read the worst baby names just yet! Learn the reasoning behind some of the horrible names and what problems parents (and children) encounter.
What is a “Name Regret”?
You might not know it, but Name Regret is a serious thing. However, if the name you choose does not fall in the “terrible and life-ruining” zone — you’re safe from it. Name Regret affects parents who think they picked the wrong name for their baby. The best cure for it? Time or another name for their baby.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Ohnasti
Supposedly pronounced “Honesty” but all I’ll ever see is “Oh Nasty!”
RELATED:
#2
Back when I worked with children, I met a young lass named Younique. I felt sorry for her. She was only 4-5 at the time, and the moment she entered school, she began to hate it because the other children thought that it was silly and wouldn’t play with her. Eventually, the dad of another child said that it was a bad name *to her face.* Seriously. Don’t do things like this to your children. They aren’t pets. They’ll have to deal with the repercussions of your bad naming choices.
Cadena Norton 2 years ago
Once got beat up by a pair of identical twins cause they didn't like my name
#3
So my Wife was giving birth to our first Son and the midwife asked if we’d chosen a name yet. We said yes and told her ‘Seth’. She replied “Oh thank goodness, a normal name! The last woman in here named her child Precious Bunny!”
#4
One time when I was working at a motel, I took a reservation over the phone from a woman for her daughter:
Woman: Her name is Sri Lanka, S R I space L A N K A...
Me: Oh, you mean like the country!
Woman: Whaddaya mean, country?!?
#5
Not so much a specific name, but gross butcherings of names. Ie. Kaightlynne instead of Caitlyn.
#6
One little girl got her name legally changed in court, because her parents named her Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.
#7
I used to write on cakes, the worst name I ever saw was "Tuba Poo". I asked if it was a nickname, it was not. It's been like 6 years and it still haunts me. Her mother's name was Natalie, why Natalie? Why?
#8
Any name based on a popular TV series or movie. Like, if I see your daughter is named Khaleesi, I think significantly less of you as a person.
Al B. Wright 2 years ago
People that name their kids things like that are generally chavs/bogans/whatever the American equivalent is of those two words.
#9
I had a set of twins (I'm a teacher) a couple years ago named Heaven and Nevaeh.
I had four kids named Shaun in one class, all spelled differently, none spelled Shaun or Sean.
I had a girl named Jezebel and boys named Jesus and Messiah in one class. (Nothing really wrong with those names, but having all three in one class was odd.) I also had a kid named Ted that year. Not Theodore or Edward, just Ted. I saw his birth certificate, just Ted.
This year, one of the other teachers has a boy named M'Lord. I'm not even making that.
What's getting my goat this year is the random apostrophes. Your child's name is Elayna, a lovely name, IMO, but E'lay'na is ridiculous. I have three girls with random apostrophes in their names, its annoying.
#10
I had a teacher in grade 1/2 whose last name was Dyck (sounds like d**k). Fortunately at that age I didn't think anything of it. Apparently her parents didn't think anything of it either...
Her parents named her Rhoda. Rhoda Dyck. I have to assume they were sadistic assholes.
Aisling Raye 2 years ago
Just changed all of my plans for today so I can re-watch every episode of Letterkenny lol
How Do You Choose a Baby Name You Won’t Regret?
If you want to do something right — take as much time as you need. The best name doesn’t come in an instant. When avoiding the worst names for a child — you might want to have a few “guidelines” to help you. Make sure to avoid:
- Names that don’t make sense.
- Names you are pressured to use (or the opposite — pressured not to use by professionals).
- Names that are easily misspelled.
- Names that just don’t suit your baby.
Sometimes, even following these rules, mistakes are made (on purpose or accidentally). So, think with hindsight in mind.
#11
My cousin named her son named Lincoln, which isn't bad by itself.
At least until she had her daughter, Kennedy. She said she plans on naming her next kid Garfield.
She literally names her kids after the last names of *assassinated presidents.*
#12
Kash. It isn't the worst name in the world but the fact his second name was 'Ransom', made it a whole lot worse.
Kash Ransom.
#13
I was on a little league baseball team with these two brothers named Doer and Achiever.
Talk about pressure to perform, those parents had expectations.
Al B. Wright 2 years ago (edited)
Achiever sounds like someone sneezing if said quickly, which is bad enough, but Doer? That just seems lazy, like they thought of achiever then couldn't come up with anything else.
#14
A co-worker has a friend who named her daughters Vengeance and Violence.
MrBallen Fan 2 years ago
Are they twins? Are they identical? Do they wear blue dresses? Do they live in a hotel?
#16
A few years ago there was a guy in my area in the news. His first name was Justice. He's doing 100 years for stabbing 3 people.
#17
Chicago, North, True. Just to name a few. I’m no Kardashian hater, but I really can’t stand the names they give their kids.
AzKhaleesi 2 years ago
Chicago is ok-ish only because growing up I had a friend named California we all called her Cali for short. But North and True is strange...and Apple.
#18
Strap in and prepare for rough seas!
My mom is a midwife and one day she came home with what she thought was the epitome of dumb names.
These parents had just gotten back from a trip to the states, where they had visited a dock to look at boats, and one of those beautiful boats had an even more beautiful and exotic name, they wanted to name their baby daughter after this boat.
Usnavy
My mom is a saint for not laughing.
G 2 years ago
I mean it could be true but it's a little ripped from musical theatre: "Usnavi de la Vega is the central protagonist of In the Heights. Originally from the Dominican Republic, he arrived in Washington Heights with his parents when he was very young. His name is based on the boat they saw when they came in (US NAVY)."
#19
I have a nephew named Anfernee, and I know how mad he gets when I call him Anthony. Almost as mad as I get when I think about the fact that my sister named him Anfernee.
#20
Someone I know is a nurse in the ER so they've delivered quite a few babies. But one day they said that one set of parents decided to name their kid Ssss. You pronounce Ssss, Forest.
Are There Banned Baby Names?
No one is safe from the ban hammer, names especially. Some countries decided to take the extra step to ban a couple of names. For example:
- Nutella (the name) is banned in France. However, it is not because of any copyright laws. The judge ruled that such a name should be given to a child. Instead, the judge ruled to name the child Ella.
- IKEA is banned in Sweden. You can’t disrespect the most important store in the country.
- . (just a dot, nothing more) is banned in New Zealand. The laws prohibit the use of these kinds of symbols in the name.
- Tom is not allowed in Portugal. However, you can call your child Tomás instead (a better choice in hindsight). In Portugal, Tom is considered a nickname. The laws in Portugal prohibit the use of nicknames as official names.
- @ (like the Gmail) is banned in China. The reason is that it’s pronounced ai-ta, which sounds very similar to the phrase “love him.”
#21
Nevaeh, although I think that has more to do with the fact that every parent I know who has named their baby this is a teenager who thinks they’re “soooo cool” for dropping out of school in 9th grade, who are about as deep as a puddle but think they’re Aristotle or Shakespeare because “it’s heaven spelled backwards since she’s my angel”
#22
Naming your child Bear makes me think you’re a huge twat. Mostly because I’ve met a few gorgeous children called Bear and everyone of the parents were huge twats.
#23
Saw a fun name on the attendance sheet (so this is official) of one of my classes: Daddyboi
#24
The overly matchy names to the point of ridiculousness. My top example is a set of brothers named Romance, Romantic, and Romeo.
#26
Baby. As in the Dirty Dancing lead female. Because nobody in the professional world is going to want their name to be Baby.
#27
I went to high school with a one "Crystal Shanda Lear."
This was back before dumb names were the rage. She would have been named that in, say, 81-82. Poor girl. I don't know that I lost respect for the parents so much as felt bad for her to be saddled with that s**t.
#28
Any form of Aiden (Aidin, Ayden, Aidyn, Ayeden) and/or Ashley (Ashlee, Ashleigh, Ashlie, Ashli, Ash-Lee).
I am a teacher and have had students with all those variations. I actually had 3 Aidens and 4 Ashleys (none of which were spelled normally) in a class of 23 students.
Like come on parents, you aren't being original by making your kid's name ridiculous to spell.
#29
I lose respect for parents who give their kids first names that when added to their given last names become horrible. The parents don't even care that their kid has to live with it. Two real examples I've come across are Richard Sieman (The guy's name is D**k Semen, for f***s sake.) And even worse, Desire Cox.
Hannah Hudson-Lee 2 years ago (edited)
I normally agree, but every now and then you come across one that is actually kind of cool, in a "You could be famous with a name like that" way. Three examples I have known, all of whom were born between 1900 and 1920 were, Joy Devine and the brother and sister Treble and Tenor Bell. Edit: Also, look at my name, remove the later addition of "Hudson" and then sing "Puff the Magic Dragon". Just the first couple of lines.
#30
I knew three sisters names -Autumn-Breeze, Summer-Skye and April-Rain.
Bonus addition one of them had a kid and named it Gidget.
Edit for those wondering: This is in Eastern Canada.
What Names Are Losing Popularity?
Some names lose their popularity slowly, fading away into obscurity or, in some cases, becoming the bane of society overall. The best example of the ladder — Karen. The name was popular in the past and given to almost every girl. However, when baby boomers grew up, the internet together decided to make them the bud of jokes (ruining a whole haircut, too).
In the end, the internet won. Karen lost popularity and became the subject of multiple jokes. However, it’s not the only name to lose popularity. The reason behind the popularity loss varies between the names. However, the memes on the internet quicken the downfall of a name.
#31
I’ve taught:
- Precious
- Princess
- Righteousness
- Blessing
- Pious
- Destiny
*edit* forgot Sincere
BannedFromABoatShow 2 years ago
I’ve taught an Annikin (yep, right after the prequel came out) Merlin, Wrigley (girl) Emmahleigh, and Aspen Forest.
#32
I had a chemistry teacher who was an avid runner. He proudly told us his three children were named Miles, Lane, and Chase. How narcissistic do you have to be to name your children after your hobby?
#33
I was once checking in a customer for service.
EmoChanel
And she was very proud of it.
#34
You know the Duggar family (19 Kids and Counting)? One of their daughters named their son Spurgeon. SPURGEON.
#35
Names with uneccessary letters or the rarely-seen, lack of necessary letters:
Jaiymes
Jaxn
Khaydence
Aayden
How Companies Impact the Naming Process?
Marketing is a powerful tool. If done correctly, people will buy your products. However, if you are a true marketing master (Don Draper-like) — people will name their children after your company and products. However, those names will quickly land on the list of the worst baby names ever.
Cool-named brands already have some babies named after them. For example, the leading car brands (Audi, Benz, Ford, and Kia) inspired parents to name their children. In 1987, for example, 182 girls were named after Porsche. However, there is no real reason to use brand names.
However, some companies decide to sweeten the deal. Several companies directly encourage parents to use brand names for their babies. Their offer? Free products (or a discount) for a lifetime. Subway, for example, announced they would give free sandwiches to people named like the company. In 96 hours, ten thousand people changed their names.
#36
I once worked for Build-a-Bear Workshop. In one of their new hire training videos there was an employee taking to the camera about who the f**k knows because all I could focus on was her name tag. It said "Om'unique". Like, I'm Unique, except worse. I still have no idea what she was taking about.
#37
I met the adult child of parents who named their daughter Morticia Addams, after the TV Show. I made her show me her driver's license and there was the proof. Her own parents had a different last name.
#38
Prancer and Vixen for babies born during the Christmas season.
James016 2 years ago
People should have a full mental health check before being allowed to name their kids
Scagsy 2 years ago
That is EXACTLY the problem. Any pair of halfwits can make a kid. Then they pass all of their considerable halfwittery on to them and so it continues. Until we're waist-deep in idiots.
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ChariotLee 2 years ago
My December-born sisters middle names are Noelle and Joy. I, on the other hand, was nearly named Nefertiti.
James016 2 years ago
Noelle was on our girls name list. We had a son 2 days after Christmas. He is not called Noel. Are you named after any other Egyptian queen? 🙂
Load More Replies... Warren Hazelton 2 years ago
My sister was born just before Christmas; her name is Carol. See, it can be done without the stupidity...
Rae Huffman 2 years ago
Oh come on, there’s so many Christmas names that are reasonable. Holly, Ivy, Joy, Carol, Belle, Noelle, Gloria, etc.
Corinna S. 2 years ago (edited)
I always have to giggle about the name Vixen, because that pronunciation means "to jerk off" in German :D
Nightshade1972 2 years ago
When I worked retail, I once took a check from a woman named Hollie Day. Her birthday was Dec 25. Yes, her mother did that on purpose, and thought it was hilarous. Sigh.
Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
Seriously? If you *have* to have festive names there are plenty that aren't that godawful. (Rudolph, Klaus, Holly, Noel/Noelle, etc.)
Marissa Wolff 1 year ago
Actually, I wouldn't name my son Klaus now knowing the name's negative origins, whether or not he was born during the Christmas season. If I wanted to name my son who was born in December after the magical fat bearded man, I'd give him the name Nicholas, after the famous saint who Santa was based off of. While Rudolph is a pretty normal name, I would avoid naming my son that in fear of kids teasing him and throwing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer related jokes at him.
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Dolly_of TheCowboy 2 years ago
My grandmother had a friend called Mary which is nothing unusual except her last name was Christmas and her parents deliberately chose it for her and had planned so she would be born as close to Christmas Day as possible. She was born Christmas Eve so they timed it pretty well. Luckily she loved the whole Christmas thing with her name and was always dressed in Christmassy outfits year round because as she was fond of saying "every day with me is a Mary Christmas!"
Ambry Petersen 2 years ago
There are better alternatives than that. Carol and Belle might have been al least slightly saner choices.
Fearhunter 2 years ago
Vixen... there is a German slang word for masculine masturbation called "wichsen" and is exactly pronounced like vixen. Every time I hear vixen I'm about to laugh.
Laura Richter 2 years ago
My birthday is Christmas Eve and I don’t have a holiday related name at all!!! Sheesh! Poor kids.
Jamaria Perdomo 2 years ago
I’ve met someone named lily’n’joy because her name was supposed to be lily but she was such a joy to her parents
Pudgy Panda 2 years ago
Had a waiter oncesay his name was “Donner, like the reindeer”. WTF mom?
Marissa Wolff 1 year ago
Was his brother named Blixum and his cousins Rudolph, Cupid and Dasher?
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#40
MyLuv (yes, I have met a kid named this). That poor kid is probably not going to be successful, unless they change their name later on.
What do you think ?
K. Lange 2 years ago
In am so happy about the regulation of names in Germany. They have to be gender specific and have to be normal enough that the kid don't have to suffer.
Ellen Ranks 2 years ago
It's good that only normal names are allowed. The gender specific part I am not too sure about. Fr example, I know a person who was born with male and female genitals and was named Robin. Because that way they could sort out later if male or female. Robin decided not to choose and the name still fits.
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MAL 2 years ago
I worked with a woman who's first name was Jenatul. Yes, it's pronounced exactly as you think it is. No, she didn't go by Jen. Used that full name and was proud of it.
zozi 2 years ago
"Dokhtar bas" was a common name in my country and still is in some less developed areas. If I want to translate it in english it says, "enough daughters". Just imagine your name shows that you are not wanted just because of your gender.
ADHORTATOR 2 years ago
American problem, in Europe there are laws to protect thce children.... my italian Grandmother wanted to name her son "Gianni" but this name was not allowed in 1941, so he was christened "Giovanni", but nobody ever called him so
Random Panda 2 years ago (edited)
Meh, kids can end up with stupid names in Europe too. I know a kid whose name is Momchiliyan, as opposed to the traditional Momchil. It sounds stupid as hell, but it's not forbidden since it's not offensive. It's become a trend in my country for parents to come up with "unique" twists on normal names, which always sound really dumb, lest their kid end up with a common (aka decent) name.
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Katchen 2 years ago (edited)
I went to college with Sweetheart. She was Asian American, but I didn’t know her well enough to know if English language learning played a role in her parents’ name choice.
Load More Replies... Haily Jynne 2 years ago
My aunt (whose last name is Wood) named her daughter Petra. This is a great name, had her middle name not been Fied. Petra Fied Wood.
Nathalie van Hees 2 years ago
In The Netherlands occasionally someone names their son 'Ad'. If the kid was born after WWII this has either meant the parents are nazi sympathizers who named their kid in honor of Adolf H. or the parents are ignorant fools. I don't advice naming your son 'Aad' or 'Dolf' either. No, I don't care that was you grandfathers name, just don't. In middel school I had Adje proclaim some very peculiar views in history class. No one in our village was talking to the parents after that. 🙄
zububonsai 2 years ago
Yes, that's what bugged me as a teacher with kids named after Nordic/Germanic god's, at least here in rural Eastern Germany: Every parent who named their kid (born ca.1993-2007) "Loki/Thor/Freya/Odin" was/is definitely one of openly neo nazi racist "völkisch" scumbags. Sorry not sorry for being judgemental, we had like up to 20% of right wing voters in some villages here. This was looooong before those "Thor"-movies. Its different now because of the influence of those movies, or if e.g. a Norwegian parent chose those names.
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Bonnie Edwards 2 years ago
There are naming laws in Australia that say that you cannot name a child anything that is going to cause distress. I would like to believe that they are taking into account the distress of the child, as well as anyone that will need to interact with the child over their lifetime.
Tracy 2 years ago
There was a girl in my 10th grade French class named “Baby”. I felt so sorry for her. She was only in that school for a few weeks or a month. I’m sorry, but I can’t take anyone named Baby seriously. Also, my sisters mother in law was a social worker. The number of kids called La-a (Ladasha) was astounding
kate h 2 years ago
Nobody with the name La-a has ever been registered. This is a racist trope that has been circulating for years.
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kate h 2 years ago
Nobody with the name La-a has ever been registered. This is a racist trope that has been circulating for years.
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Richard Barlow 2 years ago
I worked in an inner city charity hospital in the 70s. At one time they had put neck beads on babies saying "Male" or "Female" and the last name of the mother. In the patient records for the hospital, you sometimes came across older children named Male or Female (pronounced "Mah-lay" or "Fem-allay".
LadyManx 2 years ago
3 facts. 1.This guarantees the future careers of many therapists. 2. Many of these children will change their names not just because THEY REALLY dislike their names and, they know their careers will curtailed, but because of all the misery/torment they have experienced because of teasing. because of that name. 3. For a number of reasons, many of these kids will act out and P;articipate" in the juvenile justice system.
Kathleen Pearlman 2 years ago
I met a boy named Nixon. It took an incredible amount of self-control to avoid asking why. Maybe it's been long enough, but still...
Jackie Lyon 2 years ago
This problem goes way back. My dad (born 1909) had a school friend whose parents, Mr & Mrs Butts, named their daughter Ophelia. My dad still laughed about it 70-something years later.
Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
I work with a man whose name is "Random Frie" (pronounced 'fry'). Just... why?
Mary G----no 2 years ago
I worked at a band store in high school. In spring and summer, we'd have reps go to schools all over to sign parents up for our rent-to-own instrument program. Another Lady & I would take the names, find an instrument for the kid, and tag it w/the appropriate name & school. We had some doozies. A girl whose last name was Halloween, & lived on Spooky Hollow Dr. Another girl - I can't remember how they spelled it - but sounded out was "Glorious God Hallelujah." A million different ways to spell Hayley, McKenzie, Kayley, etc. Sometimes so weird that it had to be spelled out letter by letter to get it right when writing the tag.
LilliVB 2 years ago
You can be original without having to name your child with some weird, misspelled or unappropriated name. You can research in books or online for names that maybe aren't used so much anymore, that belongs to literature or whatever and find something that is not so common like John, but even not so idiotic like some that I found in this post
Susan Bosse 2 years ago
I used to work in medical records at a hospital in the late 90s. Saw the name Timber Ree for a newborn. I joked for years about that name and how I can imagine her getting called into the house "Timberrrrrrrrrrrr." FF 20ish years and on the front page of the paper was an article where she'd been shot breaking and entering a guy's house on a drug deal gone wrong.
Philip Obermarck 2 years ago
So many of the names here would have been fine if they were just Nicknames. Name your kid something normal and then just call them "Prancer" or "Apple" or whatever.
Ann Mohrmann 2 years ago
I think Iceland goes a bit too far in regulating names, but it's easy to understand why after reading this list. My parents (born in 44) :went to school with Merry Christmas, and the brothers Bean. First names? Green and Pressed.
Barbara Skolly 2 years ago
My friend's daughter has a bf named Blade. I feel like he had a rat tail haircut 20 years ago.
Patti Vance 2 years ago
i worked in a legal field that required that i see birth certificates of client's children. i have seen sisters remember remember for one and the other was the same thing repeated as well but i don't remember. the interesting one was the guy who called all his daughters his 'jewel of life': ruby, pearl, diamond, emerald, and sardonyx.
KnightOwl 2 years ago
I have a friend who's 5yr old son is call Orion, (which I think is cute and really suits him but a lot of people don't like.) My old neighbour had twin boys called Thor and Odin, her best friend had 2 daughters called ophelia and pandora. My half-sister has a 2yr old son named Ragnarok, she's pregnant with baby no2 right now and everyone is constantly joking about what she'll name this one. (She's a massive poser and attention seeker who wants to be seen as a 'rock chick' despite being anything but)
Jamie Walker 2 years ago
I visited schools for my job, and one time whilst in reception a kid was late and had to be buzzed through, 'on you go simian' for those that don't know, simian is another name for monkey. This is is SE london, make of that what you will
Shnookumpie 2 years ago
Elon Musk has two children named Exa Dark Sideræl and X AE A-XII.... the last one was supposed to have a funky 'AE' combo letter and a -12 at the end but California made them alter it..... nice to know there are SOME limits to what you named your kids🤦🏻♀️.....
Daniel Atkins 2 years ago
I worked at a summer camp Witha woman named Isis (this was before 9-11). My favorit that I heard was Sierra Mist after the soda came out. The last one might be a joke but i did hear "Candy Sprinkles would you please meet your party at the front Gate" This was at a state fair if it is a real name fell bad for this person if it was a joke page then it was a good one.
Crystal 2 years ago
Isis was an ancient Egyptian goddess.... my brother named my niece Jazmin Sierra (Jasmin the Disney princess and Sierra after Sierra Mist)
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Lytha Hawkeye 2 years ago
I admit I changed the "C" in my kid's name to a "K" because I honestly think the letter "C" looks funny
Jessica Cifelli 2 years ago
I was a former lunch lady. I had kids named Bella, Edward, Jacob and Seth all in one kindergarten class. I also had identical twins Sunshyne and Rayne. I also had another set of twin girls named Chrysanthemun and Daisy who were completely into the whole Goth style.
Stephanie Paich 2 years ago
There's a comedian who does a funny bit about losing one of her in-laws named Coen (pronounced c**n) and having to call his name as quietly as possible in a store.
ChickyChicky 2 years ago
Naming conventions are different from culture to culture and change over time. Could we maybe just let people do their thing?
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 2 years ago
Didn't we honestly have a listicle like this a little less than a month ago?
Ellen Ranks 2 years ago
Last I heard Dweezil was still using this name. My sister went out with him a few times. Moon-Unit just changed to Moon.
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Joyce Blodgett 1 year ago (edited)
Worked with a young man named "Vin-el," pronounced as the fabric (vinyl) "because mama and daddy done did it on the vinyl seat of a McDonald's booth, and that's when I was made." Worked with a young woman whose mother named her "D'Juana," pronounced as "Didju wanna?" as in let's have sex. She was conceived in that particular instance, hence the "brilliant" name. She hated it intensely, and went solely by DJ. Knew of twins named "Lemonjello" and "Orangejello," but pronounced each as one word---lemonjello, orangejello---"because Mama likes that sweet slop that jiggles." The people, from widely different areas of my home state, are all of the same ethnicity. Just seems to be a trend.....All of them are now in their late 50s, early 60s, but don't know how the names affected their lives. Does make me wonder if they also named their kids horrid names.
Liz Reece 1 year ago
I am a 4th generation Elizabeth, but also being part Native American, my middle name is Woniyah-wah (whoa-knee-ya-wah) and means "spirit of the snow".. I was born during a particularly bad snow storm in Atlanta GA. Getting even a little snow here is unusual. The fact that there was enough to accumulate and pretty much shut down the city was significant. I - =HATED=- it growing up! I thought my hippie parents were outta their minds for naming me something so hard to pronounce. But once I got older, and my Native heritage became a large part of my identity, I am quite proud of it!
C. S. M 2 years ago
Worked IT in a hospital system. Most calls had me at users' offices and desks to fix something. Most users chat me up while i'm fixing whatever. Had a call take me to the lead daytime RN's office of the natal ward, and she chatted just like most others. I chatted along as she seemed cool, and conversation naturally wandered because I had a fairly long procedure to carry out, and her time wasn't pressed during my visit. She ended up telling me of a mother from a very poor part of the area in hospital to give birth to her baby girl. Apparently, it required many of the hospital staff to convince the woman that 'Vagina'(pronounced as 'Regina') would not be a comfortable name on many levels, having to define and explain that the 'name' was in fact the anatomical word to identify a woman's genitals. That was the day I learned that hospital and medical workers, in general, are amazingly cool and normal people in spite of their harrowing profession.
Grace Smith 2 years ago
Honestly this just intensely motivates me to give my future good decent names
kate h 2 years ago
Nobody with the name La-a has ever been registered. This is a racist trope that has been circulating for years.
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Sharon Dunsford-Endacotte 2 years ago
Around the time naming your child after the place they were conceived became fashionable, I came across a child with the middle name "Layby". I don't know if the term is used in other countries, but in the UK, a layby (or lay-by) is a stopping place for vehicles at the side of a road.
Stijn Kraft 2 years ago
I once bought a bright pink iMac G3 at a thrift shop. Found it had loads of personal work related stuff on it (I won't go into what it was because it may be a bit too easy to trace her down). Took me some time to figure out the woman who used to own it was ACTUALLY called Barbie. I sent her an e-mail and she came over very friendly and intelligent, the computer suggested she had a well-paid job so all is well in the end. She told me her work actually accidentally got rid of her personal computer and that she was happy for me to keep it, if I could be so kind do remove the personal data (she had backups of everything important already). So I did. Seriously though. Barbie. And a pink iMac. 2021_NYR_2...5-jpeg.jpg 
Misti Davis 2 years ago
Worst student name I've ever seen: "Nigah Brown". It was Mr. Brown for the entire school year. Seriously, how could you?!
bill marsano 2 years ago
An Associated Press report I saw June 9 says parents in Norway are picking names from the Ikea catalogue. Perfectly OK,, so Long as they're careful;. for example, the name Huvudroll certainly falls trippingly from the tongue--but it means meatballs.
Miomirko Buhtlić 2 years ago
Sure, why not give other kids another reason to make fun of their children.
bill marsano 2 years ago
19th Cy religious parents often used names like Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Patience, and sometimes used names of Bible personages. In 20th Cy USA some black parents, possibly seeking name that would confer automatic respect, sometimes used military ranks. I have personally run across Lieutenant and Commodore. In Revolutionary Russia, some zealous Leninist parents named their children for some of the goals and/or accomplishments of the workers' Paradise. Radio and rural Electrification are among those I've found.
Aleš Kaučič 2 years ago
Remember sitcom How i met your mother? There was that canadian woman, Robin
Aleš Kaučič 2 years ago
Aaaand... What about people named D**k C**k? There is one Rock group, Blackbriar, and their singer is Zora C**k. Where i live,zora means twillight 😁
Argie Smith 2 years ago
How about names based on food? I once saw a person on a reality TV show called Lasagna. She had no idea her name was dinner.
RafCo 2 years ago
There are conditions though. I had a friend, Galina, which is a lovely name in Russia, but means chicken in my language. The nickname Kaka, in Brazil, means poop in other countries. Sometimes names just don't travel well. Siri, means penis in Georgian, and Finland has a chips brand called Megapussi, which i think means big bag, or something like that
Sky Heighway 2 years ago
My name is Sky Heighway, male 45 years old. So I can relate, big time. I changed my first name for a few years at 12 years old. My middle name is Jarrah. It's a tree used for train sleepers and boat building. Trains planes boats and automobiles. I should have gone into a career in travel. I have met many people with strange and funny names and I can confirm it usually mean your parents were or are selfish idiots. I met a guy named Rock Stone. Laughed at him (he was a lot bigger than me). He got angry until I introduced myself (we were in a professional setting were I don't normally introduce myself). I met a 4yr old boy named Lucifer. He was trouble, but that was obvious at that point because his parents were doing a terrible job. The best thing you can do to help is openly mock anyone who tells you they are thinking about giving their kids a name like this. Or recommend to someone thinking about it to do the internet test. Or at the very least give them a back up name as well
Jill Bussey 2 years ago
If I see a family (looking at you America) where the grandfather is named James George Adams (for example). Then his son is called James George Adams ll; then his son is called James George Adams lll, ad nauseum. This is pure laziness. Can't be bothered to think of a name. I can understand following a tradition of a middle name through the ages, but this is not a good thing. During the time when two or more generations are living at the same address, how do they know who the letters are for? I once knew a father and son who had the same names, which was bad enough, but they also had the same birthday. It caused all sorts of difficulties.
Wondering Alice 2 years ago
Came across a 5 year old girl crying that her class mates kept calling her pepper pig. Her name was pepper
Fearhunter 2 years ago
I saw a Name which is perfect for porn (in Germany and English speaking countries): Valentina Lust I'm still laughing.
Floyd Bartholomew 2 years ago
It's really good I'm not planning on having kids ever. I'm particularly fond of Basil as a name.
Kathleen Pearlman 2 years ago
I met a boy named Nixon. It took me an incredible amount of self-control to not ask why.
Spartakiss 2 years ago
I at times regret naming my child Spirit Love. Then I go to her school and in her class theirs a boy named N***r (after the river in Africa) a girl Shithead pronounced shy-ead. Not to mention all the ones that they just threw letters together
DuchessDegu 2 years ago
I know a lady called Juliedde (after grandparents Julia and Eddie). Doesn't sound too bad but NO ONE gets it first time, obviously everyone defaults to "Juliette" and she has to spell the name, and tell the story about the grandparents, every bloody time
Bruce Leibee 2 years ago
You win, BP. I give. I shall henceforth not return to your shores to suffer your inane b******t.
Isabella 2 years ago
Again - an US problem, that does not exist in another civilized nations. We have laws that forbid name kids as an object [for example Apple] or a trademark [like Sony] or anything that is belittling, a slur or anyhow may harm the kid ]almost all the above in this article] and yes, this is great. It is not about your freedom as a parent, it is about the kid's wellbeing. If you cannot deal with not being "original" when naming kid - you are mentally a kid yourself and should not procreate at all.
K. Lange 2 years ago
In am so happy about the regulation of names in Germany. They have to be gender specific and have to be normal enough that the kid don't have to suffer.
Ellen Ranks 2 years ago
It's good that only normal names are allowed. The gender specific part I am not too sure about. Fr example, I know a person who was born with male and female genitals and was named Robin. Because that way they could sort out later if male or female. Robin decided not to choose and the name still fits.
Load More Replies... MAL 2 years ago
I worked with a woman who's first name was Jenatul. Yes, it's pronounced exactly as you think it is. No, she didn't go by Jen. Used that full name and was proud of it.
zozi 2 years ago
"Dokhtar bas" was a common name in my country and still is in some less developed areas. If I want to translate it in english it says, "enough daughters". Just imagine your name shows that you are not wanted just because of your gender.
ADHORTATOR 2 years ago
American problem, in Europe there are laws to protect thce children.... my italian Grandmother wanted to name her son "Gianni" but this name was not allowed in 1941, so he was christened "Giovanni", but nobody ever called him so
Random Panda 2 years ago (edited)
Meh, kids can end up with stupid names in Europe too. I know a kid whose name is Momchiliyan, as opposed to the traditional Momchil. It sounds stupid as hell, but it's not forbidden since it's not offensive. It's become a trend in my country for parents to come up with "unique" twists on normal names, which always sound really dumb, lest their kid end up with a common (aka decent) name.
Load More Replies... Katchen 2 years ago (edited)
I went to college with Sweetheart. She was Asian American, but I didn’t know her well enough to know if English language learning played a role in her parents’ name choice.
Load More Replies... Haily Jynne 2 years ago
My aunt (whose last name is Wood) named her daughter Petra. This is a great name, had her middle name not been Fied. Petra Fied Wood.
Nathalie van Hees 2 years ago
In The Netherlands occasionally someone names their son 'Ad'. If the kid was born after WWII this has either meant the parents are nazi sympathizers who named their kid in honor of Adolf H. or the parents are ignorant fools. I don't advice naming your son 'Aad' or 'Dolf' either. No, I don't care that was you grandfathers name, just don't. In middel school I had Adje proclaim some very peculiar views in history class. No one in our village was talking to the parents after that. 🙄
zububonsai 2 years ago
Yes, that's what bugged me as a teacher with kids named after Nordic/Germanic god's, at least here in rural Eastern Germany: Every parent who named their kid (born ca.1993-2007) "Loki/Thor/Freya/Odin" was/is definitely one of openly neo nazi racist "völkisch" scumbags. Sorry not sorry for being judgemental, we had like up to 20% of right wing voters in some villages here. This was looooong before those "Thor"-movies. Its different now because of the influence of those movies, or if e.g. a Norwegian parent chose those names.
Load More Replies... Bonnie Edwards 2 years ago
There are naming laws in Australia that say that you cannot name a child anything that is going to cause distress. I would like to believe that they are taking into account the distress of the child, as well as anyone that will need to interact with the child over their lifetime.
Tracy 2 years ago
There was a girl in my 10th grade French class named “Baby”. I felt so sorry for her. She was only in that school for a few weeks or a month. I’m sorry, but I can’t take anyone named Baby seriously. Also, my sisters mother in law was a social worker. The number of kids called La-a (Ladasha) was astounding
kate h 2 years ago
Nobody with the name La-a has ever been registered. This is a racist trope that has been circulating for years.
Load More Replies... kate h 2 years ago
Nobody with the name La-a has ever been registered. This is a racist trope that has been circulating for years.
Load More Replies... Richard Barlow 2 years ago
I worked in an inner city charity hospital in the 70s. At one time they had put neck beads on babies saying "Male" or "Female" and the last name of the mother. In the patient records for the hospital, you sometimes came across older children named Male or Female (pronounced "Mah-lay" or "Fem-allay".
LadyManx 2 years ago
3 facts. 1.This guarantees the future careers of many therapists. 2. Many of these children will change their names not just because THEY REALLY dislike their names and, they know their careers will curtailed, but because of all the misery/torment they have experienced because of teasing. because of that name. 3. For a number of reasons, many of these kids will act out and P;articipate" in the juvenile justice system.
Kathleen Pearlman 2 years ago
I met a boy named Nixon. It took an incredible amount of self-control to avoid asking why. Maybe it's been long enough, but still...
Jackie Lyon 2 years ago
This problem goes way back. My dad (born 1909) had a school friend whose parents, Mr & Mrs Butts, named their daughter Ophelia. My dad still laughed about it 70-something years later.
Tracy Wallick 2 years ago
I work with a man whose name is "Random Frie" (pronounced 'fry'). Just... why?
Mary G----no 2 years ago
I worked at a band store in high school. In spring and summer, we'd have reps go to schools all over to sign parents up for our rent-to-own instrument program. Another Lady & I would take the names, find an instrument for the kid, and tag it w/the appropriate name & school. We had some doozies. A girl whose last name was Halloween, & lived on Spooky Hollow Dr. Another girl - I can't remember how they spelled it - but sounded out was "Glorious God Hallelujah." A million different ways to spell Hayley, McKenzie, Kayley, etc. Sometimes so weird that it had to be spelled out letter by letter to get it right when writing the tag.
LilliVB 2 years ago
You can be original without having to name your child with some weird, misspelled or unappropriated name. You can research in books or online for names that maybe aren't used so much anymore, that belongs to literature or whatever and find something that is not so common like John, but even not so idiotic like some that I found in this post
Susan Bosse 2 years ago
I used to work in medical records at a hospital in the late 90s. Saw the name Timber Ree for a newborn. I joked for years about that name and how I can imagine her getting called into the house "Timberrrrrrrrrrrr." FF 20ish years and on the front page of the paper was an article where she'd been shot breaking and entering a guy's house on a drug deal gone wrong.
Philip Obermarck 2 years ago
So many of the names here would have been fine if they were just Nicknames. Name your kid something normal and then just call them "Prancer" or "Apple" or whatever.
Ann Mohrmann 2 years ago
I think Iceland goes a bit too far in regulating names, but it's easy to understand why after reading this list. My parents (born in 44) :went to school with Merry Christmas, and the brothers Bean. First names? Green and Pressed.
Barbara Skolly 2 years ago
My friend's daughter has a bf named Blade. I feel like he had a rat tail haircut 20 years ago.
Patti Vance 2 years ago
i worked in a legal field that required that i see birth certificates of client's children. i have seen sisters remember remember for one and the other was the same thing repeated as well but i don't remember. the interesting one was the guy who called all his daughters his 'jewel of life': ruby, pearl, diamond, emerald, and sardonyx.
KnightOwl 2 years ago
I have a friend who's 5yr old son is call Orion, (which I think is cute and really suits him but a lot of people don't like.) My old neighbour had twin boys called Thor and Odin, her best friend had 2 daughters called ophelia and pandora. My half-sister has a 2yr old son named Ragnarok, she's pregnant with baby no2 right now and everyone is constantly joking about what she'll name this one. (She's a massive poser and attention seeker who wants to be seen as a 'rock chick' despite being anything but)
Jamie Walker 2 years ago
I visited schools for my job, and one time whilst in reception a kid was late and had to be buzzed through, 'on you go simian' for those that don't know, simian is another name for monkey. This is is SE london, make of that what you will
Shnookumpie 2 years ago
Elon Musk has two children named Exa Dark Sideræl and X AE A-XII.... the last one was supposed to have a funky 'AE' combo letter and a -12 at the end but California made them alter it..... nice to know there are SOME limits to what you named your kids🤦🏻♀️.....
Daniel Atkins 2 years ago
I worked at a summer camp Witha woman named Isis (this was before 9-11). My favorit that I heard was Sierra Mist after the soda came out. The last one might be a joke but i did hear "Candy Sprinkles would you please meet your party at the front Gate" This was at a state fair if it is a real name fell bad for this person if it was a joke page then it was a good one.
Crystal 2 years ago
Isis was an ancient Egyptian goddess.... my brother named my niece Jazmin Sierra (Jasmin the Disney princess and Sierra after Sierra Mist)
Load More Replies... Lytha Hawkeye 2 years ago
I admit I changed the "C" in my kid's name to a "K" because I honestly think the letter "C" looks funny
Jessica Cifelli 2 years ago
I was a former lunch lady. I had kids named Bella, Edward, Jacob and Seth all in one kindergarten class. I also had identical twins Sunshyne and Rayne. I also had another set of twin girls named Chrysanthemun and Daisy who were completely into the whole Goth style.
Stephanie Paich 2 years ago
There's a comedian who does a funny bit about losing one of her in-laws named Coen (pronounced c**n) and having to call his name as quietly as possible in a store.
ChickyChicky 2 years ago
Naming conventions are different from culture to culture and change over time. Could we maybe just let people do their thing?
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 2 years ago
Didn't we honestly have a listicle like this a little less than a month ago?
Ellen Ranks 2 years ago
Last I heard Dweezil was still using this name. My sister went out with him a few times. Moon-Unit just changed to Moon.
Load More Replies... Joyce Blodgett 1 year ago (edited)
Worked with a young man named "Vin-el," pronounced as the fabric (vinyl) "because mama and daddy done did it on the vinyl seat of a McDonald's booth, and that's when I was made." Worked with a young woman whose mother named her "D'Juana," pronounced as "Didju wanna?" as in let's have sex. She was conceived in that particular instance, hence the "brilliant" name. She hated it intensely, and went solely by DJ. Knew of twins named "Lemonjello" and "Orangejello," but pronounced each as one word---lemonjello, orangejello---"because Mama likes that sweet slop that jiggles." The people, from widely different areas of my home state, are all of the same ethnicity. Just seems to be a trend.....All of them are now in their late 50s, early 60s, but don't know how the names affected their lives. Does make me wonder if they also named their kids horrid names.
Liz Reece 1 year ago
I am a 4th generation Elizabeth, but also being part Native American, my middle name is Woniyah-wah (whoa-knee-ya-wah) and means "spirit of the snow".. I was born during a particularly bad snow storm in Atlanta GA. Getting even a little snow here is unusual. The fact that there was enough to accumulate and pretty much shut down the city was significant. I - =HATED=- it growing up! I thought my hippie parents were outta their minds for naming me something so hard to pronounce. But once I got older, and my Native heritage became a large part of my identity, I am quite proud of it!
C. S. M 2 years ago
Worked IT in a hospital system. Most calls had me at users' offices and desks to fix something. Most users chat me up while i'm fixing whatever. Had a call take me to the lead daytime RN's office of the natal ward, and she chatted just like most others. I chatted along as she seemed cool, and conversation naturally wandered because I had a fairly long procedure to carry out, and her time wasn't pressed during my visit. She ended up telling me of a mother from a very poor part of the area in hospital to give birth to her baby girl. Apparently, it required many of the hospital staff to convince the woman that 'Vagina'(pronounced as 'Regina') would not be a comfortable name on many levels, having to define and explain that the 'name' was in fact the anatomical word to identify a woman's genitals. That was the day I learned that hospital and medical workers, in general, are amazingly cool and normal people in spite of their harrowing profession.
Grace Smith 2 years ago
Honestly this just intensely motivates me to give my future good decent names
kate h 2 years ago
Nobody with the name La-a has ever been registered. This is a racist trope that has been circulating for years.
Load More Replies... Sharon Dunsford-Endacotte 2 years ago
Around the time naming your child after the place they were conceived became fashionable, I came across a child with the middle name "Layby". I don't know if the term is used in other countries, but in the UK, a layby (or lay-by) is a stopping place for vehicles at the side of a road.
Stijn Kraft 2 years ago
I once bought a bright pink iMac G3 at a thrift shop. Found it had loads of personal work related stuff on it (I won't go into what it was because it may be a bit too easy to trace her down). Took me some time to figure out the woman who used to own it was ACTUALLY called Barbie. I sent her an e-mail and she came over very friendly and intelligent, the computer suggested she had a well-paid job so all is well in the end. She told me her work actually accidentally got rid of her personal computer and that she was happy for me to keep it, if I could be so kind do remove the personal data (she had backups of everything important already). So I did. Seriously though. Barbie. And a pink iMac. 2021_NYR_2...5-jpeg.jpg
Misti Davis 2 years ago
Worst student name I've ever seen: "Nigah Brown". It was Mr. Brown for the entire school year. Seriously, how could you?!
bill marsano 2 years ago
An Associated Press report I saw June 9 says parents in Norway are picking names from the Ikea catalogue. Perfectly OK,, so Long as they're careful;. for example, the name Huvudroll certainly falls trippingly from the tongue--but it means meatballs.
Miomirko Buhtlić 2 years ago
Sure, why not give other kids another reason to make fun of their children.
bill marsano 2 years ago
19th Cy religious parents often used names like Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Patience, and sometimes used names of Bible personages. In 20th Cy USA some black parents, possibly seeking name that would confer automatic respect, sometimes used military ranks. I have personally run across Lieutenant and Commodore. In Revolutionary Russia, some zealous Leninist parents named their children for some of the goals and/or accomplishments of the workers' Paradise. Radio and rural Electrification are among those I've found.
Aleš Kaučič 2 years ago
Remember sitcom How i met your mother? There was that canadian woman, Robin
Aleš Kaučič 2 years ago
Aaaand... What about people named D**k C**k? There is one Rock group, Blackbriar, and their singer is Zora C**k. Where i live,zora means twillight 😁
Argie Smith 2 years ago
How about names based on food? I once saw a person on a reality TV show called Lasagna. She had no idea her name was dinner.
RafCo 2 years ago
There are conditions though. I had a friend, Galina, which is a lovely name in Russia, but means chicken in my language. The nickname Kaka, in Brazil, means poop in other countries. Sometimes names just don't travel well. Siri, means penis in Georgian, and Finland has a chips brand called Megapussi, which i think means big bag, or something like that
Sky Heighway 2 years ago
My name is Sky Heighway, male 45 years old. So I can relate, big time. I changed my first name for a few years at 12 years old. My middle name is Jarrah. It's a tree used for train sleepers and boat building. Trains planes boats and automobiles. I should have gone into a career in travel. I have met many people with strange and funny names and I can confirm it usually mean your parents were or are selfish idiots. I met a guy named Rock Stone. Laughed at him (he was a lot bigger than me). He got angry until I introduced myself (we were in a professional setting were I don't normally introduce myself). I met a 4yr old boy named Lucifer. He was trouble, but that was obvious at that point because his parents were doing a terrible job. The best thing you can do to help is openly mock anyone who tells you they are thinking about giving their kids a name like this. Or recommend to someone thinking about it to do the internet test. Or at the very least give them a back up name as well
Jill Bussey 2 years ago
If I see a family (looking at you America) where the grandfather is named James George Adams (for example). Then his son is called James George Adams ll; then his son is called James George Adams lll, ad nauseum. This is pure laziness. Can't be bothered to think of a name. I can understand following a tradition of a middle name through the ages, but this is not a good thing. During the time when two or more generations are living at the same address, how do they know who the letters are for? I once knew a father and son who had the same names, which was bad enough, but they also had the same birthday. It caused all sorts of difficulties.
Wondering Alice 2 years ago
Came across a 5 year old girl crying that her class mates kept calling her pepper pig. Her name was pepper
Fearhunter 2 years ago
I saw a Name which is perfect for porn (in Germany and English speaking countries): Valentina Lust I'm still laughing.
Floyd Bartholomew 2 years ago
It's really good I'm not planning on having kids ever. I'm particularly fond of Basil as a name.
Kathleen Pearlman 2 years ago
I met a boy named Nixon. It took me an incredible amount of self-control to not ask why.
Spartakiss 2 years ago
I at times regret naming my child Spirit Love. Then I go to her school and in her class theirs a boy named N***r (after the river in Africa) a girl Shithead pronounced shy-ead. Not to mention all the ones that they just threw letters together
DuchessDegu 2 years ago
I know a lady called Juliedde (after grandparents Julia and Eddie). Doesn't sound too bad but NO ONE gets it first time, obviously everyone defaults to "Juliette" and she has to spell the name, and tell the story about the grandparents, every bloody time
Bruce Leibee 2 years ago
You win, BP. I give. I shall henceforth not return to your shores to suffer your inane b******t.
Isabella 2 years ago
Again - an US problem, that does not exist in another civilized nations. We have laws that forbid name kids as an object [for example Apple] or a trademark [like Sony] or anything that is belittling, a slur or anyhow may harm the kid ]almost all the above in this article] and yes, this is great. It is not about your freedom as a parent, it is about the kid's wellbeing. If you cannot deal with not being "original" when naming kid - you are mentally a kid yourself and should not procreate at all.
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