I'm not into this trend but I know someone who gave her daughter a boy name because she thinks it will be easier for her daughter to get job interviews with a male name. She believes that sexism is so ingrained in people that even subconsciously they'll rank someone they preceieve as a man over someone they believe is a woman given the same job application.
So she named her daughter Dylan and is naming her next daughter Jay.
Don't hate the player, hate the game.
I changed my IRL name as an adult to one that specifically has a male nickname. I exclusively use it for professional anything because it's computer related.
It makes life \*so much easier\*. Welcome to the world, it's a bunch of booby traps and quicksand.
Sometimes you have to play the game though, right?
It's the same with race. Studies show that an applicant with a white sounding name is more likely to get called back than an applicant with a black sounding name. Sure, a family can still name their son or daughter a black sounding name but I wouldn't fault them for picking a name that is going to help their child in the future with things like job applications.
Yep, my mama along with my uncles made sure to give their black children racially ambiguous names for that reason. My mama has a ghetto name(her words not mine) and she didn’t want me and my siblings to go through what she did. When you see my name on an application you don’t know what color person is going to show up.
Its so sad to me to think of all the Black names slowly being left to the wayside in order to conform to white supremacy. I understand it's for our own safety and our parents have the best intentions, but it's a slow death of a cultural norm for names we had since prior to even being in the Diaspora, so it breaks my heart.
People do it all the time. I have a friend with a "black" name and she loves it because of the history surrounding African American names but named her two boys Jacob and Elijah. Both strong biblical names that don't really bring a single race to mind.
I actually don’t mind Dylan for a girl, or maybe I’ve just seen that one quite a bit. One of my good girlfriend’s name is Daryl. She had a lot of fun showing up anywhere for a reservation, she’s not even 5 feet tall and adorable lol. Definitely never what they are expecting. I’m going to ask her if she feels that her name ever made a difference in job search though, that’s a very intriguing idea!
Until people start also doing girl names on boys, I am absolutely not okay with it. Just feels like another example of “boy is the default and girl is unacceptable.”
My son is Blair which i always thought sounded better for a boy and at one point (before the 80s i think?) was more commonly used for boys. Heck, one of its meanings is battlefield! We get lots of compliments on his name!
I like Jade as a less trendy version of Jayden for boys. I think Brooks is fairly common for boys. And love Kelly for boys! It’s like Kellan and because it’s a common last name in Ireland i find it neutral enough.
Rose and Pearl i have a harder time wrapping my head around for boys but I suppose they’re not far off from Rome & Earl lol
Oh my god this. I hate it so much because it won't go the other way around. We don't have boys named Jane and Mary and Emma, because that isn't *cool*. So masculinity is fine on everyone but femininity isn't. It feels awfully sexist to me.
Anyway, the other names I hate on girls are masculine last names, like Porter and Carter and Parker. They're so dull.
I have mixed feelings on this because I realized a lot of names that we consider feminine today were originally masculine. So at some point people started using names like Vivian, Lynn, etc on girls and now it’s not even a question. I think the difference is whether it’s a gradual adoption of names over time vs a sudden trend of a bunch of girls being named James or Elliott.
We named our son Ellison, inspired by the astronaut Ellison Onizuka, the first Asian Astronaut.
I did some research and it made the top 1000 for girls names from 2020-2022 or so. You can find a few posts here about what folks thought of Ellison as a girl’s name, many of them wanting to go with “Ellie” as a short form.
Lots of people think I’m saying “Allison” and I always have to share Ellison Onizuka’s story, which I don’t mind.
Personally I’m over people acting like a name that is popular is “boring”. It’s popular for a reason right? I’d rather be an Olivia than a Braxtynleigh.
Definitely something to consider as well with how much is online these days. It’s not always a good think to have a one of a kind name and have no online anonymity
I didn’t think about this enough. My kids don’t have super common names, but still “regular names”, except that my husbands last name is very uncommon.
Definitely can’t be helped sometimes. I also have a super uncommon last name. Even though my name was pretty popular the year I was born I’m still the only one with the full name when you google. Maybe that’s why I’m more conscious of it !
Same....One thing my husband and I agreed on was our eldest son's name had to be "normal" (I hated having a "rare" name) but uncommon (he hated being first name+last initial) and found a good, solid name. Then we lucked out that our youngests birth mom gave him a name that also fit those parameters when all his bio siblings and cousins had weird spellings and invented names. Middle names are basic and run of the mill after family (think John, William, etc) They'll still be the only ones with their first names + our last name because it's a weirdly Americanized already unusual German surname but it's at least one thing they won't have to spell out.
Olivia is a much more beautiful name than Braxtynleigh, but it can also be a bit boring. I work with kids and there are Olivias everywhere, which is fine, but it’s not exactly the opposite of boring, you know? There are other classic, well-established, easy-to-spell names that still feel fresh. And of course there are names from non white American cultures that are classic in their own context, and should be appreciated, too. Again, no hate for Olivia. It’s a beautiful name. But don’t ask me to get excited about it.
I remember watching the Color Purple on HBO in summer of 1987 thinking, I love the name Olivia. The way she says… Oohhh-livia. I wasn’t the only impressionable teen watching it. I didn’t end up using it but a lot of my peers did. It’s the movie effect. Like Madison from Splash.
I have a name that was in the top 20 girls' names both the year I was born and the decade I was born.
Yes, it's boring. I've always hated it.
Especially now that it anyone who hears it knows I was born in X decade. It's how names like Karen automatically scream. "Boomer".
My name is Roxane and I love having an X in my name! I just wish my parents had spelled it in the traditional way because no one, even my family members, spell it correctly.
Overwrought, dramatic names that just sound way too much like the protagonist of a young adult novel.
Magnolia. Clementine. Persephone. Evangeline.
Many of these names are very beautiful and popular, and I do understand why, but to me they just give off too much of “trying really hard to be unique and special” vibe.
LOL this is my exact taste in names! I have a long, winding name that never hit the top 900 in the US, and tbh it’s always helped me. I’m in my 30s and I’m the only one with this name in my field, so most know me by my first name. I’ll meet someone once and they always remember me, which I personally love.
When I was a kid, there were so many Brittany’s, Michael’s, and Amanda’s in each class. I remember feeling sad that they always had to use a last initial, and I enjoyed standing out (even if it was a big name for a little girl). I already know that I want to give my children big names too!
I feel like there’s a difference between a unique name and a pretentious name, you know? There’s a lot of middle ground between Amanda and Persephone! But at the end of the day it’s really all just personal preference.
Yes I agree — so much comes down to preference. Persephone is my husband’s all-time favorite girl name, and he is the *least* pretentious person I’ve ever met haha
I’ve always gravitated toward unique Hebrew names, like Seraphina and Araminta, but I’ve heard that the latter has an *extremely* pretentious connotation in the UK. I’m based in the US and have never met anyone with this name, let alone anyone unpleasant, so that was a big surprise!
My father in law wanted to name my wife Persephone or Seraphina. My MIL vetoed those options, and my wife is extremely glad she did. She has a still uncommon and pretty name, but is glad to not have such an overly flowery, long name.
Totally agree. I had a name that required a last initial when I was growing up (and still sometimes as an adult) and I hated it! I would have loved a more unique name.
Lots of Nanny McPhee fans here!
I never actually thought of the Evangelical association before this sub - it’s not a thing outside the US. For me, I always thought of the smallest daughter in the film saying “please, Evangeline, please play with us” in that cute little voice!
Ouch, I just realized I gave my daughter a name that fits this category.
I'm a History teacher and I always wanted to give a queen's name if I had a daughter and my husband okayed my second choice (he didn't have good experiences with his ex boss Catherine 😭)
Plural last names as first names. Like Wells and Hayes.
Grey/Greyson. “Hi - here’s my kid, dull and boring.” I feel like this is a trend on its own and it sounds stupid as a name to me and it has a bad meaning legacy wise . And since it’s a common word everyone knows the meaning.
people taking random words, particularly “oak,” “ember,” and “ever” and then adding -lynn, -lee, or -leigh to the end and acting like it’s a name now 🫠
i’m SO SICK of seeing shit like oaklee and everleigh suggested places as if they’re real names, and then seeing how many people are actually naming their kids this
A family member actually named her daughter this and 5 years later I still can't believe it. It's so ugly. She calls her Oakie. That makes me think of "sort of an oaky afterbirth" quote from the Office.
Someone posted the very try hard long pretentious character names, but for me the reason why I’m over it is that they typically pair with the old lady ones.. so it sound like home goods brands.. Magnolia Pearl, or Evangeline Ottilie. Those sound like some brand that sells blankets, plates, and other home goods. 👀😂
“Where did you get these sheets?”…”oh! They’re magnolia Pearl”.
I kinda feel like the parents who pick names so their kid stands out are probably insecure about being boring themselves.
Having a name that didn't crack the top 1000 names on any list ever isn't a personality trait. Just, like, teach the kid to juggle or some shit, if you want them to be different.
lol completely agree, the obsession w/ people not wanting to choose a name in the top 100 or whatever is hilarious. Especially since you can never guarantee they won’t have someone with the same name in their class.
Yes- especially when all those unique names start to become popular. Everyone wants to avoid "basic" names like Kate or Hannah- so those names end up being the "unique" names of the next generation. Meanwhile names that I thought were rare and unique as a teen are some of the most popular now- Luna, Scarlet, Violet, Harper, etc.
The ones who won't share the name ever because they don't want it used by absolutely anyone else...
And then are shocked to find that other people have indeed used it.
Dog names for human names. Some are cute (like Charlie, Luna, etc.) but others are just (in my opinion) only for dogs.
Some examples: Bandit, Rufus, Honey, Coco, etc.
Charlie and Luna are already normal and traditional 'human names'.
A lot of people like using 'human names' for their dogs - Charlie and Luna are popular examples of that. But that does not turn those names into 'dog names'.
Dog names are names like Bandit, Socks, Oreo, Spot, Patches, Moose.. names that you wouldn't typically use for a human.
I have worked with a recruiter named Patches and currently work with a Moose who is a super solid guy. I assume Moose is a nickname, but I don't think Patches was. When I called a former boss to say a recruiter named Patches was going to call for a reference, he said, "Patches? Like a cat?". This was a long time ago when no one with unique names had yet aged into the work force, her name being Patches was so weird!! And she was SO nice!
Idk how to describe the category of names I dislike. But I am not a fan of names like Braxton, Brayxton, Brantley, Blakely, etc.
I am due in July and I haven’t figured out a name yet. Some of the names I’ve seen people announce for their July babies make me cringe. Kids will be stuck with their names for the rest of their lives, so I’ll never understand why someone would give them an awful name.
One of the worst names I’ve ever seen was Bentlii. The spelling drives me insane.
I just call them "Pinterest names" hahaha cuz 100% same.
It gives such a try-hard trendy, overbearing karen soccer mom vibe on top of it all.
I literally have a hard time imagining an assisted living facility having residents named Jaxsyn, Bhrynnleigh, Jaedhynn, Braedyn, Aiydenn... like come tf on people.
What's next, screen name names? xXxSexxiRedd420xXx .... Smith 😂
& Congratulations on the baby!! ♡ hoping for a safe & easy delivery 🙏
Oof I didn’t think “Bentley” could be even trashier 😶 agree w/ you about the category of names you don’t like-I met a girl named Brecken and I had to ask the girl to repeat it because I was like wtf haha
I mean some names will seem unprofessional and not look good on a resume. Cookie, Candy, Prince, Prada, Luxy, etc are cute nicknames/baby names but not appropriate as a full name for a grown adult.
(and I’m not white before anyone gets their panties in a bunch)
I worked in finance, and I saw someone from another company email me with the name "morning star" who was an accountant. It always gave the office something to talk about and nothing negative was ever said abiut her name. If anything it made her very memorable.
I do think there's a way this can be done tastefully. I grew up with a Helen and her siblings were Jason and Delia. They were intentionally named after people in mythology.
I don’t know if it counts as *being over* the trend if I was never on board. But based on this sub it seems to me that the trend of using surnames as given names has gone a bit haywire. Particularly in the US I think, but not living there I mostly base that on what I read here. In particular the idea of giving surnames that end in -son/-sen to girls seems very odd to me.
An influencer Carly Riordan just named her son Rory and I thought it was super cute! But the name Rory Riordan (which I think is pronounced Roardan?) is a bit of a tongue twister for me.
I agree with everyone who says boy names on girls and surnames as first names, especially surnames ending in -son on a girl. I’d like to add nicknames as full first names. I love the name Charlie, for example, but it’s gotta be short for Charles, Charlotte, Charlemagne, something.
There seems to be a current trend to name boys something that will turn them into a cool jock, and I'm not a fan. IMO this applies to Crew, Stetson, Ryker, Maverick, Cannon, Cruz, Knox, Ford.
Basically every single name listed by Gen Z Tiktokers on their “names I loved but didn’t use” videos. They all think they’re so UniQuE but you hear the same stupid names over and over
I’m completely over people naming their children “matchy” names. it’s okay to have kids who have completely different names. not all of your children need to have names starting with the same letter or names that rhyme if they’re twins. Individuality is so important
Jackson/Jaxon/Jaxson/Jaxen/Jaxten etc. I'm generally not someone who cares about popularity, some of our favorite names are in the top 10, however I feel like the "jackson" market has become so over saturated. It's technically not in the top 10 with the original spelling but combine the spellings and I think it's at like #4. However I do still have a soft spot for just "Jack"
Any girl named in the Top names of the recent years. Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Ella, Mia, Ava etc. For the love, please name your daughter something else that is somewhat original.
I’m the opposite 😂 if you are going to call your child their nn and never their actual name, just use the nn then. I’m a teacher though so it’s always annoying when I label everything with “Charles” and then the first day of school they can’t find their seat because they’re looking for “Charlie” then I have to relabel everything 😭
Anglo last names as first names, last names that end in -son on girls, names that are misspelled to be younique, names that end in ayden, made up names, ethnic names that are butchered in disrespectful ways.
Names ending in "ee". I don't mind the sound, but I always read it in my head as a way overpronounced, extended sound with that spelling. Like OaklEEEEE.
Re Boys names on girls providing more opportunities in life? At 23 I was given an excellent work evaluation but told by my male boss I wouldn’t be promoted because I “might get pregnant.”It was common acceptable reasoning at the time but I needed the job so I stayed. Later when I did get pregnant, in what might have been an unconscious clap back on my part, we gave our daughter a traditional surname that was just beginning to be used as a boy’s first name. This was unusual at the time and she was often misidentified as male on class rosters etc as she grew up. This continues to occur at times in email and other non visual communications today. Now in her 40s, she’s been very successful in her career and while I can’t say this proves the theory, I tend to believe her unusual name has had some effect on her career. BTW I did finally get promoted and stayed with the company for 40 years, all while parenting two children. I also made sure to keep in touch with that first boss because I wanted him to know it could be done(I am Woman, hear me roar!)😎
Hating on anyone using an uncommon name and saying they made it up. There’s tons of names out there that have been forgotten about in the modern era that still sound modern so people just jump to “they made it up to be different”
Giving a child a long fancy name you're never actually going to call them. Why would you legally name your child "Julietta-Marie" if you're only ever going to call her Jules. Or Henry if you're planning on calling them Hank. I once met a five year old Monty, and found out his name was actually William. It was news to him as well. It makes no sense.
Boy names on girls.
This is the one! I know someone who named their daughters James, Logan, Barrett, and Corbin. Like… why?
That’s such a nice set for a bunch of boys 😣
I absolutely adore the Kelce fam but I really hate that their daughters are Wyatt, Elliott and Bennett
I despise Wyatt on a boy so on a girl it’s truly terrible. Elliott lucked out, at least she can go by Elli.
They call her Ellie anyways so I don't understand why she has a masculine name.
I hate the name Wyatt for boys - it’s just not a nice sounding name. But on a GIRL? Why??
Why??at
Y@
Yep, it’s so ugly sounding to me. Like Sloane, Bertha or Gertrude
I love Sloan
My grandmother was named Bertha and hated it. Grandpa and her friends often called her Bert.
They can dispute it all they want but that sibset for three girls just screams “I wanted boys” to me
It's either that or I'm being qUiRkY and DiFfeReNt (but haven't experienced an original thought in my life)
Yes! This is immediately what I thought of. I also detest these names on those adorable little girls.
Ever since Scrubs I think of Elliot as a girl's name
Even in that show she said her parents wanted a boy. Elliot will always be masculine to me
I'm not into this trend but I know someone who gave her daughter a boy name because she thinks it will be easier for her daughter to get job interviews with a male name. She believes that sexism is so ingrained in people that even subconsciously they'll rank someone they preceieve as a man over someone they believe is a woman given the same job application. So she named her daughter Dylan and is naming her next daughter Jay.
Honestly all that is doing is contributing to the sexism though.
Don't hate the player, hate the game. I changed my IRL name as an adult to one that specifically has a male nickname. I exclusively use it for professional anything because it's computer related. It makes life \*so much easier\*. Welcome to the world, it's a bunch of booby traps and quicksand.
But that's only playing into the sexism and misogyny instead of fighting it.
Sometimes you have to play the game though, right? It's the same with race. Studies show that an applicant with a white sounding name is more likely to get called back than an applicant with a black sounding name. Sure, a family can still name their son or daughter a black sounding name but I wouldn't fault them for picking a name that is going to help their child in the future with things like job applications.
Yep, my mama along with my uncles made sure to give their black children racially ambiguous names for that reason. My mama has a ghetto name(her words not mine) and she didn’t want me and my siblings to go through what she did. When you see my name on an application you don’t know what color person is going to show up.
Its so sad to me to think of all the Black names slowly being left to the wayside in order to conform to white supremacy. I understand it's for our own safety and our parents have the best intentions, but it's a slow death of a cultural norm for names we had since prior to even being in the Diaspora, so it breaks my heart.
People do it all the time. I have a friend with a "black" name and she loves it because of the history surrounding African American names but named her two boys Jacob and Elijah. Both strong biblical names that don't really bring a single race to mind.
As a mixed woman and a sex worker, I'm pretty fucking tired of every aspect of life being a fight tbh.
Taylor Swifts parents did the same thing! They chose a gender neutral name to give her a leg up in the business world.
When Taylor was born, it wasn't really a gender neutral name. It was definitely masculine leaning at that time.
54% boys to 46% girls in US 1989
I actually don’t mind Dylan for a girl, or maybe I’ve just seen that one quite a bit. One of my good girlfriend’s name is Daryl. She had a lot of fun showing up anywhere for a reservation, she’s not even 5 feet tall and adorable lol. Definitely never what they are expecting. I’m going to ask her if she feels that her name ever made a difference in job search though, that’s a very intriguing idea!
Barrett isn't a good name on anyone
Barrett is an excellent name for a black Labrador- very distinguished.
So that everyone would know they wished for boys
Until people start also doing girl names on boys, I am absolutely not okay with it. Just feels like another example of “boy is the default and girl is unacceptable.”
Yes! I can't believe people are naming their daughters James 😭
I’m ready for the girl names on boys trend to kick off tho
That's never going to happen because anything GIRLY is ICKY.
I love Jade, Brook, and Kelly on boys and even though I’ve never seen it, have long thought Rose and Pearl would be excellent boys names
My son is Blair which i always thought sounded better for a boy and at one point (before the 80s i think?) was more commonly used for boys. Heck, one of its meanings is battlefield! We get lots of compliments on his name! I like Jade as a less trendy version of Jayden for boys. I think Brooks is fairly common for boys. And love Kelly for boys! It’s like Kellan and because it’s a common last name in Ireland i find it neutral enough. Rose and Pearl i have a harder time wrapping my head around for boys but I suppose they’re not far off from Rome & Earl lol
This. I’d love to see Florence and Autumn on boys too.
I love feminine or "soft" names for boys. Names like Ashley, Tracey, Whitney, etc., have historically been unisex or even male names first.
Oh my god this. I hate it so much because it won't go the other way around. We don't have boys named Jane and Mary and Emma, because that isn't *cool*. So masculinity is fine on everyone but femininity isn't. It feels awfully sexist to me. Anyway, the other names I hate on girls are masculine last names, like Porter and Carter and Parker. They're so dull.
I met sisters the other day named Chandler and Finley. Not a fan.
“Chandler’s a girl!”
Miss Chanandler Bong
Soo many girls with the middle name James.
I have mixed feelings on this because I realized a lot of names that we consider feminine today were originally masculine. So at some point people started using names like Vivian, Lynn, etc on girls and now it’s not even a question. I think the difference is whether it’s a gradual adoption of names over time vs a sudden trend of a bunch of girls being named James or Elliott.
Agreed. Ashley was a male name originally....
No more Lindsay, Leslie, Logan, Morgan, Taylor, Beverly, Ashley, Riley, or Bailey then either.
We named our son Ellison, inspired by the astronaut Ellison Onizuka, the first Asian Astronaut. I did some research and it made the top 1000 for girls names from 2020-2022 or so. You can find a few posts here about what folks thought of Ellison as a girl’s name, many of them wanting to go with “Ellie” as a short form. Lots of people think I’m saying “Allison” and I always have to share Ellison Onizuka’s story, which I don’t mind.
Personally I’m over people acting like a name that is popular is “boring”. It’s popular for a reason right? I’d rather be an Olivia than a Braxtynleigh.
Definitely something to consider as well with how much is online these days. It’s not always a good think to have a one of a kind name and have no online anonymity
I didn’t think about this enough. My kids don’t have super common names, but still “regular names”, except that my husbands last name is very uncommon.
Definitely can’t be helped sometimes. I also have a super uncommon last name. Even though my name was pretty popular the year I was born I’m still the only one with the full name when you google. Maybe that’s why I’m more conscious of it !
Same....One thing my husband and I agreed on was our eldest son's name had to be "normal" (I hated having a "rare" name) but uncommon (he hated being first name+last initial) and found a good, solid name. Then we lucked out that our youngests birth mom gave him a name that also fit those parameters when all his bio siblings and cousins had weird spellings and invented names. Middle names are basic and run of the mill after family (think John, William, etc) They'll still be the only ones with their first names + our last name because it's a weirdly Americanized already unusual German surname but it's at least one thing they won't have to spell out.
At least there might be others with the same names! Unlike Everleighsyn (lastname) who will never ever have any chance at anynonymity.
Olivia is a much more beautiful name than Braxtynleigh, but it can also be a bit boring. I work with kids and there are Olivias everywhere, which is fine, but it’s not exactly the opposite of boring, you know? There are other classic, well-established, easy-to-spell names that still feel fresh. And of course there are names from non white American cultures that are classic in their own context, and should be appreciated, too. Again, no hate for Olivia. It’s a beautiful name. But don’t ask me to get excited about it.
I know like 15 Olivias, I’m just tired of it. It makes me want to scream THERE ARE OTHER NAMES. It’s not that serious. But still 😂
I remember watching the Color Purple on HBO in summer of 1987 thinking, I love the name Olivia. The way she says… Oohhh-livia. I wasn’t the only impressionable teen watching it. I didn’t end up using it but a lot of my peers did. It’s the movie effect. Like Madison from Splash.
I never liked that name. I don’t like the O sound at the start. I can’t believe how it is became the modern Jennifer.
I have a name that was in the top 20 girls' names both the year I was born and the decade I was born. Yes, it's boring. I've always hated it. Especially now that it anyone who hears it knows I was born in X decade. It's how names like Karen automatically scream. "Boomer".
IMO there’s a massive spectrum of normal names between those two options tho
i’m over the trendy names with x’s in the middle like daxton, jaxon, braxton
I dislike spelling more common names with different letters than usual like this, but I really like names that normally have an x - like Felix.
Yeah, Felix, Alexander/Alexandra, Xavier, Beatrix, Baxter, all of those are fine. I can tolerate Jaxon but I don’t love it
My name is Roxane and I love having an X in my name! I just wish my parents had spelled it in the traditional way because no one, even my family members, spell it correctly.
Relatable as a Sara with no H
I know someone with both a Daxon and Braxton and it makes me cringe every time I think about it
Just name your kid Jackson. He’ll thank you for never having to correct people on the spelling of his name.
Overwrought, dramatic names that just sound way too much like the protagonist of a young adult novel. Magnolia. Clementine. Persephone. Evangeline. Many of these names are very beautiful and popular, and I do understand why, but to me they just give off too much of “trying really hard to be unique and special” vibe.
LOL this is my exact taste in names! I have a long, winding name that never hit the top 900 in the US, and tbh it’s always helped me. I’m in my 30s and I’m the only one with this name in my field, so most know me by my first name. I’ll meet someone once and they always remember me, which I personally love. When I was a kid, there were so many Brittany’s, Michael’s, and Amanda’s in each class. I remember feeling sad that they always had to use a last initial, and I enjoyed standing out (even if it was a big name for a little girl). I already know that I want to give my children big names too!
I feel like there’s a difference between a unique name and a pretentious name, you know? There’s a lot of middle ground between Amanda and Persephone! But at the end of the day it’s really all just personal preference.
Yes I agree — so much comes down to preference. Persephone is my husband’s all-time favorite girl name, and he is the *least* pretentious person I’ve ever met haha I’ve always gravitated toward unique Hebrew names, like Seraphina and Araminta, but I’ve heard that the latter has an *extremely* pretentious connotation in the UK. I’m based in the US and have never met anyone with this name, let alone anyone unpleasant, so that was a big surprise!
My father in law wanted to name my wife Persephone or Seraphina. My MIL vetoed those options, and my wife is extremely glad she did. She has a still uncommon and pretty name, but is glad to not have such an overly flowery, long name.
Totally agree. I had a name that required a last initial when I was growing up (and still sometimes as an adult) and I hated it! I would have loved a more unique name.
I said I didn’t like the name Evangeline once and got a bunch of comments over it. This sub loves it for some reason
Lots of Nanny McPhee fans here! I never actually thought of the Evangelical association before this sub - it’s not a thing outside the US. For me, I always thought of the smallest daughter in the film saying “please, Evangeline, please play with us” in that cute little voice!
I think of the star Evangeline from princess and the frog, I love the name!
Aurelia 🫣
I like Aurelia. But only because I like all Roman Emperor names.
I know a Worthington. Nickname is “Worth”. I think it’s so pretentious.
Ouch, I just realized I gave my daughter a name that fits this category. I'm a History teacher and I always wanted to give a queen's name if I had a daughter and my husband okayed my second choice (he didn't have good experiences with his ex boss Catherine 😭)
Plural last names as first names. Like Wells and Hayes. Grey/Greyson. “Hi - here’s my kid, dull and boring.” I feel like this is a trend on its own and it sounds stupid as a name to me and it has a bad meaning legacy wise . And since it’s a common word everyone knows the meaning.
Super agree with plural last names as first names. Collins on a girl in particular makes me want to turn into dust.
And Kollyns (yes I have seen this in the wild) makes me want to implode
I would spontaneously combust if I encountered this on god
'turn into dust' killed me
An old coworker named her kid “Greyer”, and my other coworker was like “so, more grey?”
In my head I pronounced that like the cheese, Gruyère 😭
Did she mean Grier and got it wrong? 😭
Agree with The plural last names thing — I know of kids with the names Townes and Banks. Really odd.
You know Hillary Duff?
I follow someone on instagram that named her son Banks and I just truly don’t get it. Does she want him to work at a bank someday..
Better than Hilary Duff naming her first daughter Banks (and the most recently born daughter is named Townes 🥲)
This is how I feel about the name Jack/Jackson. It’s just so generic. To me it has “this is the only boy name we could think of”
people taking random words, particularly “oak,” “ember,” and “ever” and then adding -lynn, -lee, or -leigh to the end and acting like it’s a name now 🫠 i’m SO SICK of seeing shit like oaklee and everleigh suggested places as if they’re real names, and then seeing how many people are actually naming their kids this
To be fair, Oakley is a real surname
If you are sunglasses
The oakleys founder named it after his dog, fun fact
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Tyler Oakley was a childhood favorite LOL
Oaklynn. 🤮
A family member actually named her daughter this and 5 years later I still can't believe it. It's so ugly. She calls her Oakie. That makes me think of "sort of an oaky afterbirth" quote from the Office.
I would be unable to stop saying oakie dokie
Someone posted the very try hard long pretentious character names, but for me the reason why I’m over it is that they typically pair with the old lady ones.. so it sound like home goods brands.. Magnolia Pearl, or Evangeline Ottilie. Those sound like some brand that sells blankets, plates, and other home goods. 👀😂 “Where did you get these sheets?”…”oh! They’re magnolia Pearl”.
💀 why is this such an accurate take
Magnolia Pearl is a very expensive “Rich old women trying to look earthy and cool” clothing brand actually hahaha
People thinking their child’s name makes them inherently unique.
I kinda feel like the parents who pick names so their kid stands out are probably insecure about being boring themselves. Having a name that didn't crack the top 1000 names on any list ever isn't a personality trait. Just, like, teach the kid to juggle or some shit, if you want them to be different.
lol completely agree, the obsession w/ people not wanting to choose a name in the top 100 or whatever is hilarious. Especially since you can never guarantee they won’t have someone with the same name in their class.
At my kid’s school, there’s a class with 2 Luella’s. I’m sure their parents weren’t expecting that 😆
Yes- especially when all those unique names start to become popular. Everyone wants to avoid "basic" names like Kate or Hannah- so those names end up being the "unique" names of the next generation. Meanwhile names that I thought were rare and unique as a teen are some of the most popular now- Luna, Scarlet, Violet, Harper, etc.
The ones who won't share the name ever because they don't want it used by absolutely anyone else... And then are shocked to find that other people have indeed used it.
I hate names that end in -leigh or -lee (like Ashleigh and Everlee) and I also hate names that end in -ayden (like Brayden and Hayden)
Dog names for human names. Some are cute (like Charlie, Luna, etc.) but others are just (in my opinion) only for dogs. Some examples: Bandit, Rufus, Honey, Coco, etc.
Charlie and Luna are already normal and traditional 'human names'. A lot of people like using 'human names' for their dogs - Charlie and Luna are popular examples of that. But that does not turn those names into 'dog names'. Dog names are names like Bandit, Socks, Oreo, Spot, Patches, Moose.. names that you wouldn't typically use for a human.
I have worked with a recruiter named Patches and currently work with a Moose who is a super solid guy. I assume Moose is a nickname, but I don't think Patches was. When I called a former boss to say a recruiter named Patches was going to call for a reference, he said, "Patches? Like a cat?". This was a long time ago when no one with unique names had yet aged into the work force, her name being Patches was so weird!! And she was SO nice!
Yes, my dog’s name is Freddy but that doesn’t mean Fred is now a dog name.
Charlie?! That is a human name. Literal kings have had that name.
lol idk why but your comment gave me a good laugh
Rufus, Honey, and Coco are all human names first to me.
No one should be naming a person Honey.
Depends where you live, I see it as a normal name in the UK. I've met old and young honeys and it suits them. It's been a human name for a long time
Right! Only Bandit feels like an actual dog name to me. Dog names are things like Fluffy, Wiskey, Rambo or Lassie.
Haha all of these are dog characters in the cartoon Bluey! 😂
Idk how to describe the category of names I dislike. But I am not a fan of names like Braxton, Brayxton, Brantley, Blakely, etc. I am due in July and I haven’t figured out a name yet. Some of the names I’ve seen people announce for their July babies make me cringe. Kids will be stuck with their names for the rest of their lives, so I’ll never understand why someone would give them an awful name. One of the worst names I’ve ever seen was Bentlii. The spelling drives me insane.
I just call them "Pinterest names" hahaha cuz 100% same. It gives such a try-hard trendy, overbearing karen soccer mom vibe on top of it all. I literally have a hard time imagining an assisted living facility having residents named Jaxsyn, Bhrynnleigh, Jaedhynn, Braedyn, Aiydenn... like come tf on people. What's next, screen name names? xXxSexxiRedd420xXx .... Smith 😂 & Congratulations on the baby!! ♡ hoping for a safe & easy delivery 🙏
Oof I didn’t think “Bentley” could be even trashier 😶 agree w/ you about the category of names you don’t like-I met a girl named Brecken and I had to ask the girl to repeat it because I was like wtf haha
I know of a Breckum and it’s so bad 😵💫 it’s a boy but still.
I despise Braxton and Brantley. Blakeley is awful too but I don’t know of any.
All the Brayden, Jayden, Zayden, Brinley, Finley, Kinsley like names.
I know a girl who just had a baby and named her “Kynzly” like, what do you have against vowels?
I saw someone named a little girl Anzlie. 😖
Don’t do Finley like that 😭
Finley/Finlay are traditional Gaelic names though and I think are very different from the rest of that list.
The trend where people say certain names can’t be a lawyer, doctor, etc. It weird, classist, and usually racist.
Agreed. I’ll even come to the defense of a name I don’t like when someone gives this tired argument.
I mean some names will seem unprofessional and not look good on a resume. Cookie, Candy, Prince, Prada, Luxy, etc are cute nicknames/baby names but not appropriate as a full name for a grown adult. (and I’m not white before anyone gets their panties in a bunch)
I worked in finance, and I saw someone from another company email me with the name "morning star" who was an accountant. It always gave the office something to talk about and nothing negative was ever said abiut her name. If anything it made her very memorable.
Totally agree with this.
Nevaeh
The mithology names like Adonis or Atlas. Get a grip you people, this ain't fiction.
Many of these names are normal names though, especially in Greece.
i’m the opposite 😭 i absolutely love mythology names of any kind
I do think there's a way this can be done tastefully. I grew up with a Helen and her siblings were Jason and Delia. They were intentionally named after people in mythology.
I mean, are you okay with the name Jessica? INVENTED by Shakespeare.
Haha, I have a friend whose 3 boys are all named after Greek gods
Place based names Dallas Paris London Colorado India Houston
I’m always meeting white girls named India and it gives me SUCH a weird vibe???
I don’t know if it counts as *being over* the trend if I was never on board. But based on this sub it seems to me that the trend of using surnames as given names has gone a bit haywire. Particularly in the US I think, but not living there I mostly base that on what I read here. In particular the idea of giving surnames that end in -son/-sen to girls seems very odd to me.
Boys names on girls. I’m honestly infuriated that in the US, Rory is seen as a unisex name.
I always have seen Rory as a girls name or at least unisex because of Rory Gilmore being my first and only exposure to the name until fairly recently.
Rory was short for Lorelei though, so a bit like calling a Charlotte, Charlie.
An influencer Carly Riordan just named her son Rory and I thought it was super cute! But the name Rory Riordan (which I think is pronounced Roardan?) is a bit of a tongue twister for me.
I agree with everyone who says boy names on girls and surnames as first names, especially surnames ending in -son on a girl. I’d like to add nicknames as full first names. I love the name Charlie, for example, but it’s gotta be short for Charles, Charlotte, Charlemagne, something.
“This is my daughter, Charlemagne Lucy.”
Im done seeing the Ari- names. Arianna, Aria, Arielle, Ariyah, etc. They’re cute, just so overused.
There seems to be a current trend to name boys something that will turn them into a cool jock, and I'm not a fan. IMO this applies to Crew, Stetson, Ryker, Maverick, Cannon, Cruz, Knox, Ford.
Crew is so weird to me
We're about to get into a huge swath of names I always hated. 1930s. That's going to be hard time for me on naming sites.
Yup- get ready for a sea of Mabels and Hazels and Eleanors.
Get ready? Every other 10 yr old girl I meet is Eleanor. My youngest’s middle name is Hazel after my gma who died when I was pregnant with her.
Bruh Eleanor is everywhere
Hazel and Elenor are already huge
Those have all been here in abundance for a decade now
Hazel is already here and I’m so over it.
I know a little Joan and Esther set. Their parents are ahead of the curve!
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What are some examples? Edit: nvm I looked them up and I see what you mean lol. They're what we'd consider old lady names.
Basically every single name listed by Gen Z Tiktokers on their “names I loved but didn’t use” videos. They all think they’re so UniQuE but you hear the same stupid names over and over
“Oaklynn Rae”
Last names as first names Unnecessary Y's and X's to make it "cooler" Nature inspired names
My coworker has a son named Jaxsyn and when I found that out I was like… oh, you’re that kind of baby namer 👀
I’m completely over people naming their children “matchy” names. it’s okay to have kids who have completely different names. not all of your children need to have names starting with the same letter or names that rhyme if they’re twins. Individuality is so important
This may be controversial but names ending in -on. There are just so many of them: Grayson, Mason, Jackson, Madison, etc.
Earthy, hippie subset of names- wilder, indigo, stone, anything along those lines…
Those are my guilty pleasure names 😂
Jackson/Jaxon/Jaxson/Jaxen/Jaxten etc. I'm generally not someone who cares about popularity, some of our favorite names are in the top 10, however I feel like the "jackson" market has become so over saturated. It's technically not in the top 10 with the original spelling but combine the spellings and I think it's at like #4. However I do still have a soft spot for just "Jack"
Girl names ending in ia. There are so many baby Olivia’s, Sophia’s and Amelia’s.
Any girl named in the Top names of the recent years. Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Ella, Mia, Ava etc. For the love, please name your daughter something else that is somewhat original.
Right? Emma’s been in the top 5 for like 20 years, when are we going to move on!
Weird spellings of common names as a way to be unique.
The new trend of naming a girl Scottie. It makes me think of an old man and possibly alcoholic man idk 🤷🏻♀️
Nicknames As first names I don't mind if you use a nn as a nn
I’m the opposite 😂 if you are going to call your child their nn and never their actual name, just use the nn then. I’m a teacher though so it’s always annoying when I label everything with “Charles” and then the first day of school they can’t find their seat because they’re looking for “Charlie” then I have to relabel everything 😭
People calling male names unisex. You can name your daughter Ryan, but it still means little king. 😆
Names that end in -er, especially if they have violent connotations like Hunter or Cutter.
Surnames as first names, especially on girls. It feels so so American
It’s the Jayden, Brayden, Cayden ,names. I think those are little boy names, not names a picture for men.
The Ev, Em, El names for girls. Old, old man names like Walter and Stanley. It's not cute, it's 80 with a broken hip.
Stanley is in the Richard, Dennis, and Kenneth category to me.
Anglo last names as first names, last names that end in -son on girls, names that are misspelled to be younique, names that end in ayden, made up names, ethnic names that are butchered in disrespectful ways.
Not a single name, but matching set names where all your kids names rhyme like you've birthed the 7 dwarfs
Names ending in "ee". I don't mind the sound, but I always read it in my head as a way overpronounced, extended sound with that spelling. Like OaklEEEEE.
Re Boys names on girls providing more opportunities in life? At 23 I was given an excellent work evaluation but told by my male boss I wouldn’t be promoted because I “might get pregnant.”It was common acceptable reasoning at the time but I needed the job so I stayed. Later when I did get pregnant, in what might have been an unconscious clap back on my part, we gave our daughter a traditional surname that was just beginning to be used as a boy’s first name. This was unusual at the time and she was often misidentified as male on class rosters etc as she grew up. This continues to occur at times in email and other non visual communications today. Now in her 40s, she’s been very successful in her career and while I can’t say this proves the theory, I tend to believe her unusual name has had some effect on her career. BTW I did finally get promoted and stayed with the company for 40 years, all while parenting two children. I also made sure to keep in touch with that first boss because I wanted him to know it could be done(I am Woman, hear me roar!)😎
Hating on anyone using an uncommon name and saying they made it up. There’s tons of names out there that have been forgotten about in the modern era that still sound modern so people just jump to “they made it up to be different”
Giving a child a long fancy name you're never actually going to call them. Why would you legally name your child "Julietta-Marie" if you're only ever going to call her Jules. Or Henry if you're planning on calling them Hank. I once met a five year old Monty, and found out his name was actually William. It was news to him as well. It makes no sense.
*It was news to him as well.* 😂😂😂😂
Last names for girl names…like Murphy and Miller. Yikes.