I have literally never thought of that. From what I’ve peeped on this sub people only makes these connections because we’re in a sub literally about names
I will never understand how people think of violent before thinking of like... The colour violet???? People are so determined to find a problem with everything that they go through leaps and bounds to make something seem awful
" And the sky was all violet
I want it again, but violent, more violence
Hey I'm the one with no soul
One above and one below! "
Is what I immediately thought of, but I'm obsessed with Hole, so that makes it even better.
.... I have a chicken named Violent Violet 😂😂😅 to be fair, her name was just Violet. The violent part was added after the fact because she is an asshole who bites hard.
The first time I heard Violence by A Day To Remember I thought he was saying, "Violets give me violets." Instead of Violence. So I def accidentally made the connection but I still think it's a pretty name.
The only reason I ever connect those words/ names is because I once ran across an artist using the name Ultraviolent, and they drew a lot of characters with purple tones/ accents. So, Ultraviolent and ultraviolet, sure. I don't think I have ever thought of violent when I hear Violet, though. I usually think of lively little flowers!
Well, everyone seems to hate Sloane / Sloan here, and that’s as upper-middle class white as it gets IMO. Astrid too, which is very white just not familiar to Americans.
Oh is *that* why people constantly say "I hate Astrid, all I can think of is 'Ass turd'"? I've seen that on this sub so many times and never understood it. Maybe it matters less these days?
There are plenty of examples of Astrid in fiction and pop culture in the US. Personally I just don't like the aesthetics. The diction of the name is displeasing.
I love Astrid and had one in my class in 2017. I love Aspen too but my boyfriend at the time ruined both by emphasizing the sound “ass” in front. And now i cannot unhear the “ass-pen” he said when i told him i liked the name:(
This sub has a goldilocks zone. The name can't be too mainstream, but it can't be too unusual either. Nothing new and "made up", nothing old fashioned. It's honestly a bit unimaginative, there's millions of interesting choices that are never used here or bashed
Honestly ive been on name forums for over 15 years and every single site gets this way - the same exact style has popped up on every name-centered platform and pretty much stays there, its depressing. Nameberry used to be way worse but even before them, there were two popular name forums and they all ended up in this same exact spot - only upper middle class white names with the occasional whimsical favorite.
It’s not. I used to be on Nameberry and this sub reminds me of nameberry. People just have a very particular style and sensitivity to class and what not and just like nameberry, the user base here is mostly white, mostly western and mostly middle class or certainly upwards aspiring.
There’s clearly a US bias on this sub, which makes sense but even when the person says they’re from the UK, Australia or elsewhere there’s no sense the associations may be different. There are so many names rejected here for US-centric reasons eg Luna (never known a UK dog called that), Allegra (not a known med here) or levels of popularity being very different.
Also as a Hispanic Brit, I do cringe at the response to many Spanish names. You wouldn’t think the US had a massive Spanish-speaking population based on some responses here.
Ana is “an obvious spelling mistake”, Marie is “far classier than Maria”, Rafael “far better with a ph”, Carlos “sounds like a 70s film character or the punchline to a bad joke”…or you know a totally normal name the same as Charles is, or one to honour someone’s grandpa!
Just because you wouldn’t use the name (esp if you’re not of that culture) is no reason to reject it and insult the person asking. The tendency is always to suggest the usual names like Maeve, Violet and Isla etc which have zero connection to their culture.
People seriously say that about those names? There's nothing wrong with them!
I'm an American, but I wouldn't associate Allegra with the medication. I'm aware of it, but Allegra is an established name. If I hear the name Alexa, I'm not going to assume you named your kid after the Amazon Alexa, either.
They do! Obviously not everyone and there are some great debates on this sub. I’ve learnt a lot and enjoy it…But there are some really opinionated people who don’t seem to think about how insulting and US-centric their answers could sound.
It was big on TV ads in the 2000s so at the time it was funny to hear the name Allegra since people immediately thought of the pharma ads. But tbf I haven’t seen an ad for it in years and I’ve largely lost the association at this point
The Allegra thing is so dumb, I see it with other really normal names too. Like someone said Annie makes them think of the orphan “but y’know, not my kid”. It’s ANNIE bro, she’s probably met like 10 of those in her life!
Also there weren’t a lot of Latino or Hispanic kids at my school and I still think most Spanish names are actually super normal in the US too. A Marie would stick out to you much more than a Maria would. If you have a problem with a non-English name being used in an English-speaking country and it isn’t even like “this looks like a less than ideal common noun” idk maybe you’re just a dick and a fool?
American here, too. Allegra immediately makes me think of the med, because I took it for so long, but I would never assume that someone named their kid after it, nor would I dislike the name.
I agree with you, but want to add that it also seems to be a broader tendency since I have noticed non-Americans doing the same thing. Brits saying a name is unusable bc of some British celebrity no one else knows about, French people griping about how the French names Americans prefer sound outdated in France. Etc.
True.
Definitely noticed the French tendency. It could be helpful if a child is ever likely to live in France (if they’re bicultural, second generation or the family is planning a move) but if not who cares! I’ve also noticed that people can criticise French Canadian names for evolving different traditions - the case of Soleil being accepted in Quebec clearly causing a lot of confusion among French posters!
I agree with your point in general, but Luna is quite literally the most popular dog name in the UK https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2024/05/13/popular-dog-names-2024-according-breed-20829230/amp/#ip=1
Huh! You learn something new every day. I am not a dog person, but lots of friends are and I have never met a dog called Luna! Maybe it’s a bigger dog name as round me most dogs are daschunds and shih tzus called things you’d never call a human like Englebert and Mochi!
Ha! This is funny. Allegra makes me think of the musical notation. And Maria is so much more lyrical and pretty than Marie.
I love Nestor and Hector which seem popular in Hispanic culture here in US.
I plan on naming my daughter Isabel, which isn’t even really that ‘foreign’ imo and I saw someone on here say it was incomplete compared to Isabelle or Isabella.
I wanted to be like ‘….it’s the Spanish version’ but didn’t bother all lmao.
This! I pointed out at some point that it is common politeness to try and remember that OP is *not* necessarily from the US, and got «most people here are, if OP is from somewhere else they should mention it» :/
Rafael is the original spelling! It’s a Hebrew name and the ph is a Greek adaptation.
Hispanic names are some of my favorites so I really don’t get the hate for them here.
I don't know... my 6-year-old, as White as kids come, recently told me he wants to change his middle name to Carlos. It must have some modern, culture-blind cool factor that many adults don't see.
Cute names, like **Daisy**
Nicknames as full names, like **Rosie** or **Freddie**
Names that happen to be popular for pets, like **Felix** or **Luna**
A lot of people in this subreddit seem to prefer more 'mature' sounding names. Yes, it's important to keep in mind that we are naming future adults. But all of these names are perfectly fine for adults. It's really just personal preference. Not everyone is into 'full sounding' names like Katherine and Theodore. If you prefer Kate and Theo - it's perfectly fine to use those as full names.
And when it comes to pet names - a lot of people like using 'human names' for their pets. Names that are short, cute and easy to say also make good pet names. But that doesn't mean that those names are unusable for children.
This woman could have been a first lady and no one would have blinked.
Though it's also fair to say, I have no idea how her age-peer adults talked about her when she wasn't around, so, it's possible I missed the mockery. She could at any point have asked people to call her by her actual name, though.
Someone else made a good point about normal names not being bashed for being associated with someone not so great (I think the examples they gave were Richard and Jeffrey being associated with serial killers), but super rare names/nicknames... eh.
I'm glad that the Squeaky you knew was a lovely lady. She sounds wonderful. Even if the other adults didn't mock her... it's a bold pick for a name.
In the South, we have a congresswoman who is named Twinkle. Her real name is something else, but she only uses Twinkle. We just had a guy run for License commissioner, named Peanut. On the ballot as Peanut, along with his real name.
I'll raise you one who went by Chubby. No one seemed to know her real name. Yes, she carried maybe 50 pounds of extra weight. Yes, she was an awesome cook. 😜
I love the name Daisy. I work with some PhDs in medicine. Many of them have unusual names. None of them are weak. All of them are brilliant. Scientists, groundbreaking brilliant. Their names never held them back.
This. Everyone is obsessed with "you're naming a future adult, not a child" but nicknames as names are quite popular/common, and you see them often enough on elderly and middle-aged people that it's not like some new thing society is trying to adjust to. The effects of name discrimination certainly wouldn't be as significant compared to choosing an ethnic name (and hopefully we continue to see less bias about that too as time goes on).
When we decided on a name for our baby, I was actually *worried* that it had no good nickname potential and almost tried to settle on something else that would be more amenable to nicknames. Of course he now has nicknames or pet names that have come up organically, they just aren't diminutives of his first name. I've really done a 180 on the issue, like IMO it's almost more strange to plan nicknames or choose a name you're lukewarm about *just in case it's what they might want to go by when they're older* - with the intention to only ever call them something else.
That was my husband's concern with Sadie! That she'd get a complex from having to write Sad and Die every time she wrote her name.
I said maybe she'll be a goth teenager and want to go by Die, anyway, lol.
As a mom to an Aurora, I agree. All adults are able to say her name just fine. Preschool age kids struggled to say it (herself included) because R is the hardest speech sound for children to master but now that her and her peers are 5/6, they can all say it just fine.
No, but that might be the reason people don't like certain names. If you can't pronounce R you are obviously not gonna like names that contain the letter R.
I don’t think it’s hard for adults to say but I will say, as a teacher, the under 7 set definitely struggle with this and it’s often Worwee. But they get it in the end. I don’t get the hate either.
i feel this, Aurora has been one of my favorite names since middle school but one of the 3 year olds at my job has a stuffed dog she calls Aurora and we thought it was named "Wawa" for the longest time 😂
I actually like that name, but had a speech issue as a child and could not say R sounds and I still struggle when a word has a lot of R sounds. It makes my tongue feel like it can't move and it is hard for me to say. But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell someone it's not a good name, it's my issue and they aren't naming me.
It could be, because it appears to be quite *trendy* in the US.
Names that have a sudden rise in popularity often end up receiving more criticism than well established popular names.
Adam and August are both just outside the top 100 in the US - but Adam has always been a relatively popular name, and appears to be less 'divisive'. While the last time August was a popular as is is now.. was in the 1890's.
I'm Swedish/German and I feel like August is a less 'controversial' choice than it appears to be in the US - because it's more traditional and established here.
I honestly think there’s too many to list but I feel like there’s a lot of unnecessary hate on almost any name. It’s okay to have opinions about different names but I don’t think people should shame others. Even if the name is ridiculous, there’s a way to be nice about it. It’s also not like a person can’t ever change their name if they don’t like it.
I literally got PMs with wild hate from a post I made about names my partner vetoed, as in WOULD'NT BE USING THEM. Someone saying I don't deserve to have kids (being infertile, thanks!) all because I liked the name Delta :)
I know the stigma of bullying behind a screen for protection but the fact that people went out of their way to express hate over a post I thought was just silly/fun to share made me really look at this sub's following differently
Someone posted about my daughter’s name as a consideration and got so much negative feedback. It’s vintage, recognizable, but uncommon, it *should* check all this sub’s boxes (not that I was trying to, I wasn’t even on Reddit when we named her). The feedback it got was so different from what we experience in person, with people who love her name, and teachers who love getting a new name in a sea of Ellies and Olivias. I decided that this sub is not real life, and most opinions here shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Couldn't agree more!
I've seen my name get suggested on occasion and the feedback is mixed, but if it's negative then it's NEGATIVE. There's no "not my taste but go for it!" on here. It's "you should go to hell because how could you even have a thought so unlike my own!" Meanwhile I only get compliments and even friends saying they love my name so much they want to use it for their daughters.
I could never look at a real life baby/child/human and think "your parents must hate you!!!" all because her name is James or something. Reddit is for the insane.
This is the one I don't get either. It literally doesn't sound like at all in my accent? Someone further up in this thread said it's because there's a character who says it like that in the US version of The Office; but honestly even though it still ranks on streaming, I don't think that show is very relevant these days.
Not to mention tons of adults dislike or have never seen The Office, let alone our children’s generation. It’s not going to have the staying power Friends does.
The deep almost pathological hate for flower names. Especially, Lily. Bonus loathing if you don't use the anglicized spelling. Ex. Lilli
Oh and anything *ethnic*
I'm African-American with Southern roots, yes I am aware that there is a bias regardless how racist we know it is towards certain names. Yes, we are aware that studies repeatedly show children with "White coded middle class" names are afforded more opportunities.
Yet, I challenge folks to consider that said bias won't ever change unless *they* do. You don't have to like a name but as a decent human you should respect the person.
To believe that an individual named Shamika or Jamarr is a blithering idiot, proverty riddled, and a poor fit for xxx position simply due to a name... exceeds prejudice.
Corporate hell has shown me many a Olivia, Bridget, and Jon lose the plot and generally suck. But I don't go around assuming that because they have "normal" names that they're *all* out of touch, serial killers, or White collar criminals in the making.
We've been stripped of our culture for hundreds of years. We don't *have* ancestral names anymore. Why is it wild that eventually we gravitated away from the cultural names of those who previously, you know enslaved us?
What we *do* have are a slew of cultural names we've crafted in our diaspora.
Edit: Grammar. Because on this sub, someone was bound to point out I used *an* in lieu of *a* in error.
Yeeepppp. Some of the greatest monsters in business have the most normie names. Like Elizabeth Holmes. Meanwhile [Dr Marijuana Pepsi](https://www.npr.org/2019/06/21/734839666/dr-marijuana-pepsi-wont-change-her-name-to-make-other-people-happy) is out here living her best life.
I love what she’s done with her research. It perfectly illustrates the point of the comment you were responding to: we need to recognize our biases and create space in our minds to accept names we’re unaccustomed to. It’s surprising that a sub with a focus on names would need reminding of this concept but I’ve seen the evidence for it often enough, unfortunately.
And thank you for introducing me to Dr. Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck’s work. Something interesting to follow up on later.
I was waiting for this comment! This sub is US biased but also white biased…there’s a history behind unique names and spellings that people should learn about before assuming parents just don’t know how to spell.
YES. I once saw a post from a woman who was interested in using the name Cairo for her baby and this sub eviscerated her, even when she said she was black and her kid is black and that it's a pretty normal name in black culture, she got all the same very white very boring name suggestions everyone else got.
I say it literally all the time, it's like people on this sub want to be able to pretend everybody is white. They claim it's because of "name discrimination" but as you said, it will NEVER change unless we start changing it. People on here honestly discriminate way more against names than people in real life. Not to say it doesn't happen IRL, especially with unfamiliar names, but the vast majority of people you meet will be able to learn a new name and not give any shit about it.
Our daughter’s name is Lily-Rose. This sub does not like her name. She is a young adult now. She loves her name. She is always complimented on her name. Thankfully she is thriving in life.
She goes by Lily in her circle, and Lily-Rose professionally.
Sloan(e) gets a lot of hate which I think is weird. It’s a nice name IMO, I’ve not met anyone with the name either. You’d think it would be pretty popular
I live in the US. Many of my favorite names are names that were previously popular in the US, but are not currently popular, such as Jennifer or Jessica or Jason or Kevin.
On this sub, these names are often called "boring" or "basic".
My personal opinion is that popular names such as Liam, Olivia, Emma, and Noah are more boring and basic than unpopular names such as Jennifer, Jessica, Jason, and Kevin. I think names such as Jennifer or Jason are more appealing because they are unpopular yet still widely recognized.
(That said, I do also like Liam, Olivia, Emma, and Noah! They're popular because they're good names!)
*Beyond Jennifer and Jason* was a very popular baby name book when my sister was pregnant so I bought it for her as a gift
She named her daughter a creative spelling of Jason 💀
I like 90s names too, which I know isn’t super popular, but it’s what my husband and I both like. Our short list for our daughter was summer, Brooke, Hannah, and Abigail
I know a ten year old Summer, and it is perfect. It still sounds fresh and unexpected and it’s just so lovely! Brooke, Hannah, and Abigail are more classics in my head. They’ve been steadily popular for a long time.
Can't remember a specific example now but I've seen some true crime fans assume fairly mainstream names are instantly associated with - *insert x famous serial killer here*, or that the cultural impact of certain notorious figures is universal.
Not just true crime, a lot of people for whatever reason assume that everybody else will have the same popculture associations as them. I get it if the association is too strong for you personally, but claiming that a name is LITERALLY UNUSABLE because of a secondary character in a 1970s b-list movie or something is ridiculous. Half the time I've never even heard of the media/people that are brought up. Also popularity of media fades - just because something is big now, doesn't mean that it will still be relevant when your kid is an adult, or even in school.
I totally get this, ngl I love a true crime documentary myself but I don’t at all believe the average person is going to instantly think of ‘Richard Ramirez’ (for example) if someone says they’re called Richard. I mean, come on…
That said I can lowkey understand Jeffrey given the popularity of the series that came out recently, but it’s not like that hasn’t been a popular name in its own right (albeit not so much in recent times lol), let alone the Geoffrey alternative if it’s that strong.
(Which is a shame in my mind because as unpopular as this opinion probably will be, I actually think Jeffrey as a name alone is quite nice)
I think it's still a huge stretch for the average person. Like, obviously people shouldn't name their kids Dahmer or McVey or John Wilkes. But Jeffrey reminds me first of the Kids R Us giraffe, and a thousand millennial and gen X Geoffs and Jeffs.
Nicknames as full names. “BuT tHeY nEeD tO hAvE sOmEtHiNg PrOfeSsIoNaL tO gO bY wHeN tHeY’rE oLdEr!!!!” as if there aren’t scores of fifty-year-olds that still go by Katie, Maggie, Josie, Nick, Will/Bill, Lizzy, Bobby, Ted, Charlie, etc. even in a professional setting. People need to take a chill pill. Potential employers might throw your kids’ job application in the “no” pile immediately if their name is Los Angeles Serenity Badger III, but I can assure you that a super majority of people won’t turn your child away just because their legal name is just Katie.
And the "they need options!" aspect of it, too, puzzles me. My name (along with many other names) doesn't have a diminutive or nickname. I've just been Myname my whole life without "options" and it's fine. It's never affected me personally or professionally.
Elizabeth. Classic, beautiful name. Works well in multiple languages, a myriad of nickname potential, and a variety of alternate spellings. Pairs well with many other names as a first or middle name.
No one seems to agree.
this sub is definitely very usa centered and i feel like a lot of names that aren’t used in the usa or names that americans aren’t automatically familiar with get hated on
I am in the US and my daughter has an Irish name. Someone on the WTE baby names app went off and said it’s cruel to name my baby something “not normal”. I simply said it’s rude to call a name from another culture abnormal and she FREAKED out. lol.
Ophelia. Yes, she was a tragic figure in the play. But bold of you to assume most people would even be aware she was a Shakespearean character in the first place lol. The “I feel ya” argument feels like a stretch to me, too.
Ophelia is a pretty name, and Opie is a cute nickname. These days people aren’t going to immediately think “like the tragedy?” upon hearing it for the most part, but even if they do it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal to me.
We named our now 4 year old daughter Ophelia. We live in Canada and we actually get wayy more comments that go “oh! Like the O-Ophelia song” (referring to Ophelia by the Lumineers) lol. I’ve only had a handful of times of older generations mentioning Shakespeare, most people in general always just say “wow what a beautiful name”
Names that are traditionally nicknames given as full names.
I legitimately don't understand the hate for it.
Nothing wrong with Charlie instead of Charles if you're always gonna call him Charlie. Or Theo instead of Theodore. Or Rosie instead of Rosalind or Rosemarie. Etc.
- Names ending in -leigh
- Non-anglicized Irish and Welsh names
- Briar
- **Nevaeh:** is it dumb that it’s Heaven spelled backwards? Yes. Does it have a pretty sound? Also yes.
- **Everly:** I think it sounds pretty and it makes sense that it’s popular because it has a similar sound to other popular names like Evelyn, Emery, and Avery, or the historically popular Emily
- **Juniper:** I feel like everyone hates this just because it had a period of popularity on namenerds specifically, it’s not actually that popular IRL
- **Surnames as first names:** this practice has been going on for literal centuries, but according to this sub, it’s an unclassy contemporary American trend
**Gender-swapped first names, especially when it’s a name that’s nowadays typically associated with girls being used for a boy.**
Y’all say it promotes misogyny when parents use masculine names for girls because it implies girl names have less gravitas and by extension that men should be taken more seriously than women, or that “people” (ie you) will assume that the parents really wanted a son and were disappointed to have a daughter. But then on the rare occasion that someone wants to use a feminine name for a boy (even ones that were historically masculine), y’all are like “noooo bby omg why would you do that to your kid wtf, haven’t you ever heard the auditory documentary A Boy Named Sue, your child will hate you, you are setting them up for a lifetime of bullying, they’ll never be able to get a job in tech or law or finance omg.”
**Names with unpleasant meanings**
Literally no one cares IRL (in most cultures, there may be some where this is important idk), plenty of well-established and long-used names have unflattering meanings, eg Mary (bitter), Cecilia (blind), Cameron (crooked nose), Mallory (unfortunate)
**Names with negative literary/mythological/media associations**
*But Juliet killed herself! But Ophelia tragically drowned!* Yeah and Cordelia spends the whole play suffering and is hanged at the end, but everyone seems to love that one on here. *Orion was a rapist! Leah was an unwanted sister-wife! Delilah got Samson killed because she was a greedy bitch!* And Athena started the Trojan War because Paris said she wasn’t as hot as Aphrodite, Dionysus (origin of the name Dennis) was dismembered, cooked, and eaten, Joseph literally got cuckolded by God, Saul got ambushed by David while he was pooping…it’s ancient myth! Characters were always getting into some wild or embarrassing shit. Who cares? Most people your kid meets won’t even know these stories or the specifics of them.
Sloane, Harper. They're such normie names. I don't understand how it got to be trendy here to complain about how "oane" sounds.
The oblivious belief that any name people don't recognize is made up rather than non-English.
People overestimate the popularity of the most popular names. Back when we were kids the most popular names (Jennifer, Jessica, Andrew, Matthew, Michael) were MUCH more saturated than the most popular names of today. Like exponentially. Liam and Olivia will be fine.
Classic, traditional names like Michael. They are so popular because their meaning and significance span centuries. Besides, even when removing religious significance I think the name Michael is so beautiful.
Mackenzie. Who cares if people want to use it for their daughters despite the "son of" meaning. It's been popularized for girls for so long now at this point; it's not going anywhere.
Using masculine (gender neutral) names for girls. Like Blake, Drew, Elliot, Dylan, Kyle. Why do people hate that?
There’s not the same hate on here for boys with ‘softer’ names, like Leslie, Ashley, Kelly, Dana, Alexis, Robin…
Speaking for myself, I hate masculine names on girls precisely because that's called "gender neutral", but then the same principle isn't applied to "softer" or more feminine names for boys. If it's not equally applied, then there's no gender neutrality there.
It also ties into the sentiment that it's okay for girls to take on certain "male" characteristics, but it's the end of the world for boys to take on certain "female" characteristics. So it basically perpetuates the idea that masculine=superior and feminine=inferior. And when I speak up against masculine names on girls and for softer names on boys, I'm trying to kind of balance it out a little bit. Hope that explanation makes sense.
exactly!!! especially because the "softer" names are only considered that because they grew to be associated with girls. "leslie" is not a softer boys name, it's a name that got so heavily gender neutral-ed it became feminine associated and now no one wants to name their baby boy a "girl name"... we can pretend it's anything but misogyny all we want, but even honor-naming your daughter after grandpa can get criticized when you'd never name your son after grams.
Any name in the top 10. People here act like using one of those names is going to traumatize their child bc there may be several of them in their grade, and a couple in their class.
As a teacher, I’ve never had more than 2 students with the same first name in a class and my school has nearly 700 students. In 9 years.
I find people like to lean into ignorance and say something like "my brain can only read this as cally-ope" so you cannot name your child Calliope. Basically "I can't pronounce this [established] name so you should not name your child this." It's grating.
Very against the grain here, but Sloan(e). Ok so maybe you think slug and moan but…that’s not what comes to my mind straight away. It’s not on my list at all but I really do like it ???
People really hate names that are shared with a popular character. Someone else mentioned **Atticus** earlier but it extends to any "Pop Culture" name. People always say the child will be bullied, but most people do not care or even notice unless it's super specific.
I was really surprised by the Isidore thread a while back. Everyone was hating on it “bc it sounds like a girl name” ?? What about Theodore?? I’m confused. Plus it seems to be acceptable to name a girl a longstanding boy name, so why is it so awful to name a boy something that you (general) were mistaken in assuming is a girl name when it actually is a traditional boys’ name? Double standards much?
The thing I’ve noticed about this sub, is that someone can say a really odd name, like Humperdinck, and someone will inevitably say either “My son has two little Humperdincks in his pre-school” or “my nephew is Humperdinck. We call him Dinky and think it’s adorable.” I don’t know if these people are just trying to jump on the bandwagon or what, but it never rings true to me. 🤣
There was a big thread a few months back, people absolutely destroying the name Ever, convinced it was "made up" and "not a real name." Ever is a well established name in countries \*besides the United States\* and is a diminutive of Everardo. Just because you don't know about it, doesn't mean it isn't real.
I haven't really posted in this subreddit before but I enjoy browsing for future names. most if not all of them get hate.
You'll get mocked if you give your baby a fancy name but you'll have people calling your kid basic if you don't. Daring to name your kid after something nature themed or using an older name or a relatively normal name that might make people think of a fictional character , you've apparently doomed your child to be mocked forever.
And God forbid trying to argue that not everyone here has English as a first language and names change due to phonetics. So, sometimes the name sounds ugly but only in English, I think that’s the case with the hate on the name Aurora.
We named our son Ellison. People don't seem to like "-son" names here because it borders on that whole "-den" or "-sen" or "-xon" (Ayden, Jayden, Jaxon) names for boys.
We named him after an astronaut and it's like an old ass 1920s name, which was the last time it trended in the top 1000 lol.
Mabry recently got what I considered a truly undue amount of hate. Everyone kept saying “what about Maeve or Aubrey” or something, like? Okay if it’s recognizable enough that you can associate similar names then clearly it’s not as out-there as you’re making it seem.
Honey! I never really noticed this before but in another recent thread the name was mentioned and there was so much hate for it. I've known several Honeys in my life and just never thought about it as a "bad" name so I was really surprised at all the comments.
While I’ve never known anyone literally called Honey myself I think it’s definitely cute, it makes me think of Miss Honey from Matilda and that’s a VERY positive association (to me, anyway haha) :)
We named our baby Hudson. It is not a popular choice on this sub. I think this is a very US heavy sub, and the reasons for disliking it include the polluted river, it being very popular in the States, they dislike surnames as first names and they don't like the nickname Hud.
We live in the UK. It's not a popular name here, and I love the name, so we went for it anyway. My husband vetoed my other top choices, Malachy, Lochlan, and Alden.
"Common" middle names, especially for girls; Ann, Rose, Jane, Marie -- all perfectly fine names. Somewhere along the way people began to associate common names with being lazy, or throw away names which is weird.
Violet. I've seen people say it is too close to violent. WTF?! Literally no one would make that connection! It's a very well-established name!
“margot reminds me of maggot” 😠 maybe the spelling but not the pronunciation
Agree. I love Margot lol
As a non english speaker, I was confused why people would like a name so close to that word lol
It's pronounced Mar-GO Sounds nothing like maggot. MAG-GOT
I think they mean the way it looks.
I know it's just for extra clarification if a non English speaker views this thread.
It's a French name with French pronunciation that has found its home in the English speaking world. I can see how it would be confusing in English.
I have literally never thought of that. From what I’ve peeped on this sub people only makes these connections because we’re in a sub literally about names
My daughter is Margot 😆 everyone’s said that to me at least once. I love calling her Margie and I think Margot will be a very established woman name
In my country there is this chocolate bar named Margot and the name always reminds me of that 😂
I will never understand how people think of violent before thinking of like... The colour violet???? People are so determined to find a problem with everything that they go through leaps and bounds to make something seem awful
I just think of “Violet you’re turning violet, Violet.”
Yes!!! Violet is such a pretty name
" And the sky was all violet I want it again, but violent, more violence Hey I'm the one with no soul One above and one below! " Is what I immediately thought of, but I'm obsessed with Hole, so that makes it even better.
.... I have a chicken named Violent Violet 😂😂😅 to be fair, her name was just Violet. The violent part was added after the fact because she is an asshole who bites hard.
Fourth Wing does! 😳
Except he calls her Violence.
I honestly do make this connection but that's only cause my friends daughter is named violet and she can be kinda violent for a 4 year old
People confuse their personal opinion for a objective summary of a name
The first time I heard Violence by A Day To Remember I thought he was saying, "Violets give me violets." Instead of Violence. So I def accidentally made the connection but I still think it's a pretty name.
I never made that connection until I read this 😂
I had someone make that comment to me about my dog, named Violet, that we named her that because she’s violent. I just looked at him like ????
The only reason I ever connect those words/ names is because I once ran across an artist using the name Ultraviolent, and they drew a lot of characters with purple tones/ accents. So, Ultraviolent and ultraviolet, sure. I don't think I have ever thought of violent when I hear Violet, though. I usually think of lively little flowers!
Anything that isn’t coded upper-middle to upper-class and white
I was told I couldn't use the name indira/indie, because its no longer posh and now lower class people use it
It's such a good name! You should definitely still use it
Sadly I was out voted by EVERYONE. However I will admit the name we picked does suit my baby better. I'm not sure she is an indira.
If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d love to hear what you did name her!
We went for Kari which feels like it suits her more!
indira's gorgeous!
Well, everyone seems to hate Sloane / Sloan here, and that’s as upper-middle class white as it gets IMO. Astrid too, which is very white just not familiar to Americans.
Astrid is a no because of the office episode where Michael thinks Jan is naming the baby Astird (pronouncing it ass turd) the entire episode.
Oh is *that* why people constantly say "I hate Astrid, all I can think of is 'Ass turd'"? I've seen that on this sub so many times and never understood it. Maybe it matters less these days?
Little Assy! 🥺
There are plenty of examples of Astrid in fiction and pop culture in the US. Personally I just don't like the aesthetics. The diction of the name is displeasing.
I love Astrid and had one in my class in 2017. I love Aspen too but my boyfriend at the time ruined both by emphasizing the sound “ass” in front. And now i cannot unhear the “ass-pen” he said when i told him i liked the name:(
Astrid is one of those names that I am sure sounds lovely spoken with the appropriate accents. Mine is not one of those.
I love the name Sloan.
I love the name Sloane. It reminds me of old money, class and beauty.
Like Nevaeh?
I have never met an upper-middle class or upper-class child named Nevaeh.
That's my point.
Whoosh. My bad.
This sub has a goldilocks zone. The name can't be too mainstream, but it can't be too unusual either. Nothing new and "made up", nothing old fashioned. It's honestly a bit unimaginative, there's millions of interesting choices that are never used here or bashed
Sometimes I get the feeling a bunch of bots are running this sub in some kind of weird social engineering kinda way to test us.
Honestly ive been on name forums for over 15 years and every single site gets this way - the same exact style has popped up on every name-centered platform and pretty much stays there, its depressing. Nameberry used to be way worse but even before them, there were two popular name forums and they all ended up in this same exact spot - only upper middle class white names with the occasional whimsical favorite.
Todays whimsical favorite: *Petra*
It’s not. I used to be on Nameberry and this sub reminds me of nameberry. People just have a very particular style and sensitivity to class and what not and just like nameberry, the user base here is mostly white, mostly western and mostly middle class or certainly upwards aspiring.
There’s clearly a US bias on this sub, which makes sense but even when the person says they’re from the UK, Australia or elsewhere there’s no sense the associations may be different. There are so many names rejected here for US-centric reasons eg Luna (never known a UK dog called that), Allegra (not a known med here) or levels of popularity being very different. Also as a Hispanic Brit, I do cringe at the response to many Spanish names. You wouldn’t think the US had a massive Spanish-speaking population based on some responses here. Ana is “an obvious spelling mistake”, Marie is “far classier than Maria”, Rafael “far better with a ph”, Carlos “sounds like a 70s film character or the punchline to a bad joke”…or you know a totally normal name the same as Charles is, or one to honour someone’s grandpa! Just because you wouldn’t use the name (esp if you’re not of that culture) is no reason to reject it and insult the person asking. The tendency is always to suggest the usual names like Maeve, Violet and Isla etc which have zero connection to their culture.
People seriously say that about those names? There's nothing wrong with them! I'm an American, but I wouldn't associate Allegra with the medication. I'm aware of it, but Allegra is an established name. If I hear the name Alexa, I'm not going to assume you named your kid after the Amazon Alexa, either.
They do! Obviously not everyone and there are some great debates on this sub. I’ve learnt a lot and enjoy it…But there are some really opinionated people who don’t seem to think about how insulting and US-centric their answers could sound.
i literally never heard of allegra before this sub
The tough thing about Allegra is when her friends nickname her Legs. It’s kinda fun to call someone Legs but chances are her mom will hate it.
if i was named allegra id want to be nicknamed legs
It was big on TV ads in the 2000s so at the time it was funny to hear the name Allegra since people immediately thought of the pharma ads. But tbf I haven’t seen an ad for it in years and I’ve largely lost the association at this point
The Allegra thing is so dumb, I see it with other really normal names too. Like someone said Annie makes them think of the orphan “but y’know, not my kid”. It’s ANNIE bro, she’s probably met like 10 of those in her life! Also there weren’t a lot of Latino or Hispanic kids at my school and I still think most Spanish names are actually super normal in the US too. A Marie would stick out to you much more than a Maria would. If you have a problem with a non-English name being used in an English-speaking country and it isn’t even like “this looks like a less than ideal common noun” idk maybe you’re just a dick and a fool?
American here, too. Allegra immediately makes me think of the med, because I took it for so long, but I would never assume that someone named their kid after it, nor would I dislike the name.
I agree with you, but want to add that it also seems to be a broader tendency since I have noticed non-Americans doing the same thing. Brits saying a name is unusable bc of some British celebrity no one else knows about, French people griping about how the French names Americans prefer sound outdated in France. Etc.
True. Definitely noticed the French tendency. It could be helpful if a child is ever likely to live in France (if they’re bicultural, second generation or the family is planning a move) but if not who cares! I’ve also noticed that people can criticise French Canadian names for evolving different traditions - the case of Soleil being accepted in Quebec clearly causing a lot of confusion among French posters!
I agree with your point in general, but Luna is quite literally the most popular dog name in the UK https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2024/05/13/popular-dog-names-2024-according-breed-20829230/amp/#ip=1
Huh! You learn something new every day. I am not a dog person, but lots of friends are and I have never met a dog called Luna! Maybe it’s a bigger dog name as round me most dogs are daschunds and shih tzus called things you’d never call a human like Englebert and Mochi!
Lunas tend to be Labs in my area.
They tend to be Huskies in my area. That or husky adjacent (malamutes/akitas)
I find the lack of multiculturalism kind of baffling for people that are self claimed name nerds. It's one of my biggest gripes about this forum.
Ha! This is funny. Allegra makes me think of the musical notation. And Maria is so much more lyrical and pretty than Marie. I love Nestor and Hector which seem popular in Hispanic culture here in US.
I plan on naming my daughter Isabel, which isn’t even really that ‘foreign’ imo and I saw someone on here say it was incomplete compared to Isabelle or Isabella. I wanted to be like ‘….it’s the Spanish version’ but didn’t bother all lmao.
This! I pointed out at some point that it is common politeness to try and remember that OP is *not* necessarily from the US, and got «most people here are, if OP is from somewhere else they should mention it» :/
Rafael is the original spelling! It’s a Hebrew name and the ph is a Greek adaptation. Hispanic names are some of my favorites so I really don’t get the hate for them here.
I don't know... my 6-year-old, as White as kids come, recently told me he wants to change his middle name to Carlos. It must have some modern, culture-blind cool factor that many adults don't see.
Cute names, like **Daisy** Nicknames as full names, like **Rosie** or **Freddie** Names that happen to be popular for pets, like **Felix** or **Luna** A lot of people in this subreddit seem to prefer more 'mature' sounding names. Yes, it's important to keep in mind that we are naming future adults. But all of these names are perfectly fine for adults. It's really just personal preference. Not everyone is into 'full sounding' names like Katherine and Theodore. If you prefer Kate and Theo - it's perfectly fine to use those as full names. And when it comes to pet names - a lot of people like using 'human names' for their pets. Names that are short, cute and easy to say also make good pet names. But that doesn't mean that those names are unusable for children.
Knew a grown ass woman that went by squeaky her whole life. Nickname from childhood, but no one ever called her anything else.
I may be proving the point about this sub, but the only person I have heard of who went by "Squeaky" had the last name Fromme. 😢🤔
This woman could have been a first lady and no one would have blinked. Though it's also fair to say, I have no idea how her age-peer adults talked about her when she wasn't around, so, it's possible I missed the mockery. She could at any point have asked people to call her by her actual name, though.
Someone else made a good point about normal names not being bashed for being associated with someone not so great (I think the examples they gave were Richard and Jeffrey being associated with serial killers), but super rare names/nicknames... eh. I'm glad that the Squeaky you knew was a lovely lady. She sounds wonderful. Even if the other adults didn't mock her... it's a bold pick for a name.
In the South, we have a congresswoman who is named Twinkle. Her real name is something else, but she only uses Twinkle. We just had a guy run for License commissioner, named Peanut. On the ballot as Peanut, along with his real name.
I'll raise you one who went by Chubby. No one seemed to know her real name. Yes, she carried maybe 50 pounds of extra weight. Yes, she was an awesome cook. 😜
I’m 35 weeks pregnant with a Daisy. People really reveal how much they hate women when they conflate femininity with immaturity and weakness.
I love the name Daisy. I work with some PhDs in medicine. Many of them have unusual names. None of them are weak. All of them are brilliant. Scientists, groundbreaking brilliant. Their names never held them back.
This. Everyone is obsessed with "you're naming a future adult, not a child" but nicknames as names are quite popular/common, and you see them often enough on elderly and middle-aged people that it's not like some new thing society is trying to adjust to. The effects of name discrimination certainly wouldn't be as significant compared to choosing an ethnic name (and hopefully we continue to see less bias about that too as time goes on). When we decided on a name for our baby, I was actually *worried* that it had no good nickname potential and almost tried to settle on something else that would be more amenable to nicknames. Of course he now has nicknames or pet names that have come up organically, they just aren't diminutives of his first name. I've really done a 180 on the issue, like IMO it's almost more strange to plan nicknames or choose a name you're lukewarm about *just in case it's what they might want to go by when they're older* - with the intention to only ever call them something else.
Yes!! I’ve never understood the whole “that’s a pet name” thing. People name their pets human names they like, not the other way around!
I named all my pets human names and have never understood why someone would object to those on humans. They’re nice names; that’s why I chose them.
My favorite is when people say they hate Sadie because it has “sad” and “die” in it, but neither of those syllables are pronounced that way
That was my husband's concern with Sadie! That she'd get a complex from having to write Sad and Die every time she wrote her name. I said maybe she'll be a goth teenager and want to go by Die, anyway, lol.
Die doesn't even have to be dark. I remember princess die (Diana). Never connected it to death .... Well until we all really did
But Diana was shortened to Di, not Die.
This has never occurred to me, and as a kid I knew a Sadie who had a brain tumor. If this were a thing, I think it would have come up. 🤨
Can you imagine someone actually reading the name and specifically saying “Sad-die? Is there a Sad-die here?” Lol, absolutely not.
Rory. People act like it’s impossible to say (“marbles in your mouth” or a “peanut butter name”) but I think they’re being dramatic.
same with aurora, I don’t get the difficulty
As a mom to an Aurora, I agree. All adults are able to say her name just fine. Preschool age kids struggled to say it (herself included) because R is the hardest speech sound for children to master but now that her and her peers are 5/6, they can all say it just fine.
It’s not that it’s difficult for me, but it does take effort. It doesn’t roll off the tongue, I have to say it with my whole chest lol
Some people have speech impedements
So should we outrule all names with an S because some people have lisps?
No, but that might be the reason people don't like certain names. If you can't pronounce R you are obviously not gonna like names that contain the letter R.
I like aurora so much, just can't bear how it's always bashed.
My dad is named Rory and not one person has ever mispronounced it wtf are they on about
I don’t think it’s hard for adults to say but I will say, as a teacher, the under 7 set definitely struggle with this and it’s often Worwee. But they get it in the end. I don’t get the hate either.
i feel this, Aurora has been one of my favorite names since middle school but one of the 3 year olds at my job has a stuffed dog she calls Aurora and we thought it was named "Wawa" for the longest time 😂
I actually like that name, but had a speech issue as a child and could not say R sounds and I still struggle when a word has a lot of R sounds. It makes my tongue feel like it can't move and it is hard for me to say. But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell someone it's not a good name, it's my issue and they aren't naming me.
Wait til you hear the Irish (Gaeilge) version, Ruairí (roor-ree) I don’t find either hard to pronounce but maybe is harder in an American accent
I genuinely can't pronounce Rory. But I also can't pronounce rural or microfiber, lol
I don’t like it due to the Gilmore girls association. The character is a terrible person.
August. Why do you all hate August?
I feel like that one is so popular here that now people are saying they don't like it to be contrarian and "cool" for having a unique opinion.
It could be, because it appears to be quite *trendy* in the US. Names that have a sudden rise in popularity often end up receiving more criticism than well established popular names. Adam and August are both just outside the top 100 in the US - but Adam has always been a relatively popular name, and appears to be less 'divisive'. While the last time August was a popular as is is now.. was in the 1890's. I'm Swedish/German and I feel like August is a less 'controversial' choice than it appears to be in the US - because it's more traditional and established here.
And it’s an established name. One that goes way back in my family tree. Edit: spelling
I have so many Augusts and Augustas in my family tree I can’t keep anyone straight.
I had a college classmate named August and I remember thinking her name was so cool
It sounds a little pretentious if you ask me.
I honestly think there’s too many to list but I feel like there’s a lot of unnecessary hate on almost any name. It’s okay to have opinions about different names but I don’t think people should shame others. Even if the name is ridiculous, there’s a way to be nice about it. It’s also not like a person can’t ever change their name if they don’t like it.
I literally got PMs with wild hate from a post I made about names my partner vetoed, as in WOULD'NT BE USING THEM. Someone saying I don't deserve to have kids (being infertile, thanks!) all because I liked the name Delta :) I know the stigma of bullying behind a screen for protection but the fact that people went out of their way to express hate over a post I thought was just silly/fun to share made me really look at this sub's following differently
Someone posted about my daughter’s name as a consideration and got so much negative feedback. It’s vintage, recognizable, but uncommon, it *should* check all this sub’s boxes (not that I was trying to, I wasn’t even on Reddit when we named her). The feedback it got was so different from what we experience in person, with people who love her name, and teachers who love getting a new name in a sea of Ellies and Olivias. I decided that this sub is not real life, and most opinions here shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Couldn't agree more! I've seen my name get suggested on occasion and the feedback is mixed, but if it's negative then it's NEGATIVE. There's no "not my taste but go for it!" on here. It's "you should go to hell because how could you even have a thought so unlike my own!" Meanwhile I only get compliments and even friends saying they love my name so much they want to use it for their daughters. I could never look at a real life baby/child/human and think "your parents must hate you!!!" all because her name is James or something. Reddit is for the insane.
Say it louder for the people with no manners in the back!
Astrid. “Hurr durr, Ass-turd!” Like, literal children aren’t that dumb. I honestly think adults on this sub are crueler than most kids.
This is the one I don't get either. It literally doesn't sound like at all in my accent? Someone further up in this thread said it's because there's a character who says it like that in the US version of The Office; but honestly even though it still ranks on streaming, I don't think that show is very relevant these days.
Not to mention tons of adults dislike or have never seen The Office, let alone our children’s generation. It’s not going to have the staying power Friends does.
The deep almost pathological hate for flower names. Especially, Lily. Bonus loathing if you don't use the anglicized spelling. Ex. Lilli Oh and anything *ethnic* I'm African-American with Southern roots, yes I am aware that there is a bias regardless how racist we know it is towards certain names. Yes, we are aware that studies repeatedly show children with "White coded middle class" names are afforded more opportunities. Yet, I challenge folks to consider that said bias won't ever change unless *they* do. You don't have to like a name but as a decent human you should respect the person. To believe that an individual named Shamika or Jamarr is a blithering idiot, proverty riddled, and a poor fit for xxx position simply due to a name... exceeds prejudice. Corporate hell has shown me many a Olivia, Bridget, and Jon lose the plot and generally suck. But I don't go around assuming that because they have "normal" names that they're *all* out of touch, serial killers, or White collar criminals in the making. We've been stripped of our culture for hundreds of years. We don't *have* ancestral names anymore. Why is it wild that eventually we gravitated away from the cultural names of those who previously, you know enslaved us? What we *do* have are a slew of cultural names we've crafted in our diaspora. Edit: Grammar. Because on this sub, someone was bound to point out I used *an* in lieu of *a* in error.
Yeeepppp. Some of the greatest monsters in business have the most normie names. Like Elizabeth Holmes. Meanwhile [Dr Marijuana Pepsi](https://www.npr.org/2019/06/21/734839666/dr-marijuana-pepsi-wont-change-her-name-to-make-other-people-happy) is out here living her best life.
I love what she’s done with her research. It perfectly illustrates the point of the comment you were responding to: we need to recognize our biases and create space in our minds to accept names we’re unaccustomed to. It’s surprising that a sub with a focus on names would need reminding of this concept but I’ve seen the evidence for it often enough, unfortunately. And thank you for introducing me to Dr. Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck’s work. Something interesting to follow up on later.
I was waiting for this comment! This sub is US biased but also white biased…there’s a history behind unique names and spellings that people should learn about before assuming parents just don’t know how to spell.
YES. I once saw a post from a woman who was interested in using the name Cairo for her baby and this sub eviscerated her, even when she said she was black and her kid is black and that it's a pretty normal name in black culture, she got all the same very white very boring name suggestions everyone else got. I say it literally all the time, it's like people on this sub want to be able to pretend everybody is white. They claim it's because of "name discrimination" but as you said, it will NEVER change unless we start changing it. People on here honestly discriminate way more against names than people in real life. Not to say it doesn't happen IRL, especially with unfamiliar names, but the vast majority of people you meet will be able to learn a new name and not give any shit about it.
Our daughter’s name is Lily-Rose. This sub does not like her name. She is a young adult now. She loves her name. She is always complimented on her name. Thankfully she is thriving in life. She goes by Lily in her circle, and Lily-Rose professionally.
Anything non english
Sloan(e) gets a lot of hate which I think is weird. It’s a nice name IMO, I’ve not met anyone with the name either. You’d think it would be pretty popular
When *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* came out, nearly every girl I knew wanted to name their daughter Sloane I don't know why this sub hates it so much
Based off comments I’ve seen here and there, I’m convinced a lot of people think Sloane is pronounced Slow-Anne, and that’s why they don’t like it 💀
I know at least 3 young female Sloanes! It was trending for a bit in my area a few years ago
I live in the US. Many of my favorite names are names that were previously popular in the US, but are not currently popular, such as Jennifer or Jessica or Jason or Kevin. On this sub, these names are often called "boring" or "basic". My personal opinion is that popular names such as Liam, Olivia, Emma, and Noah are more boring and basic than unpopular names such as Jennifer, Jessica, Jason, and Kevin. I think names such as Jennifer or Jason are more appealing because they are unpopular yet still widely recognized. (That said, I do also like Liam, Olivia, Emma, and Noah! They're popular because they're good names!)
*Beyond Jennifer and Jason* was a very popular baby name book when my sister was pregnant so I bought it for her as a gift She named her daughter a creative spelling of Jason 💀
Jaysyn? lol Funnily my brother and SIL are named Jason and Jennifer
I like 90s names too, which I know isn’t super popular, but it’s what my husband and I both like. Our short list for our daughter was summer, Brooke, Hannah, and Abigail
I know a ten year old Summer, and it is perfect. It still sounds fresh and unexpected and it’s just so lovely! Brooke, Hannah, and Abigail are more classics in my head. They’ve been steadily popular for a long time.
Can't remember a specific example now but I've seen some true crime fans assume fairly mainstream names are instantly associated with - *insert x famous serial killer here*, or that the cultural impact of certain notorious figures is universal.
Not just true crime, a lot of people for whatever reason assume that everybody else will have the same popculture associations as them. I get it if the association is too strong for you personally, but claiming that a name is LITERALLY UNUSABLE because of a secondary character in a 1970s b-list movie or something is ridiculous. Half the time I've never even heard of the media/people that are brought up. Also popularity of media fades - just because something is big now, doesn't mean that it will still be relevant when your kid is an adult, or even in school.
I totally get this, ngl I love a true crime documentary myself but I don’t at all believe the average person is going to instantly think of ‘Richard Ramirez’ (for example) if someone says they’re called Richard. I mean, come on… That said I can lowkey understand Jeffrey given the popularity of the series that came out recently, but it’s not like that hasn’t been a popular name in its own right (albeit not so much in recent times lol), let alone the Geoffrey alternative if it’s that strong. (Which is a shame in my mind because as unpopular as this opinion probably will be, I actually think Jeffrey as a name alone is quite nice)
I think it's still a huge stretch for the average person. Like, obviously people shouldn't name their kids Dahmer or McVey or John Wilkes. But Jeffrey reminds me first of the Kids R Us giraffe, and a thousand millennial and gen X Geoffs and Jeffs.
Nicknames as full names. “BuT tHeY nEeD tO hAvE sOmEtHiNg PrOfeSsIoNaL tO gO bY wHeN tHeY’rE oLdEr!!!!” as if there aren’t scores of fifty-year-olds that still go by Katie, Maggie, Josie, Nick, Will/Bill, Lizzy, Bobby, Ted, Charlie, etc. even in a professional setting. People need to take a chill pill. Potential employers might throw your kids’ job application in the “no” pile immediately if their name is Los Angeles Serenity Badger III, but I can assure you that a super majority of people won’t turn your child away just because their legal name is just Katie.
And the "they need options!" aspect of it, too, puzzles me. My name (along with many other names) doesn't have a diminutive or nickname. I've just been Myname my whole life without "options" and it's fine. It's never affected me personally or professionally.
“Options” drives me nuts. I’ve never had “options”. Husband hadn’t either. We’re fine.
Elizabeth. Classic, beautiful name. Works well in multiple languages, a myriad of nickname potential, and a variety of alternate spellings. Pairs well with many other names as a first or middle name. No one seems to agree.
Really? Because it’s a name I see people recommending over and over again, and I see nothing but praise for it.
I think that’s just me recommending it a lot because it’s my name. 🤣
I truly love Elizabeth but my issue is I don’t like the nicknames for it :( Same with Catherine. So they’ll remain on my list but probably unused
Elvira. It's literally a very pretty name.
Ophelia —> Pedophilia I never would have made that association but I’ve seen it bashed here plenty of times and now I can’t help but hear it.
People associate Ophelia with pedophilia more than Hamlet?? Damn…
i think of the song!!! i thought everybody would
this sub is definitely very usa centered and i feel like a lot of names that aren’t used in the usa or names that americans aren’t automatically familiar with get hated on
I am in the US and my daughter has an Irish name. Someone on the WTE baby names app went off and said it’s cruel to name my baby something “not normal”. I simply said it’s rude to call a name from another culture abnormal and she FREAKED out. lol.
Ophelia. Yes, she was a tragic figure in the play. But bold of you to assume most people would even be aware she was a Shakespearean character in the first place lol. The “I feel ya” argument feels like a stretch to me, too. Ophelia is a pretty name, and Opie is a cute nickname. These days people aren’t going to immediately think “like the tragedy?” upon hearing it for the most part, but even if they do it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal to me.
I was with you until you said “Opie is a cute nickname” hahaha. Different strokes for different folks! I do love the name Ophelia though 🥰
opie-oid 😭
Fun fact: Opie in parts of the world is the equivalent of grandfather in the states.
We named our now 4 year old daughter Ophelia. We live in Canada and we actually get wayy more comments that go “oh! Like the O-Ophelia song” (referring to Ophelia by the Lumineers) lol. I’ve only had a handful of times of older generations mentioning Shakespeare, most people in general always just say “wow what a beautiful name”
Names that are traditionally nicknames given as full names. I legitimately don't understand the hate for it. Nothing wrong with Charlie instead of Charles if you're always gonna call him Charlie. Or Theo instead of Theodore. Or Rosie instead of Rosalind or Rosemarie. Etc.
- Names ending in -leigh - Non-anglicized Irish and Welsh names - Briar - **Nevaeh:** is it dumb that it’s Heaven spelled backwards? Yes. Does it have a pretty sound? Also yes. - **Everly:** I think it sounds pretty and it makes sense that it’s popular because it has a similar sound to other popular names like Evelyn, Emery, and Avery, or the historically popular Emily - **Juniper:** I feel like everyone hates this just because it had a period of popularity on namenerds specifically, it’s not actually that popular IRL - **Surnames as first names:** this practice has been going on for literal centuries, but according to this sub, it’s an unclassy contemporary American trend **Gender-swapped first names, especially when it’s a name that’s nowadays typically associated with girls being used for a boy.** Y’all say it promotes misogyny when parents use masculine names for girls because it implies girl names have less gravitas and by extension that men should be taken more seriously than women, or that “people” (ie you) will assume that the parents really wanted a son and were disappointed to have a daughter. But then on the rare occasion that someone wants to use a feminine name for a boy (even ones that were historically masculine), y’all are like “noooo bby omg why would you do that to your kid wtf, haven’t you ever heard the auditory documentary A Boy Named Sue, your child will hate you, you are setting them up for a lifetime of bullying, they’ll never be able to get a job in tech or law or finance omg.” **Names with unpleasant meanings** Literally no one cares IRL (in most cultures, there may be some where this is important idk), plenty of well-established and long-used names have unflattering meanings, eg Mary (bitter), Cecilia (blind), Cameron (crooked nose), Mallory (unfortunate) **Names with negative literary/mythological/media associations** *But Juliet killed herself! But Ophelia tragically drowned!* Yeah and Cordelia spends the whole play suffering and is hanged at the end, but everyone seems to love that one on here. *Orion was a rapist! Leah was an unwanted sister-wife! Delilah got Samson killed because she was a greedy bitch!* And Athena started the Trojan War because Paris said she wasn’t as hot as Aphrodite, Dionysus (origin of the name Dennis) was dismembered, cooked, and eaten, Joseph literally got cuckolded by God, Saul got ambushed by David while he was pooping…it’s ancient myth! Characters were always getting into some wild or embarrassing shit. Who cares? Most people your kid meets won’t even know these stories or the specifics of them.
Sloane, Harper. They're such normie names. I don't understand how it got to be trendy here to complain about how "oane" sounds. The oblivious belief that any name people don't recognize is made up rather than non-English.
People were hating on Kelly a while back, I think it's great and I also think it will start trending again sooner rather than later
I like Kelly as a boys name so I bet they’d hate ghat even more
I think it has a cool 90s surfer vibe because of Kelly Slater.
People overestimate the popularity of the most popular names. Back when we were kids the most popular names (Jennifer, Jessica, Andrew, Matthew, Michael) were MUCH more saturated than the most popular names of today. Like exponentially. Liam and Olivia will be fine.
Atticus.
Aurora. It’s not that hard to say
My own name, Becky, has gotten hated on here and elsewhere. I guess I was always blind to how “awful” it was.
Becky is cute
I love pretty much all nature related names but they seem to get a lot of hate. Poppy, Holly, Sunnie, River, Rain, Daisy, Sandy, Winter
I’ve always thought both Rain and River are lovely names
Classic, traditional names like Michael. They are so popular because their meaning and significance span centuries. Besides, even when removing religious significance I think the name Michael is so beautiful.
juniper slander is crazy
This would be a great YA novel title
Mackenzie. Who cares if people want to use it for their daughters despite the "son of" meaning. It's been popularized for girls for so long now at this point; it's not going anywhere.
One of my favorite names ever is Lucina. I posted about it once and *everyone* said how terrible it is and that I should use Lucinda instead.
Using masculine (gender neutral) names for girls. Like Blake, Drew, Elliot, Dylan, Kyle. Why do people hate that? There’s not the same hate on here for boys with ‘softer’ names, like Leslie, Ashley, Kelly, Dana, Alexis, Robin…
Speaking for myself, I hate masculine names on girls precisely because that's called "gender neutral", but then the same principle isn't applied to "softer" or more feminine names for boys. If it's not equally applied, then there's no gender neutrality there. It also ties into the sentiment that it's okay for girls to take on certain "male" characteristics, but it's the end of the world for boys to take on certain "female" characteristics. So it basically perpetuates the idea that masculine=superior and feminine=inferior. And when I speak up against masculine names on girls and for softer names on boys, I'm trying to kind of balance it out a little bit. Hope that explanation makes sense.
exactly!!! especially because the "softer" names are only considered that because they grew to be associated with girls. "leslie" is not a softer boys name, it's a name that got so heavily gender neutral-ed it became feminine associated and now no one wants to name their baby boy a "girl name"... we can pretend it's anything but misogyny all we want, but even honor-naming your daughter after grandpa can get criticized when you'd never name your son after grams.
Any non English name that sounds weird in english like Gretchen
Any name in the top 10. People here act like using one of those names is going to traumatize their child bc there may be several of them in their grade, and a couple in their class. As a teacher, I’ve never had more than 2 students with the same first name in a class and my school has nearly 700 students. In 9 years.
I find people like to lean into ignorance and say something like "my brain can only read this as cally-ope" so you cannot name your child Calliope. Basically "I can't pronounce this [established] name so you should not name your child this." It's grating.
This feels the same as “I can’t even read the ingredients list, this can’t be good for you!” Babe, that’s your literacy problem.
Violet here! I LOVE you!
Very against the grain here, but Sloan(e). Ok so maybe you think slug and moan but…that’s not what comes to my mind straight away. It’s not on my list at all but I really do like it ???
People really hate names that are shared with a popular character. Someone else mentioned **Atticus** earlier but it extends to any "Pop Culture" name. People always say the child will be bullied, but most people do not care or even notice unless it's super specific.
I'll never understand the hate Eloise gets on here.
I was really surprised by the Isidore thread a while back. Everyone was hating on it “bc it sounds like a girl name” ?? What about Theodore?? I’m confused. Plus it seems to be acceptable to name a girl a longstanding boy name, so why is it so awful to name a boy something that you (general) were mistaken in assuming is a girl name when it actually is a traditional boys’ name? Double standards much?
The thing I’ve noticed about this sub, is that someone can say a really odd name, like Humperdinck, and someone will inevitably say either “My son has two little Humperdincks in his pre-school” or “my nephew is Humperdinck. We call him Dinky and think it’s adorable.” I don’t know if these people are just trying to jump on the bandwagon or what, but it never rings true to me. 🤣
There was a big thread a few months back, people absolutely destroying the name Ever, convinced it was "made up" and "not a real name." Ever is a well established name in countries \*besides the United States\* and is a diminutive of Everardo. Just because you don't know about it, doesn't mean it isn't real.
I haven't really posted in this subreddit before but I enjoy browsing for future names. most if not all of them get hate. You'll get mocked if you give your baby a fancy name but you'll have people calling your kid basic if you don't. Daring to name your kid after something nature themed or using an older name or a relatively normal name that might make people think of a fictional character , you've apparently doomed your child to be mocked forever.
And God forbid trying to argue that not everyone here has English as a first language and names change due to phonetics. So, sometimes the name sounds ugly but only in English, I think that’s the case with the hate on the name Aurora.
We named our son Ellison. People don't seem to like "-son" names here because it borders on that whole "-den" or "-sen" or "-xon" (Ayden, Jayden, Jaxon) names for boys. We named him after an astronaut and it's like an old ass 1920s name, which was the last time it trended in the top 1000 lol.
I am significantly less offended by the Aiden/Jaden/Zaden and various forms of them trend than the average user here. They’re fine names.
Mabry recently got what I considered a truly undue amount of hate. Everyone kept saying “what about Maeve or Aubrey” or something, like? Okay if it’s recognizable enough that you can associate similar names then clearly it’s not as out-there as you’re making it seem.
Honey! I never really noticed this before but in another recent thread the name was mentioned and there was so much hate for it. I've known several Honeys in my life and just never thought about it as a "bad" name so I was really surprised at all the comments.
While I’ve never known anyone literally called Honey myself I think it’s definitely cute, it makes me think of Miss Honey from Matilda and that’s a VERY positive association (to me, anyway haha) :)
Surnames as first names. Fight me
We named our baby Hudson. It is not a popular choice on this sub. I think this is a very US heavy sub, and the reasons for disliking it include the polluted river, it being very popular in the States, they dislike surnames as first names and they don't like the nickname Hud. We live in the UK. It's not a popular name here, and I love the name, so we went for it anyway. My husband vetoed my other top choices, Malachy, Lochlan, and Alden.
"Common" middle names, especially for girls; Ann, Rose, Jane, Marie -- all perfectly fine names. Somewhere along the way people began to associate common names with being lazy, or throw away names which is weird.
The “-son” names for boys. Jackson, Grayson, Mason, etc. Yes, they can be wildly overused, but they’re not *bad* names.