The Most-Hated Baby Names in America

Apr 21st 2011

[Note (05/03/11): Since I wrote this blog post, it has been picked up by a variety of media outlets -- often without context or explanation of the methodology. Much of the reporting has been guided by the post's unfortunately extreme title. To clarify, this column discusses the results of an informal survey of internet discussions, to gauge which names generated the most negative mentions. The names listed aren't "bad" or necessarily even unpopular. In fact, many of them are highly popular, well-loved names that some people are simply getting tired of. In other cases, the negative reactions reflect different cultural perspectives on a single name. Bentley, for instance, is generally seen negatively by people who hear it as a stuffy surname or a luxury car brand. It's seen positively by people who hear it as an easygoing neo-Southern name, via country singer Dierks Bentley. I believe that the existence of strongly divided opinions like these is a meaningful variable in understanding a name's impact and place in our culture.]

Which baby names do people like the most? You can answer that with a glance at the top of the baby names popularity chart. Which names do people loathe most? That's a trickier question. There's no such thing as the "least popular name." (Dogbreath? Margitudinal? Sxsddhwwwb? It's a many-way tie.)

What's more, the most-hated name might well be a popular one. Some names just provoke strong reactions, whether retching or swooning. In fact, popularity itself can be held against a name.

To capture negative name feelings, I scoured the web for conversations about baby names people can't stand. I skipped the "what's the worst name you've ever heard" freak shows (Felanie, Ima Hogg, La-a). My target was everyday baby-name negativity: the "normal" baby names that, for whatever reason, set your teeth on edge.

I ended up tallying the viewpoints of hundreds of U.S. messageboard participants, comprising almost 1,500 name mentions. Many of the discussions were on parenting forums, but a good number were simply chatter on forums of diverse kinds. The results are below. Spellings are combined in the count, listing the name under its most-mentioned form. I've also included comments on what people objected to about each name, which often point to themes that resonate beyond the individual name.

My goal in this is NOT to bash anyone's name. It's simply to track and describe the negative sentiment out there, as one more piece of information for parents weighing name choices.

GIRLS

1. Nevaeh (47 mentions). A landslide winner, no surprise. In the most recent edition of my book, I wrote "Nevaeh may be the most stylistically divisive name in America." Grounds for objection included look, sound and origin, the whole package.

2 (tie). Destiny (16). This name seemed to run afoul of two groups: people annoyed by "virtue names," and people who grouped it with other dreamy choices like Heaven and Candy as "stripperish."

2 (tie). Madison (16). The negative reactions to this name were particularly strong, especially in non-standard spellings. Reasons were seldom given; it just seemed to grate on people.

4. Mackenzie (13). Often presented in a group with other Mc- names, which several posters described as "low class."

5. McKenna (9). See Mackenzie above.

6 (tie). Addison (8). Sometimes grouped with Madison, and sometimes held as an example of the #1 most-cited loathing category: "boys' names used for girls."

6 (tie). Gertrude (8). When the conversation focused on "ugly" names, old-fashioned Germanic names like Gertrude, Bertha and Helga ruled.

6 (tie). Kaitlyn (8). The poster child for the #2 most common objection: "made-up spellings." Some people specifically exempted the classic spelling Caitlin from their wrath.

6 (tie). Makayla (8). See Mackenzie above.

10 (tie). Bertha (7). See Gertrude above.

10 (tie). Hope (7). To my surprise, the objection to virtue names extended to traditional choices like Hope, Faith and Grace.

BOYS

1. Jayden (23). The overwhelming theme for boys' names was a backlash against the rhyming -ayden family. Many felt there were just too many of these names, and "it's getting really old." Others said the names sounded too childish or feminine. The names were often mentioned as a group, but Jayden was frequently singled out.

2. Brayden (16).

3 (tie). Aiden (15).

4 (tie). Kaden (15). See Jayden above.

5. Hunter (9). Objections included "should only be a last name" and "too violent."

6. Hayden (8). Part of the -ayden family but mentioned much less often than the others. It seems to be considered a little more mature and established-sounding than the rest of the clan.

7 (tie). Bentley (7). A lot of contempt was shown in mentions of this name, as people considered the luxury-car association "trashy."

7 (tie). Tristan (7). Described as "fakey" and "unlikeable."

9. Michael (6). The whipping boy for people who scorned "common" names. Names like Matthew, Sarah and Emily also came up several times. (Notably, they were the most likely names to be defended by others in the conversation.)

10. Jackson (5). No consistency to the reasons. Some grouped it with Peyton as "way too trendy," others with Jack as "old-fashioned and worn out." This was the one name where I didn't collapse spellings, since the several people who mentioned Jaxon objected to it solely on basis of spelling.

Other Notables:

- At least three mentions apiece were tallied for Kayla, Kaylin, Kyle, Kyler and Kylie along with the high scores for Kaitlyn and Makayla, suggesting negativity toward that general sound category.

- Two statistically unlikely names ranked just outside the top 10. Star is a very rare name, so the fact that it occurred to so many people suggests particularly active negativity. Tiffany peaked back in the 1980s. That it's still mentioned so often as a disliked baby name leads to me suspect it may have been the "Nevaeh" of its generation.

P.S. If Your Favorite Name is Listed Above...

Sorry to freak you out! Don't go tearing up your name list yet.

First off, remember that "loved" and "loathed" are often two sides of the same coin. Anything that scales the heights of fashion attracts attention and becomes a target for contrarians. Many of the names listed are simply victims of their own success. In fact, almost every name in the top 10 for boys or girls received at least one "hate it" vote. Realistically, your little Aiden and Addison will be comfortably in the fashion mainstream, and any currents of negativity will flow right by them.

As for rarer names like Bentley that set off disproportionate levels of bad vibes, in the end you have to choose the name YOU think is best. Just consider this list a heads-up that some folks may respond badly to your beloved name. Forewarned is forearmed.

04/21/2011, 6:46PM

Comments

301

By C. Andrews (not verified)

September 24, 2011 11:58 AM

"This article is very irresponsible and could hurt many people (especially children).

When a young child reads this I can only imagine how horrible they must feel if their names are on this list!

Shame on Laura Wattenberg!"

It's not Laura Wattenberg's fault that the names are awful. Ever hear of shooting the messenger?

302

By C. Andrews (not verified)

September 24, 2011 12:00 PM

@ADawnL:

Your kids have to live with their names a heck of a lot longer than you do. Stop being so selfish.

303

By Kit (not ther registered user) (not verified)

September 27, 2011 4:30 PM

I think that Tristan is being attacked as "too fakey" because of the over use of the name in romance novels and movies based on the medieval times. The name I have found in 3 moves, the most popular being Tristan and Isolde, and on countless times in Romance Novels. or as the main character (typically the monarch or some kind of political leader) in fantasy books.

304

By Kit (not ther registered user) (not verified)

September 27, 2011 4:42 PM

Why would you not be monitoring the sites your young child is on. - At a certain age if your child cannot be proud of who they are and their name then honey I would have to say that your job as a parent was poorly established. At a certain age (at least 12) your child should know and understand that a name is just a name and that reason to be proud of it is because "my parents picked it out for me because of this reason and meaning." Children out there named Gertrude are normally named after a family member that was respected and truly loved or because of it's strong meaning "strength of the spear, or spear maiden - warrior" or even in religious argument Saint Gertrude. If you have it set in your mind that this is the name you want to give to your child because of religious meaning, culture meaning, or even sentimental meaning, then why in the world world wouldn't you install in value of your child the reason, story, or the proud intention of the name that you gave them. No child should ever be hurt because one person or even a group of people or even a large group of people say they dislike their name. They should always be proud of their name and if they are not, then you failed your child and the reason you gave that child their name.

305

By Kit (not ther registered user) (not verified)

September 27, 2011 4:55 PM

How is it being selfish to give a child a name you admire, respect and completely love. It is a name your child should love as well, but at 3 mins old how are they going to tell you what they like and don't like. If at 18 my child still does not like the name I have chosen for them then they may change it to what they seem fit, but I will fight to keep their name as I chose, more because there is a reason that I chose that name. Now don't name a child a name that you will only like for a couple of months give them a meaningful name. My husband and I mulled around for years before coming up with the names of our daughter and then later our triplets. But each name has a meaning, an origin, and a sentimental reason. So my now 14 year old daughter can tell you that she doesn't go by her given name, but she wouldn't want any other name then what she has, because it is unique, and that her great grandma actually gave her her name proudly.

306

By Candycanes223 (not verified)

October 14, 2011 3:41 PM

I think that the names Madison and Jackson are beautiful! But the others are correct.

307

By Kaitlyn P (not verified)

October 31, 2011 2:38 AM

I think people "loathe" or "like/love" a name because it's either not their style or it is.

I see nothing wrong with most of the names, I was name Kaitlyn because my whole family has names starting with a "K". It's still pronounceable.

I think that sometimes parents go overboard with creative or unique names/spellings, that I do not like. To me, it's just giving their child(ren) a harder time to learn, spell, and correct people on it for the rest of their lives.

308

By Guest

November 18, 2011 4:33 AM

I'm with you. Trudi or Gertie. I've often fantasized about twin girls named Gertrude and Gretchen but I like German names. I suppose they would be fne as dog names too. I've already got a hound named Henrietta.

309

By Stuart Rubenstein (not verified)

November 24, 2011 2:37 PM

I agree with most of these names that you have posted here as hated names. To each there own I guess.

Stuart

310

By Trust me, I know these things (not verified)

December 19, 2011 6:44 PM

Neveah is pretty trashy so please people, don't think that you're 'creative' because we all know that it's "Heaven" spelled backwards. Half of those names for girls are setting them up for failure...how many strippers choose to use the name "Destiny" and "Kaitlyn" will be the new norm for stripper names in 20 years. Aiden was popular because of Sex and the City and it's played out and old. Again, we know that you got the name from there so no, you're not 'original'. Getrude...does there really need to be any explanation with that one?!?! Makayla - trashy stripper name yet again. Name your kids what you want but think of them later in life. Does Kaitlyn sound like a 'classy' adult name? I don't see a Kaitlyn in the White House one day but I can surely see that name spread across a banner advertising her wondeful talents on the pole.

311

By Amber Premo (not verified)

January 5, 2012 2:01 AM

This is nothing but BS! Mackenzie how is that a low class name. I think that Mackenzie is adorable! Its my favorite! And if nobody likes it then up yours, its their problem. In fact I think all these names are great! And you died make someone say which names are bad.

312

By Amber Premo (not verified)

January 5, 2012 2:14 AM

Yeah...... sure you know these things! Hello you ever thought maybe theres a reason why, what people name their child maybe theres a special reason!!! I'm pretty sure giving your child one of these names will make them a stripper. Its how you raise them, an what values you teach them.

313

By Sanja (not verified)

February 14, 2012 11:42 AM

I'm sorry but which website did you look at? You've made an assessment to make a big claim - the most hated children's names in the USA - yet you sample was too small to back up such a strong statement.
Who accessed this website? A people within a certain age range can view names differently to other age groups. Were these people from a certain region? The explanation for disliking them is not talked about, and we could have found a pattern.
My name is not any of the mentioned ones, but you made people worry needlessly over naming their child through a poorly conducted study.

314

By Hope (not verified)

February 25, 2012 3:27 AM

I agree, the opinion on the name Hope surprised me as well! As it's my name I neither love it nor hate it, but everyone who hears my name always says it's unusual and beautiful.

315

By Rachel S. (not verified)

March 7, 2012 12:07 AM

Very interesting! Thanks so much for researching this and for remaining neutral!

316

By Ella bana (not verified)

March 26, 2012 2:42 PM

Interesting post.... but I believe that some parents give names to their children based on circumstances surrounding the birth of the child in our culture, so if a parent decides to name her son Joseph, there are reasons why....

317

By HappyYouLetHerKnow (not verified)

April 19, 2012 10:42 PM

Great comment! I agree fully.

318

By HappyYouLetHerKnow (not verified)

April 19, 2012 10:51 PM

I was trying to comment to the post that protests this crap. I think the article is based off of vague information and the posted names are not hated just not liked by everyone.

319

By GuestM (not verified)

April 22, 2012 10:00 PM

Great. My baby's name is on the list. I guess we are low class now that I named her Makayla. I feel like a bad mother now, she is probably going to hate me forever for giving her that name.

320

By Guestm (not verified)

April 22, 2012 10:34 PM

I agree 100% with Quin. This article is irresponsible. It has spread all over the internet and people using this list without even referencing this article. It is so hurtful an hateful to actually list the most hated names in America. You know this will never disappear and how will my child feel years later when she reads this on one of the hundreds of web pages that now use this list. How will she feel when her class mates see her name on a list and make fun of her. There are a lot of names I hate that aren't on this list and there are a lot of name on that list I love. These are only opinions by a very very small group. And we all know what opinions are like? And that is what exactly Laura is stinking like from writing such garbage.

321

By Damnedyanks (not verified)

April 28, 2012 4:07 PM

God spare the bullying, etasing etc poor children named those awful trendy stupid names.

I would also like to add any surname that is transformed from surname to forename. Chnadler sticks in the gullet as the worst.

Who in their right mind, would ever want to name their child as a man constantly dipping his wicks?

Hi Angelina, Madison, Kaitlyn- meet my children Mugambo, Salmonella and Treblinka.

As me old Irish gran Bridget Teresa Jospehine McClarry (nee Thatcher- agin a profession) would say:

God save us and keep us pure- them bloody Yanks (Americans) are as mad as hatters and twice as sane. And yes- she was WW2 generation bombed out in Coventry at the time- also full of bloody Yanks (overpaid, overfed, oversexed and bloody over here!)

PPS- My Irish grandad's (British soldier- Crete Allied Expeditionary Force POW) side's full of Werners, Albrechts, Sigismunds and Gottfrieds- all Reichswehr and Wehrmacht soldiers.

And who says mixed marriages are new?

322

By Damnedyanks (not verified)

April 28, 2012 4:30 PM

PS If I may- all the hatespeak that speweth from "the lady doth protest too much" knee-jerk defensive reactoinaries is pathetic.

Bullying is part of life- it occurs in the animal world, the playground, he office and even the retirement village.

Grow a pair, a thicker hide and learn to fight. For Christ's sake all these whining American "mom's" and "oh my poor baby Skylar is bullied".

In the UK we raise 'em rough, tough and ugly. Just liike how the US USED to do so- until Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jessy, and Ricky Lake poisoned pea-brained housewive's into abdication of self/ individual responsibiltiy and placed the balme for all life's woes on the "other" be it society or their own crap parenting skills.

Or worse their own egocentric pathetic need to be liked by their children. Children are not your friends- they're your responsibility till their out of the hosue age 18- it's not your job to be likeable- your role is to form them into law-abiding, socially-adapted, positive contributors to society.

Not what one confronts everytime one enters a Walmart, Home Depot, or anything with uncrontrolled children and indifferent (or perhaps desensitised/demoralised) parents.

323

By German daughter (not verified)

May 6, 2012 4:11 PM

My mother's name was Armella Otilia. She was German ancestry through and through and met a few other Armella's in her life but no Otilia's.

324

By Carys Ann (not verified)

May 8, 2012 11:44 AM

Damnedyanks- I completely agree with you!! All I hear online is bloody American parents whining!! They need to stop naming their kids after Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant, I cant believe they name their kids Nevaeh, Bentley, Tristan, Hunter, Destiney and Bertha, then not expect their kids not to get bullied!!

My name might be strange to a lot of people in the US it's pronounced "Car-ris" but it's an actual welsh name (where im from).

I dont think I have EVER heard those names in Wales and I hope I never do! I hate parents who make up different spellings for names, all you are condeming your kids to is a life of "I spell my name like this, not that way" and "yes it is my real name", erugh, stop thinking you are original and just give your kid a decent name and make sure they are not spoiled little brats who keep annoying people by running around shops screaming!

325

By FemaleGuest0215 (not verified)

May 8, 2012 6:05 PM

Wow, such hate spewing language on here! Geez. Similar to someone else said earlier, opinions are like egos, everybody has one. Take this list with a grain of salt. I'm quite surprised by the author's decision to even post this kind of crud, especially since this "survey" was not even done properly. You need more than several people on a special list to conduct this kind of survey. Seriously disappointing, considering I have Laura Wattenberg's The Baby Name Wizard. If you want to do a proper, more balanced survey, how about surveying 100,000 American households and posting the results? I would gladly read that!

To all the angry people in the UK - Yes, there seems to be a lot of parents who cannot control their children, but it isn't right to judge the whole lot of Americans based on a few bad apples you've encountered. Not all Americans (or people) are bad parents, but as humans we are all flawed. Whatever happened to "judg[ing] not lest ye be judged?"

Shalom.

326

By damnedyanks (not verified)

May 10, 2012 12:55 PM

By FemaleGuest0215 No- I certainly don't mean to paint every American parent as bad- the few bad apples that rot the cart- but you have a lot more apples than us, five times in fact.Certainly we're no saints- in the UK we're breeding (inbreeding perhaps? & exponentially) our very own home-grown brand of anti-social sociopatyic youths whose lives revolve around excessive drinking (perhaps self-medication?), self-indulgence, random coitus & impregnatation, fighting, knifing or shooting one another- or worse- other innocent members of society who bankroll them- of all races religions, colours and creeds.It's disgusting. Who's to blame? Society? Changing values? True in part.Fight against it? Nanny Government will have you jailed longer than the white-collar criminals that bankrupted us all. Spewing hate? Hardly. Voicing legitimate and well-deserved frustration at yet another indication the society the world once esteemed, that we all worked so hard to build now being allowed to degenerate into mediocrity and idiocy before our very eyes by living breathing incarnations of the 7 Carninal Sins- Mr & Mrs Generation Me-Me-Me Jersey Shore, Near Enough is Good Enough, Dandyism , Mr Preen and Mr Poseur, Ms Look I'm Knocked Up and Ms flash your bits. Once upon a time- parents would be role models: television especially AMERICAN television would never substitute for them.American TV the HEIGHT of Heresy & Blasphemy: Leave it to Beaver? Precocious kid's know best? Talking back?"Jesus, Mary and Joseph spare me! I'll be buggered with a broomstick sidewards before I hear that tripe! And here's a good whack about the ears to bring some sense to yer empty head!" Instead parents were examples and guardians to their children, imposed total yet compassionate authority, gave wise counsel but watched like a hawk, followed the wisdom of their folk & forebearers and ignored fashion, fad and the blatant vacuous idiocy of alleged "experts".Schools weren't mandated to teach compassion, love and other hippy crap- they taught life skills for employable graduates- numeracy, literacy (via the Classics) and morality- (via the Bible- or as per our counterparts still adhering to the former British colonial education system- the Al-Q'uran or Vedas). In that Once upon a time land, no but 3 decades ago, parents would name their children after someone justifiably nationally prominent (George Washington? Adam Smith? natinoal beloved, illustrious or plain old loved family member or friend- and not a faddish label for a lifetime of bullying, torment, ridicule, misery and resentment. PS Carys- 'tis a lovely name, no pun intended (it means "beloved" in Cymraeg (Welsh), the Irish version is Cary- both with Latin "a" as in "camere"- room (see what the Classics taught?)).

327

By Kathleen N W. (not verified)

May 11, 2012 2:04 PM

I just found this site by accident, and just wanted to throw my 2-cents in. Here is what I find absolutely annoying. Twenty years ago I named my son Aidan, after my father, whom by the way was born and raised in Ireland, where this name is derived... back to my annoyance..no one, and I mean no one could ever pronounce or spell my fathers name...I love his name it is so strong. I know, I keep getting sidetracked, when I named my son Aidan, hardly anyone could spell it right! NOW, everywhere I turn there are boys named Aidan, girls named Aidan, animals named Aidan! All with different spellings, letters added to the beginning and end....I hate it....Why is it that everyone had to take a beautiful name and distort it and overuse it! My son is a big strong red headed handsome man of Irish decent named after his Grandfather. Stop misusing and overusing this name, for the love of God, PLEASE!

328

By Orthopedic Coding (not verified)

May 14, 2012 8:01 AM

Among the most hated trendy names are Jayden, Brayden, Madison and Addison..The most commonly cited name that put people’s teeth on edge was Nevaeh, or “heaven” spelled backward..<a href="http://orthopedicbillingnow.com/">Orthopedic Coding</a>

329

By annoyed (not verified)

May 14, 2012 8:39 AM

Alexandria is a beautiful name and to closely related to your name seems silly to hate it. Do you hate Alexander too.

330

By I mean really!!!! (not verified)

May 14, 2012 9:20 AM

I have 3 children, I think naming your children is one of the most important and stressful things a parent has to do. You have family,friends,co-workers etc etc that ALWAYS have something to say about it, Always, either it's to weird, to long, to hard for baby to spell (as if they will never learn to spell their own name) or they knew someone with that name and hated them or its to common, to unique, to old, to uncommon and no one will be able to spell it right (as if a common name like katlyn will always be spelled right when there are 400 different spellings on that name alone) ...someone ALWAYS has something to say about ANY name you choose or are thinking about. I am a person that does not care for over used names like Katherine,Kaitlyn, etc but that does not mean that I hate them. I just personally wanted to name my children differently. I prefer less common names, names that there won't be 6 others in your class with the same name, names that aren't on a trend. It took me the whole 9months to name all 3 of my kids, I worried about if they'd like it or if ppl could pronounce it and bc of hearing complaints from family...I might add none of my family liked my childrens names while I was pregnant, in fact I hated telling them the names I was considering each pregnancy, but after they were born and had a little time for the names to grow on them they loved the names and couldnt see them named anything else. I found this site bc my youngest child is 5 days old and I have been having mixed feelings about the spelling I gave him on his name. I am not a huge fan of crazy spellings for simple names but the spelling I wanted to give my sons name was confusing to everyone even though it was phonetically correct and a correct way to spell it. I think part of this countries problem is ppl don't know how to read and put sounds together , use phonics. I ended up spelling his name in a way so ppl could pronouce it easly (from ppls negative comments) instead of the way I wanted to, a correct form, which should have been pronouncable too if you took a second to read what was written. I will say my two older chidren both LOVE their names..I gave them not so usual first names and them a fairly common middle name incase they did, in fact ,end up hating their first names they could use the middle. My daughter is 13 she tells me all the time she loves her first name bc no one she knows has it and shes told its pretty all the time..when some one says her name she knows they are talking about her...she stands out..but yes there are ppl that misprounce it , she doesnt care, she just laughs and corrects them when it happens and moves on, no big deal... my son is younger only 7 but he also says he likes his name bc no one he knows has it and I myself have never met another person that has it in person. My newborn has a name that is very common in Ireland but not common her in the US at all. I love this. I just wish ppl would not put so much pressure on you about a childs name..the kids will still be just as special if you like their name or not. It's not anyones business but the parents that are naming the kid, and yes some names are hard to figure out but oh well, once you know what it is move on. I might add overly opinionated grandparents need to step back and let the parents choose what THEY like and remember that they once were in the same situation having ppl hounding them and that their children didn't get to tell them how they wanted to be named so they shouldnt be so pushy on how their children name their grandchildren and keep the rude comments to themselves. Most child end up matching their names. Just bc you wouldn't name your child a certain name yourself doesn't mean others shouldn't unless its absolutely damaging. Their is nothing wrong with unique names to a degree, I've never met anyone that said, oh I love my name bc every time I turn around I see someone with the same name as me,yet we don't need to go all Hollywood and just name our kids different stuff for the fun of it. No matter if its common,overly used, unique, plain, boring, spelled crazy etc...someone some where will ALWAYS find something wrong with it. THE END

331

By frogee23 (not verified)

May 14, 2012 2:37 PM

My son has a half sister named Neveah and her mothers name is Tiffany! I laughed when I read that!

332

By frogee2380 (not verified)

May 14, 2012 2:37 PM

My son has a half sister named Neveah and her mothers name is Tiffany! I laughed when I read that!

333

By Who cares!!! (not verified)

May 14, 2012 2:53 PM

Everyone is going to have a list of names they like and dislike, and yes my dislike list would have ALOT of those names on it! However, my son is named Jackson, named after his great-grandfather who passed away before they were able to meet. I love his name and it fits him. I do not agree with jumping on the baby name train and picking a name just because someone famous named their child that. I would be one that would not pick a name becuase of that! I know of 3 Neveahs and don't particularly care for the name, but they are not my kids so WHO CARES~~

334

By Rob (not verified)

May 16, 2012 10:07 PM

Agreed!

335

By ian (not verified)

May 17, 2012 7:04 AM

This was refeshing to read. I am glad to know that others think the way I do. I can't stand when people give their children a last name as a first name, Mackenzie, Jackson, Cooper, Hunter.

The worst is that I recently knew a woman who named her son Jaxon. Its really tough to hold your tongue, when you really want to say to someone "what were you thinking?"

I suppose people who give these stupid name to their kids think they are being creative, unfortunately its about as creative as when these same morons get a tattoo of the nike swoosh or the notre dame logo.

Stick to real names like Jason, Michael, Robert, Steven, Jennifer, Michelle, Danielle.

336

By Jessica N. (not verified)

May 18, 2012 1:35 AM

My mom told me when she was deciding what to name me she was torn between Jennifer Nicole, Jessica Nicole, and Ashlyn Nicole. After 20 years of being "Jessica" I'm kinda wishing she had gone with Ashlyn. Nickname Ash instead of Jess, and I've never met an Ashlyn. I was in a math class with a whopping 4 Jessica's (Including myself) once, and it drove me crazy.

Now, I'm nowhere near having kids, but I've found the kind of names I like tend to be sentimental, some kind of namesake, or a more classical name. The three I have picked out for when the time comes are Les - for a boy, Ophelia - Girl, and Walker for whatever I end up with two of. Les is thanks to Les Stroud, from the Discovery show Suviviorman, and Walker is my favorite character from my favorite fantasy series. I'd like to work Daniel in as a middle name somewhere as it runs in the family.

Also, anyone else notice how often Marie is used as a middle name? At least here in Northern CA I've known a ton of people with that middle name.

337

By cannot start outlook (not verified)

May 18, 2012 6:55 AM

Destiny “This name seemed to run afoul of two groups: people annoyed by ‘virtue names,’ and people who grouped it with other dreamy choices like Heaven and Candy as ‘stripper-ish,” Wattenberg says... <a href="http://www.cannotstartoutlook.com/">www.cannotstartoutlook.com</a>

338

By Daddy9-9 (not verified)

May 26, 2012 8:44 PM

That may be one of the dumbest things i've ever read. You're not the only only one who has to deal with them. What about your poor kids who have to grow up with the ridicule that come from having such a ridiculous name. It's fine to want to be unique and give your children names that can help them stand out a bit. But kids are cruel, and quick to make fun of others. So when Pansy And Doucher grow up and hate you for the torturous childhood you put them through with those awful names, just think back to how you were the one who had to deal with them NOT everyone else you pretentious twat.

339

By Daddy9-9 (not verified)

May 26, 2012 8:48 PM

my comment was directed at ADawnL, just to clear up any confusion.

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By Daddy9-9 (not verified)

May 26, 2012 8:50 PM

my comment was directed toward ADawnL, just in case there was any confusion.

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By Daddy9-9 (not verified)

May 26, 2012 8:51 PM

this was directed toward ADawnL by the way, in case there was any confusion.

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By BraveFart (not verified)

May 26, 2012 8:52 PM

ADawnL- Wow, great point. YOU'RE the one who has to live with those names and nobody else.

Wait a minute... what about your sons who will be named Jency and Tesher? Hey, as long as you think the names are cute and "youneek", who cares about the people who will carry those names for the rest of their lives, am I right or am I right?

Turd.

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By linda bagby (not verified)

May 29, 2012 9:29 PM

you think those names are bad well my name is lindalieya

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By Tiffany123 (not verified)

July 3, 2012 11:09 AM

One of the stupidest articles I have ever read.

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By Susan123 (not verified)

July 6, 2012 2:55 PM

I agree with most people in that they names you have chosen for your boys are not liked and in fact it borders on abusive. THEY have to live with those ridiculous names, not you. Forever they will have to repeat and explain their names. Kids like to feel that they fit in with their peers and the last thing they want is a moniker that makes them different and strange. Only when kids grow up do they seek to be different, and that is when they can chose a name or nickname that makes them that way. Forcing your desire to be "unique" on a child is mean. Your desire can very well backfire and cause your children to be as vanilla as possible and or wall flowers.

Not everyone wants to be singled out with a name that looks like someone went hunting through the scrabble letters bag.

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By mymom (not verified)

July 23, 2012 2:23 PM

my name is nevaeh and i dont know why people dont like it.im not a stripper and my mom named me that because it is unique if everyone had the same name that would be boring i love my name whoever hates it is just jeaoulse they dont have that name.

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By Guest

July 27, 2012 5:39 AM

You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something which I think
I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me.
I'm looking forward for your next post, I'll try to get the hang of it!

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By Momof7 (not verified)

August 3, 2012 1:40 PM

I agree with most of the above. But because I have two adorable grandsons (cousins) by the names of Brayden and Jaxon, I can't complain about those. When you love someone with the name, it makes you also love the name! New grandson due in a month (Jaxon's brother) will be named Pierson! Love that one as well......

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By hhh

April 23, 2013 4:17 AM