# Can we play another round of "What the hell were Mom and Dad thinking when they named the kid?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 1, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572 "2014-03-01T02:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/81 "2014-03-02T21:28:06Z")
I knew a Candida. She changed her name to Mildred. ---
**Author:** ![turner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turner)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/82 "2014-03-02T21:46:52Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > [Richard Head](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Richard/Head?). There was a USAF general named Richard Head. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/83 "2014-03-03T00:21:42Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > I had a phone conversation the other day at work with a lady with the unfortunate name of Candida. I started to think that it was kind of a cool name and then thought, “ooh, yeast infection”. And I know that’s how she spells it because I had to send her an email and she spelled her name for me. I worked with a nurse once, years ago. Her name was Malena. A truly unfortunate name for a nurse. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/84 "2014-03-03T00:44:45Z")
I think I’ve posted this one before, but the worst-spelled name I’ve ever seen was a boy a year below me in high school whose name was Stevephen. I guess they couldn’t decide between Steven and Stephen, so they went with both? It was pronounced “Steven,” but it sure as hell looks like “Steve-uh-vin” to me. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/85 "2014-03-03T02:52:49Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Many, many years ago, when I was still in grammar school, the nun who taught my seventh-grade class was Sister Barbara Ann. > > Poor woman couldn’t walk into a classroom without the whole class bursting into song. > > She was nice, though. I still remember her fondly. My middle name is Barbara Ann. However, I was born in the mid-80s, so it wasn’t used by my classmates to tease me. They used damn near everything else though 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/86 "2014-03-03T03:00:50Z")
I hate hate hate quirky or cute or original names. It didn’t used to bother me, but now it’s one of my top 5 pet peeves. I think my hatred of it has grown because there are just too many. When there was just the occasional non-traditional name, it would be kind of cool. Now it seems like a contest as to who can come up with the worst possible thing. They’re everywhere and they’re multiplying. When I take my kid to the park or activities, I literally have to turn my head sometimes to bust out a laugh or an eye roll. I think original spellings piss me off even more than made up names or appropriations. The name I went on a tear about yesterday was “Rylan”. It’s not even that bad of a name, but now any made up Cabbage Patch Kid name to me is like nails on a chalkboard. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/87 "2014-03-03T03:09:43Z")
Rylan isn’t a new or made up name. It’s Irish/English, and became popular here over 20 years ago. ETA: Some charts have it appearing in the mid-1960s. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/88 "2014-03-03T03:23:59Z")
I gave my kids Hebrew names: Avraham Chaim Tzivya The boys (the first two) have middle names that are common enough among Orthodox Jews, but my daughter’s middle name is uncommon even in that group – Machla (with the “ch” pronounced as in the German “ach.”) Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/89 "2014-03-03T03:38:46Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > Machla (with the “ch” pronounced as in the German “ach.”) Meaning…? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/90 "2014-03-03T04:09:13Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > To add to the thread, my daughter goes to kindergarten with a Cedryche, pronounced the same as Cedric. Which is probably one of the oldest fucked-up names out there to begin with; being a typo or mistake on Walter Scott’s part when writing “Ivanhoe.” The real name’s _Cerdic_, not Cedric. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/91 "2014-03-03T04:25:06Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Meaning…? It’s actually Biblical. It was the name of one of Tzelophchad’s daughters. See the last chapter of Numbers. She was named after my grandmother and Lisa’s grandmother. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/92 "2014-03-03T04:36:18Z")
Meh. Naming a baby these days is too complicated. You want, of course, something classic. But definitely not something in the top 10, or the top 20. And there is always a fresh round of “classic but not overplayed” names that are perpetually breaking through to the big time. So we end up with parents agonizing over if their kid is going to be the 3rd Holden or Amelia in class, forever unable to hit the always-moving popular-unpopular sweet spot. Screw it. Like a name? Is it a word you can say on television? Go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/93 "2014-03-03T05:22:27Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > It’s actually Biblical. It was the name of one of Tzelophchad’s daughters. See the last chapter of Numbers. > > She was named after my grandmother and Lisa’s grandmother. > > Zev Steinhardt Ah cool. For a second there I thought the root was same as for “machala”, and did a double-take. But then, Christians have Dolores, so why not. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/94 "2014-03-03T05:34:09Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Ah cool. For a second there I thought the root was same as for “machala”, and did a double-take. But then, Christians have Dolores, so why not. Hey, I _love_ the meaning of Dolores. I actually liked the name way more after I learned its meaning (before that I just vaguely thought of it as an old lady name, since my gramma had a friend named Dolores). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/95 "2014-03-03T08:56:35Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Hey, I _love_ the meaning of Dolores. I actually liked the name way more after I learned its meaning (before that I just vaguely thought of it as an old lady name, since my gramma had a friend named Dolores). Heh, my grandma is a Dolores and so are two of her daughters (the eldest who died and the youngest) and my cousin. Grandma has a superstition against giving the name of living people to a child so she always makes it very clear that she named her children Dolores because she likes it, not because it’s her name. > [@Skywatcher](#): > > Put the accent on the “a” and you get “innocent”. I know people who upon hearing of Candida Albicans (which in Spanish is pronounced the same way) asked “why is it called white/innocent?”; the infection is called _candidiasis_. The name has the masculine Cándido as well: the current Secretary General of Spain’s biggest union is called Cándido Méndez (which also gives rise to its share of puns because, really, an innocent politician/union leader?). Marciano/a is quite an old name, the Marcial variant is more common for boys. It’s actually from Latin, “of Mars” as in the god not the planet. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/96 "2014-03-03T09:06:46Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > I worked with a nurse once, years ago. Her name was Malena. A truly unfortunate name for a nurse. If Hispanic, most likely short for María Elena, could also be a Magdalena. Why unfortunate? I’m missing the reference. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/97 "2014-03-03T10:54:53Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Hey, I _love_ the meaning of Dolores. I actually liked the name way more after I learned its meaning (before that I just vaguely thought of it as an old lady name, since my gramma had a friend named Dolores). Mulva? ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/98 "2014-03-03T11:38:46Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’m pregnant and have been laughing my ass off at the Baby Names board at Babycenter. My favorite so far has got to be the thread on “What do you think about Timberly?” which you KNOW I had to open. It wasn’t even “is Timberly a good name or a bad name”, it was “I saw a boy Timberly and really liked the name but I think it’s a better name for a girl.” “These are my kids. Say hi, Timberly and Kimothy.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/99 "2014-03-03T12:02:10Z")
Heh. My niece was bemoaning the fact that she’ll never be able to get pre-made stuff with her kids’ names on them because she gave them both oddly-spelled versions. Oh well. Admittedly my own child will have the same problem but she just has a moderately-obscure name (and one that has gone out of fashion in its country of origin, I’m told), although she shares it with a well-known US celeb. I didn’t need to add three Ys and an extra Q to give it character. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/100 "2014-03-03T13:00:22Z")
Was’nt there a Confederate general called “States Rights” something? I saw a “Kali” once. Named after the goddess. Its also used about the same way as “negress”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572.md?page=6)