# Most-regretted baby names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 7, 2023, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730 "2023-07-07T13:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/101 "2023-07-08T16:41:16Z")
I went to grade school with a girl named Trudy. It was a Catholic grade school, and she was constantly being told by the nuns that her “real” name was Gertrude, and that Trudy was just a nickname. Just as with your brother, her mother had to bring in her birth certificate to proof that it showed Trudy, not Gertrude. The nuns couldn’t accept that she didn’t have a saint’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/102 "2023-07-08T16:59:11Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > I dunno, I grew up reading the Ashleigh Brilliant (male, British, 89 yrs old) comic and assumed that was the original spelling, and a male name before it became a popular girl’s name. > > I have a male cousin named Ashley, his mother was a big fan of Gone With the Wind and named him after the character Ashley Wilkes. She lived in the south and perhaps that was more common there. I’m not sure when the name was appropriated for girls, but I have heard of men being call Ash, which may be short for Ashley _Ashley_ is one of a group of names that were historically masculine, but over the course of time became gender-neutral, then feminine; _Tracy_ and _Leslie_ are also in this group. You can still find occasional male bearers of some of these names, like Leslie Nielsen and Stacy Keach; but other names of this class like _Ashley_, _Vivian_, and _Beverly_ have become either completely feminine, or faded away altogether. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/103 "2023-07-08T17:17:33Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > but other names of this class like _Ashley_, _Vivian_, and _Beverly_ have become either completely feminine, or faded away altogether. My cousin Ashley’s mother is my cousin Beverly. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/104 "2023-07-08T17:20:50Z")
I know at least 2 male Connie’s. I’m thinking nicks for Conrad or Conner. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/105 "2023-07-08T18:13:45Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Garfield fan, I see. No! I heard it elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/106 "2023-07-08T18:25:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Let us not forget Maynard G. Kreps from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. His middle name was ‘Walter’, named after his aunt. The G was silent. Nitpick. KreBs, not Kreps. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/107 "2023-07-08T18:28:26Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I know at least 2 male Connie’s. I’m thinking nicks for Conrad or Conner. Or maybe Conway? ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/108 "2023-07-08T18:34:11Z")
Cornelius for sure, Connie Mack III, FL senator grandson of Connie Mack aka McGillicuddy. Baseball fame Not to be confused with johnnie and Mack by the RR tracks 🎼. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/109 "2023-07-08T18:49:37Z")
Absolutely correct. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/110 "2023-07-08T18:53:53Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > When I was a kid a friend of mine had a cousin named Carrion. I’ve always wondered if they changed their name as soon as they were old enough. There’ll be peace when he is done. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/111 "2023-07-08T19:24:12Z")
A friend of my daughter’s is named K. Just the letter. Fortunately she’s not in a corporate field – I observed 20+ years ago that corporate IT would be unable to deal with it, would demand a “full name”. Though the proliferation of single-letter Indians since then might have fixed this. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/112 "2023-07-08T19:33:50Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > Though the proliferation of single-letter Indians since then might have fixed this. Did not know there were any single-letter name Indians at all. The problems I saw with some Indian names were the opposite when there were too many letters for official documentation, and of course any digital form now. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/113 "2023-07-08T20:18:48Z")
My Daddy was named initials. As were a lot of his brothers. The military made him change his name to a full first and middle name. That was changed legally at some point. My first name is a feminised version of his first name. I’m called a nick of my middle name. Caused much confusion in school. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/114 "2023-07-08T20:45:16Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I dunno, I grew up reading the Ashleigh Brilliant (male, British, 89 yrs old) comic and assumed that was the original spelling, and a male name before it became a popular girl’s name. Perhaps so. Mainly I found it funny because Ashley was an unbelievably popular name during my formative years. It was modestly popular in my birth year (1978), but by '83 it was ranked #4, and from '91-92 it was #1. There were _so many_ Ashleys around at the time. I’m a little surprised it doesn’t make the most-changed list, not because there’s anything wrong with it, but because of the sheer number, and because some of them might prefer something more distinctive. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/115 "2023-07-08T20:59:55Z")
I’m a Michael. My issue is that it is such a common name that is nearly useless. I was once a an appointment and when the nurse called for Michael, four of us stood up. ---
**Author:** ![Ziberian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/919ad9/32.png) [@Ziberian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ziberian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/116 "2023-07-08T21:11:23Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > What is it with teachers disregarding what a kid wants to be called? I read countless such anecdotes. It’s just plain disrespectful. This disregard resulted in a sort-of funny incident a few years ago. Beginning of the school year & for over three weeks every time the teacher called the kid registered as “Johnny” by name he said “My name’s not Johnny”. She ignored him because the paperwork said “Johnny” and kids are weird. Then one day the mother came to school and when she said “His name isn’t Johnny”, they paid attention. Turns out little “Johnny” registered, but didn’t show up, while little “Sam” showed up without registering. A bit scary it took almost a month to sort this out, and a good case for listening to kids. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/117 "2023-07-08T21:15:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@phs3](#): > > > > Though the proliferation of single-letter Indians since then might have fixed this. > > Did not know there were any single-letter name Indians at all. The problems I saw with some Indian names were the opposite when there were too many letters for official documentation, and of course any digital form now. In any case there are plenty of people with single-letter first and/or last names, so, even if initials are not allowed on some list, these need to be accounted for. Random example: [Yi U](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_U), son of Yi Kang, nuked at Hiroshima. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/118 "2023-07-08T21:33:31Z")
Imagine being a “José” in Spain, where a full 25% of males have that name or a variant of it… :-/ ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/119 "2023-07-08T21:54:04Z")
There’s a famous [article](https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/) about “falsehoods programmers believe about names” ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730/120 "2023-07-08T22:10:27Z")
Thinking about regrettable names, I guess few would beat Adolf’s regrettability in Germany (and a couple of other countries) after 1945. It seems to have dropped quite the way down in the popularity lists since then. I know not a single Adolf, but a couple of Adolfos in Spain. Few and far between, but still some. This makes me wonder what is going to happen to the name Donald in the next years in the USA: Will it become popular or will it be frowned upon? Time will tell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-regretted-baby-names/986730.md?page=7)