# Names you loathe... and why! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 13, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991 "2010-04-13T21:59:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/41 "2010-04-14T05:58:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Names of states. Even legit names like Georgia and Virginia bug me. When’s the last time you ever heard of someone named Masschusetts? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/42 "2010-04-14T06:30:02Z")
[quote=“kidneyfailure, post:32, topic:535991”] Yeah, “Prudence” is, like…ew. That name should be abolished. I doubt someone would name their kid “Virginity,” though “Chastity” is still out there last I heard. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone somewhere was named “Purity,” that’s not too unthinkable. Sooner or later some famous-for-being-famous ditz will name their daughter “Publicity.” . ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/43 "2010-04-14T07:41:32Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Sooner or later some famous-for-being-famous ditz will name their daughter “Publicity.” As long as it’s not Mr. and Mrs. Hound, I could almost tolerate it. On the last-name-as-first-name thing, I’m sorta screwed. My last name is more often a first name, although even that has been out of fashion for a few decades. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/44 "2010-04-14T09:24:46Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > **Palo Verde** , is it possible that the little girl was named Noa, with no H? Noa is a Biblical girl’s name, totally unrelated to Noah, that is actually the number one baby girl name in Israel at the moment. I know of a few American (Jewish) Noas as well. With young [Noah Cyrus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Cyrus) making the news for designing children’s clothes and dressing slutty for Halloween, expect to see more female Noahs in the coming years. Noah, of course, is the younger sister of Destiny Hope Cyrus, who legally changed her name to Miley and started a regretable trend (there’s a Miley in my daughter’s daycare). ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/45 "2010-04-14T11:39:12Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > Like others have said, I hate alternative spellings. Even ones that are fairly mild, like Ashlee, or **Kristina**. The crazier ones, like Mykynzie? Even more awful. Bolding mine. I read a police report yesterday about a woman who defrauded a bank by depositing empty envelopes (fake deposits) in an ATM over a weekend and withdrawing $2800 in cash from her account. I suppose a Mary or Jane could have done this but I wasn’t surprised that the stupid thief’s name was Krystina. There’s something about those weird spellings that makes me think the parents probably spend more time on the spelling than they do on raising the child. ---
**Author:** ![halfliquid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e57/32.png) [@halfliquid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/halfliquid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/46 "2010-04-14T11:55:25Z")
> [@Terra1041](#): > > … Names of states. Even legit names like Georgia and Virginia bug me…Ghetto names like DeWayne or Keesha. I feel sorry for the kid named **Rhode Island**. **Shaniqua** stinks. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/47 "2010-04-14T13:05:32Z")
When my friend asked my husband and me to be her baby’s godparents, we agreed on condition that the baby would not be named any permutation of Katelyn. She confirmed that she had no such odious plans, and the deal was done. We have reached critical mass on Katelyn. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/48 "2010-04-14T13:12:29Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > \ > > Kaden/Caden/Kayden or any derivation of this - It reminds me of the misbehaving kids on Nanny 911. Way too trendy. > > Nevaeh - Stripper name! > > McKenzie - I actually have a good friend that named her child this. Umm… it’s a last name! > > I’m sure I can come up with more. I’m with you on all of those! My hatred lies in the “-lee” “lyn” names (Caylee, Kaitlyn, Breyleigh, etc.) It’s like they took a random prefix and attached “lin” and “lee” to it. But they think they’re sooooo cool and unique and trendy. No. Just no. And to elaborate on **Hippy Hollow** ’s hatred of Caden and the like, I think the same thing is happening with boys names. Take the prefixes “Cay, Gray, Jay, Ai, Tay and Hay” and randomly add suffixes like “son, den, lor” etc. It’s not unique. Maybe you’ve never met a Jaylor, but I’m sure someone else has named their son the same thing. And it sounds just like everyone else’s name, even if it’s different. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/49 "2010-04-14T13:16:57Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Eh, it works out well once in a while. > Agreed, but it’s particularly bad when this is done with girls. “Mc” means “son of.” When I hear about a girl named Mcwhatever I think the parents couldn’t be bothered to google the name they wanted for their child to find out what it means. I know, I hate Mc names too, on this principal. Same reason I hate Madison for girls. The word “son” is built right in! It’s a BOYS’ name, a MASCULINE name. (and my cousin named her daughter Madison. It takes all I have sometimes not to scream at her that her daughter has a boy’s name and she’s a lazy, trend following, bandwagon hopping idiot.) (sorry for the double post) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/50 "2010-04-14T13:20:19Z")
[Ron](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=495672&highlight=Thread) ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/51 "2010-04-14T13:26:07Z")
We called our daughter Kayleigh just because we liked the name. No delusions of coolness here! ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/52 "2010-04-14T13:51:51Z")
> [@kidneyfailure](#): > > I’ve always hated the name Penelope. It just feels gross to say it. I feel the same way about Chloe, too. Oh, me too! And it’s derivative Penny. I also hate Pam but Pamela is okay. I also don’t like Pat or Patty, but Patricia/Patrick is hunkey-dorey. Maybe I just hate the letter P. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/53 "2010-04-14T13:53:21Z")
> [@Race\_Harley](#): > > Agnes - we really need to retire this name before some poor little girl has to carry it for the rest of her life. :dubious: I was looking at my dad’s high school yearbook and was amazed by some of the names therein that you don’t see anymore, like Eunice and Edwin. ETA: And along with Agnes, I think Agatha is a terrible name. Sounds like someone yacking up a furball. **Cat:** ::hork, agatha, agatha, agatha, hork:: ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/54 "2010-04-14T13:57:17Z")
I think there’s more to naming your kid than just liking the name. It’s a name your kid is going to be stuck with their entire life. It’s a name they’re going to have as a child, adult and senior. So while you may think “Mckynzye” is cute now? Try rocking that name through adulthood. Good luck trying to be taken seriously in the workplace, too. Unless you’re a stripper, that is. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/55 "2010-04-14T13:59:20Z")
New York City borough names. Don’t name your kid Brooklyn or Bronx, please. Having said that, Richmond (the county name for Staten Island) wouldn’t be so bad. But I’ve never seen it as a name. ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/56 "2010-04-14T14:07:32Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Wasn’t Avery the name of Murphy Brown’s baby? It was, but at least he was a boy. It seems sort of dully ugly on a girl, to me. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/57 "2010-04-14T14:10:14Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > New York City borough names. Don’t name your kid Brooklyn or Bronx, please.. When a friend of mine from law school was pregnant, we all went out to celebrate. When asked if she thought of names, she gave us a list, each name worst than the last. The winner? Brooklyn. That poor baby is going to have to carry that obnoxious name with her for the rest of her life. My friend is one of the sweetest, most intelligent, down to earth people I know, too! I don’t know what the hell she was thinking. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/58 "2010-04-14T14:17:24Z")
I hate any and all of the popular names (which have been covered by previous posters). I loathe Wanda and Linda and Lola and Debbie. And Brenda. They just sound so trashy. And it’s not because 4 out of 5 end in the letter a. My first name ends with an a and I like it. Male names–I dislike Ron and Ray and Bruce. Because they sound trashy too. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/59 "2010-04-14T14:18:20Z")
> [@Oni no Maggie](#): > > The whole last-name-as-first-name thing has been really popular the last few years. I personally loathe it. Hasn’t the last-name-as-first-name thing been popular for hundreds of years? To take one example, wasn’t Robinson Crusoe named for his mother’s maiden name? Cameron, Bruce, Blair and Duncan were all originally surnames, yet now are unremarkable first names. ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991/60 "2010-04-14T14:23:37Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > I hate L heavy names like Lachlan, Lyle, Lilla and Lyla. > > My all time least favourite name is Bethany, followed by Tiffany. So you’ve read _Harvest Home_, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-loathe-and-why/535991.md?page=4)