# Ruined First Names **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 5, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353 "2020-08-05T17:20:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/1 "2020-08-05T17:20:55Z")
There was a thread on Reddit about someone that was all happy about their new puppy. They named the puppy Lolita. Of course a discussion erupted about naming the dog Lolita. I couldn’t’ see all of the OP’s comments because many of them were deleted, but I think she was saying that it was not a problem name in the Hispanic community. This got me thinking. What if you had the power to write a book that you knew would become iconic. In that book would be a first name that you knew would be frowned upon for the next 100 years. What name would you choose? A name from your childhood bully perhaps? Your ex? On first thought I would lean toward something like those crazy trendy names like Mckaylee or something, but those are too popular (and yet too hated at the same time). ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/2 "2020-08-06T04:51:20Z")
Okay, I can see that you’re not asking about names that have already been ruined. But since I’m here, I’ll say Kermit has been ruined as a name, for anyone who wants to be taken seriously. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2020, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/3 "2020-08-06T07:41:57Z")
Adolph Elvis Becky Dixie I’m adding Katrina ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/4 "2020-08-06T10:41:42Z")
Donald ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/5 "2020-08-06T11:09:14Z")
Karen ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/6 "2020-08-06T11:15:45Z")
Answering the actual question, if I was deliberately picking a name that I knew would become frowned upon, I’d pick something unusual, if only because I wouldn’t want millions of Matthews to be annoyed at me. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2020, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/7 "2020-08-06T11:24:26Z")
And now we know how many people only skim the OP ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/8 "2020-08-06T11:52:44Z")
Emma. That’s a name that can be retired right the hell out of usage. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/9 "2020-08-06T12:05:48Z")
Maybe when Emma Stone is the age of Olivia de Haviland. 🤩 ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/10 "2020-08-06T12:53:56Z")
Covid Clyborne grabbed his keys and hopped in his Tesla, swinging across town to pick up his new Instagram model girlfriend on the way to the New Year’s Eve party. “BBC World Service, I’m David Eades. Officials in China have reported the appearance of… **SiriusXM Eighties On Eight!** ‘That’s great; it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane - Lenny Bruce is not afraid’…” Covid loved REM. It was a good sign. He switched on the autopilot and livestreamed himself. “IT’S GONNA BE A GREAT YEAR! TOP OF THE WORLD, MA!” ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/11 "2020-08-06T14:20:32Z")
> [@ThisIsTheEnd](#): > > Covid Clyborne grabbed his keys and hopped in his Tesla, swinging across town to pick up his new Instagram model girlfriend on the way to the New Year’s Eve party. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/12 "2020-08-06T14:24:31Z")
**John**. Just to get the most bang for my buck, as it were. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/13 "2020-08-06T15:05:59Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > **John**. Just to get the most bang for my buck, as it were. Well if that is the objective, might as well bring religion into it as well and go with Jesus or Mohammed. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/14 "2020-08-06T15:27:19Z")
I don’t want to piss off religious people. Just make people with the actual name feel bad. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/15 "2020-08-06T15:35:52Z")
Beautifully written my beautiful friend. But he would be levitating in the 2120 Musk Marauder capable of sailing at 150 meters for 10 years at a time before needing to tune your eight layered ™ fission engine. ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/16 "2020-08-07T01:23:35Z")
Covid Clyborne was the grandson of Sir Reginald Clyborne, heir to the Clyborne Leather Gloves fortune (and Margaret Thatcher’s dom). He was also the largest individual owner of Airbnb units in the world. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/17 "2020-08-07T01:38:23Z")
Definitely “Dick.” ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/18 "2020-08-07T14:43:51Z")
Tough choice. Some of my most hated people have my same name, so I could ruin their name, but… ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/19 "2020-08-07T15:32:20Z")
It seems unlikely that an English speaking Western couple will look at their newborn infant and decide Homer is the right choice for a name any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353/20 "2020-08-07T15:42:33Z")
Reading OPs appears to be more difficult than one would think. I would probably choose a name I just plain didn’t like; it would make writing the character as a distasteful person easier. So, Roy or Wayne. (Apologies to anyone named Roy or Wayne who is reading this, unless your last name is Moore or LaPierre.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruined-first-names/917353.md?page=2)