Names You Will NEVER Give Your Children

[aliceanne]

It is interesting too how boys names eventually morph into girls names. Evelyn, Vivian, Laurie, and Leslie started out as names for proper British gentlemen. The only Madison I knew growing up was a boy.

[ioana]

We have a Charisma at work. Who is very nice, but quiet and keeps to herself.

[Badams]

My girls are the only Francesca and Aliyah in their school. My son won't be so lucky. Boys names are so much harder. Trendy names are goofy and classic names are always so common. I like common better than goofy.

[skatingfan5]

It is interesting too how boys names eventually morph into girls names. Evelyn, Vivian, Laurie, and Leslie started our as names for proper British gentlemen.

Also Beverly.

The only Madison I knew growing up was a boy.

I had never known a Madison of either gender until Daryl Hannah's mermaid in Splash! Come to think of if, Daryl is more often a name used for boys, isn't it? (e.g. Larry, Daryl, and Daryl)

[snoopysnake]

Have a look at these. "Rotten Earp" is one of my favorites.

[Karina1974]

I actually like a lot of the Scandinavian names

Here's a couple for you, from my own family. My mother's name is Ragnhild Laila (everyone calls her by her middle name), her sister's name was Thelma, my late grandmother's name was Asta Marie, my one cousin on that side is Trygve (we call him Trig). My own name is Karin Agnethe. My brother Kris's formal name is Kristofer. My grandfather's name originally (and I know I'm going to butcher the spelling 'cause I'm doing it like it sounds) was Schwining Schwiningsen (long "i" on the "Schwin-"). Somewhere along the line it changed to Frank Olsen.

Someone upthread mentioned Jewish names - I have some of those too, on the paternal side of my father's family. My father's and grandfather's name is/was Ansell, which was my great-grandmother's surname (and her first name was Florence but everyone called her Fadie). My great-grandfather's name was Cyril, but everyone called him Cykie (long "i" on the "Cyk"); that is also my uncle's name (Dad's older brother). There was also someone a few generations farther back who was named Napoleon (I think that was the one who married his cousin - there was some cross-pollination between the Ansell and Alberga families down in Jamaica, both of which I am descended from).

I also had a great-grandfather (my paternal grandmother's father) whose first name was Noble. Everybody used to call his wife (my g-grandmother) Sweetheart and, IIRC, that may have been her real name. IDK, I don't have access to the birth/death list that side of my family always passes around at the annual family reunion out in Ithaca, NY.

[Sparks]

My grandfather's name was Mood Francis, or Moody Frank.
Everyone called him Deacon. I didn't know his real name until I was a teen.

[Moto Guzzi]

My cousin named his daughter Paisley. I always think of fabric when I see her name.

I went to school with a Raymond Brayman and a girl named Orleana who was the school slut so everybody called her Whoreleana instead. From my college days, I remember reading an article in the paper about an accident involving a man named Silver Dollar and his daughter Penny. I wonder if he had other children named Nickel, Dime, and Quarter.

[Cachoo]

My cousin named his daughter Paisley. I always think of fabric when I see her name.

I went to school with a Raymond Brayman and a girl named Orleana who was the school slut so everybody called her Whoreleana instead. From my college days, I remember reading an article in the paper about an accident involving a man named Silver Dollar and his daughter Penny. I wonder if he had other children named Nickel, Dime, and Quarter.

OMG

[Artemis@BC]

I would never name my kids Karen, Susan or Debbie. Not because there is something wrong with those names, but EVERY girl in my school seemed to have those names. So (a) they seem overdone and (b) I have traumatic encounters with girls who had each of those names.

The problem is, parents often don't know when a name will become trendy/popular at the time. When my parents picked Karen for me, their parents were all "huh" and "what kind of name is that"? It was only years later that they, and I, found out how popular it was.

Oddly enough, though, I haven't met a new Karen for years, even of my age group.

Evelyn, Vivian, Laurie, and Leslie started out as names for proper British gentlemen.

Except that Laurie, as a boy's name, is always a diminutive for Lawrence/Laurence, not a full "Christian" name.

Names spelled cre8tvleigh really grate on my nerves. Syndee is not unique. It's spelled incorrectly.

I agree about 99% of the time. Every once in a while, though, it makes sense -- and a cute story. A friend of a friend has kids named Jayson and Richelle. They are so spelled because the parents names are Jay and Rich.

It's a far cry from Charity, Faith, and Patience, but I think that I personally would prefer to be named Experience than Temperance or Reverence if it came to that.

Or Endeavour. Poor Morse!

[Artemis@BC]

I went to school with a Raymond Brayman ...

OMG, I just remembered the funniest name ever. I went to a lecture once given by one of the Loblaw family (they own a humongous grocery empire in Ontario). His name was Robert, but he went by Bob.

Say it out loud.

[liv]

I've seen that recently a lot of the "older" names are coming back.... I worked in long term care so I have seen quite a few mildreds and ethels, and i haven't seen those used recently, but violet, alice, abigail and vivian have come back and they were quite popular "back in the day" too.

[grimey]

I always enjoy these ridiculous name threads I always joke to my husband that if we ever had twin boys, we would name them Bert and Ernie (Of couse I would never to this to the poor kids)

I once went to school with a Lacy Topliss...

[Artemis@BC]

Interesting article about some baby naming laws around the world.

I'm generally not in favour of more government intervention in the private lives of citizens ... but at a certain point naming your baby something so preposterous has to be a form of child abuse.

[skatingfan5]

Interesting article about some baby naming laws around the world.

I'm generally not in favour of more government intervention in the private lives of citizens ... but at a certain point naming your baby something so preposterous has to be a form of child abuse.

I think it's good that New Zealand rejected Fish and Chips, Twisty Poi, Keenan Got Lucy, and Sex Fruit as baby names, but some of the names that were "approved" are more than a bit "special": i.e. Midnight Chardonnay and Number 16 Bus Shelter. I suppose that Midnight Chardonnay would be a girl, so that might pass Germany's "must be able to identify gender" rule, but what about "Number 16 Bus Shelter"?

[gkelly]

Here's a challenge.

Suppose you're about to have a baby. Your spouse/partner says "I don't have strong feelings about the kind of name -- style, length, meaning, nationality, whatever. But I do feel strongly that the baby's name should be unique in this generation and if possible creative."

What name(s) would you suggest -- perhaps invent -- that would appeal to you and meet that criterion?

[Jenny]

I would argue back with my spouse, because we're like that

Seriously, I've always favoured simpler names - let the kid figure out who they want to be without saddling them with a label before they're even a day old.

Also, something our parents didn't have to think about but maybe parents should now, is do you think you will want to be found? There are advantages to having a unique name, but it can be a disadvantage if you value privacy and would rather be one of the million John Smiths out there.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Girl: Talia (ta lee-uh)- My mother was Natalie and I think as a form of the name (Natalia) shortened it would be cute.
Boy: Avi (aw-Vee)(this name was created by an author as his pen name). It was going to be my son's name but he turned out to be a she at the ultrasound!

My daughter bemoans that I didn't name her Avi. She loves it and pretends it is her name.

[snoopysnake]

Here's a challenge.

Suppose you're about to have a baby. Your spouse/partner says "I don't have strong feelings about the kind of name -- style, length, meaning, nationality, whatever. But I do feel strongly that the baby's name should be unique in this generation and if possible creative."

What name(s) would you suggest -- perhaps invent -- that would appeal to you and meet that criterion?

How about "Synchro?" for a boy and "Haydenette" for a girl?

[Lanie]

If my kid was a girl he was going to be Isabel or Juliet. If we have another it'll probably be another boy, as my husband's family makes only boys (except my niece), and that kid will be screwed and unnamed.