Names You Will NEVER Give Your Children

[Rob]

I think Margaret is a lovely name- and (like Elizabeth) there are many options for nicknames.

Lots of "traditional" English names have nicknames and shorts that are somewhat puzzling, but they probably came about because the names were so common that variations were used to differentiate all the Marys, Annes, Catherines and such.

My mother is an Elisabeth, and her nickname is Bobbie. This came about because there were something like 15 Elisabeths in her class and they were almost all called "Betty" or "Lizzy" at home. So her teacher put every possible nickname for Elisabeth in a hat, and they picked. Betty, Beth, Betsy, Liz, Lisbeth, Lizzy, Lisa, Liza, Eliza, Elise, Ella, Ellie weren't enough so they had to get creative and she wound up with Bobbie.

I know someone named Anne Howe (she married a man named Howe) and someone named Mary Mee (married a man named Mee).

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Matchy names for twins. Those have to go.

[Jenny]

So her teacher put every possible nickname for Elisabeth in a hat, and they picked. Betty, Beth, Betsy, Liz, Lisbeth, Lizzy, Lisa, Liza, Eliza, Elise, Ella, Ellie weren't enough so they had to get creative and she wound up with Bobbie.

That's funny - something somewhat similar happened to my father. On his first day of school as an 8 year old immigrant, the teacher gave him a new name because she and the other kids couldn't pronounce his actual name. To this day, he still goes by that name, with his actual name providing the middle initial in his signature.

On a somewhat related note, I used to work at a place where they thought it confusing to have more than one person with the same first name (even though there were less than 30 of us). It was months before I found out that Kristina was actually Judy, which happened to be the name of the one of the bosses. I drew Kristina in the Christmas gift exchange, so I gave her a bag load of office supplies with the name Judy on it.

I'm amazed so many agreed to this, especially in a profession where networking is a big deal and people move around a lot. But most were entry level and I guess didn't know better or feared fighting the bosses. Personally, there's no way I'd give up my own name!

[Simone411]

It is too bad Morticia Lucrisha wasn't happy with tisha, or tish, or lucy or lucky...any number of nick names! But to be another Mckala, Macayla, mikayla....

I liked Tisha, too, and even suggested that to her. She liked the name McKala (pronounced Mikayla) better, though. McKala's mom was upset with her for a very long time because she thought Morticia was a beautiful name. McKala (Morticia) said that her schoolmates would always pick with her and ask why she wasn't driving the family hearse to school. They both get along much better now, and McKala has told me that her life is more 'normal' now since she changed her name.

[PDilemma]

On a somewhat related note, I used to work at a place where they thought it confusing to have more than one person with the same first name (even though there were less than 30 of us). It was months before I found out that Kristina was actually Judy, which happened to be the name of the one of the bosses. I drew Kristina in the Christmas gift exchange, so I gave her a bag load of office supplies with the name Judy on it.

I'm amazed so many agreed to this, especially in a profession where networking is a big deal and people move around a lot. But most were entry level and I guess didn't know better or feared fighting the bosses. Personally, there's no way I'd give up my own name!

The first school I worked at was like that with the staff. So prior to my arrival, a second "Lisa" had been hired. She was ordered to provide an alternative name and became "Lisa Beth" said so fast it ran together and I initially thought it one name. When I got there for new teacher orientation, I was told there was already another person with my first name and I had to add a middle name or give them an alternative. I politely said no. I found it odd anyway because in the process of a work day with kids always around, teachers don't call each other by first names much anyway. "Lisa" was "Mrs. Smith" and "LisaBeth" was "Mrs. Jones".

[Rob]

I'm amazed so many agreed to this, especially in a profession where networking is a big deal and people move around a lot. But most were entry level and I guess didn't know better or feared fighting the bosses. Personally, there's no way I'd give up my own name!

Funny, we have 2 Maryannes, 2 Marians, and my admin and I have the same name.

[mrr50]

My mother is an Elisabeth, and her nickname is Bobbie. This came about because there were something like 15 Elisabeths in her class and they were almost all called "Betty" or "Lizzy" at home. So her teacher put every possible nickname for Elisabeth in a hat, and they picked. Betty, Beth, Betsy, Liz, Lisbeth, Lizzy, Lisa, Liza, Eliza, Elise, Ella, Ellie weren't enough so they had to get creative and she wound up with Bobbie.

I can relate, we had 15 Mary variations in one of my elementary classes.

[michiruwater]

My dad's name is Lauri, because we are Finnish-American, and just yesterday my sister posted up a picture of a note NPR sent him (a handwritten note) addressed to him and my mother in a way that clearly indicated they thought they were a lesbian couple. More hilariously, they divorced 12 years ago. I thought it was great and apparently it is now on my fridge back home.

[skipaway]

Parents name baby "Hashtag"

Hashtag Jameson was born at 10 o'clock last nite," the proud parent announced on Facebook Saturday night. "She weys 8pounds and i luv her so much!!!!!!"

Spelling-challenged friends started leaving equally creative congratulations in the comments.

"Aww babes you finally had youre Tweetybird xxx," one wrote

Others tweeted slightly crueler hashtags of their own: #Foolishparents, #YourParentsHateYou, #StupidestNameEver. Many, many commenters all over the internet wondered about the parents' mental stability.

[BaileyCatts]

..... She also inadvertently stole her sister's two favorite names. ....

Reading that statement reminded me of a former co-worker. Her husband had cousins (same last name) named Morgan and Alex. Now, I don't have an issue with either of those names, but what did they name THEIR kids? Morgan and Alex 'Same Last Name'! They all live in the same mid-sized community, will be attending the same school system (unless one moves away), and are only a few years older than your kids, and you intentionally give your kids the exact names of two other kids .... that are related to you? I never did understand that one.

[Zemgirl]

Parents name baby "Hashtag"

Last year it was Israeli parents who named their daughter Like. Now it's moved on the Twitter names. Next up, Pinterest? Baby Pin?

[DORISPULASKI]

I hadn't seen this thread, and there are some sad/hilarious names in it!

So I feel a need to donate.

I once worked with a named Harry Cox.
Not Harold, Harry, after his uncle Harry.
Whenever anyone was annoyed with him, they always called by his full name

I had a professor in college, who was a Dr. Bliss. His given name was Francis, and his wife's name was also Frances. They went by Fran & Frannie. He had a relative named of all things "Free Love Bliss"

At a department picnic, the subject of funny names came up, including the names of the Blisses, who were present. However, the last entrant in the bad name contestant was given by Frannie Bliss. She said she had grown up with a boy who was the youngest of 10 children in the Oliver family, by name "Revilo Oliver" and she thought that was a horrible thing to do to a child. The snippest graduate student in the dept. said she thought that wasn't that bad a name, and Frannie said, in her thickest Southern accent, "My dear, Mrs. Oliver was so out of names when she reached the tenth child, that she named him Revilo because Revilo is Olvier spelled backwards.

[gkelly]

Well, better Revilo Oliver than Oliver Oliver.

Depending which name he likes better, maybe he could get married and become Revilo Wife'slastname.

I knew a couple who were both named Franci(e)s. He was Fran and she was Cis.

[DORISPULASKI]

I ran into one I'd never heard before on LinkedIn

Qwerty Smith, presumably after the keyboard.

[Alex Forrest]

I had to google the name to figure out that Hashtag is a twitter word. At first I wasn't understanding the problem, yeah, it's different, but it just sounded German or Nordic. There's a poster on here, and I am so blanking on it, with an interesting name that I've only associated with a movie "X and the Angry Inch". I wish I could come up with that name. So Hashtag reminded me of that. What is the name? It was a funny movie. But I understand now the dislike. But at least it wasn't something so blatantly out there. I'm sure many intelligent persons like myself might think it has some meaning and move on.

[personwhoishere]

One of my ex-boyfriends is named Damian. People would always spell it Damien and/or think he was named after the creepy kid in The Omen.

Also, my dad's name is Fedde, a very Dutch name, pronounced "Feh-duh", and was always called Freddy in school, so he eventually just started going by Fred.

Finally, I've had an ice skating student named Cinnamon, who goes by the nickname "Cinny".

[PDilemma]

Subbed today. Had two spelling tragedies: "Izzaballa" and "Jakeb". And a child named "Chai".

[RFOS]

I had to google the name to figure out that Hashtag is a twitter word. At first I wasn't understanding the problem, yeah, it's different, but it just sounded German or Nordic. There's a poster on here, and I am so blanking on it, with an interesting name that I've only associated with a movie "X and the Angry Inch". I wish I could come up with that name. So Hashtag reminded me of that. What is the name? It was a funny movie. But I understand now the dislike. But at least it wasn't something so blatantly out there. I'm sure many intelligent persons like myself might think it has some meaning and move on.

Hedwig (I've heard the title of the movie but haven't seen it).

[Bunny Hop]

Also, my dad's name is Fedde, a very Dutch name, pronounced "Feh-duh", and was always called Freddy in school, so he eventually just started going by Fred.

I used to work with a lovely Irish lady called Fiona. It was only later I found out her real name was Fionnula, but when she moved to Britain nobody could cope with that, and kept calling her Fiona, so Fiona she became, except to her family. A couple of us were mortified and tried to call her by her real name, but it didn't really work without everyone else joining in.

[Finnice]

Ari's pretty damned cutesy/girly. I didn't even know boys were named that.

It is quite common name here in Finland. Like Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari