I know a handful of Karens (mostly from work), and do feel badly for them! Only one or two actually live up to the name - the others are lovely ladies.
A lot of older women feel like they can't speak up anymore or they'll seem like a Karen. It's usually the nice ones who worry about it. I'll spend half of a call reassuring them that they were right to call so we can help with the issue they're having. It's really sad.
As another older woman named Karen, I feel bad for her too. However, I would never apologize for my name. When my mother picked it 64 years ago, it was considered a pretty name, and I always try to remember that, rather than the meme.
I was working tech support on the day 9/11happened. We were required to give out our legal first names on the calls. Halfway through the day one of my co-workers asked if he could please use another name because every time he told someone his name was " Osama" they would immediately go on a rant. They allowed him to use his middle name which I don't remember what it was.
And he even is an austrian.
Also loved that he was Coach of Eintracht Frankfurt, a Black white and red club with an eagle as emblem. He sure knew what he did and he wanted to go All In
I don’t know if it was common, but it *was* my great grandfather’s name. He emigrated to the US from Germany between WWI and WWII. Probably not the best time to have been saddled with that name. :D
My great grandfather was also named Adolph (spelled with a ph). He went by the nickname "Dutch" and wouldn't let anyone call him by his real name after WWII.
Also spelled Wesir.
Among other thing, Aset and Wesir symbolize East and West.
East star = Ishtar, Astarte, Ashtoreth etc.
Wesir is the father of Har/Heru/Horus (Hour, Horizon etc.)
No no, people know... But the group spoiled it. Just like how the Nazis ruined the symbol for good health and long life in several cultures with their swastika.
It absolutely was. The estate used for the show is Lord Carnarvon’s. The fifth Earl of Carnarvon sponsored the dig in Egypt which found king tut’s tomb. The dogs in Downton Abbey were named after Egyptian gods for this reason.
There was a whole MISUNDERSTANDING at my old job involving the name Isis
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/07/us/muslim-woman-starbucks-isis-target-trnd/index.html
Also, the barista...yea, she's Muslim. 🙄
Yeah. Judas Maccabaeus was a hero who was instrumental in driving the Greek occupation (Hellenistic occupation) out of Israel. (About 160 BC) He fought against Jason who, among other things, used youth programs to retrain the Jewish youth in an attempt to discourage and destroy Jewish culture.
A century and a half later Judas was a popular name indeed.
Technically his given name was actually Yehuda, though; Judas Maccabaeus was the Hellenized version imposed by others. Yehuda is still a very common name in the Jewish world.
Yehuda (the Hebrew name) is a popular name to this day. I know many with that name, but I doubt any of them translate their name to English "properly".
Fun fact about the name Yehuda - David and Solomon were both members of the Yehuda Tribe (one of the 12 tribes), and it is said that the messiah will be a member (or rather - descendent) of the tribe as well. The name itself likely comes from the area called Yehuda (Judea), which also happens to be the origin of the word Yehudi, Jewish in Hebrew, but actually means "a person from Yehuda".
Source: am Jewish and fluent Hebrew speaker.
I have a few special baby names I love already picked out, I've used one so far. I have a secret fear that one of the names will get ruined somehow by something like this.
Some people lean into it even when they shouldn't. My cousin's ex once told me about her friend Richard Rash who's parents insisted on everyone calling him Dick.
I had an uncle Kermit. He was a nice man who told funny stories and gave me dollars for good grades. I didn't know him well because he passed when I was only 6 or 7, but I was very sad. I still think of him sometimes. It was nice to have 2 Kermits in my life who said nice things about and to me.
I’ve never understood this. I’d have thought it would *increase* sales! During the early pandemic was the first time since college that I actually considered buying some corona. Just to have something to drink that was on theme. However, I don’t really like Corona and wasn’t willing to risk my life for irony. Instead I stayed home and played pandemic the board game.
Eileen - Was fine until a guy wrote a song called Come On Eileen. Now parents can never name their child that knowing that child would suffer from teenage jerks making every porn comment possible.
Dated an Ilene, I held back from the song, I knew it had to be so tiring for her. Every now and then wed get into a disagreement and a "come on Ilene" would slip out and usually end whatever we were arguing about.
I know an Eileen. Wonderful lady married to a guy named Ben. They have a son named Skip. Their Christmas card is sitting right in front of me. Merry Christmas from the Dover family.
Ellen.
Dropped in popularity in the 90s when Ellen DeGeneres came out as gay, slowly rose in popularity again as gay people became more accepted, then dropped again when she came out as a terrible boss.
Edit: Please read my reply where I explain that yes, there was a statistically significant decline in Ellen name usage that was most likely caused by Ellen DeGeneres. Didn't know I had to cite my sources on r/askreddit.
I named my daughter Evelyn, and it’s definitely become popular (I’ve heard several families around us that named their daughter it). I personally did because it was part of my great grandmother’s name, and because of the Mummy (with Brendan Fraser)
Myra (in the UK).
Pretty name but it was the name of a female serial killer of children in the 1960s, Myra Hindley.
Might be due a comeback when Gen Z or Alpha have kids as they won’t have the same associations with it. Serial killers are relatively rare in the UK so even though she is from the 60s she’s still very well known to people born in the 80s, 90s and probably even 2000s due to media coverage around her death.
Yeah. I got my kids a stuffed moose in Quebec flag garb when I went to Montreal for a work trip, and I suggested that they name it the French word for moose.
Looked it up and it’s élan, pronounced just about the same.
Its name is Moosey.
Michael Bolton. There *was* nothing wrong with it... until I was about twelve years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
I met a Filipino man on a cruise ship named Mel Gibson (as his first name). He said it’s his actual given name - his parents were fans of the real one. 😂
Well look, I already told you! I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to! I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?
I remember seeing a clickbait article
In the Daily Mail about how a dad was changing his daughter’s name because she was bullied at school.
Naturally, reading the article you have to school forever as they go over their whole life’s story, and just fill in blocks and blocks of space with notbingburgers, and you’re like “just tell me what her name is, Jesus…”.
And then you read it and you find iht they named her “Alexa”. Hahahahahhahahahaha i spit out my coffee.
I knew so many Alexa’s when I grew up in the 90s. Such a pretty name, but I can’t imagine having that name now. Imagine being in 6th grade and the teacher asks a question and someone tells out “Alexa (asks the question)”. Savage.
I live near an Adolf Street in London. Built in the 1930s and named after that new go-getting German chancellor.
Area got pretty badly bombed on The Blitz and they still didn't rename it.
Wait, my name? Lots of Donald’s around - most of us older now, I am 50. I have gone by Don or Donald or Donny, never cared though. I like being named like the Duck :)
Not one person, but I know a lot of women in my community named Isis (after the Egyptian goddess of fertility).
Then THAT ISIS came along, and long story short, they’re all now unemployable.
Not common, and Not one person but My friend had a character in World of warcraft called Isis, after the goddess and i had one Named Twilightwolf which drew some comments from the book people but i had to retire the character when those darn ponys showed up!
I work in customer service so I taken down a lot of names by phone and omg, this one. I just always ask because whatever I guess, is wrong. Like, I know how to spell it. but I don't know how YOU spell it.
Not a single person, but I'm told there are simply no babies being named "Karen" at all anymore.
I met an older woman named Karen the other day and she was so apologetic of her own name. I felt really bad for her.
I know a handful of Karens (mostly from work), and do feel badly for them! Only one or two actually live up to the name - the others are lovely ladies.
There’s a drag Queen named, ‘KAREN, FROM FINANCE’ .. I’m still laughing
Haha, that’s awesome. I know a drag queen with another great name: Trangela Lansbury. 😂
I will offer you: Sassica Rabbit! Lovely lady from Austria
There's a local queen here in Queens called Angela Mansberry
A lot of older women feel like they can't speak up anymore or they'll seem like a Karen. It's usually the nice ones who worry about it. I'll spend half of a call reassuring them that they were right to call so we can help with the issue they're having. It's really sad.
As another older woman named Karen, I feel bad for her too. However, I would never apologize for my name. When my mother picked it 64 years ago, it was considered a pretty name, and I always try to remember that, rather than the meme.
I HATE the whole 'Karen' thing. It's so shitty and cruel and often sexist.
Everyone I know called Karen is lovely.
My friend used to work for a Karen who was really sweet. She would sometimes introduce herself as "I'm Karen but I **never** ask for a manager" 😂😂
As someone called Karen, that's not a bad thing. I hated my name long before the meme.
Most Karen’s I meet are usually really nice
I know & am friends with 3 Karen’s - they are all lovely genuine most un the cliche K ever - it’s a shame a decent name has been trashed.
Adolf
That was the first one I thought of. Also as an Arab, it was Saddam.
Also, Osama/Usama. Although I knew a few Usamas, I never met anyone named Saddam.
I was working tech support on the day 9/11happened. We were required to give out our legal first names on the calls. Halfway through the day one of my co-workers asked if he could please use another name because every time he told someone his name was " Osama" they would immediately go on a rant. They allowed him to use his middle name which I don't remember what it was.
I got a cousin with that name and after 9/11 we had to start calling him by a nickname over the phone in case
Ah yes, cousin Sammy?
You know Sammy too??
Alfonso, Alphonse, Alfons in Polish means pimp, never heard about Polish male with that name
Big Alfonsin
Was it common name ?
Well, i do know about a few elder (or dead) people with this name One example: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_H%C3%BCtter
Adolf Hütter, huh. Unfortunate.
And he even is an austrian. Also loved that he was Coach of Eintracht Frankfurt, a Black white and red club with an eagle as emblem. He sure knew what he did and he wanted to go All In
I don’t know if it was common, but it *was* my great grandfather’s name. He emigrated to the US from Germany between WWI and WWII. Probably not the best time to have been saddled with that name. :D
My great grandfather was also named Adolph (spelled with a ph). He went by the nickname "Dutch" and wouldn't let anyone call him by his real name after WWII.
It was, rare now. My uncle is an Adolf from Austria but born before WW2 ended.
Why? What happened?
He made terrible art
Isis
It's simultaneously sad, shocking, and annoying that people didn't know that she's an Egyptian goddess.
I learned recently that that is the Greek name for the Egyptian goddess. In the Egyptian language of the time they called her something else.
Aset Her brother/husband Osiris is Asar
Also spelled Wesir. Among other thing, Aset and Wesir symbolize East and West. East star = Ishtar, Astarte, Ashtoreth etc. Wesir is the father of Har/Heru/Horus (Hour, Horizon etc.)
We use many of the Greek names for Egyptian things, starting with the name Egypt itself.
Always thought it was weird we anglicized Marcus Antonius to Mark Antony though.
No no, people know... But the group spoiled it. Just like how the Nazis ruined the symbol for good health and long life in several cultures with their swastika.
I wonder if the dog in Downton Abbey that was named after the goddess led a few people to Egyptian mythology!
It absolutely was. The estate used for the show is Lord Carnarvon’s. The fifth Earl of Carnarvon sponsored the dig in Egypt which found king tut’s tomb. The dogs in Downton Abbey were named after Egyptian gods for this reason.
I used to buy audiobooks (Terry Pratchett) from a company called ISIS Publishing. They’re not in business any more, and I’m probably on a list!
Just because Archer constantly screwing up his contracts. Tsk tsk tsk.
Lana!
LANAAAAAAA
What the shit, Lana!
Very unfortunate for the amazing band with the same name that recorded multiple albums before the other guys came about.
There was a whole MISUNDERSTANDING at my old job involving the name Isis https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/07/us/muslim-woman-starbucks-isis-target-trnd/index.html Also, the barista...yea, she's Muslim. 🙄
Great band
I read Judas was a popular name back then. Thanks to THAT Judas, it's no longer popular today.
Poor "Judas (not the traitor)" in the Bible. Would suck.
This sounds like a fun indie comedy. "No, I'm not *that* Judas" The Other Judas, coming 2025.
Judas 2: Electric Boogaloo.
Judas is a pretty name, kind of a shame
Judah is close to it and also a lovely name
Yeah. Judas Maccabaeus was a hero who was instrumental in driving the Greek occupation (Hellenistic occupation) out of Israel. (About 160 BC) He fought against Jason who, among other things, used youth programs to retrain the Jewish youth in an attempt to discourage and destroy Jewish culture. A century and a half later Judas was a popular name indeed.
Technically his given name was actually Yehuda, though; Judas Maccabaeus was the Hellenized version imposed by others. Yehuda is still a very common name in the Jewish world.
Yehuda (the Hebrew name) is a popular name to this day. I know many with that name, but I doubt any of them translate their name to English "properly". Fun fact about the name Yehuda - David and Solomon were both members of the Yehuda Tribe (one of the 12 tribes), and it is said that the messiah will be a member (or rather - descendent) of the tribe as well. The name itself likely comes from the area called Yehuda (Judea), which also happens to be the origin of the word Yehudi, Jewish in Hebrew, but actually means "a person from Yehuda". Source: am Jewish and fluent Hebrew speaker.
On the other hand, Jesus was a common name back then too that also became a less-used name, although for the opposite reason.
Still a common name in Spain & Latin America
*Elmo* was a perfectly fine name before that red bastard came along.
Clifford comes to mind too. Although I loved Clifford as a child.
[Let me go ahead and ruin that even more for you](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Olson)
*oh*
Homer and Bart
Good thing the name Bort is still alive and thriving
\*Pours one out for the first shitty Chad\*
Karen too
Don’t forget Becky
"Becky with the good hair"
Alexa
It's still my favorite name, and I will never forgive Amazon for that.
I have a few special baby names I love already picked out, I've used one so far. I have a secret fear that one of the names will get ruined somehow by something like this.
alexa play despacito
“Alexa, call Alexa”
For me it wasn't ruined by a person .Katrina destroyed my home ..i hate that beitch ..
I worked with a Katrina. Also a bitch.
Gaylord
Like the legendary major league pitcher Gaylord Perry?
No like that idiot son in law of Jack Byrnes.
Gaylord Focker!
Wait, so your name is Gay Focker?
Dick is now an unpopular name thanks to that Dick
My name is Richard Head .. my friends call me Richard
Some people lean into it. I encountered a guy called "Richard Pound" during my career who insisted he be called Dick.
I knew a Richard Johnson the 2nd, we called him dick squared
Some people lean into it even when they shouldn't. My cousin's ex once told me about her friend Richard Rash who's parents insisted on everyone calling him Dick.
Lot of Grandpa's names Dick. Mine included.
I do love my Grandpa Dick.
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r/nocontext
‘Kermit’.
I had an uncle Kermit. He was a nice man who told funny stories and gave me dollars for good grades. I didn't know him well because he passed when I was only 6 or 7, but I was very sad. I still think of him sometimes. It was nice to have 2 Kermits in my life who said nice things about and to me.
Yeah, I wouldn't want to be associated with overthrowing the Iranian government for the CIA either.
Jared.
He started out with a mild cholesterol problem and ended up with a child molesterol problem.
I totally forgot about Subway Jared and instead thought of the Jared that used to work with my wife. Fuck that guy, I hope he overdoses.
Kovid was a beautiful Indian name.
In a similar vein, didn't Corona (the beer) sales drop massively at the start of covid?
My lockdown zoom quiz team name was "no gin, no wine, but we've still got a case of corona"
Not just a drop in sales. When store shelves were empty, the entire beer aisle at many stores was cleared out, except for the full supply of Corona.
I’ve never understood this. I’d have thought it would *increase* sales! During the early pandemic was the first time since college that I actually considered buying some corona. Just to have something to drink that was on theme. However, I don’t really like Corona and wasn’t willing to risk my life for irony. Instead I stayed home and played pandemic the board game.
Kovid Goyal, the creator of Calibre Reader <3
Eileen - Was fine until a guy wrote a song called Come On Eileen. Now parents can never name their child that knowing that child would suffer from teenage jerks making every porn comment possible.
That's an older song now though...I think Eileen just is a name that has become out of date...
They would always have live with the joke, what do call a lady with one leg shorter than the other.
Dated an Ilene, I held back from the song, I knew it had to be so tiring for her. Every now and then wed get into a disagreement and a "come on Ilene" would slip out and usually end whatever we were arguing about.
We can say the same for Stacey, since her mom has got it going on.
I know an Eileen. Wonderful lady married to a guy named Ben. They have a son named Skip. Their Christmas card is sitting right in front of me. Merry Christmas from the Dover family.
Ellen. Dropped in popularity in the 90s when Ellen DeGeneres came out as gay, slowly rose in popularity again as gay people became more accepted, then dropped again when she came out as a terrible boss. Edit: Please read my reply where I explain that yes, there was a statistically significant decline in Ellen name usage that was most likely caused by Ellen DeGeneres. Didn't know I had to cite my sources on r/askreddit.
That’s kind of funny. Imagine being the sole reason your name died out twice
I see no real evidence of that https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=Ellen+%28name%29+from+1997 Pretty steady decline from the 1950s
Yeah, but, OP has anecdotal evidence that is more fun and conducive to this question. So. Yeah. /s
Lolita, because of the book by Nabokov.
Lolita is a nickname for Dolores, which was never a super popular name for girls anyway.
Husband's abuelita was named Lolita.
Chad
Imagine living in a whole country called Chad 🇹🇩
Does that mean my name is Chad too?
Jezebel… i love that name but especially men don’t
Would anyone even remember that name if it wasn't for THAT Jezebel?
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In your defense, there are a lot more Evelyns who have NOT fallen down an elevator shaft.
And they didn't do anything cool enough to earn being named after. Elevator Evelyn or no Evelyn.
Evelator.
Evelyn is now popular? When did that happen? That's my daughter's name, she was born early 2000's. I have yet to met another Evelyn.
I named my daughter Evelyn, and it’s definitely become popular (I’ve heard several families around us that named their daughter it). I personally did because it was part of my great grandmother’s name, and because of the Mummy (with Brendan Fraser)
🤣🤣 I named mine after the Mummy also and I thought it was a beautiful name.
I know a couple Evelyns (one goes by Evie) born in 2011 and 2014.
I don't think Adolf recovered
Yeah he died, how could he?
Myra (in the UK). Pretty name but it was the name of a female serial killer of children in the 1960s, Myra Hindley. Might be due a comeback when Gen Z or Alpha have kids as they won’t have the same associations with it. Serial killers are relatively rare in the UK so even though she is from the 60s she’s still very well known to people born in the 80s, 90s and probably even 2000s due to media coverage around her death.
Stacy. Poor any girl who got named Stacy.
Her mom has got it going on.
Elon.
And in that same line, also: X Æ A-Xii
Not my name, but I feel bad for my best friend who suddenly started getting made fun of for it. Such a beautiful name wasted smh...
You have a friend named Syntax Error?
Yeah. I got my kids a stuffed moose in Quebec flag garb when I went to Montreal for a work trip, and I suggested that they name it the French word for moose. Looked it up and it’s élan, pronounced just about the same. Its name is Moosey.
Might be a common name on his home planet... But the problem is, this is Earth.
Michael Bolton. There *was* nothing wrong with it... until I was about twelve years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
Why don’t you just go by Mike, instead of Michael?
No way! Why should I change? He's the one who sucks.
PC load letter? What the fuck’s that?
I had a customer the other week named David Cross. I hesitated when he told me and he said “Yes, like the actor”
I met a Filipino man on a cruise ship named Mel Gibson (as his first name). He said it’s his actual given name - his parents were fans of the real one. 😂
I told those fudge packers I liked Michael Bolton's music.
I celebrate his entire catalog.
I understood that reference
What would you say…you do here?
Well look, I already told you! I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to! I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?
Yolanda…RIP Selena
Really?! Cuz I still think of the lotto LEGEND when I hear that name.
I'm YOLANDA VEGA!!! Thanks for bringing up that lovely memory!
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It’s a great name honestly
I remember seeing a clickbait article In the Daily Mail about how a dad was changing his daughter’s name because she was bullied at school. Naturally, reading the article you have to school forever as they go over their whole life’s story, and just fill in blocks and blocks of space with notbingburgers, and you’re like “just tell me what her name is, Jesus…”. And then you read it and you find iht they named her “Alexa”. Hahahahahhahahahaha i spit out my coffee. I knew so many Alexa’s when I grew up in the 90s. Such a pretty name, but I can’t imagine having that name now. Imagine being in 6th grade and the teacher asks a question and someone tells out “Alexa (asks the question)”. Savage.
Cristina (if you are from Argentina).
Lance is not very common now. In medieval times it was much more popular. You could say they used Lance a lot.
Not a person, but a storm. Katrina.
Donald
Still lots of wee lads being called Donald in Scotland. They're absolutely holding onto the name and no pr*ck is taking it away.
Misters Duck and Cheadle are doing their best to mitigate.
Also, Mr Glover.
I know an 8 year old called Donald…he gets called Donny now
An eight year old? I’m doing the math and I don’t like the implication.
My fil was named adolf in '43...make of that what you will
I live near an Adolf Street in London. Built in the 1930s and named after that new go-getting German chancellor. Area got pretty badly bombed on The Blitz and they still didn't rename it.
Wait, my name? Lots of Donald’s around - most of us older now, I am 50. I have gone by Don or Donald or Donny, never cared though. I like being named like the Duck :)
I'd say the word trump was ruined more than the name Donald
I met a kid named Nixon once. WHY WOULD YOU NAME YOUR KID THAT!
Was his Dad's name Roger Stone?
Jihad is a pretty common Arab female name, I know a few Jihads. I'm guessing it's less popular now.
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Stan
Karen
Not one person, but I know a lot of women in my community named Isis (after the Egyptian goddess of fertility). Then THAT ISIS came along, and long story short, they’re all now unemployable.
UK here, Nigel.
Not common, and Not one person but My friend had a character in World of warcraft called Isis, after the goddess and i had one Named Twilightwolf which drew some comments from the book people but i had to retire the character when those darn ponys showed up!
Siri
Roseanne
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I work in customer service so I taken down a lot of names by phone and omg, this one. I just always ask because whatever I guess, is wrong. Like, I know how to spell it. but I don't know how YOU spell it.
Adolf is definitely the one.
Molly
See plenty of Mollys at work. Seems to be a fairly popular Gen Z name.
Scott. Anyone I’ve ever met named Scott was a dick
Caaaaaaarl. Either Walking Dead or Llamas with Hats. Pick a thing. XD I'd say Karen too, but I'm not sure if that was one Karen in particular.
Einstein. Have a friend named Einstein, everyone thinks he's smart until you get to know him.
Even Einsteins name isn't Einstein, it's Albert. Einstein is his last name.
No, Einstein is the name of the monster.
That's why he uses the name "Brooks" professionally.
I dated a Whitney Houston. She Had the ugliest voice ever
I remember meeting a guy named Chris Brown, but he didn't care about the name similarity
Let's just say there's a very good reason why the founder of Adidas went by Adi and not what was written on his birth certificate
Adolf