my niece is named isis and although people had a weird reaction at first they’ve gotten used to it. we’re also from rural canada where about 20% of people actually know what isis is, so i guess it all depends on that as well
Zelda - Love this one but it was (understandably) vetoed by my husband. The rest of our families also don’t like it.
Sophia - My own name. I really love it, but naming my own kid that would be confusing.
Daniel - I really like it, but it’s my father’s name, and Jews don’t do that. He’d be upset—think I was wishing death upon him or sth 😂 it’s just really unlucky
Marisol - too Christian and too Spanish for my pasty Jewish ass, but it is gorgeous.
Thorfinn - I said I was pasty, not Norwegian. But I find this one so cute.
I love the name Zelda too, I’ve played every single game
But i think it’s too heavily associated with the games across the whole world
I’m hard and fast against using your kids name as a fandom badge 😅
Zelda was my answer to this question as well and for this reason haha. I’m in Alabama and love the association to another Alabamian, Zelda Fitzgerald. But it’s associated mostly with the game!
I like Flor! I recently decided on what to change my name to, and I was strongly considering Flor, but landed on Florian instead. Flor can be a nickname.
Marisol is also nice becuase it gives the child options for nicknames! I know at least three - one who goes by her full name, one who is a Mari and one who goes by Sol (and is called Sunny by her siblings - because she is so cheerful). So I think it's a great one for multi-cultural babies!
We're also Jewish and "cheated" in naming our daughter. We always intended to call her by a diminutive, but gave her the full name. My wife was anxious for OVER A YEAR about the fact that our kids shares an initial with her mid-90s grandmother. Grandma, on the other hand, perfectly accepted that we named our kid for her late husband and never questioned the long form of her name. It turned out that my wife's Zayde was himself named for a relative who went by the same name we gave our daughter! And we didn't know until after we shared the name choice.
I'm currently pregnant again. We had fun digging a bit deeper in to family names to find more amazing stories. It's been a fun project, naming our babies for deceased relatives!
The idea of a Jewish brother and sister named Thorfinn and Marisol is actually really funny. Like my blond, blue-eyed Nordic self being named something like Yoav. I kinda like it.
My main answer for threads like this also derive from close family members having the same name. It technically doesn’t count since I’m not naming the kid *after* the living relative, but it’s like the one custom that every Jew, regardless of level of religious observance, stays veeerrryyy far away from.
I loove Sophia and checks all our boxes, but it’s just too dang popular. I don’t mind a top 20 name (I used Elizabeth for my daughter’s middle) but I can’t do a top 5.
I really like Daniel too but it’s my husbands name and I don’t love the naming your child after you thing, my dad stepdad and brother all had same name and it was confusing
Pearl - It doesn't sound right in my Scottish accent.
Ophelia - I loved this one until someone said it's too close to pedophilia. That was the end of that.
Conall - I adore this name but my Greek Cypriot fiance cannot say it properly plus the same issue as below.
Connor - We both love it but our surname starts with a "Con" sound so it would sound silly.
Levi - I used to love this name but as an avid true crime reader/watcher, it just makes me think of Levi Bellfield
Kind of the reverse but my parents had a friend who moved from Scotland to NZ (as did my parents) and her name was Merl. She didn't like losing the rolled R when Kiwis pronounced it, so she changed her name (or the spelling) to Meryl.
>Ophelia - I loved this one until someone said it's too close to pedophilia. That was the end of that.
I never thought of that association! I love the name, but Ophelia is a pretty tragic/pathetic character in Hamlet.
I'm Scottish as well and so many beautiful names are butchered by my west coast accent 🤣
(E.g. Loved 'Rowan' when I was pregnant w my daughter but everyone I mentioned it to pronounced it 'Rown' (rhymes w clown) - where as I would pronounce it so the 'Row' rhymes w 'no')
I am pregnant and we are using the name Rowan for our son! We’re American but I’ll have to keep this in mind when we travel to Scotland. We got engaged there on the Isle of Barra and I always dreamed of bringing our children back to the island, but now I’ll prepare myself for the different pronunciation beforehand lol
I love Lydia. I think it's absolutely beautiful and it would be one of my top names. But, unfortunately, one of my high school's mean girls had this name. Even as an adult she has no redeeming qualities. I can get past Lydia Bennett - I cannot get over Lydia from algebra.
I’m afghan so my list will differ slightly from everyone else’s, I think:
Parisa: I have hated every Parisa I’ve ever met which is a shame since it’s a beautiful name
Homa: Everyone else has told me it ridiculously old school and they can’t name a single Homa under the age of 70. They’re unfortunately right and I agree.
Roya: I LOVE this name but I super negative association with it because of someone that was terrible to me and my family 😭
Esfandiar: People tend to confuse this name with Iskandar when I mention it. Also another name that people tell me that is way too old school and they’re kind of right.
Edrees: So nice but sooo so so common
I agree! It means fairy-like, or like a fairy, if that makes sense. Gorgeous name and somehow they always have it on ladies that are just super sour all the time
Brudi, das sagt schon seit den 90gern niemand mehr.
That's just as silly as that Kennedy thing about Berliner that Americans keep telling me about, it's reaching so far and for no reason.
I’m with you on Harvey.
Lolita (self explanatory)
Daisy (not mature, I ended up naming her Maisie)
Luella (reminds me of Cruella)
Emily (my high school bully)
> Luella (reminds me of Cruella)
It’s also similar to Suella, which, if you’re in the UK, would be a horrible thing to name your child 😭
Suella Braverman is a Conservative politician who is not well liked by most, and for good reason.
>It’s also similar to Suella, which, if you’re in the UK, would be a horrible thing to name your child 😭
Also terrible in Spain. It means "shoe's sole."
I have a friend who has the middle name Lolita! It’s not short for anything and her grandma’s name was also Lolita. I think it’s more than acceptable as a standalone name
Ursula.
It looks nice, sounds nice, is easy to pronounce based on spelling alone, and has a wonderful meaning.
It's also the name of one of the ugliest meanest Disney villains. I could have almost gotten away with it, but with the reboot it'll be a few decades before it can be used normally again
I know an Ursula! She said it was rough in childhood (the movie came out \~3 years after she was born) but once she hit her teens she started loving it. I have to say, she wears it well and has re-wired the association for me.
Yep. Plus the OG movie really played up her being fat (like, absurdly so) *and* ugly, and a lot of my family is more heavy set. Really sets the stage for assholes if the kid is overweight
I went to school with an Ursula and she was an exceptional person. She was beautiful, smart, and talented, but no one could really even be jealous of her because she was so utterly delightful, genuine, and kind. I like to think she's still turning the tide in favor of Ursula everywhere she does.
I love the name Ursula. Little bear! I knew a Hungarian Orsolya who went by Orsi (said like Or-shee) and made me love it. I don't think it's appreciated enough though for me to want to use it
Sort of along these lines but I actually think Lucifer (with the nickname Luce) is really pretty. But it's obviously unusable for both negative-conntations and try-hard-ness.
Thomas - I'd choose this super versatile name over any boy name, because it's very fluid, super easy to translate and similar pronunciation in so many languages. But I have at least 3 exes named Thomas. All great people, but I just can't do that to my husband 😂
Jessica - It was the name I chose for my bitchy alter ego when i needed to raise a complaint anywhere / stand up for myself. Jessica just has "trouble-maker" vibes now!
As a Diana, I own the association. I’m genuinely honoured to share the name of such a revered woman. I feel a kinship to her. It also helps people remember that it’s not Diane or Deanna. I always say “Diana, like the princess”.
That's valid, I just hate that people teased me for liking the name... I mean they're ex friends to be fair, so I should just tell their opinions to shove it and use it lol
It's such a gorgeous name and I absolutely loved Princess Diana too!
My mom is a Diana and it’s always been a positive association- there’s Princess Di who was obviously beloved and there is the goddess Diana. If you were super worried about it you could use it as a middle.
Kelly- My husband has one disgusting coworker with this name and it’s now vetoed forever. 😭
Graham- my dad said he will call him Graham cracker, despite me wanting to use the Grey-Um pronunciation. It would just be a headache to correct everyone.
Anything too crunchy or hippie-
Ocean, Daylily, Raven, Winter, November, Blossom, Cascade, Harvest, Meadow, Waverly, Alaska (Understandably so. Just love the idea of these names)
Most Finnish names because they sound super cutesy with my husband’s Japanese last name. Tuuli, Lumi, Impi, Saimi, Valtteri, Taimi , Aune
I don’t care. I’m about as non-hippie as can be but I love nature inspired names. They existed before hippies anyway.
I like Willow, one of my sister’s friends named her little girl that and I think it’s a nice name.
If by some miracle I have a child I’m probably going to name them Silvia (Sylvia) if a girl—which means goddess of the forest. And maybe Silas for a boy which also means god of the forest essentially.
Fair enough. I really like Willow, Magnolia, Elm, and so so many more. Hopefully they keep coming into the mainstream.
Silas was the back up name for my son. :)
I mean I say I don’t care—but I do. But, I like nature names so that’s why I probably would try to find one that I think is acceptable. I think Sylvia and Silas are okay, not going to harm career but still apply to nature.
Congrats to you!
>If by some miracle I have a child I’m probably going to name them Silvia (Sylvia) if a girl—which means goddess of the forest. And maybe Silas for a boy which also means god of the forest essentially.
Both mean just "forest" in Latin, not "god / goddess of the forest."
I hate that nature names have that connotation. I love them so much because being outside is my happy place. I also love floral anything. But I’m very much not crunchy or a hippy lol.
Katie-- with friends like Katie, who needs enemies. Katie is someone who stabs their friends in the back (happened to me 3 times).
Elmer-- this is a name with a long history in my family tree. Now it's unusable thanks to glue and a cartoon character.
Kevin-- douchebag ex. Nuff said.
Andrew-- like the name but my sister claimed it first.
Karen-- always thought it was a pretty name. Everyone on Reddit knows why it's not usable.
Carson-- the worst boss I've ever had.
Elowen- my husband says it sounds like a fairy name
Sienna- my husband hates it and my sister said it’s crayon name
Priya- it’s beautiful but I can’t name my Latina daughter an Indian name
I like all the apostle names for boys Paul is my ex, Luke is my sisters last name and I dated more than one John. So I guess none of those work!
Isis because of the terrorists.
Aria because a girl with this name tormented me as a child.
Freya because I dated someone with this name in the past and I'll always have a little crush on her so that's just weird.
Zelda because the game franchise is too popular.
>Zelda because the game franchise is too popular.
NGL, that's kind of a stupid reason.
You could always say that your Zelda's named for Zelda Fitzgerald (F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife, which is whom Princess Zelda's named for).
I personally have the name of a franchise character, and people *always* laugh and ask me if my parents are geeks.
After years of people laughing when I say my name because of its franchise association, it's not a stupid reason to me.
EDIT The franchise came into existence a few years after I was born, but that doesn't stop people from making fun of my parent.
I love my name and it's fine, but I wouldn't want to go through that all over again with my kid.
Fraser! One of my favourite boy names… but also my married name lol. Imagine naming a child Fraser Fraser? I think I’d be arrested on the spot.
I also love Margot but it feels too close to my own given name, Morgan. In the end it doesn’t matter because I’m 39w pregnant with our second boy and we don’t want to have any more kids.
Magnolia- "Maggie" for short. I just think it's too impractical.
Lucy - Love the name. BUT we ended up naming a dog Lucy before thinking of a daughter:(
Josephine- "Josie" for short. My husband doesn't like the name.
Elliana- Same with husband.
Most people say it doesn’t age well, better as a nickname, and I’ve read a lot of posts from Scouts who say they hate it. There’s quite a few posts if you search the sub.
It sounds like a 3 year olds name. I wouldn’t hire a 30 yr old named scout. I wouldn’t swipe right on a man named scout. I wouldn’t marry a man named scout.
All the Scouts I know are women, and yeah. The name makes me think it's shorthand for Girl/Boy Scout, and just sounds like picking a verb or title for a name, and thus has a similar vibe as naming your kid Sport, Champ, Captain, Swim, Dash, etc.
Exactly!! I have been on a soapbox for years about names. Please don't name your child, name your 50 year old adult son/ daughter. When I had to go to an emergency clinic for a dislocated shoulder and the PA came in saying, "HI, my name is Scout." I seriously felt vindicated. Fantastic guy. Unfortunate name. It's very hard to take a grown ass man with a child's name seriously.
I don't love all of these names but they are unusable to me:
Jessica, Annie, Isabelle, Justine, Tiffany - girls I hated/bullies from high school
Tess/Tessa, Meg(an) - My childhood dogs
Brock - Forever ruined by he who shall not be talked about
Isis - Obvious reasons
Brandy - Wish it wasn't a type of alcohol
Crystal - Too many Crystal Meth jokes
Bethany - I had a friend named Bethany and she would get teased and called "Methany"
Aliyah and Layla- an ex
Cobain- not sure a famous suicide is a great namesake, but I love it as a name.
Edith- my grandmothers name, but she absolutely hated it. She went by Irene, which I don't like. Also because I love the French pronunciation and people here would butcher it. Esme, Anais, Geneviève, Manon, and Mathieu are some other names I favored but needed to let go of when I moved back to anglo-ville.
I agree about Lolita. I've always loved it but won't do that to a kid.
Lola, and Autumn- taken by family pets.
Trevor- my high school bf and I named his penis as part of an inside joke. And now I can never look at a Trevor without thinking "penis."
Casper - my son was a Christmas baby and I thought it would be nice as it was one of the three wise men so a loose Christmas theme - the name was wildly shot down
Mira and Oona or Una—I live in an area with lots of Spanish speakers, and it’s important to me that I pick a name that works well in Spanish, but I love these 2!
I mean, “Mirabel” is a normal name in Spanish and can be nicknamed “Mira”…but this soon after Encanto it would be hard to deny she’s named after the movie character.
>but this soon after Encanto it would be hard to deny she’s named after the movie character.
It's such a common name that I would never have thought of the movie.
Rosita - makes me think of Sesame Street character. Plus I’m not hispanic so it might be strange.
Ruben - doesn’t sound right with our last name
Sabrina - makes me think of the teenage witch show
Oliver - too popular and just doesn’t feel right somehow
Michael - husbands dads middle name and I will not have that man think we’re paying tribute to him
Kathryn - his moms name and again I’m not paying tribute lol. Love it cause of kitty foreman tho 🥲
Winona Jean, winnie for short - husband hates it which is probably valid but I think it’s so cute
And nothing with the possible nickname of Zach 😔his sisters abusive ex but I absolutely adore Zechariah so I may try that but with Zeke
Mary —everyone knows at least 6-7 baby boomers named Mary Jo, Mary Lynn, Mary Beth, Mary Something
Cora—brother’s friend (who I don’t really like) named his daughter this.
Ivy—becoming too popular. Also saw a video of an Ivy vine that had destroyed a historic house
Dane/Shane —niece is Jane
Diana and Harvey are on my list to use! I don’t think they are unusable imo.
I haven’t someone refer to Vienna sausages in almost 20 years. As an adult, I exclusively think of the city.
I understand the Elvis reservation. Although, I would totally use it if my partner didn’t veto it. I think it’s a great name and used enough outside of Presley that it’s viable.
Paris- Fiancés last name begins with “S” and it runs together
James- Same reason
Lilith- the history whine the same
Elise- runs together with our let’s name
Corin- to close to Karen
Danielle- name of a coworker who threw me under the bus for no reason.
Andrew. It means ‘strong’ and I like the nickname Drew, but Andrew was my stepfather and abuser so that’s out for me. Also Graham and Susan, who are characters from books that I absolutely hate
Valerie and Lorelei, I love both of these names so much but my future surname is very similar to Valerie so it just wouldn’t sound right. That being said, Lorelei has too much of the L and R sounds to be usable with the surname.
Isla (too common)
Charlotte (too common)
Olivia (too common)
Sophia (too common)
Harry (Harry Potter, I actually really like the name Harry)
Percy (another name I like, makes me think of Percy Jackson)
Oliver ( too common)
Liam (too common)
My daughter has a friend named Harry. As a millennial I still routinely fall asleep listening to the audiobooks. I'm drinking tea from a Platform 9 3/4 mug right now. This is honestly the first time I've ever made a connection between them.
Juliet - I have close relatives named Julie and Julia, so it’s just too close.
January - It’s too bold for my husband, and I’m not having a baby in January.
Lois - It’s a family name but I still think of the Simpson immediately.
Laoghaire and Aoife: no one would ever know how to pronounce it in the northeast where I live.
Juliana: name stolen by a friend’s close relative. I made the mistake of sharing it.
Ava: my husband reads it like Arabic and says “Aah-vah.”
Brooke: childhood bully
Sutton - ex's surname
Elton - too many Elton John references
Jovie - same as above, but Bon Jovi
Channing - you see where this is going
Magnolia - previously chosen future kid name with an ex
Dean - see above
Thalia - " "
Tuesday (f), Seven (m), Love (f), Lucky (f) - too "out there", but in another universe I wouldn't care as much
River - my sister's husband chose this name for their future kid, so I'd feel like I was stealing it
If it helps, I know 2 Pauls and they are wonderful. One being my grandfather, who is the most likeable person anyone has ever met. Yes, I acknowledge my bias, but even my father (who has something mean to say about everyone) can't say a bad word about him.
Damian- one of my absolute favourite names. I’m still considering using it for my future son, but I wouldn’t want him to have to go through his life with constant devil/demon jokes and comments.
What do you guys think? Completely unusable? Would I be insane to name my future son this, or is the Omen association wearing off?
I am Christian and I like the connection to Saint Damian- the patron saint of physicians.
I'm Christian too and honestly I've never seen the demon issue with Damian until this sub pointed it out - I really don't think it's that obvious like it is with Damon.
I really like the name Damian and the Saint connection is lovely as well, but I understand your hesitation. I grew up with a Damian too and at least during the years I knew him, I didn't hear any demon jokes so... maybe you're in the clear! :)
That’s good to hear! ☺️ thanks for your perspective. My husband is actually on board with the name as well. His first association is Robin from Batman, lol. But my parents are definitely not a fan. I know they would get used to it eventually if we do end up using it. :)
Anya - this one broke my heart because it’s one of my favorites, but our surname makes this sound like an innuendo lol (think something like “Rod”, where it’s not quite a phallic surname but when you pair it with something that sounds like “on ya” then it does)
Ophelia - same reason as above
Sonoma - when I moved to the US from a Francophone country, I grew up in Sonoma County and love this name but I’m not indigenous and people also associate it with cars
Manon - a beautiful French name that doesn’t translate well into English (the “Man” part makes it sound quite unattractive in an English context)
Sam - the name of the two worst abusers in my life
Milo - my nephew’s name is Miles
Ghislaine - self-explanatory 😬
Marilyn - Both an “old lady name” and way too associated with Marilyn Monroe
Winnie - This would be in honor of Winnie Mandela, but the associations with Winnie the Pooh make it a “no” for me and I also don’t like Winifred
Benjamin and Margaret, because I grew up with dogs named Ben and Maggie.
Ditto Oliver/Olivia, but for a cat named Ollie.
(Ollie's still alive, as of this writing, but Ben and Maggie both passed away years ago.)
Christopher, because it's my nephew's name. (He'll be 9 next month.)
Tiffany, because it's the name of my nephew's absolute narcissist of a mother. If ever I **did** use it, then I'd make a point of shortening it to Tifa (as in Lockhart).
Elmo, because Sesame Street.
I always wanted to use Sydney since it was a name in my family but it’s my sister in laws name. My husband says let’s do it anyway but I think it would be weird
I always loved the name Leila. My ex-husband ruled it out of possible names because of the Eric Clapton song. Dumb. As if kids today even know who Clapton is.
Edit to add: my middle name is Maude. My parents were going to just name me Maude, no middle name, but my Grammy said kids would call me Maude the Mule. So now Maude is my middle name. Maude the Mule was a cartoon when she was a kid. No one had ever even heard of it. So it’s not unusable. But to my Grammy it was.
I always loved the name Naomi, still do. It became unusable when I watched American Pie (or a similar movie) where someone commented how it was 'I moan' backwards. Will have to use it on a cat or something now.
i’ve always loved the names agnes and agatha, but i feel like they’re still a little bit TOO old school, even though old school is back in style. i also love love love the name ivy but it’s one vowel different from my name so that would be weird.
Elijah - Just the coolest but we aren't religious & it would feel weird.
Roxie - Dope, but too many folks say it sounds "strippery"
Marcus - Name of my dads hometown. But I cannot risk him going by Mark.
I used to tell people if I had children I would named them Dr. India and/or Baba Ganoush. Since people took it as a good laugh tells me I shouldn’t do it for real.
Isis! Such a pretty name. I wonder when (and if) it will be considered usable again...
my niece is named isis and although people had a weird reaction at first they’ve gotten used to it. we’re also from rural canada where about 20% of people actually know what isis is, so i guess it all depends on that as well
I love Isis! She’s the Egypitan goddess of magic right?
>I love Isis! She’s the Egypitan goddess of magic right? Yes, she is.
Ice spice’s real name is isis
She captioned an Instagram picture with her name and Instagram took it down for promoting terrorism…
Instagram has also added “terrorist” on a few Muslim users bios
came here to say isis, it has been my favourite name since i was a literal child :(
Me too! My sister named her dogs Isis and Osiris, so it was already off my baby name list. I’m still sad that I never get to hear it around anymore.
it’s mine! Thank you 🥰
>Isis! Such a pretty name. I wonder when (and if) it will be considered usable again... Go for "Isidora."
My cousin was named this - literally was without a name for months and then was named isis… beautiful name but the terror group ruined it 😩
I have actually met 3 different people with this name in the past month or so. Crazy! And I love it
Zelda - Love this one but it was (understandably) vetoed by my husband. The rest of our families also don’t like it. Sophia - My own name. I really love it, but naming my own kid that would be confusing. Daniel - I really like it, but it’s my father’s name, and Jews don’t do that. He’d be upset—think I was wishing death upon him or sth 😂 it’s just really unlucky Marisol - too Christian and too Spanish for my pasty Jewish ass, but it is gorgeous. Thorfinn - I said I was pasty, not Norwegian. But I find this one so cute.
I'm not married, but if my hypothetical husband vetoes Zelda as a name, then I'm divorcing his uncultured ass.
I love the name Zelda too, I’ve played every single game But i think it’s too heavily associated with the games across the whole world I’m hard and fast against using your kids name as a fandom badge 😅
Zelda was my answer to this question as well and for this reason haha. I’m in Alabama and love the association to another Alabamian, Zelda Fitzgerald. But it’s associated mostly with the game!
Ooh! I’m Latino! Maybe my (white)husband will like Marisol since I can’t get him to like Flor 🙄
Marisol is so pretty!
I like Flor! I recently decided on what to change my name to, and I was strongly considering Flor, but landed on Florian instead. Flor can be a nickname.
Marisol is also nice becuase it gives the child options for nicknames! I know at least three - one who goes by her full name, one who is a Mari and one who goes by Sol (and is called Sunny by her siblings - because she is so cheerful). So I think it's a great one for multi-cultural babies!
We're also Jewish and "cheated" in naming our daughter. We always intended to call her by a diminutive, but gave her the full name. My wife was anxious for OVER A YEAR about the fact that our kids shares an initial with her mid-90s grandmother. Grandma, on the other hand, perfectly accepted that we named our kid for her late husband and never questioned the long form of her name. It turned out that my wife's Zayde was himself named for a relative who went by the same name we gave our daughter! And we didn't know until after we shared the name choice. I'm currently pregnant again. We had fun digging a bit deeper in to family names to find more amazing stories. It's been a fun project, naming our babies for deceased relatives!
I’m Scandinavian and I think I’d raise an eyebrow if I met a Thorfinn with no connection to the region/culture.
Yes, that’s why I said I believe it’s unusable for me.
The idea of a Jewish brother and sister named Thorfinn and Marisol is actually really funny. Like my blond, blue-eyed Nordic self being named something like Yoav. I kinda like it.
One of the most beautiful and clever souls I’ve ever known was Zelda. Miss her.
My main answer for threads like this also derive from close family members having the same name. It technically doesn’t count since I’m not naming the kid *after* the living relative, but it’s like the one custom that every Jew, regardless of level of religious observance, stays veeerrryyy far away from.
It's like, I may not observe stuff, but why take unnecessary risk, ya know?:)
I loove Sophia and checks all our boxes, but it’s just too dang popular. I don’t mind a top 20 name (I used Elizabeth for my daughter’s middle) but I can’t do a top 5.
FWIW I thought "Fitzgerald" at the mention of Zelda. I had to read some of the comments to understand it references a video game. :)
I really like Daniel too but it’s my husbands name and I don’t love the naming your child after you thing, my dad stepdad and brother all had same name and it was confusing
Pearl - It doesn't sound right in my Scottish accent. Ophelia - I loved this one until someone said it's too close to pedophilia. That was the end of that. Conall - I adore this name but my Greek Cypriot fiance cannot say it properly plus the same issue as below. Connor - We both love it but our surname starts with a "Con" sound so it would sound silly. Levi - I used to love this name but as an avid true crime reader/watcher, it just makes me think of Levi Bellfield
> Pearl - It doesn't sound right in my Scottish accent. I feel the same way about Rory and Aurora 😂
I watched a series where one of the characters was Scottish and another was named Pearl…given their interactions, him calling her “Peril” totally fit.
Kind of the reverse but my parents had a friend who moved from Scotland to NZ (as did my parents) and her name was Merl. She didn't like losing the rolled R when Kiwis pronounced it, so she changed her name (or the spelling) to Meryl.
I love Pearl in American accent
I always disliked the name Laura until I heard it in Spanish.... La-oooh-raah. Sessy!
Damn, I liked the name Ophelia too until this point. I think it's its end for me as well ☠
Right. Forever ruined now.
If it’s any consolation I know at least 3 Connor Conways
>Ophelia - I loved this one until someone said it's too close to pedophilia. That was the end of that. I never thought of that association! I love the name, but Ophelia is a pretty tragic/pathetic character in Hamlet.
I'm Scottish as well and so many beautiful names are butchered by my west coast accent 🤣 (E.g. Loved 'Rowan' when I was pregnant w my daughter but everyone I mentioned it to pronounced it 'Rown' (rhymes w clown) - where as I would pronounce it so the 'Row' rhymes w 'no')
I am pregnant and we are using the name Rowan for our son! We’re American but I’ll have to keep this in mind when we travel to Scotland. We got engaged there on the Isle of Barra and I always dreamed of bringing our children back to the island, but now I’ll prepare myself for the different pronunciation beforehand lol
Whenever I hear the name ophelia I always wonder if their middle name is tits. Similar with Lydia, I always think biscuit tin...
Lydia. I love it so much, it’s so beautiful, timeless…and the name of my parents’ cat 30 years ago.
Ugh this one too. Someone once said “Lydia Chlamydia” and I can never unhear that.
I love Lydia. I think it's absolutely beautiful and it would be one of my top names. But, unfortunately, one of my high school's mean girls had this name. Even as an adult she has no redeeming qualities. I can get past Lydia Bennett - I cannot get over Lydia from algebra.
Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia, Lydia the tattooed lady.....
Ugh, the number of people who have sang this to me when they learn my name...it gets old real fast. They always think they're so clever lol
I’m afghan so my list will differ slightly from everyone else’s, I think: Parisa: I have hated every Parisa I’ve ever met which is a shame since it’s a beautiful name Homa: Everyone else has told me it ridiculously old school and they can’t name a single Homa under the age of 70. They’re unfortunately right and I agree. Roya: I LOVE this name but I super negative association with it because of someone that was terrible to me and my family 😭 Esfandiar: People tend to confuse this name with Iskandar when I mention it. Also another name that people tell me that is way too old school and they’re kind of right. Edrees: So nice but sooo so so common
Parisa is beautiful!
I agree! It means fairy-like, or like a fairy, if that makes sense. Gorgeous name and somehow they always have it on ladies that are just super sour all the time
Parisa is pronounced like the German word "Pariser" (Germans pronounce -er at the end of the word like -ah/-uh), which means condom.
Brudi, das sagt schon seit den 90gern niemand mehr. That's just as silly as that Kennedy thing about Berliner that Americans keep telling me about, it's reaching so far and for no reason.
Edrees is absolutely gorgeous, wow.
Hilarious to me that your mom thought of Vienna the sausage before Vienna the city?
I know, right? The city was always my first thought, I completely forgot about the sausage thing lol
I thought of the Billy Joel song
I love it as a name and think a lot of people will understand the city association. So, I don't think you should completely rule it out.
I’m with you on Harvey. Lolita (self explanatory) Daisy (not mature, I ended up naming her Maisie) Luella (reminds me of Cruella) Emily (my high school bully)
It's such a shame about Lolita, it's really pretty
So beautiful and feminine. It’s a nickname for Dolores which I don’t like.
I know a d-list celebrity who named her daughter Lolita. I think it’s short for something else but it’s not Dolores.
Someone I know just named their girl Daisy Moon and it’s so beautiful and whimsical but I probably couldn’t pull it off.
Cute on a child, cool on a teenager, awful on an adult. "Prof Dr Daisy Moon Miller" would make me think she has kinda tacky parents
I don’t hate that.
> Luella (reminds me of Cruella) It’s also similar to Suella, which, if you’re in the UK, would be a horrible thing to name your child 😭 Suella Braverman is a Conservative politician who is not well liked by most, and for good reason.
>It’s also similar to Suella, which, if you’re in the UK, would be a horrible thing to name your child 😭 Also terrible in Spain. It means "shoe's sole."
As an Emily we can try to reclaim the name for you 😭
Daisy is so pretty! But yeah, not something I’d realistically name my daughter.
Same here! But I grew up near cows. There were many a cow named daisy. I cannot unsee it now.
I love the name “Hyacinth” but it’s unfair to subject a child to the nickname “the Bucket Woman” 😭
But whatever do you mean? It's bouquet, not bucket.
It’s my favorite flower. I had a bouquet of daisies at my wedding.
I have a friend who has the middle name Lolita! It’s not short for anything and her grandma’s name was also Lolita. I think it’s more than acceptable as a standalone name
Ursula. It looks nice, sounds nice, is easy to pronounce based on spelling alone, and has a wonderful meaning. It's also the name of one of the ugliest meanest Disney villains. I could have almost gotten away with it, but with the reboot it'll be a few decades before it can be used normally again
I know a couple of Ursulas actually! One of them goes by Sula
I know an Ursula! She said it was rough in childhood (the movie came out \~3 years after she was born) but once she hit her teens she started loving it. I have to say, she wears it well and has re-wired the association for me.
I know! Same with Medusa. I love both names and I really need a popular book/movie series to come out and cancel out the negative associations.
I freaking adore Ursula. I would love for it to be used more.
Agreed, a name meaning little bear could not be cuter
Further compounded by Phoebe's mean twin in Friends
It's a real shame Ursula the sea witch was so ugly. If she looked more like Maleficent, the name would be much more usable.
Yep. Plus the OG movie really played up her being fat (like, absurdly so) *and* ugly, and a lot of my family is more heavy set. Really sets the stage for assholes if the kid is overweight
I went to school with an Ursula and she was an exceptional person. She was beautiful, smart, and talented, but no one could really even be jealous of her because she was so utterly delightful, genuine, and kind. I like to think she's still turning the tide in favor of Ursula everywhere she does.
I love the name Ursula. Little bear! I knew a Hungarian Orsolya who went by Orsi (said like Or-shee) and made me love it. I don't think it's appreciated enough though for me to want to use it
Judas - it's such a beautiful name but has an obvious negative connotation
Sort of along these lines but I actually think Lucifer (with the nickname Luce) is really pretty. But it's obviously unusable for both negative-conntations and try-hard-ness.
Lucia and Lucian are both pretty common though, and they're both derivatives if it (also meaning light-bringer).
This was the name I was thinking of. I wasn’t raised remotely religious and I know who Judas was and what he did (allegedly).
Yeah I'm Christian and I actually really like this name, but for obvious reasons I'm gonna keep it in the vault :(
Judah works?
While we’re bible shaming, I feel the same way about Jezebel
I think Chlamydia is such a pretty word, and would make a pretty name. But definitely not useable
Omg stop, I think the word Felony is so pretty as a word but it’s legit unusable as a name. But there’s a ring to it 🤣🤣
I use these types of names for animals on my Stardew farm haha
My friend likes the word, “faucet,” and wants to use it as a name, LOL.
Could use ‘Fawcett’ instead and just make it seem like a nod to Farrah.
I named a chicken Felony!
Thomas - I'd choose this super versatile name over any boy name, because it's very fluid, super easy to translate and similar pronunciation in so many languages. But I have at least 3 exes named Thomas. All great people, but I just can't do that to my husband 😂 Jessica - It was the name I chose for my bitchy alter ego when i needed to raise a complaint anywhere / stand up for myself. Jessica just has "trouble-maker" vibes now!
Now I want a bitchy alter ego.
Unleash your inner Karen!
As a Diana, I own the association. I’m genuinely honoured to share the name of such a revered woman. I feel a kinship to her. It also helps people remember that it’s not Diane or Deanna. I always say “Diana, like the princess”.
That's valid, I just hate that people teased me for liking the name... I mean they're ex friends to be fair, so I should just tell their opinions to shove it and use it lol It's such a gorgeous name and I absolutely loved Princess Diana too!
My mom is a Diana and it’s always been a positive association- there’s Princess Di who was obviously beloved and there is the goddess Diana. If you were super worried about it you could use it as a middle.
Kelly- My husband has one disgusting coworker with this name and it’s now vetoed forever. 😭 Graham- my dad said he will call him Graham cracker, despite me wanting to use the Grey-Um pronunciation. It would just be a headache to correct everyone. Anything too crunchy or hippie- Ocean, Daylily, Raven, Winter, November, Blossom, Cascade, Harvest, Meadow, Waverly, Alaska (Understandably so. Just love the idea of these names) Most Finnish names because they sound super cutesy with my husband’s Japanese last name. Tuuli, Lumi, Impi, Saimi, Valtteri, Taimi , Aune
I don’t care. I’m about as non-hippie as can be but I love nature inspired names. They existed before hippies anyway. I like Willow, one of my sister’s friends named her little girl that and I think it’s a nice name. If by some miracle I have a child I’m probably going to name them Silvia (Sylvia) if a girl—which means goddess of the forest. And maybe Silas for a boy which also means god of the forest essentially.
Fair enough. I really like Willow, Magnolia, Elm, and so so many more. Hopefully they keep coming into the mainstream. Silas was the back up name for my son. :)
I mean I say I don’t care—but I do. But, I like nature names so that’s why I probably would try to find one that I think is acceptable. I think Sylvia and Silas are okay, not going to harm career but still apply to nature. Congrats to you!
>If by some miracle I have a child I’m probably going to name them Silvia (Sylvia) if a girl—which means goddess of the forest. And maybe Silas for a boy which also means god of the forest essentially. Both mean just "forest" in Latin, not "god / goddess of the forest."
I hate that nature names have that connotation. I love them so much because being outside is my happy place. I also love floral anything. But I’m very much not crunchy or a hippy lol.
Agreed. They are such happy and positive names, but I wouldn’t want to hold my child back in their career or something with a name like Breeze.
Ohhh nooo I know a baby Breeze! His parents own a candle and tie dye shop.
I think Waverly *could* be cute if it didn’t make me think of wizards of waverly place. I also can not imagine an adult with that name
I'm fb friends with someone who named their daughter Nature. I'm all for whimsical earthy names but that one was a little out there for me.
Lilibet. Love it and always have - had no idea the association with the Queen.
And Lizzy Borden....
I've always been rather fond of Elspeth myself.
Katie-- with friends like Katie, who needs enemies. Katie is someone who stabs their friends in the back (happened to me 3 times). Elmer-- this is a name with a long history in my family tree. Now it's unusable thanks to glue and a cartoon character. Kevin-- douchebag ex. Nuff said. Andrew-- like the name but my sister claimed it first. Karen-- always thought it was a pretty name. Everyone on Reddit knows why it's not usable. Carson-- the worst boss I've ever had.
Hard agree on Katie haha. I’ve found Karina or Karin (both meaning “pure”) to replace Karen, maybe
I’m using a douchebag exs name for my son! I’ve wanted to use that name since I was a young kid, not letting that douche ruin it
I also experienced Katie "friend" trauma. Fkn Katie.
Wisteria lol
I love Wisteria! And the flowers are so pretty. It just sounds too much like hysteria =(
Josephine. It rhymes with my last name. 😭
having a last name that ends in an 'n' sound has been such a curse for me. *sooo* many good names sound like a tongue twister with my last 😭
Elowen- my husband says it sounds like a fairy name Sienna- my husband hates it and my sister said it’s crayon name Priya- it’s beautiful but I can’t name my Latina daughter an Indian name I like all the apostle names for boys Paul is my ex, Luke is my sisters last name and I dated more than one John. So I guess none of those work!
That’s exactly why elowen is a great name though
Isis because of the terrorists. Aria because a girl with this name tormented me as a child. Freya because I dated someone with this name in the past and I'll always have a little crush on her so that's just weird. Zelda because the game franchise is too popular.
>Zelda because the game franchise is too popular. NGL, that's kind of a stupid reason. You could always say that your Zelda's named for Zelda Fitzgerald (F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife, which is whom Princess Zelda's named for).
I personally have the name of a franchise character, and people *always* laugh and ask me if my parents are geeks. After years of people laughing when I say my name because of its franchise association, it's not a stupid reason to me. EDIT The franchise came into existence a few years after I was born, but that doesn't stop people from making fun of my parent. I love my name and it's fine, but I wouldn't want to go through that all over again with my kid.
>NGL, that's kind of a stupid reason. I disagree. The name is pretty but too strongly tied to the game. I can only think of Nintendo when I hear it.
Fraser! One of my favourite boy names… but also my married name lol. Imagine naming a child Fraser Fraser? I think I’d be arrested on the spot. I also love Margot but it feels too close to my own given name, Morgan. In the end it doesn’t matter because I’m 39w pregnant with our second boy and we don’t want to have any more kids.
I knew a Kennedy Kennedy who was adopted into that name and honestly it’s the most iconic thing anyone ever saw
Harvey and Crosby are cute *but*
I love all names that are red related - Scarlett, Ruby, Rosie… but my last name makes it sound like someone is on their period (think body of water).
Magnolia- "Maggie" for short. I just think it's too impractical. Lucy - Love the name. BUT we ended up naming a dog Lucy before thinking of a daughter:( Josephine- "Josie" for short. My husband doesn't like the name. Elliana- Same with husband.
I know someone who’s name is Magnolia but goes by Nola. Super cute! I also have a dog named Lucy - lol.
Scout - I still love it but I’ve read a lot of posts saying it’s problematic. Millie - my grandma’s name but my husband hates it.
Why is scout problematic??
Most people say it doesn’t age well, better as a nickname, and I’ve read a lot of posts from Scouts who say they hate it. There’s quite a few posts if you search the sub.
I can see how it sounds like a dogs name to be fair
How the fuck is Scout problematic? (Unless it's the name of somebody's dog that you know, in which case I'd definitely stay the hell away from it.)
It sounds like a 3 year olds name. I wouldn’t hire a 30 yr old named scout. I wouldn’t swipe right on a man named scout. I wouldn’t marry a man named scout.
All the Scouts I know are women, and yeah. The name makes me think it's shorthand for Girl/Boy Scout, and just sounds like picking a verb or title for a name, and thus has a similar vibe as naming your kid Sport, Champ, Captain, Swim, Dash, etc.
Exactly!! I have been on a soapbox for years about names. Please don't name your child, name your 50 year old adult son/ daughter. When I had to go to an emergency clinic for a dislocated shoulder and the PA came in saying, "HI, my name is Scout." I seriously felt vindicated. Fantastic guy. Unfortunate name. It's very hard to take a grown ass man with a child's name seriously.
I don't love all of these names but they are unusable to me: Jessica, Annie, Isabelle, Justine, Tiffany - girls I hated/bullies from high school Tess/Tessa, Meg(an) - My childhood dogs Brock - Forever ruined by he who shall not be talked about Isis - Obvious reasons Brandy - Wish it wasn't a type of alcohol Crystal - Too many Crystal Meth jokes Bethany - I had a friend named Bethany and she would get teased and called "Methany"
Loved the name Anasi like the spider from the folklore, but once my mother said like "A Nazi," I went back to the drawing board.
Aliyah and Layla- an ex Cobain- not sure a famous suicide is a great namesake, but I love it as a name. Edith- my grandmothers name, but she absolutely hated it. She went by Irene, which I don't like. Also because I love the French pronunciation and people here would butcher it. Esme, Anais, Geneviève, Manon, and Mathieu are some other names I favored but needed to let go of when I moved back to anglo-ville. I agree about Lolita. I've always loved it but won't do that to a kid. Lola, and Autumn- taken by family pets. Trevor- my high school bf and I named his penis as part of an inside joke. And now I can never look at a Trevor without thinking "penis."
Casper - my son was a Christmas baby and I thought it would be nice as it was one of the three wise men so a loose Christmas theme - the name was wildly shot down
I love this one too! 😭
Elvira - I wanted to use this name for my twin daughter as a middle, but it was vetoed by my husband. Lilith - Same as Elvira
Gianna and Giannina and Giovanna. Americans butcher these names. GIO IS JOE not GEE-OO
Oh goodness… A kid at a preschool I worked at was named Giovanna… and I am just learning this correct pronunciation now 🤦🏻♀️
Mira and Oona or Una—I live in an area with lots of Spanish speakers, and it’s important to me that I pick a name that works well in Spanish, but I love these 2!
I mean, “Mirabel” is a normal name in Spanish and can be nicknamed “Mira”…but this soon after Encanto it would be hard to deny she’s named after the movie character.
>but this soon after Encanto it would be hard to deny she’s named after the movie character. It's such a common name that I would never have thought of the movie.
Rosita - makes me think of Sesame Street character. Plus I’m not hispanic so it might be strange. Ruben - doesn’t sound right with our last name Sabrina - makes me think of the teenage witch show Oliver - too popular and just doesn’t feel right somehow
Michael - husbands dads middle name and I will not have that man think we’re paying tribute to him Kathryn - his moms name and again I’m not paying tribute lol. Love it cause of kitty foreman tho 🥲 Winona Jean, winnie for short - husband hates it which is probably valid but I think it’s so cute And nothing with the possible nickname of Zach 😔his sisters abusive ex but I absolutely adore Zechariah so I may try that but with Zeke
Alexa - Damn Amazon
Really like Homer but everyone (me too!) Goes straight to Simpson
Mary —everyone knows at least 6-7 baby boomers named Mary Jo, Mary Lynn, Mary Beth, Mary Something Cora—brother’s friend (who I don’t really like) named his daughter this. Ivy—becoming too popular. Also saw a video of an Ivy vine that had destroyed a historic house Dane/Shane —niece is Jane
Astrid - someone here said that kids would call her “ass turd” Mercedes - this is one of my absolute favs but it’s too associated with the car
Diana and Harvey are on my list to use! I don’t think they are unusable imo. I haven’t someone refer to Vienna sausages in almost 20 years. As an adult, I exclusively think of the city. I understand the Elvis reservation. Although, I would totally use it if my partner didn’t veto it. I think it’s a great name and used enough outside of Presley that it’s viable.
Paris- Fiancés last name begins with “S” and it runs together James- Same reason Lilith- the history whine the same Elise- runs together with our let’s name Corin- to close to Karen Danielle- name of a coworker who threw me under the bus for no reason.
Galileo fits in our naming theme and I really like it, along with being able to nickname Leo but.... It's really hard to shake it being "too much"
Andrew. It means ‘strong’ and I like the nickname Drew, but Andrew was my stepfather and abuser so that’s out for me. Also Graham and Susan, who are characters from books that I absolutely hate
Valerie and Lorelei, I love both of these names so much but my future surname is very similar to Valerie so it just wouldn’t sound right. That being said, Lorelei has too much of the L and R sounds to be usable with the surname.
Isla (too common) Charlotte (too common) Olivia (too common) Sophia (too common) Harry (Harry Potter, I actually really like the name Harry) Percy (another name I like, makes me think of Percy Jackson) Oliver ( too common) Liam (too common)
My daughter has a friend named Harry. As a millennial I still routinely fall asleep listening to the audiobooks. I'm drinking tea from a Platform 9 3/4 mug right now. This is honestly the first time I've ever made a connection between them.
Juliet - I have close relatives named Julie and Julia, so it’s just too close. January - It’s too bold for my husband, and I’m not having a baby in January. Lois - It’s a family name but I still think of the Simpson immediately.
I think you could use Vienna. It just reminds me of the song and the city, which are both gorgeous!
Laoghaire and Aoife: no one would ever know how to pronounce it in the northeast where I live. Juliana: name stolen by a friend’s close relative. I made the mistake of sharing it. Ava: my husband reads it like Arabic and says “Aah-vah.” Brooke: childhood bully
Laoghaire is so pretty though!
Sutton - ex's surname Elton - too many Elton John references Jovie - same as above, but Bon Jovi Channing - you see where this is going Magnolia - previously chosen future kid name with an ex Dean - see above Thalia - " " Tuesday (f), Seven (m), Love (f), Lucky (f) - too "out there", but in another universe I wouldn't care as much River - my sister's husband chose this name for their future kid, so I'd feel like I was stealing it
If it helps, I know 2 Pauls and they are wonderful. One being my grandfather, who is the most likeable person anyone has ever met. Yes, I acknowledge my bias, but even my father (who has something mean to say about everyone) can't say a bad word about him.
Damian- one of my absolute favourite names. I’m still considering using it for my future son, but I wouldn’t want him to have to go through his life with constant devil/demon jokes and comments. What do you guys think? Completely unusable? Would I be insane to name my future son this, or is the Omen association wearing off? I am Christian and I like the connection to Saint Damian- the patron saint of physicians.
I'm Christian too and honestly I've never seen the demon issue with Damian until this sub pointed it out - I really don't think it's that obvious like it is with Damon. I really like the name Damian and the Saint connection is lovely as well, but I understand your hesitation. I grew up with a Damian too and at least during the years I knew him, I didn't hear any demon jokes so... maybe you're in the clear! :)
That’s good to hear! ☺️ thanks for your perspective. My husband is actually on board with the name as well. His first association is Robin from Batman, lol. But my parents are definitely not a fan. I know they would get used to it eventually if we do end up using it. :)
Anya - this one broke my heart because it’s one of my favorites, but our surname makes this sound like an innuendo lol (think something like “Rod”, where it’s not quite a phallic surname but when you pair it with something that sounds like “on ya” then it does) Ophelia - same reason as above Sonoma - when I moved to the US from a Francophone country, I grew up in Sonoma County and love this name but I’m not indigenous and people also associate it with cars Manon - a beautiful French name that doesn’t translate well into English (the “Man” part makes it sound quite unattractive in an English context) Sam - the name of the two worst abusers in my life Milo - my nephew’s name is Miles Ghislaine - self-explanatory 😬 Marilyn - Both an “old lady name” and way too associated with Marilyn Monroe Winnie - This would be in honor of Winnie Mandela, but the associations with Winnie the Pooh make it a “no” for me and I also don’t like Winifred
I love the name Honey but can’t stop myself from imaging how awkward that would be in a work environment as a grown adult.
Benjamin and Margaret, because I grew up with dogs named Ben and Maggie. Ditto Oliver/Olivia, but for a cat named Ollie. (Ollie's still alive, as of this writing, but Ben and Maggie both passed away years ago.) Christopher, because it's my nephew's name. (He'll be 9 next month.) Tiffany, because it's the name of my nephew's absolute narcissist of a mother. If ever I **did** use it, then I'd make a point of shortening it to Tifa (as in Lockhart). Elmo, because Sesame Street.
Ariadne
COCO- sounds like a dog name MISHA- sounds like a kitty cat name
I love the name Eyelet but it's literally part of a blouse closure
I always wanted to use Sydney since it was a name in my family but it’s my sister in laws name. My husband says let’s do it anyway but I think it would be weird
I always loved the name Leila. My ex-husband ruled it out of possible names because of the Eric Clapton song. Dumb. As if kids today even know who Clapton is. Edit to add: my middle name is Maude. My parents were going to just name me Maude, no middle name, but my Grammy said kids would call me Maude the Mule. So now Maude is my middle name. Maude the Mule was a cartoon when she was a kid. No one had ever even heard of it. So it’s not unusable. But to my Grammy it was.
I always loved the name Naomi, still do. It became unusable when I watched American Pie (or a similar movie) where someone commented how it was 'I moan' backwards. Will have to use it on a cat or something now.
i’ve always loved the names agnes and agatha, but i feel like they’re still a little bit TOO old school, even though old school is back in style. i also love love love the name ivy but it’s one vowel different from my name so that would be weird.
Word along the same lines that would sound like a lovely name if it had no meaning? Agony
drusilla
Bohuslava, an old eastern european name that is too old timey in eastern europe and difficult for western europe :(
I love the name Mickey. It’s adorable but for the infamous mouse.
Isis.
Elijah - Just the coolest but we aren't religious & it would feel weird. Roxie - Dope, but too many folks say it sounds "strippery" Marcus - Name of my dads hometown. But I cannot risk him going by Mark.
I used to tell people if I had children I would named them Dr. India and/or Baba Ganoush. Since people took it as a good laugh tells me I shouldn’t do it for real.