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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Names You Would Never Use

186 replies

AubernFable · 02/02/2025 02:16

I am an absolute name nerd and love hearing other people’s preferences, but instead of being boring and asking for your favourite, I want to hear your least favourite baby names.

Disclaimer: I am not encouraging anyone to hate on anyone’s name choices—everyone has different tastes and it makes life interesting. I just want to hear the names that you personally dislike or would never use.

Some of my least favourites…

Boys

Hunter – also see Gunner or any other violence-based, American-sounding name (Nameberry Baby Name Trends 2025)
Kai – Jax and similar three-letter names
Kayden – Jayden, Brayden
Archie/Teddy – shortened names in general
George – just don’t like it

Girls

Luna – and Nova sound like pet names to me
Emma – Olivia and Amelia type names, just because I know so many DC with those names
Savannah – I don’t know why
Francesca – weird because it’s similar to names I love
Poppy, Rosie, Ruby – cute but I feel like they don’t suit adults
Angel – also see Honey or Princess (all real DC)

In general, I don’t like unique spellings or really modern names like Graeyson, Blakely, Azra, or Kyndall.

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ERthree · 02/02/2025 14:46

Phyliss is to much like Syphilis and Senga is just Agnes backwards.

theduchessofspork · 02/02/2025 14:45

Babyish names as full names for girls - Darcy, Lily

Aggressive or very hard sounding names for boys - Hunter, Ryan

Boys’ names given to girls - until it’s as Ok to give girls’ names to boys, it’s an underlining of assumed male superiority.

I’m not mad about nicknames as full names, although I think this might be because as part of some research I had to do for work, it was v noticeable that working class kids in 19th C Britain often got called Molly or whatever, because it was assumed they’d never be in any situation that needed a formal name. Same as in the US - enslaved people were often only given short forms, when they were freed they often adopted full names to say I am a full person, just like you. I appreciate it doesn’t have this association to others..

I don’t like names without some sort of history or meaning either (I don’t mind made up names, if there’s thought behind them, but I am interested in language so that’s probably why.

Plaided · 02/02/2025 14:45

Frilly, flowery, or too many vowel names like Genevieve, Petunia, Arabella, Jessica, Kayleigh, Annemarie, Bethany, Lucinda, Bianca. They sound ok on children, but I don’t think works as well on an adult.

Generic, popular names from the 70/80/90s, like Daniel, Graham, Mark, James, Gary, Stephen, Alexander, Andy, Chris, Nicholas. We have about 3 of each at work, it gets a bit confusing (and I find the names a bit dull!).

Kindofembarrasing · 02/02/2025 14:39

Whoarethoseguys · 02/02/2025 14:32

I don't understand the point of this thread and think it's quite cruel and judgemental.

Just a bit of fun both of my children's names have been mentioned on here plus my own I expect to see the husband's soon.

Kindofembarrasing · 02/02/2025 14:38

DinaofCloud9 · 02/02/2025 13:53

Olive
Dulcie
Elizabeth
Grace
They are all so harsh sounding.

Albert
Jayden
William

Oh yeah can't stand olive either why would you name your daughter after a small oily piece of food

Whoarethoseguys · 02/02/2025 14:32

I don't understand the point of this thread and think it's quite cruel and judgemental.

Kindofembarrasing · 02/02/2025 14:31

Unisex names Alex, Sam etc

Especially hate when girls are given typical boys names Charlie, billy etc just don't understand out of the hundreds of pretty girls names why would a parent choose a boy's name

Ineedashero · 02/02/2025 14:29

you can tell a lot about the parent from the name they choose for their child

Notgivenuphope · 02/02/2025 14:27

AubernFable · 02/02/2025 14:26

I think Robbie is cute but I wouldn’t use it, Robert isn’t nice.

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I have a friend who is Robert, goes by Rob.
I have no problem with names like Daniel > Dan, William > Will, Thomas > Tom. It’s just the ‘ie’ nicknames that put my teeth on edge.

whiteswan87 · 02/02/2025 14:26

Linda
Laura
Chloe
Kayleigh
Lottie
Olivia
Eva

Eric
James
Kyden
Logan
Liam
Callum
William

Original poster
AubernFable · 02/02/2025 14:26

Notgivenuphope · 02/02/2025 14:22

Anything ending in ‘ie’

I think Robbie is cute but I wouldn’t use it, Robert isn’t nice.

OP posts:
Original poster
AubernFable · 02/02/2025 14:24

Vulvasaur · 02/02/2025 14:06

Olive - can't shake the olive oyl association
Ethel
Veronica
Cheryl/Cheryl
Eileen/Aileen
Riley
Jordan
Morgan

Rupert - too posh
Patrick - Pat, like cow pat
Bodhi
Jax/jaxon
Grayson
Albie etc - babyish
Gordon
Brian

Me and my daughter have unshortened and tricky (seemingly) to spell/pronounce names. Mine gets shortened by others without consent, maybe hers will too! If I hadn't been on so much morphine I may have chosen something 'easier' for her 😅

I actually really like Veronica and Rupert but I’ve been told Veronica sounds like a mean girls name and Rupert may get bullied so I’d probably avoid.

My name is long and frilly, everyone absolutely loves it but I also got stuck with the typical NN which is far less pretty. I won’t let anyone NN my DC until they can decide for themselves.

OP posts:
Notgivenuphope · 02/02/2025 14:22

Anything ending in ‘ie’

Original poster
AubernFable · 02/02/2025 14:19

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 02/02/2025 14:09

He's probably spent his entire life being called Lucy. I'd probably act out a bit too.

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I’m trying to picture him as a toddler

‘Come on Lucifer, lets sit on the carpet and read a story’
‘Night, night Lucifer, I love you.’
’Lucifer, no. We have to hold hands in the street it’s dangerous.’

Wild.

OP posts:
Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 02/02/2025 14:09

AubernFable · 02/02/2025 13:39

I shouldn’t laugh but wow, his parents really set him up for a bright future and he’s living up to it like a champ.

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He's probably spent his entire life being called Lucy. I'd probably act out a bit too.

Vulvasaur · 02/02/2025 14:06

Olive - can't shake the olive oyl association
Ethel
Veronica
Cheryl/Cheryl
Eileen/Aileen
Riley
Jordan
Morgan

Rupert - too posh
Patrick - Pat, like cow pat
Bodhi
Jax/jaxon
Grayson
Albie etc - babyish
Gordon
Brian

Me and my daughter have unshortened and tricky (seemingly) to spell/pronounce names. Mine gets shortened by others without consent, maybe hers will too! If I hadn't been on so much morphine I may have chosen something 'easier' for her 😅

anonny55 · 02/02/2025 14:04

I really don't like ottillie either which seems so popular atm. Don't even know if I spelt that correct😂

Original poster
AubernFable · 02/02/2025 14:00

DinaofCloud9 · 02/02/2025 13:53

Olive
Dulcie
Elizabeth
Grace
They are all so harsh sounding.

Albert
Jayden
William

Dulcie should be on my list at the start, just awful. I have a young relative called Olive and it doesn’t suit her at all- she’s a real tomboy.

William is terrible, I know about 20 guys called Will now as it was so popular when I was growing up. See also Thomas, Jacob, Benjamin and Daniel.

OP posts:
Original poster
AubernFable · 02/02/2025 13:55

Embley · 02/02/2025 13:42

Yeah tbh it makes no difference to me, I like my name and my kids like theirs. For every name in the land they’ll be a bunch of people that don’t like it. Some names are completely inoffensive but I don’t like them because of people I’ve met called that eg Helen, Jenny and Olivia 😂

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Thankyou, and I’m glad you weren’t offended 🤍 I work with children and have met so many DC with names I don’t like on paper but as soon as you know the child it just becomes uniquely ‘theirs’ and becomes more likeable.

Thats so real, one person can ruin a name I have loved forever.

OP posts:
BeyondMyWits · 02/02/2025 13:54

Weirdly placed "y" I know from my time as a dinner lady - Jayden, Allyson, and an odd year with a Mason, Mayson and Masyn...

DinaofCloud9 · 02/02/2025 13:53

Olive
Dulcie
Elizabeth
Grace
They are all so harsh sounding.

Albert
Jayden
William

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 02/02/2025 13:50

I'm fairly easy going with names. I might think 'oh dear' when I first hear them and then it just stops being a name and becomes a label that fits that particular baby. But if it comes to names I would never use - that would be anything that sounds as though I was either giving birth to a baby that was going to stay a baby forever (so twiddly little overly cute names) or giving birth to a Labrador.

EmiliaRuusuvuori · 02/02/2025 13:46

Old lady names, especially ones that are blunt and harsh sounding. I've got one and I absolutely hate it.

Embley · 02/02/2025 13:42

AubernFable · 02/02/2025 13:15

I don’t think so at all, I was trying to avoid bashing and I haven’t seen any. Even people whose DC’s names have been on the thread have joked about it and added the names they don’t like- it’s all in good fun.

My naming style has been thrown in there, someone doesn’t like frilly names with multiple middle names and that’s my both my name and naming style- it’s not deep.

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Yeah tbh it makes no difference to me, I like my name and my kids like theirs. For every name in the land they’ll be a bunch of people that don’t like it. Some names are completely inoffensive but I don’t like them because of people I’ve met called that eg Helen, Jenny and Olivia 😂

Onceuponatimethen · 02/02/2025 13:41

I have an irrational dislike of L sounds in some names eg Luke, Logan. Just hate the sound of them.

Anything too cute is a bit cruel to inflict on the dc for when they are an adult. Eg Dottie as a full name.

Always interesting when people use their favourite name from when they were a child, which is now dated. So eg names like Nicola which were very popular in the 70s and 80s for a child born now. I’ve come across this recently with a few names like this (not Nicola!)