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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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Chuchoter · 02/02/2025 03:36

Asher.
Jake.
Nadine
Danica

Mingenious · 02/02/2025 03:36

Jordan or Morgan. I’ve always thought they were both beautiful names but have been totally ruined.

Pinkl · 02/02/2025 03:32

I’ve come to realises i think of Annabelle as a child’s name and not an adult’s. There is a mum called Annabelle at my children’s school and every time there is mention of her or a message from her pop up on WhatsApp I immediately think of pupils at the school with the name which makes no sense as why would a child be on a parent group discussing bake sales etc 😀

I don’t get the popularity of George but I like Georgina .

CindereIIa · 02/02/2025 03:14

Yalta · 02/02/2025 03:04

All the old lady names that seem to be popular

I remember the old women they belonged to and they were horrible people

Should have added old people names to my long essay above! Can't believe I forgot. I can't stand odd fuddy names. They are all so frumpy.

CindereIIa · 02/02/2025 03:13

I agree with all of your OP, OP, apart from Francesca, which I absolutely love.

I don't like anything top ten - of even top 20, really. I think we should have a law that says that if it was in the top 10 the previous year, it is not allowed for ten years, and parents have to choose something more original.

I don't like biblical/religious names.
I don't like royal names.

I don't like hyphenated first names (fine for surnames).

I don't like names 'honouring' people - just pick a nice name on its merit. I especially don't like middle names honouring people where the names are truly ugly but the parents are martyring their child to the altar of great aunt Gertrude just to have some link. Give the child their own name!

I don't like names where there are more than one spelling of them - e.g. Katherine/Kathryn/Catherine. I don't like names that have to be spelled - it should be obvious how to spell a name.

I don't like names that don't give the child options for a shortening.

I cannot abide names where the child is named after their parent, making them an X Junior. Yuck. Especially yuck if the child is called Junior.

I don't like no middle names either! Ideally people should have two middle names, and at least one of those should be fun and whimsical.

Dull filler middle names like Rose, May, Louise. Dullllllll.

I don't like it when siblings have matching initials.

I don't like it when siblings' names don't 'go' together nicely.

Yalta · 02/02/2025 03:04

All the old lady names that seem to be popular

I remember the old women they belonged to and they were horrible people

Original poster
AubernFable · 02/02/2025 02:54

TheaBrandt · 02/02/2025 02:44

Eve/Sophie/Grace/Amelia/olivia and any Isabel name. Totally overused wallpaper names. Every other girl called one of these. So dull.

Also can’t bear cutesy ditsy names that are cringe on adult women Poppy/ Daisy/Honey

Yeah agree with all of these, can’t imagine a 36 year old Honey, Angel or Cash for a man.

OP posts:
Original poster
AubernFable · 02/02/2025 02:45

Also! I forgot I’m not a fan of no middle names, or just one short one but that’s just a personal preference for longer names, with two middle names.

OP posts:
TheaBrandt · 02/02/2025 02:44

Eve/Sophie/Grace/Amelia/olivia and any Isabel name. Totally overused wallpaper names. Every other girl called one of these. So dull.

Also can’t bear cutesy ditsy names that are cringe on adult women Poppy/ Daisy/Honey

Original poster
AubernFable · 02/02/2025 02:38

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

I don’t hate girls with boyish names, I think Rory on a girl is very sweet but I would never use it. James isn’t pretty on either gender IMO.

I forgot about double surnames though, completely agree!

OP posts:
username462025 · 02/02/2025 02:29

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.