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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU - to ask you for your worst girl and boy names

484 replies

Mirrorlolo · 22/08/2026 08:38

Asking on behalf of DD who is expecting. What are in your view the worst girl and boy names. for me they are the made up ones like Nevaeh and Jayden

OP posts:
sugarapplelane · 22/08/2026 12:46

Wayne, Gary, Dwayne, Lee, Jason, Darren

IStillHearTheWaves · 22/08/2026 12:47

ginasevern · 22/08/2026 12:34

Well by that logic people wouldn't have dreamt of calling their kids Elsie, Ada, Archie or Wilfred until fairly recently. Not only were they very, very old lady and old man names, but most of them were considered quite ugly. If you'd picked any of them maybe 12 years ago most people would've said WTF. Yet here we are, with every other kid called something along those lines.

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Give it a decade or so and the Keiths and Barries will be back 😅

CillianMurphyhasbeautifuleyes · 22/08/2026 12:47

nameobsessed · 22/08/2026 12:36

I get the appeal, easy to spell and blend in with any age group.

However in my family names are quite the big deal, my mother gave me an unusual but classic long name and I have been complimented on it my whole life. When I tell receptionists my name it’s almost always followed by a compliment, same when meeting new people. I hated it growing up (it’s very feminine and I have always been a tomboy!) but it has had real benefits as an adult and I have grown to love it and have similar tastes.

I never liked names that would have to be followed with the last initial (Katie P or Thomas H) because there are three in the class, I have only met one other person with the same first name as me in my entire life. I know so many Jacks, Luke’s and Ryan’s that they are hard to remember/keep track of. I also prefer names that have multiple nickname options for them to choose from.

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That’s funny because I deliberately chose names for my DC that couldn’t be shortened 🤣

One of them has one of your listed names and for a long time was the only one in the school with that name. DC is 21 now, for context.

Rpop · 22/08/2026 12:48

SkyLark79 · 22/08/2026 09:12

All the ones that sound like surnames. Cooper, Tanner, Taylor etc. just no! X

Yes, that’s what I was going to say. Bailey, cooper, Tyler.

AnitaCam · 22/08/2026 12:50

Calliopespa · 22/08/2026 12:30

I don't mind Allegra. It means cheerful.

I think if people think of a brand name before the real meaning, that's kind of on them.

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What’s on them?!

PlantsHaveTakenOverMyHome · 22/08/2026 12:51

NormasArse · 22/08/2026 11:49

There are names that have sounds that make me uncomfortable, and I’ve no idea why. Caleb is one of those. I wonder whether I met an evil Caleb in a previous life…

There was an evil character called Caleb in the last series of Buffy!

TooMatchaMatcha · 22/08/2026 12:52

Maud and Agnes. Just incredibly drab, ugly names.

Abracadabra12345 · 22/08/2026 12:55

Calliopespa · 22/08/2026 12:29

Sebastien is a name that has had a real bashing in this regard. It has changed demographic.

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I always think of the beautiful song “Sebastian” by Steve Harley. We had a little boy in our preschool called Sebastian. Lovely name.

Francestein · 22/08/2026 12:56

When I was pregnant with my first, we had certain family believing we were naming it Cletus. (DH & I referred to the baby as Cletus the Foetus until we found out it was a girl, but we kept the real name secret until she was born.)

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 22/08/2026 12:57

Havanananana · 22/08/2026 11:01

Mercedes - the car - is named after a person, Mercedes Jellinek, whose father was involved in racing and marketing the earlier cars. It is a common name in Spanish-speaking countries.

"Bear" is also common in Europe - as Björn/Bjørn/Bjorn in Scandinavia, Netherlands and Germany, and Urs in Switzerland. Ursula is the feminine form (Ursula Andress, Ursula von der Leyen, Ursula in The Little Mermaid).

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I told DD this , how cool was it for her Dad to name a brand of car after her ? Do her relatives think when they see a Mercedes drive by " yep that's named after my aunt/ mum/ sister in law etc" )
She was still unimpressed 😆

Abracadabra12345 · 22/08/2026 12:59

TooMatchaMatcha · 22/08/2026 12:52

Maud and Agnes. Just incredibly drab, ugly names.

I agree yet once they were popular. Just why?!

Deidre also fits this and somehow, Maureen

IwanttoWFH · 22/08/2026 12:59

I REALLY dislike the name Maisie. It sounds like a silly, sing-song name. Also don’t like Lily or Rosie.

For boys, Teddy really gets my goat! It’s not a name! Call them Edward or Theodore at least and use Teddy as a nickname. Imagine a 30 year old man being called “Teddy”.
Also dislike Ronnie, Reggie, Harrison and Archie.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 22/08/2026 13:00

ChocolateCinderToffee · 22/08/2026 12:41

Allegra was a woman’s name long before Ford made cars!

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The Allegra was an Austin wasn't it ? Austin Allegra sounds familiar

ScarlettSarah · 22/08/2026 13:01

Mungo is diabolical.

Ella / Ava / Isla (or similar) = no imagination.

dustabsorber · 22/08/2026 13:03

ZeroMotivationWithTeens · 22/08/2026 11:48

Olive - such an ugly name imo whereas Olivia i quite like.

Olive off On The Buses - great character though

Calliopespa · 22/08/2026 13:04

AnitaCam · 22/08/2026 12:50

What’s on them?!

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The joke. Not on the person called Allegra.

It has been a proper name far longer than car: Byron's daughter was Allegra I think.

JudgeJ · 22/08/2026 13:05

DoraSpenlow · 22/08/2026 12:16

Florence. I hate that name with a passion. It is one of mine and my life at school was made a misery when people found out. Was called Florrie or even worse Aunty Flo followed by lots of giggles.

My Auntie Florence was known as Flossy, which sounds even worse these days, flossing wasn't a thing in the 1950s!

Calliopespa · 22/08/2026 13:06

ChocolateCinderToffee · 22/08/2026 12:41

Allegra was a woman’s name long before Ford made cars!

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Exactly.

Different if the child was called Fiesta.

But if Ford suddenly released the Ford David, I don't think that suddenly makes David more the name of a car than a proper name.

DaysIllRememberAllMyLife · 22/08/2026 13:13

I know a baby Berry which is pretty dreadful.

I also used to know a man called Clark which I dislike. I'm not a fan of the name William either. It feels wet and feeble imo.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 22/08/2026 13:15

19lottie82 · 22/08/2026 10:49

I always cringe when I hear Max or Bella, they’re dog names to me.

and when someone calls their son Jackson, I always assume they’re going to be a wrong un.

My FIL said the same. I said nothing but thought " thanks for your input" and ignored it.
My son is very pleased with his name , one other at primary, none at secondary, none at university.
My DD says every bloke she meets with the name is an utter pain in the arse but she's biased 🤣

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 22/08/2026 13:21

Disappointedlama · 22/08/2026 10:34

The made up ones or weird spellings of normal names are obvious.

Personally I don’t like cutesy versions of names as given names (Alfie, Teddy, Libby etc.). In most cases they won’t age well. Just put Alfred, Theodore or Elizabeth on the birth certificate and give the child the option to use the version that suits them as they grow.

Teddy is usually short for Edward.

The usual shortening of Theodore is Theo.

Nocameltoeleggingsplease · 22/08/2026 13:23

Names that are descriptive eg Light, Bright, Happiness. Beauty; incase the child isn’t…

nameobsessed · 22/08/2026 13:23

CillianMurphyhasbeautifuleyes · 22/08/2026 12:47

That’s funny because I deliberately chose names for my DC that couldn’t be shortened 🤣

One of them has one of your listed names and for a long time was the only one in the school with that name. DC is 21 now, for context.

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Names are such a personal thing, tied to family history, social circles and personal preferences. It’s good that we all don’t like the same thing or our DC would all have the same name!

I’m sure the name suits them very much!

JoshLymanSwagger · 22/08/2026 13:24

Mirrorlolo · 22/08/2026 12:15

Chill - it has a practical purpose and is quite fun to see the breadth of views. I really liked the uplifting Chardonnay story

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Tell her to call the kid "Chill" then?!

or "Spaff", maybe "Drought" or "Inferno"...

SleeplessRoads · 22/08/2026 13:27

NormasArse · 22/08/2026 11:47

Hasn’t harmed Freddy Flintoff (yes, I know his name is Andrew), or Alfie Boe.

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Apple Martin will probably do well in life too, but I wouldn’t advocate for calling your baby Apple!