Genuinely problematic names

[AuntDympna]

Starting this thread for names which are genuinely problematic.
The purpose is, a quick reference for people to check is the name they are thinking of on the list, and also as a reference for justifiable reasons to advise against using a name.
To be included, there needs to already be a thread on the name, where the case against it was made clearly.

@LanaDelBoy

She is saying it sounds like "penis".

Ah, right.

I didn't hear it like that at all.

No, I don't think "peony's" sounds like "penis" either!
But it has quite a potential for pee-esque comments.

Pipe down @LanaDelBoy OP clearly said she didn’t want discussion of specific names on her thread 😂😂😂

[quote MissMarplesGoddaughter]@WallaceinAnderland

Percy is slang for penis

Pointing Percy at the porcelain is a well known expression for going to the toilet.[/quote]
It's not that well known. I've only heard it on Mumsnet name threads and I can't imagine anyone under the age of about 60 using it. The name Percy is quickly growing in popularity and there are almost a thousand born in the last twenty years. That might be a dealbreaker for you, but clearly it's not for a lot of people and as the name grows in popularity then the porcelain thing will become less relevant. The sweets would be a bigger deal for most people. I just don't see how a name that over a hundred babies a year a given can be called "genuinely problematic".

@LanaDelBoy

She is saying it sounds like "penis".

Oh, I really didn't get that. William has Willy there for the taking and it's still popular, so I don't think that's a huge strike against Peony.

[quote AuntDympna]Myra

This spelling and the pronunciation like the English word "my" is widely considered unusable in the UK. It was not a particularly common name and most people associate with Myra Hindley, a notorious serial killer.
The similar names Moira, Meera, Meira, Mara, and Maura are all fine to use.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/baby_names/4356822-Myra[/quote]
I disagree. I don't automatically think of Myra Hindley as it's a reasonably common name and as time goes on we'll think less and less about Hindley.

I just don't see how a name that over a hundred babies a year a given can be called "genuinely problematic"

I think you’ll find the OP (you know - judge, jury, and executioner of these things) decided Percy might warrant inclusion, so check your facts!!!!

John if your surname is Thomas, but under 40s don't get the joke apparently.

@SingleHandSue

Michael, if your surname is Hunt.

Also Isaac

I just checked the stats on Myra and it's more common than I'd realised. It's in regular use with around 75-100 babies born a year. While personally the Hindley association would put me (and many other people) off using it clearly it's not unusable or too problematic for others. For reference in 2020 it was more popular than Katherine and Celeste.
names.darkgreener.com/#myra

Myra is very popular in India currently. Some of the girls named Myra probably do have Indian heritage, and maybe have aunties or grannies or other strong role models which cancel out the Hindley association. Similarly, Lolita is very popular in Spanish speaking countries (usually as a nn for Dolores, which is a reference to Our Lady of the Sorrows, which is a Catholic thing).

I don't know if Percy should be included. It's a euphemism for boys' private parts, not an obscenity. Willie and John Thomas are very common names, and Percy used to be very common. The only reason for including them in this thread is if people feel that parents need to know about that use before they name their child.

I think there's a need for this thread because some names get reactions like "OMG! You can't call your baby that!" either because it's regarded as pretentious, or unsophisticated, or "try hard" (whatever that means) or "made up". This thread is meant to be for the names that you'd say "seriously, you probably want to know this before you name your baby", and in some ways, to contrast with the thoughtless way people dismiss perfectly reasonable names.

One name which seemed to be very much disliked on a thread some time ago was Lavinia. This was in part because of toilet jokes connected to "lavatory" and in part because of the horrific fate of Lavinia in Titus Andronicus.

We really loved the name Pippa but then found out it means slang for blowjob and other similar things in various European languages.

Joby

I don’t think it’s hugely common, but I’ve seen it on here before.

It’s basically Scots for poo, and not in an obscure old word that people won’t know way.

Boris

Two names I won't be using:

Abigail, meaning lady's maid. They say it's archaic but it's used in Jane Eyre

Amelia, meaning without arms or legs. Another medical term to avoid.

Electra.

I saw a little girl on a documentary called Electra and I was shocked since it is the name for the process where little girls want to sleep with their fathers according to Freud.

Peony
(school kids Pee-on-me)

I do like Dick being referred to as a stand alone name.

I still don't see the point of this thread. If someone is thinking of naming their baby Myra (or anything else) then when they search for threads mentioning that name they'll find the previous ones where people have been warned against it. This thread is superfluous.

[quote AuntDympna]Myra

This spelling and the pronunciation like the English word "my" is widely considered unusable in the UK. It was not a particularly common name and most people associate with Myra Hindley, a notorious serial killer.
The similar names Moira, Meera, Meira, Mara, and Maura are all fine to use.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/baby_names/4356822-Myra[/quote]
I don't agree with this.

I think Myra is a nice name and I wouldn't necessarily not use it because of one woman years ago.

I find a lot of the "horror" at baby names often very outdated & small minded.

Lots of younger people won't get references from decades ago or care.

Having a "foreign" name or one that is hard to pronounce is really not a big deal.

I saw a little girl on a documentary called Electra and I was shocked since it is the name for the process where little girls want to sleep with their fathers according to Freud.

You were shocked? 😆

Amelia, meaning without arms or legs. Another medical term to avoid.

and yet how popular is this name?

Amelia.

Also a disease.