Names You Would Never Use

[AubernFable]

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.

I like the name Christian but that is my ex’s name, very much off the table. I like Frederick but Fred and Derick are not so great and come to mind.

I wonder if I can google the danish pronunciation as I can’t say I know how they’d be said…

Any name my SM has used for an animal;
Oli
Amber
Brady
Brody
Cody
Mac
Rosie
Sheila
Keith

And these generally
Alfie
Ronnie
Jayden/Jaidyn/Kaydn etc (I used to like Hadyn but this trend has put paid to that!)
Kai/Kairo
Daisy and Maisy
Becky and Katie (too many in my year at school!)
Rosalind - because of an utter cow I knew

Surnames as firstnames:
Parker
Jackson
Harrison
Baxter
Bailey
Fletcher
Anything hypenated with Mae. Just awful.
Anything spelt incorrectly.
Anyone using an Irish name with an Irish spelling when they have no Irish roots and live in Milton Keynes.

I tend to dislike names liked on Mumsnet.

They feel like ugly old people's names to me.

Murial
Martha
Ethel
Mavis
Hettie
Esther
Millie

Freddie
Bertie
Amos
Lloyd
Neil
Arnold

Also these uber trendy trying to hard names.

Wren
Romi
Ophelia
Orlaith
Beau
Dakota
Brooklyn
Sloane
Odette
Cove

Luca
Atlas
Neo
Rafe
Bryce
Cole

Names associated with evil people.

There will be no more Axels.
Myra
Margaret

So
George Oliver Theodore+ Arthur Archie Alfred+

Silly names
Dick
Fanny
Pussy

Any names that show the parents can't spell.
Artur
Bayley
Jeorge
Ayla

Cutie girl names
Millie
Maisie
Elsie
Billie

Obvious copying Of celebrities
Margot
Monroe
Timothee

Naughty boy names
Kai
Jaxon
Zac
Tyler
Vinnie
Karson

Porny girls names
Charlee
Deja
Ixci
Dusty

Hyphens
Ellie-Mae
Poppy-Rose

(All names were actual given names in 2023)

@unmemorableusername I agree with 95% of your list but had to stick up a little for Ayla as an incorrectly spelled name.

My friends DD is half Turkish and this is her name. It's Turkish and means 'halo round the moon' ('ay' meaning moon in Turkish)

Names of brands that are too try hard, Usually heard being screamed in B&M

Chanel
Hugo
Armani
Louis
Tiffany

Tbh I thought it was going to be a thread about the names of genocidal dictators and serial killers but Keith is awful.

I've never liked Kirsty just due to the sound. Every Kirsty I have met have been lovely.

Taste in names is a subjective thing and I'm happy to acknowledge that my views are unlikely to be shared by most people.

Personally I don't like frilly, overly feminine girls names. I don't have a daughter but if I did I would want them to have a strong name and not something that made them seem diminutive and ditzy.

Posted too soon. But I hate names like Arabella, Seraphina, Isabella etc

@unmemorableusername
I have seen numerous comments on name threads that Margaret should be due a revival. I personally think it's always been an awful name, also saw someone considering Bertha 🙄

I dislike names that were once trades:
Cooper
Carter
Fletcher

Names that look nothing like they are pronounced:
St. John (pronounced Sinjun)
Phoebe
Sean

I agree with Margaret and Bertha. I also put Maud and Doris in there.

There are some lovely, classic names making a comeback but those ones should stay firmly in the past (in my opinion)

Or a place where you had a shag. See: Brooklyn.

Big Bertha 😭

Names - At Uni there was a boy in my year calked Max. Quite posh, quiet, actually quite handsome, clean but….
He wore the same outfit every day for three years.
We couldn’t work out how he looked so clean cut - was he washing the clothes every night?
He asked girls out but everyone said no - what if he turned up in THE outfit?
Graduation day he got out of a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce it was the 80’s. With his father. He was immaculately dressed and looked gorgeous.
His name in the programme was Maximilian with three surnames and III tagged on the end.
So I asked him. He actually lived in Switzerland, family of multi millionaires but he’d never experienced life outside of being posh and very rich so he chose a course away from all of his friends.
He had bought piles of the t shirts and jeans so he wasn’t wearing the same ones each day.
He got introduced to my mum and he promptly told her he’d asked me out and I’d said no which was a shame as he thought I’d quite like Switzerland.
I thought my mother was going to whack me across the head with the programme.
Never forgot him. Maximilian Wherever He Is Now III.

Surnames as names

Shortened versions of a name as the official name

Mackenzie.

Anyone named after a fashion designer…
Chanel
Armani
Why?!!!

I actually that's it's unnecessarily unkind to slate peoples names, when they haven't chosen them for their self (obv).there must be a lot of children : adults who dislike their names.
I wanted Tadhg for my son (Irish heritage both sides with Irish surname but dad brought up in Canada and mum in London) but knew he'd have a lifetime spelling it out as it's not spelt as it's pronounced. I love it but didn't chose it.
I'd never say I'd never use a certain name as I wouldn't want to upset those who did.

@StormingNorman
Both my children gave first names that are also surnames. Mine also is. My ex husbands is too.
Our Irish surname is now used frequently as a boys name. What's your problem with that?
My children are 26 (dd) and 20 (ds) and both really like their names which were chosen carefully with links to their heritage. Would like you to explain your dislike.

I really hate the current trend of giving kids old lady/man names. Arthur, Ivy, Elsie, Henry, Fred. Horrible.

Names that sound like yoghurt brands. Arlo and Otillie.

As others have said, surnames as first names and anything with a stupid spelling.

Labbia!! Poor children, saddled with that name.

A friend's mother who was a teacher had to keep a straight face when the parents of a child in her class explained that they had made up their daughter's name, Eurina, themselves. 'Do you like it, miss?'

It wasn’t a personal attack on you, you are aware different people like different things, surely? 🤣