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've always hated Jessica. Also really dislike Imogen. Not 100% sure why.

I really like Kai! It feels like one of the few unisex names that are still roughly equally distributed between boys and girls. But it's a Hawaiian name, so I understand that for people from other cultures it may feel inappropriate to use, and/or may skew different ways (for example, Kai is also a boys' name in some Scandi/Baltic cultures).

That said, I also really like "three letter names" - for example Amy, Ash, Bay, Eli, Eve, Guy, Ivo, Ivy, Leo, Mae, May, Ray, Una, Zoe.

My friends grandmother was Adolfina and apparently it was fitting. 🤣

I've never heard of a female Kai

I also dislike names that remind me of some prats or bullies I've worked with.
Rory
Craig
Cath
Sandy

Nope we’re not doing that here, everyone is being kind and just discussing their preferences there’s no need to start any kind of conflict. I’m sure your children have lovely names, they just aren’t the same style as some other posters- which is a good thing or we’d all have the same 5 names.

Nobody needs to explain themselves, there are lots of reasons to dislike a name but if you and your DC love the names thats the only thing that matters. This is just a bit of fun.

I’m sorry, in 2023 someone looked at a DC and said ‘Welcome to the world Pussy’ surely not!?

Agree with all of them except Vincent, shortened to Vinnie is on my list but agree it has little sh*t vibes.

A shame honestly because Tiffany is actually quite pretty but very much ruined.

Ooh we have total opposite styles but my favourites are Eve, Ivy, Eli and Zoe and love them as a second middle name.

I also think Guy is pretty cool as a first name thinking about it…

I never even considered the terrible namesakes side of this discussion- someone mentioned Myra and Margaret. I wouldn’t use any of the royal family names either.

Keith is worse though lol.

I adore Rosalind but random unpleasant people have definitely ruined lovely names for me forever!

I know a young woman called Brodie and it feels like a dogs name- she has said it herself.

Wayne is bad but I know a guy (20s) called Dwayne and it’s even worse. Connor gets under my skin, Conor is a lovely spelling but I think Calum looks like Colm which is fine but I don’t love either spelling.

Horace

That’s a really good one, I’m not sure anyone can argue with Horace. Also Herbert, Malcolm, Norman and Lester, creepy old man category.

Albie seems to be quite popular where I live. I think it's awful.

I can't stand any shortened girls name with the exception of Jenny,

I had Victoria picked out as DD2's name, but XH's family immediately started saying Vicky, so when she was born I gave her a name that couldn't be shortened, and chose Victoria as a middle name.

I should have realised that when I gave DD1 a name that can be shortened, they immediately started calling her by that version, didn't matter how many times I asked them to call her by her proper name.

DD1 is an adult now, and doesn't have much to do with XH and his family, but they still call her by the shortened version, which she hates. I find it incredibly arrogant and rude to not call a person by their chosen name.

The regular names I can't stand are things like Deborah, Angela, Jacqueline, Maureen.

My daughter's name has appeared twice on this thread as one of the too-frilly, too-feminine names. She feels the same way unfortunately. She goes by a diminutive which is also a name in its own right and a lot of people think that's her actual name unless told otherwise. (She also has May as one of her middle names which is hated on here but she was born on 1st May so my justification is that she's properly entitled to it!)

I don't like diminutives as birth certificate names, it sounds like the parents couldn't be bothered to think of a real name. The full name gives options. I worked with a woman whose birth certificate name was Jenny, people would assume it was short for Jennifer and put that down on official records, what a pain for her (and rude of them, obviously).

Surnames as first names, sounds too American and try too hard. I especially hate this for girls. There are so many lovely girls names and you choose Cooper or Parker FFS! I particularly hate the current trend for Sutton, not least because it makes me think of Mutton and because in the UK it seems to be pronounced with a glottal stop as "Suh-Uhn" - ghastly.

On the subject of glottal stops, see also Otillie ("Uh-Ih-Lee").

Atypical spellings like Samm and Abbigail. Just, why?

I don't like names that trend/date too distinctively. Barbara/Linda/Susan are very much names from my mum's generation. In my day there were umpteen Nicolas, Emmas, Marks and Jasons. Slightly younger it was Hayley and Jade. Now it's all Kayden/Jayden and Ava/Ivy/Amelia.

Then there are names I dislike because I just hate the sound, no real rational reason. Such as:
Beverley - makes me think of Bovril and Beverage
Kimberley - for some reason makes me picture someone with a runny nose
Maud - combination of mould and fraud
Andrew - whiny nothing name, also with snotty nose
Hannah - sounds too like hammer (strangely I like Anna)
Colin -sounds like colic
Paul/Paula - sounds like appalled or pulled pork
Rupert -silly and babyish (see also Teddy and Dolly).

Also feel irrationally annoyed when people give their children descriptive names that don't seem to fit. I know an April who was born in January, an Augustus who was born in October and a Bruno who has the fairest hair I've ever seen for example. See also parents who don't seem to have any interest in the meaning of names and call their children names with horrible meanings (Amelia, Gideon, Mary) or something like the eldest child Imogen (it means "the last" so should surely be given to the youngest?).

I need to learn to mind my own business.

Totally with you on much of this, especially the bad name meanings. My name has a lovely meaning, and I was always so glad of this. I'd hate to have a name that meant something negative.

Grace/ Eve/ Faith/ Rose - I find so bland
Felicity - don't know why, I really dislike it

Luke - rhymes with puke
Oliver - met some really strange boys with this name but like Ollie/ Olly

I'm going to go against the grain and admit to loving double barreled girls names with may in. Lily may, Jodie may etc

Sound so pretty and elegant.

I think maybe part of the reason I don't like Callum with two Ls is that it looks a bit like "callous" - but it's also because it's not the original spelling.

B - Callum, Grayson, Hunter, Ian, Miles, Milo, Oliver, Rory, Stanley

G - Delilah, Daisy, Freya, Lyra, Luna, Mila, Myla, Nova, Poppy, Sienna

Just some I can think of off the top of my head, no particular reason just dislike them immensely
Forgot Faith/Faye

Rosie, Olivia, all Belle names, Sophie/a, Willow, Isla, Lottie and 95% of the top 80 names for girls and boys.

so many boys names, Grayson, Albie, Theo, Ethan, Noah and place names Preston and Lincoln, worse still is Teddy honestly they will be adults at least call them Edward!

I hate these names not because they are common they are just awful on small children let alone adults.

Forgot Ottille is this even a real name?? And felicity and Florence

Oh lord not Lincoln, at least name them after a nice place. I agree with all of these, I think Noah is fine for a middle name.