Even amid the excitement and stress of nine months of tests, ultrasounds, baby showers, nesting, and a bevy of other to-dos that come with welcoming a little one, finding the perfect baby name is one of the most important (and often really fun) tasks. But what may seem like a simple decision can be particularly challenging for many parents-to-be.
Some parents want to pin down the name that will suit their child, honor a family member or dearly departed loved one, be traditional and classic, or, on the flipside, stand out in a crowd of frequently used popular names. No matter which approach parents choose, there's nothing easy about this task.
When musician Frank Zappa named his daughter Moon Unit in the late 1960s, the unusual choice was considered eyebrow-raising. When Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin opted to name their eldest daughter Apple in the early 2000s, the chatter around the fruit-inspired name was critical and intense. Even Beyonce and Jay-Z got a bit of flak for naming their firstborn Blue Ivy in 2012.
But fast-forward to today, and so many unusual, unexpected, trendy baby names have made their way into the social consciousness that it's not just celebrities who are on the hunt for an out-there choice for their newborns.
Nonetheless, landing on a name that's extremely popular right now – perhaps as the result of a beloved TV show character or a celebrity baby-naming trend – is a decision that many parents may one day cringe about.
Here, we list 27 baby names that parents may end up regretting in a decade, if not sooner. Apologies in advance to any baby Donalds out there!
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ABCDE
Spelled Abcde (yes, like the first five letters of the alphabet) and reportedly pronounced "Ab-si-dee," this baby name is creative, for sure. And apparently, there are about 400 people in the United States who go by that name. But will it be worth the spelling and pronunciation headaches down the road?
BABY
On a season of Jane the Virgin, Rogelio and his ex, Darci, named their baby … Baby. The straightforward, unisex choice might be right for some parents, but what about when that baby is actually a toddler, a big kid, a teen? And let's not get started on the Dirty Dancing references!
HELLZEL
This one came up in a Reddit thread in 2015, so we do take it with a grain of salt. According to the woman given the name, her mother liked Hazel but her dad was a biker and loved Hell's Angels, so they came up with … Hellzel. OK then. If this is real, YIKES!
NEVAEH
This girl's name – which is actually an anagram, "heaven" spelled backwards – has been around since 2001, according to the Mom.com Baby Name Finder. It may be unusual, but Navaeh may also cause a lot of confusion for a kiddo as she grows up. Having a name that always needs to be spelled for people can get really old.
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NORTH
Whether drawing inspiration from the geographical territory or Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's child, sharing the name North with the mini Hollywood royal may not be the easiest path for a child. Because it seems like North West is destined for the spotlight, anyone else with this name might get overshadowed.
DANGER
Sure, it sounds cool, but naming a boy or girl Danger could be an issue if a child associates the name with trouble for the rest of his or her life. And the whole "Danger is my middle name" joke is SO tired, so we don't think it is a good middle name choice either.
KHALEESI
The Game of Thrones character's regal title was a popular choice for fans. This one really didn't stand the test of time as the series played out. This one ended up feeling dated in a hurry, although maybe we'll have a new khaleesi with a better legacy in the future.
DROGO
Another Game of Thrones fave for boys is actually a German name that means to bear or carry. But given its link to the show, it may not exactly be perennial, so just like Khaleesi, we're not a huge fan of this fantasy inspired choice. It might be fine as a middle name.
ALEXA
Although it seems like a fairly benign, pretty girl's name — an abbreviated version of Alexandra — the name of the digital personal assistant built into Amazon's Echo is Alexa. Little ones with this moniker may end up facing a good deal of confusion when her name is shouted out by anyone using the smart home system.
HASHTAG
In 2012, a little girl was named after the social media term. But because internet fads come and go, it's not hard to imagine that opting for something so very of-the-moment — not to mention technical — will be one day seen as a major misstep.
LUCIFER
Parents in Russia made headlines for choosing this devilish name, but apparently, they're not the only ones, because Lucifer has its own entry on the Mom.com Baby Name Finder. The controversial nature of the name begs the question: Will it be eternally alluring?
SIRI
Sure, artificial intelligence is on the rise, but sharing a name with Apple's personal assistant, Siri, may not be the most fun for a kiddo as she grows up. This name is actually a traditional Scandinavian name, but it is too overshadowed now by the Apple product.
DONALD
Given how a certain politician might be written about in history books, reactions to the name Donald may not be the most forgiving in years to come. It is for sure a name that will make people make assumptions about a parent's political beliefs, which may be a good or bad thing, depending on how MAGA they are.
MEGHAN
The classic, pretty girl's name isn't a bizarre choice by any means, but given how utterly fascinated the entire world is with Meghan Markle, no doubt there will be many little ones with the name in kindergarten classes five or six years from now. That said, parents who choose Meghan may want to come up with a nickname to more easily identify their kiddo!
KULTURE
This name is so totally associated with Cardi B and Offset and their first child, a baby girl they named Kulture, that it doesn't really seem like a good option for anyone else. Unique? Sure, but given the backlash, it's a name other moms and dads may want to avoid.
STORMI/STORMY
The name may call to mind a meteorological event, but in 2018, Kylie Jenner named her baby girl Stormi. And that was of course around the same time Stormy Daniels, an adult film star whose birth name is Stephanie Clifford, made headlines for her lawsuit against then-President Donald Trump. Let's be honest: Neither of those pop culture events will likely be what parents want to call to mind with their baby's name now or years from now.
AHMIRACLE
Many, many people name their little girls "Miracle" – and sometimes it is a truly fitting moniker. But Ahmiracle is not a legitimate name hailing from anywhere. Plus, it basically sounds like a poor pun. Names shouldn't sound like jokes because kids actually do have to live with these choices.
CHARDONNAY
Listen, absolutely no one is knocking this delicious wine, and the name itself sounds elegant. But when baby gets older, it's one of those names that people (especially employers) could potentially see as off-putting or think of with negative associations.
Though the person who actually named his child Facebook had good intentions (he did it as a way to honor the role social media played in the #Jan25 Egyptian revolution), it might not have been the best choice for a first name.
'HEARTEYES'
This sounds like an urban legend, but apparently someone actually named their child " " which if that isn't showing up on the screen, is three of the "heart eyes" emojis strung together. Naming a LO an emoji (or worse, after one) will undoubtedly have lasting effects.
MERIKA
For parents who have a love for the US, we suggest shooting for the full name America rather than the joking nickname of our beloved country. Again, this is a jokey-sounding name and one that will make kids feel annoyed by as they age, we think.
LITTLE SWEETMEAT
We all have weird names we call our bubs. But "Little Sweetmeat," a name actually given to a human according to a Reddit thread, sounds a lot more like one of those funny nicknames than it does a real name. We really hope this one is a myth.
AUDIO SCIENCE
Actress Shannyn Sossamon named her little one Audio Science, which sounds more like a college course than it does a person's name. This name choice consistently makes the lists of wacky celebrity baby names for good reason!
ROCKET
For parents in love with space, there are about a dozen other names to pay homage to astronomy and all things adjacent to it. Rocket, what Avatar's Sam Worthington named his child, might be something one might appreciated being called later in life.
TRIGGER
A gun name that is rising in popularity, Trigger also has other implications in the era of school shootings and gun control issues. It's also been linked to millennial "soft" sensibilities.
FREEZIA
A name that sounds like a variation of the plant "freesias" is one that might come off a little odd on future resumes. There are so many other cute names that start with an "F" to choose from, so how about Franny, Frankie, or even Frida instead?
BEBERLY
The name Beberly could be take one of two ways: a misspelling of "Beverly" or an extremely dedicated Justin Bieber fan. Either way, we've got to be honest: We're not a fan of this moniker.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
