They Wrecked My Baby Name!

For me, a baby name is wrecked when it becomes too popular. For example, I adore Charlotte, Jack and Sophie, but there’s just too many of them running around these days! Names are also wrecked when somebody close to you uses it. So, for me, Alexandra and Beatrice are also out. And, I’m a little concerned about Catherine Middleton’s baby naming plans. She’ll surely choose something I love (let’s cross our fingers it’s not Alice or Frederick)!

THIS HAPPENED TO ME. I still love Juniper, but it was almost wrecked by a friend who told me she would have called her cat Juniper but “doesn’t it sound like Jew-nipper?” Now every time I say the name out loud I hear myself saying Jew-nipper — and I’m Jewish! Argh!

I used to love the name Aster. Then it was used on the Office (as the name of Jan’s baby), and jokes were made about it being ‘ass-turd’. Ruined.

I also love the name Soren. I mentioned it to my husband, who said, ‘Like Sauron? Like from Lord of the Rings?’….so, ruined.

I’m not sure that popularity ruins a name for me. If I really love it, that’s more important than popularity.

I also remember when my sister was born, I was 7. My parents announced that she’d be called Emily, and I was so upset. There was a terrible girl in my class – mean and kind of a bully – named Emily, so all I could think of was her. Of course, a year or so later, and my sister was my first association with the name, and now the other girl NEVER comes to me. So…associations can change. That said, why use a name that reminds you, even if only a little, of something bad?

Oops, sorry, I meant to write Astrid! I’m using my phone and it doesn’t like that word . Sorry!

My 8 year old son is close to ruining the new baby’s name – due next month; Jarvis – because it’s the computer from Iron Man and he keeps saying the kid will get teased.

It’s the only name in the known universe my husband and I can agree on for a third boy. Thanks kid. Not. Regardless, the baby will be Jarvis.

Not ever a favourite name, but my mum once said the the name Nicholas is a homophone of ‘knickerless’ as in ‘without underpants’ and now that’s all I can think of when I meet one.

… and we were so careful not to tell anyone the same so it wouldn’t be ruined for us. We didn’t anticipate that keeping it in the immediate family would ruin it anyway *forehead slap*

Definitely! I used to like:
Brianna
Annika
Weston
Until I met someone horrible with that name! Here is what the names used to mean to me:
Brianna – very beautiful, might name my future baby this!
Annika – very unique, but also kind of trendy, but still pretty.
Weston – I like this name for a boy, it’s cool.
And now -_-:
Brianna – biggest slut and bully I’ve ever met. I couldn’t have met a meaner girl. Made me loathe the name Brianna and make me say “ewwww” every time I hear it.
Annika – I always think buck teeth and bad behavior when I hear this name because of this one spoiled little twit.
Weston – a boy has never been so hurtful and so mean to me before than this one has, made me never even consider using this name, even in a book!

So yes, that answered your question. Those are three names I used to really really like until someone came into my life and ruined it. I like the name Lily, and have met two Lilys in my years and they both had good associations. I hope I never meet a bad Lily.

I loved Isadora, until a friend mentioned it sounded like Wizadora (an early 90′s kids TV show here in the UK about a trainee wizard with a catchy theme song)

Now all I can think of is the blasted theme song “Wizadora…. we adore her” and it’s really put me off ever using it, which is such a shame as I think it’s such a lovely alternative to Isabelle/Isabella.

Welcome to junior high; the place where names are ruined.

Hayley, Natalie, Krysta, Maria and Alexis are all ruined for me due to mean girls carrying the moniker. Kylie will never be a possibility due to my ex-friend. Marley will forever be Queen Mean to me. Samantha and Shayla will always carry drama; Morgan will always be that annoying girl. Roberto always will have the thug stigma.

But it’s also a place where names are made. I’ve fallen in love with Christine and Evelyn, names of two of my best friends. Deborah is a middle name possibility from my favorite teacher, as is Timothy for a boy. Wesley will always be the name of my first crush, the boy I let my best friend date, which makes me happy. Allison, the girl who moved away, my bus buddy.

But, middle school aside, any name beginning with Nic- has been ruined for me, due to my father Nicki. I once loved Nikolai nn Niko, but that’s never going to happen.

My sister has a knack of wrecking names for me!

I loved Jemima until she said it sounded like Vagina!…
I still love Beatrix but she says all she can hear is ‘Beer Tricks’ so it’s lost some of its shine (altho not completely ruined)…
She says Claudia makes her think of The Claw…
And she pointed out that Violet is only one letter away from being Violent..

Once those sort of seeds are planted its hard to push out of your head!

I’m a teacher, so every year a perfectly nice name gets ruined when it’s attached to a royal a$$hat sitting in my classroom. My husband doesn’t help things when he says something like “I really like the name Zach,” and I immediately start listing all the Zachs who made my job miserable…

Felicity – can be mispronounced ‘facility’. I always hear that now!
Amos – said with certain accents can sound quite rude!
Brody – can’t get Homeland out of my head.

Twilight did mess up Bella for so many, including me, but I still call my Arabella that and it’s her primary nn. On FB, I mentioned how my MIL and dad ruined Asher for us. A rather awful girl named Rose (a friend of my sister) almost ruined the name for me, but the longer I don’t hear about her, the more I feel like that’s the name (or a variation of it) I’d use for another little girl.

Yes…Bella is ruined for me, thanks Twilight. So are Brittany, Leslie, Lindsey, Ashley, Brooke and Brooklyn. And Grant. (bullies)
I’ll never name my son Daniel, because every Daniel I’ve ever met (and I’ve met a lot- there were 3 in my class at school alone) have been troublemakers, with the exception of one. (My little brother is named Daniel…)
But I’m most disappointed about Bella. I love Beauty and the Beast and Bella would be a lovely name to kind of give a nod to the fairy tale without naming her Belle. But now I’m thinking Rosalind Belle “Lindy” (Lindy/Linda is spanish for beautiful and is the name of the Belle character in Alex Flinn’s Beastly, one of my all time favorite books.)

I don’t think Twilight ruined any names. Isabella/Bella was overkilled way before Twilight was published, let’s be honest. The author used the name because it was already so overused and trendy. She was trying to reflect that in the character, when she was born, her age etc.

I think Twilight did popularize some names (Esme, Emmett) that would have gotten popular with time anyways. Eventually, people will get over it and not think of Twilight when they meed a little one by the same name. When I hear the name Bella though, I don’t think of Twilight. I think of the dozens of little girls and puggles with the same name. I know as many dogs named Bella as I do girls.

To me names are ruined when they become too popular. I will often still love the names, but once overkilled I feel like I cannot use them because I am just so tired of hearing it all the time.

I have been crushing on the name Francine for as long as I can remember. I’m hoping to have a baby girl so that I could use it, but there is a reference on here to some cartoon show using the name. I’ve never seen it, nor do I understand the reference but it bothers me to the point that I’m reconsidering using it. Everyone tells me it’s such a small indication but I don’t want my little girl to be teased in some way. It’s still at the top of my list as I can’t get it out of my mind.

I have always loved Penelope, but now that there’s a mini-Kardashian with the same name I fear it’s popularity will get out of control.

My ex fiancé ruined a name for me. It was one of my favorites, one we’d discussed for future children, and then he went and made me a build-a-bear and named it that name! Which was actually super sweet, but since he and I broke up I don’t think I can ever use a name that was once associated with a romantic gift.

Isabella- I’ve loved it forever but now it is so popular. However, it is still not as popular as Jennifer was (look at the numbers, even if you add up all the alternate spellings of Isabella you still do not come near the Jennifer numbers), so I really should still keep it.

My best friend’s EX-fiance is named Asa. I always loved that name, but now I can’t use it because he was such a sh*t to her and I can’t stand him. Thanks.

My thread linked in a blog post? Awesome!

Some names that have been ruined for me just from reading this comment board:

Juniper
Astrid
Aster

Lol!

Hubby’s middle name is Hnery which we love but it’s ruined due to the crazy rising numbers…over 7000 Henrys born in the US just last year= too many. An acquaintance using our chosen boy name (Beckett) had been considered ruined but we are now reconsidering after getting much advice about it here on Nameberry. Another name we love, Angus, has been ruined by multiple family members telling us it’s too associated with the cattle and we live in a farming state Also some people bring up what it spells if you take out the G. I still love it though.

To PP:We have a Juniper and have never heard Jew-nipper, lol. We say it more like June-a-per so hopefully you can overcome that comment

Haili73 You ruined my baby name! I have Rosalind Belle on my list! OMG! So funny!
I am just kidding, but I do love that name combo and the nickname Lindy too!
One name that I love for boy’s is Ren, but I am hesitant to use it due to an MTV cartoon in the 90s – Ren & Stimpy. I am guessing that I am not the only one, cuz Wren for girls is popular, but Ren for boys is not.

My husband’s ex-girlfriend from high school was Abigail. I still love the name, but obviously he’s against using it.

Yes! My husband and I were in love with the name Grey for a boy. Now I’m pregnant with a boy and feel like I can’t use it because people will think it’s some nod to 50 Shades of Grey. So not what I want my baby boy associated with!

I used to adore the name Dagny for a girl and was sure I’d use it until I told a friend and she said it sounded like “Gag me!”. Ugh. And then I used to love the name Hallie/Halle until I had a friend with the name that turned out to be a different person than I thought she was.

Scarlet = someone told me it reminded them of Scar Face

Annelise = some Nameberry board member ruined this by saying it sounded like anal-ease, and now that is all I can read:(

Saoirse – my EMT sister said it sounded like a disease

I loved the name Harrison for years, until I was 23 and had a Dr. Harrison, who mis-prescribed medication to me, and I wound up in a coma for 46 hours and unable to walk or speak for weeks. Crossed that name right off my list!

Rodney, Beau, & Vince – Terrible terrible terrible boys in elementary school.

Astrid – Same reason as previously stated.
Poppy – DH read it off the list as Poopy and now that’s all I can see it as.
Echo – Dumb coffee girl who never gets my order right.

Me too with Scarlet! Someone told me it sounds like starlet only with the word scar in there. Totally changed my opinion! The name Lorelei was ruined for me when I found out it’s not actually a German name, and that Germans consider it a laughable choice that Americans make, on par with naming a daughter Medusa! That was the example I was given by a German friend anyway, I just can’t use it after that. Anything with Anna, Anne or Ana followed by an L is ruined because of the anal thing. Even the beautiful name Anneliese as someone mentioned. Casper is on the verge of being ruined for me because of JLo’s shall we say odd boyfriend. I looove Casper and now it’s in the headlines anytime Jennifer Lopez does anything remotely newsworthy -____- I have way too many to list honestly, I’m picky. Anytime something gets too popular or it is shared with a close friend/young relative/child of either that name it is out, I can’t help myself!

For me there are two.

Caelyn – love and adore this name but my friend recently named her dog this name. To top it off the dog is not well behaved and my friend is constantly saying the name in a disciplinary tone, ruined for me.

Riordan – Such a wonderful Irish surname until I mentioned it and my sister commented what would you nickname him…Rear? Like Rear end, ugh!

This literally happened to me about oh, thirty seconds ago. We finally decided to announce our baby’s name- which took us FOREVER to choose because we disagreed on so many. It felt PERFECT to us and of course someone immediately made two pop culture references that I LOATHE and told us they thought it was trendy. Not mad at that person, but now I’m seriously considering a name change… okay maybe not.

I loved the name Claudia until I took Latin and learned that it means “lame.” Meanings don’t usually affect my feelings, but for some reason that one gets me.
chelsea.ahlgrim, can you share your name? I’m curious to know!

There are so many popular names I love that are ruined for me because they’re too popular. It isn’t that I do not still love the name, I just don’t want my child to be Charlotte M. or Henry 2 or something. Your name is your identity and I think it should be something at least a little special. Sure, there is a chance if I name my child something less popular they may still encounter another person with that name in their life but it won’t be as likely.

And yes, Twilight ruined a couple of perfectly wonderful names for me. I was never an Isabella/Bella fan but I did love Rosalie and Alice.

I adore Stella, Isabella, Sophia, Madeleine, Maya, Ruby, Genevieve but don’t think I could use them due to their popularity. Even though Maria, Michael, Daniel, Maddalena and Veronica are very popular I would still consider using them bc they are family names.

I loved Rhoda… It was biblical, spunky, and unique. I told my mom, and she said “Yeah, like a rodent”. Now I can’t get that out of my head. And I can see an obnoxious little girl or boy thinking of rodent, too.

Amos: on another site a guy said kids rhymed it with anus in school.

Penelope: loved it since childhood. But even before it got Kardashianed, it was on a fast upswing.

Obadiah: I love it, except for the “die” word. Same with Dinah.

Aspen: I thought of it years ago; hadn’t heard it, and loved it as an avid skier. Until I realized it was also ass pin. Nn Ass

Audrey and Milo. Audrey because a friend was using Aubrey (we were due within 2 months of each other) and Milo because my family ripped it to shreds and literally sucked all the joy out of it.

Tristan isn’t ruined for me personally, but my husband says it sounds “gay” to him so if I were to end up with a boy instead of a girl, chances are slim that he’d be Tristan.

Our name choice for a boy was ruined when I googled it and found out he would share first name/last name with a huge drug kingpin famous in the 80s (famous enough to have inspired movies). Ugh.

I used to love Allegra, nn Allie. Then someone pointed out that it was the name of a medicine. So long, see ya later, Allegra.

I used to love Finn but I think we have Glee to thank for its HUGE rise in popularity (in the US). I still love it, but I think it’s a little too popular for my taste now so I will probably never actually use it.

I’ve always loved the combination of Vivienne Marceline, then Angelina Jolie goes and uses Vivienne Marcheline

I love the name Rafe, but my sister said it sounded like “rape.” Cross that one off the list. (And it’s far too complicated to name the kid Ralph and then go around insisting everyone pronounce it Rafe.)

Oh, I have lots of those!
Vienna – loved it and considered using with my 2nd baby until someone told me about the Bachelor contestant and the disgusting sausages.
Vivian – liked it until Gisele and Tom used it for their baby and someone told me it’s a unisex name.
Ariana – loved it and considered using it with my 2nd baby until someone told me it reminded that of Aryan as in Aryan nation! So then I googled it and found out that it’s also an Afghan airline. Double-trouble there since I’m Jewish.
Ruby – loved it until my daughter became obsessed with Max and Ruby. Now, every time I hear Ruby, I think of the little rabbit.
Olivia – same story as Ruby except with Olivia the pig.
I have always liked Penelope because of Penelope Cruz, but then I saw the movie Penelope, and now all I can think about is Christina Ricci with a pig nose when I hear that name.

The funny thing is I didn’t even really like the name Maya until my dad named an awesome new dog that. He takes her everywhere, hunting and fishing and to work and stuff, everyday. I swear it’s like having a step sibling with fur. Ridonkulous. But she’s a really awesome dog. So anyway I now simultaneously like the name Maya and can never use it.

We really like Lena and it was my husband’s grandmother’s name but he actress Lena Dunham is making it unusable for me right now.

I love Bella, too, but it’s so popular/trendy. Same with Bellatrix. And Beatrix.

What’s most common for me is I decide not to use something because its too popular or trendy or associated with a character: Sophia, Anna, Isabel. My jury is still out on Luna and Shiloh.

On a shallow note, The Kardashians ruined Chloe for me. Partly by popularizing the tacky “Khloe” spelling and partly by popularizing their tacky reality show. Now the association between the name and the Kardashians is way too strong.

I’m a therapist and, frequently, clients tell me stories that really ruin certain names for me. For example, the names of their abusers are generally permanently ruined for me because we talk extensively about the trauma and I often only ever know the perpetrator’s first name. The association becomes pretty strong with repetition.

This happens to me a lot lol! The major ones I can think of are Lydia, some one pointed out that it rhymed with chlamydia. I guess all names can have a bad spin but I’m not sure I could ever get past that one. Ivy! I loved ivy but Beyonce and Jay Z have forever ruined it for me. It feels so stuck up and pretentious now!

Being a teacher ruins a lot of names. The practice ruined Violet. Twilight ruined some too. Grey’s Anatomy ruined Kalliope…..Disney had ruined a lot of good names too….So have Muppets….

Our last name ruined a lot of names. It begins with t and ends with er. So I can’t use tressa or Carter or any other names ending in er.

Vienna – Loved this for years but it was ruined for me by the horrible bachelor contestant.
Ophelia – someone on nameberry pointed out the pedophelia associations.
Grey – love this for a boy but my sister named her son Grayson
November – Liked this so much there was a good chance we would have used it if DS had been a girl instead. Unfortunately all I heard all month was ‘Mo-vember’ while most of the men around here grow mustaches for prostate cancer awareness and fundraising.
Vesper – My husband and I really liked this too but I could definitely see him calling a daughter scooter and then scoots because of its close sound to Vespa scooter.
Lucca – I am in love with this, but DH is sure that the whole Luka Magnotta trial is going to be all we hear about in Canada in the next couple of years.

Lotus – A woman who stalked my family got a Lotus tattoo, and I really dont like her. Now everytime I see or hear Lotus I think of her.

Our last name also ruins many names!
Sienna (See’in A Friend)
Ida/Ima (Ima Friend)
Nadia (Nadia -Not ya- friend)….
Goes on and on!

I loved the name Lilith Persephone. We were all set to give that name to our daughter. And then I heard my father say it…with his accent he kept pronouncing it “lill-eet purse-phone”. It drove me insane! We ended up naming our daughter Marley, but I still am kind of in love with Lilith.

I also always think of ‘Cassette’ as in tapes when I hear Cosette which is such a shame as it’s so pretty!

My dad’s middle name is Archer, and I have always loved it. However, it’s a bit popular now. And it’s quite close to Asher, which is more common. It’s slightly ruined for me because I hear it more often. I used to feel like it was different and cool without being common, but now…I don’t know. I am not expecting yet, but by the time I am the name might be ruled out due to popularity.

I really want to name a child after my great grandmother, but by the time I’m old enough to have children, I’m afraid it’ll be too popular.

(Her name is Charlotte)

I was set on Penelope (Penny) for my daughter, who will be born in April, and then a Kardashian used it. Our next choice was to name her Clara after my grandmother, a name that was pretty rare before, and then the blog Young House Love has helped make that name super popular. THEN we thought about Layla–until we saw the name popping up EVERYwhere.

Our last name has a harsh, one-syllable-that-sounds-like-two sound that keeps us from using J- names, anything with an S sound, and anything that has a long O sound. We can’t use Julia, Lucille/Lucy, or Sadie (we’re Beatles fans). The deck is stacked against us already, so when a good first name is ruined, it’s a special pang.

The very first name I ever loved was Lacey. Then I met a Lacey. I hated her. I was eight. It still ruined the name, ten years later. I do love Lucy though.

Many were ruined by Twilight, Rosalie, Edward and Isabella (though I wasn’t wild about Bella in the first place.)

However, media has also brought names to light that I would’ve never discovered. Ron (Harry Potter) and Gabriela.

The first Nicaraguan Boa Constrictor that my husband and I got together when we first started dating began a love of reptiles for us which is a passion for both of us now. Her name was Nessie and she was the sweetest little thing, would leave me alone, would curl up around my ponytail and sit there for hours. I absolutely loved her and she made me so happy, especially when I was at my saddest.

We decided to name our first little girl after her since she was so incredibly important in our life and Nessie was neat and beautiful. Well, then Twilight (shudder) came out, and the main character has a vampire baby named Renesmee Cullen. Nicknamed NESSIE!

I thought the writing, the story and whole idea terrible. And now I knew, that any name from this would be everywhere, or at the very least, people would think I liked Twilight and that I got Nessie from there.

But at least my husband and I could decide on a new girl name. Willow!

Penelope/Nell & Liv. These were always among my very, very favorite names, but they’ve been, we shall say, encroached upon by the Kardashian family. Too bad

Any name someone I know has used for a pet or their child – out.

Any name that is currently popular or on the verge of popularity – out.

Nearly any name my boyfriend suggests – out. Just kidding… kinda.

Big ones that I love but are out: Parker. Its a family name, has been for generations. But not only did it become popular but two cousins named their sons it. Also loved Aiden before Aiden was big. Broke my heart that it became soooo trendy. Cadence was on my list for a daughter (if my son had been a boy) then I found out a former friend (who was due the same month) was using it. Ugh.

I loved ..
Jeremy (but my boyfriends roommate ruined that.)
Chloe, Zoe etc.. but waaaay to popular.
Jameson – but my last name ends in “son” and it just doesn’t work.

I’m now married to man that can rhyme any name and find some kinda weird fault with it.