What's your definition of a name that's "cheap"?

[epfrance]

wow, there are so many different opinions given in response to this question, it's fun to read what everyone thinks. I would never think of Faith, Hope, Joy, as trashy names. But I would agree that Misty gives me a low-class vibe as does Precious, Angel, I knew a girl named Crystal Star, that's pretty bad in my opinion.

No one has mentioned the 2 name combos like Bobbi Jo or Bobby Joe for a boy, Billy Bob, Bobbi Sue, etc. These names also have a trashy vibe for me.

[elizabeth1]

Many virtue names sound cheap to me. But more than anything, for me it's names with spelling that seems a little "trying too hard". It automatically makes me think "what are they trying to prove??" and why can't the persons personality shine as unique, as opposed to the spelling of their name having to be so bold and 'out there'

[holey]

Any invented name that is made up of trendy components, such as Jaylen or Brylee. Extra points for using a 'k' or a 'y'.

[blairx]

Some that haven't been mentioned:
- Food names: Candy, Taffy, etc.
- Place names often have a trashy image, but that doesn't always apply. Seems it's most relevant to names of large cities.
- Indian tribe names: My gut reaction is to assume the parents must be ignorant if they used the name of a tribe as a child's legal name.
- Mariah Carey's baby names, Monroe and Moroccan

I agree that "you know it when you see it," and with several of the previous suggestions: luxury brand names, many nouveau names (the invented -den and -lee names don't have a stripperish image yet, but seem downmarket in terms of the pool of little kid names), and double names like Billy-Rae. Jewel and virtue names are a very mixed bag, IMO - some are, some aren't. And while alternate spellings and misspellings don't always look cheap, they can up the cheapness factor of a name (e.g. Destiny / Destynee).

I have a soft spot for some names that have a slightly cheap/trashy image, such as Tawny, Fawn (at least it isn't Bambi, right?) and Savannah.

[sunniva]

In all honesty, I would never lump any name into the genre of cheap/trashy/stripper-ish. I think it's a terrible way to describe a name, and really feel for those women out there named Destiny and Mercedes for example, professional women, as I'm sure there are many out there with names such as listed within this thread, who apparently would be judged negatively on the spot simply because of their name.

I am well aware that it's a lot easier to gives such labels to particular styles to allow people to really comprehend the style with little confusion, but I'm just no fan of such labels, just as I hate when names common many decades ago are often listed as being 'old lady names', or names spelled a little differently to the legitimate original are often referred to as 'teen-mum names'... I think my main point is that there are better ways to describe a name style than using such potentially offensive words for them.

Again, I understand why it is that words such as trashy, tacky and cheap are given to certain styles, due to the popularity of that name within that specific working-class (how I'd describe the style, being a term used in social science) culture...it's a matter of pet peeve for me, that's all, so please, there's no need to get defensive.

[amberdaydream]

OK, I can see that there is some conflict over whether a name can be referred to as any of these words. Here's what I think:

-Being called Amber, I see many comments on many name sites saying that it's trashy, stripperish or chavvy, and while it makes me feel very uncertain, I understand that whoever leaves these comments is just giving their opinion of the name, based on the experiences and situations in which they see it. I have no reason to get offended, really - they're not basing that opinion on me, after all, and they're not trying to hurt my feelings.

ETA: For the record, I rarely refer to names like Jade, Crystal, Mercedes, Hope etc. as cheap because my own name has those connotations which makes me feel kind of uncomfortable doing so, but I get that some people are willing to bring it up, which I don't have a problem with so long as they're respectful.

-Understand that when someone says "I think Candi is trashy" they're not saying "Someone called Candi can never be intelligent or successful, and that's that". No logical person would ever say or think the latter. Think of it like clothes - OK, some clothes give off that image. Does that mean that anyone who wears those clothes is unintelligent? Not essentially, no.

-What can annoy me is when someone says, "I'd never hire a Porsche" (I mean as in a person called Porsche, not the car. ) I think that this is a matter of wording it correctly, though: "Some people might not want to hire a Porsche." (Again, a person called this. Lol I don't know many people who wouldn't want to hire a Porsche.)

-I started this thread out of curiosity to ask how people would define a trashy name because the word is not unheard of on naming boards, for better and for worse, but everyone seems to define it differently. Sorry if it offends anyone. I'm not asking people to poke fun at such names or toss them into a stereotype heap, I'm just asking how individuals define it and if they feel the need to give examples then they can, provided they are not trying to hurt anyone. There's a difference between "Chastity reminds me of a stripper" and "All Chastitys will end up as strippers". One is an opinion; the other is a stereotype and a generalisation. I don't think any Berry would say the latter, and if they say the former they mean no harm.

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If I did have to give a pet peeve about it, it'd be the sort of inconsistency, if that makes sense. For example: someone might think the name Jade is trashy because it's a gem name. Does that go for Ruby, Beryl and Pearl? How do those names escape this stereotype? How is Faith trashy, but Temperance isn't? It's a bit strange when you think about it.

[amberdaydream]

I'm sure there are tons of strippers with "normal" names too. I'm sure there are some Elizabeth, Angela, Claire, and Kates yet these aren't considered stripper names

A very good point. Those names seem to have a long history (with a sort-of exception of Kate, but that's a nn for Katherine) so I wonder if a name has to have much history before it is safe from negative connotations.

[hayley88]

I think regarding your question as to how some names of the same type as others Jade v Beryl escape the stereotype and other's don't. And I think it's linked to my previous comment about Freakonomics and the "name filter" effect. It seems that if a name has become popular within lower socio economic groups (which usually happens after higher groups have used the name for a while) the perception of the name changes. The trashy/chavvy/common name stereotypes are all based on preconceived ideas we all have,that are influenced by the class system.
Britain has a highly nuanced one,but it seems America has a class system,as it seems the same kind of names are being brought up by people from both countries.

[blairx]

I agree with the Freakonomics thesis as well. Ruby, Pearl, etc. are just starting to get popular again, so they sound like old ladies or little girls to my generation's ears. As these names become more popular and filter down the class system, I could see Ruby being increasingly picked up as a stripper stage name/adult film screen name in the vein of Crystal, Diamond, Jade, etc. Will names like Beryl and Garnet ever get to that point? Right now it seems counterintuitive, but maybe 60 years ago Crystal would have been as unfathomable on a pinup or burlesque star.

Also, I like Heather and Amber and have a hard time seeing them as trashy. I can see why people would view them that way (the Freakonomics theory, the fact that they were popular in the '80s and now are considered dated), but I personally have a hard time thinking of them in the same light as Uneek, Destynee, Jaylen, etc. or even Jade.

[cristinamariane]

Lots of good ones mentioned. Agree with names like Glimmer, Sparkle, Destiny, Desire, Passion, etc, names that sound like expensive products (Bently, Ferrari, Armani), important people (Columbus, Churchill, Ptolemy) and it's hard for me to see a creatively spelled classic and not think it's trashy. Also Paisley, Jayden/Brayden/Hayden/Payton/Kingston/Kingsley, anything royal sounding (Duke, King) and mashups like Rayshawn and Marcantony. Loved the comment about Toddlers and Tiaras.

I really can't understand the gemstone thing, though. Crystal, to me, doesn't sound dated or stripperish, nor do any of the others except for Diamond.