Baby Name Game: That name means what?!?

Updated Thu Mar 15 2018

I was putting together a list of names that mean grace when there was Hulbert. A name that may well have several good qualities, but grace isn’t one of them.

So I started thinking: What other names have meanings that may be correct but seem so wrong?

Mary meaning bitter is one obvious example. But what are some others?

What names can you find that have meanings ridiculously out of step with their image or sound?

About the Author

Pamela Redmond

Pamela Redmond on Facebook

Pamela Redmond on Twitter

Pamela Redmond's Personal Website

Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.

Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.

View all of Pamela Redmond's articles