Controversial Names 

Evokes picture-postcard image of colorful Indonesia.  Bali Barret is a Paris fashion insider who oversees women's style for Hermes.  Bali rhymes with tally or galley.

Bali

Nice sound, but double meaning -- shady glen or shady character. 

Shade

This name of the bright orange flower found in Asia has been used occasionally in English-speaking countries. A notable namesake is Tiger Lily, the Native American princess from Peter Pan. Read more about Tiger Lily and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Tigerlily

Though the plays by Sophocles and Eugene O'Neill and via the "Electra Complex" proposed by psychoanalyst Carl Jung, this name has, unfortunately, become associated with incest and murder. 
 
Nevertheless, if you can put the mythology and theory aside, Electra makes a bright, spikey, electric feeling choice, with a shiny, gemstone meaning. If you can't, you could follow actress Isabella Rossellini who chose the gentler Italian version, Elettra, for her now grown daughter.

Electra

Wise is a lovely virtue to bestow upon a baby, as seen through the increasingly popular unisex choice Sage. Wise would make for a perfect middle name with the one-syllable flow.

Wise

While Woodrow is too forbidding, its nickname Woody is a bit cartoonish, as in Woody Woodpecker and the animated cowboy character in Toy Story. Woody also has a slang meaning that no teenage boy will thank you for. Woody Allen was born Allen.

Woody

Barren is a masculine name with English language origins, derived from the word meaning 'unproductive' or 'desolate.' While the term traditionally has somewhat negative connotations related to infertility or emptiness, as a name it may be appreciated for its strong sound and similarity to popular names like Darren, Barrett, or Baron. The name remains extremely uncommon as a given name in English-speaking countries, likely due to its challenging semantic associations. Some may see it as a modern invention or a creative spelling of Baron (a title of nobility) or Baran (a name with Persian or Slavic origins). The name has a strong, masculine sound with its firm consonants, which might appeal to parents seeking something unusual with a powerful phonetic quality, though many might hesitate due to its literal meaning.

Barren

Although it looks like an English placename, the surname Crowley is an anglicization of the Irish O Cruadhlaoich. A famous bearer was the occultist Aleister Crowley, and it also appears on characters in Supernatural and The Walking Dead. It has started to get a little use in recent years, as part of the new wave of names ending in -ley.

Crowley

Irish surnames are hot, and this one can successfully cross the line to work for girls, replacing the outdated Casey. And only a dozen girls were named Clancy in the US in one recent year (along with 27 boys), making it one of those rare Irish names that are both accessible and distinctive, classic and cool. Clancy is a winner for either gender.

Clancy

Master

Power is one of the new crop -- Justice, Liberty, Peace -- of strong, clear-cut, declarative choices, though this one carries more assertiveness than virtue. 

Power

It doesn't matter if Savage is a surname on your family tree — it's a highly controversial choice for a first name with connections to racism and colonialism. Despite this, over a dozen sets of parents named their sons Savage in a recent year.
 
As a last name, Savage has English origins as a medieval nickname-turned-surname for a wild person, ultimately from the Latin salvaticus, meaning "man of the woods". The Ashkenazi Jewish and Irish variations evolved from the Aramaic name Sabbas, meaning "grandfather" or "old man".

Savage

Though it has literary credentials--making an appearance in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and as the mean-spirited teacher Severus Snape in the Harry Potter books, most modern parents would find it too--well--severe.

Severus

The ancient name Albus has modern currency as the first name of the headmaster of Harry Potter's Hogwarts, more formally known as Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Can Albus work if you're missing the long white beard and the magic wand? Maybe, though it might be a heavy mantle for a Muggle child to wear.

Albus

Gypsy, once associated with the burlesque entertainer, actress, and writer, Gypsy Rose Lee, is now considered an ethnic slur when used for the Romani or Roma people. While not all Romani view it as derogatory (and some proudly use the term), its historic use as a slur should probably sway you away from this name —especially if you don't have Romani heritage.
 
Figuratively meaning "wanderer" or "nomadic", the name started out as a corruption of Egyptian, likely owing to the belief in the Middle Ages that the Roma were travelling Egyptians. Appearing in the title of song by Lady Gaga, Fleetwood Mac, and Cher, it was also used by actress Drea de Matteo and musician Shooter Jennings as the middle name of their daughter Alabama. 
 
Given to 11 girls in the US in a recent year, it peaked in 2020 when nearly 40 babies were called Gypsy. This coincided with the 2019 release of The Act, a mini-series based on the life of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, documenting the abuse she faced from her mother along with her involvement in her mother's murder.

Gypsy

Possibly created as an elaboration of Otho or Otto, Othello is almost exclusively associated with Shakespeare's 1603 tragedy of the same name. Borne by a Moorish General who is tricked and manipulated by the cunning Iago, Othello is also the name of a classic board game.
 
The name has been appearing in the US stats since the early 20th-century and is given to a small handful of babies most years. The most recent count saw it given to 16 babies: the highest number in over a century. We've spotted at least one birth announcement for an Othello in 2026 saw far, with "Ottie" given as an everyday nickname. 
 
The exact meaning of the name is unknown, as it may relate to a Roman family name of unknown origins (borne by emperor Marcus Salvius Otho), or to the Germanic Otto, Odo, or Odilio meaning "wealth, fortune" or "heritage", perhaps via the Greek form, Othon. Additionally, it could have been inspired by the Biblical Othniel, another name with uncertain etymology, though "strength of God" or "lion of God" are often suggested.

Othello

Many virtue names have long been in style or have seen a resurgence in recent years. Happy, however joyous, seems unlikely to join this trend. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to Joy or Hope) and because it's such a familiarly used word in day to day life (unlike Verity or Felicity). 
 It was notably borne by the not-so-happy character Happy Loman in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, by a cat in the anime and manga series, Fairy Tail, and by Happy Quinn from the TV show Scorpion.

Happy

A multicultural name that manages to sound soft and strong at the same time, Kamala is also another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

 Vice President Kamala Harris, who describes her own name's pronunciation as COMMA-la, is the first Indian-American and the first Black woman to run on a US Presidential ticket for a major party. Kamala Harris's mother was Indian and her father is Jamaican.

 A rising star in the Democratic Party, Harris was sworn in as her state's junior senator in January 2017 and instantly became one of the most visible critics of the Trump Administration. She makes Kamala one of the most recognizable <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/539/hindi-names-for-girls">Hindi names for girls</a>, with a strong sound and international appeal.

Kamala

Associated with havoc, disaster, and trouble, this bold moniker is unlikely to be many parents' first choice, but it has nevertheless been appearing in the US charts since 2006. It may appeal to those who like Danger, Wild, and Rowdy, or associate Chaos with rebellion, mythology, or physics.
 
Derived from the Greek khaos, the word originally meant "abyss, vast, empty", and in Greek creation myths, Chaos was the first being to exist, out of which Erebus and Nyx (darkness and night) were born. In some versions of the myth, Gaia, Tartarus, and Eros were also born out of Chaos. 
 
Given to more than 140 babies since the mid-2000s, Chaos had its (current) peak in 2021 when 22 boys received the name. Nickname Ossie (or Ozzie) might just help ground it, though you could consider Chaol, a modern literary name inspired by the word.

Chaos

A word with various meanings, Cinch could count as a cowboy name in line with Stetson or Colter, or perhaps a name suggesting surety, clarity and decisiveness, in tune with Chosen or Legend. Maybe it was just an easy decision to make because the sound of it appealed. In the UK, however, it's mostly a used car company, known for its adverts faced by Rylan Clark.
 
Cinch has been given to around 180 babies since it first entered the US stats in the early 2000s.

Cinch

are names that might cause you and your child some trouble.

From cringing and eyerolls to questions about your morals and values, the names on this list may be viewed as controversial for different reasons and to very different degrees. As such, a name might be considered divisive because some see it as

), whereas others might be divisive because they’re politically and historically loaded (let’s go with the obvious: 

), names associated with racial stereotyping (

),  names of controversial or unpleasant figures in history (

), names of contemporary criminals and creeps (

), names associated with tragedies or hurricanes (

),  names with sounds that might cause teasing (

Does that mean all of these names are off limits? Not necessarily. It heavily depends on where you are in the world, your culture and heritage, and whether you mind others not liking your child’s name. And while we’d definitely advise against some of the names on this list, you might even like the associations or style that would put others off.  More to the point, there is a big difference between using a name others may find too old fashioned or too nickname-y to using a name with heavy, negative, and historical associations.  

So if you do find one of your favorites on this list, we’re not saying you have to rule it out. It might just be worth considering its history and evaluating what others may think on hearing it — and if this could impact you and your child (or not!)

Controversial Names are names with that might cause you trouble. Divisive and controversial names include food names, names associated with bad figures from history, food names, celebrity baby names, names of contemporary criminals, demon names, very religious names, violent names, modern names, and made up names. Whether a name is controrversial depends on where you are in the world.  (Page 12)