Baby Name Meanings
155+ Names That Mean Trouble
Across 9 pages
of 9
Jinx
Word name
"spell, curse, bringer of bad luck"
Jinx, a James Bond heroine name has an ominous meaning but kinetic energy. In the film "Die Another Day," the actual first name of the character played by Halle Berry is Giacinta. It could therefore…
Joplin
English surname
"son of Job"
Used as a first name for a handful of girls every year, Joplin could be seen as a distant cousin of other -lin names, like Caitlin, Brooklyn and Braelynn. We think it works even better as a musical…
Judas
Greek variation of Judah
"praised"
Though there were two apostles named Judas, everyone remembers the one who betrayed Jesus, and the name has been permanently shunned.
Kaliber
Variation of Caliber, English word name
"ability level; diameter of a gun barrel"
Spelling it with a K doesn't do much to separate Kaliber from Caliber's violent image.
Kasino
Word name
"casino"
Debuted in 2020, when it was used for six baby boys. All the same, gambling isn't an appropriate theme for a baby name.
Kessie
African, Ashanti
"chubby baby"
Kessie is cute but slight.
Khaos
Variation of Chaos, English word name
"disorder and confusion"
Khaos debuted in 2008, two years after Chaos appeared on the charts. These days, it tends to be more popular than the original.
Letha
Greek
"forgetfulness"
Letha is taken from Lethe, the mythological River of Oblivion. Letha now sounds as if it's missing a first syllable.
Lucifer
Latin
"light-bearer"
Lucifer is the name of the archangel cast into hell and while theologians disagree on whether he and Satan are separate beings, it long been on the list of forbidden names for religious and…
Mahlon
Hebrew
"sickly"
Obscure Old Testament name -- he was the son of Naomi and the husband of Ruth -- that's become even more obscure over the past century, perhaps due to its unappealing meaning.
Makaveli
American variation of Machiavelli, Italian
"bad nail; king of light"
Makaveli was an alias of Tupac Shakur — his posthumous album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory , was released under the pseudonym. The album was released in 1996, following his death, and the…
Malala
Pashto
"sad, grieved"
This name has a hauntingly appropriate meaning for its most famous bearer, Pakistani women and children's right activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousefzai. The name itself is derived…
Malo
Breton
"shining hostage"
Malo, the name of an important sixth century Breton saint who founded St. Malo, the charming port town in Brittany -- is considered quite au courant in France right now, ranking firmly in the Top…
Medea
Greek
"middle"
Mythological princess who killed her kids. Eternal no-no.
Melville
Scottish
"settlement on infertile land"
All names ending in ville are in nowheresville.
Miette
French
"crumb"
Originally used as a diminutive of Marguerite, this French term of endearment is super-rare as a given name in France, but could make for a sweet alternative to Mia in English-speaking countries. A…
Mortimer
English
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
Naphtali
Hebrew
"wrestling, struggling"
Rarely used biblical choice -- he's a son of Jacob -- with a bit of a white-bearded image.
Narcissa
Greek
"daffodil"
This Greek flower and mythological choice doesn't make it into the pantheon of possibilities because of its association with narcissism. But narcissa is December's flower of the month, so Narcissa…
Nemo
Greek
"nobody"
One of the best known early Nemos was the captain in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea , while the more familiar modern one is the animated little orange fish in the Disney movie. Unusual name…