155+ Names That Mean Trouble
- Khaos
Origin:
Variation of Chaos, English word nameMeaning:
"disorder and confusion"Description:
Khaos debuted in 2008, two years after Chaos appeared on the charts. These days, it tends to be more popular than the original.
- Fogarty
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"exiled one"Description:
Fogarty has the Old Fogey problem.
- Racer
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
New, fast, cool, and chosen by director Robert Rodriguez, whose other sons are Rebel, Rocket, and Rogue, all somewhat risky options.
- Kessie
Origin:
African, AshantiMeaning:
"chubby baby"Description:
Kessie is cute but slight.
- Hux
Origin:
Short form of Huxley, EnglishMeaning:
"inhospitable place"Description:
As Huxley and Huck become more popular and accepted, so does Hux, either as a full name or a diminutive.
- Ascella
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"armpit"Description:
A star system in Sagittarius, so one of the most appropriate names for December babies.
- Malala
Origin:
PashtoMeaning:
"sad, grieved"Description:
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 from the more traditional Malalai, which was the name of a 19th century female Afghan freedom fighter. If you're looking for a soft sounding female name that packs a punch in history and in meaning, Malala is definitely a strong contender.
- Power
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Power is one of the new crop -- Justice, Liberty, Peace -- of strong, clear-cut, declarative choices, though this one carries more assertiveness than virtue.
- Grit
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"strength of character"Description:
Grit became a buzzword in the 2010s, thanks to both the 2010 film True Grit and psychologist Angela Duckworth's 2016 book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perserverance. The book, based on Duckworth's research, attributes success to grittiness. Clearly, the message stuck with parents, as Grit debuted as a name for boys in 2021.
- Zbigniew
Origin:
PolishMeaning:
"to dispel anger"Description:
One of the first authentically Slavic names many Americans heard (but couldn't pronounce), via 1960s to 70s former presidential advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. Even after all these years, it is still problematic internationally, but well-used and familiar in its native Poland.
- Aleela
Origin:
SwahiliMeaning:
"she cries"Description:
Lilting African name that translates perfectly into other cultures.
- Terach
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"wild goat, silly old fool"Description:
A biblical name -- he was the father of Abraham -- but the father's name is much less appealing than the son's, in both sound and meaning.
- Balbina
Origin:
RomanMeaning:
"stammerer"Description:
The Ancient Roman Balbina is the feminine form of Balbus or Balbinus. While certainly unique, it's hard to imagine this name will go far in the modern English-speaking world.
- Trigger
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"releasing device; to initiate"Description:
This name might be too, well, triggering.
- Akuma
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"devil, demon"Description:
Nice baby name with a devilish meaning.
- Amil
Origin:
Arabic or SanskritMeaning:
"one who hopes or unattainable; hard work"Description:
Hope is one meaning of the name Amil, which sounds similar to the German Emil; it can also mean unattainable in the sense of being so exalted as in royalty as to be out of reach. While Amil may not be familiar in the Western world, it's accessible and appealing.
- Devlin
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"unlucky"Description:
Devlin is an Irish name that's fresher and even more devilish than Devin.The earliest written record of this surname occurs in the thirteenth century, when an O'Devlin was appointed Bishop of Kells in 1211.
- Wrangler
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"cowboy; person who disputes"Description:
Rugged, rustic Wrangler evokes cowboy charm, bootcut denim, and SUVs.
- Atropos
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"inevitable, inflexible"Description:
Atropos is one of the three Fates of Greek Mythology. She and her sisters determined life from birth to death—Atropos determined how one would die and would cut the thread of life. Her Roman equivalent is Morta.
- Kasino
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"casino"Description:
Debuted in 2020, when it was used for six baby boys. All the same, gambling isn't an appropriate theme for a baby name.
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