155+ Names That Mean Trouble

A sober and detached choice for a son.

An interesting figure from Greek mythology -- an Amazon queen who fought for Troy in the Trojan War -- but no figure could be interesting enough to make that five-syllable mouthful usable today. Stick with Penelope or, if that's too popular for your taste, try Thessaly.

Khaos debuted in 2008, two years after Chaos appeared on the charts. These days, it tends to be more popular than the original.

Spelling it with a K doesn't do much to separate Kaliber from Caliber's violent image.

Wrecker is a new entry to the newly trendy group of badass baby names -- names mostly for boys that sound wild (or Wilder) and summon the kind of kid that races around (Racer), breaking things (Breaker), and yeah, why not, being a Wrecker while he's at it. Actor Cam Gigandet introduced this one, with a more phonetic spelling, when he named his son Rekker.

A name used in the Old Testament, as well as a variation of Buzz.

While patriot Thomas Paine is a worthy honoree, the mere association with the word 'pain' knocks this name out of bounds.

Though we usually think a name's image in contemporary culture supersedes its ancient meaning, this is a case where the definition could undermine a child's self-esteem.

Roulette debuted as an American baby name in 2023, when it was given to five baby girls, though it didn't return in 2024.
>/br> While Roulette's sounds are very on-trend — the "rou" found in names like Ruby and Cruz, and the "ette" ending of Colette and Juliette — we don't recommend using gambling-related names for babies.

You might want to honor premier U.S. architect Frank Gehry--even though he was born Ephraim Goldberg. Gehry, pronounced like the more common surname Geary, may be a spin on the name Gary, which means spear, or derive from the Middle English word geary, which means fickle.

Pranav, an Indian name now in the U. S. Top 900, represents Aum, or Om, the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, symbolizing the entire universe.

Biblical name from the Old Testament.

Rugged, rustic Wrangler evokes cowboy charm, bootcut denim, and SUVs.

Rekker comes to us thanks to actor Cam Gigandet, who gave his son this phonetic spelling of badass word name Wrecker. Use at your own peril.

New, fast, cool, and chosen by director Robert Rodriguez, whose other sons are Rebel, Rocket, and Rogue, all somewhat risky options.

One of the latest in a suite of rowdy boy names, including Chaos, Wrecker, Lawless, and Rowdy itself. Ruckus was given to 5 boys in a recent year.

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.

The name of the hyena character in The Lion King was clearly chosen for it's villainous meaning—not exactly one you want for a baby, but if you can get past that, it's a nice name.