Awful but loved
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Guilty pleasure names: I love these names, but they seem silly, outdated, have horrible connotations, or otherwise don't seem appropriate for the first name slot.
- Butterfly
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
Fluttery and flighty. But there are a couple of names that mean butterfly you might consider, such as Yara and Farasha.
- Christmas
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
Christmas is a day name long and quietly used as a name for babies born at Christmas. Prettier and more modern than Noel or Noelle.
- Cinderella
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"little ash-girl"Description:
One familiar name never used for real people, for obvious reasons. Read more about Cinderella and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
- Columbine
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"dove"Description:
A beautiful flower name deriving from the Latin word for dove. Sadly, in America this name is now forever linked with a tragic terrorist attack on a Colorado high school.
- Hershel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"deer"Description:
Gentle meaning and bona fide Hebrew history, but feels old-mannish, like Herman and Menashe.
- Honey
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
A term of endearment turned cute British celebrity baby name, used by actress Kate Winslet, chef Jamie Oliver, and TV presenter Fearne Cotton, among others. Honey was given to only 40 girls in the US in 2017, but it's relatively popular across the pond, where it ranks in the current Top 500 baby names for girls.
- Jinx
Origin:
Word nameMeaning:
"spell, curse, bringer of bad luck"Description:
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 be a playful nickname to Ginevra, Jessica, Genevieve, Gianna, Josephine, or Georgina, or a bold choice for those wanting some sparky and witchy.
- Kermit
Origin:
Irish, variant of Diarmaid/DermotMeaning:
"without injunction, without envy"Description:
Kermit was a Top 500 name until the 1960s, not coincidentally the decade in which Kermit the Frog made it a one-person (well, one-frog) name.
- Mystery
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
Pretty sound, provocative meaning, but a little over-the-top.
- Sesame
Origin:
Food name and word nameDescription:
Poppy is the most widely-used seed name, opening the door for Sesame. While Sesame has a pretty sound, it is not often used as a name -- fewer than five baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021. In kids' minds, this might be overly associated with Sesame Street.
- Shadow
- Silence
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
The Puritans used it as a virtue name -- but today it would just be considered weird: silence is no longer golden.
- Snowdrop
- Valentine
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"strength, health"Description:
Valentine is an attractive Shakespearean name with romantic associations, but those very ties to the saint and the sentimental holiday have sent it into a decline, one which we think may be about to turn around.
- Vanilla