I recently attended a family reunion, where I paid my respects to the older generation and joined them in welcoming the younger one. 
Our newest member is Riley John Tyler, which is a fairly euphonous name, but it got me to thinking about some of the names moms give their kids these days. It used to be that when one of my children came home from school talking about a friend, I knes at least what gender the child was. No more. I can no more tell what gender someone is from their name than I can determine their favorite flavor of ice cream.
Here are a couple of "bad" names I've encounteed over the past few years. Please note that not all of these children are related to me. Our family does not have the corner on the market for stupidity. Also, please feel free to to add your own favorite "worst name" in the comments.
Brothers, Justice and Datain, were born to a young woman who was obviously having legal problems. . . They were later adopted by a family member who changed their names to Justin and Dayton.
Several years ago, I heard a woman calling her small son to her. "Payne, come here!" Could labor have been that bad?
My personal favorite bad name is DeTerrence. Deterrance from what? Sex?
We mustn't forget the droves of children whose given names are surnames. Frequently, these surnames have nothing to do with their parentage. Kendal, Whitney, Morgan, and McKenzie lead the list as names that most likely sounded good to the parents. So how come no one ever names their kid Horowitz or Hannigan? "Pleased to meet you, my name is Berkowitz Martinez."
I have to admit that I like it better now than when every girl's name was Jennifer or Jessica. Those names gave me waaaaay too much information.
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Comments: 16
Love that expression on Riley's face!
That's a good one, Elizabeth--law firms ;]
My wife when standing in line at a checkstand heard a woman call her daughter Qiana Marie.
My mom was a Navy nurse during WWII. Before going overseas she worked at a dependent care clinic in Virginia. She and a doctor had a very hard time convincing a woman that naming her daughter "Vagina" was not a good idea. My mom's theory was that it was spelling error and the woman really wanted "Virginia."
My name has never fit any of the multiple last names I've had. I once recieved a marriage proposal that would have resulted in my name being Ina Pearl. Unh unh. No way. Sounded like a little girl being called by her mama in Appalachia, "Ina Pearl! You get over here and feed them chickens!"
I used to collect unusual names, as I had a job that presented the offerings of much unusuality (I know I just made that up. It just felt right.) One of my favorites was Tiajuana Stoudermire. I wish I would have saved the list I'd made of these. The only other ones that jump to mind right at this moment are Cinderella Helbig and Welldon Rumproast.
Really.
John Head and Learned Hand. I swear!
Did you know that when Chevy made a car geared to Mexican Americans they named it "Nova". They overlooked the fact that 'no va' in Espanol means 'will not go'.
I think people who name their children a typically last name are trying to keep the name in the family. I believe this is done to girls the most because of marriage usually means a new last name..
Many people make up names. I actually know a woman named Qiana (pronounced key' ana).
A lot of black people create names as a way to give their child's his/her own identity. It's hard to overlook the most outstanding ones sometimes. But beautiful ones have been created and have gone mainstream: Tanika, Tamika, LaShawn and so forth. There are also black parents who give their children African names. These names may be unusual and the spelling may have been drastically changed. What seems to be more important is how the name sounds, not necessarily what it means. There are also those of us who consciously choose African names and 'legally' change the name. Then, there are those, such as myself, who have African names and use them in different situations. As a matter of fact, I think I'll change my Gather name to my African name because I am job hunting and, well, I don't need to explain that, I'm sure.
Just remember, a lot of names actually mean somehing appropiate in some language in the long run. So we shouldn't be too quick to judge, or to laugh. My niece's middle name is "Lei Mei". Her papi (sp?), my brother, has traveled to many countries. He really enjoys it. He spent some time in China and deliberately chose to include those names. They means "beautiful peach blossom". She was born and lives in Germany. Imagine how many conversations she may start from folk who know or learn the meaning.
Hey Ann, thanks for the forum ;]
*COUGH*
Whenever I hear the names "Britney" and "Tiffany" I think "there go some future strippers".
even Jennifer and Jessica have meanings. Which proves my point that most people don't care to know what a more unusual name means.
"There are also those of us who consciously choose African names and 'legally' change the name." I also meant to say that some parents deliberately choose African names and know what they mean.
No, seriously—
I was "instructed" that a proper name for any of my progeny should be (1) euphonious, (2) not form homophones or initials that cause embarrassment, and (3) (preferably) reflect my ethnic heritage. It was considered unacceptable for me to give my daughters names like "Nicole" or "Mariposa" because our heritage is neither French nor Hispanic.