It seems like celebrities constantly try to outdo each other when it comes to naming their children something unique. Likewise, the rest of us often tend to emulate the famous (or infamous) by using these same (often atrocious) names with our own brood. As co-founder of BabyNames.com, I'm presenting the top 30 names NEVER to name your child.
Names that combine into dictionary words or phrases: North West, Krista Chanda Lear, Kelly Green. Sorry Kanye and Kim, the name North West is not creative or interesting, it is simply silly. Your child will want to be presented as unique and interesting but not with a laugh, which is what you will get if you name your child Lemonjello.
Titled Names: Princess, Lady, Sir, Prince. The problem with titled names is that they simply seem the opposite. We don't name a child Congresswoman Sarah or CEO Bill, so why would we name a child Princess Vaughn Finkelstein? The name Prince could fall under this category, except there were so many Princes after the 1980s (including two children of Michael Jackson), it no longer became a name associated with the "purple reigner."
Famous names: Beyonce, Oprah, Madonna. If there is only one famous person associated with a name on your list, skip it. According to howmanyofme.com, there are fewer than 1,600 people named Beyonce, but besides Beyonce Knowles, that's 1,599 too many.
Evil names: Adolf, Nero, Caligula, Dahmer. Using a name associated with evil or infamy is giving your child a negative image from the start. Not only may he not get invited to elementary school birthday parties, even worse he may associate himself with destruction and damnation - and may feel he needs to live up to his name.
Numeric names: Zero, Solo, Deuce. It simply isn't fair to quantify a child. First of all, naming a child Zero is handing him a baseline of low self-esteem. If you name a child Solo or Deuce, you run the risk of having a second or third child that ruins the numeric sequence. To be fair, the name Infinity has a pretty ring to it and suggests unlimited potential.
Virtue names: Justice, Honor, Chastity, Patience. This section will most likely be the most controversial, but we simply should not determine a child's persona from birth. Giving a child an expectation from birth is almost the same as asking them to be the exact opposite during their teenage years. A message to parents: just don't open that door.
Brand names: Lexus, Porsche, Bentley, Nike, Puma, Pepsi. Brand names should stay just that: brands. Naming a child Lexus or Nike is the same as commercializing your child. Let a child be a child, not a status symbol. Exceptions would be names such as Mercedes, where it was a person's name before it was a brand name.
Computer names: Hashtag, Facebook, Google. Oh we knew it would happen but we were hoping it wouldn't: baby Hashtag. Not only is this name hard on the ears, but how is it any different than naming a child Semicolon or Parentheses?
When it comes to baby names on this list, Baby Nike pleads: "Just don't do it."