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HelpWhich names are considered tacky or trashy in your country/area? (more)
I am just wondering which names are perceived as tacky or trashy where you live.
I'm interested in how names are perceived in different countries. Please also add why you think the name has a tacky image where you live, in case you know.
For example, here in Austria Jacqueline is considered a typical name of the lower classes. I think it comes from people giving this name to their daughters but not knowing how to pronounce it correctly and therefore giving the name a bad image. I think it also has something to do with many people starting to spell it Jaqueline instead of Jacqueline.
I actually don't agree with judging people by their names. I really try not to do this and I think Jacqueline is kind of charming because of Jacqueline Kennedy. But I have the feeling that each country/area has some names that are perceived as tacky due to some associations and I am just interested to know which names have this unfortunate image in your country.
I will answer with a separate post.
I'm interested in how names are perceived in different countries. Please also add why you think the name has a tacky image where you live, in case you know.
For example, here in Austria Jacqueline is considered a typical name of the lower classes. I think it comes from people giving this name to their daughters but not knowing how to pronounce it correctly and therefore giving the name a bad image. I think it also has something to do with many people starting to spell it Jaqueline instead of Jacqueline.
I actually don't agree with judging people by their names. I really try not to do this and I think Jacqueline is kind of charming because of Jacqueline Kennedy. But I have the feeling that each country/area has some names that are perceived as tacky due to some associations and I am just interested to know which names have this unfortunate image in your country.
I will answer with a separate post.
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
In Brazil, English names spelled according to Portuguese phonetics, like Deivid, Maicol, and Jhenifer, are generally seen as trashy or lower-class.
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I think anything misspelled or with added letters is tacky. I can't speak for my country as it varies so wildly.
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Yeah, names I associate with rednecks are what I consider tacky too.
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Liberty? I don't think it's widely seen as trashy because it's pretty uncommon.
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I'd agree with this. And the hyphenated trend especially when it's overly cutesy like Honey-Rose, Lacey-Lou, Alfie-Jay etc.
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Its interesting that several names associated with Scotland or Ireland like Callum, Connor, Shannon, Kyle, are considered tacky by the British. Is Connor considered tacky by everyone in the UK or is it just the English?
Kai surprised me. I think of it in terms of Arthurian myth, so it seems knightly.
Most of the girl names you mentioned are considered either dated or a bit tacky in the U.S. as well.
Kai surprised me. I think of it in terms of Arthurian myth, so it seems knightly.
Most of the girl names you mentioned are considered either dated or a bit tacky in the U.S. as well.
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I think it's just the English. I know from having lived in Scotland and Northern Ireland that those names are just considered normal, traditional names there.
I like Kai. Unfortunately it's got negative associations here due to some "tacky" celebrities using it, and then it increased a lot in popularity.
I like Kai. Unfortunately it's got negative associations here due to some "tacky" celebrities using it, and then it increased a lot in popularity.
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I like it spelled Calum too. Unfortunately a lot of Irish or Celtic names are seen as trashy or "chavvy" in England, such as Liam, Connor, Callum, Reece, Shane, Kieran, Kyle. I'm not sure why. Maybe because they're not considered as classic and traditional as names like William, George and Edward or are seen as "lower class" or something due to stereotypes about the Irish etc. Being half Irish myself I think it's a shame!
I think the -Mae trend was sweet at the beginning but it's become so overused now, it feels kind of unimaginative.
I think the -Mae trend was sweet at the beginning but it's become so overused now, it feels kind of unimaginative.
This message was edited 4/24/2017, 5:57 PM
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Exactly identical in Germany:
The absolute No. 1 for years is still Kevin, even worse Kevin Prince.
Following Justin, Marvin, Dustin, Jason, Maurice, Dennis, Leon, Marcel, Pascal,
Steven, Patrick, Luca, Nico, Sascha, Niklas, Devid, Demien, Maik, Enrico, Rocky, & how unusual: Adolf.
Whereas, signs and wonders, Jacqueline, also spelled Schaklin or Schakeline,
closely followed by Chantal, from this was then here Schantall.
Above all Mandy, Michelle, Jennifer/Jenny, Jessica, Celine, Selina, Samantha, Sandy, Vanessa, Nora, Laura & Angelina.
Furthermore such double-barreled names as Cheyenne Savannah, Davina Shakira, Shania Tyra, Don Hugo, Jimmie Blue, Wilson Gonzalez, San Diego, Don Armani, Eisi Faust, Male Mylow, Camino Santiago, Daron Angel, Hedi-Rocky, Princess-Kate, La-Vie, Frangi-Pany etc.
The absolute No. 1 for years is still Kevin, even worse Kevin Prince.
Following Justin, Marvin, Dustin, Jason, Maurice, Dennis, Leon, Marcel, Pascal,
Steven, Patrick, Luca, Nico, Sascha, Niklas, Devid, Demien, Maik, Enrico, Rocky, & how unusual: Adolf.
Whereas, signs and wonders, Jacqueline, also spelled Schaklin or Schakeline,
closely followed by Chantal, from this was then here Schantall.
Above all Mandy, Michelle, Jennifer/Jenny, Jessica, Celine, Selina, Samantha, Sandy, Vanessa, Nora, Laura & Angelina.
Furthermore such double-barreled names as Cheyenne Savannah, Davina Shakira, Shania Tyra, Don Hugo, Jimmie Blue, Wilson Gonzalez, San Diego, Don Armani, Eisi Faust, Male Mylow, Camino Santiago, Daron Angel, Hedi-Rocky, Princess-Kate, La-Vie, Frangi-Pany etc.
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Male Mylow? :( Oh no! I actually like Celina and Selena but never understood how the Selina spelling became so common in Austria and Germany. Especially because Celina and Selena have different backgrounds (Celina associated with heaven and Selena with the moon). Selina always bothered me a bit even though I don't think it's horrible.
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These names are typically considered a bit tacky and sometimes trashy in Norway:
M: Ronny, Johnny, Kenneth, Kim, Bengt, Ståle, Glenn, Roy, Raymond, Børre and Harry ("Harry" is often used as a Norwegian translation for tacky).
F: Turid, Randi, Unni, Connie, Reidun, Angelica (Names with extra letters that are not pronounced are also seen as bit tacky, for example Hannah, Sarah, Michelle).
(Any of these combined with another norwegian name might make it even tackier!)
If you check out Norwegian name forums you'll find hundreds. Male names are most often considered tacky or "harry" as we say it in Norway :)
M: Ronny, Johnny, Kenneth, Kim, Bengt, Ståle, Glenn, Roy, Raymond, Børre and Harry ("Harry" is often used as a Norwegian translation for tacky).
F: Turid, Randi, Unni, Connie, Reidun, Angelica (Names with extra letters that are not pronounced are also seen as bit tacky, for example Hannah, Sarah, Michelle).
(Any of these combined with another norwegian name might make it even tackier!)
If you check out Norwegian name forums you'll find hundreds. Male names are most often considered tacky or "harry" as we say it in Norway :)
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Names like Honey Boo Boo are considered tacky. Thankfully, it is not the tv personalities real name.
Names that might strike some people as tacky:
Clamydia
Chastity
Bambi
Coco
Chardonnay/Champagne/(other alcoholic beverages that the kid was conceived on)
Porsche/Lexus/(brand names)
Bronco
Rebel
Cougar
Using your kids names to make a joke, pun, or obviously political statement can also be perceived as tacky.
Names that might strike some people as tacky:
Clamydia
Chastity
Bambi
Coco
Chardonnay/Champagne/(other alcoholic beverages that the kid was conceived on)
Porsche/Lexus/(brand names)
Bronco
Rebel
Cougar
Using your kids names to make a joke, pun, or obviously political statement can also be perceived as tacky.
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I never understood how Brandy became so common in the US, or Chardonnay in the UK. As far as I know these names don't have any other background except from the alcoholic beverages :/
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Chardonnay was used as the name of a character in a somewhat trashy British TV series called Footballers Wives in the early 2000s. I don't think it had really been used as a real name before that. However, after the show aired it started being used. It's never actually become that popular in the UK. I remember reading somewhere that it had been given to 50 babies but last year there were just 7. I also saw a Shardonnaie or something similar the other day, can't remember where though.
This message was edited 4/25/2017, 8:54 AM
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Brandy is a skilled singer. She made an excellent Cinderella, and her duet with Whitney Houston, who played the fairy god-mother, was excellent.
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Yeah she also had a fun TV show called Moesha!
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Yes, that's true!
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Melanie, Tiffany, Destiny.
I can't really think of any boys' names. It's more about accents - certain accents just sound really "lower class", and they make any name sound terrible.
Jacqueline is a normal, respectable name in the Netherlands.
I can't really think of any boys' names. It's more about accents - certain accents just sound really "lower class", and they make any name sound terrible.
Jacqueline is a normal, respectable name in the Netherlands.
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That's nice, Jacqueline is an old classic in France and I am sad it has a bad image in Austria.
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Hi !!!
In Italy if you say trashy the majority think about English names. All them are generally perceived as "soap opera's names" and some of the feminine ones a even worst meaning (in this category Jessica, Ramona, Deborah, Jennifer and Samantha are the most noticed when it is asked).
Some examples of trashy..and overused too!
Jessica*, Sharon*, Deborah, Chanel*, Samantha*, Nicole*, Ylenia* (and the most of names that have Y instead of I), Natasha, Cristal* (every variant of this one), Catia, Katiuscia, Allison, Ashley, Sarah, Tania, Ramona*, Jennifer*, Nicol, Genny, Savannah*, Alyssa, Jasmine*, Désirée* (sad!!), Megan, Marika, Gennifer
For males it is the same: Michael / Maicol*, Kevin*, Morgan, Bryan*, Liam*, Ryan, Patrick, Cristian* (kree-stee-ahn), Santiago, Diego, Nathan*, Jonathan*, Saimon (TT), Marc, Denny, Jonny*, Thomas*, David, Sebastian, Eric, Gabriel*, Ramon
In Italy if you say trashy the majority think about English names. All them are generally perceived as "soap opera's names" and some of the feminine ones a even worst meaning (in this category Jessica, Ramona, Deborah, Jennifer and Samantha are the most noticed when it is asked).
Some examples of trashy..and overused too!
Jessica*, Sharon*, Deborah, Chanel*, Samantha*, Nicole*, Ylenia* (and the most of names that have Y instead of I), Natasha, Cristal* (every variant of this one), Catia, Katiuscia, Allison, Ashley, Sarah, Tania, Ramona*, Jennifer*, Nicol, Genny, Savannah*, Alyssa, Jasmine*, Désirée* (sad!!), Megan, Marika, Gennifer
For males it is the same: Michael / Maicol*, Kevin*, Morgan, Bryan*, Liam*, Ryan, Patrick, Cristian* (kree-stee-ahn), Santiago, Diego, Nathan*, Jonathan*, Saimon (TT), Marc, Denny, Jonny*, Thomas*, David, Sebastian, Eric, Gabriel*, Ramon
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Haha!!! So, basically any popular U.S. name from the 80s and 90s!!
The names you listed are mom-names here right now.
The guys names you listed are still pretty classy here.
I can't believe Gioia is on the list though!! *sad face*
Also, considering the number of people named Salvatore in my family, we are not faring well!!
Noemi also gets a sad face.
The names you listed are mom-names here right now.
The guys names you listed are still pretty classy here.
I can't believe Gioia is on the list though!! *sad face*
Also, considering the number of people named Salvatore in my family, we are not faring well!!
Noemi also gets a sad face.
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Yes, I also know a lot of Italian-American Salvatore's!
This conversation reminds me of this article I read about how third or fourth generation Italian-Americans have kind of stuck with their grandparents or great-grandparents pronunciation of things ("gabagool", "mutzadell", etc.), even though in a lot of parts if Italy they would be totally outdated today.
(I'd love to hear Felie's or Fiammetta's thoughts on this!): http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-capicola-became-gabagool-the-italian-new-jersey-accent-explained
This conversation reminds me of this article I read about how third or fourth generation Italian-Americans have kind of stuck with their grandparents or great-grandparents pronunciation of things ("gabagool", "mutzadell", etc.), even though in a lot of parts if Italy they would be totally outdated today.
(I'd love to hear Felie's or Fiammetta's thoughts on this!): http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-capicola-became-gabagool-the-italian-new-jersey-accent-explained
This message was edited 4/24/2017, 11:20 AM
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The Salvatore's in my family are Italian though. My dad is the only one of his siblings that came over.
Still, I grew up with the Italian American culture in the U.S. (NY) and know exactly what you mean. Very aggressive pride in Italy, and most of them have never even been to Italy.
My dad's best friend has parents from Italy and uses a very exaggerated Italian accent. All.the.time.
My own dad is from Sicily and when he was a kid, people still actually spoke Sicilian. He still does and whenever we visit Italy people can't help but grin while he is speaking. Apparently it makes him sound "country" or something.
Still, I grew up with the Italian American culture in the U.S. (NY) and know exactly what you mean. Very aggressive pride in Italy, and most of them have never even been to Italy.
My dad's best friend has parents from Italy and uses a very exaggerated Italian accent. All.the.time.
My own dad is from Sicily and when he was a kid, people still actually spoke Sicilian. He still does and whenever we visit Italy people can't help but grin while he is speaking. Apparently it makes him sound "country" or something.
This message was edited 4/25/2017, 6:02 AM
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I think that this is too sensitive a subject in the US to address, because to too many "tacky" means "African-American", and then racism comes into play. I'm not saying that there aren't names that aren't African-American that can be seen as tacky, but there are far more African-American names that are. I'm also not saying that it's people here on BtN necessarily---I'm addressing more the general public.
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Agreed. African-American naming traditions and trends get a lot of flack. One thing I like about where I live (which is 60% AA) is seeing the interesting variety in names!
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This is spot-on for the U.S.
I also think tacky / trashy means something different for the general public than for namenerds.
For example, we see Nevaeh and cringe a bit.... but the general public seems to think it is sweet.
My daughter Clarisse tells everyone her middle name is LaToya (it's not) and people always have that wide-eyed "!! should I say something?" look on their faces.
I also think tacky / trashy means something different for the general public than for namenerds.
For example, we see Nevaeh and cringe a bit.... but the general public seems to think it is sweet.
My daughter Clarisse tells everyone her middle name is LaToya (it's not) and people always have that wide-eyed "!! should I say something?" look on their faces.
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I have a bit of a soft spot for Nevaeh, I always thought it looked a bit like a Biblical name (Neriah, Tirzah, Jeremiah) and it has a soft sound. I love Clarisse, it is very pretty! :) I know of Latoya Jackson. I never liked how it has the word 'toy' in it, but apart from that it is fine. I think it was common in the 80s, according to statistics.
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This is why I started this thread because as someone from outside of the US this is so odd to me and I would like to know the background behind it.
I never knew that Diamond is more common among African Americans. I always put it in a group with Jade, Ruby, Pearl - a usable gemstone name. I always liked the Italian variant Diamante a lot.
I never knew that Diamond is more common among African Americans. I always put it in a group with Jade, Ruby, Pearl - a usable gemstone name. I always liked the Italian variant Diamante a lot.
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I work with a girl whose name is Deimante and honest, I find it, in German terribly 'hochgeschissen'. Like, it's not even regular diamond, nooo, it's fancy diamond with a faux french accent.,
Just me though
Just me though
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I didn't know it was more common among African Americans either. I've only ever heard Diamond as a surname; it sounds weirdly cold and formal to me.
Also, although I like most of them, I'd say gemstone names as a group are considered a bit tacky, but they've all got different vibes (for example, Pearl has a redneck vibe to me, and Topaz has a hippie/flaky vibe)...and most people I know with gemstone names (except for Jade, actually) are white.
Also, although I like most of them, I'd say gemstone names as a group are considered a bit tacky, but they've all got different vibes (for example, Pearl has a redneck vibe to me, and Topaz has a hippie/flaky vibe)...and most people I know with gemstone names (except for Jade, actually) are white.
This message was edited 4/25/2017, 9:48 PM
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The spelling thing might affect Jasmine. I know a bunch of girls named variation like Jazzmyn.
DH really, really loves this name. I just couldn't bring myself to consider it because it does have that tacky vibe.
We ran into the same problem with Tiffany :(
I don't know the car / Opal association. I think most people have just forgotten about Opal really. No idea why it didn't hit the hipster crowd along with Ruby. I am guessing people have relegated it to middle name status.
DH really, really loves this name. I just couldn't bring myself to consider it because it does have that tacky vibe.
We ran into the same problem with Tiffany :(
I don't know the car / Opal association. I think most people have just forgotten about Opal really. No idea why it didn't hit the hipster crowd along with Ruby. I am guessing people have relegated it to middle name status.
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Oh this is sad :( I didn't know about this.
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Yeah, I always squirm when I see this topic, so...
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I don't agree with judging people by their names. I just noticed that very often when people ask about a name people answer with 'it is really tacky/trashy where I live', so I was interested in hearing which names have these associations as they seem to be very different from country to country or even area to area. I would like to know why because I often don't understand why a name brings up a certain image as I don't live in the same country and have no idea how a name is perceived there.
Just as an example, I always though Crystal was extremely beautiful. It made me think of snow crystals and a winter wonderland. When I asked about it many people told me it was tacky and I didn't really know why. So this is the reason for this thread, understanding why names are perceived in a certain way. Same with Destiny which made me think of a cute pilgrim girl before I came here.
I am just interested how this happens to names, it is not a thread where I want people to hate on certain names, I am really interested in how names are used in different societies.
Just as an example, I always though Crystal was extremely beautiful. It made me think of snow crystals and a winter wonderland. When I asked about it many people told me it was tacky and I didn't really know why. So this is the reason for this thread, understanding why names are perceived in a certain way. Same with Destiny which made me think of a cute pilgrim girl before I came here.
I am just interested how this happens to names, it is not a thread where I want people to hate on certain names, I am really interested in how names are used in different societies.
This message was edited 4/24/2017, 10:50 AM
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Do you get a snow crystal association from Amber? Amber for some reason is a very fiery name to me :D The opposite of Crystal which is clear, white and blue. Amber is orange and red and warm :) I really like Amber too, and the Italian version Ambra. The French Ambre is quite fashionable currently!
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Nadine is cute. Clarisse and Nadine are very nice for sisters :) I love the classic, old French names like Eliane, Noelle, Madeleine. I hope they will make a comeback in France soon, at the moment many 4 letter, 2 syllable names are common in France and I am a little tired of all the similar sounding names I hear all the time now: Lina, Lena, Louna, Lana, Lea, Lola, Lou, Louane, Lilou ahhhhh :P I mean some are nice but they all sound so similar and there are so many of them.
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I like it a lot, but it is not a classic, it only became common quite recently. At least from my personal impression. The oldest one I know is 29 years old and I know quite a few younger ones. I think names ending in -ïs and -ys are becoming really fashionable in France. A friend of my mom who is a lawyer in Paris and I guess among the trendsetters there, she is a bit of a hipster, just had a little Thaïs. Anaïs was super common too but it is getting less common now.
This message was edited 4/25/2017, 1:44 PM
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France and Austria
First of all let me say that I really don't like judging people by their names. I know nice people with most of these names. But they do have a certain image, due to associations.
I will start with Austria:
Kevin - this is an Irish classic but here it is probably the tackiest name there is. Articles have been written about what a burden it is to bear this name. I actually think this is exaggerated and always thought of Kevin as a nice Irish classic. But it is definitely a difficult name to have here.
Jacqueline - I think this has something to do with people mispronouncing it and misspelling it as Jaqueline.
Mandy, Sandy, Cindy, Peggy - probably because they are nicknames used as full names.
Chantal - because of mispronunciations, I guess. In German it often become SHAHNN-tall or shahnn-TALL which don't sound very elegant.
Cheyenne - I guess because of a German celeb couple who gave this to their daughter and don't have the best image.
Shakira - I guess because it just doesn't really go well with German surnames and people assume you were a gigantic fan of the singer.
Chiara, Kiara - can get mispronounced a lot and is the name of a German high society daughter who had lots of plastic surgery.
Hmmm kind of sad, I always had a bit of a soft spot for Cheyenne. I guess in general you could say they are names with a short history of usage in Austria that mainly became common due to modern media (TV etc., not books) and are therefore associated with people who have time to watch TV a lot? No idea, but I find it interesting how bad the images of these names are now, and kind of sad that they are in such a sad category they might never be able to get out of.
First of all let me say that I really don't like judging people by their names. I know nice people with most of these names. But they do have a certain image, due to associations.
I will start with Austria:
Kevin - this is an Irish classic but here it is probably the tackiest name there is. Articles have been written about what a burden it is to bear this name. I actually think this is exaggerated and always thought of Kevin as a nice Irish classic. But it is definitely a difficult name to have here.
Jacqueline - I think this has something to do with people mispronouncing it and misspelling it as Jaqueline.
Mandy, Sandy, Cindy, Peggy - probably because they are nicknames used as full names.
Chantal - because of mispronunciations, I guess. In German it often become SHAHNN-tall or shahnn-TALL which don't sound very elegant.
Cheyenne - I guess because of a German celeb couple who gave this to their daughter and don't have the best image.
Shakira - I guess because it just doesn't really go well with German surnames and people assume you were a gigantic fan of the singer.
Chiara, Kiara - can get mispronounced a lot and is the name of a German high society daughter who had lots of plastic surgery.
Hmmm kind of sad, I always had a bit of a soft spot for Cheyenne. I guess in general you could say they are names with a short history of usage in Austria that mainly became common due to modern media (TV etc., not books) and are therefore associated with people who have time to watch TV a lot? No idea, but I find it interesting how bad the images of these names are now, and kind of sad that they are in such a sad category they might never be able to get out of.
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It is the same in Austria, Kevin is seen as really trashy. Vanessa and Melissa are also a bit on the tacky side, but not nearly as much as Kevin. Liam is too new to have to many associations, but my guess is that it could go into the same direction. Interesting to see that it is similar in Sweden! Poor Melissa, I actually always had a soft spot for it, I love its meaning! I like your name Nicole as well! But it also has a slightly tacky image in Austria, unfortunately. However in France it is very classic, just a bit out of style. I am hoping for a comeback :D Tindra is actually kind of cute to me, but maybe that is different in Sweden :P
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