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HelpNames that are just...wrong.
Lets talk about names that make you cringe when you hear them. Not because they are ugly or you know someone you didn't like in high school with the name, but because you just think they are...wrong. I'm thinking of culturally misappropriated names, names of people considered universally evil, etc.
What names make you cringe?
What names make you cringe?
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Replies
Natural Disaster Names?
Do the names of natural disasters bother anyone? For instance, does Katrina make you cringe because its a major disaster that killed people or would you just not use it because its too strongly associated with a storm.
Do the names of natural disasters bother anyone? For instance, does Katrina make you cringe because its a major disaster that killed people or would you just not use it because its too strongly associated with a storm.
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There quite a few old names beginning with the suffix ‘cyn’ where the y is pronounced more like ‘uh’ which sounds rather unfortunate in modern English.
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Isis
I actually really like the name, but what it would represent today is just all wrong.
I actually really like the name, but what it would represent today is just all wrong.
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Indeed.
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Along with everybody else, Adolph, Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot, Osama Bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein are all definitely inappropriate. In addition, Yahya Khan (Bangladesh genocide), Pasha (involved in Armenian genocide), Hideki Tojo (war crimes against civilians), Kim Il-Sung (1.6 million killed in political purges).
Fictional mass killers would be in bad taste as well. For instance naming a kid Sauron, Darth Vader, or Voldemort.
Delilah - it is a common euphemism for a whore, and it is generally associated with a prostitute who betrayed her lover for money. On top of that the name means weak or languishing. Whenever I hear that this name is starting to be used, I wonder what exactly the parents are planning for their daughter. Are they advertising their intent to pimp her out? It seriously creeps me out that there are parents like that. Doxy, Floozy, and Strumpet out for similar reasons. Mata Hari isn't really usable either, but simply Mata might work in some countries. Do you think Aileen is unusable?
Aryan is a contentious name that might work in some parts of the world.
Fictional mass killers would be in bad taste as well. For instance naming a kid Sauron, Darth Vader, or Voldemort.
Delilah - it is a common euphemism for a whore, and it is generally associated with a prostitute who betrayed her lover for money. On top of that the name means weak or languishing. Whenever I hear that this name is starting to be used, I wonder what exactly the parents are planning for their daughter. Are they advertising their intent to pimp her out? It seriously creeps me out that there are parents like that. Doxy, Floozy, and Strumpet out for similar reasons. Mata Hari isn't really usable either, but simply Mata might work in some countries. Do you think Aileen is unusable?
Aryan is a contentious name that might work in some parts of the world.
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 11:46 AM
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In regards to Delilah, do you also think Jezebel is unusable? I feel they have such similar stories but for some reason people are okay with Delilah but against Jezebel.
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No, I wouldn't use Jezebel either. I have never actually encountered someone who did consider Jezebel a usable name. Didn't she have the priests of other religions wiped out while she herself engaged in religious worship that included human sacrifice? She also falsified evidence against a neighbor so he would be executed and she could acquire his land. Mostly, Jezebel is seen as a sort of insulting epithet or an attempt at having an edgy blog name.
This message was edited 12/10/2016, 6:28 PM
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I love Delilah.
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Hideki is an extremely extremely common Japanese name. No one would associate it with that particular person. It would be saying like Michael would always get associated with Michael Jackson or something.
I agree with many of the others. Aryan doesn't work well at all in many countries. Delilah is a name I wouldn't use because of the association but I like the sound and can see why people are drawn to it, just as I can see it with Lilith, Salome and Jezebel. There was a popular song about a Delilah some time ago which made it common and I think most people just think of that.
I agree with many of the others. Aryan doesn't work well at all in many countries. Delilah is a name I wouldn't use because of the association but I like the sound and can see why people are drawn to it, just as I can see it with Lilith, Salome and Jezebel. There was a popular song about a Delilah some time ago which made it common and I think most people just think of that.
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 12:04 PM
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Where exactly is Delilah used as a euphemism for whore? I've certainly never heard of that!
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In older novels or regency romances and westerns, it is pretty common to see hookers referred to as Delilahs. Even in some movies the prostitutes are called Delilah. Outside movies and books, I actually hear it more in everyday speech to refer to someone who is perceived as a two-faced slut. Instead of calling someone a b**** (French word for female dog) people will just say that the person is a Delilah. It does seem to be a term used exclusively for women while a guy would just be called a gigolo or lech.
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I've never heard it. But now I will be looking out for it. Mind you, a jade was a very common term for a prostitute over a long period of time, and look how popular that is for a name. So I wouldn't worry too much over something that obscure
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Zezozose Zadfrack Glutz.
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One of the worst I can think of is Gypsy, the term is often used as an insult towards the Romani people. I also think Ginger is kind of difficult. Ninel (Lenin spelled backwards) is another one that has been in use. Lenina is equally bad. Fanny is another one that doesn't work anymore at all. And I would hate to be called Adolf or any variant of it such as Adolfo or Adolfina :(
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Fanny works fine in Scandinavia and Finland. It's a pity it doesn't work in English-speaking countries.
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Yes, it works in France too. But the association is just too weird (in the US it just means butt but in the UK it is a slang term for a vagina). And English is a language pretty much everyone has to learn at some point. If it had that meaning in a very unknown language that would be different. I still think it is ok as a nickname as long as the birth certificate has a full version or middle name the child could use if she moved to an English speaking country. Stephanie nn Fanny is kind of cute.
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Yah, I would personally steer clear of any name that had a bad association in another popular language.
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I have actually read about a Swedish girl called Fanny who had to use her middle name when she moved abroad (to England, I think it was), because people took her name as an insult!
BTW, in Swedish we pronounce it like the English work "funny". I have a cousin Fanny, but I guess she could use one of her middle names if she moved to an English-speaking country.
BTW, in Swedish we pronounce it like the English work "funny". I have a cousin Fanny, but I guess she could use one of her middle names if she moved to an English-speaking country.
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Elwing
I like a lot of the names from The Silmarillion, but this one always sounded really awkward IMO. It sounds like the name of an airline. For some reason, it also makes me think of penguins.
Although that's definitely not the worst name in Middle-earth. The worst is probably Gróin, the name of Oin and Glóin's father. I do realize it's probably pronounced with two syllables, but still...
I like a lot of the names from The Silmarillion, but this one always sounded really awkward IMO. It sounds like the name of an airline. For some reason, it also makes me think of penguins.
Although that's definitely not the worst name in Middle-earth. The worst is probably Gróin, the name of Oin and Glóin's father. I do realize it's probably pronounced with two syllables, but still...
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 4:44 AM
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What about ‘Shagrat’?
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I stand corrected.
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Cruising some local death notices today, I found Etheline and Easy. Jawdroppers, both.
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My head is now full of unfortunate surnames for that poor soul ‘Easy’.
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Etheline sounds like the name of a frumpy old maid.
Easy...I have no words for it.
Easy...I have no words for it.
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 4:48 AM
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Hi !!!
I dislike all surnamey names.
And the most of nicknamey too.
Byeeeeeee
I dislike all surnamey names.
And the most of nicknamey too.
Byeeeeeee
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How on earth could anyone ever think that Easy of all things would be a suitable name for a child? Even without factoring in the slang usage it's ridiculous!
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 3:11 AM
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Dyllinger
Saw this in Parents magazine. Bad enough to use the name of a violent bank robber but then to spell creatively? WTH
Saw this in Parents magazine. Bad enough to use the name of a violent bank robber but then to spell creatively? WTH
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Also, the last six letters of the name spell linger, plus it rhymes with finger. This kid's going to be the butt of jokes.
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I don't think it would be pronounced to rhyme with finger though. At least, I thought it was DILL-in-jer.
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They probably thought no one would notice. I mean, Trigger, Hunter, Stryker, etc are violent enough, but they had to branch out to criminal.
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I'll start us out. I really dislike hearing Lennon because while on paper it looks nice, verbally it sounds like Lenin.
I really dislike culturally appropriated names like Cheyenne, Gypsy, and Cohen. I cringe when I hear it because people either 1) didn't research a name enough to know that or 2) don't care.
I really dislike culturally appropriated names like Cheyenne, Gypsy, and Cohen. I cringe when I hear it because people either 1) didn't research a name enough to know that or 2) don't care.
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I can kind of understand Cheyenne because it's fairly common at this point and ends in a very common sound for English female names. I'm not saying it's not somewhat ignorant to use it if you have no background, but I really don't expect most people research names before using them, especially if they've come across it IRL once before.
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I've heard Lenin used as a name in a number of Latin American countries. It's one of those names given by parents who admire certain historical or political figures. For example, I know a number of guys named Washington (after George Washington) and I know two Edisons (after Thomas Edison).
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 4:32 AM
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Which historical figures parents decide to honor tells a lot about them. As others have mentioned, Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and Osama Bin Laden are all historical figures, but they have been implicated with genocide and/or mass human rights abuses. While it may be true that most political figures can be viewed as controversial by somebody, not all public figures are tarred with the same brush or are guilty of the same things. Comparing George Washington to Vladimir Lenin is not going to fly with most people.
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At least originally, Lenin was used by parents with communist leanings. Even today, many self-identified communists view Lenin in a positive light. (I'm not defending Lenin; I'm just stating parents' motives for using it.) Over here, names like Lenin and Edison tend to be more common among the working class (though they do see usage by other social classes as well). I doubt most of the people are even aware of the less-appealing traits of their sons' namesakes.
Even a lot of well-liked historical figures aren't always viewed positively by everyone. For example, not all Indians see Mahatma Gandhi as a hero. He's hated by a lot of Dalits who see him as an elitist.
I don't want to turn this into a political argument.
Even a lot of well-liked historical figures aren't always viewed positively by everyone. For example, not all Indians see Mahatma Gandhi as a hero. He's hated by a lot of Dalits who see him as an elitist.
I don't want to turn this into a political argument.
This message was edited 12/8/2016, 3:18 PM
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There isn't really sufficient evidence proving that Thomas Edison ever killed an elephant. A circus elephant named Topsy was electrocuted at Luna Park after she killed someone, but Edison doesn't really seem to have had anything to do with it with the electrocution. At the time of Topsy's death, Edison was no longer involved in the electric lighting business. The Brooklyn company that still bore his name mentioned in newspaper reports was a privately owned power company no longer associated with his earlier Edison Illuminating Company. Edison was not present at Luna Park nor does he seem to have harbored any notable ill intent toward elephants.
While Edison was by no means perfect, I can see why people could admire his contributions to electric light, power utilities, sound recording, motion pictures, mass communications, etc... He even created a battery for an electric car. Without his long-lasting practical light bulb, the world just wouldn't be the same.
While Edison was by no means perfect, I can see why people could admire his contributions to electric light, power utilities, sound recording, motion pictures, mass communications, etc... He even created a battery for an electric car. Without his long-lasting practical light bulb, the world just wouldn't be the same.
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The electrocution was carried out by electricians of the Edison Company and in the past he had condoned such things.
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The elephant was doomed to die anyway because she had killed a person. There were other incidents that gave her a reputation as a "bad" elephant. So yes, you can argue that you can't really blame the animal because she was forced into circus life, but the fact is the mindset at the time was that an elephant who turned violent even under those circumstances had to die. Also the man who owned her had decided to get out of the amusement park business. Edison didn't decide she had to die. It was going to happen whether he was involved with it in any way or not. The man who owned her made the decision. And if it were electricians from a company that he was no longer associated with, how was he involved anyway? At first the plan was to hang her, but strangulation with ropes tied to a steam powered winch, poison, and electrocution were chosen instead as being more humane than hanging, because simple hanging did not guarantee death and if it did cause death, it would be a slower death. She was killed because she had killed a person, not because Edison wanted to see if electrocution would work, and she was killed by a method including electrocution because it was considered more humane, not because Edison wanted to see if electrocution would work.
The claims that it was a demonstration organized by Thomas Edison as part of the War of Currents are false. The War of Currents had occurred ten years before.
Your dislike of Thomas Edison is just kind of weird. Of course, you have the right to dislike whom you want to, but if you are going to cite reasons that you do, you should make sure they are factual.
The claims that it was a demonstration organized by Thomas Edison as part of the War of Currents are false. The War of Currents had occurred ten years before.
Your dislike of Thomas Edison is just kind of weird. Of course, you have the right to dislike whom you want to, but if you are going to cite reasons that you do, you should make sure they are factual.
This message was edited 12/9/2016, 8:38 AM
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Okay, so let's say he wasn't even responsible for the elephant. I don't like his support of electrocution as a method of acceptable death in humans.
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