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I find a lot of modern names quite charming. My list is quite evenly split between modern and "name-nerd" names.

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I like Grayson and Jayden (Jaiden). And I don't mind Jaxson (if it were spelled Jackson), Bryson, Kaiden, Nevaeh, Rylee (Riley), and Emerson. Hayden I like for a boy. I would argue Stevie is hardly trendy and has been around for quite a while.

I like some, but not most.
I am very fond of Hayden for boys, and I think that Caiden (although not this particular spelling) is pretty decent as well.
I don't mind Grayson, Jayden, Blakely, Journey, and Sailor.
Mackenzie, Emerson, and Oakley are bearable. Zayden is interesting.
The rest of these I don't like.
My least favorites are probably Rylee and Everleigh, neither of which I can stand.

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I take it that you're referring to modern trends, which I agree with. Not a fan of most recent trends, myself. However, I think we are probably more inclined to like previous trends simply because we are not experiencing them in the moment. I think some other people have posted some really good thoughts on this, so I'm going to leave it as that.

I despise modern names. All the names ending with "-den" and "-son" (mainly because of Aiden and Jackson) have gotten out of hand. I already hate Jackson (because it reminds me of Andrew Jackson, who was responsible for the genocide of Native Americans and Michael Jackson, who was a child abuser). Same goes with "-ley" for women.

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And don't even get me started with all the "creative" spellings of names.

I have a soft spot for Oaklynn.

I think the whole idea of "names aren't what they used to be" tends to lose steam pretty quickly. Every new trend always looks odd to those accustomed to a different naming system.

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While I agree that many of the names you've chosen are, well, bad, one does have to consider that there are a fair number of names now regarded as standard that, too, were once just a collection of syllables that someone thought was pretty.

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(For what it's worth, some of the names you've chosen have been so normalized that I don't view them as aberrations of normal names - Mackenzie, Paisley, Stevie, Brayden... I don't like them, but I don't wince in the same way because I do think they've been normalized.)

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Also, in the US at least, one should keep in mind that while there are names that are just random collections of syllables that have been deemed attractive, there is a real move towards the revitalization of names once deemed dated. I loved my grandmother but always thought her name - Mavis - was objectively ugly. Now it's on the rise. I'm not sure that those two moves are equitable in distribution, but those trends are operating next to one another.

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It does seem incongruous that Mavis and Oaklynn are both mid-tier popular names in the world today, because they do seem to represent such different conceptions of names. But I think that incongruity has existed for a long time.

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I'd also just say that there are some "classic" names that I view as hideous as t i do, say, Saylor. You're never going to catch me mourning for days when little girls were named Blanche or Beulah.

This message was edited 5/24/2025, 9:16 PM

Usually, I dislike modern names, but some on your list are my favorites! I genuinely like a lot on your list:). Some are in my top ten.

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Love:

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Grayson
Hadley
Emerson
Hayden

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Like:

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Jayden
Bryson
Brayden
Rylee
Journee
Saylor
Wrenley

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Dislike:

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Jaxson
Kaiden
Paisley
Kinsley
Everleigh
MacKenzie
Blakely
Oakley
Oaklynn
Stevie
Palmer

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Can't Stand:

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Legend
Ryker
Zayden
Nevaeh

To be fair, names have not been "what they used to be" since the 16th or 17th century; once the Enlightenment hit, fashions and fads reflecting philosophies started influencing names and they went off the rails. A lot of names that people think of as "vintage classics" are the fad names of their day. If you ever see the phrase "revived in the 19th century" it's from the Victorian obsession with romanticizing the past, so it's a trashy Victorian invention. So it's not like this generation in particular is especially bad, it's just that you're not a fan of the fashion. I often don't understand it myself, it's mysterious to me. Like why would you name your child after a gun, or a gun company? Or stuff like Diesel and Hemi? I mean, I get it, but I also don't. The values don't make sense to me.

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From your list, I'm coming around to Paisley, and I started liking Everleigh, Stevie, and Hadley, and sort of Palmer? I like Oakley and Journee in theory. Kinsley accidentally grew on me when I used it for a story and I wrote it so many times I began to feel affection for it. I humanized Kinsley! The horror!

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I kind of like Ryker, but that's because I'm a fringe Star Trek nerd through my husband. Kaiden's growing on me too because I think that's another character name from a game he plays.

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A lot of these names feel like they're on the way out, though, to me. Grayson, Bryson, Rylee, Mackenzie, Nevaeh, Jayden, Hayden, Jaxson... they all feel like they would have been fresh 15-20 years ago.

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What are some examples of good modern names to you?

This message was edited 5/24/2025, 11:56 AM

I don't hate Oakley on its own merit, but I immediately think of the sunglasses. I think the reason these names rankle is because they're either made up in a way that screams "we're kre8tif," a brand or appropriated masculine names, because... why???? The main reason seems to be a misguided attempt at "girl power" by giving a girl a "strong" name that's associated with masculinity. Kind of self-defeating imho. As for the made up ones and brands... it feels superficial and kind of hollow. Can these names be meaningful? Sure. They just feel... insubstantial.

This message was edited 5/24/2025, 10:29 AM

I'm more likely to dislike names because they sound too old, however, I prefer to use older names in stories than newer names because I want my stories to feel relevant to whoever is reading it, no matter what year it is. That illusion is broken when the names sound like they haven't been invented yet. Names that are older make more sense because they easily could have been passed down from grandparents or come from a famous bearer that the parents respect.

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Anyway, I like that modern names tend to be unisex. They sound cutesier and are spelled kind of weird, but I usually like the sound of them if not anything else. For instance:
I like the sound of Hayden, Brayden, Jayden, Kaiden and Grayson, but I can't decide which spellings I prefer for the last two.
I like the imagery of Legend, but that's too powerful a name to bestow on a mere child. It seems more like a stage name or a superhero name - something you would call yourself once you've already established public importance. Ideally, the name would be given to you by loved ones as an affectionate nickname, so that when you call yourself that, it's less braggy.
I only like Blakely for boys, and I prefer Blake.
Jaxson looks clunky to me, but somehow Jaxon doesn't.
Nevaeh sounds pretty but I can't determine which spelling looks the least strange or the most pretty.
I like Mackenzie but think MacKenzie looks weird after years of seeing the K in lower case.
I'm either neutral to the others or don't like them at all.

Yep, they're awful!

It's not just you. People have been saying this on BtN for decades, now.

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From your list, I like the following names:

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Hayden
Palmer (for a girl)
Stevie (girl)
Emerson (this one really doesn't bother me)
Mackenzie (this spelling only)
Hadley

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Ryker (this one is just fucking cool, not sorry)
Jayden (doesn't offend me, it's fine)

Nope! Not just you.