20 Baby Names That Made People Angry at the Parents

Having a unique name can be both a blessing and a bit of a curse. While it sets you apart and can be a great conversation starter, it also comes with its fair share of challenges. Mispronunciations, constant corrections, and mismatches across official documents—like differing spellings between your birth certificate, driver’s license, and bank account—can create unnecessary complications, especially when traveling or handling important paperwork like loan applications.

While having an uncommon name can be a mild inconvenience, some parents take creativity to extreme levels. Recently, someone online asked, “What baby name immediately makes you lose all respect for the parents and why?” The responses poured in, with people sharing the most bizarre, cringeworthy, or outright confusing names they’ve encountered—often leaving them wondering what the parents were thinking.

#1

Image source: Michael , CDC / unsplash (not the actual photo

Your story strikes the perfect balance between humor and resilience—what a journey with your name! It’s clear your parents gave you a meaningful name with a deep connection to your heritage, and it’s unfortunate that people often don’t consider the significance behind names before making jokes. That said, I love how you’ve embraced the humor, especially with “Silky Force”—honestly, it does sound like a Bond character (and a pretty iconic one at that).

The teasing must have been exhausting at times, but it’s admirable how you’ve handled it with grace and humor. And you’re absolutely right—there’s a big difference between giving a child a unique name with cultural or personal significance versus setting them up for inevitable teasing with names like Sterling Silver or Mike Hunt. It’s all about intention and the impact it could have on a child’s future.

Also, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the CBC team’s bet—that’s a whole new level of creativity when it comes to your name’s reputation!

#2

Image source: Becky Wilder, Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Oh wow, that’s one of those stories that’s both hilarious and a little painful at the same time. I’ve actually heard of similar situations where parents misunderstood hospital paperwork—like thinking Female on a hospital bracelet was a suggested name rather than a gender label.

“Femahly” definitely has a unique ring to it, but imagine having to explain that backstory for the rest of your life. Hopefully, she’ll grow up with a good sense of humor about it—or maybe she’ll just end up going by a cool nickname.

#3

Image source: Meaghan Louise, Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Yikes, that’s some next-level unintentional cruelty right there. You’d think someone in their lives would have raised a red flag about Harry-D*ck before it made it onto the birth certificate. Honoring family is sweet, but maybe a middle name or a creative workaround would’ve spared that kid years of playground trauma.

As for Salexa, it does sound nice until you realize it shares a name with an antidepressant. I wonder if parents just don’t Google names beforehand or if it just… slips by? Either way, it’s a reminder that a quick internet search can save a lifetime of awkward explanations.

#4

Image source: Silke Force

This story is equal parts hilarious and endearing. Silkie Force genuinely sounds like a superhero alter ego or, as the CBC crew thought, a Bond villain with impeccable style. It’s wild how a name, meant to honor heritage, can take on such an unexpected life of its own.

The way you’ve embraced the humor behind it is honestly the best approach—turning potential teasing into your own personal brand of charm. And you’re right, while your parents had noble intentions, some names (like Mike Hunt or Gayle Force) feel like a lifetime sentence of playground ridicule just waiting to happen.

Also, low-key loving the Selkie joke—anyone who gets that reference deserves to tread carefully around you!

#5

Image source: Spaghetti Hoop, Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

My friend just had a baby, and the nurses told her that someone else gave birth to twins and named them ‘Sausage’ and ‘Peanut’ 💀💀💀.

#6

Image source: Dennis D, Jonathan Borba / unsplash (not the actual photo)

When my wife was giving birth to our first child, she shared an OB room with another woman who was also in labor. I haven’t seen that setup in years, but it was definitely common in 1992.

Anyway, the woman in the bed next to us decided to name her baby Vgina.* Yes, you read that right. Her family spent over an hour arguing and pleading with her not to, but she refused to budge. She insisted it was the most beautiful word she could think of and was absolutely set on it.

We can’t say for certain what happened in the end, but by the time we were moved to a private room, she was still standing her ground—and paperwork was definitely being filled out. So, as far as we know, that baby was officially named Vgina.*

#7

Image source: Stuart Stevenson , Jelleke Vanooteghem / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Having spent years in government work—as a probation and parole officer, a DSS investigator, and an educator—I’ve come across some truly unforgettable names. Here are just a few:

• Female (pronounced Fe-maul-e)
• Debris—yes, like trash
• Twins named Ccaine* and Mrijuana* (you can look them up in the South Carolina Department of Corrections—shockingly, they were convicted on drug charges)
• Twins Orangejello and Lemonjello (pronounced Or-ang-elo and Lem-on-jelo)
• UrMajesty
• UrHighnessVgina* (pronounced Fa-gi-nuh)
• Abcde (pronounced Ab-suh-day)

People certainly get creative with names…

#8

Image source: YaNayNay, Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

I used to be a school bus driver, and one day, while covering an unfamiliar route, I stopped at a house to pick up the next student. I glanced at my clipboard and did a double-take at the girl’s name.

Her first name was BikiniWanna.

I just sat there thinking, Who on earth would name their child that?!

#9

Image source: Bianca Davis, Toa Heftiba / unsplash (not the actual photo)

A friend of a friend had a baby named Yvonne. I love that name (it’s actually my daughter’s middle name), but this poor child wasn’t going to be called Eee-Von or Eh-Von. Nope. Her parents insisted it was pronounced Why-von-eee—spelled Y.V.O.N.N.E. *eye roll*

Another thing that instantly makes me lose respect for parents—and makes me question their intelligence—is seeing a child wearing one of those God-awful, pseudoscientific amber necklaces.

#10

Image source: Bob Wilson, Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

There was a high school girl working at my local grocery store, and I did a double-take when I saw her name tag. I figured I’d give it a shot and pronounced it as it was spelled:

“Thank you, Serria.”

She immediately sighed and said, “Why does everyone call me that? My name is Sierra—it’s just spelled differently.”

Honestly, if you’re going for a unique spelling, what’s wrong with Ciara or Cierra? Why would her parents do this to her? I feel like she’s going to be correcting people for the rest of her life.

#11

Image source: Amber Rose, Evita Tomševica / unsplash (not the actual photo)

My mom and I ran into a little girl, around six years old. She cheerfully said, “My name is A-B-C-D-E!” My mom laughed and told her, “Great job on the alphabet!” But then her parents—one of whom was definitely drunk—chimed in, “That’s actually her name. Abcde.” I had to turn away to hide my laughter. Poor girl.

This happened last year. Oh, and then there’s Kristen—spelled Kris-10. Like, at least spell it properly! I actually like the name, just not written like that. Plus, names like these cause issues in my dad’s company’s programming system, making things unnecessarily complicated. And let’s be real—kids aren’t always the nicest, so that’s another challenge.

#12

Image source: Amy Christa Ernano, E. W. Kemble / wikimedia (not the actual photo)

I have a real issue with parents who give their kids names they think are cute or clever without considering the long-term impact. Take Chanda Lear, for example. It might seem funny at first, but the kid has to live with that name forever.

My own experience with this was a guy I worked with named Huckleberry Finn. Super nice guy—and honestly, really cute—but he definitely wasn’t as amused by his name as his parents apparently were. He went by Huck and flat-out refused to respond if someone called him Huckleberry. One of our managers at Target used to page him over the walkie and insist on using his full name. He would completely ignore her until she said Huck.

I once asked if his parents were Mark Twain fans, and he just sighed and said, “No, they were just cruel.” That really stuck with me. Parents need to remember that it’s their kids—not them—who have to go through life with the “clever” names they pick.

#13

Image source: Kirsten Carlson, Wesley Tingey / unsplash (not the actual photo)

I swear, I am not making this up…

My cousin was at a routine check-up at her pediatrician’s office. She was 17, just sitting in the waiting room, when a nurse with a clipboard walked in. The nurse had a very guilty look on her face as she hesitantly called out, “I’m sorry… is there a Sht Head?”*

The entire room froze. People sat up, looking around in shock. Then, a visibly annoyed mom stood up, holding her newborn, and snapped in a condescending tone, “It’s pronounced Shuh-theed.”

Later, my cousin asked about it and was told the name was spelled S-H-I-T-H-E-D.

#14

Image source: Lady Jigglyhips, Esmihel Muhammed / pexels (not the actual photo)

My friends named one of their kids ‘Nissan Sentra’ (wish I was joking here) and, for their youngest, they couldn’t come up with a name that they both agreed on. They finally settled on (wait for it) ‘TEMPO ARIE’ pronounced ‘Temporary.’ The hope was the child would be able to choose her own name when she was old enough (hence the name “Temporary’). That was 18 years ago, and she’s changed her name to something far more conventional.

#15

Image source: Brienne Zamora, Henrique Malaguti / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Oh lord. I consider myself a relatively nice person, but I cannot get over the absolute nonsense some people name their kids.

Princess. Madam. Mister. Diarrhea. Black. Apple. Sir. Lochabeth. Any variation of Caedan, Rayden, Haedaaaan, whatever. Once, I met a person named Shanie who angrily corrected me, saying, “It’s pronounced SHAH-NAY.” I’ve also come across a Breaden who insists on being called Brayden and a Cayenne who goes by Cheyenne.

For the love of all things good, please learn phonics. Are people just throwing darts at the alphabet when naming their children? Unique is one thing, but stupidity is another. No matter what you name your kid, odds are someone else in the world has that name—there are literally billions of people. Being culturally relevant and different is fine, but there’s a big difference between that and outright ignorance, arrogance, or just making your child’s life unnecessarily difficult.

#16

Image source: Nicole Kos, Kelly Sikkema / unsplash (not the actual photo)

My cousin is one of those parents who believes a name isn’t complete unless it has as many unnecessary letters as possible. She named her first child Jhaydynn—because apparently, Jaden just wasn’t long enough. Then she really outdid herself with her second child, naming her Chelleseigh.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, she insisted it was pronounced Kelsey. We all tried to warn her that everyone would assume it was pronounced Chelsea, but she argued that since Christina is pronounced with a K sound, Chelleseigh could be too.

Of course, the inevitable happened—everyone who saw the name pronounced it Chelsea, and by the time she started school, she just stopped correcting people and went with it. When she turned 18, she legally changed her name to Chelsea because, at that point, it was what everyone called her anyway—and, honestly, she just wanted a normal spelling.

#17

Image source: Lea Adler , Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

There are plenty of controversial baby names out there—Nevaeh (which I personally don’t have an issue with), any color name, any food name, and of course, the endless variations of Katelyn/Caitlin/Catelyn. But one name stands out above the rest: Abcde (pronounced Absidy).

The first time I heard it, I was just… disappointed. No offense, but it feels like the kind of name a young, overly quirky mom would give her child just to be different. It’s the naming equivalent of trying way too hard.

#18

Image source: Mathew HeathVanHorn, Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

I once met a woman with a very cute little girl in a stroller. I complimented her on such a pretty child and asked for her name.

Mother: “Her name is See-ann.”
Me: “What an interesting name! How do you spell that?”
Mother: “S-E-A-N.”
Me: “Isn’t that Sean?”
Mother: “AUUUUGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!! Why do people keep saying that!? So many ignorant people in this world!!!!!!”

And with that, she stormed off in a huff.

#19

Image source: Kelsey Whiteman, Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

When I was around six or seven, my dad took me to the doctor’s office. It was a normal day—until I noticed a girl sitting across from me. She looked about my age and had the biggest smile on her face.

Then, I heard the nurse call her name… Precious… Butts?

Yes, you read that right. Precious Butts. I was shocked and tried so hard not to laugh.

Fast forward a few years—my dad and I were at Home Depot picking up some paint. We got to the checkout, and who was working the register? None other than Princess—Precious Butts’s sister.

It was incredible. 😂

#20

Image source: Hope Switon , Tamara Govedarovic / unsplash (not the actual photo)

“Actually, it’s pronounced…”—Actually, it’s probably not.

I have no issue with names from different cultures or languages—that’s completely understandable and deserves respect. But when people just make up pronunciations out of nowhere? That’s where I draw the line.

Like when someone insists “the B is silent” even though there’s no rule in their language for silent Bs. Or when they throw together random letters and expect the rest of the world to magically know their personal interpretation of phonetics.

Take La-a. You’d think it’s pronounced La-ah, right? Oh, no. Some claim it’s LaDasha because “it’s a dash, you know.” But by that logic, it could also be LaHyphena or LaMinusAh. And actually, LaDasha is the one thing it absolutely isn’t—because it’s not even a dash, it’s a hyphen. A dash is longer (—).

Then there’s X Æ A-12. In Denmark, where I’m from, we use Æ, and I could reasonably pronounce the letters as Ek-say-ah, which honestly sounds kind of nice. But no—Elon Musk (who came up with this mess) says it’s supposed to be pronounced X Ash Archangel.

I’m sorry, what?

So Æ is suddenly Ash because it’s the Elvish spelling? As a Dane, I’m slightly offended that a fictional language’s pronunciation takes precedence over an actual, real-world one. And A-12 is pronounced like Archangel? No, it’s not. It might be short for Archangel, but that’s not how pronunciation works.