Baby name expert divides parents with ten of the most hated names for girls and boys – and gives savage reasons for them
A BABY name pro has divided parents after sharing ten of the most hated names for girls and boys.
Laura Wattenberg – who is thought of as the baby name wizard – gave savage reasons for why each name grinds people’s gears.
The expert and author carried out extensive research to compile the lists and said it was interesting to find out the names that people spontaneously hate.
She created her own survey – which allowed people to share their thoughts on names – and looked back on popular names in previous years to compile the data.
Reasons for hating names include them sounding too violent, being too unique and being spelt unusually.
Some parents went as far as to call names “ugly” and “trashy”.
Wattenberg spoke with Live Science to give insight on why people dislike certain names.
GIRLS
The most hated girl name she found was Nevaeh – which is heaven spelled backwards.
According to Wattenberg, it stands as a symbol for what makes a name so divisive.
That name didn’t exist until the 1990s and took off in popularity in 2003, becoming the 31st most popular baby name in 2007 compared to 150th in 2003.
Another hated girl name is Destiny – but it is hated for two very different reasons.
The first is that many people associate the name with exotic dancers, and the second is that people don’t like names that bestow virtue on a child.
In the same vein, the name Hope is thought to be one of the most hated names for a baby girl.
The most common initial on the hated names list for girls was M.
People strongly disliked the names Madison, Mackenzie, McKenna and Makayla.
More traditional names like Bertha and Gertrude were similarly disliked – with people even dubbing the latter as an “ugly” name.
The name Addison was heavily disliked because it is an example of a masculine name turned feminine.
The name Kaitlyn was hated for its “made-up” spelling.
Celebrities with the most hated girl names include Tik Tok star Addison Rae, singer Madison Beer and actress Kaitlyn Dever.
BOYS
For boys, the most hated name is Jayden – which can also be spelt Jaden, Jaydin, Jaydan, Jaydyn and Jaydon.
Interestingly, the most hated boy names all rhyme with each other.
Wattenberg suggested that the rhyming theme has been overdone.
Other hated names part of this theme include Brayden, Aiden, Kaden and Hayden.
The name Hunter was hated because it is “too violent” for some.
However, the name Michael was hated because it was “too boring”.
People were particularly vexed by the name Bentley because branded names are thought of as “trashy”.
Joining the most hated boy names are also Tristan and Jackson.
Will Smith named his son Jaden which has now become the most hated boy name in its various spellings.
MOST HATED BABY NAMES
GIRLS
- Nevaeh
- Destiny
- Madison
- Mackenzie
- McKenna
- Addison
- Gertrude
- Kaitlyn
- Makayla
- Bertha
- Hope
BOYS
- Jayden
- Brayden
- Aiden
- Kaden
- Hunter
- Hayden
- Bentley
- Tristan
- Michael
- Jackson
Laura Wattenberg is known for using scientific analysis to understand why people choose certain baby names and how they fit into different cultures.
She wrote the book The Baby Name Wizard to help parents find the perfect baby name through her “magical method”.