Bad naming trends:

1. Giving your child a name that's not a name, but an object, adjective, or totally made-up word. I suppose more "black names" than "white names" would fit into this category, but outside of Precious, Diamond, and Tiara, the rest of the top 20 seem nice enough.

2. Giving your child a variant spelling of a common name in order to "make them stand out".

Notice the following top 20 "white girl" names:

5. Katie
7. Katelyn
13. Katherine
14. Caitlin
15. Kaitlin
18. Kaitlyn
20. Kathryn

And I know for a fact that there are Catherines and Kaytlynnes and Katrinas out there. Jesus. Pick a different name.

The black girls aren't off the hook, what with Jazmine, Jasmin, Jazmin and Jasmin at 15-18.

3. Combining trends 1 and 2 so that your child's name is Uuuneeqke.

Worst name ever? Madison. Except for Madycyn and Maddisynne and all its other mangled namespawn.
mb | Homepage | Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 4:22:59 pm | #

as one of your 'younger readers', i'd like to know the REM reference and its significance
Ryan | Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 11:43:45 pm | #

Your bad baby name goldmine:

http://www.notwithoutmyhandbag.c...ames/ index.html

I believe this is the first time in that site's history that a male is telling another male about it.
Dave | Thursday, April 14, 2005 - 11:12:15 am | #

At least Caitlin is a decent name in and of itself. The trend that gets me is all of the boy names that rhyme with Aiden -- Braeden, Caden, Jaden, etc., etc., ad infinitum.
victoria | Homepage | Thursday, April 14, 2005 - 12:37:14 pm | #

So with you on the -adens, victoria!

Boy names on girls, even when spelled with y's (Kevyn, Aidyn) must also die.
mb | Homepage | Thursday, April 14, 2005 - 6:18:27 pm | #

I read that article before you posted it and the one thing that really stood out was a client my wife had during outpatient therapy. This woman, and I wish to God I was making this up, named her twins Lemonjello and Orangejello.
Bill | Homepage | Friday, April 15, 2005 - 5:34:12 pm | #

Random thoughts:

* Well, Justin and I HAD been talking about using the name Rachel in the future, but now that this guy says that by then, it will be a "low-end" name . . .

* I wonder if Clementine's expected popularity would be from its use in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? I don't know . . . I loved that character enough to name someone after her, but maybe not enough for "Clementine", you know?

* The author is on the mark with Fiona; I've already heard of multiple little girls being given that name.
Kristin Sausville | Homepage | Saturday, April 16, 2005 - 9:38:09 pm | #