A name is an essential part of a person’s identity. It’s on birth certificates, calling cards, passports, and other vital documents. It’s something that we carry for the rest of our lives, which is quite unfortunate for some people.
Below you’ll find some of the worst names ever bestowed upon an individual. They’re the kind that would get someone bullied in school and beyond, or something you’d see on a Saturday Night Live skit. Some are so hilariously bad that a legal change is understandable, regardless of family histories.
Scroll through to see what we mean.
#1 The Only Correct Answer
#2 Latrina
#3 Best Fire Fighter Name Ever
Outlandish names have gotten worse in recent years, so much so that judges had to intervene. In 2015, France banned “Nutella” and “Strawberry” from being used for baby names. The UK did the same thing a year later when a woman from Wales wanted to name her daughter “Cyanide.”
In both situations, judges had the children’s best interests at heart, stating that the absurd names may cause problems when they grow up. It is quite unfortunate, as it seemed amiss with these parents.
#4 Unfortunate Name
#5 These Were The Names Of My Dad’s Teachers In Pre-School
#6 Mr. Perv
The trend of weird and quirky names has also been prevalent in the United States. According to a study by San Diego State University psychology professor Dr. Jean Twenge, Americans have been more inclined to give their babies less common names, which have decreased in popularity since the 1950s.
While names like Joseph, Thomas, Elizabeth, and Jennifer are still popular, you may also have noticed the rise in popularity of more unorthodox names like Maude, Phineas, Saffron, and Bevelyn, to name a few.
#7 Just So… Unfortunate
#8 This Guy Must’ve Hated The Fact That The Military Goes By Last Names
#9 Nice To Meet You Mike
So, what is the reason behind the rise in popularity of uncommon names? Dr. Twenge suggests that American individualism may be a contributing factor. As she told the BBC, it’s their way of wanting to make their child more distinct.
“Parents have favored giving children names that help them stand out – and that means more unique names and fewer common names,” she explained.
#10 Very Unfortunate Name Indeed
#11 Maybe Her Parents Should Have Said Her Name Out Loud
#12 My Mom Named Me After Naruto
My mom is a big anime fan, I’m not… She named me Ninja, inspired by Naruto, and made my middle name Egg to play along with our last name Salad. My brothers also have weird names, such as Ashton Greek Salad, and Honey Dew Salad. At least Honey and Ash are normal. My entire life, I’ve lived with people making weirdly racist jokes about Asians and asking if I was a blue-haired Fortnite streamer.
Anytime I tell someone my name, they never believe me, and I get in trouble with the law because they think I’m joking. They’ll ask my name, I’ll say Ninja, then they’ll ask, “What’s your real name?”, and if I have my ID, I’ll give it to them, and even then, I’ve been taken into jail because they think I have a fake ID. School was a nightmare, and don’t even get me started on finding a job. I’ve been thinking about changing my name to Spencer so I can actually get some decent work, but I’ve lived my life as Ninja for so long, I don’t know if I’ll ever adjust. So speaking of which, any name ideas?
Wealth is another contributing factor, according to Arizona State University professor Michael Varnum. As he told the BBC in the same interview, scarcity isn’t a concern for people with infinite resources. In turn, they are more likely to be open to “stick out a little bit.”
“If you don’t have a lot of resources or wealth, the better strategy might be conformity and to do what most people are doing,” he said.
#13 Ice Breaker
#14 My Name Is “Nasser”. The Game Is Censoring The Middle Letters And It’s Making It Worse
#15 Stuck With A Dumb Name
We’d now like to hear from you, readers. Which of these names do you think is most unfortunate? Are they that bad to warrant a legal name change, or are they acceptable enough to live with? Share your thoughts in the comments!
#16 My Grandpa Had An Unfortunate Name
#17 Poor Guy
#18 Mr Moe Lester You Are Waited At Gate 4
#19 Last Name Pretty Much Seals The Deal
#20 I Am Uncomfortable
#21 The Most Unfortunate Name Ever
#22 That’s An Unfortunate Combination
#23 Unfortunate Name
#24 Spotted On Instagram: North Korea?
#25 The Big Question Of The Commonwealth Games
#26 I See Your Yearbook Name And Raise You This
#27 He Was Literally Born For This, It Was His Destiny
#28 Vegeta
#29 This Dentist’s Name
#30 Is Your Middle Name Camper Or Something?
#31 You Have Got To Be Kidding Me
#32 She Lives Rent Free In My Mind
#33 Kermit Rainman
#34 My Legal First Name Is Not Valid On Facebook. I Was Born With This Name
#35 There Is An Editor Somewhere That Needs To Be Fired
#36 Unfortunate Name
#37 Sister’s Name Probably Saratonin
#38 Best Friend Is Having A Baby… I Googled It And Apparently A Few People Have That Name, But Is It Not Literally The Word “Ashtray”???
#39 Doesn’t Seem Like The Type Of Dentist You’d Want If You Have A Sweet Tooth
#40 My 12 Year Old Loves Telling Me About The Tragedeighs At Her School. Today She Sent Me This From Her School Bus
#41 Unfortunate Name
#42 My Friend Is A Dance Teacher, These Kids Are Aged 6-8
#43 Imagine Waking Up In The Morning And Saying, “I’m Gonna Name My Baby After A Social Media Feature”
#44 At A Primary School In Norway. I Feel So Bad For This Kid
#45 Philly Cheesesteak
#46 Why Though?!
#47 Hopefully This Fellow Doesn’t Get Too Much Flak For His Surname
#48 This Name
#49 This Did Not Give Me Dohp Amin (Dopamine)
#50 Found On Facebook
#51 Saw This Last Name On The News Today
#52 Set Bro Up From Birth
#53 I Like To Imagine His Sister Is Named Branddaughter
#54 We Guess This Guy Is More Into Butts Judging By His Name
#55 I Would Sue
#56 This Is Just Painful. This Video Is About Two Months Old, So I’m Not Sure If It’s Already Found Its Way Here. But… These Poor Kids
#57 Congrats On Graduating Daycare
#58 Love The Name
#59 Thank You For Calling Customer Service, May I Have Your Name Please?
#60 This Elderly Lady Has A Very Unfortunate Name
#61 Roarah Lionah
#62 Osama Vinladen
#63 Some Gems At My Son’s Elementary
#64 What?
#65 His Parents Really Must Have Hated Him When He Was Born. I Am Amazed He Made Anything Of His Life With That Name As A Child
#66 Well That’s A Very Unfortunate Name. Worst Part Is That He’s An Elementary School Teacher
#67 Naming Twins Essentially The Same Name
#68 I Found This In The Wild
#69 Saw Someone Post Caribbean Names Here And I Thought I’d Share Some Zimbabwean, Zambian And Namibian Names As Well
#70 So It Begins
#71 There Is A New Teacher At My Middle School. I’m Sure Our Students Will Handle This With Grace And Discretion
#72 Y’all I’ve Never Rushed To A Subreddit So Fast In My Life
#73 Wtf Named After Alcohol
#74 Can’t Use My Real Name On Facebook Because It Thinks I’m Trying To Make A Page About The Character
#75 This Poor Woman’s Name
#76 We’re All Worried For Their Future
#77 Imagine If This Guy’s Team Loses. Everybody Will Be Pointing At Him
#78 Beyonka
#79 The Way I Did A Double Take
#80 Move Over Rae Farty
#81 Pony Ramone. He’s Definitly Going By Ramone Later
#82 I Don’t Condone Yelling At Babies, However This Is Just The Start Of The Negativity For Poor Baby Lucifer
#83 I Was Watching This Play-Doh Show With My Niece & Nephew When I Spied These Gems
#84 All That’s Left Is To Show What Colleges They Go To
#85 Very Demure, Very Mindful
#86 Naming Your Child After A Species Of Illegal Substance And Tagging Your Favorite Page In Her First Day Of Pre-School Picture
#87 Named After Labor Day
Currently watching Family Feud and this sweet woman said her name is Labora (luh-bore-uh) because she was born on Labor Day.
I’ve definitely seen worse and at least it makes sense phonetically, but the reasoning made me giggle.
#88 Some Names I Saw At A School Event Tonight
