Baby essentials experts at For Your Little One have compiled a list of baby names that parents might want to think twice about, as some popular names carry unexpected meanings.
Names with negative meanings
Mallory, typically a girl's name, comes from the old French maleüré, meaning 'unfortunate'. It was at its most popular in 1988 and has been declining ever since.
Mara, another girl's name, means 'bitter' in Hebrew. In the Bible, Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth, took the name Mara to express her grief after losing her husband and sons.
Cameron, used for both boys and girls, comes from the Gaelic words 'cam' and 'sròn', which literally mean crooked nose.
Tristan comes from the French word 'triste', meaning sad or melancholy.
More names with surprising origins
Dolores means 'sorrows' in Spanish, coming from the Latin word dolor. The name is common in Roman Catholic households, owing to Nuestra Señora de los Dolores ("Our Lady of Sorrows"), another name for the Virgin Mary.
Brónagh or Bróna (Brónach), pronounced 'bro-nah' or 'bro-nuh', comes from the Gaelic word brónach, meaning "sorrow" or "sadness".
Claudia, the female version of Claudius, is linked to the Latin word claudus, meaning lame or crippled.
Cecilia has Italian roots, coming from the Latin name Caecilia and the Latin word caecus, which means "blind" or "hidden".
Portia has Latin origins and means 'pig'. Despite this, it became well known through several of Shakespeare's works, including The Merchant of Venice and Julius Caesar, where it is given to strong female characters.
