A baby name consultant has shared a list of names she wishes parents would stop using, offering her reasoning for each pick. The list includes celebrity-inspired choices and names that have grown in popularity in recent years.
Consultant's Top Picks to Avoid
In a video, consultant Jessie cautioned parents against naming children after TV or film characters, particularly when the characters face troubling events. She cited Daenerys from Game of Thrones as an example, saying it represents a character or fandom with dark elements.
She also criticized "overly cute" names such as Bambi, the name chosen by Molly-Mae Hague for her daughter, along with Sweetie and Sugar. Names ending in "x," like Maddox, reminded her of Scrabble words, while she argued that Maverick and Malachi carry a "curse."
Full List of Names
The complete list includes Riot, Rowdy, Riker, Ruckus, Ransom, Daenerys, Sweetie, Sugar, Bambi, Hoax, Hex, Maverick, Malachi, Gage, Otto, Otis, Devon, Fisher, Knox, Maddox, Boston, Alani, Ava, Everly, Kinley, Kinsey, McKenzie, Renly, Brinley, Kimberly, Hazely, Bexley, Olivia, Madison, Addison, Sarah, Haley, Eliana, Oakland, Oakley, Ariella, Ariel, Maisie, Sydney, Jessica, Skylar, and Muriel.
Advice for Parents
Before ending her video, Jessie urged parents to choose names they love while considering how their choices might affect their children as they grow up. She said, "Please don't take these to heart. If this, like, bothers you, please. People hate my baby names, hate them every single day."
She added, "There's no end-all be-all on, like, taste for names. It's fine. It's fine. Don't let people on social media hurt your feelings about baby names."
Experts at BabyCenter suggest parents are gravitating towards names with an 'X-factor' and drawing inspiration from films and TV series such as Yellowstone, Gilmore Girls, and Heated Rivalry. A statement reads: "Top trend predictions for 2027 include hockey TV dramas, Greek epics, and Western aesthetics. BabyCenter data shows that names are getting longer for boys and girls these days."
The statement continues: "Names starting with the letter 'E' are growing for girls, as are names starting with 'J' for boys. Parents are experiencing 'Taylor fatigue' as the name drops sharply in registrations among both boys and girls."
