There is no scientific study on the most-hated names, but these results, culled from hundreds of online message board postings by Baby Name Wizard blogger Laura Wattenberg, suggest that people have very strong opinions about what makes a good name.
Here are the least-liked names for both girls and boys:
Girls:
- Nevaeh ("Heaven" spelled backward and one of the most divisive names around, according to Wattenberg.)
- Destiny (People dislike names that confer a virtue onto a child, Wattenberg said — and many felt associated this name with exotic dancers.)
- Madison
- Mackenzie
- McKenna
- Addison (An example of a masculine named turned feminine, which many people dislike, Wattenberg said)
- Gertrude (People said this name is "ugly.")
- Kaitlyn (For its "made-up" spelling.)
- Makayla
- Bertha
- Hope
Boys:
- Jayden
- Brayden
- Aiden
- Kaden (These rhyming names struck many as overdone, Wattenberg reported.)
- Hunter (Too much like a last name or "too violent.")
- Hayden
- Bentley (People dislike brand-name names, Wattenberg found, calling them "trashy")
- Tristan
- Michael (Too boring, according to some.)
- Jackson
