The baby name game going viral: What words make really great baby names?

The hunt for the perfect baby name feels like the first big ‘quest’ in the parenthood journey, and boy, do we tie ourselves up in knots trying to find it! We go through many phases on our search, poring over baby books and websites, seeking out family traditions and ‘unique’ spellings. Hot tip: Avoid these crazy spellings! Little Jessieighkah will not thank you.

Some of us even start testing out random words to see if they feel right … Apple, anyone?

Baby name games

And then there’s the baby names that would be lovely, if only they didn’t mean something, erm… less lovely. For instance, did you know that Brendan means ‘stinking hair’? Be sure to check out our list of cringeworthy baby name meanings before you decide! You’re welcome.

One Twitter user has taken this idea one step further, asking: “Which word do you think would make a pretty baby name if it didn’t mean what it meant? I’m going with Omelette.”

Which word do you think would make a pretty baby name if it didn’t mean what it meant? I’m going with Omelette.

— Sara Gibbs (@Sara_Rose_G) April 14, 2020

What a brilliant idea! The internet has taken this idea and run with it (because of course it has), and the responses are as hilarious as they are ridiculous.

Amongst our faves are:

@FickleSarky says, “I’ve always liked Catastrophe and Apostrophe”. Which prompted the response from @TonyW_132, “Apostrophe was my grammar’s name!” Boom tish.

@Scientits says ‘Paprika’ is their name of choice, and we have to admit, it’s a cute and spicy contender!

@ian_q_blank cast his vote for “Chlamydia – sounds like a Greek goddess”, which had us making our ‘ew’ face until this, from @apnuyen who reckons, “Same with Syphilis” works, and @marquoth who shared, “My partner’s a midwife and she’s delivered a baby the parents wanted to call ‘Candida’ – the medical name for thrush.” Okaaayyyyy.

“Asphyxia always strikes me as a really pretty girl’s name,” added @SteveCotterill3, and really, is he wrong?

As a total font nerd myself, I personally love this suggestion from @ROFLtheZebra: “If I had my time again my children would all be named after typefaces. The eldest would be Verdana.”

@MaraWilson asserts that ‘Harlot’ would make a lovely unisex name – one for your baby name list, perhaps?

@peltzmanrandall’s friends are early-adopters of this baby naming trend: “A friend who was a social worker in NY had a client who named her baby Cliché. I think it’s lovely.”

But full points go to @ziethamy, who already has a full list ready to go!

“Oh boy, this is my time to shine. I’ve been compiling this list for years.”

Just a few nice ideas to pop on your baby names list! 🤣

A few other hot contenders are:

• Cilantro
• Soliloquy
• Anemone
• Fistula
• Ampersand
• Rubella
• Placenta
• Semolina
• Pinafore
• Diaspora

So there you have it– the latest in baby naming trends seems to be ‘anything goes’!

Let’s join in the fun – what word do you think would make a lovely baby name if it didn’t mean something weird? Share with us on our Facebook page!