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17 real sibling names that have everyone asking: 'What were the parents thinking?'

Please, parents, don't try so hard to be clever.

Photo credit: Canva

"I recently met a guy named Scott who has six siblings. Two of his brothers are also named Scott."

It's becoming an epidemic: If you’ve been thinking that young people’s names are getting stranger and more unique, you’re not wrong. Studies show that over the past few decades, more Americans have been given uncommon names at birth, and researchers believe this is a sign of growing individualism. “As American culture has become more individualistic, parents have favored giving children names that help them stand out – and that means more unique names and fewer common names” Dr. Jean Twenge said, according to the BBC.

Having a baby and giving it a name that people haven’t heard before is also a sign of affluence. “When you have lots of resources and are less worried about scarcity, you can afford to stick out a little bit. In fact, it may be advantageous to go away from the crowd,” Dr. Michael Varnum said, according to the BBC. “There may be more opportunities to innovate, for example. 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.”

When it comes to strange names that make people wonder, “What were their parents thinking?" Some parents are repeat offenders and give some or all of their children unique names. Maybe at least when siblings share unique names, they don’t feel so alone. They have a shoulder to cry on and someone to back them up when they are made fun of at school.

baby names, sibling names, twin names, unique names, terrible baby names, baby name trends 2025, baby boy names, baby girl names Why set them up for a life like this? media0.giphy.com

A Redditor asked the NameNerds forum for people to share the “sibling names have you come across, which made you think ‘hmmmm…’” and the responses didn’t disappoint. Here are 17 of the most “questionable” sibling names.

1. Brothers: Grover and Oscar

"Parents claim Grover Washington & Oscar Peterson; I say Sesame Street."

2. Twins: Archer and Hunter

"All I could think was would they name the next one gatherer?"

"On the bright side, at least they didn't go with Beau and Arrow."

3. Twins: Damian and Damion

"Maybe it's my southern accent, but are these not pronounced the same?"

4. Twins: Jenna and Jena

"How did they distinguish Jenna from Jena verbally?"

baby names, sibling names, twin names, unique names, terrible baby names, baby name trends 2025, baby boy names, baby girl names This just in: twins are individuals! media3.giphy.com

5. Fraternal Twins: Charles and Charlotte

"Let's just say my birth name gave me depression throughout my whole childhood and teenage years. I changed my name as soon as I could. I also know another pair of boy-girl twins named Ronald and Hermione (after Harry Potter's friends). Ron hates his name because he said it's like being named Romeo and Juliet as siblings."

6. Sisters: Millie Robin and Mollie Ribbon

"What bothers me most about that is that, obviously, the first one was a selected name, but the other name seems forced to match at the expense of having a middle name that's just made up. 'Ribbon' for all the wrong reasons."

7. Fraternal Twins: Luke and Leah

"Twins named Luke and Leah (pronounced lay-uh). The mom got REAL mad if you asked if she was a big Star Wars fan. 'They’re names FROM THE BIBLE.' Ma’am, there are more than 3,400 names in the Bible. You picked the two that are also the names of fraternal twins in one of the most popular film series of all time."

baby names, sibling names, twin names, unique names, terrible baby names, baby name trends 2025, baby boy names, baby girl names They did watch Star Wars, right? media4.giphy.com

8. Brothers: William and Liam

"I’ll be honest and say that I never knew Liam was a nickname for William until I came to this sub. I know people named William and people named Liam, but I don’t know anyone Williams who go by Liam."

9. Eric, Sebastian and Ursula (like 'The Little Mermaid')

"How are you gonna pick a theme and make one of the names the villain????"

"Arielle was right there And Arista .. and Alana ... take your pick."

10. Fraternal Twins: Adam and Eva

"NOOOO OH MY GOD those poor kids. That’s so weird!"

11. Brothers: Scott, Scott and Scott

"I recently met a guy named Scott who has six siblings. Two of his brothers are also named Scott. Three boys in one family, brothers, not half or step-siblings. All named Scott."

baby names, sibling names, twin names, unique names, terrible baby names, baby name trends 2025, baby boy names, baby girl names Which one is the Great Scott, though? media2.giphy.com

12. Andy, Sally, Sally, Tom and Tom

"I know a woman who named 2 of her kids the same name twice. So if her kids didn’t go by their middle names, it would be like Andy, Sally, Sally, Tom, and Tom. Her name was also Sally. She gave her first daughter the exact same first and middle name as her. Hopefully this is understandable- Second daughter had a different middle name. Second daughter gave variations of her or her mom and sisters names to her three daughters, and gave the fourth daughter the exact same first and middle name as her mom and older sister. Older sister was pissed as she didn’t want the name used unless she herself had a daughter… even though she was 40+ yrs old with health issues."

13. Brothers: Arthur and Arthur

"I went to school with two brothers both named Arthur. They went by big Arthur and little Arthur. Their parents reasoned that it was their favourite name and they didn’t want to give the second son a name they liked less than Arthur."

"Depending on where they are from, that’s actually normal. My dad has 5 sisters and they are all named Maria, but have different middle names so everyone calls them by their middle names."

14. Siblings: Destin and Destiny

"Destin?? Like the diaper cream?!"

baby names, sibling names, twin names, unique names, terrible baby names, baby name trends 2025, baby boy names, baby girl names A baby named after diaper cream…what are the odds? media1.giphy.com

15. King, Princess, Diamond, Markus, Markella

"Siblings I met named King, Princess, and Diamond. Also other siblings named Markus and Markella after their dad Mark."

16. Siblings: Heather and Heath

"Siblings Heather and Heath. Not twins and they have an older brother and younger sister with completely unrelated names."

"Those are at least pronounced differently."

17. Siblings: Amy, Mya, May, Aym

"I knew sisters in elementary that were Amy, Mya, and May. Their mom was pregnant and we were all so worried the kid would be named Yam… nope they named baby (boy) Aym."

This article originally appeared in January. It has been updated.

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A baby shower invite for a child named after Chernobyl has people utterly gobsmacked

Let's just say—the nuclear puns were in full force.

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A baby shower invite for a child named Chernobyl left people resorting to dark humor to process.

Just when you think you’ve heard every unusual baby name there is, another one (or more) pops up out of the woodwork to set a new bar—and perhaps make you question your sanity a bit.

Now, using names based on places, ala Ireland or Brooklyn, or even historical figures, like Kennedy, aren’t new. But a place well known in the history books, and for a very tragic reason? Can't say many of us have heard a name based on that.

And yet, here we are. Over on the subreddit titled r/tragedeigh, which is a play on weird name spellings, a person shared a baby shower invite, which read:

“Join us to celebrate the upcoming aerial of a little bundle of joy! In honor of: Chernobyl Hope.”


I’m speechless…
byu/kittysogood intragedeigh


Perhaps the parents were attempting to instill a bit of resilience into their little bundle. After all, Chernobyl itself, which was destroyed due to a nuclear accident in 1986—killing not only dozens in the initial blast, but hundreds of thousands due to radiation exposure—has now become a haven for wildlife, thus becoming an example of nature’s endless ability to rebound after desolation. So maybe mom and dad saw a bit of poetic imagery in there.

But nonetheless, reactions weren’t so forgiving. And while the person who posted the invite wrote, “I’m speechless,” others, well, weren’t. The temptation to make nuclear puns was too great.

“Im sure everyone at the celebration will be radiant,” one person quipped.

Another retorted, “If I were a guest at that shower and heard that name I’d have a total meltdown,” while another echoed, “there’s bound to be some fallout.”

A fourth simply put, “sounds like a blast!”

Still, other responses weren’t so humorous.

“I haven’t ever met another person (aside from a cousin) who has been affected by Chernobyl. I was born sick due to it because my mother was pregnant with me and in the area when it occurred,” one person shared. “It has made my life… not fun. Being profoundly disabled at age 37 due to human error… And an error that never offered compensation for all of us who had their lives ruined by it.”

Another wrote, “What a legacy. Naming someone after something that has left people with cancer, going through 30+ surgeries just to stay alive, and losing their quality of life. I’m just appalled. Repulsed.”

Somewhere in the comments the OP wrote that they asked the parents-to-be where they got the idea from, and was told “it just sounded nice,” leading them to suspect they didn’t actually know the historical context. Which is about the biggest PSA to actually research a potential name that you can think of. Not just to avoid being considered distasteful, but to protect your future child from being the butt of a joke for their entire life.

terrible baby names, weird baby names, funny baby names, baby girl names, baby name trends, 2025 baby names A little bit of research prevents a lifetime of regret.Photo credit: Canva

One person urged “Even if you think your relationship with them will sour, at least for the baby’s sake, you need to talk to them and suggest they change the name and explain to them what this means, all politely, of course. If they say they will still continue with the name, you can smile and give a thumbs up.”

Another less forgiving individual said, “Absolutely remove these people from your life.”

As of now, the OP is going to “gather enough courage to tell them my thoughts.” Good luck on that.

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Nurse asked colleagues to share the most 'unhinged' baby name they ever heard. They delivered.

Imagine meeting twins named "Brock Lee and Callie Flower.”

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Parents…why?

In the latest segment of “unhinged” TikTok trends, a NICU nurse named Victoria asked her fellow colleagues to share names that, as she wrote, “would send the Social Security office into a coma.”

And honestly, who would get exposed to more baffling baby names than nurses? No one. Victoria herself shared with Today that some of her top hits include Dracula, Messiah and Bronze and Gold.

So you can bet the answers were plentiful and, well, unhinged. Check below for our favorites:

“Blessica.”

“Ho’nasty - pronounced honesty…”

“Lucifer ... Oddly enough I took care of another baby named Messiah the same night."

“I work in pediatric dentistry and we have a kid named Sheep."

"L&D nurse here: Phelony."

terrible baby names, unhinged tiktok, weird baby names, unique baby names, baby names, funny baby names, bay name trends Poor Phelony. Photo credit: Canva

“Dietician in a behavioral speech hospital…kid with oppositional disorder named nemesis."

“Arealtruemiracle. All one word.”

“Candida…I BEG people to research names before giving them to children.”

“Hella Shady.”

“Demon (pronounced duh-mawn)”

“Narwhal ... His name was Narwhal.”

“Frijoles Guacamole. On my life not joking. We secretly keep a bad baby name book to remind us of all the crazy first and middle names.”

“Russell, which isn’t bad except the middle name is Mania. Russell Mania.”

Many of the twin names were especially outrageous:

terrible baby names, unhinged tiktok, weird baby names, unique baby names, baby names, funny baby names, bay name trends There's gotta some twins out there named Thing One and Thing Two. Poor souls. Photo credit: Canva

“Twins in the NICU — one boy, one girl — named Brock Lee and Callie Flower.”

“Twins: Donwanna and Doneeda…last name Mann.”

“Ya’highness and Ya’majesty. Spelled exactly like that.”

“Twins named Michael and Lil Michael. Mom threatened to beat me up when I laughed. I didn’t know she was serious.”

“Not a nurse but worked on the postpartum floor; twins named Abracadabra and Alacazam.”

“Canon and Crystal. Their last name is Ball.”

And some triplet names for good measure:

“Today, tomorrow, a to’yesterday”

“Teacher here. I had triplets: Lincoln, Mercedes and Bentley.”

As one person noted, these, ahem, unique choices are undoubtedly why some countries have stringent naming laws. Iceland, for instance, has only 4,000 pre-approved baby names. Parents who wish to use a name not on the approved list must petition a three-person naming committee.

terrible baby names, unhinged tiktok, weird baby names, unique baby names, baby names, funny baby names, bay name trends Did you know the most popular girl's name in Iceland is Emilia? Photo credit: Canva

However, while that kind of guidance might make sense (to protect kids from being on the receiving end of less-than-desirable monikers) some places do have rules that might seem a little outdated to modern sensibilities—forcing names that indicate matching genders, for example.

Even in America, certain names, like Adolf Hitler, III, and Messiah (though clearly some folks are getting away with that last one) are illegal. Still, there are far less regulations, and therefore, stories like this one.

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Professional baby namer lists the top girl names from the 80s that 'did not age well'

Bad news for the Lindsays, Courtneys and Heathers of the world.

Photo credit: Canva, @namingbebe, TikTok

There was a time when every other girl was named Ashley. That time has ended.

As we know, baby name trends are constantly changing. One generation’s Barbara is another generation’s Bethany. But it doesn’t make it any less odd when you suddenly realize that your very own name has suddenly made it into the “old and unhip” pile. And for many of us 80s babies…that time is now.

In a now-viral TikTok post, baby name consultant Colleen Slagen went through the top 100 girl names from 1986 to find which ones “did not age well” and were no longer ranked top 1,000 today. Such a descent from popularity would mark them as what she calls “timestamp names.” Spoiler alert: what might be even more surprising than the names now considered old school are the names that are still going strong.

The first name that Slagen says is “officially out” is Heather. That’s right, not even cult movie fame could help it keep its ranking.

via GIPHY

Other extinct names include Erica, Courtney, Lindsay, Tara, Crystal, Shannon, Brandy and Dana. Tiffany, Brittany and Casey are also heading very much in that direction.

“My name is Brandy. The Gen Z hostess at Olive Garden told me that she’d never heard my name before and it was so unique,” one viewer wrote.

However, Andrea ranks “surprisingly high,” and Jessica, Ashley and Stephanie have survived…so far.

Gobsmacked, one person asked “How is Stephanie still in there? I don’t think I’ve met a Stephanie younger than myself at 34.”

But the biggest holdout still belongs to Jennifer. “She was a top 100 name all the way up until 2008. Round of applause for Jennifer,” Slagen says in the clip.

@namingbebe Sorry Lindsay, Heather, and Courtney. #babynames #nametok #nameconsultant #girlnames #80skid #1986 #nametrend ♬ original sound - Colleen

If your name has found its way into relic of a bygone era status, fret not. Slagen, whose name also ranks out of the top 1000, assures it just means “we are creatures of the 80's.”

Of course, while we still have baby names that become incredibly common for extended periods of time (looking at you, little Liam and Olivia), the real contemporary trend is going for uniqueness. As an article in The Atlantic notes, for most of American history families tended to name their children after a previous family member, with the goal of blending in, rather than standing out. But now, things have changed.

Laura Wattenberg, the founder of Namerology, told the outlet that “Parents are thinking about naming kids more like how companies think about naming products, which is a kind of competitive marketplace where you need to be able to get attention to succeed.”

But again, even with a keen eye on individualism, patterns pop up. “The same thing we see in fashion trend cycles, we see in names,” Jessie Paquette, another professional baby namer, told Vox. “We’re seeing Eleanor, Maude, Edith—cool-girl grandma names.”

So who knows…give it time (or maybe just a pop song) and one of these 80s names could make a comeback.


This article originally appeared last year.

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