99 Popular Baby Names To Avoid At All Costs

Popular baby names are tempting, aren’t they? At the height of their popularity, the names of celebrities, fictional characters, and cultural icons seem to have an outsize beauty, power, and influence. Surely Game of Thrones couldn’t do anything to ruin the great name of Daenerys, right? For parents interested in bucking baby-naming trends, baby names plucked from popular culture can have a one-of-a-kind ring to them… unless thousands of other soon-to-be-parents are thinking along the same lines.

We get it: Baby girl name and baby boy names drawn from pop culture have a powerful allure; they let us share in the glamor, excitement and commonality of big cultural moments. But while some popular baby names may withstand the test of time, others will inevitably lose their special charge — or take on other, unwanted associations. Will this name seem like a great idea in five years? Eighteen? What about when you see the name on a diploma, wedding invitation, or award plaque?

If you’re considering a name inspired by your favorite show, celebrity, or mythical creature, consider these questions: When someone hears the name, how obvious will your inspiration be? Will your child’s name bring to mind a villain? Could the way the series finale plays out alter how you think about your child? Would a public scandal involving the person with that namesake cause you to be embarrassed to say your child’s name in public? Here are some fad-inspired names that are better avoided.

99 Popular Baby Names to Avoid at All Costs

1. Apple
2. Elsa
3. Royal
4. Moana
5. Monroe
6. Luna
7. Manolo
8. Dream
9. Stormy
10. Chanel
11. Lulu
12. Gigi
13. True
14. Sir
15. Rumi
16. Mercedes
17. Angel
18. Duke
19. Lucky
20. Eleven
21. Angelica
22. Daenerys
23. Sia
24. Jonas
25. Kygo
26. Creed
27. Fox
28. Zayne
29. London
30. Bianca
31. Brenda
32. Paris
33. Khloe
34. Maverick
35. Archie
36. Khaleesi
37. Gunner
38. Blakely
39. Remington
40. Oaklee
41. Colton
42. Tiffany
43. Ariana
44. Aspen
45. Blair
46. Dominique
47. Charity
48. Crystal
49. Doris
50. Esperanza
51. Ivy
52. Faith
53. Harper
54. Bentley
55. Hunter
56. North
57. Saint
58. Reign
59. Destiny
60. Hadley
61. Carmen
62. Braxton
63. Lincoln
64. Jaxxon
65. Florence
66. Heidi
67. Brock
68. Dallas
69. Ezra
70. Guy
71. Harvey
72. Hector
73. Kareem
74. Kai
75. Kennedy
76. Shane
77. Spencer
78. Hillary
79. June
80. Layla
81. Nia
82. Apollo
83. Armand
84. Bodhi
85. Emma
86. Ava
87. Olivia
88. Oliver
89. Isabella
90. Noah
91. Lucas
92. James
93. William
94. Sophia
95. Elijah
96. Charlotte
97. Mason
98. Liam
99. Amelia