We don’t want to scare any future parents out there, but naming your child is a huge responsibility. People make immediate judgments about one another based on superficial things like their appearance, body language, tone, and—yes!—even their names. So if you have a ‘weird’ name, in some extreme cases, you might end up getting bullied or passed over for employment. But let’s be frank here: some names are far more bizarre than they need to be.
Some parents will go to extreme lengths for the sake of ‘originality,’ whether using mind-melting spellings or making up alien-sounding names that even Elon Musk would be proud of. And that’s a tragedy. Or, rather, a ‘tragedeigh,’ according to the ‘This name is a tragedeigh (Wild West Edition)’ Facebook group. We’ve collected some of the worst name offenders to ever grace the net, as shared by members of the group. Scroll down to check them out. (And don’t forget to call your parents and thank them for how awesome your name is, afterward.)
Kristina, one of the moderators helping run the entire group, answered We’s questions about what drives parents to give their kids ‘tragedeigh’ names. Read on for our full interview with her.
#1 Lol
#2 Lots To Unpack…wait For It
#3 Someone Asked For Girl Baby Girl Name Suggestions…these Aren’t Even The Worst In The Thread
Moderator Kristina was kind enough to share her thoughts on ‘tragedeigh’ names and why some parents opt for them. She also shed some light as to why social media groups about such names are such a popular niche online.
“I think the trend we’ve been seeing for crazy, bizarre names comes from people wanting their child to stand out. To be special,” she shared with We.
“I can’t even tell you how many friends I had named Ashley or Justin growing up. And every girl either had Nicole or Marie or Anne as a middle name. Having such cookie-cutter names in our childhood sparks something in the new moms of today to give this new generation a sense of individuality,” Kristina said. “Unfortunately, that manifests in the form of one tragedeigh name after another.”
#4 To Quote My Partner: “Is That Her Name Because Everyone Gets A Ride?”
#5 Rhaenbow
#6 Kynzley Is Bad But… Pystol
“A tragedeigh name isn’t just a name that people dislike. It’s a name that’s been fabricated to be extremely unique or different,” she explained.
“I might not personally care for the name Monica for example, but that doesn’t make it a tragedeigh. Mawnyka would be a tragedeigh. Also, cultural names don’t qualify either. You can’t just take an Irish or Hebrew name and say it’s a tragedeigh just because it looks strange in your language,” Kristina detailed what does and doesn’t constitute a ‘tragedeigh.’
“Google is free and easy, and for some reason, people never seem to check before they submit a name for approval,” she urged all current and future members of the Facebook group to do a bit of background research into names.
#7 Names
#8 Hmm
#9 Mums Groups Are Absolutely Wild
In the moderator’s opinion, why groups like the one she moderates are so popular on social media depends on a few things.
“Some people might just want to laugh at ridiculous content. Some people might want to validate the questionable choices they made while naming their kids. Some people might just want to say, ‘Hey I may have XYZ going on in my life, but at least my name isn’t Jeeplyn or Mackynleigh or Wrennix,'” she quipped.
“With a group this size, there’s always going to be more than one reason for people being here.”
#10 Hannahniah
#11 Had This Customer Come In Today
#12 They Said Moms Name Is Elvia
The ‘This name is a tragedeigh’ Facebook group calls itself the ‘Wild West of Ridikulus names,’ and specifically misspells the words. It’s a clever meta-commentary on just how oddly some people’s names are spelled. Though remember that all of these posts made on the Facebook group are just opinions—if you love your name, good on you. Also, keep in mind, all of this gentle mockery of ‘bad’ names doesn’t apply to names from other cultures.
It’s one thing to move to another country and see people have difficulty pronouncing your name: it takes a lot of effort and energy to make sure everyone is respectful of your heritage. It’s an entirely different thing if your parents are locals who want to impress their family, friends, and complete strangers with their ‘brilliant’ naming ideas and end up confusing everyone in the process.
The Facebook group encourages people to be respectful of each other and avoid getting heated over each others’ opinions. The moderator and admin team explains what a tragedy, aka a ‘tragedeigh,’ actually is.
For instance, the name ‘Denyss’ (with two s’s) would fit the bill “because it’s spelled stupid.” Meanwhile, someone naming their child Anakin is also up for some criticism because someone clearly loves Star Wars and is pushing their hobbies on their kids.
#13 Found In The Wild
#14 Lots To Unpack Here, But…
#15 Just Saw This Posted For The Place Where I Live. Some Of These Names Are Wild!
Meanwhile, some other popular ‘tragedeighs’ include names that aren’t real names, like Tractor. What’s more, made-up names that sound real, like Mayleigh or Bryleigh, are also fair targets for some gentle mockery.
However, some names that are not ‘tragedeighs’ include Schuyler (a common foreign spelling of the name ‘Skyler’), Wilson (a last name in place of a first name), Raleigh (which is the name of a city), Aoife (an Irish name). Just because a name doesn’t look English, is overly common, or foreign, doesn’t make it worthy of posting on the group.
In the rush to help their kids stand out from the crowd, some status-seeking parents completely forget that their children will have to live with the names they’re given. Well, until they come of age and can legally change them to something cool or (dare we say it?) slightly more ‘normal.’
There’s no excuse for bullying. However, kids can and do tease each other over various things, from someone’s weight to whether someone’s wearing glasses. And, yes, if you do have an unusual name, you’re increasing the chances that they’ll get teased for it in the playground.
#16 Found In The Wild
#17 Found In The Comments Of An Article About Gen Alpha Names
#18 Jimbobtom… Yikes
Strangely spelled names are setting someone up for being teased, whether by their fellow students or even the teachers themselves. Why make your kid’s school life harder from the get-go when there are plenty of conventionally wonderful, meaningful, and beautiful names out there to choose from?
There’s only so much you can get away with if you’re not a celebrity or your child already has a strong sense of pride and identity, and knows how to stand up to bullies.
Maybe ‘Ashleigh’ is proud of her name and how it sounds, but wants to be called ‘Ashley,’ like all the other girls. And maybe ‘Banjo Henry’ would rather go by ‘Henry’ than introduce himself as a gosh darn musical instrument for the rest of his life.
After all, he might not be aiming for a musical career down the line… and even if he was, how do you imagine people would react when they hear that the best violin/piano/saxophone player in the world is named ‘Banjo’? In the interim, he’d have to deal with lots of teasing that probably involves jokes about the US South and the ‘Banjo-Kazooie’ video game series.
#19 Baby Banjo
#20 Wut
#21 Found This Gem At Work Today
Before you decide on a name, remember that it takes two people to decide. Don’t forget to run your ideas by your partner before you commit to a single name 100%. Even a great name might have some extremely negative connotations for either partner (e.g. if someone named X bullied them in the playground for years). Meanwhile, they might want to honor a beloved family member and name them Y.
#22 He Was Saying It Was For “Dewey” The Whole Tiktok, But I Was Not Ready When He Actually Spelled It Out
#23 For The Love Of God (Also Featuring The Most Sad Beige Nursery Ever)
#24 The “Show Your Child And Then What You Named Them After” Trend On Tiktok. They Are Ryan Upchurch Fans… So Creeklee?
At the time of writing, the ‘This name is a tragedeigh’ Facebook group boasted 18.6k dedicated members. The moderators and admins running the show put in a lot of effort to maintain a high level of quality. If they didn’t, you might see the same pics get posted over and over again. Or the comments might devolve into bitter feuds.
#25 Rawrr
#26 This Is Fresh, Newly Mastered!
#27 A Customer That I Had. It Was Pronounced Like Ariel
For instance, the mods shame those members who “do something dumb.” Someone can end up on the Wall of Shame for submitting a name that’s already been posted countless times or for posting a name before Googling it and doing some background research about it. Remember, cultural names aren’t ‘tragedeighs.’
#28 The Lady Who Was Helping Me At The Bank Today Said Her Name Was “China” But Her Water Bottle Says This. Wouldn’t Consider Either Name A Tragedeigh But Pronouncing Cheyenne “China” Is
#29 Three For The Price Of One Vomit Session
#30 It Sounds Like A Fabric Store Or A Type Of Lace
Let us know in the comments which of these names made you wince and cringe the hardest, Pandas. Which ones would you call the biggest ‘tragedeighs’?
Super weird names are a very popular niche on social media. If you’d like to facepalm a bit more over bizarre names, check out We’s previous features right here and here, as well as here and here.
#31 Elon Musk And Grimes C H R I S T
#32 Sometimes I Hate My Job
#33 Found On An Au Pair Page
#34 Why?
#35 Names
#36 Baby Names
#37 It’s Hndrxx
#38 Two Tragedeighs In One Post
#39 Some Random Photographers Pictures Came Up On My Timeline As A “Suggested Post” And They Were First Birthday Pictures For A Kid Named Kreek
#40 Correct Me If I’m Wrong, And I Often Am…. But The First Two Names Suck Börls
#41 Happy Birthday ~dilloyn~ He Pronounced It Dylan The Entire Video So I Was Shocked When He Wrote It Out At The End
#42 See In The Safety Section Of Where I Work
#43 Found In The Wild. I’m Thinking The First Name Is Shania
#44 I’m Sorry I Just Can’t Get On Board With This One
#45 My First Contribution To This Group!
#46 “Pick A Terrible Name Then Add A Y To Make It Unique” Said No One Ever
#47 Found In Another Group… Who Names Their Child “Royalty”
#48 Wut?
#49 I Live In A Pretty Rural Area And At First I Thought This Was A Girl And I Know Ppl Are Gonna Call Allie Kaeh Emphasis.trajickk Imo
#50 Havilyn James
#51 From An Ig Page
#52 Also Has A Tattoo That Says “Gamber”
#53 Treileigh Rose
#54 Kaiyzen Glaive
#55 This Kid Is Going To Hate His Parents
#56 Oof A Former Classmate Of Mine Is Having A Baby And This Is…..well It Speaks For Itself
#57 Angelica
#58 Spotted In The Wild
#59 Def A Tragedeigh
#60 Thought Yall Would Love This One
#61 Seen In Another Tragedeigh Group
#62 Breaker Breaker One Nine
#63 Found On Tiktok
#64 Noooo
#65 An Ad For Personalized Easter Eggs That Showed Up On My Twitter Timeline
#66 Rowdyn
#67 What A Name
#68 Found At My Nail Salon
#69 Haisleigh… Oof
#70 Ouch
#71 Bloom-Haisley Is A Hyphenated First Name Although I Was Hoping It Was A Mistake Until I Saw The Personalised Clothes And Blankets
#72 Found In Comment Section Of A Random Fb Reel About Crazy Baby Names🤣🫠🤢.these Names Are Atrocious. Colton Is A Normal Name, So Is The Exception. The Other Poor Children Though
#73 Aizkyn
#74 And That’s Why Giving Birth At 18 Is Not For Everyone. Avy… Avynleigh
#75 My Sons Valentines List This Year, I’d Say It’s Pretty Tame Compared To Some I’ve Been Seeing Mine Is Maverick
#76 Valentine’s Day List From My Daughters Class. Mine Is Bellamy
#77 Pennyton
#78 An Old Friend From High School Had Her First Child (Boy) Last Week & Finally Posted His Photos & Name Last Name. I Absolutely Love This Friend, But Nashdyn⁉️ Babe, Really?!?!
#79 Axl Blaise… Not To Say Any Spelling In Particular Is Masculine Or Feminine But That Just Looks Like A Girly Way To Spell Blaze. The Whole Names Awful Anyways But … Blaze. An Xl Blaze. Lol
#80 Man
