Choosing a name for your child is not an easy task. After all, it is one that they will have to walk around with for the rest of their lives; unless, of course, they take matters into their own hands and change it.

Well, today, we want to shed light on some of the unique ones. Unhinged, even. Shared by people after a NICU nurse started a discussion about it on TikTok, they comprised quite a colorful collection, which we have put on the list below. So if you’re curious about what unhinged names some people think fit their child or what names some children might want to change later in life, scroll down to find them below and feel free to head straight to the comment section if you, too, know a person with a rather unique name.

On the list below, you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with a sociolinguist, professor in the department of English at the University of Nevada, and author of Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English, Dr. Valerie Fridland, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about unique names.

Image credits: victoriaaa_u

#1

Ya’highness & Ya’majesty - spelled exactly like that

Image credits: FahimaJalal

#2

not a nurse but worked on postpartum floor; twins abracadabra & alacazam 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Image credits: c8

#3

We had twins Greg and Greg’nisha

Image credits: Jenimj

Naming a child can be a headache for many reasons—there might be too many or too few options to choose from that you like, the ones that you do like might not “fit” your baby, or every single name might bear connotations, stopping you from naming your child one way or another; not to mention when there’s a second parent involved in the decision-making process, with another list of yeses and nos.

According to Dr. Valerie Fridland, a sociolinguist, professor in the department of English at the University of Nevada, and author of Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English, the idea that names need to “fit” an object or person has been around since antiquity.

“In Plato’s discussion of language in the Cratylus, Socrates suggests names are not simply arbitrary labels we give things but emerge from some quality of what is being named. In other words, Socrates argues that names must capture some natural aspect or sense of the person or thing that is being named,” she explained in an interview with Bored Panda.

#4

Arealtruemiracle. All one word.

Image credits: Christi Daly Starks

#5

Dental hygienist 🙋‍♀️we had a patient named Shadynasty. Pronounced: Sha-dynasty not shady nasty like the dentist said. 🥲

Image credits: RedKcB

Talking about unique names, Dr. Fridland noted that it can be a blessing and a curse. Also, the way people feel about an unusual name tends to change with age.

“Early on, kids don’t like to be different from other kids and, in elementary school, a very unique name can make a kid stand out or become a target for teasing,” she said. “When we are older, though, a distinctive name can be something that sets you apart and makes you memorable to those you meet as they have an element of unexpectedness and surprise that can ramp up attention.”

#6

Blessica

Image credits: Rebecca

#7

Not a nurse- but ALMOST a victim. mom named me Pixie Freedom Rose Starshine Hello... until Grandma intervened

Image credits: OkayestMomma2

#8

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

Image credits: anne marshall

“Another bonus of unique names is that others are less likely to have a negative association with it from some unpleasant person they once knew,” the sociolinguist continued. “So if you knew a Frank that was a jerk years ago, you might still hold a grudge against all Franks going forward.

“However, the research on how people with unique names feel later in life is a bit mixed, with some research suggesting that common names tend to be a safer bet in predicting success later in life.”

#9

Education here. And so many names but one of my favorites, a little girl named Hella Shady.

Image credits: camorrison113

#10

Ho’nasty - pronounced honesty…

Image credits: bella

#11

Lucifer… oddly enough I took care of another baby named Messiah in the same night.

Image credits: Taylor

Expanding on the idea that common names tend to be a safer bet in predicting success later in life, Dr. Fridland noted that that is related to certain biases some people hold.

“This may be related more to the fact that unique names often give hints as to socioeconomic status or ethnicity because the dominant culture in a society often plays a role in which names are noticed and how they are received. If a name calls attention to ethnicity, for example, it can result in discrimination in institutional or workplace environments owing to a bias against that group.

“Research shows that simply having an ethnic-sounding name on an application can affect how often that person is selected for an interview,” the expert pointed out.

#12

L&D nurse here: Phelony. 😐

Image credits: gisselle 😼

#13

I work in pediatric dentistry and we have a kid named sheep

Image credits: Zoë

#14

I used to coach three siblings: boo, piglet, and noodle.

Image credits: jenaedunn

“In short, what we name our kids may not be the issue,” Dr. Fridland summed up. “Instead, how other people react to those names—in positive or negative ways—is really what seems to play a big role in how well kids succeed in life as it can affect how kids view themselves.”

#15

dietitian in a behavioral psych hospital… kid with oppositional defiant disorder named nemesis

Image credits: aka madrox

#16

moms name was lamborghini and she named her baby mercy…..

Image credits: Morgan Sullivan

#17

Seventh baby, named him Seven

Image credits: brookebenjie

#18

Canon and Crystal. Their last name is Ball.

Image credits: mcchap.ca

#19

not a nurse but when I volunteered at the hospital I witnessed a nurse having to explain to mom that it was Aretha Franklin and not Urethra Franklin. She almost named her daughter Urethra

Image credits: Potatopotato17

#20

this was from my coworker but Cliffany. for a girl. dads name was Cliff

#21

Negativeteigh. Mitochondria.

#22

It’s a tie between gnocchi and lilsexxyy

Image credits: min loi

#23

Peds ER nurse here & I have a LIST in my notes app. Top contender being twins named Nowledge and Wysdom, spelled like that

Image credits: bailey

#24

Fresh. Moon Star. Twins Feloneigh and Arson. Twins Amir Shamir and the other was Shamir Amir. 🤣🤣🤣

#25

Currencie and Ar’money. Not related but on the unit at the same time, so naturally we pretended they got married a made a whole money-themed family tree for them.

#26

Former Newborn Nurse here- worst name was a baby girl named Wolverine. 😳

#27

911 dispatcher, had to run a guy on a traffic stop and his name, legal government name was bud weiser

#28

Nahlig (pronounced knowledge), his siblings were James and Robert. Poor kid

#29

Bosephus. They had to ask us how to spell it for the birth certificate…

#30

Mom let the dad pick the middle name. First name was something normal like Ethan. Middle name was Jamaicanmecrazy.

#31

I served the table of a family with a little boy named Taint. I had the mom spell it out because I thought she said Tate at first. Nope. Taint. I often wonder if he has gone no contact.

#32

PLACENTA. We showed her what a placenta was, and said please don’t…

#33

Twins in the nicu, one boy one girl named Brock Lee and Callie Flower…

Image credits: anon

#34

triplets named today, tomorrow, and to’yesterday

Image credits: han

#35

Renesmee 😂 could NOT believe my eyes

Image credits: marynbehling

#36

Everlastingbreathoflife…

Image credits: Taylie

#37

dawasher & dadryer (twins in NICU)

Image credits: chelsey

#38

Michael Scott. First name Michael second name Scott. They had never heard of the office

#39

White baby named Sasuke.

Image credits: Dani

#40

teacher here I had triplets, Lincoln, Mercedes, and Bentley. I also had twins Bert and Ernie

#41

Kyleena - cuz she heard it on the IUD commercial and liked it

Image credits: Kelsea

#42

Twins- Justice & Liberty (the parents were lawyers) I found it kinda cute

#43

Semaj. James backwards because why just name your child James.

#44

narwhal…his name was narwhal

#45

A’Blessyn 😐

#46

PP nurse here— Lion, 3mil33 (that’s emiliee but with 3’a for the e 😅), xolotl

#47

Nophyr (no fear)

#48

Drahoolie and Drahailey

#49

Saryahsys. Pronounced “psoriasis”

#50

Twins: Donwanna and Doneeda… last name Mann (two moms)

Image credits: Kayla

#51

La-a. Pronounced Ladasha…😅

Image credits: Landrie 🫶🏼

#52

dragonfly windstorm ... like what

#53

Kid at my son’s preschool named rooster 😅

#54

Meg and Tyra - short for Megalodon and tyrannosaurus

#55

Candida….I BEG people to research names before giving them to your children lol

#56

Stryker… because dad was praying for the baby and as he had his head down he opened his eyes and saw the name “Stryker” on the moms hospital bed. Mom heard the name and thought it was beautiful.

#57

Had a baby named Spooki. Mom and dad were “spooked” when he came 6 weeks early. Also have had a: Sire, twins named Orangejello and Lemonjello, and a yourhighness.

#58

Had a set of twins once named Freddy Kruger and Michael Myers 😂 willldd

#59

Demon (pronounced duh-mawn)

#60

LightOfTheGod. That was their first name.

#61

Rho'tavious (sounds like rotavirus) 😂

#62

Jkmn but pronounced Noel

#63

“Ssst” Four S’s and a T. Forest🙄

#64

Prince my lord and savior (this was just the ‘first’ name) 🤐

#65

Abcde pronounced ab-se-dah