155+ Names That Mean Trouble

  1. Dagger
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Dagger is one of the new badass baby names, a sharp and scary choice that some parents may feel arm their child for battle in a cruel modern world.
  2. Wilder
    • Origin:

      Word name and surname
    • Description:

      The name Wilder is still used more than 90 percent of the time for boys, but it's being used quietly for girls too. Along with the rest of the Wild and Wiley family, it's one of the hottest baby names starting with W. Certainly giving your child of either gender such a, ahem, wilder name is setting them up for a certain kind of character and future.
  3. Aranza
    • Origin:

      Basque
    • Meaning:

      "Among the thorns"
    • Description:

      The name of a popular Mexican singer and a telenovela character, Aranza incredibly rose out of obscurity to become Number 607 in the US in 2014.
  4. Wesson
    • Origin:

      Variation of Weston, English
    • Meaning:

      "from the western town"
    • Description:

      This weapon name, linked to arms manufacturer Smith and Wesson, entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
  5. Crash
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Crash is a particularly calamitous entry in the badass boys' name category, taking Wilder and Maverick one -- or maybe a dozen -- steps further. But we can think of at least a dozen reasons you shouldn't name your baby Crash.
  6. Mahlon
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "sickly"
    • Description:

      Obscure Old Testament name -- he was the son of Naomi and the husband of Ruth -- that's become even more obscure over the past century, perhaps due to its unappealing meaning.
  7. Sabre
    • Torquil
      • Origin:

        Scottish from Norse
      • Meaning:

        "Thor's cauldron"
      • Description:

        Torquil, is a quirky but intriguing option that evolved from an ancient Scandinavian nameand was imported into Scotland by the Vikings. The Gaelic form of the name is Torcaill.
    • Ax
      • Origin:

        Word name or short form of Axel
      • Description:

        Ax makes a somewhat threatening short form of the popular Axel, given to more than 3000 baby boys last year. It can also be used on its own, though it usually isn't. There were, however, seven baby boys named Axe in the US in 2015.
    • Beretta
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        A Beretta is a gun, so named because of the Italian firearms manufacturer that makes it. And now Beretta is also a badass baby name, used in the middle for daughter Breeze by Bristol Palin baby daddy Levi Johnston. What a Tripp.
    • Striker
      • Origin:

        English word name
      • Description:

        Striker is one of the new gang of boys' names that have two syllables, end in -er, spring from words, and have a macho, even aggressive meaning and image. Other examples include Breaker, Heller, and Wilder. Do the world a favor and desist.
    • Stormi
      • Origin:

        Word name, variation of Stormy and Storm
      • Description:

        Stormi is like Sunni, with angst. If naming your child Storm or Stormy is asking for trouble, naming her Stormi -- as Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott did -- is asking for trouble of several different kinds. But we're sure she'll be adorable and as celebrity baby names go, this one is nearly normal.
    • Amil
      • Origin:

        Arabic or Sanskrit
      • Meaning:

        "one who hopes or unattainable"
      • Description:

        Hope is one meaning of the name Amil, which sounds similar to the German Emil; it can also mean unattainable in the sense of being so exalted as in royalty as to be out of reach. While Amil may not be familiar in the Western world, it's accessible and appealing.
    • Dempsey
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "proud, haughty"
      • Description:

        Spunky Irish surname that still has a pugnacious feel from its lingering association with one of boxing's greatest champs, Jack Dempsey. Many people may associate it more with Patrick Dempsey these days—McDreamy from TV's Grey's Anatomy.
    • Caliber
      • Origin:

        English word name
      • Meaning:

        "ability level; diameter of a gun barrel"
      • Description:

        Caliber belongs to the class of tough boy names — along with Shooter, Wesson, and Trigger — that are given to a small but notable number of boys each year. We generally discourage parents from using such violence-promoting names — there are better routes to the nickname Cal.
    • Diablo
      • Origin:

        Spanish
      • Meaning:

        "devil"
      • Description:

        Diablo Cody, self-named (she's really Brook Busey) screenwriter of Juno, singlehandedly helped popularize not just her heroine's name and her own but all o-ending names for girls. You don't need us to tell you that it takes a brave parent, in every way, to name a baby Diablo. Diablo is one of the Spanish baby names that diverges furthest from the well-paved camino.
    • Foley
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "plunderer"
      • Description:

        There are many more appealing Irish surnames than Foley, and certainly more positive meanings. If Foley is a genuine family name, this would be all right in the middle.
    • Rhonda
      • Origin:

        Welsh
      • Meaning:

        "noisy one"
      • Description:

        "Help Me, Rhonda. sang the Beach Boys -- help me convince my parents not to give me this sixties name.
    • Terach
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "wild goat, silly old fool"
      • Description:

        A biblical name -- he was the father of Abraham -- but the father's name is much less appealing than the son's, in both sound and meaning.
    • Ascella
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "armpit"
      • Description:

        A star system in Sagittarius, so one of the most appropriate names for December babies.