What NOT to Name That Baby Part III!

The problem with baby names is that people sometimes assign it to the child without really checking into the meaning of the name or bothering to see if it is the name of a popular and sometimes evil character from pop culture. Here is Part III of my look at baby names every parent should avoid.

Honey – The name is so sweet it may be hard for your child to be taken seriously when older.
Ichabod – Long ago this was a fine English name but it is the real name of the Headless Horseman of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Idi – A male name that is often associated with Ugandan tyrant Idi Amin.
Jesus – This is a name, although legitimate for anyone to use, that could get your child in trouble with religious types who consider it to be a sacred name in the future.
Johnson – Johnson used to be a nice name but you probably want to avoid it now as it is a nickname for the male penis.
Julia – Believe it or not the real meaning of the name Julia is 'a bearded youth.' Still the name sounds so lovely. How it got to be a girl's name is a bit of a mystery. I guess you are okay with this one as long as nobody looks it up.
Kevin – Have you ever wondered why you meet the occasional girl named Kevin? It is because the name actually means 'beautiful at birth.' Some parents may prefer a name with a more masculine meaning.
Leah – This is a beautiful Biblical name but it's true meaning is 'weary.
Lindsay – This name is now very much associated with Lindsay Lohan who is a troubled celebrity addict –the name is also very much overused as it was so popular ten years ago.
Merlin – This is a campy name that belongs to too many magicians including ones from Camelot and quite a few Las Vegas and Hollywood showmen types. It would be a difficult name for most people to take seriously.
Myra – People in Britain have been avoiding the name Myra ever since Myra Hindley murdered five children in the Manchester area of London in the mid-1960s.
Norbert – This name has always been associated with wallflowers and nerds. Choose something more dashing.
Lucifer – It sounds hip but it is another name for Satan, even though it means 'Morningstar.' You are best to avoid your child being profiled by Christians or being accused of being raised by Devil Worshippers in the schoolyard.
As you can see, naming your baby can be a bit of a headache. More about avoiding giving your baby a name in the fourth and final installment of momweblog's investigation into the subject!

Baby Names Inspired By The 1950s

Are you one of those moms-to-be who loves those fifties cut dresses with the boat-neck, who is a fan of Mad Men and who loves Jackie-O and fabulous fifties furniture. If that is the case you might want to consider giving your newborn a name that is fifties.

You can start with the famous Dick and Jane monikers. Back then everyone could relate to Dick and Jane thanks to the popular kid's books that everyone was raised on that starred this perfect pair of friends.

You can also look to sitcoms from the fifties to find baby names. The old sitcom 'Leave It to Beaver' is a goldmine of these types of names. There is Ward, Wally and June. You probably do not want to call your girl or boy Beaver nowadays just simply because that particular little nickname does not have such a great connotation.

I love Lucy also has some great names from the fifties in it. Consider calling your kid Ricky, Ethel or Lucille. You might also want to consider the Laura, Rob, Sally and Dick that were popular from that era. Once again, watch it when you call a kid 'Dick.' It may not be the best name depending on where you live in the world.

If you are having twins you can try Marilyn and Arthur, or Marilyn and Joe after Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller or Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio. Marilyn, Arthur and Joe are all names that are very much considered to be relics of the fifties. Arthur is the intellectual reference, Marilyn is the sex goddess reference and Joe is what you will want to name your future athletic 'little slugger.'

Another great source of names from the fifties is the ultimate sit-com about the fifties which is Happy Days. Ralph, Joanie, Richie and Arthur (again) are the types of names for your baby that you cull from pop culture in this case. Who was Arthur on that sitcom you might ask? Why, that was Fonzie's (The Fonz) real name.
Other popular male names from the fifties include Bud or Buddy (from Warren Beatty, Buddy Rich and Gilligan's Island), Dean (James Dean and Dean Martin), Elvis (after Elvis Presley) Fred (from Fred McMurray), Norman Steven, Dennis, Paul, Kenneth, Donald and Joseph.

Popular fifties girls names include Patsy (from Patsy Cline), Donna (from Donna Reed), Margaret (after England's Princess Margaret), Grace (after Grace Kelly), Connie (after Connie Francis), Patty (after Patty Duke), Diane, Pamela, Janet, Shirley and Carolyn.