What Name Should You Not Name Your Kid?

About This Quiz

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," or so goes the line from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Names are loaded with meaning, cultural, religious or otherwise, and what one is named is something that follows one for the full length of one's life. Some cultures name children for a parent or grandparent. Other cultures only name children for deceased relatives. Some cultures name children for which number they are in the order of the brood of which they are a part, as in the ancient Roman names like Septimus (for seventh child). Some cultures use middle names to load more meaning into the identity of a child, while others will double-barrel their last name to include both parents, allowing the child to lay claim to identity with both sides of their lineage.

And then there are people who name their kids silly things. Parents in the 1980s with the surname Snow might have thought Jon was an innocuous name for their sons, but since "Game of Thrones" left its cultural mark, Jon Snow is a name that will elicit some laughter. Sometimes people deliberately name their children for some cultural icon, and that too can be a mistake. Fear not. We have a few short questions for you, after which we will be able to tell you what you should not, under any circumstances, name your child.