155+ Names That Mean Trouble

Hurricane is a storm, but it's also an American name, thanks to rising tennis star Hurricane Black -- whose sister's name is Tornado. There's no reason this tempestuous choice can't work for boys too, inasfar as the name can work for any child. As a name, Hurricane is definitely original and attention-getting, but is it a name you'd want to carry around for life?

Ryle, rhymes with Kyle, was used by author Colleen Hoover for the neurosurgeon hero of her bestselling novel, It Ends With Us. Twenty-nine baby boys were named Ryle in the US in 2023, with many more named all variations of Riley, along with many spellings of Rylen, Ryler, and Rye.

Despite Thornton Wilder, playwright of the perennial Our Town, only a handful of baby boys receive this name each year..

Pranav, an Indian name now in the U. S. Top 900, represents Aum, or Om, the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, symbolizing the entire universe.

Mythological princess who killed her kids. Eternal no-no.

The Ancient Roman Balbina is the feminine form of Balbus or Balbinus. While certainly unique, it's hard to imagine this name will go far in the modern English-speaking world.

Though we usually think a name's image in contemporary culture supersedes its ancient meaning, this is a case where the definition could undermine a child's self-esteem.

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.

Not a great idea to associate your newborn with drug lords.

This name might be too, well, triggering.

While patriot Thomas Paine is a worthy honoree, the mere association with the word 'pain' knocks this name out of bounds.

All names ending in ville are in nowheresville.

One of the first authentically Slavic names many Americans heard (but couldn't pronounce), via 1960s to 70s former presidential advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. Even after all these years, still problematic.

Starbaby name that might prove too supercharged for real life, but if like director Robert Rodriguez you're interested only in boys' names starting with R, you may need to add Rocket (and Rebel and Racer) to your list.

As Huxley and Huck become more popular and accepted, so does Hux, either as a full name or a diminutive.

Cutter was an old-fashioned term for a tailor or barber that was eventually adopted as a surname. That gives it more legitimacy than many of the other aggressive boy names — Striker, Shooter, Breaker, et al. — but Cutter remains equally threatening.

Could a child named Warrior be anything but fierce and willful? We count Warrior among our Magic Names, those that are chosen for their ability to influence and protect their bearers. We see Warrior rising significantly in the next few years, joining current favorites like Legend, Hero, and Saint.

Rarely used biblical choice -- he's a son of Jacob -- with a bit of a white-bearded image.

New, fast, cool, and chosen by director Robert Rodriguez, whose other sons are Rebel, Rocket, and Rogue, all somewhat risky options.

Kessie is cute but slight.