Humiliating names

Best left on the old southern plantation, sipping his mint julep.

Although it has no doubt been used as a name by someone somewhere, Girl likely appears on the US extended baby names list most years as a kind of holding term, where parents have not yet decided on the name so the baby is instead recorded as "Girl", "Boy" or "Unknown".

Makeup artist to the stars Gucci Westman has made this Italian fashion name a first.

The patron saint of comedians and dancers (also known as St Vitus) has a name that is both the ultimate everyman, and has a hint of British aristocracy. In the States, Guy was most popular in the 1950s. Now he hovers steadily below the Top 1000, in the sweet spot of familiar but not overused. With the meteoric rise of Kai, Guy may have potential with parents looking for a more classic name with a similar sound.

Gypsy, long associated with the intellectual stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and the musical that was made about her life, was used by Drea de Matteo and Shooter Jennings as the middle name of their daughter Alabama. Be aware, however, that the word gypsy is now considered an ethnic slur when used for the Romani, or Roma, people.

Not a viable option if your baby is going to speak English.

Chance has risen far on the baby-naming charts, but Hazard has a considerably more dangerous edge. It was the middle name of famed US naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry.

fuhgeddaboutit.

Howl joins the wild new gang of names with attitude to spare: We're talking Rebel, Rogue, Wilder, and Wiley. Howell makes it much more genteel.

Hyman was commonly used by first-generation Jewish immigrants to Anglicize Chaim, but similarities to terms like heinie and hymen have taken it out of the realm of modern possibility. The original Chaim would be preferable to Hyman.

One Puritan virtue name unlikely to thrive in the 21st century.