A definitive ranking of the UK baby names which some parents love and others hate has been released to show the most controversial names for both boys and girls.
Baby names expert SJ Strum compiled the list of ‘Marmite’ names after it was revealed over two thirds of parents shortlisted a name likely provoke extreme positive or negative reactions from friends and family.
For girls, Chloe topped the list, with parents split between associating it with ‘sophisticated and upmarket’ or ‘downmarket and Essex’ – despite being the UK’s 36th most popular girls name.
Jaxon or Jaxxon divided opinion most for boys, which was seen as ‘sharp and contemporary’ by some but ‘not spelled properly’ by others in the survey by ChannelMum.com .
Lola was ranked second for girls, viewed either as ‘pretty and feminine’ or ‘a lap-dancer’s name’, followed by Stella which was seen as either ‘stylish and unusual’ or ‘trying too hard to be different’.
(Image: Getty Images/Cultura RF)
When it came to boys, more than a quarter of parents loathed Harrison and Mackenzie for ‘using a surname as a first name’, while Fox and Eden were seen either as ‘cool and modern’ or ‘wacky and showing off’.
Felix was also divisive, with a lot of mums saying it reminded them of the cat food brand.
Henry was a surprising addition, which despite links to royalty and popularity with parents, saw some describe it as ‘too posh’ or ‘better suited to a Labrador dog’.
Most divisive names for girls
- Chloe
- Lola
- Stella
- Winter
- Margot
- Agnes
- Megan/Meghan
- Scarlett
- Emmie
- Olive
Most divisive names for boys
- Jaxon/Jaxxon
- Felix
- Harrison
- Oscar
- Alfie
- Henry
- Leonard
- Fox
- Eden
- Mackenzie
(Image: Getty)
The research showed that 46 per cent of parents said they had faced rude comments over their baby name choices.
The most common source of criticism came from a mother-in-law, while 15 per cent said they even received harsh comments from strangers.
One in nine couples admitted they rowed between themselves when shortlisting names, and 94 per cent of the 2,000 parents polled went with the name they loved despite any criticism.
Expert SJ said: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and a name which delights one person won’t work for another.
“The days of having a few safe – and dull – baby names to choose from are long gone.
“There are over 60,000 baby names in use in the UK and this number is ballooning year-on-year as parents seek unique monikers, so it’s likely even more names will be added to the Marmite list.
“But the best name rule is if you love it, go for it, but do check that the child’s full name initials don’t spell something silly, and, of course make sure it won’t open up your child to ridicule.”
