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Baby names arrow Baby Names Book arrow Ghetto Baby Names Trend – What Do You Think?
Ghetto Baby Names Trend – What Do You Think?
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A recent discussion about the new naming trend of naming babies with Ghetto names brings up a lot of emotions from our readers. We have picked just a couple of comments from our users. What do you think about this new trend?

The term "ghetto" first came into use during the Holocaust, when  Jewish people were forced to live under terrible conditions in isolated sections of a city before being taken to be killed in concentration camps.  The term is widely used today to describe districts that are largely populated by minority groups living under adverse conditions.  Although the term "ghetto" originates from associations with genocide and racism, it has become a common slang term used to describe a district or even a way of life under economic and social pressure.  It is not used here to imply any "racist" connotations. 

No Offence
Written by therealprinsess, October 30, 2007

Not to put down anyone, but i really hate these made up "ghetto" names that have commas dashes underscores parenthesis and a million other characters these young children make up these days or the ones(rolls her eyes) who name their kids after automobiles and liquor (unless the child was conceived on a drunken night of "ALIZE" in the back of a "Lexis" then i'm sure Alize Lexis would have some sentimental value). Do yourself a favor, if you can't imagine anyone calling your kid Dr. La'queesha or Mr. Jo'Killaquan or Judge Lateenazia or Mayor Hennesy Allure, then your best bet is to go with something the kid won't grow up hating, At least think about the kids' future. Having these fake french ghetto names seriously prejudices others to making their own decisions about what type of person Jo'Killaquan or Dimateeshanda really are just by their names. I'm not being one hundered percent sure but i have yet to come across a successful person with a horrible ghetto name and if they have one, by the grace of god their parent had the decency to give them a decent middle name to act as a nice substitute( Z.John Weathers- First name Zadurakeem). I wouldn't trust them and i would already have a stereotype as to the type of person they were already. Kids stop having Kids and this will solve the problem.sigh... Tatiyana La'Bryne- what the hell does that mean??? it could be a voodoo curse in another language.

About the ghetto names...
Written by Maralee, November 05, 2007

I agree that names should not matter. Unfortunately, they do. Generally, people with ghetto names as described accurately by Erica and Rebecca are from ghetto families and ghetto places.

Why tag your child with that atmosphere for all of his or her life? It makes it very difficult for the person to shake his or her ghetto background, no matter how professional he or she might aspire to become.

I used to work at Bob Evans, and sometimes I would change my name over the phone just for fun and giggles. For sociological purposes, I would change my name to "LaQueesha" or "Uniqua", etc. I would introduce myself and speak to the other person on the phone with my regular, respectable and articulate English (Not with the stereotypical ghetto vernacular). The tone of the person would always change according to the "ghetto" status of my name.

Please don't do that to your child. In my opinion, ghetto names are not respectable names.

What difference does it make?!
Written by Anonymous, November 10, 2007

People make too big of a deal about ghetto names.  They just sound uncommon, but how many doctors and lawyers do you have from foreign countries who's names are difficult to pronounce?  A lot!  And I don't think they loose too much money for it.  The real issue is complicated spelling may make it a bit tough  - consider a kid may have to teach everyone they meet how to spell their name their entire life!  Some people get a kick out of having an original name and others prefer to have one that is really common - you never know what kind of personality your baby will have.  Parents should go with their gut feeling and not worry too much about some racist folks that may come along in their child's life - hopefully one day, our kids will not be judged by skin color, financial status or names, but for now that is our reality.

I've seen it all
Written by WIC Lady, November 12, 2007

Comment:
At one of the clinics I work at in a rather rural area, we have a little girl named Female (Fem-all'-ay)(But the doc already named here here...), twin boys named Orangejello and Lemonjello (O-ran'-jal-oh and Lee-mon'-jal-oh) (What was on the breakfast menu) and lots of hyphenated and apostrophized names.  We regularly have mothers who call to add a new baby to their case who don't know how they are going to spell the child's name and get mad because because we have to put something in the computer to make the appointment.  At our main office in the district, it's a bigger town, and there are so many made up, pseudo-ethnic names that it's a nightmare to call people and their children for their turn.

I have no problem with people naming their children with ethnic names that have a meaning or are actual names, regardless if I can pronounce them.  That shows pride in who they are and where they come from.  Naming your child after someone with an ethnic name that isn't a part of your own heritage as a means of honoring that person is fine with me too. 

However, naming your child something that "sounds cool" or was conceived in some drug induced haze (your own or someone else's), or for your favorite designer, car, music act, or street slang is setting the child up for failure.  Remember that sit-com where the kid had a friend named Six because that was how many beers it took for her parents to have sex?  Who wants to have a name like that following them around for the rest of their lives?

I'm currently going round and round with my husband trying to come up with a girl's name for the child I'm about to have.  We had a boy's name worked out from the beginning, honoring our grandfathers.  We named our daughter for my grandmother, and now we're stuck looking for a name we like since Octavia is not a name we're too keen on and the other names are too common.  I understand wanting to have a child that stands out from the rest of the class and not be one of 3 Joshua's or 4 Anne's or whatever the trendy name is, but there is a point where the name stands out for the wrong reasons and is detrimental to the child's future.

What do you think ? add your comment.

Comments (18)Add Comment
Stressed about name
written by Sean M, January 28, 2008
My wife and I are having a girl. We decided on naming her Arielle. However, my wife wants to spell it Ariyelle. Is this Ghetto? Will the spelling cause issues with her growing up?
...
written by VJ, January 30, 2008
We have 4 kids--all adults now.....We chose their names by the meaning, not just whether we liked it or not. All four of our children have at least one name that can be changed/shortened,like Elisabeth-- can be Lisa, Beth, etc.,) in case the child doesn't like their name--they can change it easily. The best advice I ever heard on naming your baby (and it works!)is, when you find a name you like, go to your back door and yell that name out loud.(Like you're yelling for your child to come in from playing.) Is it embarrassing to yell it? Do you still like how it sounds when yelled? If so, go with it! Also, don't worry whether other people like your baby's name!! If YOU like it, don't worry about what others think--it's YOUR baby!
Please spell it correctly!
written by JMJ, January 31, 2008
I am a teacher in the inner city. I guess some would call it a ghetto. I have had years of beautiful, ethnic names. My friends and I always run through our roster and comment on the names. Many are unique and beautiful, however, many are absurd. We have had a Tequila and Daquiri, Zhiavago, Porsche Mercedes, Daqouta, & Samajae to name a few I feel this is hurtful to the kids. I hear others tease them. Keep in mind kids can be very mean. I also have a problem with parents who have no clue how to SPELL their child's name. They spell it differently every time they write it. The names are not spelled phonetically so I guess they forget how they spell it..??? Very scary!
tease the name
written by brenton, February 03, 2008
best advice like the one above, tease the name. make fun of it. it's what the kids at school are going to do. if you feel at the end of it your child will come home everyday crying from the teasing maybe you should consider a different name.
written by Janelle, February 6, 2008
written by Can others say it?, February 06, 2008
Growing up, I loved being the only one in my school who had my name. Over the years (I am now 30), I have met a few others with my name and found that they always liked being a little different, too. However, as a teacher, I have also seen kids struggle with or be embarrassed by their own names, especially when others can't say them or sound them out. Many different names sound strong and beautiful, but only when you can read them out loud without stumbling. My comment overall would be, name your child something that sounds beautiful to you, but try to test it first. Write it down, give it to a stranger (say a nurse, a teacher, a co-worker). Can they say it out loud? This will make a difference to your child!
Sebastian
written by Alexa, February 09, 2008
My husband and I are Puerto Rican and we named our son Sebastian. It is a nice,strong,masculine and handsome name. The name also has a spanish pronunciation which is great for our family.
I think my name is sorta ghetto but i like it
written by Aleisha , February 12, 2008
im 15 my name is Aleisha like alicia but dif. spelling i guess the spellin is a little ghetto but i like it cause it makes me who i am
what's in a name?
written by Hans D., February 14, 2008
I am 43 and I love my name and thank my father for going against the grain of society. You see, I was born in Central America. My father had a sense of humor, he didn't choose typical Hispanic names. My brothers names are Douglas, Hugo and Mark. What's in a name? It's your actions that will determine the type of person you are.
To Expectant Mother
written by Me, February 17, 2008
While I was pregnant w/ my son Damien my mother insisted that I not name him that, because, of the movie "The Omen" I think that if you want to name your little girls Madisyn and Kaitlyn then go for it they're you children and you are going to be the one calling their names for the rest of your life. Don't name your children something else just because some of your family members aren't "COOL" w/ it. Follow your heart and name them what you believe you should.
what's the meaning
written by Shawntae, February 20, 2008
Would like to know the meaning of this name or how did it came to be, Is it Ghetto?
...
written by Latesha , February 20, 2008
I don't think any name is ghetto. A name identifies that person. My name is Latesha Tanikka. I'm very proud of my name. I am glad my mother gave me a unique name. I feel if you don't like someones name, or can't pronounce just don't say it or call them by their last name. I even named my son Catyvion it's pronounced (CA-TY-VI-ON). When I take him to the wic/dr's office, if they can't pronounce it they call him by his last name.
Ghetto Names
written by Tam , February 21, 2008
Name your child what you want, what you feel, however, do not be offended when their teacher can not pronounce their name. I am a teacher and I often have to call my students Mr. or Mrs. and use their last name. The students try to help me as much as possible, however, teaching 141 students daily, if the name is not common or easy to say, they are Mr. or Mrs.
bad names
written by Kristin & Julia, February 22, 2008
We know of children named Abcde (pronounced AB-suh-dee) These are children from a very ghetto area.
My Kids names
written by Donna & Christopher Ayers , February 27, 2008
I have three sons, my oldest sons names is Da'Zaion Carmelo- Kyan(duh-zay-yon), I also have a Christopher Allen,and last but not least Ky'llen
(KY-LYNN) Dominique- Micheal. They all have the same father and I don't think any of their names are Ghetto. If you happen to think of a unique name for your child then i say go for it. So people don't like being traditional which is perfectly fine.
A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME...............
written by Allah, February 27, 2008
PEACE
I can only tell you this, All 3 of My Little People Have Very Uncommon names and I haven't heard any other person with the same name yet, We have to correct people who address them and myself incorrectly. However We don't hold it against them.
Give your child a name with meaning and assist them in living up to the name you give them.
THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. Peace
GHETTO NAMES
written by NEW JERSEY, March 14, 2008
I have a cousin named Genuine Chairo... I thought it was a little ghetto but her mother seemed to like it. She wanted to be different... What do you all think about the name?
Uncommon Names
written by puzzled, March 15, 2008
There is a difference between an uncommon name and a made-up-with-a-toss-of-the-scrabble-letters name. If your name has more than one apostrophe (yes, I have seen several of these) or more than five consonants in a row it's gonna be difficult to pronounce. Your child WILL be made fun of at school. However in most of these instances I find that these children are rarely called by their actual name, it's usually a nickname they answer to. My all time favorite story is about the numerous parents who hand me the birth certificate paperwork (I'm a nurse) and ask me to print their child's name because they "don't know how to spell it."!?!?!
Not all unique names are ghetto!
written by Natira from Baltimore Maryland, March 22, 2008
I'm a twenty-four year old mom and me and my little boy both have odd first names but our names are also twists on actual real names that you can find in a book of names or on the web. My name is Natira (Nah-Tear-Rah) and his name is Ja'cai (Jah-Ky). Tira is a real name, it's origin is Scottish and it means; beautiful land or earth. Cai is also a real name, it's origin is Chinese(although used in the true origin it's typically a female's name)and it means; to have wealth or to be wealthy. I got curious one day and looked both names up on the oh so wonderful internet and now I know with pride what me and my son's names mean. I love the idea that you can take a name that's been around for centuries and make it unique but still keep it's original meaning. So the point is it doesn't matter if your name contains underscores, hyphenes, apostrophes, or dashes or how it is pronounced or spelled most likely whole or part of it does come from a real name with a meaning , and if you're somebody with a odd sounding name who wants to know if your name has real meaning try breaking it down and looking it up you may just find something. Also to all the narrow-minded , opinionated, individuals who commented on "ghetto baby names" they should consider the fact that to some people ghetto is a way of life and not an attitude. You can't help where you come from no matter how far you run. Just like people from other countries that come to live in the USA have very odd, different names that alot of Americans can't pronounce. Just keep that in mind next time you pass judgement based on a name.

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