From McKenzie to Hayden: 3 teachers share the baby names on their blacklist.

A name means a lot and choosing the right one can be a difficult and drawn out process. But there is a group of professionals who have an even harder time picking the right name for their offspring than the rest of us:

Teachers.

In fact, choosing a name when you’re a teacher of sometimes hundreds of kids at the same time, adds a whole new element to the decision.

So Mamamia spoke to three teachers about the process they went through and why some names were ‘blacklisted’ before there was even a baby on the way.

Here’s what they had to say:

Sean Szeps and Zoe Marshall share their tips on how they chose the perfect baby name for their kids.

1. Rachel: Secondary school teacher for 10 years.

For Rachel*, the name at the top of her boy list for years was recently ruined when she taught a student with the same name.

“My whole life I have loved the name Crispin. I read it in a book when I was a kid and loved it ever since,” Rachel said.

“It’s such an unusual name and I never thought I would come across a student with it.”

This year though, Rachel had a Crispin in her class.

“He is arrogant, rude, lazy and disrespectful. I am shattered.”

Rachel has also found many poorly behaved kids share the same name.

“It may be coincidence, but it is definitely a strange one. It seems there are some names that are inexplicably linked with certain behaviour.

“The name Patrick has scarred me. Patricks have mostly been really naughty and to be honest, really weird.”

McKenzie was another crossed off the girls list.

“Every McKenzie I have taught has been rude and usually an eye roller.”

According to Reddit, these are the worst baby names which have ever existed:

2. Sarah: Primary school teacher for 20 years.

Sarah* has found that the stranger a name, the more poorly behaved the student.

“I have taught a kid whose name was Heaven-Lee, pronounced Heavenly. She was NOT heavenly,” Sarah said.

“There is also something with boy names with a y in them, like Hayden or Brayden.

“I don’t know what it is, but they are usually the ones finding themselves in trouble.”

3. Jamie: Primary school teacher.

Jamie* says it’s usually teaching kids that are extremely difficult to manage that ruin a name for him.

“Kids that are rude or constantly inconsiderate of others have also meant I haven’t liked their names for my own child,” Jamie says.

“The main thing that will put a name on the definitely not list, is when a kid does something memorable but not in a good way like Amber.”

Jamie shared one particular experience that really put a particular name on the ‘no’ list.

“I taught a boy named Will who had not a shred of remorse after hurting someone else.

“He’d apologised but he had a dead cold look in his eye when he had to… name ruined.”

He also said there are times when a name is overused and this can also make a name not so desirable.

“I’ve just seen a name so much that’s it overdone. Like when you love a song and the radio plays it too much. I loved the song, and still like it, but not as much as I could have.”

All three teachers however, said it can go both ways.

”There are plenty of names that I love because of kids that have hearts of gold. Kids that really impressed me as a teacher for a variety of reasons,” Jamie said.

“A kid who always puts others first. A kid who struggles but will do their absolute best regardless of the task. A kid who is not going to follow the rest of the class in making a poor choice. And a kid with a great moral compass.”

Are you a teacher? What is a name you could never call your child? Tell us in the comments section below. 

* The names in this article have been changed to protect the teachers’ identity, but they are known to Mamamia. 

Shona Hendley is a freelance writer from Victoria. An ex secondary school teacher, Shona has a strong interest in education. She is an animal lover and advocate, with a morbid fascination for true crime and horror movies. Shona is usually busy writing and raising her children: three goats, two cats and two humans. You can follow her on Instagram @shonamarion.