Heard these on the British show Junior Bake Off (I live in the US. I found it online by chance while looking for more cooking shows to watch) :
Aasiya (The S almost sounded like a cross between S and Z. It was pronounced with 3 syllables, or at least that's what my ears heard. Girl)
Abigail - It's pretty, but popular.
Amari (AH-mar-ee. x2. 1 was a boy and 1 was a girl) - Not too bad, especially for a boy. I prefer Amara for a girl.
Cameron (x3. Boy) - Awful! I don't get the appeal of it.
Saffron - Not a fan. She was a cute kid, but the name feels show off-y.
Olivia (x2) - Pretty, but it's extremely popular.
Coco-Nina - I don't like it at all. Coco sounds like a dog's name and doesn't flow well with Nina. I love Nina though.
Sangita (SAHN-gee-ta. Girl) - Definitely exotic. A bit too close in sound to sangria. Other than that, I don't mind it.
Galway (GALL-way. Girl) - That doesn't sound the least bit feminine to me. It's terrible. I don't get why people have to use surnames/boys' names for girls. Not cute!
Freya - Okay. Nothing wrong with it, just how fast it jumped up. Seems common in Britain and it's rising quickly here too. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets near the top 100 in the next couple years. It's only been in the top 1000 since 2013 and now it's at #417 which is a huge rise in only two years.
Stanley - Not bad. A refreshing change from all the trendy names out there.
Zyta (ZEE-ta. Girl) - The spelling makes no sense phonetically. The name itself isn't bad. Better as a middle name.
Joy - Okay. Somewhat unexpected choice for a kid. I usually hear it as a middle name or on a woman over 35.
Kieran (Boy) - Kind of like it, but can't use it because I have a 3rd cousin with this name.
Conal (CON-al. Boy) - Okay. Would never use it.
Hari (Boy. Pronounced like Harry. There were also 3 Harry's and a Harrison) - I like Harrison, but wish it wasn't so popular. Harry is okay, but too associated with Harry Potter.
Marie - So common in the middle. More interesting to hear as a first name.
Aaminah - The spelling looks terrible, the name itself is decent. I would have spelled it Amina.
Kavern (KA-vern, rhymes with Laverne as in Laverne and Shirley. Boy) - Why?! *face palms*
Brinta (Girl) - I don't know what her parents were going for here. Maybe a combination or Britta and something else?
Louis - Great!
Monty - I think of it as a pet's name.
Archie - Archie Bunker is the first thing that comes to my mind. I'm not sure about it for a little kid. Dislike Archibald as well.
Isabelle (and an Isabel) - Pretty, but too trendy because of Isabella and other -belle/bella names.
Alfie - I prefer Alfred.
Ruby (x2) - Pretty.
Zainab (ZAY-nab. Girl)
Alice (a couple of them)
Alyth (AY-lith) - Sounds like Alice with a lisp.
Euan (YU-an/en. Boy) - The sound throws me off.
Matilda - Beautiful. I love it. Very strong and feminine at the same time.
Purdey - Sounds like hillbilly slang for "pretty" to me (not sure how they'd spell it). Way too much to live up to.
Grainne (I don't remember exactly how they said it, but I thought it sounded a bit similar to Anya but with a Gr sound) - Too harsh for my taste.
Francesca - Very pretty! I love it, but maybe as a middle because another one of my cousins has this name.
Maisie - I don't get the appeal of this one either. I think of the cartoon mouse from Nick Jr. or whatever channel it was on.
Jenna - I like it. Not as common as it used to be.
Lottie - I don't care for it. Sounds too much like 'lottery', but I like it slightly more than Charlotte (I don't like what it rhymes with).
Evie - Gorgeous! I love it as a nickname.
Hamish (HAY-mish) - Not a fan.
Elodie - Don't like it. I love Melody; oddly, I strongly dislike this one.
Millie (x2) - Okay, but I don't care for nicknames as given names. I prefer Amelia or Milana.
Oliver (and an Ollie) - Oliver is a great name, but getting overused. Dislike Ollie because it reminds me of skateboarding.
Mimi - Reminds me of the Drew Carey Show.
Shriyana (Girl)
Nigel - The Wild Thornberrys cartoon and it's a little stuffy IMO.
Macy - Flimsy and not cute. Teen Mom's Maci ruined it even more.
Harvey - Interesting choice for a kid, but I think it's kind of cool.
Ben (5 of them) - Great classic name, wildly popular. I know several.
Rachel - A bit plain for me, but a good name.
Hannah (a few of them) - Pretty, but plain. I prefer Hana.
Oscar - It's cool. It's getting more common now, but I wonder if people would associate it with Oscar the Grouch all the time.
Peter - Good name, but can't use it. There are already a couple in my family.
Griffin - Trendy.
Esther - Reminds me of the movie Orphan.
Elizabeth - Love it! Classic and beautiful; still way too common. Perfect as a middle.
Anna - Beautiful! I'd use Annika, Anneliese, or Anastasia, nn Anna or Anya.
Lily-Grace - Hate Grace, but Lily is pretty.
Emma - Classic, but tired and boring.
Grace - Sounds a bit too much like "grease" when I say it. I don't know why. lol
Megan - Love this spelling. It's nice. I know too many people with it, with various spellings.
Sienna - Pretty. Not too common, but on its way up again it looks like.
James
Freddie - Can't shake the Freddy Krueger or Scooby-Doo associations.
Hafsa (Girl)
Sufia (Sa-fee-ah) - Odd spelling.
Finlay (Boy) - Very trendy. Not crazy about it or the nickname Finn.
Tom, Will, Lucy, Alex, Katie, Ellie, and Sam were heard more than once too. I don't know if these were their full names or not. They didn't say.
What are some names you've seen/heard lately on TV or while watching videos online?
Aasiya (The S almost sounded like a cross between S and Z. It was pronounced with 3 syllables, or at least that's what my ears heard. Girl)
Abigail - It's pretty, but popular.
Amari (AH-mar-ee. x2. 1 was a boy and 1 was a girl) - Not too bad, especially for a boy. I prefer Amara for a girl.
Cameron (x3. Boy) - Awful! I don't get the appeal of it.
Saffron - Not a fan. She was a cute kid, but the name feels show off-y.
Olivia (x2) - Pretty, but it's extremely popular.
Coco-Nina - I don't like it at all. Coco sounds like a dog's name and doesn't flow well with Nina. I love Nina though.
Sangita (SAHN-gee-ta. Girl) - Definitely exotic. A bit too close in sound to sangria. Other than that, I don't mind it.
Galway (GALL-way. Girl) - That doesn't sound the least bit feminine to me. It's terrible. I don't get why people have to use surnames/boys' names for girls. Not cute!
Freya - Okay. Nothing wrong with it, just how fast it jumped up. Seems common in Britain and it's rising quickly here too. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets near the top 100 in the next couple years. It's only been in the top 1000 since 2013 and now it's at #417 which is a huge rise in only two years.
Stanley - Not bad. A refreshing change from all the trendy names out there.
Zyta (ZEE-ta. Girl) - The spelling makes no sense phonetically. The name itself isn't bad. Better as a middle name.
Joy - Okay. Somewhat unexpected choice for a kid. I usually hear it as a middle name or on a woman over 35.
Kieran (Boy) - Kind of like it, but can't use it because I have a 3rd cousin with this name.
Conal (CON-al. Boy) - Okay. Would never use it.
Hari (Boy. Pronounced like Harry. There were also 3 Harry's and a Harrison) - I like Harrison, but wish it wasn't so popular. Harry is okay, but too associated with Harry Potter.
Marie - So common in the middle. More interesting to hear as a first name.
Aaminah - The spelling looks terrible, the name itself is decent. I would have spelled it Amina.
Kavern (KA-vern, rhymes with Laverne as in Laverne and Shirley. Boy) - Why?! *face palms*
Brinta (Girl) - I don't know what her parents were going for here. Maybe a combination or Britta and something else?
Louis - Great!
Monty - I think of it as a pet's name.
Archie - Archie Bunker is the first thing that comes to my mind. I'm not sure about it for a little kid. Dislike Archibald as well.
Isabelle (and an Isabel) - Pretty, but too trendy because of Isabella and other -belle/bella names.
Alfie - I prefer Alfred.
Ruby (x2) - Pretty.
Zainab (ZAY-nab. Girl)
Alice (a couple of them)
Alyth (AY-lith) - Sounds like Alice with a lisp.
Euan (YU-an/en. Boy) - The sound throws me off.
Matilda - Beautiful. I love it. Very strong and feminine at the same time.
Purdey - Sounds like hillbilly slang for "pretty" to me (not sure how they'd spell it). Way too much to live up to.
Grainne (I don't remember exactly how they said it, but I thought it sounded a bit similar to Anya but with a Gr sound) - Too harsh for my taste.
Francesca - Very pretty! I love it, but maybe as a middle because another one of my cousins has this name.
Maisie - I don't get the appeal of this one either. I think of the cartoon mouse from Nick Jr. or whatever channel it was on.
Jenna - I like it. Not as common as it used to be.
Lottie - I don't care for it. Sounds too much like 'lottery', but I like it slightly more than Charlotte (I don't like what it rhymes with).
Evie - Gorgeous! I love it as a nickname.
Hamish (HAY-mish) - Not a fan.
Elodie - Don't like it. I love Melody; oddly, I strongly dislike this one.
Millie (x2) - Okay, but I don't care for nicknames as given names. I prefer Amelia or Milana.
Oliver (and an Ollie) - Oliver is a great name, but getting overused. Dislike Ollie because it reminds me of skateboarding.
Mimi - Reminds me of the Drew Carey Show.
Shriyana (Girl)
Nigel - The Wild Thornberrys cartoon and it's a little stuffy IMO.
Macy - Flimsy and not cute. Teen Mom's Maci ruined it even more.
Harvey - Interesting choice for a kid, but I think it's kind of cool.
Ben (5 of them) - Great classic name, wildly popular. I know several.
Rachel - A bit plain for me, but a good name.
Hannah (a few of them) - Pretty, but plain. I prefer Hana.
Oscar - It's cool. It's getting more common now, but I wonder if people would associate it with Oscar the Grouch all the time.
Peter - Good name, but can't use it. There are already a couple in my family.
Griffin - Trendy.
Esther - Reminds me of the movie Orphan.
Elizabeth - Love it! Classic and beautiful; still way too common. Perfect as a middle.
Anna - Beautiful! I'd use Annika, Anneliese, or Anastasia, nn Anna or Anya.
Lily-Grace - Hate Grace, but Lily is pretty.
Emma - Classic, but tired and boring.
Grace - Sounds a bit too much like "grease" when I say it. I don't know why. lol
Megan - Love this spelling. It's nice. I know too many people with it, with various spellings.
Sienna - Pretty. Not too common, but on its way up again it looks like.
James
Freddie - Can't shake the Freddy Krueger or Scooby-Doo associations.
Hafsa (Girl)
Sufia (Sa-fee-ah) - Odd spelling.
Finlay (Boy) - Very trendy. Not crazy about it or the nickname Finn.
Tom, Will, Lucy, Alex, Katie, Ellie, and Sam were heard more than once too. I don't know if these were their full names or not. They didn't say.
What are some names you've seen/heard lately on TV or while watching videos online?
