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Man hilariously calls out why the trend of giving babies 'old people names' has got to go

“Ma’am. George is a mechanic in his 60s and he can’t work on your car this week because his sugars is running high.”

@mannybuckley/TikTok, Photo credit: Canva

Someone finally said what we're all thinking.

Listen, baby name trends come and go. What was once a hip and cool name will eventually be seen as passé (this coming from someone with a name that is now obsolete, apparently) and names once thought of as old-fashioned will absolutely become cool again. It’s part of the circle of life, like the tides, the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun…accept it.

In fact, this comeback is already happening. According to the Social Security Administration, vintage names like Theodore, Henry, Willam, Charlotte, Evelyn, and Emma are among the top ten most popular baby names of the moment. Jimmy Fallon’s daughters are named Winnie and Frances, for crying out loud.

However, just because there’s been an uptick in names that harken you back to a time when “good show, old sport” was a common phrase, not everyone is on board. Recently, content creator Manny Buckley hilariously put into words what many of us think of these WWII era names.

In a clip posted to his TikTok, Buckley first savagely said, “Y’all went from naming all y’all’s kids Jayden, Cayden, and Aiden, Madison, Addison, and Addylyn to giving them all old people names.” He then recounted being on a train and hearing another call after her toddler, whose name was George.

“Ma’am. George is a mechanic in his 60s and he can’t work on your car this week because his sugars is running high.” Where’s the lie?

@mannybuckley What is this cycle of naming kids!? #names #naming #name ♬ original sound - 𝕄𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕪 𝔹𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖𝕪

He didn’t stop there, going on a lighthearted rant about the types of images certain now-popular names actually evoke, like Agnes (a “Florida retiree in her 70s who cannot leave the retirement home”), Ira (an “80 year old Jewish man”), Belinda (a “registered nurse who has been working in the field for 50 years”), and Clifford (a 85-year-old navy vet who needs “all y'all to be quiet”). Nary a kid sounding name in sight, if you ask him.

Though the video was clearly just a lighthearted jab, a few adults came into the comments to defend the use of vintage names.

“We aren’t naming babies. We’re naming people,” one top comment wrote, while another seconded, “Exactly! Some people don’t realize this. They are kids for a very short period of time, then they are adults.”

Still, another quipped, “yeah, but they aren’t senior citizens forever either!” Another wrote “I’m Martha…I’ve been 80 since the first grade.”

A few others, particularly teachers, chimed in with their own equally funny experience of kids having old fashioned names.

I am a kindergarten teacher. I have Marjorie and Brenda. It’s like a 1950’s secretarial pool.

I have kindergarteners named Edyth, Arthur, and Iris. They’re going to form a knitting club at recess.”

“My nephew is Charles lmao and he may only be 2.5, but he is the school maintenance and everyone call uncle.”

“We have Matilda and Cordelia, 4 and 2, shelling beans on the porch. Their nicknames are just as old, Tilly and Della. I love them though.”

And there you have it, folks. We have indeed come full circle. But is it any weirder than the thought of someone calling their Grandma Brittany? I think not.

This article originally appeared in February

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Parents get a wave of support after their family has 'unhinged' reaction to new baby's name

Hope their family was taking notes.

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Unsolicited opinions aren't just annoying. They can be hurtful.

Sure, parents sometimes make an…interesting choice when it comes to naming their child. But the key word there is "choice." It probably goes without saying that it’s not the best move to insert an opinion on something rather personal and vulnerable like a child's name, especially when that opinion is not requested.

But nonetheless, people do cross this boundary, expressing their disapproval and giving new moms and dads yet another reason to second-guess themselves.

As one frustrated mom shared on Reddit, her own in-laws gave what she described as the “most unhinged” reaction to her newborn’s name, leaving her and her husband completely “crushed.”

At first, everything went smoothly.

“I just had a baby this week,” the mom wrote in her post. “We were still in the hospital when we announced her name and got a slew of the usual responses that normal, sane people say when hearing about the name of a baby (‘what a lovely name!’). Because saying anything different is insane, right?”

But when her husband texted his side of the family to share their newborn daughter’s name, all hell broke loose.

Mind you, these parents didn’t name their child Watermelon Gumdrop or Fern Gully or something else truly out there. The name they chose, which caused them a lot of unnecessary grief, was Rosa.

Not only does Rosa (the Spanish word for “rose”) sound lovely, it carries all poetic meaning symbolized by the flower: hope, love, and courage. What’s not to like?

a photo of a rose

Rosa is a baby girl name of Mexican origin.

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But instead of celebrating their name choice, the mother-in-law apparently responded with, ““No, I don’t really like that name. I much prefer Violet.”

“We were stunned,” the woman continued. “I simply cannot imagine being a family member who’s being INFORMED of a newborn’s name, and thinking you should have input…We LOVE our daughter’s name, and did not want to have our first moments with our daughter marred by this comment.”

But wait, it gets worse.

The husband's family then called several times after their texts were ignored. The following day, the husband’s sister also sent a barrage of texts with “alternatives [that] she prefers.”

Then, when told that the entire family on the mom’s side supported the name, the mother-in-law laughed and said, “They must not have good taste—nobody here likes it. Nobody.”

Now, this next part really shows the effect this appalling behavior had on the new parents:

“We are sleep deprived. Coming down from an emotional high, during which our daughter was in NICU and I almost needed a blood transfusion because of how much blood I lost. My husband, so stoic and assured, is f**king crushed. I’m FUMING. I will NEVER forget how they made my husband feel during one of the most vulnerable and special times in his life,” the mom wrote.

Most Unhinged Reaction To Naming Your Child?
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People who read this woman’s story were “livid” on her behalf, and rallied to give her some long overdue support.

“What on earth is wrong with Rosa???? It’s a beautiful name!! Tell your mother-in-law she is ridiculous and she can shut up immediately, if not sooner,” one person commented.

Another pointed to how truly ridiculous this situation was, writing, “The name is ROSA? I thought from reading this that it was at least going to be a controversial name. Rosa is beautiful. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, it’s hard to find anything wrong with it. OP should take this as the sign it is and reevaluate their individual relationships with that side of the family.”

Several even suggested going into little-to-no-contact mode with that side of the family, since odds are they wouldn’t prove any more helpful in the stressful postpartum days to come.

“Tell her she doesn’t need to meet baby if she is so insistent on the name being changed,” one person commented.

Sadly, sometimes stronger boundaries must be established with those who will not respect more lenient ones, especially when it comes to family members—and especially when it comes to parents trying to raise their kids in the most healthy environment possible. Hopefully these parents were able to move forward and enjoy welcoming little Rosa into the world.


This article originally appeared last year.

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4 surprising pop culture moments inspiring the hottest baby names of 2025

From the Drake vs. Kendrick beef to to the Paris Olympics, here's what shaping the newest wave of baby names.

Photo credit: Canva

More and more parents are using pop culture to find baby name inspiration.

Once upon a time, we essentially only named babies after royalty, religious icons and other members of the family. Maybe a nature-inspired moniker if we were feeling rebellious.

Nowadays, ideas for baby names come from all kinds of places (cemeteries, anyone?) but it’s becoming increasingly common for parents to use these sort of zeitgeist-y pop culture happenings that come and go in an instant, but become immortal snapshots of a particular moment in history. So babies named after these moments also, in their own way, carry a bit of that story taking place when they were born.

Each fall, BabyCenter reveals insights into the baby name trends for the upcoming year based on data gleaned from the literal hundreds of thousands of parents who register their baby's name on the BabyCenter app.

For 2025, here are some of the biggest (and kind of surprising) influences.

Sports moments, including the Paris Olympics, continue to inform baby name trends.

paris olympics, french names, baby names 2025Who doesn't love a french name, though?Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

The Olympics have left France, but parents-to-be are still tapping into their inner Parisian. Both the boy name Raphael and girl name Louise rose up considerably in rank, as well as Beaux, Remi, Gustavo, Elodie, Arlette and Jolie.

Also, as Women’s basketball continues to set record viewership numbers, names inspired by female basketball players, like Catilin Clark Kamilla Cardoso and A'ja Wilson are gaining popularity.

Similarly, the Super Bowl LVIII becoming the most-watched program in American TV history ignited a wave of Chiefs-themed named like Creed (think Creed Humphrey, a Chiefs center) and Isiah (as in Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs running back)

Travis, as in Kelci, also gained traction. But that could easily be Taylor Swift’s hold on the world, not football’s.

Speaking of pop stars…

Female singers are dominating the charts—and baby names.

sabrina carpent,er chappell roan, billie eillish, girl namesThe pop girlies are taking over. Condé Nast (through Vogue Taiwan), Wikipedia

Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eillish are seeing their first names on the rise. And while thankfully we didn’t see Brat becoming a popular first name, Apple, from a song on the Charlie XCX’s Brat album, did gain favor.

And of course, Taylor’s The Tortured Poet’s Department album helped both Peter and Robin skyrocket as boys’ names.

Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake’s DUI seemingly made the name fall 59 spots in ranking to number 277. Guess the Prince of Pop has lost his crown.

More and more baby names are based on hit television shows

the bear, the bear carmenA picture of Jeremy Allan White as Carmen from The Bear. Wikifandom

Parents are helping their kids get that “main character energy” with names like Riley (inspired by Inside Out), Carmen (from The Bear), Deborah (as in Deborah Vance from HBO’s Hacks) and Ripley…not after Alien. After Netflix's The Talent Mr. Ripley. Which, considering the man is a grifter and murderer, is a bit odd. But Andrew Scott really is that amazing of an actor.

Lastly, Mother Nature herself is helping parents find their newborn’s name

solar eclipseWhen are we gonna see a bunch of kids named Comet? Luc Viatour/Wikipedia

According to BabyCenter, the solar eclipse this past April brought on a rise in the girl name Sol, which is "sun" in Spanish. Even the name Eclipse itself rose 4,421 spots. For boy names, Orion (after the constellation) climbed to No. 301. How fun to say your baby’s name was literally found in the stars.

And that’s that! There were a few other fun tidbits (which you can find here), but this overview gives a pretty solid look into the new human we’ll be welcoming into the world.

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Pregnant woman seeks out her baby's name by walking through a cemetery and it's wonderful

Is this the beginning of a "gravestone baby" trend?

Photo credit: Canva

Honestly, there are far worst places to get baby name inspo.

There are a million and one ways to find a baby name. Some parents might glean their own family line, scour through beloved books or pop culture references, or even hire a professional to conjure up some creative ideas.

But as we dive into the spooky season, you could opt for the more macabre route. That is what Haley Hodge did for her fourth child.

In a video that quickly went viral on TikTok back in May, Hodge filmed herself in a flowy pink dress traipsing around the Smithville Burying Ground in Southport, North Carolina, on a quest to find her soon-to-be-daughter’s name.

As she does, her onscreen text offers this fun fact “did you know families usd to come to cemeteries to have a picnic with their loved ones?” (sounds like a very Victorian pastime).

Hodge’s other kids lend a helping hand in the name hunt, her son getting particularly excited to find a gravestone with the name Salem. Bunny, Winnie, Vienna, and Olympus were some other good ones.


@hodgehouse Fun fact: My sister came from someones gravestone 🤍 #babynames #southport #love #fyp #viral #weird #graveyard ♬ Beautiful Memories - Lux-Inspira

In an interview with TODAY, Hodge shared that she came by this idea rather honestly, as her mom was a history buff who loved to go epitaphing—i.e., visit cemeteries—and would often bring her and her sister along. In fact, her sister’s name came from someone’s grave.

"My mom found that we were more interested in spooky stories and ghost stories rather than the historical tours," she shared with USA Today. "I've always been fond of walking through the cemeteries and looking at how they're decorated or their stories behind some of the people."

Though she said some might find it “creepy,” Hodge argues that “You can learn so much about cultural aspects of the past." And many in the comments seemed to agree.

“I love this! and it’s absolutely no different than looking at a book of names or getting a name from a movie/show. and it’s a great way to bring back the older generation's names!” one person wrote.

“How beautiful must it be for some of these souls to hear their name spoken again after so many years. I hope you have an incredible pregnancy and a healthy baby,” added another.

One fellow “gravestone baby” even shared that “whenever people compliment my name I love to tell them and see their shocked faces when I say, ‘thanks my mom got it from a gravestone.’"

Still, other more superstitious viewers did share concern about visiting cemeteries while pregnant, as they feared it could attract uninvited spirits or energies.

Either way, Hodge has found a really cool way of both honoring some family traditions while bringing something fresh and unique. "I know there's baby books, but I feel like I see a lot of repeated names over and over again. And it's fun to have a story behind finding a name,” she told USA Today.

And in case you were wondering, it looks like Salem was the winner.

Look, graveyards might be a place for somber remembrance, but they can also be a source of joy. Previously, Upworthy covered a librarian who got delicious recipes from tombstones. Even earlier this mount a cemetery went viral for filming a nesting bluebird couple.

Bottom line: Cemeteries remind us of the inevitably of death, but they are also opportunities to celebrate life as well.

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