Tygrr, Jinx and Klowee: Australia’s top 20 bogan baby names for 2020

As the decades roll by, trends come and go, whether its music, hairstyles and the latest must-have fashion trends. But even baby names change in popularity over time, with names once considered ‘common’ now resigned to the history books, or some more traditional names making a comeback.

Many people are also choosing to give their children more unique names, opting to change up the spelling of an existing name or coming up with something totally new to ensure their little one has a one-of-a-kind moniker. But these untraditional names can often be divisive, and now Australia’s top 20 bogan baby names for the past year have been revealed.

The list was collated by Sabrina Rogers-Anderson, the author of The Little Book of Bogan Baby Names, for KidSpot and reveals the 10 bogan baby names of the past year for both girls and boys – and some of them might surprise you.

Girls

• Carryn – It has been a tough year for Karens the world over, as one of our community bloggers revealed here. But it seems parents are trying to disguise the name by changing the spelling. Clever? Or fooling no one?
• Chablis (pronounced tcha-bliss) – Alcohol-inspired names are nothing new, says Rogers-Anderson, but Chablis takes the cake. “I met one in the flesh a few weeks ago!” she writes. “The only problem was that she didn’t pronounce it ‘cha-BLEE’ like the French wine region, but ‘TCHA-bliss’. Oh boy, was it ever hard to contain my glee.”
• Corona – According to the author, Corona has “had a boost in popularity the world over”, no doubt thanks to the ongoing pandemic.
• Graceland – This baby girl was clearly born to parents who are big fans of The King!
• Honestee – A misspelled version of ‘Honesty’, Rogers-Anderson isn’t a fan. What do you think?
• Jezzabella – Rogers-Anderson describes this moniker as an “odd choice” and we’d have to agree. This name is no doubt inspired by Jezabel, who features in the Hebrew Bible.
• Jinx – “I get that 2020 is a strange year, but naming your daughter after a curse or a plague is probably not going to make things better,” she says.
• Jumelle – Foreign words may sound exotic, but make sure you check the meaning first, argues Rogers-Anderson, pointing out that Jumelle actually means ‘twin girl’ in French.
• Klowee – What’s wrong with Chloe?
• Pistol – A few violence-inspired names made the cut for boys this year, but we just can’t picture a baby girl named Pistol. Can you?

Boys

• Axe – “Do the owners have any choice but to become criminals?” Rogers-Anderson asks.
• Bamboo – Apparently a rapper named his child Bamboo a few years back, but the author says that’s not a good enough excuse.
• Chaton – Yet another French word that doesn’t translate all that well. Chaton means kitten.
• Dagger – In the same vein as Axe and Pistol, this choice is “absurd” writes Rogers-Anderson.
• Jaguar – It’s not just names inspired by violence that seem to be enjoying a boom in popularity this year, she writes, animal names are too.
• Jaxtynn – Last year’s list included Xayvya, and we reckon Jaxtynn would be the perfect name for her brother?
• Jevin – “OK. We’re over Kevin, so we’re just going to swap in a ‘J’? May as well starting naming children Febecca and Wavid then, hey?” jokes Rogers-Anderson.
• Mordax – The author points out that Uroctonus mordax is the scientific name given to the California forest scorpion.
• Rad – Typically used in the 1980s to mean cool, Rogers-Anderson suggests there are some more modern options to choose from including: Chillax, Chill AF or Awesomeballs.
• Tygrrr – “Newsflash: your kid will hate it,” she says.