Mean Girl Names You Might Want to Avoid

Your name doesn't define your character. Or does it? These stereotypical mean girl names have an ugly reputation.

Remember the leader of the first snobby clique you encountered? We’ll go out on a limb and guess you probably still remember her name. While mean girl names are totally a stereotype, some names can’t seem to escape their reputation.

Obviously, how you raise your kiddo will speak louder than any stereotype, but you might want to avoid these names just in case.

Note: If your name appears on this list, don’t feel too bad. The author’s name does, too.

Ashley

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In the 1990s, there was a huge wave of girls named Ashley. Since there were so many, the odds of running into one you weren’t a fan of were high.

Sadly, the Ashley who ran the playground at recess was the one everyone remembers the most.

What Reddit Has to Say About Ashely

Heather

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Heather really isn’t that bad. It’s the name of a beautiful flowering plant, and some Heathers are lovely. Heather’s even the subject of a Conan Gray song, only his Heather doesn’t like him back. Pity.

Heather is supposed to be fashionable, pretty, and the subject of intense jealousy. Heathers, tell us: Is it true?

What Reddit Has to Say About Heather

Brittany

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The name Brittany means “from Great Britain,” and it doubles as a region of France. How posh.

It wasn’t used much in the United States until the 1960s, with peak popularity in the early ’90s.

Later, more parents chose to spell it Britney, thanks to a certain teen pop star.

What Reddit Has to Say About Brittany

Jessica

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It seems like everyone and their cousin was named Jessica in the early 2000s. The name has Hebrew roots, but plenty of parents chose it just because they liked the sound of it. Because of the sheer number of Jessica’s out there, running into one you didn’t like was inevitable.

We happen to know a few, sadly. If anyone has met actress Jessica Alba in person, what’s your verdict? Naughty or nice?

What Reddit Has to Say About Jessica

Amber

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The name Amber refers to translucent, fossilized tree resin that’s a deep golden color. It also means “jewel” in Arabic, so we can see how Ambers could think they’re all that.

The name was in the top 20s in the U.S. for all of the ’90s, and it has remained in the top 50 in many parts of the United Kingdom.

Whether or not you know an unpleasant amber, the Amber Heard trial is probably enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Ember’s trending now, but not everyone’s a fan of that one, either.

What Reddit Has to Say About Amber

Madison

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There are worse names than Madison, for sure. It’s not a bad name by any means. It means “son of Matthew,” and it was originally a surname. It was supposed to be an edgy, gender-bending name back in the day, but it ended up with an edge of elitism instead.

Plus, the girls who went by Maddie were either the nicest people you’d every met or the ones who hid your lunchbox every day. There was no in between.

What Reddit Has to Say About Madison

Kayla

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Kayla began as a Yiddish girl name meaning “slim and fair,” or “god-like.” What could possibly go wrong there? It was also a nickname for Mikayla, and if you don’t know at least one Mikayla with an attitude, do you even go outside?

If you like the sound of Kayla, try the Hebrew variation, Kelila. It’s way more unique, and lacks the snooty, conceited vibes that Kayla has. Redditors aren’t fond of Kayla either, to say the least.

What Reddit Has to Say About Kayla

Sabrina

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According to Urban Dictionary, Sabrinas are comprised “entirely of light.” Why do we get the feeling a Sabrina wrote that definition? The name is Celtic in origin, representing a mythological goddess of the river Severn. Supposedly, she guarded the boundary between the mortal realm and the spirit world.

From our memory, however, the only thing Sabrina from seventh grade guarded was an invitation to her birthday party that we were definitely not cool enough to attend.

What Reddit Has to Say About Sabrina

Brianna

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Briannas are one of two things: quiet, down to earth, and secretly awesome, or the meanest girl in school. She was either humble as heck, or had brand-name everything and wasn’t afraid to rub it in your face.

Do you really want to take that risk with your precious newborn? We didn’t think so. If you still like it, just keep in mind that nicknames are inevitable.

What Reddit Has to Say About Brianna

Kelsey

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Kelsey was a gender-neutral name before gender-neutral names were cool. They are, but Kelsey was solidly overused. It means “victorious ship,” and back in the day, there was always at least one Kelsey in the popular kid crowd.

Now, all the Kelseys have grown up, and it’s more of a mom name than anything else. Make of that what you will.

What Reddit Has to Say About Kelsey

Chelsea

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The mean girl name Chelsea is derived from an Old English place name, likely a chalk wharf. It peaked at number 15 on the baby name charts in 1992, just in time for a plethora of Chelseas to take over the cafeteria come middle school.

Chelseas always sat at the popular table, wouldn’t be caught dead in the band locker hall, and exclusively hung out with fellow cheerleaders. Have we gotten over our Chelsea trauma? It’s been over a decade, and the answer is still no.

What Reddit Has to Say About Chelsea

Alyssa

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What’s wrong with the name Alyssa, you ask? Nothing, except that there were so many Alyssas for a while that they had to go by Alyssa A. and Alyssa G. To tell them apart. It means princess, though, and some Alyssas took that too literally.

Alyssa Milano seems pretty cool, though, so who knows? Maybe modern-day Alyssas aren’t so bad.

What Reddit Has to Say About Alyssa

Christina

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Christina is the feminine version of Christian, meaning “follower of Christ.” We don’t mean to step on any toes here, but biblical names can get so much more creative than Christina. Ariel. Eden. Eve. Literally anything is more unique than Christina.

The Christinas we grew up with are either working at tattoo parlors, or in the HR department. You can do better.

What Reddit Has to Say About Christina

Taylor

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Taylor means cutter of cloth, but every Taylor we knew was much better at cutting with words than scissors.

Taylors were usually tomboys, but the cool kind. They had blonde highlights, surfed after school, and went to Aspen for ski week every year.

That’s before ski week was even a thing.

What Reddit Has to Say About Taylor

Nikki

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Nikki, also spelled Niki, started out as a Greek name meaning “victory.” Nikki was supposed to be fierce, fiery, and bold, but one too many Nikkis turned out to be school bullies for our taste.

Just think of the entitled Nikki from “Ice Princess,” or the melodramatic Aunt Nikki from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Great characters, but pretty C- rated human beings.