I first wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed perusing your Bad Baby Names site. I was a high school teacher for 15 years, and have certainly seen my share of interesting names. I noticed an interesting trend: the more upwardly mobile families often gave their children family names as first names. I’ve had students whose given names were Palmer, Parker, Heffner, and McDonald.

The worst name I’ve ever personally come across, however, was when I was working in a government office a few years ago. One of the young ladies who worked there had a roommate named Turdetta. From time to time I answered the phone when she called, and having to take a message without cracking up was very difficult, indeed!

-C.M.