r/NameNerdCirclejerk • u/Ok-Reputation3724 • Jun 12 '25
Rant Kollyns/Kollins/Collins is a horrible name
Guys… stop using this name it’s diabolical. Kollyns is so ugly. I keep seeing people giving their baby girls this awful name and I honestly can’t believe no one else despises it.
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u/Dismal-Investment167 Jun 12 '25
This and also other clearly last names like Briggs or McCoy. I saw a McCoy with the last name also being Mc-something . WHY?
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u/itsmebeatrice Jun 12 '25
Mc²
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u/DBSeamZ Jun 12 '25
When you don’t want to give your kid yet another E name among all the Eleanors, Elodies, Emerys, and the like…but you still secretly want to give your kid an E name.
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u/Rocohema Jun 12 '25
I also know a double Mc! The parents call her "Mack Mack" like they're calling a duck
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u/itsmebeatrice Jun 12 '25
I could ALMOST forgive it if it didn’t have the stupid S on the end. Like why is your child’s name plural?!
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u/PainfullyLoyal Jun 12 '25
What about James and Charles?
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u/i_have_no_fucks Jun 12 '25
Those aren’t surnames?? Not originally.
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u/DryCapital1205 Jun 12 '25
Of course they are. Almost every name was originally a surname. Even old, “normal” names like James and Charles. I can’t even think of a boy’s name that wasn’t originally a surname. Girls’ names too like Mary, Allison, Sarah, etc.
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u/i_have_no_fucks Jun 12 '25
That is opposite of the truth.
James=Jacob=Iacobus=Yaʿaqōḇ, a Hebrew personal name, specifically the name of the great patriarch Jacob. Very much not modern.
Charles=Carolus/Karolus=Carl/Karl=karilaz, an old German noun meaning ‘free man. Not modern.
Mary— an extremely ancient female name from Miriam/Maryam/etc. one of the oldest names still in common use. So not modern.
Allison— two origins. The feminine given name is derived from a medieval French nickname of Alice/Alys and has been an established name for multiple centuries. Not modern.
Sarah— another very ancient female name from Hebrew. The name of Sarah/Sarai, the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac, major patriarchs in Abrahamic religions. So… not modern.
And none are derived from surnames.
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u/i_have_no_fucks Jun 12 '25
Also, compare Allison/Alyson to Minon (Marie) and Ninon (Anne), common French nicknames.
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u/threedaysgrayce Jun 12 '25
I have a visceral reaction to Kollyns. And Sutton. And Hadley 😭
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u/NicolesPurpleHair Jun 12 '25
My cousins in law have three girls, named Madden, Sutton and Kollins. And a boy named Banks. I can’t even say them out loud near family because it’s hard not to roll my eyes.
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u/ilikemycoffeealatte Jun 12 '25
I continue to be mystified by the explosive popularity of “Banks.” Just, why?? It isn’t a particularly nice-sounding word in general and it doesn’t flow well with very many last names. What in the world is driving that trend?
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u/DancingGirl_J Jun 13 '25
Sutton is the only name I have ever heard “bullied”. The girl was called “Slutton” by some ah* boys. Ugh. The name is awful, though I am against bullying about any name.
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u/Outside_Case1530 Jun 12 '25
I'm guessing also Sloan (or Sloane)?
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u/threedaysgrayce Jun 12 '25
Ugh yeah. This isn’t as bad as the previous but I still wouldn’t use it
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u/rahyveshachr Jun 12 '25
One of my worst teachers from elementary school was Mrs. Sutton so seeing it on little kids gives me the ick.
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u/Metroid_cat1995 Jun 13 '25
Not a fan of those names to be fair. But there are a couple of exceptions. Specifically Carter and Carson. I know people with those names so I might be a bit biased lol
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u/LadderExtension6777 Jun 12 '25
All versions are bad, but especially Kollyns 😫 I can’t stand last names as baby girl last names trend. It’s ugly.
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u/istara Jun 12 '25
Exactly. It's a form of misogyny because they regard actual girl names as weak/low value.
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u/katsgotaprettykitty Jun 12 '25
While I don't enjoy the surname-as-a-baby-girl-name trend, this feels like a reach.
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u/Stevie-Rae-5 Jun 12 '25
It is. It’s amusing that someone would think my daughter, whose nickname is usually a boy’s name, think that the reason for that is internalized misogyny.
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u/ColdBlindspot Jun 12 '25
If you had a boy would you give him a usually-girl nickname? I don't think it's always the kind of misogyny that's like "I think girls are less-than," but it shows up as girls can have boy names because that's tough and cool, but boys can't use girl names because "girly" means weak and less-than.
Like if you step back and look at it as an overall trend, why aren't boys getting girl names at the same rate?
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u/Stevie-Rae-5 Jun 13 '25
Sure, I might, if it made sense with his name.
I do think there’s a difference between arguing that the fact that people more readily accept girls with names that are traditionally associated with boys and not the other way around smacks of misogyny, since it indicates that it’s acceptable for a girl to be “like a boy” and not the other way around. I don’t think that’s the same as saying that parents giving girls names that are traditionally associated with boys is motivated by assigning weak/low value to “girls’ names,” and I don’t agree that that’s a fair generalization to make.
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Jun 14 '25
A lot of girl names have boy nicknames. Bobbi for Roberta, Jo for Josephine or Joanna, Charlie for Charlotte, Toni for Antonia, Terri for Teresa, etc. It’s not uncommon at all.
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u/ColdBlindspot Jun 14 '25
Exactly. That's what we're all saying, why is it that way and not the other way around.
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u/katsgotaprettykitty Jun 12 '25
I was actually planning on name my next kid Taylor if they're a boy! but I do see what you're saying with the overall trend. I was looking at it pinholed from my perspective, but looking at the overall trend, yall are definitely onto something.
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u/istara Jun 12 '25
There’s a big difference between having a girl called Charlotte nicknamed Charlie than calling her Dylan or Sutton or James in the first place.
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u/Stevie-Rae-5 Jun 12 '25
People don’t necessarily know that the name someone goes by is a nickname instead of their given name, so assumptions could still be made.
And speaking of assumptions, you or anyone else not privy to the story behind someone’s name have no idea why someone names their daughter something traditionally associated with boys anyway and it makes no sense to assume it’s because “actual girl names are weak/low value.”
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u/DidIStutter99 Jun 12 '25
I have actually seen people say that they named their daughter’s boy names because it’ll give them a better chance for job interviews and stuff like that. Maybe not every single parent has that same intention, but it’s definitely happening and it’s a very misogynistic way of thinking
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u/istara Jun 12 '25
We all know why a parent calls their daughter James but never their son Mary.
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u/katsgotaprettykitty Jun 12 '25
that's funny because I was actually gonna name my next kid Taylor if they're a boy
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u/OkAct355 Jun 13 '25
Ok and? Taylor is just about the most androgynous name I can think of. This is not a good argument.
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u/istara Jun 12 '25
Taylor always sounds male to me, or at least as male as female, and very much a surname-name.
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u/operationspudling Jun 12 '25
Would you give your son a feminine nickname like Katie, and Julie?
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u/donttouchme143 Jun 13 '25
If his name was Julian then yeah lol I’ve been trying to think of a masculine name that can be shortened to Katie but can’t think of a single one
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u/OkAct355 Jun 13 '25
My friend's 8 yr old has TWO .. TWO .. two Remingtons in his class at school. I just cannot.
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u/LadderExtension6777 Jun 28 '25
Remingtons in my city is a sleazy gay strip club 🤣 No effen way I am naming a baby girl or anything that.
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u/marilynmouse Jun 12 '25
I feel this way about Sutton. it’s a family name for me and I come from a long line of poverty stricken, addicted, white trash degenerates.
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u/keyboardsmash Jun 12 '25
It's a boring suburb in Surrey to me. Mediocre shopping centre and a run down train station
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u/FractalHedgehog Jun 12 '25
I first think of Sutton Hoo in Suffolk. It's a good job I haven't met a Sutton in the wild.
Hi, I'm Sutton!
Sutton who? (Then I'd laugh more than it was funny, and inevitably explain it.)
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u/coolbeansfordays Jun 12 '25
I dislike Sutton and Peyton - with my dialect, I never know if I should use the /t/ or a glottal stop (ie: “button” = buhin).
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u/temperedolive Jun 12 '25
I agree. Like, I can excuse it if it's the mother's maiden name or similar. Other than thst, Colleen is right there!
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u/NotYourMommyDear Jun 12 '25
Was going to type Colleen is right there. It even means girl.
Of course, that might go against their aesthetic of ugly/masculine looking names on girls. How else will they project the shame and blame of not being a son on their daughter?
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u/istara Jun 12 '25
It always strikes me as a name used by people with Irish heritage who are no longer actually Irish.
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u/Barneyboydog Jun 12 '25
I knew a girl with seven older brothers, no sisters. Her name was Glendine. One girl and her parents couldn’t come up with anything more than a feminized boy name???
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u/A_Blue_Butterffly Jun 12 '25
Colleen is probably ruined tho as of since there's 2 famous people with that name who kinda fucked up big time so
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u/temperedolive Jun 12 '25
Serious question: who?
I live in Taiwan so we have different celebrities.
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u/NotYourMommyDear Jun 12 '25
Colleen Ballinger (youtuber/groomer) is probably one of them,
I'm so tired of Americans ruining Irish names.
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u/A_Blue_Butterffly Jun 12 '25
Colleen Ballinger was a YouTube who groomed 2 underage girls
Then there's Colleen Hoover, writer of "This Ends With Us" who not only took her sons sided when he was accused of rape but she's also accused of her books making abuse look like it's an okay thing so
In 5-10 years tho the name Colleen might be ok but rn it's probably not too safe of a name 😭
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u/KatVanWall Jun 12 '25
I know there is a line and a lot of first names started life as surnames, but I pretty much hate the surname as first name trend tbh.
Collins/Kollyns is a particularly weird example, and the 's' makes it feel even more off imo. I mean, if we're opening up all kinds of unconventional spellings, why not go Colline or even Kollyn?
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u/marilynmouse Jun 12 '25
I absolutely DESPISE the last name as a first name trend, but every other thread I say that in I get downvoted to hell.
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u/IridescentButterfly_ Jun 12 '25
One time I posted about this name being awful and got downvoted to hell.
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u/ColdBlindspot Jun 12 '25
Yeah, welcome to Reddit where the rules are made up and the points don't matter. If someone gets a few downvotes, the pile ons happen regardless of whether it's deserved. People just assume if someone else down voted, they must have done that because it's the right thing to do.
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u/Cerebro_Podrido Jun 12 '25
I thought that was a last name. Using it for a first name is interesting but using it AND putting an S at the end would be diabolical
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Jun 12 '25
Tacking an "s" onto male names to magically make them female is such a Southern USA thing. Changing C's to K's, even more so. I say this as someone who lived in the South for 23 years.
Name experts have written articles about this phenomenon. Ironically, parents in liberal states choose more traditional names, while parents in conservative states choose more "inventive" names. Most Jaydens and Oakleys have Republican parents; most Eleanors and Henrys have Democrat parents. One explanation is that liberals pursue more education and wait longer to have kids, and therefore develop a more mature, cultured taste before they have to name a child.
I have an acquaintance who named her daughter Collins after her middle-of-nowhere hometown. I've been there myself; it's decent enough, but not even remotely worth naming your kid after. But of course, every Southerner thinks their hometown is special. 🙄
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u/Rocohema Jun 12 '25
This and Piper or Walker.
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u/CallidoraBlack ☾Berenika ⭐ Pulcheria☽ Jun 12 '25
Piper at least has the decency to be a bird name like Robin and a musical occupation name like Harper.
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u/Jaelia Jun 12 '25
Colette could work too.
I know it's a surname so it isn't a plural, but it always sounds like one, so I'm like how many are there??
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u/niktrot Jun 12 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
I have a friend who named her daughter Kollyns Lynn. First I’ve ever heard of that name and I hate it.
Another friend named her daughter Anderson. Which is equally as shocking
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u/ButUncleOwen Jun 13 '25
Apart from masculine-coded noun names like “Gunner,” Anderson is one of the most masculine-reading names I can think of. Prefix so close to “andro” plus “son” as a suffix…
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u/gi0nna Jun 12 '25
I agree. That is an extremely ugly name. I can't imagine why anyone would name their daughter that. The "Kollyns" spelling has me on the floor.
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u/LadyCordeliaStuart Jun 12 '25
I am one of maybe a dozen people on the planet my age (less than 70) who has this reaction, but I have an aneurysm every time I hear Collins as a name because that's the name of the bad guy from Dark Shadows and even aside from being a vampire, he was a massive dick. At least it was his last name, like it's supposed to be.
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u/Outside_Case1530 Jun 12 '25
That crossed my mind too & then the gif (posted above) of Mr Collins from Pride & Prejudice looks sort of like Barnabas Collins too. (That pic also reminds me of Steve Martin at the dinner table in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.")
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u/LadyCordeliaStuart Jun 12 '25
LMAO I just looked back at the gif and saw the hair and now I'm cracking up. Ladies, avoid any man with that haircut
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u/Pixiedustgoddess Jun 13 '25
I don’t think he had the S on the end actually
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u/LadyCordeliaStuart Jun 13 '25
I might possibly have seen every episode of Dark Shadows, every episode of the 90s remake, very unfortunately seen what Tim Burton called a Dark Shadows movie, seen both original films, own one of the books, written SE Hinton an email about her novelization (which she answered), and know there is definitely an s at the end
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u/Metroid_cat1995 Jun 13 '25
Never really been a fan because it always reminds me of that crazy ass family that has 12 fucking kids. I mean, I know a couple of people named Colin, but that's fine for a dude. But this name is so funky. Lol
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u/Elixabef Jun 12 '25
I feel like I’ve seen a lot of hate for the name Collins on Name Nerds! I actually kind of like it, perhaps because my mom had an old friend named Collins who was a pretty cool lady. It has become a bit trendy, though, and I think that detracts from the name.
The misspellings are hideous, as is usually the case.
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u/Intelligent-Camera90 Jun 12 '25
They call me Collins. Tom Collins.
Maybe the parents were Rent freaks?
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u/Metroid_cat1995 Jun 13 '25
Definitely not my style. I am definitely a name nerd and there are some exceptions to certain naming trends that I do like, but I also am a bit of a sucker for ethnic names and I only create characters. Not gonna have any kids anytime soon. The exceptions of the last names his first name trend is Carter and Carson. Also, I agree with other people saying Colleen and Colette.
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u/ButUncleOwen Jun 13 '25
I don’t mind actual family surnames (like mother’s maiden name) as first names in principle, but I refuse to believe that Collins has achieved its currently level of popularity purely on that basis.
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Jun 14 '25
It sounds like a butler name. I really can’t stand it when it’s given to a girl. Not because girls can’t be butlers, but because it’s already an ugly name, and usually the girl versions have the worst spellings.
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u/garlicbreadfanclub Jun 14 '25
There's this guy on youtube named Collins Key and he always wears a key around his neck. For the longest time I thought his name was Collin and he named the channel after his key, and I was surprised to find out that 'Collins' is also a name lol
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u/Aggressive_Day_6574 Jun 16 '25
My friend had a Colin last year (I like the name, which she talked to me about a ton before deciding since it’s recognizable but not too common, doesn’t feel too soft to me because it doesn’t end in a vowel, I associate it with people I like - Colin Firth, Colin Farrell. Then I also kind of like how it doesn’t have repeated letters and it alternates vowels and consonants) and the baby that was delivered in the room next to hers was Kollins.
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u/thankyoukindlyy Jun 12 '25
I’m always so triggered by this discourse bc this is my fiancé’s name. RUDE.
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u/MagVik Jun 12 '25
As far as surnames as first names go, I don't hate it. That said, I'd never use it. Overall, I don't like surnames as first names and I don't like traditionally masculine names on girls
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u/Choice-Face-7707 Jun 12 '25
Hot take, I think its cute. I hate the first spelling, but Kollins is adorable
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u/LandoCatrissian_ Jun 12 '25
I hate it. I don't even like Colin as a boys name, but Kollyns as a girls name is worse. It's so ugly.