Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.
So I thought pointing out some silly names in books would be a fun topic for today’s TTT Freebie. I really don’t want to offend anyone, though, so if you have one of these names, or if you love one (or more) of the names I’ve listed below, please accept my apologies. 🙂
In no particular order . . .
1. Bliss from Losing It by Cora Carmack. This is probably the worst name I’ve ever come across in all the books I’ve read. Bliss!! That is the most ridiculous name ever. Seriously, I can’t imagine what Carmack was thinking, naming her main character this name.
2. Cricket Graham Bell from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I love Cricket. He’s just the most amazing guy. But his name is Cricket! He’s named after an insect! Also, it’s kind of cutesy for my tastes 🙂
3. Echo from Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. This is one of my favorite books, and Echo’s name is addressed in the book, but let’s be honest here. It’s outrageous!
4. Kale from Touch by Jus Accardo. What’s next, a character named Carrot? How about Zucchini?
5. Moonflower Freedom Refreshing Breeze Joplin from How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper. I just read this book, and it contributed to this TTT topic. Okay, so her crazy name is actually a joke in the book, but still, it had to be on this list.
6. Ember from Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I love JLA, but Ember is a silly name. I mean, wouldn’t it have been more awesome to give a character with amazing abilities a really common name? What about Anna?
7. Patch from Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Patch? Isn’t that a dog’s name?
8. Jax Stone from Breathe by Abbi Glines. So Jax is a silly name on it’s own, but what makes his name completely ridiculous is that he is also a ROCK STAR! I mean, really? That’s his legal name. Jax Stone the Rock Star.
9. Tucker from Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Tucker, but that name is definitely not my favorite. It’s just hard to be a grown man with the name Tucker, in my opinion. All I can think of is little boys causing mischief.
10. Tobey from When it Happens by Susane Colasanti. It’s same thing as with Tucker. To me it’s such a little boy’s name. Sorry!!
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Fun topic, I loved reading your comments! 🙂 I definitely was confused about the name “Cricket” while reading Lola and the Boy Next Door. My TTT is Fictional Places I’d Love to Vacation
Alice @ Alice in Readerland
Yeah, Cricket just didn’t do it for me. When I told my mother his name, she HATED it.
Kale/Cale is actually a fairly traditional boys name – not that I’d name my kid that by any means (say the woman who has a son with a ‘color’ name). The rest of those…I’m not a fan of. I thought Cricket was absolutely ridiculous as a name as well. Of all the names in the world, Cricket?
Huh. I’ve never met anyone named Kale before. Yeah, Cricket is a crazy name. 🙂
LOL, Moonflower. Goodness. Also, yes, Cricket. I just cannot even with that name, seriously.
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Me, too, with Cricket!!! LOL. Yeah Moonflower’s name is crazy. Her parent’s are total hippies. She goes by Mo. LoL.
Fun topic! So agreed that these names are all pretty silly, especially Bliss, Cricket, and Patch. I don’t mind Tucker, though, but it does sound a little mischievous 🙂 And I had no idea about #5!
Yeah, I guess I don’t think the name Tucker is ridiculous, it’s just not a name I care for. Isn’t #5 funny. It’s a joke in the book, too. But so funny.
lol @ #5 (I can’t even be bothered to type it out again *blushes*).
And ditto about Cricket. The two things that immediately pop into my mind when I saw the name was a) the sport cricket and b) Jimmy Cricket from Pinocchio (that was his name, right?) *blushes*
Great topic for this week! I enjoyed reading your list 🙂 My TTT
lol. I know #% is hilarious! I actually had a neighbor that named her daughter Stream! Not as long, but still that Hippy vibe.
Yes, Jiminy Cricket! Another reason why Cricket is a ridiculous name.
Woops. I mean #5. 🙂
This is so funny!! What a great idea!! Tucker–totally a dog’s name. And you totally missed America from The Selection…terrible names in that book but I still love it. And wtf is Cricket? Besides an animal and an English sporting game…weird…
Aww, I haven’t read The Selection.
Yeah, Cricket is terrible. I loved the boy so much, but that name!
Love this topic! I really hate the name Peeta in Hunger Games. Pita bread? Or is it Peter the way Wendy from Peter Pan says it? I just could never get past this name!
– Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl (And The Broke and the Bookish). Visit my Top Ten Tuesday!
I haven’t read The Hunger Games, but Peeta is not a favorite either.
oh man I’m a weird name fan haha love so many of these 🙂
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Lol. it’s so hard with names, because so many people like different things. I was a little nervous using this topic, because I didn’t want to offend anyone. I like unique names a lot, but some of these names are just too much for me. I mean, my name is Quinn, and before Glee I barely met anyone with that name. Also, for boys’ names, I really don’t like cutesy. I like strong names for boys. That’s just me though 🙂
I thought your topic was AWESOME!!! Love your post! I laughed for sure!
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I ADORE your choice for this week. These are some fantastic choices and ones I’ve laughed out when I’ve read their books. Cricket… so dumb 😛 I don’t even remember them explaining away the Cricketness of it all…
Reminds me of when I was in primary school and had the day off because I was sick. I’d get to watch Young of the Restless with my mum and there was a character named Cricket who was always yelling at someone called Danny.
HAHA! There was a Patch in a soap I watched when I was a kid. Soaps have some crazy names, too, right?
LOL! Number Five is certainly a mouthful. I’m still mad at Reneesmee (or however you spell that monstrosity of a name).
LOL!. Moonflower is totally embarrassed about her name, and goes by Mo, but it was too much to not include in this post. I can’t believe I forgot Renesme. It’s been awhile since I read those books. That’s totally a ridiculous name 🙂
Ha! I loved reading your comments about the names. There really are some ridiculous names in books. I guess it makes them memorable but probably for the wrong reasons! Great list.
You are right, they are memorable. All I can say is, thank goodness my parent’s didn’t give me a crazy name 🙂
Hahaha great topic! I weirdly love Echo’s name, I really felt like it worked with the story but it is totally ridiculous. These are seriously so great.
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I didn’t hate Echo’s name as much as some other names on this list, and I’m glad it was explained why she had that name. It’s a hard name to have though. I would worry about a kid with that name being picked on non stop in school.
But not Renesme from Twilight?! 😉
It completely slipped my mind! It’s been such a long time since I read the books. But definitely that’s a ridiculous name.
LOL great list! I think I have seen a few more ridiculous, like Katsa, but these definitely would be up there on my list, too!
Alise @ Readers In Wonderland
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I was trying to stay away from high fantasy names. Sometimes it works for made up names for books like that, in my opinion.
oh wow, Moonflower! That is crazy! Cricket is silly, too. Tucker always reminds me of the Disney show Flash Forward! Fun list!
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Moonflower’s name is crazy funny right 🙂
Cricket is probably my second least favorite name on this name (the first being Bliss).
Tucker isn’t ridiculous, I guess, but just so cutesy for me.
I loooove this topic! There’s definitely some odd YA names out there (Bliss? Ugh). I never thought much about Cricket being weird, but it’s the kind of Southern old money name you hear down here. 🙂
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Bliss is the most crazy, right! Ugh for sure. I had never heard Cricket as a name until I read Lola. I’m sorry to say that I just hate it so much.
haha… nice choice! it drives me nuts when I’m reading a good book and then i meet a character and have to take a 5 minute break in attempt to make sense of WHY the author would have chosen that name. 😛
Yes, exactly! It takes me outta the story.
What a fun list! Such an original topic. Patch reminds me of a clown or Shakespearean fool. I actually went to high school with a girl named Ember and she was really cool. I always thought it was a strange name, though. Like her parents shot for Amber and didn’t quite make it. 😀 My dad always hated made-up, almost names like that, so I tend not to like them either. Which is weird because I’m writing high fantasy right now where the names are 100% made up. Go figure! 😀 Great list!
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Lol. That’s what I think about Ember. Like it’s almost Amber, but somehow it didn’t quite get there,
Actually, I tried really hard to not include names from fantasy books, because it works for names to be kind of different.
great topic & great pics. I am not at all offended that you dislike Jax, because my son’s name is Jaxon (though we only ever call him Jaxon, never Jax). 🙂
Oh no, now I feel really bad. I was kind of nervous about using this topic, because everyone’s tastes in names is different. I do like Jaxon. And the character’s name was Jax Stone. It was just a little over the top, in my opinion, because he was also a rock star.
i understand, it’s a little too on-the-nose, you’re right. and i’m serious, don’t feel bad. i sometimes see the name Jax in books and I feel like, if it’s their real name and not a nickname, it’s a little too current, i guess, because you know that 20 years ago, no one spelled their name like that. we spelled it like that so that no one would shorten it to Jack, because we wanted it to be Jackson. but anyway, I digress. 🙂
These are all pretty silly. As for your comment: “What’s next, a character named Carrot?”, I must point out that there is a character named Carrot Ironfounderson in the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, but that name is a deliberate joke.
I almost did this for my list this week! I LOLed when you mentioned Moonflower…that was so perfect for that book. I’m with you on most of these…Bliss, Cricket, Ember. They are just weird! I was glad we got an explanation about Echo in Pushing the Limits because, when I first started reading it, I was like really? Awesome list!
Moonflower’s name is crazy. Her parents totally cracked me up, but made me so glad that I didn’t have parents like that.
Thank goodness Echo’s name was explained, but at first I was like: her name is Echo? Really?
Haha, this makes me giggle! I have no idea why authors pick such crazy names for characters. What’s wrong with normal names? Like who really names their kid Patch or Bliss.
Especially Bliss. That one is too much for me!
i laughed at this so much, brilliant idea!
Haha. I love this list! I completely agree about Patch, Cricket, and Echo. Sometimes I wonder where they get these names…especially Cricket for a boy…yikes. I haven’t read Losing It, but Bliss is an interesting name considering what the book is about. 🙂
The name choice of Bliss for a New Adult book is just ridiculous!
Great topic! You really picked some hilarious ones.
Kerri @ Turn the Page reviews
http://turnthepagereviews.com
Thanks 🙂
Aw! How can you not love Tucker’s name?! Also, LOL about Patch and being a dog.
It’s not ridiculous, Tucker, I mean, but it’s just not a name I like for guys. It’s sooo cutesy, and kind of trendy. I favor more common, strong simple names for guys. Just me though 🙂
I agree with lots of these. And good topic choice. I hate when characters have stupid/unbelievable/weird names. It totally takes me out of the story.
Same here!
Echo is a pretty over dramatic name LOL
Seriously!
This is fun! Echo’s unusual, but I actually know of someone with that name. Cricket is totally out there, but for him it just WORKS. And who knew a guy named Patch could be so hot? I didn’t, that’s for sure.
Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf
Lol. Here’s my problem with Patch’s name. Didn’t he choose it for himself? And I have to question a guy that choose’s his name to be Patch.
Wow, I’ve never met anyone named Echo.
Oh my gosh! I completely LOVE this post! Sometimes I just run across names while reading and think “well thats pretty ridiculous!” Although I do crush on Cricket Bell, I admit his name is a little cringe worthy! Oh and Patch?! That’s my favorite name to hate out of all the names! I enjoy those books but I can’t get all hot and bothered by a guy named Patch. :p
I love Cricket the character, but that name! Oh my gosh. I would never do that to my child. Never!
Yeah, Patch. So bad!
Same feelings here! I hated the name “Cricket” and it reminds me of another book whose heroine was named “Beetle”, I think. I don’t like extremely unique names or common names that are spelled in a unique but unnecessary way.
I’m in a definite agreement with you. And Beetle! That’s insane!
I’m actually a fan of unusual names in books.I guess because i have an unusual name (Guinevere)that no one was ever able to pronounce, i’ve just always been drawn to people and characters with unusual names.I especially like the ones that have to do with culture( my twin’s name is Libertad, freedom is english, something our cuban parents thought might be funny growing up 😛 )
I have an unusual name as well (Quinn). It’s a bit more popular now because of Glee, but before Glee I had only met two people (both boys) with the same name.
I don’t mind unique names at all. But names like Cricket and Bliss are just a little too much for me.
I do love names related to someone’s ancestry, though. You son has a great name.
Hahaha, this is an awesome list! I haven’t read most of the books you mentioned, but those names cracked me up. I agree with Cricket wholeheartedly – I did read that book, and thought I’d get over it… but no. Cricket?! It still makes me laugh, lol.
LOL. Yeah, I didn’t get over Cricket’s name either. Ugh! I love you Stephanie Perkins, but why oh why did you give him that name?
When I saw your topic I thought you were going to go after weird names like Slartibartfast in The Hitchhiker’s Guide. But you managed to find ridiculous names that weren’t from silly books.
This is an amazing list! Haha I’m writing some of these down because I like them (especially Cricket, that is so awesome). I actually LOVE the name Tobey, but the adult version could be Tobias (more grown-up sounding…maybs?) haha. I’m kinda biased because one of my favourite Canadian TV shows has a main character who’s name is Toby.
Fun topic! I think it’s partly what we get used to. No one has mentioned “Hermione,” but it was so unusual when Rowling first chose it that by book 4, she had to have Hermione correct Viktor Krum’s mispronunciation so that kids would know how to pronounce the name. Before that, the only Hermiones I can come up with are the actress Hermione Gingold, and a central character in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Now, people are naming their girls Hermione (and why not?)
Ahhh I hate when authors go overboard on the wierd names. It’s definitely one of my pet peeves. I was NOT a fan of a guy named Cricket! Sarah Dessen usually has some crazy names in her books too (even though I love her books). I mean: Sumner, Rogerson, and McLean?? Wierd. I’m also not a fan of Peeta or Katniss. I know it’s dystopian, but I’m just not feeling those names! LOVE your freebie topic!
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Great topic. I’m still convinced Cricket is a nickname… >.>
I’ve actually never read any of the books on your list… I’ll have to get cracking! There are some very strange names there for sure!
Lolol I love Moonflower Freedom Refreshing Breeze Joplin!
Great list 🙂