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20 Spanish Words That Shouldn’t Be On Your List For Names

They may sound beautiful but not their meanings…

Names are powerful and when choosing one for your nickname or to name your child, you should definitely research the meaning of it. No one in their right mind would actually name their child “Binbag", “Dumb" or “Devil" would they? Well in the world where there are popular names such as Apple, Kale and Blue Ivy you just never know!

Spanish is a beautiful language, it’s one of the most popular in foreign music with the likes of Daddy Yankee, Maluma, Natti Natasha, Nicky Jam & Ozuna popularising the Reggaetón scene & Netflix adopting many telenovellas & Latin American shows.

When I was at school there was an obsession with names that sounded Spanish (or were Spanish) even to the point of people’s names being completely made up to sound exotic; Bianca, Camalita, Ciarra, Elaina, Gabriella, LaKeisha, LaToya, La+ anything (you get the message).

When I started teaching it felt like the trend kept on, ‘a’ at the end of names was an absolute obsession with names such as; Anna, Chyna, Mya, Mariana, Danika, Felicia, Janika, Philipa, Tanika … then you’d have the name Beth in the midst. People used to have tag names to fit in with the trend e.g. Richard became Ricardo, Chantelle - Chantella…

While learning & teaching Spanish, there were some words that just stood out for being so much more pleasing to the ear than English. However, if you are one who loves names ending in ‘a' or that sound romantica, just be sure to look up the meaning.

Here’s a list compiled for you:

1. Basura — this may sound like a lovely name to give your child but it’s literally ‘ rubbish’.
2. Bolsa — if you’ve ever been to a Spanish country, you’ll hear this a lot in supermarkets. It means a bag.
3. Bruja — perhaps try the name Bruna instead as this word means witch.
4. Chula(o) — this is a common nickname given to those who are hot aka sexy. Not the type of name you should use as an actual first name for a baby!
5. Cubierto — this means cover-up, add an s for cubiertos & it means cutlery, perhaps try Roberto instead…
6. Diabla(o) —with the likes of names like Deborah, Diana, Delilah…this may just look like a spin on the names but it means she devil (with an a) & devil (with an o).
7. Grosero — I said to my husband “Why would anyone name their child something that sounds like gross?” He replied “Why would someone name their child Ethel?” So here it stands, grosero means rude.
8. Lenta(o) — perhaps you’re a foodie & want to name your child after something healthy, say lentils, well this doesn’t mean that, it means slow.
9. Mesa — perhaps you’re a fan of Messi & want a feminine version? Well you’re not scoring any goals with this word, it means table.
10. Mentirosa — like the name Rosa but perhaps looking for a longer name or double barrelled well this means liar.
11. Mierda — this is definitely not a good choice, perhaps go for the name Milena or Miranda instead as this means sh**/f**k.
12. Mierdo — yeah this one may not be a swear word but the ‘o’ doesn’t make it any better, it means fear.
13. Nada — this was a popular name when I was in college, it may have a different meaning in Lebanese but in Spanish it means nothing.
14. Nevera —it sounds similar to the Irish name Niamh (pronounced Neeve), you may want to add that ah sound at the end… well why not use the name Neveah instead (Heaven backwards) as this means fridge.
15. Perra — no this doesn’t mean pear, it means female dog, commonly used as an insult ==>biatch/bitch/biznitch in the style of Snoop Dogg.
16. Perozosa(o) — this may sound like a gorgeous, unique name however it means lazy.
17. Temerosa(o) — this reminds me of the name Temi well perhaps split them and go for Temi or Rosa as together this means afraid.
18. Tonta(o) — not the most appealing name on the list but it means dumb/stupid.
19. Tina — quite a popular name in the UK, but in Spanish its meaning is tub la tina is bathtub.
20. Sucia(o) —this may sound pretty but it’s far from it, it means dirty, maybe try Lucia or Lucio instead.

So with that being said, perhaps type any name that you think is exotic into Google Translate & see the meaning before choosing it.

Thanks for reading!