Picking a baby name is rarely straightforward — some parents want something distinctive, while others prefer a name that feels familiar and easy to live with.
Names that seem unusual in one place can become far more common over time, but uncommon spellings and niche references still tend to divide opinion.
Having a distinctive name can definitely make an impression, though many people feel there’s a difference between choosing something original and choosing something that could leave a child standing out for all the wrong reasons.
That debate is nothing new online, where people regularly argue over everything from fandom-inspired names to more extreme choices that cross the line from quirky into cruel.
In this case, the discussion centered on a Reddit post about a mother who had apparently already given one child the name Zekrom, after the legendary Pokémon from the Unova region, and was now considering Reshiram for her daughter. Both names belong to the same pair of Legendary Pokémon, which only made the choice feel even more deliberate to readers familiar with the franchise.
Posting on Reddit in 2024, a woman explained that a friend of hers had already done it once — and was now considering doing it again with her second child.
“I just found out one of my friends named her child after a Pokémon and she’s planning to do it again.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Pokémon fan myself, but this is just wrong. One of my friends (whom I met over Pokémon GO back when it was popular) had a child around 2 years ago, but I never found out his name – until today. His name is Zekrom.”
The Reddit user then said the choice for the next baby was even more surprising.
“Now, I know very well that Zekrom is on the milder side of Pokémon names when it comes to that, HOWEVER, she is having another child – a girl – and wants to name her Reshiram.”
She also claimed she reacted strongly after hearing about the plan and confronted her friend over text.
“There is no way in hell that she will name her daughter Reshiram,” the woman went on.
The post gathered more than 2,000 upvotes and prompted hundreds of comments, with plenty of people weighing in on whether fandom-inspired names go too far.
“Could be worse; could be Lechonk,” one person replied. “At least as far as Pokémon go, those names are cool. They’re still Pokémon, so it’s tragic.”
Another commenter argued that children shouldn’t be used as a tribute to their parents’ interests.
“I always say, children are not billboards for fandoms. I saw a video of a woman who named her kid Zuko after a character from Last Airbender.
“A lady in my naming group on facebook wanted to incorporate Obi Wan Kenobi into her kids name because her husband was insisting on it.”
A third person said some Pokémon names might work in theory, but not these ones.
“There are some Pokémon names I think would be cute baby names… these aren’t one of them,” added a third.
It’s also worth noting that Pokémon-inspired baby names have popped up before, with names like Eevee, Onix, Paras, Abra and Tangela occasionally turning up in naming discussions and internet lists of real-world baby names. That doesn’t necessarily make the trend more sensible, but it does show that fandom references can slip into everyday naming more easily than many people expect.
What do you think?