Over the years, we’ve met some really awful television characters, and the mere mention of their names can bring up all sorts of negative images. If you don’t want people prejudging your baby, then you may want to avoid names that were tainted by TV.
Unlovable female TV characters
- April (Grey’s Anatomy): Dr. April Kepner is the most annoying, irritating, neurotic, insecure, self-righteous goody-two-shoes we’ve seen on TV in a while. And she should leave McDreamy alone! ~innocently portrayed by Sarah Drew
- Judith (Two and a Half Men): Wikipedia described Alan’s ex-wife as “cheating, vindictive, cold-hearted, self-absorbed and humorless.” Yep! ~spitefully portrayed by Marin Hinkle
- Lori (The Walking Dead): Why does this chick insist on causing romantic drama with Rick and Shane when there’s a zombie apocalypse to deal with? ~evilly portrayed by Sarah Wayne Callies
- Nellie (Little House on the Prairie): The Ingalls children were content with their simple lot in life, but that never stopped a rich, spoiled bully named Nellie Oleson — the frontier’s first “mean girl” — from making their lives miserable. ~cruelly portrayed by Alison Arngrim
- River (Dr. Who): The name “River Song” would be so lovely if Dr. Who’s unlikeable love interest hadn’t ruined it. ~condescendingly portrayed by Alex Kingston
- Skyler (Breaking Bad): Her drug-abusing, cancer-patient of a husband, Walt, does terrible things, but everything Skyler does (i.e., sleeping with Ted) seems so much worse. ~infuriatingly portrayed by Anna Gunn
Female honorable mentions:Jenny Humphrey(Gossip Girl), Mandy Hampton (The West Wing),Meg Masters (Supernatural), Tara Thornton (True Blood), Tess Harding (Roswell), Melody “Mellie” Grant (Scandal), Nikki (Lost), Rosalind “Roz” Shays (L.A. Law)
Despicable male TV characters
- Boyd (Justified): Boyd’s criminal history, combined with his new-found evangelical aspirations, make him the ultimate hustler. ~criminally portrayed by Walton Goggins
- Dexter (Dexter): If a guy named Dexter can work for the Miami Metro Police Department by day and be a brilliant serial killer by night, then does it follow that every guy named Dexter is also a serial killer? ~chillingly portrayed by Michael C. Hall
- Ellis (Smash): Ellis’ scheming and eavesdropping are as contemptuous as his horrific sweater vests. And he actually declared, “You haven’t seen the last of me!” ~ridiculously portrayed by Jaime Cepero
- Joffrey (Game of Thrones): There’s nothing viewers hate more than a coward — especially a brutal, incompetent coward like Joffrey (the royal with incestuous ancestry). There’s not a single thing to like. ~sadistically portrayed by Jack Gleeson
- Oliver (The O.C.): This poor-little-rich-boy-turned-psychopath pulled every wicked stunt he could — faking a suicide attempt, lying, kidnapping — to win the heart of his obsession, Marissa. ~appallingly portrayed by Taylor Handley
- Pete (Mad Men): Since Don Draper is too hot to hate, we’ll settle for slimy Pete Campbell. ~ambitiously portrayed by Vincent Kartheiser
Male honorable mentions: Al Swearengen (Deadwood), Arvin Sloane (Alias), Clay Morrow (Sons of Anarchy), Glenn Childs (The Good Wife) and Paulo (Lost)
Irritating TV characters
- Harry (3rd Rock from the Sun): Although his slapstick falls and trademark squint make us chuckle, we’re pretty sure we don’t want our kid to take the name of 3rd Rock’s biggest idiot. ~hilariously portrayed by French Stewart
- Flo: On the ’70s sitcom Alice, spunky Florence Jean Castleberry (portrayed by Polly Holliday) made “Kiss my grits” a household phrase. Today, we have Flo (portrayed by Stephanie Courtney), an annoying chick with bad hair and an apron toting Progressive Insurance. It’s no longer a name that warms our hearts…
- Nevel (iCarly): Carly, Sam and Freddie just want to run their web show in peace, but the corrupt Nevel Amadeus Papperman — whose romantic advances were rejected by Carly — uses his extreme intelligence and technical savvy to undermine their efforts. You will “rue the day” you name your child Nevel. ~cunningly portrayed by Reed Alexander
- Newman (Seinfeld): Short-tempered U.S. postal worker Newman (is that his first name or his last?) is Jerry Seinfeld’s “sworn enemy.” The name immediately calls to mind Jerry’s “Hello, Newman.” ~gratingly portrayed by Wayne Knight
- Simon (American Idol): Deep down, we know that reality mogul Simon Cowell is spot-on with his judging comments — but does his delivery have to be so cruel? ~accurately portrayed by himself
- Ted (How I Met Your Mother): Ted is pretentious and condescending and, frankly, we don’t care how he met the mother. ~ostentatiously portrayed by Josh Radnor
Irritating honorable mentions: Eddie Haskell (Leave It to Beaver), Janice Litman (Friends), Kimmy Gibbler (Full House), Mike Cruz (Nurse Jackie), Terri Schuester (Glee)
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