In fact, the most commonly cited name that put people’s teeth on edge was Nevaeh, or “heaven” spelled backward. That name didn’t exist until the 1990s, but it took off in popularity in 2003, shooting from the 150th most common baby name in that year to the 31st most popular in 2007 (as of 2009, it stood at No. 34).

“Nevaeh in particular seems to stand as this symbol … for what people don’t like in modern baby names,” Laura Wattenberg, author of “The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby” (Three Rivers Press, 2005), told LiveScience.