Hello, My Name Is Pabst: Baby Names for Nonconformist, Indie, Geeky, DIY, Hipster, and Alterna-Parents ofEvery Kind

by Miek Bruno, Kerry Sparks

Finally, for alternaparents everywhere, the baby-naming book that will ensure that your baby has the coolest, most unique name on the playground.

 Ashley and Jaden? Over. Atari, Bedford, Sailor, Puma? Oh-so-in. Indie-leaning alternaparents of every kind, from geeks to Goths, are all grown up and procreating, and they want names that reflect the individuality they pride themselves on. Hello, My Name Is Pabst shows them how to put their stamp on baby-naming, injecting fun into what can be an otherwise contentious process. Names are thematically arranged into lists including "Names You Can Drink at the Bar" (Jager, Hennessey), "Names That Fit Into Skinny Jeans" (Vette, Plank), "Vegan and Gluten-Free Names" (Miso, Quinoa), and "Names to CTRL+C and CTRL+V" (Adobe, Helvetica). Also included are "tipsters" for sparking naming creativity, such as opening a box of crayons or scanning the credits of a foreign film. Pabst presents a whole new approach to baby-naming for a whole new generation of parents who want names that look good on a tote bag and kick ass at the playground.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Parenting

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but not helpful in picking out names

[Barbara Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This strange book came in our delivery today at the library. Being that I pretend to be a nonconformist, I HAD to read this book. I mean what could be better than naming your child "Missile Crisis", "Moon Shine", or my personal favorite "EEEE." Nothing will make child stand out more and lead to subsequent bullying and lost job prospects than one of these horrendous names. But then again who needs popularity and money when you're a hipster?


I would also like to point out that my name is on the list under "so uncool it's still uncool but try and make it cool again." Who knew that my mom was a hipster back in the 1980's before it was a thing?

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun! This is a really quirky name book, and fun to read even if you're not thinking about naming a child. I'm just interested in names and found lots of these ridiculous and hilarious.

[Mayaluna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slightly amusing.

[Lexy Kelleher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this satire? Maybe? I'm still really not sure. Some of these names I hope to God are never used (Deeple, Doople, Kale, and Vroom, for example), but some of these names I could actually see myself using (Pearl, Opal, Sylvia).

I liked the way the book was organized by different "themes," but I really disliked the way the individual names were listed. They were all separated by commas in a giant paragraph, which really made all of them run together and were difficult to read.

Also, no, I'm not pregnant!

[Jennifer Worrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these are (intentionally?) hilarious but some...the authors have a point, y'all. There are some pretty great, inventive ones in here, and I'm contemplating buying a copy. I don't have kids but I'm an author, and this book is making me want to write more stories with characters using names like Rollie Blar. LMAO. Can't wait to see if in twenty years, I'm sharing cube space with Gravel.

[Mainon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, first of all, the conceit of this book is pretty hysterical. A great gift to parents who are absolutely committed to unique "names", but an even better book for those who love to make fun of those kinds of names. This book strikes me as half-satire, half-serious.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ideas, but none practical for an actual name - and I'm known for unique children's names!

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not actually helpful to pick out a baby name. The creativity of the lists was fun, the different fonts were fun, but a nicer layout could have been used.

[McNeil Inksmudge · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very much obvious that it's casually published. Feels like a blog.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty funny. my favorite was Snarla

[Jenae · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a coffee table book than an actual resource for usable baby names – I get that a lot of it is written ironically but was it really necessary to suggest names like “salmonella” 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Zoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book as part of a memorable first visit to the library in downtown Seattle. (Of course.) It's difficult to rate baby name books solely on whether they yielded solid name prospects (yes, a few), but I'm beginning to prefer curated collections such as this one and "A is for Atticus" regardless. These slim volumes are more manageable and much more absorbing than your typical bargain book baby name dictionary. "Hello, My Name is Pabst" is consistently clever and quotable, and almost inspires me to compile my own lists of crazy-names-that-no-one-should-use. Or perhaps this is the time to begin a novel or at least get a few pets, so that some of these satisfyingly out-there names could be put to good use!

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago (in my baby-naming days) there was a baby names website I was addicted to. It was something like, "Babies named a bad, bad thing" or something equally fun. There were sections for posting bad name sightings, polls, overheard names, etc. Some of the names were appalling. Not just attempts for uniqueness, but some that were actually gringe-worthy. I pitied these children.

This book brought back the baby name humor. I actually laughed out loud at some of the names. The only drawback was the repition - I would think that there are enough non-names out there that each category could be filled with unusual names.

[Betsy Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who wants a truly unique baby name, this is the book for you. The chapters are organized by theme instead of alphabetically or by meaning: "Names for Your Little Gardener," "Names That Could Rock a Miranda July Haircut," "Names That Look Good Painted on a Food Truck," "Brew Your Own Craft Beer Names," and "Boys-Who-Are-Girls-Who-Are-Girls-Who-Are-Boys Names," plus many other outrageous and hilarious categories. Although most of the names are a little too eccentric for my taste, I give it 5 stars for its originality.

[Katthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dying of laughter while reading this out loud to my mother. Yeah, only useful when not taken completely seriously, and it probably won't help you pick out a baby name anytime soon, this is not the be all end all book of names that are cool, but won't get your child ridiculed. And if the cover didn't tell you that, I don't know what to say.

But it is something I want on my shelf, if only to pull out and show to my as yet nonexistent child, at least I didn't name you thorax. Or gravel.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

If shock value is your goal, here is the naming book for you. BE WARNED: Other parents will absolutely judge you before meeting you.

IMO Any name you think up or choose on your own is better than the names in this books. I thought I was liberal in my name choosing, but you really can't beat the names suggested here. This book is truly for those going out of their way to find a term never before used as a name.

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I wasn't sure if this was a joke or not. Some of the names are real and I know plenty of people using them. However some are completely off the wall or inappropriate so I'm sure they are indeed making fun of people and their crazy names. It is a super quick read as each chapter is 2 pages long and dedicated to a "genre" of names.

[Haze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book caught my eye while I was browsing through my library and I just couldn't resist looking through it. Some of the names are so ridiculous it made me laugh out loud, and the commentary and introductions by the authors were hilarious! Definitely more of a fun read than a real baby names book. =)

[Alannah Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not at all particularly helpful at helping prospective parents name their spawn, with the exception of some genuine suitable names, but it does make for a decent laugh and jab at 'nonconformist, hipsters of any kind'. Not sure if this book was trolling or being genuine. For that I will give it 3 stars.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm 16 weeks pregnant and we're trying to pick potential names for the baby. Reading this book aloud to one another relieved some of the anxiety of this decision and gave us a great laugh. Most of the names are things I would never go for, but there were some that gave us interesting ideas and lots of amusement.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bemusing collection of extravagant naming options, divided by the parents' area of interest: java, urban lumberjack, micro-brewing, handmade arts, etc. I think my next cat will be named Minnow. Or Gravel.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny read. Different from every other baby name book I've seen. Lots of clever ideas for coming up with a name you like.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometime awesome. mostly ridiculous.

[Lyndsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun resource for parents interested in names not found on the top 100 list.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun. Don't expect to really pick your baby name from this book (but you could if you are way out there). It was a nice break from typical baby name books.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like unique and uncommon names but this book had names to weird for me mostly.

[Karen Newberry Mouser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny but in a hipster ironic way.

[Ziying · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty good names there. Would also be great for writers looking for names for their characters!

[Tiffanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute baby name ideas.