Life
I'm a huge proponent of finding inspiration all around you. Excuse the inner hippie in me, but I think there is beauty to be found in everything — even in the cheesy '90s shows you used to watch as a child. And '90s Nickelodon-themed baby names aren't the most unusual ideas if you're a parent on the hunt for the perfect name. I mean, if you're looking for baby names, turning to your childhood is a great place to start.
While many people look to their family trees, favorite books, or even celebrities for name inspiration, they tend to forget the insane amount of potential housed in one of the most memorable parts of their childhood — the TV shows you rushed home from school to watch. Whether you were a fan of The Rugrats or you were into the more "sophisticated" humor of The Amanda Show or All That, there is no shortage of baby name inspiration to be had. I mean, every character had a name, right? And besides, no one needs to know that you secretly named your child after a cartoon or other kid-show character anyway. I certainly won't tell. They'll just have that light bulb moment when your kid's nursery is decorated in orange blimps and slime.
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Phoebe
Phoebe Heyerdahl was the smartest girl in the fourth grade class from Hey Arnold! Phoebe means "radiant or shining one," and is a beautiful, lesser known choice — though she was my personal favorite character on the show when I watched it as a child, I always felt so bad for her because Helga was so darn mean.
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Ren
Though I would never suggest telling anyone that you drew inspiration from Ren and Stimpy, the name Ren (spelled Wren for an even better effect) is actually really great. When spelled with a "W" it’s the name of a bird and would make a great gender-neutral option. I definitely wouldn’t recommend naming your kid Stimpy, however.
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Nigel
Again, no one will probably take you seriously if you say Nigel Thornberry is your child's namesake, but the name actually has a long history in England and means "dark or black haired." Plus, Nigel just sounds intelligent doesn’t it? And there have been a lot of well-known Nigel characters in movies and pop-culture, so technically people wouldn’t even know you named your kid after a Nickelodeon character.
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Kel
To me, Kel was the goofier counterpart to Kenan, but he was still pretty darn hilarious. The actor, Kel Mitchell, is now not only a stand-up comedian, but is also a musician, singer, and rapper. Ironically, the name Kel means “self-made.” Perhaps if you name your kid Kel they’ll be as well-rounded and successful as Kel Mitchell and also love orange soda.
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Susie
Susie Carmichael was the perfect foil to Angelica’s spoiled, mean, rotten self in Rugrats. She was always willing to lend a helping hand to the babies, and was definitely a kind and compassionate friend to them. She also had a beautiful singing voice and ended up being a singer in the spin-off series All Grown Up. Susie is the diminutive form of Susan, and means “lily flower,” which is pretty indicative of Susie’s beautiful personality on the show.
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Patty
If your last name is Mayonnaise, you probably shouldn’t name your kid Patty, but that’s exactly what they did on the show Doug. Patty was smart, athletic, kind, and just an all around great gal, so it makes sense why she was Doug’s crush. Bonus points if she has a whole lot of blonde hair.
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Pete (& Pete)
If you really wanted to go for it, you could prove you are the ultimate fan of Pete & Pete by having twins and christening them both with the moniker. But that would be completely confusing, so maybe you should just give one kid the name Pete, which means “rock.”
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Alex
The Secret World of Alex Mack was a pretty awesome science fiction show for its time, and I feel like if you loved this show as a kid, you’re probably obsessed with Stranger Things as well. I mean, a top secret chemical plant/lab? A healthy fear of said chemical plant’s power and CEO? Plus, who wouldn’t want to be able to liquify and have telekinesis? Alex means “defending men, protector of man-kind,” and if your child is “lucky” enough to inherit any special powers from being given this name, maybe they’ll use it to defend others.
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Oblina
This name is just super unique and cool, and I can guarantee your kid will be the only one with this name in the entire school. Oblina just so happened to be my favorite character from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and her aesthetic is still pretty much my favorite color combo today — black, white, red, and lime green. This name is so original, there isn’t even a definition for it on the internet yet. Come on, be a trailblazer.
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Penny
Penny is one bad*ss female protagonist and was an incredible role model in the show Inspector Gadget. She was always the one secretly doing all the work during her Uncle Inspector Gadget’s missions, and that’s just not fair. Honor Penny and her legacy of smarts, cunning, and fearlessness by naming your kid Penny. Penny means “weaver,” by the way, and that is indicative of the fact that she was truly the mastermind at weaving plans for successful missions.
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