Social media users are looking up their own names on Urban Dictionary and are sharing the flattering (and not so flattering) results.
For those who have never ventured to the website before, Urban Dictionary is a crowdsourced glossary that was created in 1999 by Aaron Peckham. Although its original purpose was to explain slang words, its remit has greatly expanded over the course of 22 years, to the point where it now contains definitions on everything from video games to politics and, yes, human names.
Unlike your standard Merriam-Webster or Oxford English Dictionary, the definitions you find on the website are not meant to be taken too seriously and are often presented more like jokes. For instance, if you look up the divisive final season of Game of Thrones, you will not get an objective description of its plot. Instead, it will read: "The TV equivalent of ending a beautiful and magnificent symphony with a rendition of "All-Star" by Smash Mouth played on a Kazoo."
These (often humorous) entries are submitted by random users and are then vetted by a team of volunteer editors. As such, they're not always guaranteed to have perfect grammar or spelling, and they will often use NSFW language too.
That last point is especially pertinent when it comes to searching for your own name on Urban Dictionary, as many of the results will contain either crude insults or sexual boasts. Again, this can be attributed to the fact that entries can be filed by anybody with an email address, so they do not tend to reflect the proper etymology of words.
Instead, a lot of the name definitions will likely just be references to people that the writer actually knows, whether it's a profession of love for a secret crush, an inside joke between friends or an attack on somebody they don't like.
What Is the Urban Dictionary Name Trend?
Despite the fact that the content is not based on anything of substance, it has nevertheless become popular to look up your name in the Urban Dictionary and see what it says, just as a bit of fun. Over the past couple of days, people have taken to Twitter to share their results.
For example, @eviljordan is pleased to report that his name apparently means that he is a "kind and loving person who is very funny, [stylish] and attractive."
Meanwhile, @Dulka92 posted a screenshot for his name, reading: "[Patrick's] gorgeous eyes will make your heart melt and every time you want to talk to him, it just melts you."
@urmomsahoebro shares four possible alternatives for their name (Johanna), which between them ascribe the qualities of being "loyal," "beautiful," "sexually attractive" and "amazing in every sense of the word."
Even more flattering is the site's definition of the name David, which says: "David is the greatest man you will ever have the privilege to know. He is the epitome of a gentleman and he is the most charismatic person you'll ever meet."
If you were starting to think that maybe every definition on Urban Dictionary is favorable (in an unusually positive turn for the internet) it might be worth looking through some of the alternative results for these names. The more pleasant submissions tend to be posted near the top, but you rarely have to scroll too far down to find a nastier version.
For instance, the name "Harrison" apparently correlates to "the ugliest boy you'll ever meet," who inexplicably has a diarrhetic effect on those in his nearby proximity. Likewise, the definition for Karen is not especially positive.
On a related note, not everyone is on board with the trend, with a number of social media users claiming that it just feels juvenile and annoying.
i promise you nobody be reading your urban dictionary name definition
— Fili (@filicaljr) November 23, 2021
How To Find Your Urban Dictionary Name
Finding a definition for your name is incredibly straightforward.
All you have to do is visit the Urban Dictionary website and then type your name into the search bar at the top of the screen.
Then, choose the right option from the drop-down list and you will be taken to the appropriate page.
Unless you have a very rare name, there will be hundreds of submissions for you to peruse here, so if you don't like the first one you see then you can just keep looking until you find a better one.
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