Apostrophe or not to classify "names"?

Question

In the following sentence, what would be the best way to classify a "name"? When I googled, there were many examples that used the term "stupid kid names," but does an apostrophe add more clarity (like "stupid kid's name")? Ex: Sammy had decided that "ABC" was a silly kid's name and "DEF" was an old woman's name. Therefore he had thought it best to name his children with names other than these.

Answer 1

Hi, Jose,

You have really tied yourself up in a knot here. The way out of problems like this is usually to re-cast the sentence. The phrase "silly kid's name" is technically correct but ambiguous. Does it mean a silly kid or a silly name? Therefore, you might choose "a silly name for a kid."

"An old woman's name" doesn't have the same ambiguity. It clearly means a name suitable for an old woman, so it's fine.

Hope this helps!