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A Tabloid Star is Ruining My Name!
Filed under: Baby Names
My name is Vienna. Unfortunately, this name is shared with the latest winner of the Bachelor, and people do not like her very much. I have heard people saying "I HATE Vienna! She's disgusting! Why would he want HER?" It takes me a while to realize that they're talking about the reality-show Vienna. I love having such a unique name! I don't want it to become popular and I don't want people assuming Viennas are bad people. Help?
- Vienna
Vienna, you're living out the fear of every name-obsessed parent. "What if the stylish, creative, unusual name I choose for my child suddenly hits the headlines?" The poor souls who share their names with notorious criminals know your pain well. But you're in a better position than the law-abiding Theodore Bundys who woke up one morning considering a name change. Your namesake is guilty only of crimes of taste and fashion, neither of which carry a 30-to-life sentence.
Yes, your lovely name will be associated with a controversial personality -- but only for a time. Just five years ago, a reality TV star made Talan the fastest rising boy's name in America. But when was the last time you thought about "Laguna Beach's" Talan Torriero? Most fame is fleeting, and reality TV fame flies at warp speed. The taint of the tabloid vixen will fade.
In the short term, try deflecting the Vienna haters with humor. Answer a Bachelor fan's Vienna abuse with a cheerful quip: "Her name's the only good thing about her!" or "Don't worry, we've already revoked her invitation to the Vienna Society's annual picnic."
As for your other concern, a jump in your name's popularity, I'm afraid I can't be so reassuring. Vienna shows every sign of being the right name at the right time. It's a place name with a trendy "high Scrabble value" letter and a traditional feminine sound. That combo has shot names baby girl names like Savannah and Alexandria up the charts. Vienna even rhymes with popular names like Sienna and Mckenna. Just look at Madison and Addison for proof of the power of a rhyme.
Five years from now the "Vienna like the Bachelor?" comments will have died down, but I'm wagering the "Vienna like my two-year-old niece?" comments will have swelled. That loss of uniqueness may take some getting used to. On the bright side, it's proof of your name's stylish appeal, and it will keep you sounding eternally youthful.
Related: Her Baby Name Sounds Like a Bad Joke
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
3-26-2010 @ 8:23AM
b1lly said...Vienna,
You must be a pretty bad person. Or at least you have horrible self-esteem. If every time you hear your name mentioned in a negative context it takes a "while" to realize they are not talking about you. Seriously, was this the most culturally relevant question received this week? Or is this question fake because NO questions were received this week?
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3-26-2010 @ 8:22AM
Donna said...I have 3 boys 2 of them have names that were uncommon i did name my son Landon after the reality show real world i just loved his name and had really never heard it. It is very uncommon and then i have Kaiden which is becoming very popular i always liked names noone else had but u cant put a trademark on a name. So i think this girl is being just i dont know stupid
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3-26-2010 @ 8:39AM
judie said...This is the most stupid thing Ive ever heard. If that is all she has to worry about she should count herself blessed.
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3-26-2010 @ 4:11PM
texas princess said...Just add the name" Sausage" and no one can confuse you. Now, thats' unusal!....VIENNA SAUSAGE"JONES"
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3-26-2010 @ 9:05AM
Alta said...I think your answer is disgusting. Maybe you should keep your personal opinions out of it, or suggest that what nasty people say should simply be ignored.
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3-26-2010 @ 9:59AM
Lighten up! said...That was my great-grandmother's name also. No big deal. Everyone has a name. Make sure people know YOU for YOU, and don't think people should know YOU for SOMEONE ELSE!
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3-26-2010 @ 10:14AM
lola said...Wow, this is one of the dumbest letters (and answer) I have ever read in my life. I can't believe anyone wasted the time and space addressing it literally. Vienna has some really serious issues that need to be adddressed, but they have nothing to do with her name. If she gets her knickers so twisted over imaginings this petty, what is going to happen when she has to encounter job loss, mortgage foreclosure, an auto wreck, a lawsuit, divorce, widowhood, a sick child, or a cancer diagnosis? Please, Vienna, grow up, get therapy, get a life. Way better advice: if you start to feel sorry for yourself because of your name, visit a pediatric ward, take a mission trip to Haiti, volunteer in a soup kitchen, or join the military and fight in Afghanistan.
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3-26-2010 @ 10:46AM
jorgebrito2 said...Oh come on.
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3-26-2010 @ 10:48AM
molly said...Vienna, Booh hooh !
GET OVER IT !
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3-26-2010 @ 10:49AM
Lisa said...OMG, try sharing your first AND last names with the shoe bomber the way a friend of mine does! Vienna is a pretty name, and will remain one. People who may identify you with her because of a name aren't worth your time or effort, and says more about their idiocy than anything else. Unfortunately, stupid people seem to be winning nowadays, so let's work to reverse the trend and not give this issue another thought or page time.
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3-26-2010 @ 10:56AM
flbob said...Vienna, this will really shake you up, I hate Vienna Sausage
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3-26-2010 @ 11:25AM
KatieCouric'sNemesis said...When I finally stopped laughing at this egocentric twit, I could focus on the inane comments by "The Name Lady."
Is AOL really so hard up for advice columnists that they have to resort to THIS?
Good grief!!!
Name your child whatever you want! It doesn't matter. School playgrounds, that great equalizer of all children, will settle the matter of name and nickname.
Ask anyone who went to the Naval Academy. It takes just a few hours before you've got a name unique to you. Reference the comment made in Deep Impact: Spurgeon, Sturgeon, Fish. It didn't take long for Fish's character to get his nickname. Luckily for his character, he became an astronaut pilot instead of a sub driver. Any Navy vet will know what I mean.
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3-26-2010 @ 11:34AM
LAWRENCE FISHBERG said...with people wondering where their next paycheck is coming from, i am glad that this twit has enough time to think about the real important things in life.....her next major intellectual move....tuning on the Today Show.
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3-26-2010 @ 12:04PM
Taylor said...Ya, well my name is Taylor and I've heard people call me Taylor Swift to Taylor Lautner. Alot of people hate them both but you don't hear me crying in my room after hearing "oh he's way too good for Taylor." I could care less. You lack self-esteem.
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3-26-2010 @ 12:52PM
mik said...Ha!Ha! This is funny! Why are you worried about sharing the name with Vienna from the Bachelor when you should be sad that your name is also a type of sausage in a can "Vienna Sausage" - I mean really? With your line of reasoning I suppose every person that shares a name that has had negative news linked to them should be concerned? Whatever will the Tiger's & the Obama's do in the world? Get a life!
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3-26-2010 @ 1:02PM
Beth said...V
If this is your biggest problem you are ridiculously lucky. May I suggest that you get a life.
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3-26-2010 @ 1:06PM
Denise said...One word! THERAPY!
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3-26-2010 @ 1:09PM
Lisa Frangoulis said...I suppose everytime I get an email or people joke about blondes being dumb I should beleive I am dumb. Seriously no one should care what people they don't even know say or think about them. Especially about a show that is as dumb as these supposed reality shows are. And if you think everything said and done on these shows is not in some way scripted you must be blonde.LOL
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3-26-2010 @ 1:21PM
ShellyK said...This chick is a NUT. This is the stupidest comment I have ever heard. DUH Get a clue Vienna (not the reality star).
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3-26-2010 @ 1:30PM
matt715 said...Whether or not this letter's made up, the writer sounds like a crybaby attention junkie. C'mon - is America even gonna care about this dime-a-dozen reality star a year from now? Get a life & get over yourself, sweetheart.
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