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Is the World Ready for Another Grace Kelly?
Filed under: Baby Names
My daughter has always wanted to name a baby girl Grace, and it's especially nice because her great grandmother's name was Grace. However, she has married a Mr. Kelly, making a prospective baby girl Grace Kelly. She is wondering if this would target her baby girl with a lifelong problem, or if time has moved on enough for people to not associate the name with the beautiful Princess of Monaco?
- Planning ahead Grandma
Dear Grandma,
Please pass on my condolences on the loss of your daughter's favorite name. I wish I had better news, but the original Grace Kelly will always keep at least partial ownership of her name. That means that it can never fully belong to your granddaughter.
The problem is that Grace Kelly was an icon. In fact, she's currently in the lead in a Stylelist.com poll about the most beautiful American woman of all time. the most When a star reaches that status, her fame develops a life of its own. Consider movie stars of the generation before Kelly, whose paths have had longer to play out. Actresses like Constance Bennett and Kay Francis had outstanding careers and at one time ranked among Hollywood's highest-paid stars. But they never reached the iconic level, so their names just sound like names today. Their iconic contemporaries Greta Garbo and Mae West, though, are a different story.
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The irony is that for most families, Grace Kelly is a reason to choose the name Grace. Ms. Kelly's image of beauty and refinement has helped make her name the most elegant of the old-fashioned virtue names. But with the surname match, everything changes. Just as the last name Long changes Miles, or Ball changes Crystal, Kelly transforms Grace. You're no longer naming your daughter Grace, you're naming her GraceKelly. And that's not just a name -- it's an homage.
Throughout the life of a young Greta Garbo or Grace Kelly, everyone who encounters her name will immediately think of the other Greta/Grace first. That's not necessarily a bad thing if the homage is what you're aiming for. Your daughter, though, wants something different. She wants "just Grace," the strong and gentle name that's been touched by Grace Kelly, but not owned by her. With the surname Kelly, I'm afraid it's just not an option. Luckily, she still has plenty of time to work up a love for names like Violet, Hope, Iris, Lydia, Lillian or Blythe.
Have you run into any famous names? Share your experiences here. And if you have your own question to Ask the Name Lady, drop her a line!
Related: Do We Need New Baby Name Etiquette?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 8)
7-01-2010 @ 11:51AM
awiser said...I think the name lady missed htis one. I am 30, and even though I have heard the name Grace Kelly, I could not tell you waht she was famous for (other than she died young). Go ahead, children born today will have no idea who Grace Kelly was, they will be more interested int he Britany Spears of their generation. Only people 60+ would make that immediate connection.
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7-01-2010 @ 2:32PM
Alicia said...I'm 20 and I know who Grace Kelly is. There are worse people to share a name with, but the Name Lady's right. Most people will think "Princess Grace" first and hers are big shoes to fill.
7-02-2010 @ 7:39AM
Holly said...There is absolutely nothing wrong with naming her child if it is a girl, Grace. The woman she may be associated with was beautiful inside and out. My last name wasn't Monroe, but my first name is Marilyn and many guys I ran into would do the "Marilyn Monroe" bit even though I was a brunette and didn't have big boobs. I though it was childish but at least they weren't butchering my first name like some by calling me Maryland. As long as the name doesn't have strong negative connotations, I don't see where it is a big deal. If my last name were Manson, I wouldn't name a kid Charles or if it were Dahmer, I would not recommend Jeffrey.
7-02-2010 @ 7:41AM
Mary said...This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is evidence of your School Tax dollars at work!
7-02-2010 @ 9:56AM
amy said...Good LORD. I was 16 when Grace Kelly died and remember EXACTLY who she was. I'm 44, not "over 60." At 30 you've only heard of her...maybe you should expand your horizons?
7-02-2010 @ 10:03AM
Laura said...My daughter's name is Margaret (after my grandmother). Our last name is O'Brien. So my daughter's name is Margaret O'Brien just like the actress. She has not had one issue with her name, nor has anyone ever commented negatively on it. When she first saw her name on TV because we were watching an old movie, it made her day. Name lady, you are wrong on this one.
7-02-2010 @ 10:57AM
Jan Crouser said...I would agree with the Name Lady - When I hear Grace Kelly, I immediately think of Monaco and movie stars. There is a lady on the Weather Channel named Betty Davis and everytime I hear her name, I think of the movie star. I always associate such names with famous people. I still see them as individuals, but it's a shame to first see them and associate them with someone else. While a great many people may not know who Grace Kelly was, there are still hundreds who do. Pick another name you love. One that will be associated with only your child.
7-02-2010 @ 11:47AM
Dory said...Grace is a beautiful name. My grandmother's name was Grace as well. If calling her Grace Kelly is really an issue, then make Grace her middle name and give her another first name that sounds nice with it. She can still be called Grace, but when she is announced at her graduation she is Carolyn Grace Kelly or whatever. Eventually she may marry and end of issue.
7-02-2010 @ 2:12PM
Caroline said...The mother may think it's a beautiful name now, but once she has the baby and as the child grows she's going to regret it completely. People will snicker when her name is called aloud (Dr.'s office, school, etc.)
Evenutally the mother will be embarassed and wish she had never come up with the lousy idea to name her child that. Same goes for the 40% of the people that answered the poll with, "Yes, what's the big deal naming your child after someone famous?" Come on - be creative & stop being celebrity chasers.
7-05-2010 @ 8:46AM
kelly said...My daughter's name is Grace Kelly....and it is a fabulous name, if anyone hears it they say how pretty it is....although the Kelly isn't her last name it is her middle name! But what a wonderful famous icon to be named after
7-01-2010 @ 1:04PM
steph said...I have a friend named Carly Simon, you notice it at first, but it's not something you spend a lot of time thinking about. People don't stand there, comparing you to the famous person with that name. Even if they would, so what? If she loves the name she should use it.
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7-02-2010 @ 10:25PM
Alana said...It's not like she's always gonna be called Grace Kelly. Most of the time she'll be just Grace. I see no problem naming her child a name that she loves and a name that is after someone in her own family. Plus maybe she'll call her daughter Gracie. So then she will be Gracie Kelly. Nothing wrong with that.
7-02-2010 @ 2:30PM
Messa said...I agree. My Mom's name is Jeanne Kelley but, when you hear it, it's Gene Kelly. People just think it's cute and my Mom is actually very proud of it. Grace Kelly only did a handful of movies and really wasn't considered a "great" actress. She is more known for her personal style. Besides, when she died, she wasn't and hadn't been for a long time Grace Kelly, her last name was Grimaldi, Her Serene Highness, The Princess of Monaco.
7-02-2010 @ 2:54PM
Susan said...I grew up in the 50's. One of my friends was named Eddie Albert. Albert was his middle name. As kids he was just Eddie Albert. That was his name! It wasn't until I was older that I realized that it was a famous name.
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7-04-2010 @ 10:17AM
marlena said...I think she should name her daughter Grace if she choses. I work for an OB doctor and hear lots of names. Besides, most women I know, when they get married take their husband's last name, just as in the case of her last name being Kelly, so she would not remain Grace Kelly for her entire life. I remember Grace Kelly, and I see nothing wrong with being associated with her.
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7-02-2010 @ 6:39AM
sarasmiles said...We named my son after his father Michael and his two grandfathers, Jefferson and John. Our last name is Fox, so we produced another Michael J. Fox, so we get a few chuckles at doctors appointments and such, but in the grand scheme of things his name has meaning and fits him perfectly. I know we wouldn't change it.
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7-02-2010 @ 6:36AM
John F.C. Taylor said...My father wanted to name me after my grandfathers, but mom talked him into making me a junior instead. Lucky me. If dad had had his way, my name would have been Andrew Albert instead of John. Would not have been a problem until I hit my teen years. Why? That would have made me a teenage Andy Taylor just when The Andy Griffith Show was becoming popular. You just know I'd have been stuck with Sheriff Andy all through high school. As for Grace Kelly, I think it would be a name that might get people to think of the actress first, but would not be a problem in the long run for the girl.
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7-02-2010 @ 2:45PM
D said...I grew up with an Andy Taylor. Sports Illustrated did an article a few years ago about kids named after athletes, but then they took it one step further and had people who already had the names identical to all celbrities, not just athletes. It was a hoot. Paul McCartney, Bo Jackson, Micael Jordan, Gene Simmons. The Gene Simmons guy actually looked a bit like him and was a 6th grade school teacher in NY as the KISS guy was before KISS. But his real name is Gene Klein and never legally changed it to Simmons.
But anyway there were a bunch. Johnny Carson, (I think) David Letterman, etc.
7-02-2010 @ 6:48AM
Barbara Johnson said...I totally disagree! If the woman wants to use the name to honor her own grandmother and just happens to be married to a Kelly, surely she has the right to do that without being told it's a definite no-no. With the addition of an interesting middle name I see no reason why she should go ahead and name her child what she wants to name her. What about Grace Amanda Kelly or Grace Mariana Kelly or any other middle name of her choice with more than one sylable since 3 monosylables in a row wouldn't have much of a poetic lilt to it while more than one sylable would definitely break up the whole Grace Kelly icon argument.
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7-02-2010 @ 6:51AM
Barbara Johnson said...Please note: I meant to say: " I see no reason why she shouldn't go ahead and name her child what she wants to name her."
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