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Can I Name My Baby After the Bad Guy?
If a rare name is well known for being a bad character in legend, mythology or a story, does it mean you can't use it?
- Notorious Mom
One challenge of writing a baby name advice column is that you can't change names to protect the innocent. If you're wondering whether Mathilda is too old fashioned, you have to say Mathilda. Similarly, if you're wondering if your favorite name is too evil, you have to spell it out. Because when it comes to names, bad is sometimes bad, sometimes good, and sometimes downright cruel to children. It all depends on the individual name.
How can bad be good? I wrote about one way in my column, "Is My Nephew the Spawn of Satan?" An appearance as a demon child in a horror movie has launched hit names from Adrian to Gage. If the evilness doesn't take the name over too completely, it leaves behind a fashionably dark gleam. The same dark magic can work for stylish adult villains, like Lucius in the Harry Potter series, Circe in Greek mythology and even Delilah in the bible.
When the bad guy isn't stylish though, things get ugly fast. Harry Potter's cousin Dudley has effectively killed off that name. Star Wars' Jabba the Hutt has no namesakes at all. Ditto for Rumpelstiltskin, the Grinch, and Medusa. (Medusa actually has some flair, but that snake hairdo is just too much.)
More seriously, there are limits to the villainy a name can handle. The name Delilah may have shaken off its bad associations, but Jezebel is still borderline and Lucifer well over the line. Though believe it or not, nine American boys were named Lucifer last year, proof of the rehabilitative powers of fashion.
To judge the evil-tinged name on your short list, try placing it in one of the categories above. Then consider: Are there positive associations with the name as well? Will the other kids in school be familiar with the evildoer? When you suggest the name to friends, do they laugh, in the sincere belief that you're joking? And, above all, imagine introducing yourself by this name. Do you feel proud and confident, or nervous about what will come next?
What associations does your name have? Share your experiences here. And if you have your own question to Ask the Name Lady, drop her a line!
- Notorious Mom
One challenge of writing a baby name advice column is that you can't change names to protect the innocent. If you're wondering whether Mathilda is too old fashioned, you have to say Mathilda. Similarly, if you're wondering if your favorite name is too evil, you have to spell it out. Because when it comes to names, bad is sometimes bad, sometimes good, and sometimes downright cruel to children. It all depends on the individual name.
How can bad be good? I wrote about one way in my column, "Is My Nephew the Spawn of Satan?" An appearance as a demon child in a horror movie has launched hit names from Adrian to Gage. If the evilness doesn't take the name over too completely, it leaves behind a fashionably dark gleam. The same dark magic can work for stylish adult villains, like Lucius in the Harry Potter series, Circe in Greek mythology and even Delilah in the bible.
When the bad guy isn't stylish though, things get ugly fast. Harry Potter's cousin Dudley has effectively killed off that name. Star Wars' Jabba the Hutt has no namesakes at all. Ditto for Rumpelstiltskin, the Grinch, and Medusa. (Medusa actually has some flair, but that snake hairdo is just too much.)
More seriously, there are limits to the villainy a name can handle. The name Delilah may have shaken off its bad associations, but Jezebel is still borderline and Lucifer well over the line. Though believe it or not, nine American boys were named Lucifer last year, proof of the rehabilitative powers of fashion.
To judge the evil-tinged name on your short list, try placing it in one of the categories above. Then consider: Are there positive associations with the name as well? Will the other kids in school be familiar with the evildoer? When you suggest the name to friends, do they laugh, in the sincere belief that you're joking? And, above all, imagine introducing yourself by this name. Do you feel proud and confident, or nervous about what will come next?
What associations does your name have? Share your experiences here. And if you have your own question to Ask the Name Lady, drop her a line!
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
10-10-2010 @ 10:23PM
Okakopa said...Fictional names if I recall.
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 6:18PM
Mary Rose said...Naming a child after a villian or a dead brother they miss? Why can't the kid have their own personality? Why name a newborn baby with its whole life ahead of it an already used name or a name that just sounds mean? What a bunch of stupid parents!
Reply
10-10-2010 @ 10:53PM
stogie said...i think adolph hitler (your last name here) would be exciting.
Reply
10-10-2010 @ 11:42PM
Tana said...We named our older son Damien, after St. Damien of Molokai, who sacrificed his life to care for those on the leper colony on Molokai. But we get the occasional idiotic remarks like "Did you name him after that movie?" or "maybe he's naughty because of his name."
Reply
10-10-2010 @ 11:12PM
Ricardo said...I have probably one of the most associated names in the entertainment industry: Ricardo Martin
I wanted to be a performer of some type myself, but I think people might accuse me of working from someone else's celebrity.
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 8:28AM
Rebecca said...I have 7 boys, 1 girl. My last 2 boys are named Dorian (after Dorian Grey) and Anakin (after Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vador) I think it helps to have an open mind...The names show strength like the characters they represent. And when Dorian and Anakin get older they will learn where they got their names from. And for the record, my six older children have "normal" names..
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 10:38PM
Kristi said...A few years ago my son was friends with a boy named Damien Thorne. The poor kid had no idea about The Omen movies until my son told him about them after I had told him. A very nice, well-mannered little boy.
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 12:32AM
Nick said...Ricardo: Ricky Martin's legal first name is Enrique, so you have nothing to worry about yourself. Oh wait, were you talking about Dick Martin from Laugh-In? LOL!
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 1:41AM
Tom said...I don't have any children, but I'd certainly think of how any child of mine, especially if that child is a boy, would carry any moniker through life and how it would affect that child. I always think of country legend Johnny Cash's hit song "A Boy Named Sue." BTW, I think Ariel is a pretty name. There was a famous historian named Ariel Durant. She collaborated with her husband Will on the landmark multi-volume study of Western civilization, and their marriage, in my opinion, is one of America's great love stories.
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 3:52AM
Lita said...What I'd like to know is why she is so anxious to name her child "after the bad guy." This says a lot about the mother-to-be's thinking. I feel sorry for any child born to her.
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 4:30AM
SunnyHawaii said...Since the person asking didn't mention the name it could be anything. Like those arayan nation couple that named their kid Hitler or Stalin and arayan nation and the bakery refused to make their birthday cake a few years ago. People are weird and not very bright.
Considering the nearly daily headlines of school bullying and suicides, how can anyone saddle their child with a name that is already associated with something bad. I can only imagine names like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Castro, not to mention all the notorious gangsters like Bugsy, Dillinger, Capone, etc. Or serial killers like Bundy, Dahmar, etc.
So sad that poor innocents have just clueless parents and get saddled with the teasing and pain.
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 4:57AM
Sean said...Director Kevin Smith named his daughter Harley Quinn Smith after the Batman villainess.
Reply
10-11-2010 @ 3:36PM
It's A Name Thing said...My boyfriends last name is Grim, so we're always saying that if we ever have a boy his name is going to be Reeper. Everyone I've talked to says its a kickass name, so I'm kinda seriously thinking about it. Ha! What kindergarten teacher wont freak when she sees Grim, Reeper on her roster?
Reply
11-11-2010 @ 9:27AM
Mrs. Frosty said...Our last name is Frost, when we announced to our family we were pregnant we had to promise everyone right away that we wouldn't name the baby Jack if we had a boy. There are people out there who would do it though.
Reply