Names with negative connotations

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

This post brought to you by the recent obsession with the name Loki.

Does anyone actually read the mythology behind Loki? He is one nasty, evil god. Why would you want to name yout kid that? Even if you just view him as a necessary trickster/badguy in the lore, he still ends up chained to a rock with his son's entrails and venom dripping onto his face. He gets to stay like that until the end of the world, according to the mythology. What a lovely story to tell your kid about his name.

I, for one, could never give a child a name with a historically negative connotation. Juliet even bugs me because she does (spoiler!) kill herself at the end of the play, after all. Ophelia, same sort of issue. Damian, Lucifer, and related names are all awful in my opinion and should doom the parents to a hellion of a child. (Don't anyone get the idea that Hellion's a lovely name.) Same with Adolf.

If Lolita's okay (not that I think so) then why aren't people offering up Humbert as a boy's name? Humbert Humbert is a great literary figure, after all. And Bert is such a nice nickname.

So in conclusion:
1) What's your opinion on using names with negative backgrounds?
2) Any other good examples of names with bad history?

Comments

[queenfionnuala.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. I think Ophelia is a beautiful name, but would never, ever name my child that. Juliet bothers me a little less, simply because yeah, she kills herself, but it's not in a circustance nearly as negative as Ophelia's.

Another name I feel this way about is Delilah. She is not a good character in the Bible, and that name will never have anything but negative connotations to me. Again, beautiful name, bad connotation. I guess this partly depends on your upbringing, though. People who weren't raised hearing Bible stories probably don't have a problem with the name.

[amiasha.livejournal.com]

Hehe, my Uncle and Aunt were intending on naming their next kid 'Loki Danger' for awhile. Thankfully they chose 'Vega Dream' instead.

Personally, I think that if the name is immediately associated with something bad, that it probably shouldn't be used. The thing with 'Loki' though, is that SO MANY people have used it that it's almost become a cute, trickster name rather than really accurate to the myths. I think once a name moves beyond just it's original source, it's okay to use, though if it's still very associated with something (like Adolf) then it should really be avoided.

I can't really think of any names with a terrible history/association at the moment, though I know there are some good ones. Hannibal, maybe? XD

[caribbean-luv.livejournal.com]

I think the names Damian and Lucian sound nice, but I immediately think of evil...so I would not consider naming my kid that.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

I think there's a big difference between some of the names you've listed and others.. some names basically come from the character themselves, like Loki, I doubt the name existed for very long before the mythology was created. other names existed long before their connotation was made. Adolph, Damien.. heck, Damien is just from a movie! I don't think a *recent* bad connection should make an otherwise nice name with a history predating said connection become unusable. I happen to like the name Damien, it's a Catholic Saint's name, and if it weren't the first choice of my brother-in-law and his fiancee, I'd have probably used it myself.

[framedinblood.livejournal.com]

I have a friend that named one of her cats Loki.

I like the name Lucian. Lucifer's a stretch, but it still has a nice meaning. Lucian shares the meaning and it has a much more pleasing sound to it.

I couldn't name a child Lucius though, because I'm a Harry Potter fan.

[swiftheartlu.livejournal.com]

I don't see a problem with negative connotations in names. For a rose by any other name would smell so sweet etc etc. And they can always be changed.

I think the name Loki is fairly good. Although it would infuriate me if people didn't know the real story behind Loki. Same as I pretty much murdered someone that called their girl 'Kali' just because it was a cute way of spelling it.

I once met someone called Macbeth (as a first name) and figured they were pretty much damned from birth.

If it's to do with person-that-names-stupidity, it's to do with education. If people were AWARE that Loki etc had bad connotations, then they may not choose them. But all the power to them if they do know and still choose it.

I know two Damians, and a Robert Damian and they all LOVE their names, because of the connotation.

I don't think it has much to do with your upbringing. I was brought up on bible stories and you could call your child 'Jeebus' and I wouldn't give a monkeys.

Each to his own I suppose.

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

The "a rose by any other name" quote in full context is that Romeo is cursed by his name, since he is Juliet's family's sworn enemy. So Juliet wishes he could cast aside his name, since he would still be the same person without it, and then they would be able to be together.

So, I think it upholds my point, actually. Of course people with awful names aren't automatically awful people, but they certainly are cursed if they are sweet people with a name that makes everyone else think of evil.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

I really like Damien, but wouldn't ever use it because of the Omen.
Lolita is such a pretty name, but the obvious would keep me from ever using it.
Ophelia (or rather, Ofelia) is beautiful but has awful connotations.
I also like the name Snow, but it sounds so trashy.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

And Humbert Humbert is still, no matter how innocently the book makes him out to be (which I think it does. You kind of... understand him.), a pedophile.

And I think Humbert is an awful name. ;)
Juliet isn't so bad, not as bad as Ophelia. Probably because of all the similar names (Julia, Julianna/Juliana/Julianne, Julie).

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

Evangeline comes from the poem by Longellow. It's about the forced deportation of Acadians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadian) from Canada by the English in 1755. My family is Acadian, so I have a bit of attachment to the name.

It does have the same roots as evangelical (bringing/bearer of good news) so your dislike is understandable.

So why do you like Loki even with the back story? Friendly curiosity, not attacking, promise. :)

[emmala.livejournal.com]

there is also a question of where you draw the line with negative names. i mean all those andrews and andrew jackson what such a bastard of a u.s. pres. my name emma, is a horrible person in austen's book, and a radical anarchist who the u.s. gov hated so much they decided to deport her but who is much beloved in the radical community. but those conotations sometimes tell me a lot about the person i'm dealing with because almost everbody says: emma like--jane austen or emma goldman or emma lazerus (who wrote the poem on the statue of liberty. usually from their responce to my name i can tell if we are going to get along. it's a nice test.

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

I actually totally agree with you. Damian is just something I wouldn't personally use, same with Adolf. I'm not bothered by others using Damian, though.

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

Yep, Delilah is another one I wouldn't use personally, for the same reason.

[swiftheartlu.livejournal.com]

I'm perfectly aware of the full context, I used the quotation in seperation to denote a meaning that I didn't want to bandy round the bush with.




Just had this discussion with my housemates and one is going to call her kids cthulhu, lucifer, demonia and decandence.

[ladydiddymus.livejournal.com]

Agreed! I always check the meanings/connotations before I decide if I like a name.
When I was younger I liked the name Aurora until my mom told me it reminded her of toilet paper.
And I liked the name Claudia until I found out it means "lame" or "crippled." I also feel obligated to share that with anyone else who likes this name haha.

[moldycelery.livejournal.com]

I personally think naming your child after mythological characters is a bit odd, and Loki's backstory makes it even worse. And same with Ophelia; a kid would probably be teased growing up for being samed after some crazy princess who kills herself.

Delilah is the name that gets me everytime, because it's a giant, flashing sign screaming "whore." Tristan and Isolde annoy me as well, but less people know about their myth, so it's not that bad.

[swiftheartlu.livejournal.com]

I want to call my child Odin and watch him kill everything in sight.

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

I think it comes down to what comes to mind first or what the overwhelming meaning is. There's only one origin for Loki, The Loki, with his surrounding negative mythology. Emma = A bajillion different characters and real people, none of which are "the" Emma.

[swiftheartlu.livejournal.com]

Jesabel does that one for me too.
And all the other spellings of it.

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

Okay, the quote just didn't seem to support the rest of what you were saying.

[moldycelery.livejournal.com]

UGH Jezebel. My hate for that name knows no end. There was a period (when I was like, fourteen or something) where I was all, "oooOOOoo I love Jezebel it's so ~*unique*~ and ~*dark*~." Oh, how stupid I was.

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I love Nordic names, too. I'm a big mythology geek. I've just made a promise to myself to only inflict my geekery on pets. :) Otherwise things could get out of hand and I'd end up with Athena Frig Spider or some such.

[swiftheartlu.livejournal.com]

Well, imo, even with the full quotation it fits fairly well.
Romeo and Juliet overcame the name, and fell in love. Yeah, they had to kill themselves to be together but the plan was nearly in fruition when Romeo cocked it up.

I think as long as you know all the different ideologies, mythologies and other ologies behind a name, and you can either justify the name, or can overcome the context, then any name is suitable.

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

Dude, you totally have to get him pet ravens.

[bugamok.livejournal.com]

Well, there goes Claudia off my possible names list. :)