Because of Pop Culture You Can't Use the Name

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

What names do you really like, but won't ever use due to a pop culture reference?

For example, you won't name your daughter Hermione after the Harry Potter craze.
You can stop considering Paris because of the lovely heiress who made it seem so pretty. /sarcasm
Maddox can be crossed off because of Angelina's son.

(And by saying this, I don't mean you MUST stop considering these potential names, but that your opinion of them has lessened because of whatever pop culture reference.)

Suri- Because of Tom and Katie's daughter, I'm x-ing it.
Xander- Because of Buffy, this name will probably be forever associated with vampires and the Hellmouth.
Buffy- Same as above. (It would've been a guilty pleasure anyway, due to its "fluffy" image)
Lorelai- Obvious why I can't use it.
Rory- See above.
Natalie- I caught old re-runs of Facts of Life so this name is basically ruined.
Neve- Perhaps the association isn't as strong, but Neve Campbell pops into my mind. She isn't bad or anything, mind you, but I wouldn't want it to seem as if my child was named after an actress.

Comments

[americandiva.livejournal.com]

A lot of mine are the same as yours

Maddox, Suri, Lorelai, Rory.

However I do love Natalie.

I'd like to add Paris to the list.

[americandiva.livejournal.com]

oops you already said Paris....but still. great name but hilton ruined it for me

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

It is a nice name, but now it has this yucky, spoiled image attached to it that I hate.

I love Natalie as well, but my mother keeps reminding me of the squinty-eyed chubby girl on the show, which sort of does it in for me.

[laurakirstine.livejournal.com]

i kind of like the name bree, but i hate bree van de kamp in desperate housewives, so that ruins it for me :(

isobel - no matter how you spell it - and its nickname, izzy/izzie - is a great name/nickname but i will always think of the character on grey's anatomy.

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

Harry & Huck for boys. I like them both as nicknames for Henry, but...no. Unfortunately.

I agree on Xander. I like it, but it's WAY too Buffy. I mean, I love Buffy, but I don't want to name my kid after that character. I do like Xan, though, which I would consider using as a nickname for Alexander.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

I really like Xan too, which I suppose could be a substitute for Xander.

[nobodynomore.livejournal.com]

I always like Surrey like the city, but I'd name a boy that.

[jesus--suburbia.livejournal.com]

I like that as well, on a boy.

[nobodynomore.livejournal.com]

I'm very proud of that sentence up there, which on second glance, does not make much sense at all. :)

[jesus--suburbia.livejournal.com]

I love Rory and Lorelai, I'd still use them.

And actually, James Sirius was a favorite for a while, after the star, not the Black.

[juniorfan29.livejournal.com]

Oh my...James Sirius...it's a cute name, but...yeah, wow...talk about having pop culture written all over it. :(

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

Mariah - I love, love, love it. Had that idiotic diva singer. I'll probably use the name for a cat instead of a daughter.

Kaia - I used to get a lot of comments about Cindy Crawford's daughter. I don't think as many people know or care about her anymore though, so probably no big deal.

Cedric - Oh my fricking god, this was a name BEFORE Harry Potter and that is NOT where I got it!!!! (LOL) Nor do I care about Cedric the Entertainer.

Calista - Please, please, please forget about Calista Flockhart.

Felix - the cat. Yeah, I get it.

Tabitha - Unbelievable that a tv show about fake witchcraft from 50 years ago is a hang-up for people. "It's so... witchy." Don't even get me started...

I'd still use a lot of these, cause I'm stubborn like that. But these are the things that annoy me about them.

[pixietangerine.livejournal.com]

my sister is named tabitha, and my mother didn't know about the girl on the show, so she got really confused and offended for the first few months of "is she a witch?" jokes/comments about her baby, until someone explained.

[gangwaygirls.livejournal.com]

Tabitha always reminds me of a cat's name rather than a witch's name... not sure why.

[o-honeybee-o.livejournal.com]

i know a 5 year old named Tabitha, she's the most adorable little girl.

[juniorfan29.livejournal.com]

"It's so... witchy." Don't even get me started...


Interesting, kind of related, story. There was a couple from our church who had little girls (both under 3) named Samantha and Sabrina. Well...they decided that they didn't like the witchy undertones of Sabrina. So, they decided to change the youngest one's name.

Their daughters' names, now? Samantha and Serena.


Because, you know, that has NO witchy undertones AT ALL.

[imyourrapunzel.livejournal.com]

Zahara - I didn't start liking it until recently...and it's too late because Angelina has made it well-known

Lionel - I think of Lionel Barrymore who I don't really mind..but then I think of Lionel Richie and then it seems corny

Jude - A name I LOVED and then Mr. Law cheated with the nanny

[politicking.livejournal.com]

i know a lot of people who doe not associate Xander with Buffy... i know it was a popular show, but it's not as obvious as naming your child Buffy. same with Rory & Lorelai. while the shows are/were popular, by the time the child is in school in 5-6yrs, the kids probably won't know what that show is lol.

that's like some kids who were named after songs, or famous shows of their parents days, then when they got to school no one even knew what their name was in reference to.

but names like: Paris, Suri, Maddox, Jayden James... those are names that i'm sure are going to be in the press for years & years to come. so i would stay away from those. & if you're looking to stay away from names that are associated with pop culture at all, i would also steer clear of names very famous musicians: Lennon, Ringo, Elvis, Presley, Hendrix, Steven Tyler, Bob/Robert Dylan.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sure they won't be popular by the time is in school (add onto those five years with about another fifteen, as that's probably when I'll start having kids) but I meant with parents today and things that have affected their naming decisions.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

*by the time they're in school

[politicking.livejournal.com]

yeah, my son is nearly 3... no current tv shows really affected me naming him. the only things that would have would have been very famous peoples' children who are around his age, as well as any names of super super famous movie stars & very famous musicians that have been around for a long time.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

What's your son's name, if you don't mind my asking.

[politicking.livejournal.com]

Ryan... i wanted to name him Bryan, since my dad's name is Brian- but my son's father knows like 5 Brians, so wouldn't allow me to name him that. i should've just told him to shove it & named him that anyway, since Ryan is so freaking popular, which i had no idea. i wish i had found this site when picking out a name!

but, really, in the end it was that Ryan was the only name we could agree on lol

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

I like the name Ryan; it's one of the few super common names that I actually like.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't worry about Neve Campbell. I doubt many people even think about her now much, let alone by the time you use it.

I loved the name Hillary so much I'm sure it would have been my daughter's name if it hadn't got struck off my list back in '92.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

What was wrong with Hillary?

[so-there.livejournal.com]

ummmm... Hillary Clinton?

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

Sorry, excuse the brainfart.
I realised that right after I commented (I realise this could be either true or false, and you wouldn't know, but it is truth) but neglected to comment again.

And I was also born in 1992, so my memory of that year is somewhat foggy, as I was only alive for four months that year.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Addison - the Grey's Anatomy character and Private Practice star.
Bellatrix - extremely evil and awesome Harry Potter character.
Cordelia - Buffy character.
Lourdes - Madonna's daughter's name. It's the only name that I both like and that could be a formal name for Lola, though.
Madonna - the singer and the virgin.

I'd probably still use all of those names except Madonna, though. I also really liked the name Theresa until I started watching Passions. :/

[barelyshocking.livejournal.com]

Hermione- Obviously because of HP. I think I would still consider using it though, it makes me think of Shakespeare and ivy and a warm Spring day.
Joaquin- Of the Phoenix variety.
Jude- The cad Law and the Beatles song both made me love the name, and have both given me reason to not use it..
Heidi- This isn't so bad, I'd still use this. I think Heidi Klum is beautiful, and I guess not so many people would think "Ah German model!"
Sawyer- LOST
Dashiell- Both a famous author, and the name of Cate Blanchett's son. It is one of those names that people are going to assume that I found from someone else.. I'd feel like a thief!
Charlotte- SATC
Olivier- I still think of the Martinez guy.

Paris is quite a lovely name, and it is ruined forever. I feel for those named Paris before the Hilton started her crawl to notorious fame.

[oreocrackers.livejournal.com]

try as hard as you like to not name your kid after a pop culture icon, but you may end up with your child having my situation. i share a name with a certain well-known warrior princess (more well known than i ever thought possible), albeit with a different spelling. this has resulted in my name being almost always spelled like the tv character, ridiculous questions like "omg were you named after her???" except i was born 10 years before the show even started and my name has a completely different origin from hers.

despite all of the mispellings and stupid comments, i love my name. no one forgets me, which is always a good thing. anyway, main point, no name is safe from potential pop culture associations!

[in-the-starlite.livejournal.com]

I can't believe nobody's said Delilah. That effing song is everywhere...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_toasterhead/]

i actually like the name Delilah because of the song. :)

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

And so many people here have suddenly said "OH! What about Delilah?"

A few are at least admitting it's 'cause of the song. I swear, half a year ago there was a "What do you think about Delilah?" and most people had negative associations, because, well, the name has a negative Biblical origin.

[kyo-o.livejournal.com]

Paris- I really like this name for a boy but the heiress of the same name puts me off entirely. Also, I think of Eddie Izzard's "I am Paris! I have come to have sex with your family, let us kiss with tounges!" act and get the giggles.

Pixie- I wouldn't ever use this as a first name but maybe a middle name. But I don't think I can ever use it because of Bob Geldof's daughter.

Mary-Kate- Ruined by the uglier twin.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

I used to love the name Britney. Yeah, I don't anymore!!

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

Wentworth. Prison Break is awesome, but no, I don't think I'm gonna name my kid Wentworth =P!
I also think Lennon would be a bit too obvious, although I really like that name.

[o-honeybee-o.livejournal.com]

Why not use the spelling Niamh, the name is pretty popular (but not overly popular) here in the UK and certainly in Ireland, so much so that I don't think many people here associate it with the actress. I don't know how popular it is where u live though.

I really like Maddox but i'd never heard it before Angelina named her son that..I doubt i'd ever use it because of that though.

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

Isn't Niamh pronounced neev, not nev?
And here in Canada, I'd be afraid people would butcher the name up with a spelling like that.

[neverstarsburn.livejournal.com]

I'm named after Denise Huxtable on the cosby show (my parents couldn't agree on a name, my older brother had a crush on denise and suggested it), so i can't really judge. But yeah, I'd never use Paris or Suri or Maddox now

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

Felicity. My maiden name is Froehlich, which means Happy in German. It's a tradition in my family to give the first child the mother's maiden name as a first name, but obviously Froehlich isn't going to fly. But I was going to use Felicity (nn Flossie) instead. Then the TV show happened.

[secret-x-stars.livejournal.com]

my name is Lorelei (spelled with an e, not an a).

if it can be believed, i think only three people have given me the 'OMG LIKE FROM THE GILMORE GIRLS?' bullshit in the last seven years, when i started using it (i picked it up from a book on faeries, i didn't know the show existed at the time). even my friends who are fans of the show told me that the reference didn't even occur to them until i brought it up. this might be because the mother's name is not used a lot on the show, so they say 'Rory' but not 'Lorelai' and i guess people don't catch it.

so, yeah, the reference really isn't that bad. and even if a lot of people did catch the reference, there's nothing really to make fun about it or anything. 'OH MAN... ALREADY GOT A LITTLE PREP SCHOOL GIRL? LOLOLOLOL' i mean it just doesn't work lmao.