Does Association make a name bad for you?

[quiritis.livejournal.com]

I'm not referring to extremes like Adolf...but I am looking at many of the names people recommended (which I do appreciate) but I know someone for most of the names.

Like Zachary-the name of a little boy we knew who drowned when his mom wasn't watching him (this past year)

or William-the name of my sisters husband who at times can be really loud and obnoxious.

or Nathanial-the name of this gamer guy we knew that thought he really was a vampire.

I dunno...does anyone else do this? Am I over-analyzing these things? I really did not want my neice named Sarah, because I knew a bully in school names Sarah...but now after knowing my neice I really like that name.

The boys names above are all fine names, but by association, I don't like them (for my child.) I don't know, maybe I'm just weird. I like the name Jeremiah and Daniel, but my sons cousins are named that, so I don't want to copy a name. I'm thinking of using Matthew as a middle name-For first names I like Jacob, Thomas, or Cedric.

What do you guys think of Cedric? Too strange? Why is naming a baby soooo hard?!

Comments

[necromanticism.livejournal.com]

i love how you just butcher my name, haha. its pedersen by the way.

[amandavanessa.livejournal.com]

My best guy friends name is Cedric :) I like it.

Association plays a big part in naming our kids, I've noticed. When we were throwing ideas out there for our last child, I remember saying "Oh no, not that one...she was very snobby in high school and used to bully people" when he suggested Laurel. He did the same as well with a couple names.

[whatdouthink57.livejournal.com]

I know what your saying about association. I'm the same way..If I pick a name of some girl I didn't like in high school..then I won't use it. Things like that. Or if something happened to them, like you said.

It's weird I know!

Cedric is a good name..but for some reason I don't like it has much as Jacob!

[dingo83.livejournal.com]

Definitely. I loved Nathaniel, but because of an awful association from his past, my husband said no way will we ever have a son with the first OR middle name Nathaniel.

It's hard for me because I see so many great names, but then I have the association of working with kids that have these names, and even if the association isn't negative, I still don't like it.

[dancing-crazy.livejournal.com]

You're definitely not weird, and you're the only one. Association can kill a name for me, as well. Names are tricky enough for me as it is because I'd like very much for them to work in Hebrew; for example Shira (poetry or song, in meaning) is a lovely name that works in both languages, but I knew a girl so obnoxious and mean by that name, I can't stand the thought of it now. Same with names that create a certain image in my mind, like Victoria. All the Victorias I've ever known were mean girls. So yes, the way you percieve a name definitely has an impact on how much you like. I find it goes the other way around, as well--one of my very best friends is a Jessica, and I used to dislike that name and now I'm incredibly fond of it. Shakespeare was so obviously wrong. But yes, you're right, and it makes sense.

I love both Jacob (my dad's name!) and Thomas; Cedric isn't weird, but it's not my style. Thomas Matthew is a beautiful name, in my opinion.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

Cedric, like Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter. hehe i love it.
I cannot stand the names Siobhan, Joanna, or Alison because of people i dislike a lot. It's natural for that to happen.
Jacob is a lovely name.

[babyhoyt.livejournal.com]

that's where my mind goes with the name Cedric too :)

[semi-sweet.livejournal.com]

me too! I love that name, but I wonder if it will seem weird, especially when the next movie comes out.

[quiritis.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I totally forgot about Cedric Diggory-and I love HP! I actually got the name Cedric from a very old game called Kings Quest. It was the name of the old owl. I also named my Lab Cedric, we bought him when my son was 2, but our neighbors stole him (well he "disappeared" the same day they moved.)

I'm hoping my son won't think his little brother is named after the dog LOL!

[elf-chic-arwen.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't necessarily say it's a bad thing, or that it's that uncommon. However, I definitely think that name association with popular figues is more likely to shoot you in the foot as opposed to random people you know who share similar names. Example... as lovely as the name Jezebel is, it'd be difficult to name a daughter that. But I do experience that same reaction of dislike when it comes to names of people I don't like. Especially the name Irene. ;pp hah.

[babyhoyt.livejournal.com]

I definitely associate names with people from the past. My hubby won't allow me to use Margaret, because of a psycho ex. And I went to elementary school with a girl named claudia, who threw up while we were eating lunch and didn't say anything. weird, right? but its my grandmother's name!!

Cedric isn't my favorite, but I love both Thomas and Jacob. maybe Jacob a little more with Matthew.

[pale-september.livejournal.com]

Cedric is too mild sounding for a boy in my opinion.

I think if you really like a name, don't let a person you didn't really like very much ruin it for you. You're not naming your baby after them or anything. :)

[glitterberrys.livejournal.com]

Association can be important - if I loved a name but cringed every time I heard it because someone I hated had that name, I probably wouldn't use it.
Cedric always reminds me of this James Herriot story about a boxer (dog, not a human that boxes, heh) with a terrible flatulence problem. So right there? It's a name I could never use because of association! Wow, that tied in pretty well, didn't it?
That aside, it's a nice name, but not my style.
I love Thomas. I don't care for Jacob, and I don't know if it matters to you, but on the last list I saw it was the #1 most popular boy's name in the country.

[quiritis.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I like Jacob but it is wayyyy too popular. I read that name in an amish book years ago, and fell in love with it...apparently many other fell in love with it too.

My first borns name is Winston-very old fashioned, so I want something non-trnedy to match his brother.

ps-I had a dog named Cedric!

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

Everyone has associations. It's not a big deal. Yeah, you'll probably get over them when you have a different and better association, but I don't think there's anything bad or abnormal about disliking names for those reasons.

Ones I have include Margaret, Jessica, Wayde, Germaine... etc. I mean not bad names in themselves, but names that have very little appeal to me now.


I adore Cedric. It's our top choice for a boy, or at least one of our top three. So I say "yes, use it because it's awesome" and at the same time "no, hands off! That's our name and I don't want it chart climbing!" I do feel like I'm seeing it a lot more than I used to. :(

I'm sick of Jacob. It's hugely overused. Thomas is ok, but also in the top 10. I personally prefer names that are not in the top 50 or 25 at most.

Good luck finding something, I'm sure you will.

[quiritis.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I worry about it climbing in rank...I didn't even remember about Cedric from HP. My only problem with that name...is that we named our dog (we no longer have-our neighbors stole him) Cedric. And my son remembers the dog, and I'm worried he might tell his lil brother "You were named after the dog!"

I did not think I would have any more kids, so I started naming my pets what I would name my chldren...Cedric, D'Artagnon, etc. My first kitty cat, when I was like 6 years old...was named Thomas, and I loved that name so much!

[quiritis.livejournal.com]

Also, my firstborns name is Winston...which is like in the bottom 800's of popularity. Everyone thinks it's after the guy from ghostbusters, or after Churchill or gasp-the smokes, but he comes from a long line of Winstons. :)

I don't want a old fashioned name with a sibling who has a trendy name-I don't think something like "Jason" would go well with Winston.

[colin-chaotic.livejournal.com]

Association would definitely be one of the things I'd consider when naming a kid - although mine tends to run towards fictional people. Like, I'd never use Vern or Vernon as a first or middle name because of Schillinger on Oz.

Chris and Rory are two names I don't want to use, since they were the names of childhood bullies. Peter's one I shy away from using, since it's my idiot uncle's name (or, rather, my cousins' father, since their mother is the one I'm biologically related to, and they're divorced), but I still really like it. I'll just have to be constantly informing family that no, he's not named after Uncle Peter.

[semi-sweet.livejournal.com]

yes! I don't like using the same name as anyone else that I know, mostly because it can be confusing and silly when you have to differentiate between different people you know with the same name. Like I hate calling my boyfriend when he's at his parent's house, because he has the same name as his dad. I'm always afraid to ask for him and get the wrong person.

I also know a Christian, Christine and a Kristen, and my parents always mix up the names, so even using similar names is out.

The only thing I'm afraid of is that I'll pick a name that someone else I know has a horrible association with, and then they'll always make that connection when they see my kids. But oh well...

[quiritis.livejournal.com]

heheheh I don't really like it when sons and father share names, my dad and brother did, and they weren't Junior or Senior, they were I and II... so I had to ask, "the first one or the second one" and it was annoying. My dad never wanted the "jr" attached, so he did the II. My ex, and my firstborn have the same name, and they also choose I and II. I guess when my son starts receiving phone calls it will get irritating all over again! :)

[so-there.livejournal.com]

actually, I have a good association with Adolf.. my mom's uncle from Germany who is awesome! :) I still wouldn't use it though...