Taking fandom to a whole new level

[isoldereverie.livejournal.com]

My friend's sister recently had a baby girl. They named her Chesni after the country singer Kenny Chesney. The new mom is crazy about Kenny Chesney and insisted on the name.  

I know that celebrity names tend to rise in popularity, but what about celebrity surnames?? Would you ever use a celebrity surname as a first name like Chesni? Do you have any favorites that might make a transition like that and still sound respectable?   

Comments

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

Chesney would make me think of Cessna (the aircraft), but it would have been much better than Chesni, which sounds half indian, half 80's.

[isoldereverie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think it's pretty bad. I get a bubble-gum chewing, bubble headed blonde swinging on a stripper pole image. ::shrug:: I personally don't like names that end in "i" anyway. They look unfinished to me. However, the whole concept made me wonder about other names.

[shechoselove.livejournal.com]

I think it's awful.

[polly-purebred.livejournal.com]

I guess it's no worse than the multitude of people who named their kid Dylan because they're Bob Dylan fans. Both are lame imo.
I'm a Joy Division fan and entertained naming our son Ian Curtis (last name) for a milisecond. I would never go the celeb/musician route.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely not a fan of naming kids after celebrities, and Chesni just doesn't sound good.

[xx-imagination.livejournal.com]

My future children will probably be named after musicians that mean a lot to me, but their first names most likely (or names mentioned in songs), and not spelled funny. Chesni is terrible! Chesney would have been better, though still a bit weird.

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't use it myself, but fair enough. At least there's a vaild reason behind it; not worse that 'it's unique/sounds good/we just like it'.

I like the names Dylan, Harrison, Lennon and Phoenix in the abstract anyway; but yes not adverse to the celebrity connection. Wouldn't bother me what a stranger thought of it.
Though I'd probably only use one, otherwise it'd feel like overkill.

[morgainlefee.livejournal.com]

One of the little boys across from me is name Chesney, which I thought was cute but then I saw how his parents spelled it.

Chezney.

And it lost all cute appeal....

[jordle.livejournal.com]

Why would you name your child after someone and then spell it differently? It makes no sense to me. Chesney is a dumb name but its better than Chesni and at least then you could make the connection that the Mum got it from Kenny Chesney and didn't just make it up.

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

I'm not a fan of Kenny Chesney and I don't like the name. Toby Keith on the other hand... I'd totally name my kid Keith. It's a legit name after a LEGIT country singer.

Anywhoodles. Some singers that I am heavily considering on naming my kids after: Elliott [Smith], Conor [Oberst], and [John] Lennon.

[ghetto-lonetto.livejournal.com]

Bowie! Although I'd be more likely to use it as a middle name than as a first.

[singhappy02.livejournal.com]

I too know someone who named their little girl (she's like....4ish months old? born in March), Chesney.

Only they aren't fans of Kenny Chesney, they liked it because it means peaceful or something like that.


Of course my first question was, "Like Kenny Chesney?"

[laminy.livejournal.com]

Well, if I ever did use a celebrity surname, it would never be that one. That is for sure. I know that it's not technically her surname, it was her middle name, but I would say Jolie.

[erikalyn.livejournal.com]

I've actually liked the name Chesney for quite some time but Kenny Chesney isn't the first thing that comes to mind. For me, it's Chesney Battersby-Brown from Coronation Street. Not to say that connotation is any better, though!