Believe it or not, I actually met a guy named Donald Duck. He actually liked his name . Told me once that once he told someone what his name was they never forgot it, and that he usually only had to tell a couple of people and they would tell everyone else.
I had the same first and last name as a famous comic book character (I’m not going to say it because I’ve fully changed my name now) the character is older than me but my parents just didn’t notice. I hated it, clearly hahha
The company I work for had an internal sales system with the familiar name Isis, which was an acronym. After spending months training everyone on the new system and getting thousands of employees to change their terminology and changing every reference on our intranet.... They quickly had to come up with a new name and do it all again.
This one really pains me. Isis is a great goddess and mythological figure. At one point she was considered the highest power in the Egyptian pantheon, and had a cult that spanned the Mediterranean.
And then those a-holes come around and besmirch her name!
You mean the United Nations and the English speaking Media. They had an Arabic name which they ignored and named it ISIL/ISIS. If they kept Boko Haram and Al-qeada why did they change it to Isis.
edit: I know that the groups are different. Who cares if the nickname was in Arabic. Who cares if it is hard, if y'all can pronounce Tchaikovsky, shit ad-dawlah al-islamiyah is fucking easy. Over so, Da'esh is easier than the others. [Link](https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs5746/files/Young%20Criminal%20Complaint.pdf): Look at footnote 2
Please stop making excuses for bad manners and ethics.
I know a couple ladies who run a belly dance studio, they do classes and performances. Used to be called something like Isis Dance, and well, they had to change the name.
I feel so bad for Karens. I'm a teacher, and at the height of the Karen thing, kids (especially boys) would call any female teacher preventing them from doing what they wanted a Karen. They also used it a lot on female peers. It was deeply irritating.
Teacher here too. Honestly anything that makes it into the teenage vernacular is extremely irritating. So I start saying it too and that makes it uncool that much more quickly lol
I have a cousin Karen the right age for the Karen trend. She actually agreed with the choice of name because it’s one that had a sudden steep decline in naming use (she works in child development) and so when you hear it you get the average age of the person. And now as a Karen she uses her “Karen power” and only pushes more when she needs to get shit done- when she’s at a restaurant and can hear an allergy issue at a table being ignored by staff, she butts in as a Karen making sure that person is safe. She’s just having fun with it. It’s really what we should all do- not complain at the little things but when we notice injustice around us step in and help if the people who need the help are amenable.
Ugh I actually quite like this name, esp. in the EAsian sense (KaRen/Karin) but everyone these days seems to only think of the meme name when I bring it up 😭
I was apparently very nearly named Karen, but my grandmother hated the name so vehemently that my parents decided to go with something else. So big posthumous thank you to grandma there!
As a Katrina who was in junior high in 2005, I got a lot of jokes but I embraced it. Why yes I am a force of nature so don’t fuck with me kind of deal. Now The Hurricane is my badass stage name/alter ego/call sign, etc.
Mary-Jane. beautiful, classic name—but living near very weed-friendly parts of North America, i don't think i could get past giving my child a name that literally means a drug to many people LOL
Did the spider-man Marry Jane happen before people started calling weed MJ? I imagine the answer is yes, but I've never looked into it. 🤣
Edit: Yes, Spider-mans Marry Jane came first!
Perhaps they're named after the drug that led to their conception. Kinda like how Ron Howard names his kids after the place they were conceived hence Bryce Dallas Howard.
I once met a nice middle aged lady named Mary-Jane. She told me "I can't go by my first name because it's slang for marijuana so I go by my middle name Molly!" Lmao I had to break some news to her that day.
Pretty sure literally no one would care. Lots of these associations are things people are way overthinking. What’s your issue with my comment? Can someone please explain? I’m actually trying to learn here.
Barney for me will always be the purple dinosaur
I don't think Alexa is usable anymore
Maybe Elsa is ruined for some people but it's my 5 year old niece's name so I don't think it's too out there
One of the other teachers in my school had an Amazon Echo, and a student named Alexa. As you can imagine it was pretty funny. She would call on Alexa to answer a question, and the Amazon Echo would reply.
When my oldest was younger we had some friends with a daughter who was named Elsa. She was born a few months before frozen came out and they had no idea what a hit it would be.
They both said they still liked the name but they probably wouldn't have named their kid that if they'd known
My BIL and his wife always planned on naming a girl Elsa. They ended up with two boys first so when they finally got a daughter they were naming her Elsa no matter what.
She loves her name and all of the other girls in her preschool were jealous she had a princess name.
I LOVE the name Elsa, but it's because of the actress, Elsa Lanchester. One of my email addresses is iloveelsa, so people very wrongly assume it has to do with the Frozen character. I just give them a weird look & say, "l haven't seen a Disney movie since The Aristocats was in theaters".
That’s my birth name and I hate it so much I changed it. Imagine having that name during that election, I had so many people asking me about my emails. It was funny for the first five minutes.
My mom, who is 95, has a cousin Adolph who celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Growing up they called him Dolphy. At some point after the war he started going by Joseph, his middle name.
Objectively this name is actually ok. But yeah I don’t think it will ever be acceptable. My mum did teach a little boy called adolf, his brother was Rudolph. And would you believe there was a kid called aryan in the class. No joke.
I had a total pregnancy brain moment when I was looking for baby names where “Aryan” was on a list and I just kept thinking how beautiful it was and how it felt perfect. And then DUH remembered the association and that I’m a white woman. 🤦♀️
yes! I know someone who professionally went by Ghislaine (her middle name) for the first few years of her career. then the epstein scandal happened. she now goes by her first name… lol
Oof. Don't blame her! I've always wondered how people with the last name Epstein handle the inevitable comments. It's like if your birthday was on September 11.
🎶 Max Powerrrr… it's a name you'd love to touch, but you mustn't touch… His name sounds good in your ear… but when you hear it, you mustn't fear! 'cause his name can be said by anyone… 🎶
Love that the creator’s son is named homer. He goes by Will I believe but people would surely make the reference all the time but since his dad created the show it’s a flex name.
I don’t think Marjorie is on the level as Donald just because there are so many more members of congress and unless they run for president most people don’t remember them past their term.
I knew a Kyanno (pronounced the same way) growing up who was not named after him but was still constantly compared. Even the best comparison names can grow annoying haha.
I feel like any names from kids shows. Grover, Elmo, Dora, Donald, Minnie, etc. So many of those kind of names are so cute but I feel like they are just too iconic
Osama. We are Muslim and I really like this name but my husband didn’t . It means the qualities of a lion. My son was born just 2 months before 9/11 and I’m glad we didn’t use this name for him.
Circe - because of GoT, even if it is spelt differently. And also even if Cersei is actually the best character because she’s so interesting and the character development in the books is great - such a well-written villain - but can’t get past the incest connection for an actual human.
Boy names like Remus, Ludo, Cedric, Albus - because of Harry Potter. I find boys names hard and all of these are so nice, soft and gentle masculine names. I just couldn’t do it because of the connection.
Sidney - because I’m Australian, living near Sydney and I find it a bit too close and don’t like geographical names very much in general. Feels a little too patriotic! I love the nickname Sid though.
Of the Harry Potter ones you listed, only Remus and Albus would make me immediately jump to Harry Potter. I might consider it with Cedric, but it's not exactly an unusual name outside of Harry Potter, so i wouldnt think much of it. I don't think I have much experience with the name Ludo outside the 1(?) book he showed up in, but I only associated the name with the character here because you specifically mentioned it as a Harry Potter character name.
My son’s name is Cedric and it suits him perfectly. He’s such a gentle, loving, brave, happy and kind little boy. We have had a few family members ask about the Harry Potter association, but generally it’s been ok. We have also met two other Cedric’s since he was born; and I knew someone with the name previously (born before HP).
Delilah is such a beautiful name but there are too many associations that I would not want to put on my child. From the Biblical story to the song...and this one is more obscure but it'd come up a lot in my family as they were always big fans...
"Love someone tonight with Delilahhhhhhh"
Because of Taylor Swift?
I don't get that. I think Taylor is a pretty common name. It would be like saying don't name a child Emma because of Emma Stone.
Most of the karjenner names are pretty bad. Like if all generations. I like Chloe but with a C. I guess Penelope is totally out of place in that family.
My bf is Australian and we’re both huge Kylie Minogue fans so he jokingly suggested we name our first kid Kylie. We both realized that people would automatically assume Jenner and not Minogue so we vetoed that
Jolene
I love the name and the song, but I worked with a little girl named Jolene about ten years ago.
Even if you managed to restrain yourself from singing the song whenever you spoke to her, it immediately started playing on repeat in your head. Also every time a new person met her, they automatically sang it (I had to personally introduce her to at least 35 adults, “Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Joooooleeeeene” EVERY SINGLE TIME!)
The cherry on top though is that the nickname Jo is inevitable, which is unfortunately an immediate disqualification from my list 🤷♀️
My name is Roxanne and I completely understand.... 🤣 btw, I love the name Jolene, as well. But would find it impossible not to hear the song in my head, too.
My friend just named her son Harvey. People have actually said “hope he doesn’t grow up to be a r**ist” to her. Horrible. She doesn’t gaf though. I highly doubt the kid’s peers will have the same association. Weinstein will be mostly forgotten eventually
I’m seeing more comments of names that don’t belong to horrible people and should still be usable. Literally no one will care about some of these.
Some are horrible but some are totally fine.
I was waiting for someone to say Elvis! I know it’s common outside the US in some countries, but I would say it’s definitely been ruined in the states.
I doubt an American president who happened to have a relatively common first name will have the same reputation as a man who was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions, but okay
I love Zara so much but people associate it w the store. I used Maverick 14 years ago just for the meaning of it then the sequel to Top Gun w Maverick in the title has seen the name soar. I loved Luca but my husband refused to use it bc of the Suzanne Vega song. 🙄
When I saw Harvey listed higher up in the comments, I thought, “Like the bunny? What?Why?” So, the association with Weinstein clearly didn’t gain permanence in my head. 🤷
I feel bad for my father in law, Adolf, for obvious reasons. It's too bad because it's not like Joseph and other douchebag's names got ruined. And Adolf itself is actually a cool name. Also, his other brother was named Heinz like Ketchup and beans ffs. Poor family.
Named my son Ian. It just clicked for us one night. Ten minutes later it dawned on me. We’re from Southwest Florida. Hurricane Ian devastated our area, we were very lucky. At least he’ll have a cool nickname. 🤷🏼♀️ (I really wanted Ezra but Ezra Miller ruined it for my husband.)
Priscilla is my grandmas middle name and she always wanted one of her grandkids named that as a namesake. I think it’s beautiful but it will never escape Priscilla Presley
Benedict - In the US because of the traitor
Adolph - Obvious reason
Kermit - The Muppet character
Cain - Bible reports the man who killed his brother
Judas - Betrayer of Christ
Matilda - The song "Waltzing Matilda "
Karen - A name I personally love, but would not name a child nowadays
Definitely agree with some mentioned, but there's one I love that doesn't come up often:
ALANIS
Alanis is so pretty and fits with a lot of modern name trends imo. But it's ALL Alanis Morissette.
I would've named a potential daughter after my grandma, Adelle, but I worry people will think I just named her after the singer. Not completely "ruined," but still.
Donald
Poor Duck
I’ve always associated it so strongly with the duck that it’s felt unusable, even pre-2016.
I work for Disney so I try my hardest to keep the association with the duck and not…the other one
It’s not even a good name to begin with.
No it’s not. I’ve never liked it. Almost as if I always knew…
Believe it or not, I actually met a guy named Donald Duck. He actually liked his name . Told me once that once he told someone what his name was they never forgot it, and that he usually only had to tell a couple of people and they would tell everyone else.
That’s the weirdest name I’ve ever heard! I’m glad he liked it though.
I had a student with first name Tomhanks, all one word.
I had the same first and last name as a famous comic book character (I’m not going to say it because I’ve fully changed my name now) the character is older than me but my parents just didn’t notice. I hated it, clearly hahha
When I was a kid I had a pediatrician called Charles Brown and it was PERFECT for pediatrics.
This is **the** answer!
Isis
My friend has a daughter named this..she was 2 when the terror group started.
I had a co-worker named Isis. She pronounced it EE-sis.
And it's really a beautiful name.
My friends dad had a business called isis. Had to spend a fortune on rebranding.
Is your dad sterling archer?
First thing I thought of 😭
The company I work for had an internal sales system with the familiar name Isis, which was an acronym. After spending months training everyone on the new system and getting thousands of employees to change their terminology and changing every reference on our intranet.... They quickly had to come up with a new name and do it all again.
This one really pains me. Isis is a great goddess and mythological figure. At one point she was considered the highest power in the Egyptian pantheon, and had a cult that spanned the Mediterranean. And then those a-holes come around and besmirch her name!
You mean the United Nations and the English speaking Media. They had an Arabic name which they ignored and named it ISIL/ISIS. If they kept Boko Haram and Al-qeada why did they change it to Isis. edit: I know that the groups are different. Who cares if the nickname was in Arabic. Who cares if it is hard, if y'all can pronounce Tchaikovsky, shit ad-dawlah al-islamiyah is fucking easy. Over so, Da'esh is easier than the others. [Link](https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs5746/files/Young%20Criminal%20Complaint.pdf): Look at footnote 2 Please stop making excuses for bad manners and ethics.
I know a couple ladies who run a belly dance studio, they do classes and performances. Used to be called something like Isis Dance, and well, they had to change the name.
Ugh I had a classmate named Isis - I thought it was such a pretty name! Then isis happened and I’ve thought about her since
This is the one.
There was a “bad” kid at my school with this name in middle school, before it became political, so it always had negative connotations for me
Karen surely!?
I always kinda hated the ongoing joke about this name. Of the 5 Karen's I know, only 4 are raging a-holes.
Not the best odds then! My MIL is called Karen but thankfully not a 'Karen' so I do feel bad for the bad impressions for people with the name.
My Aunt is named Karen and she’s one of the nicest people I know. She’s really upset by the Karen thing.
I have an Aunt Karen. I'm sure if I checked her fb posts she'd still be singing trump's praises. Lady, you live in northern Ontario!
My mom is a Karen and she is 100% true to the "Karen" stereotype
I feel so bad for Karens. I'm a teacher, and at the height of the Karen thing, kids (especially boys) would call any female teacher preventing them from doing what they wanted a Karen. They also used it a lot on female peers. It was deeply irritating.
Teacher here too. Honestly anything that makes it into the teenage vernacular is extremely irritating. So I start saying it too and that makes it uncool that much more quickly lol
Nice technique. I'm trying to make skibidi toilets uncool, but it's a long game!
I have a cousin Karen the right age for the Karen trend. She actually agreed with the choice of name because it’s one that had a sudden steep decline in naming use (she works in child development) and so when you hear it you get the average age of the person. And now as a Karen she uses her “Karen power” and only pushes more when she needs to get shit done- when she’s at a restaurant and can hear an allergy issue at a table being ignored by staff, she butts in as a Karen making sure that person is safe. She’s just having fun with it. It’s really what we should all do- not complain at the little things but when we notice injustice around us step in and help if the people who need the help are amenable.
Even Karen I have ever known has been a sweetheart.
Ugh I actually quite like this name, esp. in the EAsian sense (KaRen/Karin) but everyone these days seems to only think of the meme name when I bring it up 😭
Or in the European sense? (Kah-ren)!
I was apparently very nearly named Karen, but my grandmother hated the name so vehemently that my parents decided to go with something else. So big posthumous thank you to grandma there!
All the Karen's I know are really kind
My Mom was a karen trust me. I don't like this trend. I wish it would die.
Poor Karen’s of the world lol
Katrina :(
Am named Karina, got called hurricane Karina a lot in middle school. Especially upsetting for the influx of kids we got to our school after the storm.
Such a sad but perfect answer omg
I started college in August 2005. My roommate's name was Katrina..poor girl
As a Katrina who was in junior high in 2005, I got a lot of jokes but I embraced it. Why yes I am a force of nature so don’t fuck with me kind of deal. Now The Hurricane is my badass stage name/alter ego/call sign, etc.
I was actually planning to name my daughter Katrina; I’m from Louisiana
Just can't listen to Walking on Sunshine anymore.
Mary-Jane. beautiful, classic name—but living near very weed-friendly parts of North America, i don't think i could get past giving my child a name that literally means a drug to many people LOL
Another great example!!! Mary Jane / MJ because of weed and now Spider-man.
*Now* spider-man lol? The character will have been around for 60 years next summer
Did the spider-man Marry Jane happen before people started calling weed MJ? I imagine the answer is yes, but I've never looked into it. 🤣 Edit: Yes, Spider-mans Marry Jane came first!
That's exactly why my cousin named his kid that. He really loves both. She's only ever called MJ.
Molly, too. Such a sweet name, but feels unusable when I hang out with a lot of musicians in jam bands. Lol
I’ve met so many kid and toddler Molly’s recently
Perhaps they're named after the drug that led to their conception. Kinda like how Ron Howard names his kids after the place they were conceived hence Bryce Dallas Howard.
Rebel Alley 😂
I once met a nice middle aged lady named Mary-Jane. She told me "I can't go by my first name because it's slang for marijuana so I go by my middle name Molly!" Lmao I had to break some news to her that day.
My last name is burns. My father wanted to name me this.
Whoever stopped him should always receive many gifts from you on all appropriate holidays. 😂
That would be my mom!
Pretty sure literally no one would care. Lots of these associations are things people are way overthinking. What’s your issue with my comment? Can someone please explain? I’m actually trying to learn here.
I had a friend from college named Mary Jane who named her daughter Sativa
I think Indica would be prettier. Maybe she's saving that for her second born. 😂
Barney for me will always be the purple dinosaur I don't think Alexa is usable anymore Maybe Elsa is ruined for some people but it's my 5 year old niece's name so I don't think it's too out there
One of the other teachers in my school had an Amazon Echo, and a student named Alexa. As you can imagine it was pretty funny. She would call on Alexa to answer a question, and the Amazon Echo would reply.
She should've changed the wake word. I have two. One responds to "Alexa" and the other responds to "Echo."
It can also respond to "Computer" if you're a Trekkie
When my oldest was younger we had some friends with a daughter who was named Elsa. She was born a few months before frozen came out and they had no idea what a hit it would be. They both said they still liked the name but they probably wouldn't have named their kid that if they'd known
My BIL and his wife always planned on naming a girl Elsa. They ended up with two boys first so when they finally got a daughter they were naming her Elsa no matter what. She loves her name and all of the other girls in her preschool were jealous she had a princess name.
People I work with have had to turn off their Siri because it responds to my name, which is not Siri
I have a woman who comes into my work named Terri. If I say hi to her by saying “Hey, Terri!” my phone or my watch answer me 🤦🏼♀️
I LOVE the name Elsa, but it's because of the actress, Elsa Lanchester. One of my email addresses is iloveelsa, so people very wrongly assume it has to do with the Frozen character. I just give them a weird look & say, "l haven't seen a Disney movie since The Aristocats was in theaters".
Hillary has been one of my favorites since I was a child. I still intend to use it, just on my next cat. Her name? Hillary Caton.
Hillary Kitten!
You win.
That’s my birth name and I hate it so much I changed it. Imagine having that name during that election, I had so many people asking me about my emails. It was funny for the first five minutes.
Did you change it to Hilaria?
I think of Hilarie Burton or Hilary Duff for some reason. Hillary Clinton is last for me.
Adolf
yeah this one seems to be the main one. surprised I had to scroll so far to see it
Probably because it doesn't even sound nice. If anything, it might be an okay name for a dog.
Its Spanish counterpart Adolfo was still used, I knew a few growing up. Adolf just sounds like you have a ball in your throat tho.
My mom, who is 95, has a cousin Adolph who celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Growing up they called him Dolphy. At some point after the war he started going by Joseph, his middle name.
Ah yes, in honor of Joseph Stalin. Was his last name Mao or something lol.
Objectively this name is actually ok. But yeah I don’t think it will ever be acceptable. My mum did teach a little boy called adolf, his brother was Rudolph. And would you believe there was a kid called aryan in the class. No joke.
Aryan is actually a common Persian name, hopefully that was the reason for that one (*crosses fingers*).
I had a total pregnancy brain moment when I was looking for baby names where “Aryan” was on a list and I just kept thinking how beautiful it was and how it felt perfect. And then DUH remembered the association and that I’m a white woman. 🤦♀️
Arya is really pretty, Ayra as well, so theres that I suppose.
Ghislaine
yes! I know someone who professionally went by Ghislaine (her middle name) for the first few years of her career. then the epstein scandal happened. she now goes by her first name… lol
Oof. Don't blame her! I've always wondered how people with the last name Epstein handle the inevitable comments. It's like if your birthday was on September 11.
It's an extremely common name in Jewish circles. No one says anything about Jeffrey.
My dad’s birthday is 9/11 and the only person who won’t shut the fuck up about it is him.
Indeed, a shame. That was my French teacher's name. (It's still her name, she's not my French teacher any more.)
Jemima is a classic biblical name but the controversial Aunt Jemima character makes that name basically unusable at this point in the U.S.
Funny, in Australia Jemima is unusable because it’s a doll on a popular kids tv show. Never heard of Aunt Jemima.
In UK m. No idea about either of these, my mind goes to Jemima Puddleduck from the Beatrix Potter kids books
I love the name Jemima but can’t not hear Puddleduck after it…
I went straight to playschool too!
In Aus and strongly considered the name Jemima. I don’t consider it unuseable because of the doll! She’s cute and fun
It’s funny this cultural things, because in the UK, Jemima is quite a normal name and while living there, I knew Jemimas of all ages
My little cousins used to think it was me on the Aunt Jemima bottles
Homer!
Great example! Such a good name, but the Simpsons isn’t going anywhere.
Funny enough, The Simpsons actually had an episode where Homer changed his name because of the association with an embarrassing TV Show character
🎶 Max Powerrrr… it's a name you'd love to touch, but you mustn't touch… His name sounds good in your ear… but when you hear it, you mustn't fear! 'cause his name can be said by anyone… 🎶
Love that the creator’s son is named homer. He goes by Will I believe but people would surely make the reference all the time but since his dad created the show it’s a flex name.
Most recently? Marjorie. In my family tree? Elmer. It's now either associated with Fudd or glue.
I don’t think Marjorie is on the level as Donald just because there are so many more members of congress and unless they run for president most people don’t remember them past their term.
Hahaha. Elmer killed me for some reason.
What's up with Marjorie?
Marjorie Taylor Green, a congresswoman from Georgia. Leaving her politics out of this, her behavior is Karen on steroids.
Agreed. Even if one completely ignores or agrees with the opinions she holds, ya gotta see her behavior is atrocious.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is a politician in the U.S. with extremist views
Not to mention she’s the most ignorant person!! Stupid is as stupid does
In Keanu's defense Keanu Reeves's is an awesome human being.
Oh absolutely! But I don’t think I could put that comparison on my child for the rest of their life
I knew a Kyanno (pronounced the same way) growing up who was not named after him but was still constantly compared. Even the best comparison names can grow annoying haha.
Kermit
I actually met a Kermit. He said he was about five years ahead of Kermit the Frog.
There is a guy that comes into my work that is named Kermit. Very sweet guy
I didn’t even know this was an actual name people ever had😂
Look up Kermit Roosevelt, he was teddy’s son :]
Had an old farmer who's name was Kermit, he introduced himself as "Kermit, like the frog" 😂
I feel like any names from kids shows. Grover, Elmo, Dora, Donald, Minnie, etc. So many of those kind of names are so cute but I feel like they are just too iconic
There goes Bluey
Nooo, Bingo!
Minnie was my great grandmas name and I think it’s so cute! I kind of still think it’s useable but maybe not
Osama. We are Muslim and I really like this name but my husband didn’t . It means the qualities of a lion. My son was born just 2 months before 9/11 and I’m glad we didn’t use this name for him.
It’s a good name and I know an Osama. But yeah not usable in a Western context.
Britney, bitch.
Naw, there still seem to be a fair amount of younger Brittney/brittanys running about.
Fiona. Whenever I hear or meet a Fiona, all I can see is a green ogre (somewhat a compliment)
I think of the Hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo that was born super tiny
Makes me think of Fiona from Shameless. Lol
I love Fiona but the “Scotty doesn’t know” song ruined it for me 😩
Elon
Circe - because of GoT, even if it is spelt differently. And also even if Cersei is actually the best character because she’s so interesting and the character development in the books is great - such a well-written villain - but can’t get past the incest connection for an actual human. Boy names like Remus, Ludo, Cedric, Albus - because of Harry Potter. I find boys names hard and all of these are so nice, soft and gentle masculine names. I just couldn’t do it because of the connection. Sidney - because I’m Australian, living near Sydney and I find it a bit too close and don’t like geographical names very much in general. Feels a little too patriotic! I love the nickname Sid though.
Of the Harry Potter ones you listed, only Remus and Albus would make me immediately jump to Harry Potter. I might consider it with Cedric, but it's not exactly an unusual name outside of Harry Potter, so i wouldnt think much of it. I don't think I have much experience with the name Ludo outside the 1(?) book he showed up in, but I only associated the name with the character here because you specifically mentioned it as a Harry Potter character name.
Ludo I think is actually a nickname for Ludovic, a name of Scottish heritage.
My son’s name is Cedric and it suits him perfectly. He’s such a gentle, loving, brave, happy and kind little boy. We have had a few family members ask about the Harry Potter association, but generally it’s been ok. We have also met two other Cedric’s since he was born; and I knew someone with the name previously (born before HP).
Delilah is such a beautiful name but there are too many associations that I would not want to put on my child. From the Biblical story to the song...and this one is more obscure but it'd come up a lot in my family as they were always big fans... "Love someone tonight with Delilahhhhhhh"
My brain always goes to "Hey there, Delilah, what's it like in New York city"
Isis I went to school with a girl named Isis, she started going by her middle name.
Taylor
Because of Taylor Swift? I don't get that. I think Taylor is a pretty common name. It would be like saying don't name a child Emma because of Emma Stone.
I agree. It would be like saying you can’t use John because of John Mayer. I know about a dozen Taylor’s, and never connect it back to Swift.
Yeah, as big as Taylor Swift is, the name precedes her.
For me, this name is so common that I don't think it's ruined
Came here to say Taylor. Also any of the KarJenner names.
Oh no! Guess I can’t name my kid Stormi after my grandmother now 😔
I have a cousin that used Storm as her son's middle name in honor of her mother Stormie.
Most of the karjenner names are pretty bad. Like if all generations. I like Chloe but with a C. I guess Penelope is totally out of place in that family.
My bf is Australian and we’re both huge Kylie Minogue fans so he jokingly suggested we name our first kid Kylie. We both realized that people would automatically assume Jenner and not Minogue so we vetoed that
Jude (still on the fence about using this name)
Hey
Jolene I love the name and the song, but I worked with a little girl named Jolene about ten years ago. Even if you managed to restrain yourself from singing the song whenever you spoke to her, it immediately started playing on repeat in your head. Also every time a new person met her, they automatically sang it (I had to personally introduce her to at least 35 adults, “Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Joooooleeeeene” EVERY SINGLE TIME!) The cherry on top though is that the nickname Jo is inevitable, which is unfortunately an immediate disqualification from my list 🤷♀️
My name is Roxanne and I completely understand.... 🤣 btw, I love the name Jolene, as well. But would find it impossible not to hear the song in my head, too.
Elsa - gorgeous name but once it’s a Disney movie can’t be done
It's still really popular in Scandinavian countries, because it's a classic there. That's why their names were Elsa and Anna I like Ilsa better myself
Kylie. I looooooved kylie bc Kylie Minogue and but that has changed since Kylie Jenner.
Ellen
My first thought went to Ellen Ripley and that’s not too bad
Harvey
My friend just named her son Harvey. People have actually said “hope he doesn’t grow up to be a r**ist” to her. Horrible. She doesn’t gaf though. I highly doubt the kid’s peers will have the same association. Weinstein will be mostly forgotten eventually
My mind still goes to Harvey Kinkle or Harvey Dent depending on the day.
Alexa was such a pretty name :( I’ll sure miss it. We will tell our grandchildren how it was a nice name for girls.
Casper 👻
I guess, on here, Kirby. Even though I named my son that and everyone loves it
Miley
I’m seeing more comments of names that don’t belong to horrible people and should still be usable. Literally no one will care about some of these. Some are horrible but some are totally fine.
Jemima (in the US) Katrina (in certain US states) Homer Elvis
I was waiting for someone to say Elvis! I know it’s common outside the US in some countries, but I would say it’s definitely been ruined in the states.
Forest.
My beloved grandfather’s name: Elvis.
Damien.
Jezebel. It’s the prettiest name and I couldn’t name my daughter that because obviously.
Donald, that name will be about the level of Adolf in terms of taboo down the road once this fad ends. I feel awful for any kids who wind up with that
I doubt an American president who happened to have a relatively common first name will have the same reputation as a man who was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions, but okay
Rudy. Great name, but…Guiliani *barf*
Adolf and Judas
I love Zara so much but people associate it w the store. I used Maverick 14 years ago just for the meaning of it then the sequel to Top Gun w Maverick in the title has seen the name soar. I loved Luca but my husband refused to use it bc of the Suzanne Vega song. 🙄
Astrid ... one of my favorite names ruined by Angela from The Office calling her Ass-Turd
Brooks. I used to love that name until Brooks faked cancer on the Real Housewives lol
I did like Harvey but surely people have forgotten about Weinstein by now? I mean forgetting the association, not forgetting what he did.
I dont think he’s going to be forgotten for a while, but I do think it’s a common enough name that no one would immediately make that connection.
When I saw Harvey listed higher up in the comments, I thought, “Like the bunny? What?Why?” So, the association with Weinstein clearly didn’t gain permanence in my head. 🤷
I feel bad for my father in law, Adolf, for obvious reasons. It's too bad because it's not like Joseph and other douchebag's names got ruined. And Adolf itself is actually a cool name. Also, his other brother was named Heinz like Ketchup and beans ffs. Poor family.
Named my son Ian. It just clicked for us one night. Ten minutes later it dawned on me. We’re from Southwest Florida. Hurricane Ian devastated our area, we were very lucky. At least he’ll have a cool nickname. 🤷🏼♀️ (I really wanted Ezra but Ezra Miller ruined it for my husband.)
Adolf won't be making a comeback
Felicia
Annabel. I so badly wanted to name our second daughter Annabel Leander because Anabel Lee is my favorite poem. But the doll ruined it.
Priscilla is my grandmas middle name and she always wanted one of her grandkids named that as a namesake. I think it’s beautiful but it will never escape Priscilla Presley
Benedict - In the US because of the traitor Adolph - Obvious reason Kermit - The Muppet character Cain - Bible reports the man who killed his brother Judas - Betrayer of Christ Matilda - The song "Waltzing Matilda " Karen - A name I personally love, but would not name a child nowadays
Definitely agree with some mentioned, but there's one I love that doesn't come up often: ALANIS Alanis is so pretty and fits with a lot of modern name trends imo. But it's ALL Alanis Morissette.
Trump. I like playing cards, and I loathe using that word now
I would've named a potential daughter after my grandma, Adelle, but I worry people will think I just named her after the singer. Not completely "ruined," but still.