To not understand why people call their baby...

[smellfunny]

Not to be goady, but I don't understand why people give their babies names with negative connotations or meanings. Examples from the top of my head being:

Cain (murdered his brother in Old Testament)
Hector (hector also being a synonym for bullying someone)
Tristan (this one is a bit contentious because it can either mean 'tumult' or correspond to 'sadness')

Is it just that people don't think about the meanings behind the names? Feel free to add more names to the list...

Bonus name: 'Claudia' coming from the Latin word for 'lame'. I gave this one a pass because it's so established and the connotation is generally unknown...

At one stage, John must have been a common name!

I hear what you're saying though. Apparently no-one called their baby "Gary" one year despite it evidently being popular for a time so now folk are using it again...

But using an "obvious" name reminds me of that sketch where Michael McIntyre pretends to be "the world's laziest parents" who choose Aaran as their baby's name because "it's the first one in the Baby Book" so they can head down the pub.

And Apple Banana Fruit Salad takes that much effort?

"As though etymology were a matter of opinion!"
If you look up my name in almost any baby name book/site, it will tell you it means "foreigner" or "stranger" or something romantic and mysterious like that. Presumably because opinion suggests that those are more palatable than the actual meaning. It literally - literally - means barbarian.
I always try to live up to the literal meaning.

I really like the name Kane, apparently it's an Irish Boys name meaning 'fighter' or 'warrior'. Although I have to wonder where the spelling came from because as far as I'm aware there isn't a K in the Irish language. We have strong Irish roots so would have chosen this spelling/meaning.

I'm also bemused by choices from Shakespeare which suggest the parents were unaware of the fate of the character concerned - I know more than one Ophelia (who goes mad with grief and drowns) and Cordelia (who is hanged

I have one of these and it’s not a Shakespeare reference, although I was aware of the character.

I liked Perdita but DH didn’t like the meaning. Didn’t bother me however.

One of mine is a character in ashakespeare play and although I knew the name was from there they were not named from it. They were named after the original one. But no one has heard of them and always thinks it’s from Shakespeare and that we must love this play. Which I have never seen.

I know a couple of Cians (it's Irish, pronounced keean) but people keep calling them Cain. They're 2 very different names!

Hushabyelullaby Behindthename (usually fairly reliable) has Kane as an anglicised version of Cathan (little battler). So if you wanted an Irish name you'd probably not choose Kane.

My name means sadness. Honestly if we tried to avoid names linked to anything ‘negative’ the world would be boring.

No I like judus

In English Bible translations there is Jude and Judas, different people, in some other translations they are the same name. If I met a Judas I would probably think of Red Dwarf before the Bible.

If you're going to look at the meaning of names some of the positives are just as absurd as the negative meanings.

I doubt every Sarah is a princess or every Anne has favour and grace (according to a baby name site anyway).

And DS would have suited the name Kieran perfectly when he was born as he had lots of dark hair, but then it grew out blond

Candida is a latin name meaning (shiny) white. In spanish it means pure/white. It's more common in latin speaking countries obviously, but "yeast infection" is not necessarily the inspiration for it,as some seem to assume

But what meaning do you think most people would think of here in the UK, 'pretty Latin word' or 'thrush'?

I think a lot of English speakers in the UK would think of Candida as just a name. Or just a pretty name if they like it. Context is all. I certainly don't think 'yeast infection' if I meet or read or hear of someone called Candida, because obviously in that context it's someone's name, not a medical discussion.

I have literally never met anyone called Candida without thinking "Did your parents know Candida is a yeast infection?". I don't just think it the first time I meet them either, I think it every time.

I'm glad my brain doesn't work like yours or anyone's who immediately thinks of a yeast infection rather than just processing Candida as a name.

It is because "Candida" is often mentioned in the context of yeast infections, and rarely used as a name (because...it is the name of a yeast infection).

My brain is perfectly capable of recognising that some unfortunate soul has been named Candida, whilst also wondering WHY any parent would do that to their child!

Poor Dikshita - she is going to encounter some teasing.

And A will never have to spell his name, though he will probably go through a lifetime of "Is that your real name? Is is short for something?"

@MissDuke no idea. I recognise it as a spanish word and think of it as such first.

I thought the name Candida was pronounced Can-did-a and the infection Can-deed-a

I agree. What about Pandora? And Dolores, which means pain.

My eldest is called Cain and honestly, at times it's been touch and go between him and his little brother. I also have a Levi. What does that mean? I know they're both Hebrew names, but not sure of the meaning.

Actually Tawdry, the name of the yeast infection is Candida Albicans; Candida is merely the name of the family of fungi that can, but doesn’t always, cause the infection. So you can think about that now when you meet one!

"How did Cain come by such a name?" asked Bathsheba.

"Oh you see, mem, his pore mother, not being a Scripture-read woman, made a mistake at his christening, thinking 'twas Abel killed Cain, and called en Cain, meaning Abel all the time. The parson put it right, but 'twas too late, for the name could never be got rid of in the parish. 'Tis very unfortunate for the boy."

"It is rather unfortunate."

"Yes. However, we soften it down as much as we can, and call him Cainy. Ah, pore widow-woman! she cried her heart out about it almost. She was brought up by a very heathen father and mother, who never sent her to church or school, and it shows how the sins of the parents are visited upon the children, mem."

Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy

Mary also means Wished for child as well as bitterness. I don't think it really matters about the original meanings, when you have celebs calling their kids things like North, Saint and Sir etc.