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...

'Candida' - Vaginal Yeast!!! 🤦🏼‍♀️

RE- Isis. It's my daughter's middle name! I still love it though.

"Really though? How many times have you met an Orion and wondered why his parents named him after a character who met such an unfortunate end?"

I've never met an Orion full stop!

What happened to Orion? I’ve never met one either to be honest.

Having read the comments so far, my opinion on Tristan and Hector are somewhat changed - I understand how Tristan can be deemed romantic and how people would appreciate the literary heritage of each name.

However I still don't understand why Cain is even a name. The origin of the name doesn't bare any positive connotations at all which is why I'm puzzled as to why it was utilised at all afterwards!

There aren't that many Cains with that spelling though. There are far more Abels!
Maybe even people who do make the association think that changing the spelling changes the name?

I associate Hector with the greatest warrior of Troy, and certainly not as a symbol of bullying, in fact it would never cross my mind to think of that. A little Hector lives across the road from us, and the name suits him.
The same for Tristan, associated with the famous Anglo-Norman tale.
Personally I wouldn't choose either of the names, but they are perfectly fine.
And there were many famous Roman ladies called Claudia.

Personally I associate Hector and Tristan with a particular type of man at my university- white jeans, fisherman’s guernsey, stripy shirt with the collar turned up, pimms, loud, attention seeking sweary, misogynist future banker or Conservative MP.

See also Hugo, Jonathan and Tim.

Fine if you like it, but it’s not snobbishness to have an aversion to it. It’s tainted for many people in the same way Adolf is

In the same way? One was the architect of the worlds biggest war that killed 80 million people, the other is a character in a story book.
Please don't put them in the same bracket!

FlaviaAlbia She really is

Cantu - I am fairly aware of who Hitler is, I’m Jewish, so familiar with his works.

What I was saying was that some names have irrevocably negative associations. Cain and Adolph are two. They are both associated with evil, Cain’s association with a “storybook” notwithstanding.

Amelia meaning limbless in medicine 😱

I was influenced in choosing names by pupils I had taught, I never in my career taught an intelligent Jason!

Fuck's sake. There's been several posts (including one by me) about all the other associations/meanings of Amelia, which I'd venture to suggest are better known than the medical one.

I have a friend called Valentine - apparently it's a common name in Hungary, and a traditional name in his family. Unfortunately, Valentine has been teased all his life.

So, Valentine announces he's going to continue the family tradition, and call his son Valentine. All his friends protested, including me, and he reluctantly called son Balint instead.

Haven’t seen this covered, forgive me if I’ve missed it, but Hector in Ancient Greek means to hold or to restrain.

I think the whole "meaning of names" is a load of bollocks - akin to horoscopes and numerology.

If you like the sound of a name, who cares what supposed meaning somebody made up a gazillion years ago.

Not all of the thread but my daughters name is Claudia, and yes, I knew that it means ‘lame’

But I reckoned most people are sensible and realise we don’t live in the Middle Ages, and she wasn’t likely to be cast out of civilisation for being ‘maimed’ and basically through we have moved on from such rubbish.

I’m a a bit baffled that girls can’t be named after women who came to a sticky end. Given the status of women historically and the popularity of tragedy as a genre, it’s hardly surprising. I don’t see that as relevant.

Equally, it would never occur to me that someone who called their child Ophelia, Cordelia or Dido would be ignorant of their fate. That’s partly a background thing - I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t know. But why make that assumption?

Ophelia is a beautiful young woman with a great love for a tragic character whose death is described in one of the most moving passages in Shakespeare. Who is also depicted in a beautiful painting - and I don’t even like pre-Raphaelites. I can see why it appeals. I don’t happen to like the name as it happens, but her end has nothing to do with it.

The meaning of words is comparable to horoscopes? Wtaf?

Some people interested in language and etymology.

I think the whole "meaning of names" is a load of bollocks - akin to horoscopes and numerology.

What rubbish. They're not at all comparable. Except for names that people DO make up/doctor according to the 'rules' of numerology, like Agness Deyne (sp?) was meant to have done.

Can't say I've ever put much thought into it but one that does get my goat is Beau for a girl. Don't people know it means boyfriend in french/it's a boys name? It doesn't mean beautiful like they think.

It does mean beautiful in French but it’s masculine, belle is the feminine version.

But yes Beau for a girl is somewhat illiterate.

Lizzieoak the name Cain is only asociated with evil for those people who are familiar with the old testament, which I suspect isn't that many today.
The biblical meaning of names has absolutely no significance to many people (probably the majority) nowadays.