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...

I think we're going to name dc2 Sabrina. The name comes from a Celtic princess (name is Latinised version) who was drowned by her step mother. But I figure as long as dh doesn't remarry, we'll be ok.

I thought Sabrina was the patron goddess of the Severn? Is that the same person or am I misremembering?

As a child I loved the name Morticia, my mum tried to convince me otherwise aka the Adams Family but I loved it still do. Fortunately I had two boys

"That’s the same as wondering why Jack is a popular name."
But that goes right back to my question (which, to be fair, is probably somewhat outside the scope of this thread). I live in the US and last time the name Jack was in the top 20 here was in 1936 (I looked it up.) Of the small to medium sized boys in my neighbourhood there's a James, a Jonathan, a Junior, and two Jasons. Usually the top baby names in the UK and US have a fair bit of overlap so it stands to reason with all those J names there would be a Jack in the mix somewhere, but I don't think I've ever met a child of that age named Jack.

It’s funny how much names can differ between Canada and America. I know quite a few small Jacks. And for men my age Lorne is popular as are Douglas and Gordon but I think not in America.

Jack is number 17 in my province for last year.

And I've never met a junior in the UK whereas it seems common in America. (I can't imagine calling an elderly person junior!)

I’m not sure it’s common in America. I know a fair number of Americans and not a single Junior. Maybe it’s regional?

I think Junior is a nickname. It’s not uncommon to use a family name, so if the dad is Donald, the son is Donald Jr, or Junior for short.

I have taught two Juniors!

Sabrina just makes me think of the teenage witch.

This was part of my daughter's homework from catechism class this week. Christianity evidently didn't get the memo about name meanings being optional.

lizzieoak I think she is but mostly because her stepmother drowned her in the Severn!

Oh yeah, Lizzie I know Gordo and Dougie... used to know a fella played hockey with 'em back in the day.

"I know a fair number of Americans and not a single Junior. Maybe it’s regional?"
I think it might be cultural? Every Junior I've known has been Hispanic. But, yeah, the US has a lot of regional and cultural differences in naming so it's hard to make generalizations.

Lorelei, I did not know that! Cold way to go.

Junior is maybe also class-based? Or rural not urban? I struggle to imagine a hipster in Portland naming their kid that, or a Boston Brahmin, or a New Yorker.

Ninja, I’m hearing that woman from 22 Minutes saying “back in the day”. But I do know loads of Lorne’s and Gordon’s & Doug’s, esp Doug’s.

I can absolutely picture a Portland hipster calling their son Junior. Ironically, of course.

Yes, definitely ironically. Good lord, what’s next - Donald

agree with Trills/Tatiana, there can be multiple levels of meaning. We called our daughter a name we liked, but her middle name (following the pattern of many women in our family) is after her great-grandmother. I disliked my middle name as a child until I understood where it had come from (in the family) and the family meaning of it. Other meanings are interesting but wouldn't necessarily influence.

One thing I do hate is people who name their child Jyay'nne etc and the poor bugger has to go through life explaining that it's not spelt J-A-N-E as you would logically think