Do I tell them what their baby name means?

[imnotacelebrityleavemehere]

Name changed as very outing.

A friend has just named her newborn Mari-Jane. Do I tell her that it's a very well-known slang name for marijuana especially with the spelling Mari? I realise the pronunciation is slightly different but there will be people who pronounce it as "Mary" and she will just be known as Mary-Jane. Am I the only one who thinks she needs a heads up before registering the baby's name? I realise that most names can have quite creative nicknames and there will be plenty of people who don't know that it means marijuana but I feel like this is just asking for mockery.

Thoughts?

Things can become more and less popular over time, in a decade it could have faded or become very well known, I'd tell.

Perhaps they live in Wales. Where it will be obvious that it's pronounced like the English work "Marry".
Or perhaps they have Welsh heritage.
It's a perfectly normal name.

Cypress Hill played the Boardmasters Festival in Newquay this year (if you don't know, it's where every teenager who has just finished their GCSE's goes if they live in the South West), so I think they're quite popular.

I just asked my 19 year old what the first thing he thought of when I said Mary-Jane to him and he replied marijuana.

It's referenced in a lot of rap music.

🤣🤣🤣

Mari may also represent the Welsh spelling of Mary. I wouldn't overthink it, especially as you are worried about upsetting her.
Console yourself with the thought that any name could become a slang term in the future (slightly different I know, but who could have forseen "Karen" becoming a derogatory term?)

Nah leave it. Loads of names have slightly risque associations so it's perfectly fine on its own. Mary Jane isn't commonly used for weed these days (haha it might be with the kids for all I know!). Bit unfortunate if it's Mari Jane and Charlie as they do sound a bit druggy together but not bad enough to get involved.

I know it from the Rodriguez song "Sugarman", in which he sings about "sweet Mary Jane", but have never heard it called Mary Jane in real life. Despite the fact that I'm way old. And have hung in some...well...relevant circles in my time...

As others have said, there are plenty of children called Charlie, Mollie, Benny, Lucy etc...I wouldn't say anything.

My name is Mary-Jane! And maybe 2 people have made a weed reference about it a long time ago and it wasn't in a nasty way, more like thinking they were being funny!

More people reference Spiderman!

Not a problem them using that name at all. The only thing I would be wary of is people shortening double barrelled names whether you like it or not! They just assume you don't use the full name.

It's very old fashioned and American. I don't think it matters and they will have done some research.
I haven't heard that since Cyrus Hill played Glasto in 2000 tbh 😂

That slang word is still very much in use. But it didn't stop Dick and Dom from having a great career in children's TV.

Yes, but D&D have always had their naughty side, with 'innocent' kids' jokes that the parents might just appreciate. Dom could also be short for condom. It's not like they wouldn't have been aware.

This thread has made me think of all the brave Michael Hunts out there who can never use the diminutive of their name.

I'm amazed that Biff, Chip & Kipper author Roderick Hunt uses his full name for his books and doesn't just go by Rod Hunt (when people would assume it was short for Rodney, if they thought about it at all). It's not just the hard 'c' sound before Hunt - it sounds like his name is actually Rhodri... 'Lady-parts'.

I don't think it's at all the same as Charlie or Molly (as in Cocaine) or John (as in US word for toilet or man who uses prostitutes) as these are very commonly used as names in their own right that it isn't what most people first think of. Not so sure about Johnny, though.

Like with John Thomas, barely anybody would think anything of John OR Thomas; or Mary OR Jane - but it's the two names together that instantly bring to mind the unfortunate reference to many people. There's a popular fish & chip restaurant in Cromer called Mary Jane's that does amazing food, but I do always wonder if the owners realised.

You do get some (I presume) unintentionally hilarious Chinese/Thai takeaways with unfortunate names in English, but I'm guessing the owners probably don't have English as a first language; or they may have been recent immigrants to an English-speaking country and thus not have that frame of reference.

That said, there's the famous Thai chef called Khun Poo ('Poo' is an affectionate nickname, not her actual name), who does know very well what poo means in English and she capitalises on the distinctiveness of it (or maybe just has a great sense of humour!) with books like 'Cooking With Poo' that are always going to make people look twice, and possibly even be more likely to buy it because of the name. Then again, 'poo' is more amusing and not really offensive as a word!

It doesn't really matter surely? As PP have said, it's no different to being called Charlie.

Mollie is MDMA not cocaine!

It doesn't really matter surely? As PP have said, it's no different to being called Charlie.

I think it is different, though, as Charlie is an extremely common name. Same as if you called your DD Myra, many people over a certain age would instantly think of Myra Hindley; whereas if you called your DS Ian, folk would note it as being unusual for his generation, but none of them would link it to Ian Brady.

As others have said, there are plenty of children called Charlie, Mollie, Benny, Lucy etc...I wouldn't say anything.

I'd never thought of it before, but now you mention them together, I wonder if the children's names in Not Going Out (Charlie, Molly & Benji) were chosen deliberately as a nod to informal names for drugs?!

I'm assuming that Sally Bretton's character name (Lucy) was chosen long before the children were even planned for the show - maybe just because it's alliterative with 'Lee'.

That Mari spelling always reminds me of the Mari-lwyd horse head hobby horse thing that gets carried around the doors in Wales and gives me the massive creeps.

I just asked my 21 year old what she associates with the name Mary-Jane and she cackled and said weed.

Exactly. ''Karen''.
It could have been any name they chose to make that idiotic meme.

A bloke I know calls a certain type of woman ''Pams'' - but don't think that's a meme
A 'Pam' is about 50, wears crocs and a fleece with a wolf howling at the moon on the back, has short hair, no makeup, and prefers dogs {and Wolves} to men.
a Pam never bothers with makeup, and is a little bit on the 'comfortably built' side.

A ''Dave'' is the male equivalent.

Jesus, that’s harking back a bit. 😂

Where I live in Brighton young people use the term MJ or Mari Jane for marijuana. Maybe it’s a London/SE thing?

I am expecting, and my friends would think I had lost my mind if I called a girl Mary Jane/Mari Jane 😂😂😂

It's very old slang. We didn't use that in the 90s and I'm 43. I highly doubt many people younger than me would make the association.

I don't think it's necessarily an age/generation thing, though; more what you're exposed to (or just happen to pick up) culturally/socially, whatever age you are.

It's a very old fashioned term, and Mary Jane is also a type of shoe and Spider-man's love interest. I think it's pretty, and so what if some people also use it as slang for weed?

I had no idea

I vape Marijuna for pain..
I lived in the USA and smoked it.
I have hippy/ biker friends that have used it and still do scince the 60s and not one have ever heard it called that..
Maybe it's just the area you live in.
My daughter has a viking name and in Germany it means prostitute and its a very common name now..( Wasn't 40 years ago).. and spelt in many different ways. All names have a meaning.. some great some not.
Ffs stop interfering.

Find it bizarre that many people have not heard this term before, first thing I thought when I saw the name. Maybe I have lived a bit too much. Definitely tell your friend.

@titchy that made me LOL 😂 I had my DD on April 20th. It was brought to my attention after the birth that it’s international weed day (4/20) and was also Hitlers birthday. I really wish I’d done a bit of research as it was an ecs 🤦🏼‍♀️ She’s 13 now and thankfully has so far not shown signs of being a stoned dictator 😂

Depends on how she is and if you think she may get upset with you. I’d mention it if it was one of my friends