AIBU to rule out Lucy (as a baby name) because of the Lucy Letby association?

[WhereWithWho]

We're having a baby girl in June, and my DH loves the name Lucy. I think the name itself is lovely but will not agree to it only because of the association to Lucy Letby. My DH thinks that I've gone mad and has said that it's a popular enough name that she will not be anyone's first thought. He also feels that she's mostly been forgotten. My feeling is that she could be in the news for many more years, documentaries are still being made, and she's become more internationally known. I want to avoid naming my daughter Lucy for the same reason that I would avoid naming her Myra or Rose. Thoughts?

This happened with us. I adore (and still do) the name Madeleine. Always had it for our DD. She was born a year after Madeline McCann went missing and was still very much in the news.

Our surname is also a 'Mc' name - not McCann, but very close and it was just too associated, so we named her something else.

I have ALWAYS regretted it.

I would say that “Letby” would be far more noticeable than “Lucy”. Compare this with, say, “Boris”: everyone knows who that thing is, and he was mostly known by just that. LL was usually referred to as “Letby”, or “Lucy Letby”.

Lucy and Rose are not in same league as Myra. No-one is going to say oh after Lucy Letby. It’s a very common name so won’t be associated with one person like Myra.

Think about how many baby boys nowadays are named Fred or Freddie. Nobody’s thinking about the Wests when they say those names! Don’t worry about it.

My middle name is Lucy and Lucy Letby has literally never crossed my mind in relation to my name

Me too!

No one else will make the association but you do, so maybe pick a different name.

I do know of a Myra or two but they are older. I've always thought it unfair that "Ian" carried on being used as a name...I guess because, like Lucy, it was quite common as a name for my generation whereas Myra was quite unusual.

I think of my 20 year old niece and Paddington’s great aunt Lucy from Bulgaria 😂. Once she is here and she’s your whole world, the only Lucy you will think of is her ❤️❤️

It is the first thing that comes into my head now when I hear the name.

No one over 30 would think of Lucy Letby first because we've all grown up with dozens of Lucys. Maybe younger people would sometimes think of her first if the name isn't as widespread anymore but I kind of feel like it still is quite common? I wouldn't use it if your surname is similar though. My stepdaughter has a name that sounds intentionally like it was done to copy a high profile murder victim and it's made many people comment on it when they first hear it, so I can imagine many others are thinking the same but not saying it. It's not ideal, although it's a lovely name in itself.

I mean, Rose is one of the most popular names, have you heard of Rose West? Some names don’t make people jump to the association, I agree that Myra does but what about Ian? It’s not an issue with the name as common.

Lucy is such a common name I don't associate it at all. Same with Rose. Especially as every girl has Rose tacked on to their first name currently. Every other girl is a ‘something’-Rose.

Myra is different as it’s unusual. You are massively overthinking IMO.

I don’t think others will automatically think of it but there are thousands of names out there and you can only choose 1. (Or 2 or 3 if you include middle names.)

So you will be rejecting names for all sorts of random reasons.

”It makes me think of a baby murderer / victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice*” is more reasonable than “there was a girl in my primary school called Emily who was smelly” which was dh’s reason for rejecting my top choice.

*whichever is relevant to you

Gosh I've known a woman called Myra for years and years and never once has her name reminded me of Myra Hindley.
Similarly Rose doesn't remind me of Rose West. Or Lucy remind me of Lucy Letby.

My brother was called Ian and never once have I linked his name to Ian Brady, Ian Huntly or Ian Watkins!

Surely the list of names potentially written off because of association with notorious people must be endless?

I think Lucy is a lovely name and I don't see why you shouldn't use it if you like it OP.

Would you/DH consider Lucia or Louisa? Otherwise I think that it's fine to not use a name if you don't feel 100% comfortable with it, however objectively reasonable or unreasonable the issue you have might be.

Lucy is a classic that has stood the test of time. Most people won’t even think of Letby.

It was still in the top 40 baby names in 2935.

I love the name Lucy and Letby probably wouldn't spring to mind when I heard it. But I voted YANBU as it sprung to your mind and it's your baby! You will have to say the name every day

Rule out a baby name for what ever reasons you want. You have to live with it, not strangers on the internet. If it’s going to constantly remind you of that horrible story then I’d steer clear.

I don’t think you can compare Lucy or Rose to Myra, as Myra is unusual and people would instantly jump to Myra Hindley. A child called Myra would be quite jarring. I don’t think the same can be said with Lucy

I disagree that the name Myra is solely associated with Hindley. While that might be the case for older generations who lived through the 1960s, younger generations don't have that same "breaking news" connection.
To many people today, Myra fits right in with the current trend of "vintage-cool" names like Mabel, Iris, or Lyra. It’s a classic name that existed long before the Moors murders, so it has a history beyond that one person. Unlike a name that is truly one-of-a-kind, Myra is an established name that many people associate with family members or other public figures, which helps dilute the negative connection over time.

I agree Lucy and Rose are such classic names I don’t think it’s likely to be an issue. Myra is s much more unusual that it should be avoided. Also Lucy Letby will be in the news less and less in future in the same way Rose West is hardly ever mentioned now.

I actually do think of Lucy Letby first at the moment! But I think only because it was a recent case and is still in the news.

If you feel so strongly then don't use it. You'll obviously have that association irrespective of what anyone in here says. But it's not something that would cross most people's mind.

PPs make perfect sense. But if you are certain you are going to think about Lucy Lettbie every time you say, hear or think of your daughter’s name then no, you shouldn’t use it. Although, you might find the reverse happens: that your beautiful daughter wipes out your thoughts of the other Lucy. If you give her a middle name you could see how you get on and swap them around

I currently know nine adult Lucys. One of them is my step-sister. I counted the Lucys with my daughter a while ago, when we realised we were living in a Lucy epidemic. It's a lovely, classic, pretty name, I think. Some Lucys suit it more than others. I like the clean simplicity of it.