How important are baby name meanings when making your decision?

[Kirstle]

Hiya - wondered how you all felt about this topic. I love researching baby names /popularity / trends / meanings etc and wondered just how important it was to you that baby was named with a name that had a favourable meaning.

Recently I have liked the name Molly, but the meaning is uncertain, maybe bitter. I dont like this meaning and this would actually put me off/make me think twice.

Just how important is the meaning of a name and has anyone been put off a name they love by a meaning?

My name means pure.

I'm not.

I don't really think it matters TBH

Possibly excepting Lucifer.

I have a Molly and never considered the meaning of the name. I thought it was a pet name for Margaret? dunno, but it's a lovely name!

Never really considered the meaning of names before, think you can spend too much time thinking about it and you should just go with a name you both love.

Having said that, now you know the name may mean bitter that may have put me off.

Also did you know its quite popular though obviously that wouldn't necessarily put you off the name.

1st google for molly comes up with

star of the sea

or prostitute

I certainly don't think of Molly's in those terms tbh

Sorry guys, don't concentrate too much on the name Molly - was mainly used as an example - I have since made another decision! (Beatrix - Bringer of joy). I was just interested in how important the meanings were to people and how much it influenced your decision.

Thanks to all who have answered so far :) x

I think as long as the meaning isn't hideous - 'a sickly child who dies a hideous death' or 'child of satan' for example, then I wouldn't take much notice. I don't think it matters if you call a child a name that means 'red-haired' if they are blonde iyswim.

Cattle, how did you guess my DD and DS names?

I put a lot of thought into my DD's name, and the alternative should a DS have turned up instead.

I would love to have called her "Aphrodite" but thought that was quite a name to live up to, so chose something that was less of a burden.

I think meanings matter a lot. Some names, derived from Latin or Greek, have very obvious meanings that are hard to dis-associate. Names like Claudia (lame, disabled), Cecilia (blind) I'd avoid because I wouldn't want to burden my child with having to find out the meaning one day.

Even setting aside the idea that it's somehow awful to be associated with disability, no one ever thinks 'disabled' when they head 'Claudia' or 'blind' when they hear 'Cecilia'. They're both perfectly normal names.

Most name meanings are either archaic or utterly fabricated.

If you like a name, use it; it will come to mean your DS or your DD to you.

I would have said not at all, until I fell in love with the name Tamar for DC3 if it should be a girl. Then found out that there were 2 Tamars in the bible, both of whom had dreadful times and I just didn't feel that I wanted that 'history' for a potential DDs name. Not rational, but I guess people aren't. If it matters to you, it matters.

FWIW, I think it's even harsher to give a child a meaning FOR a name. Thinking especially of all those Graces, tripping over their own feet in dance classes in a couple of years...

Damsel, anyone who has ever studied Latin will find it very hard NOT to think blind when hearing Cecil/Cecily/Cecilia or disabled when hearing Claudia/Claudio. They are still lovely names but personally I discarded them when naming our children because of their meaning.

I would also rather my child one day finds out that his/her name has a positive/neutral meaning than a very negative one.

Luckily in the educational instituitions I was in most people found it hard to learn English, never mind Latin.

Given that there are so many lovely names to choose from, I'd avoid those with very negative/unfortunate meanings personally.

What article are you writing?

DD1 is Niamh who hates her name with a passion. I have printed off the Niamh story which is about a princess with long golden hair. She has had waist length blonde hair since she was 2. (i actualy think the Golden hair is red hair in the story). Anyway this has done nothing to make her like her name anymore.

I also have a wanderer which is true and a steadfast which is true

Don't care a jot as long as it doesn't mean poo encrusted keeper of the cesspit.

I mind what names mean in English and what they sound like in English - so for example I don't like Harry because of its warlike meaning and closeness to harrass. I like Claudia despite knowing the Latin link (and having done A level Latin) because I knew people called that before I knew the meaning; I don't think there is an English word for lameness that comes close. Rufus on the other hand, because of 'rufous', is inextricably linked to 'redness' for me.

The name with the worst meaning has got to Hector. To hector means to bully, torment and a hector is bully, tormentor. Not a good name association imo.

Meaning were very important to us in choosing the names for our DDs (and the name we've chosen for DC3 too).

DD1 'light'
DD2 'happiness'

We just wanted names that reflected how we felt about them.

I didn't think abotu it - I just chose names I like.

but i have just googles, and James is from the Hebrew Jacob which means he who supplants (being Jacob who was holding onto Esau's heel when he was born and usurped Esau)
and Eleanor is possibly from the Latin lenire ("to heal"), or the Germanic name Aldenor, which could mean "old north"
I like the Old North meanign, cos I'm from the North.

Molly derives from Mary (an Old English nn for Mary was Malle [pr. as Mally], that evolved to Molle, which in turn became spelt as Molly), and it is Mary where the meaning is unclear, as it could mean 'sea of bitterness', 'rebellious' or 'wished for child'. Given that the third possible meaning is a positive one, I say that makes it OK!