Would you give your DC the same name as a historical 'baddie'?

[AKMD]

I've been trying to figure this out. There are some fairly obvious 'baddie' names e.g. Adolf, Herod, Cain, Jezebel, but also some less obvious ones which are quite popular e.g. David, Delilah.

When you choose a name, do famous historical figures with the same name influence you at all? If there was a notorious person with the same name you were considering, would it stop you using it? Would it make a difference if it was the first known person with that name?

Just wondering :)

Rasputin is a no-no :o

Dangit.

Dh and I chose an unusual name for DS. A few months later someone with the same name went on a killing spree I was not impressed.

Well, I think adolf is out. Strangely so too is Myra I think, but there have been two notorious Ians (Brady and huntley) and yet the name has no immediate association to me. Perhaps because it is such any every day name whereas Myra isn't. Ditto Fred, Peter etc.

I know a kid called Saddam. Always feel sorry for the poor little thing.

I think Judas may be pushing it too.

I think it depends on how popular the name is already. For example Joseph is popular, but it never reminds me of Stalin.

well I would not set out to name my dc after a notorious figure in history. It woudl be a strange thing for a loving parent to do really. Dd has a fairly normal English name IMO and there will have been women through-out history who had the same name and were nothing great for all I know .I do know of one famous name-sake who did some doubtful stuff and a couple more modern ones who are famous in positive ways , but dd's name is a family name which is why I took it .

I suppose a bit like David in your examples. David is a popular name, no-one bats an eye at but we know of King David in the Bible having an eye on another man's wife and the consequences of that but on the whole I think King David comes across more as a positive than a negative figure.

In some families I suppose Adolf is a family name used a great deal over the centuries but it has too much baggage attached to it now. Can't imagine many people considering it. Herod, Cain, Jezebel, Delilah I wouldn't use personally. I have met a little boy called Cain though and I have seen Delilah on MN baby name threads a few times. I suppose people just like the sound of it.

There was a girl in my class called Myra and I was born in the 80's!

"Dh and I chose an unusual name for DS. A few months later someone with the same name went on a killing spree I was not impressed."

see what you mean but I don't think it sullies his name

Well Adolf or Benito are obviously a no no.
Here in northern Italy snobbish parents are naming their sons Tito, which I think it is a bit silly.

Well as you say there are baddies and baddies.

Adolf, Genghis - Baddie, no, no

Flashman, Moriarty - Baddie, yes, yes, although they are probably more 'caddie' than 'baddie'.

Basically if they are real life baddies and you are obviously referencing their name as in Adolf etc. that's a big fat 'no'. If you are referencing a baddie in literature that's fine as they didn't actually hurt anyone.

ZZZen it didn't for more than a month but as it is a very unusual name and it was all over the news I was a bit sad.

I was thinking of putting Myra on the example baddie list but I don't know if it's perhaps becoming a bit more popular now that the next generation are having children and Myra Hindley is dead.

Flashman and Moriarty's little brother would be called Long John Silver obviously

I would be interested to know how many Flashmans and Moriartys there are :o

I see the problem , especially if it is an unusual name, people might tend to make the connection

I think the name Myra will be taboo for a long time to come. The Moors Murders were aeons before my time but her mug shot is the first thing that come to mind when I hear that name.

can see that mug shot now in my mind's eye

Maybe it is to do with how quickly you make the association between the name and the baddie, whether or not you'd consider using it. Take Ivan, we might think of Ivan the Terrible for instance and rule it out but for Russians Ivan is just John so not a big deal. With Adolf I think everyone adds Hitler in their mind, so that is out. David I thought of St. David (patron saint of Wales) first and King David second. With Delilah and Jezebel I think maybe a lot of people just don't know these biblical stories anymore so they know the names are from the Bible but not much more than that.

I love the name Lolita. It crossed my mind for both DDs but the (better?) part of me soon jettisoned the name. Not that Lolita is a hated historical figure, but she is a literary figure who connotes ideas that I would not want impressed upon my girls.

Damn Nabokov ...

I was once at a party when a girl introduced herself as Eva. "Oh like Hitler's missus" a friend said.

Conversation killer.

There are a lot of kids called Eva atm and it always reminds me of that.

Anytime I hear of a little girl being called Lolita I'm a bit shocked.

I love Anders as a name.
AKMD DH & I both like Myra, but I can't see it ever coming back.

I like Myra, but you just wouldn't.

Lolita, I mean, just no. Likewise when you see stuff in the fashion magazines called "Lolita fashion" or whatever.

COME ON. That's mad.

I can't see Myra coming back really. I was born in 86 but I instantly think of the Moors Murders and like others I instantly think of that picture.

I think with really popular names like David and Peter there are bound to be some good ones too which might balance out bad ones IYSWIM

I like the name Damien but is seems to be associated with the film The Omen and a devil child (not an historical figure I know).

I was wondering this myself as my beloved nan's dad who was killed in the first world war was called Enoch. I did a straw poll (asked my friends) to see of the name could shake off the Powell connections and apparently no it can't. Shame as it's quite a quirky name...