"a Rose by any other name..." does the meaning matter?

[Bakingtins]

How much does the meaning of a name matter to you? Would you avoid a name you liked the sound of because of it's meaning? Conversely, would you select a name short list purely based on the meaning?

Gonorrhea? Gonnie for short?

I've spent a fair amount of time in the Far East and regularly got asked my names meaning.

But I wasn't bothered when it came to naming DS. His name means The Goodness of God and I'm an atheist who believes that to be a horrible thing (given that the god of the Old Testament is a pretty awful person/being).

But names don't have meanings do they? They're just words - and once applied to a child surely the meaning is eradicated anyway. Rachel means sheep. But if your little Rachel isn't a sheep then it doesn't mean sheep!

Do people's really believe this stuff has relevance?

They're just letters.

Also, I discovered on here that Caroline means manly! I have two fab friends called Caroline - I've known them 30 plus years without this ever coming up. It's just a lovely name isn't it? I don't meet Carolines now and think "ooh, you ARE manly".

My DDs name means ...'crooked nose' and her nose is a perfect little button and will most likely resemble her daddies. My DH is often asked if he has had his nose 'done' as it's so straight and symmetrical. He hasn't. So she is nothing like her name.

However my names origin is something like..."goddess of wine". So that's pretty spot on really