Is Reeva ok to use?

[fairyteepee]

Me and my husband love this name if we are having a girl BUT im worried everyone will immediately think of Reeva Steenkamp? I know she seemed like a lovely person and theres nothing negative surrounding her as a person. But the circumstances surrounding the name are very sad.
Would you still use it?

[Rheepee]

I called my daughter Reeva, what people think doesn't bother me in slightest. Reeva was a beautiful women with a beautiful name 👍

[IvoryMadonna]

It's not that old. Baby is not here yet but OP has updated us.

[Diryan]

This is an old thread, Reeva or non-Reeva will have been named by now!

[Lovemylittlebear]

That's such a beautiful name :)

[IvoryMadonna]

I certainly don't think it would have been "bad taste". It's an uncommon name, but not unique.

But as the name of your relative is spelled Riva, I would have kept that spelling. (Had it been spelled Reeva, I would have used that spelling too.)

[SirChenjin]

I wouldn't. It was the first thing that I thought of when I saw your OP - it was such a high profile case and such and unusual name.

[Gemmawaters]

Hi can I just say my daughter is called Reeva spelt that way and never once in her whole 8 months has anyone even mentioned this other girl called Reeva. I oftern get asked how did we come across it as it's an unusual name and most people often say they really like it. So my opinion is if you like it go with it regardless.

[fairyteepee]

skycatkins im having my c section in a few weeks and am not sure what were having but have chosen a different girls name, although that is purely through preference, i think Reeva would be ok to use personally. good luck with your pregnancy!

[Skycatkins]

Hello fairyteepee, you use Reeva in the end? It's a name I'm considering.

[looki]

I wouldn't use it personally. It's an unusual name and before the current association, I'd never heard of it. I suspect there are a lot of people like me.

All in all I think it would be in very bad taste to use it.

[DeeBee19]

Of course it's fine to use it, I think people are being a bit ridiculous frankly to suggest otherwise. It's our first choice for a girls name (after Reeva Starr - singer) and I think it's beautiful.

Also what are you saying by choosing the name? It's hardly disrespectful to the poor woman is it? At the most it's sprung from hearing a beautiful name...people will forget (sadly), things move very quickly through public consciousness...but I think the name will become more popular in time. If it's your daughters name everyone will just know it as your daughters name.

Go for it, if it's right for you....we would but we've just found out we're having a boy!

[HibiscusIsland]

I think Reeva is different to Holly, Jessica, Madeleine, Ben and Oscar as they are well known names, whereas even my husband who grew up in South Africa said that he had never come across the name Reeva before.

[TheFroglet]

Perhaps not so bad if you spelled it Riva etc. I loved the name Oscar but not using it for the same reasons, just timing unfortunate.

[MrsPretoria]

I would use it if it was a name I liked. As others have said, there are other, very popular names that belong to victims of crime or infamous criminals. As above -Holly, Jessica, Madeleine, Ben etc etc.

I have also had 2 Oscars born during the trial period and as it's such a popular name I am sure their are more than that - nobody is batting an eyelid about them

If you love it, use it.

[Frikadellen]

Off course you can use it, I also think it is a beautiful name

Holly (Wells) and Jessica (Chapman - Soham murders) Madeline (Mccann) Ben (Needham) & Jack (the ripper) are all names that are still commonly given to babies despite their "connections"..

[Hakluyt]

I think next March will probably be OK. So long as there's no appeal.

[Sootgremlin]

OP, I think if you had started a thread about the name with the Riva spelling, saying it was after your DH's great-nan, and asked if it was too similar to 'Reeva' to use next March, I think the responses would have been completely on the side of you using it.

You are bound to get negative responses now as it is at the forefront of everyone's mind at the moment because of the events of the last few days, and your original post was ambiguous as to whether you were only using the name because of Reeva Steenkamp.

[OldF0ssil]

Definitely too soon. But agree, Riva is slightly better.

[BOFster]

But it ISN'T after Reeva Steencamp though

[gamescompendium]

I'd stick with the family spelling if I was you and always say 'She's Riva after DH's great nan'. If someone makes some comment about RS then you can say 'but it's a family name that's spelt differently that we'd decided on years ago' then give them a hard stare.

For other reasons I'd recommend the family spelling. DD2 has the middle name 'Anne' and my Mum was not impressed that we spelt it with an 'e' (not the family spelling).

[PorkyMinch]

I actually think I'd be upset if I was her mother and people thought they couldn't name their child after her because it had horrible associations. It's a lovely name.

[birdofthenorth]

Love Rivka and Reema. Only one association with Reeva. Spell it Riva if you go for it.