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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.)

That's such a beautiful name :)

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

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

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