Jezebel?

[fairyteepee]

I love this name its so pretty, should i use it in spite of some of its negative associations? Its seems such a shame to bin a beautiful name! Thanks guys!

Thanks. Were going to find an alternative. May use Annabel, its my cousins name so i was initially put off but as shes a single mum, foster carer and dealing with the big C i think it would be nice to use in her honour as shes an inspiration to me.

Annabel is beautiful.

Well done OP, i have never seen a baby name thread with 100% agreement before.
Annabel is lovely, and people love being named after :)

I love annabel too! Well done for taking all the negative replies on board, I know if it was me I would have been upset but then again I bawled my eyes out over an undercooked sausage when I was pregnant.

Very best wishes to you and your baby girl x

Annabelle is nicer.

Jezebel is just ridiculous. And just because you're pregnant, it doesn't mean you can't be insulted, just the same as anyone on here!!

you were put off the name annabel because your cousin is a single parent, foster carer and dealing with the big C, but you weren't put off the name Jezebel?

That made me chuckle. I'm a single parent but not a prostitute I wonder if people are ever put off using my name

I think Annabel is lovely OP and a wise choice.

I'm sorry you are feeling a bit bashed about, but on re-reading the thread I think that we all were just genuinely shocked that you might make what I think a lot of people would consider a regrettable decision. I think you'll look back in future and be relieved you chose Annabel.

It's become a noun, so no.

Other biblical names have negative connotations (Cain, Seth, Magda) but have not become nouns. You don't hear people say 'He's a bit of a Cain'.

Other names are nouns, but they are either not negative (Jack, Bill) or the name is so common that the noun is not the first thing that springs to mind (John, Charlie nobody has said that since the '80s, surely ) or have dropped out of use (Dick)

It has become unusable, along with Judas and Hitler (admittedly a surname but lots of people have surnames as first names)

It's rather a shame, because it's a lovely name but not common enough to overcome the individual. A bit like when you hear 'Myra' you think 'Hindley' but when you hear 'Ian' you don't think 'Brady'

Jezabel isn't a fictitious person, there is historical evidence for her existence, if nothing else, not that it matters. The bible is hugely influential and I wouldn't saddle a kid with the name Goldilocks or Cinderella either, no matter how pretty they sound.

Not aimed at OP

Someone mentioned reclaiming the name, feminist stance/cause (sorry, too tired)

That's perfectly fine if a woman, feminist or not, decides to change her name to Jezebel, but a baby can't make that decision.

Sorry, didn't see the last cople of pages (see, too tired)

Glad you've decided to name her after someone who inspires you.

Best wishes for you and new baby when she arrives.

I've just read this whole thread.

OP

baby.about.com/od/Baby-Girl-Names/qt/Belle-Names.htm

(Jezabel is on the list)!

Jessabelle is an alternative but IMO for avoiding the negative connotations of Jezabel, It's too similar.

For what It's worth, I love the name Jezabel. Even though I studied history and knew the biblical connotations, I have never used Jezabel as a noun or heard anybody in my friend/family connection use it as one, either so I can see how the OP may have been similar to me like that, and not realised how strongly other people feel about it.

I wouldn't name a child Jezabel, but I may have stretched to 'Jessabelle' or 'Jessa-Belle' as a middle name, if I really wanted something similar.

Your cousin sounds wonderful. Good luck to her dealing with cancer . I think it's a great idea to honour her by using the name Annabel.

I think it makes you sound pretty uneducated.

Gosh, you go to bed early and this happens.
Also, no idea about Charlie. Seriously. 99%? I doubt it. This is what is known as background influenced generalisation.

Wow, I didn't know people felt so strongly about Jezebel. It's not a name I would use but I know someone named Jezebel and apart from thinking 'hmmm, does that mean she's a bit of a goer?' lighthearted it's never affected my opinion of her

Klokken you misread the OP. She was put off because it's her cousins name, however those other aspects of her cousin made her veer towards using the name.

I'd not use Jezebel and that's even with DD1 being called Lilith!

And no, no one has linked Lilith with the Hebrew mythological creature. I either get asked if it's Welsh (confusing it with Dilyth I suppose) or just asked where it's from. If I get asked that then I just say that Lilith was the first feminist as in Hebrew mythology Lilith was Adam's first wife, who was created equally but she refused to submit to him which meant she was cast out of Eden and turned into a demon. If their eyes haven't glazed over then I might also say she was a 'mascot' of the suffragette movement and there is a feminist festival called Lilith Fair in the US.

Anyway, getting back to Jezebel. In Isaac Asimov's The Caves of Steel Jezebel is the wife of the lead character Elijah Baley. She normally goes by Jessie but one day says to her husband that she likes her full name being Jezebel and he mocks her bringing up the cultural baggage of the name. The end result is that she then goes by Jessie and disavows her full name (if I've got some details a bit wrong please forgive me, its been a few years since I read my copy of The Caves of Steel).

I got it a little wrong - google books excerpt here if anyone is interested - here

Annabel is a lovely name.

I like it. I think Judas is a lovely boys name too. Why does the bible ruin all the good ones!
When I hear Jezebel I think of the feminist website now and that's pretty cool.

If Jezebel is such a no-no for being linked with prostitution I wonder how Scarlett became acceptable?

Annabel is infinitely better. And a lovely gesture towards your cousin too.

Re. the thread. Op, you asked, you were told, MN style... It smarts but it can be worth it, believe me I've been there. :)

Scarlett has cute 'retro' connotations now probably. Scarlett O' Hara etc.

And where else would you get a baby names thread that references Isaac Asimov? I love MN!