Toby Belch-and other negative literary associations!

[fionadal]

Have just posted re why the name Toby doesn't work for me - because I can't get past the above - studied English at uni and spent quite a lot of time on Twelfth Night!

It got me thinking about other literary characters that have ruined certain names for me:

eg I met a 4 year old Myrtle the other day and wondered how the mother could get over the "Moaning Myrtle" link!

Ralph is "forever" ruined for me by its "owner" in Judy Blume's "Forever" (it's the name given to the lead character's penis for those who have missed out on the delights of the book!)

Patrick is tarnished for me by American Psycho, even though there are loads of nice Patricks in other areas of life!

Are there any names that have been ruined for you by associations with literary characters?

A friend of mine said she liked the name Persephone for her baby who was due...I was because to me, she's always the victim of Hades...he raped her! Why name a baby after that?

Similar with Lucretia...the Rape of Lucretia!

We (well I) chose Toby because of lovely gentle Uncle Toby in Tristram Shandy. So there you go, a nice literary association.

I think Persephone's story is more than that though.

I have the same Ralph association!
Currently considering Annabel but worried there's a doll with the same name!

I'm always mystified when people choose Ophelia. It's a pretty name but there are other Shakespearean heroines with pretty names that I'd rather invoke.

Cain always baffles me, I can't get past Cain and Abel.

Cassandra, Ophelia, Heathcliff. Cain is just a mad choice.

Ha ha , just found this. The Ralph reference made me laugh! It has the same associations for me!

I met a Gwen recently and was instantly transported back to Mallory Towers and that awful Gwendoline Mary Lacey (for some reason forever etched on my memory!)

Also(not exactly a literary reference but) Monty (there are a few round here) always reminds me of Uncle Monty in Withnail and I. And that's not a good association.

Toby is a (non-literary) dog IMO!

Uriah will always be followed by "Heap" in my head. (I've known a Uriah since childhood and I still make the connection)

Not quite as literary, but DH vetoed Ursula for DD because of Disney's Little Mermaid!

I thought the Little Mermaid was called Ariel?

Ursula is the Sea Witch/ Monster.

I toyed with Estella but couldn't because of Great Expectations. She's too mean.

My husband couldn't reconcile my love of the name Tess with his dislike of Tess of the D'Ubervilles, same for Jude.

Thanks everyone for replies. Makes for interesting reading.

I feel the same about Jude and Tess, wigglesrock!

And how funny to hear about the associations many of us have with the name Ralph!

, it's strange he had no bother with Anna which in my mind is just as linked to literature.

Yes, for me Toby also has quite a few not-so-good associations from literature and TV.

LOL to the "Forever" references. It's not just Ralph that's ruined for me as result of that book, but also Michael (o'wise a rather nice, soft-sounding name).

One of my favourite books ever is The Great Gatsby -but that has ruined the (otherwise quite sweet-sounding) name Daisy for me.

I met a little Ethel t'other day, and immediately thought "how could they call her that - what about Ethel in the Worst Witch!" A pretty obscure association of course, but I was obsessed with those books when little!

Elliott (nasty, creepy man in The Greengage Summer)

Cain also baffles me. Cain and Abel again...