Madeleine - too negatively associated with MMcann?

[Summerloving17]

So I’m still here changing my mind about my little girls name 🤦‍♀️ and since watching Big little lies I’ve started to like Madeleine nn Maddie. My dh still feels it’s strongly associated with negativity due to the Mc Cann incident.

Would love to get all your views! Thankyou xx

There are plenty of other murdered or missing children whose names are so common, people definitely don’t avoid them. Millie, Ben, Holly and Jessica to name but a few.

I don’t think people would automatically make the association.

I don't think younger generations have that strong association with Madeleine McCann. I'm sure that with her generation it will be much less relevant.

If you like the name then go for it

DH thought so, and that is one of the reasons why DD2 isn't called Madeleine. I don't like Maddy, and that is another reason. I have met other young children called Madeleine and not thought of the McCanns, and I agree with PP that our DDs' peers will probably not know of Madeleine McCann. I still really liked the name, so it is DD2's middle name.

It’s a beautiful name and that case won’t be an issue in your daughter’s lifetime

If you like the name Maddie you could have Maddie as a nn for Maddison

Unless your surname's "McDann" or something similar I think it's okay.

I know a few Madeleines and the name never makes me think of Madeleine McCann.

It won't be associated in your daughter's generation and to be honest so what if it is? Yes absolutely it is devastatingly sad that a young child went missing, but the girl herself was lovely so why should the name have negative connotations? What happened to her was terrible, but she herself was a normal child. Go ahead and use it.

It’s because they are very usual names with 100s of them all around and Madeleine is much more unusual therefore associated by a lot of people with the Mcann case.

Sorry was just trying to reply to the people saying Ben holly sarah etc are used still. Why don’t you use Madison if you like maddie and then you won’t have the association but it’s your choice l just personally wouldn’t x

It’s a very pretty name but when I hear it, I do immediately think of the case but maybe more perhaps as I’ve just watched the Netflix docu series all about it.

It’s lovely. I would use it , but then all the Madeleines I’ve ever known have been lovely.
I think the sad associations will fade, unless Madeleine McCs true fate is ever discovered.

I really wanted Madeleine for DD and ex-h vetoed it for the McCann connotations. I completely disagreed with him, and still do. I wouldn't have used it back in the first year of the case, but it was ages ago and really isn't in the forefront of people's minds anymore. I wouldn't veto Rose just because of Rose West, or Jessica because of Jessica Chapman (I don't actually like either Jessica or Rose as names, but that's beside the point), I don't see what makes Madeleine McCann such a unique case that the name is no-go for the rest of eternity.

It's not the McCann element that puts me off, it's the "Mad". Really not a good allusion!

I don't think so, my best friend at school was named thus except spelt differently: Madeline.

There's also Maddie Prior.

Poor little Madeline McCann is not what I think first of all when I hear the name. It's a lovely name.

I didn’t use it for this reason. It’s a beautiful name.

I don't like the Mad part and particularly dislike Maddie.

In French Madeleine sounds much nicer.

I know someone who has a son and daughter named Ian and Myra, but they were both born in the very early 1960, so before the moors murderers.

Madeline is a beautiful name, and I would use it.

It’s a lovely name but personally McCann comes to my mind when I hear it. If I heard of a baby named Madeline/Maddie I would never bring up the McCann name obviously but I would think of her to myself.

I have a Madeleine and was worried about the McCann association. However once she was born and "owned" the name I never thought of it again. As previously said, the people who think McCann are the people who don't necessarily know any Madeleines in real life. She gets lots of compliments on her name too.

My DD is Madeleine but she’s 22 so was a Madeleine long before Madeleine McCann. She’s always gone by Maddie. I still love both. Named in honour of the character from Moonlighting, for those who remember it.

My niece is Madeline prounounced
Mad-el-in in the same was that Jasmine and Katherine are said

It’s people think maddie is short for Maddison anyway which to be fair does bother my sister as she dislikes Maddison!

I’d go for it - I love it

Loads of Maddie's in the secondary school I teach in BUT lots are Madison/Madison and the others have alternative spellings of Madeleine like Madelyn or Maddalyn.

Madeleine is the prettiest of all though and I think it's fine to use. It makes me think of the little cakes!

I mean Madison/Maddison!

I wouldn't use it, for me it is associated with McCann.