Names that can't or shouldn't be used due to bad association

[ofwarren]

Not really a TAAT but sort of.
The Maxine one made me think about other names that may be perfectly fine but now can't be used.
Names like Myra or Madeleine. Perfectly nice names but straight away, your mind goes to Hindley and McCann.
Which other ones are there and why do some names of truly dreadful people not have the same impact?

Hitler

Boris

Yeah, Adolf is the main one I think.
It looks like it was a common name in Germany at the time. My husband has a great uncle Adolph in his family tree.

Yes! Boris is ruined now I think. I never particularly liked it anyway but when I hear it I straight away think of Johnson.

I didn't see the other thread but what's wrong with Maxine? Am I being dim?

Donald

Kind of opposite, how did Amelia becone so popular?

Famous murderer of children and a hideous disease...

...yet for a while quarter of little girls had that name.

The name Levi is still relatively popular even though there is the Levi Belfield association.
I wonder why some names escape?

@badtasteflump ... Maxine Carr?

Maxine Carr was girlfriend of Ian Huntley who killed the girls in Soham. She covered up for him and went to jail.

For various good/bad reasons:

Osama
Lester
Elvis
Cedric
Cyril
Wilfred
Charles
Mikhail

Donald, Don, Donnie. I don't think that will be making a comeback any time soon.

But as time moves on the associations are lost.

I asked DS (15) what he thinks of when I say the name Maxine. He said "Max from Stranger Things" . Holly and Jessica mean nothing to him, other than being my friends daughters. I doubt he's ever heard the name Myra. Amelia to him is a girl who lives near us, or Amelia Bones from Harry Potter.

Yeah, best to avoid politicians and dictators!

@Elouera what's wrong with Cedric?

But no one would associate Ian with Huntley. Or Harold with Shipman. Or Ian with Bradley.

Cedric, Wilfred and Charles seem to be mentioned on here in a positive light quite often @Eluera
Elvis is definitely out though. I wonder how popular it was before he was famous?

Adolf

This is bizarre. Unless its a huge household scandal that makes it big with names that arent too common then most people wont associate bad with them. Like levi. Its an old jewish name. Levi strauss is themost popular association. Not many people will know who levi belfield is.

Some names don't have an impact because they're insufficiently unusual.

If someone said Fred we might think of Fred West - but 100 years ago people wouldn't have done, because they'd have known at least 2 Freds down the pub.

Charles - how many people think of Charles Manson unless in this type of conversation already? Jim - do you automatically think of Jim Jones? David - I bet you'd name dozens of people (friends and slebs) before coming up with Koresh.

Even Madeleine, people might remember the poor kid but it doesn't remove all the other people with that name. Eventually there'll be parents who don't really know who the McCanns are but know and love their Auntie Maddy...

I agree that the association seems to be lost over time, except for your dictator types though.
Elvis is a funny one though. Are there other musicians or celebs who's name you couldn't use?

The answer is very cultural though. My son's name is Boris. I'm not british and Johnson is as relevant to me as Becker or Eltsin or Godunov, or Boris Vian, etc.

Some of these associations are also very transient. Obviously it'll be a long time before Adolf is popular again, if ever, but names like Attila are actually quite common in some countries. And I wouldn't refrain from using a very common name such as Madeleine or Cyril.

Not quite sure what's supposed to be the problem with Myra, either.

Ok sorry obviously Maxine Carr - but going on that there would be so many unusable names - Rose, Fred, Ian, Harry (Harold), Jack, Jeffrey, John.... hardly leaves any names! I know a couple of Maxines and I've never made that connection. Surely it's more when it's a very unusual name, or one that becomes unusual because nobody else wants to use it. I mean, I know loads of Ians (I was born in the 70's) - but nobody called Myra 😱

Myra Hindley @Malysh

Sorry cross posted with a gazillion others...