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?

I'm thinking that too @BadTasteFlump
Maybe the name has to be quite memorable in the first place. Ian was far too common a name, whereas Myra was more unusual.

Jezebel

I think for a celebrity or musician's name to be a problem it'd have to be very unusual in the first place.

Khloe for instance for its very bizarre orthographe.
Marilyn (Manson) for a boy, though it's common enough for girls.
Kanye because of how rare the name is.

But if I say Mila how many people will automatically think "Jovovich" ? If I say Joseph, how many people will answer "Staline" ? And Felix is quite common despite Prince Felix Youssoupov murdering Rasputin.

That's a good one 35. I can't imagine that ever becoming popular again.

And I suspect that the unpopularity of Maxine has more to do with fashion than Maxine Carr (I had no idea what the OP was talking about). It's one of those names like Jacqueline that were really popular in the sixties and seventies. By the time it reaches great-great-aunt status no-one will remember one bad example.

@PorpentiaScamander Thanks, never heard of her tbh, will have to have a quick Google.

Also for what it's worth names like Donald make me think Donald Duck before Donald Trump !

Isis (I actually know an 11 year old Isis, when she was born I thought it was such a cool name ..not so much now )

Imo it comes down to how common the name is and other associations. So eg Madeleine my first thought is an elderly lady I've known all my life, rather than McCann. If enough people also connect the name with another Madeleine, it isn't a name everyone avoids. Few people think 'Dahmer' when they hear the name Jeffrey. But few people know a Boris or an Adolf.

Nothing wrong with Madeleine. It’s not unusable at all. I know several. It’s a normal name. Most of the names on your list are fine too.

I've now got a growing desire to suggest to everyone on this board a beautiful and uncommon girls' name, Jessibelle

or Jessabelle

Fanny

Covid

Rolf

DePfeffel

Shannon
Josef (pronounced with Y sound)
Judas

@35andThriving by that thinking surely Jimmy would be unusable? Or maybe Rolf is a problem because it is far less common than Jimmy and Saville died without a headline-grabbing trial.

Not quite the same but I don't get the sudden love for violent gangster names of the 60s/70s/80s. I mean Ronnie, Reggie, Vinny, Stan, Jimmy, etc etc. You want your kid to sound like some brutal career criminal?

Ronnie
Reggie

More recently

Karen and Susan

Dick
Mickey
Willie
Fanny

Re: Jezebel & Judas, I often wonder what it is that makes some names from the Bible more popular than others. It’s not always just good = popular name, bad = no one calls their child that.

Yeah, I think it's because Rolf Harris is the only Rolf people would think of.

@DianneWhatcock I love the name Isis, I would not use it now though.

Ghislaine!

Was going to say Myra before clicking! I like the name and is the name of a grandparent who died before I was born. Couldn't use it for DD though.

A couple of people were quite agitated when I brought up the name even though I said "here's a lovely name that we are definitely not using for obvious reasons...."

We live right near where it all happened. A family (other side) who live down south didn't get the link right away though and seemed to think they could have used the name down there.

I know a Maxine, Myra and Madeleine. I don’t think most people have these associations. They will die out quite soon anyway.