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?

Lots are saying Boris which is fair enough. I will say Margaret for similar reasons.

What's wrong with Madeleine? I hardly think Madeleine McCann writes off a whole name.

I know someone (early 30s) who has a perfectly lovely first name but about 10 years ago decided to use Boris. His politics indicate it wasn’t to do with bj. Ridiculous Anyway. It heightened now as anyone who sees his name knows he chose to change it and everyone will think connected to Boris. Bad move.

My friend has just had a Madeleine and I didn't think anything of it other than it being a nice name.
I also have a friend with a little Alexa who regrets it. Not so much a bad association but an annoying one.

Isis! I love the same Isis but it’s totally ruind now!

And Siri has gone to shit as well although not as badly.

Of course you can use Madeleine or Maxine just like people use forms of Fred or Ian or Michael or Ted.
If you disregarded every name of a murderer or bad person you would be limited with boys names.

The reason people flinch at Myra and Maxine and not Ian or Fred is because of how common the name was to begin with, surely?

Ronnie and Reggie are surprisingly popular atm. Didn’t Mrs Hinch name her child Ronnie? I’m sure another minor ‘celeb’ named their son Reggie too.

Ronnie and Reggie are surprisingly popular atm. Didn’t Mrs Hinch name her child Ronnie? I’m sure another minor ‘celeb’ named their son Reggie too. Yep super popular. I think that Tom Hardy film is partially responsible!

I went to school with a Jezebel. It's a shame the name has negative connotations, as the name itself is quite pretty, and it's not that different to Isabel.

101 baby girls were named Myra in 2018, and the name is ranked 431 alongside Meghan, Macey, Kara, Hareem and Demi.

I can see it coming back as it has a similar short and vowely feel to popular names like Mila/Mya/Maya/Myla/Lyra/Aria/Arya.

I bet lots of people of childbearing age, particularly younger ones, won't necessarily think of Myra Hindley - she died when I was 12 and I'm early 30s.

I know a Myra - she’s a little older than any connotations would have been. It’s I retesting to just see it as her name. I like it.

‘Interesting’ that was supposed to be.

Here in once very catholic Ireland, Oscar was unpopular because of its association with flamboyantly homosexual Oscar Wilde. Thankfully people don't really think like that anymore and the name's hugely popular.

I think "the grouch" when I hear Oscar but that's probably a childhood with too much Sesame Street!

Jocasta as well.

I know a Jezebel, I think she's around thirty. Mostly goes by Jez or Bel. I do think it's unusual but not in an unpleasant way.

I think it depends where you are. Eg Madonna would be unusual in the UK, but perhaps not other places.

I don't see any issue with Madeline, the prevelance of the name before/during/after the event has been pretty stable.

Compare with Jonbent. It's totally synonymous with one person.

I think an interesting test is to google a name, first name only. Myra will direct you to a single person only for the first few pages, Maxine or Madeline will not.

Dick and Fanny in the U.K anyway. I like Dickon but not sure I could use it and Fanny is lovely but seems unusable. Adolf is probably out. Karen which I also love is probably out for a while at any rate.

I don't see any issue with Madeline, the prevelance of the name before/during/after the event has been pretty stable.

What event?

Well indeed daisy that does support the argument.

The event of the disappearance of Madeline McCann.

I once taught twins called Holly & Jessica and all I could think about was the 2 friends that were killed by the caretaker. Oddly, the children were born a few years after the death of the friends was all over the news, so I've no idea why the parent didn't click, especially as we lived locally to the murders

This thread reminds me that I once worked with an Attila, I was a little surprised when he told me his name but it soon became normal at work. People did react to it if I was telling a work story and mentioned his name.

I think we will still get Donald’s in Scotland, it hasn’t been very popular for a while but carries on due to family traditions.

What’s the story with Amelia? I don’t associate it with any murders.

It's just because Maxine is an unusual name.

If she'd been called Rachael it wouldn't have registered at all.

I used to have a music teacher called Gay - I can't imagine calling a baby that now it would just feel a bit odd... better to let them wait and make their own mind up when they're old enough.