Bracing myself... Hero?

[Auxence]

For a girl. Tell me your honest thoughts please, I am bracing myself!

@TatianaBis

I think it’s fair to say that most people will think of the word first. I’m glad so many on this thread know the mythological and Shakespeare connections but I don’t think it’s realistic to think this is true of the majority of the population. There’s nothing wrong with not being really up on Shakespeare and Greek myth, we all have different interests and education levels through no fault of our own!

I’m pleased that so many of you love it though This is the only name on our list that I’d have to really think before using, but it is my favourite. Lucky we’ve still got a bit of time!

I wasn't schooled in the UK so my Shakespeare knowledge is not that great - I didn't know where the name came from and did presume it was from the English word.
I must admit I also presumed it was intended for a little boy. I guess it's not necessarily a bad thing - there's nothing wrong with androgynous names and it's not like calling a girl a name that is exclusively male (like John).
Regardless of what people are called you always overcome your feelings about the name when you know them. But it might not be easy to bear in the playground. I quite like the idea as a second name though.

I really like it.

@JaninaDuszejko

It's a lovely name and being able to separate the wheat from the chaff by people's response to her name is useful. And as the parent of 3DC with unusual names children are a lot less funny about names than adults these days. Kids just accept names, it's just men grown ups who try and make bad jokes.

Yes, exactly. DS has an unusual name, and while it's never been an issue, the very occasional odd response to it is an excellent early warning system for wankers.

it makes me think of the Keanu Reeves version of Much Ado; a film that sticks in my memory because a horse I used to have lessons on was in it, ridden by Robert Sean Leonard. He was a lovely horse, called Dusty. He could rear on command and roll over and play dead and all sorts of things.

This cracked me up. Dusty's owners could probably have charged extra for lessons if they'd claimed he was ridden by Keanu Reeves (though I quite fancied Robert Sean Leonard, actually it's only now that I rewatch Dead Poets Society and just think 'Neil, calm the fuck down with the am dram for a couple of years, go to university and do all the student theatre you like there's really no need for the Puck and the Crown of Thorns histrionics...)

Though I'd have been nervous of learning on a horse who reared/played dead on demand.

I love it but I am a literature and Shakespeare nut. I wish I’d been brave enough to use it but DH would have vetoed anyway.

We vaguely considered it for DC2 if a girl because we'd settled on Leander for a boy, and it made a kind of sense. Ultimately for us it was a "no" thanks to issues transliterating into Cyrillic (if you think you have issues naming a baby OP.... ) but also because I couldn't imagine myself shouting it across a playground. But I don't think it's that out there.

Artemis, maybe? Or there's a little Boudicca near me, if you really want to rile people?

I wasn't aware of the Shakespear reference as I haven't seen or read that particular play. So I'm one of those who just thought of the English word and so it does come across as a strange name for a girl.

I absolutely love it, one of my favourites. DH wasn’t on board and I had a different first choice which we ended up using, but this is my ‘if I’d been brave enough’ name.

Love it

The only Hero I'm aware of is a male in the 'after' film series. Nice name, dunno if I'd use it for a female

I like it. But it's a lot to live up to....

I adore it - but I am a big Georgette Heyer fan!

I like the origins as in Shakespearian/ancient, but I couldn't name a child it.

I know a Hero, he’s a male though and Japanese.

I know a Hero (30s) and I love it. It is a big name to carry - and the Hero I know certainly pulls it off - but I don't think that should put you off. FWIW, even if the initial reaction is a bit , people will very quickly get used to it. It'll just be her name. If we can call people Daisy, Honor or River (to name a varied selection!), you can absolutely name your daughter Hero.

Ps the Hero I know is a woman, so I definitely think of it as a girls' name!

I love it. But most people won't get it.
Also agree with a PP, that it's a big name to wear.

I have a Hero. She's now a teenager and only ONCE in her entire life did anyway make any negative comment to me, and that was a supermarket cashier. Nobody we knew have ever queried it (to our face anyway!)

I've just asked her now and she loves her name and says she hasn't really heard any negatively. Certainly never had the piss ripped out of her 🙄 She'd not change her name and is pleased to have something a bit unusual.

For a girl? No
For a boy? No
For a dog? No

For a goldfish? Perhaps for a laugh.

Thanks @JellyBabiesFan I'll call DD goldfish then, shall I? 😆

Seriously OP, I wouldn't worry. Nobody is ever this rude to your face. There are so many people on this thread that knows of one and it's a fab, strong name.

Not sure. I don't think it's a name that someone can easily carry. What if she's a shy person? Is it the meaning or the reference that you like?

I love Beatrice and it sounds nice in different languages (I'm French speaking and it's lovely in French). Obviously there's Juliet (Juliette) which I also love. Helen, Helena, Alice, Diana, all Shakespearian names.

Hero is just too big. Or you could have a top 3 and see what her personality is when she is born. My son has a really soft name which wasn't on our list at all, but after he was born his personality was really gentle and laid back, we chose a name to reflect that and it really suits him, even though he's now 15.

It's awful.

@Auxence

I absolutely love it but I haven’t decided if I’m ready for all the comments yet... or if she would be. Don’t like Hera nearly as much, weirdly.

Do you think it’s widely known to be Classical/Shakespearean or do you think most people would assume she was named after the English word?

See Pineapples post above.

Hero in Greek mythology is a woman.

And Shakespearean.

Nothing to do with Piper, Sailor type names.

I have always loved it for a girl but... people.

It might get more familiar, artists abd film stars like it.

@UpTheJunktion do you realise how poncy you sound?

...'but... people' (lol)

Hiro is a Japanese name that can used for girls. I have taught siblings - Aki, Hiro, Sakura and Yuki