If you have the same surname as a famous person

[Soubriquet]

Would you be happy to use the first name?

For example, if your last name was Smith, would you use Maggie or Will as a first name?

Or would you be conscious of people always saying “oh yeah, like Fresh Prince”

We had exactly this problem, we have a very famous/notorious surname and unfortunately I adored the famous first name, which also had family meaning but I just could not bring myself to use it. I thought of all the jokey comments I already recieve from random strangers about my surname and couldnt possibly make it even more of a thing for my child by including the first name, I didnt even use it as a middle name either. So frustrating!

We have a very common surname that also has a few famous people by it.

I love one of the first names, which you could get away with for a girl (if she changes her name once married) but it’s hard

The thing is, you can avoid currently famous people but by the time a baby born now is a teen/adult someone with the same name could have become famous!

Depends how famous. So if my surname was Jackson I'd definitely avoid Michael and if Presley I'd avoid Elvis (!) because those celebrities are iconic and even teens now know who they are. If just a popular actor/singer, I'd not worry. Your example of Will Smith - I've taught a good handful of Will Smiths over the years and honestly most teens today don't know the actor particularly well or care who he is. I am fully confident they'd have no idea who Maggie Smith is either, unless they have a parent who is an ardent fan! So I would use both of those.

I wouldn't. I was at primary school back in the 70s with a girl called Julie Andrews. Even at that age, I thought it was a strange thing for her parents to have done

I wouldn’t but one of my friends has given her kid a famous persons name, but it’s an unusual first name to choose because it hasn’t been popular for about forty years and I’m sure he’s going to spend his life as the butt of other people’s jokes.

I did this in reverse, I married in to a perfectly innocuous surname, which pairs with my first name to make the name of rock star. It’s why I didn’t change my name for 8 years after I go married! I only did because I was pregnant and wanted us all to have the same name.(dh didn’t want to adopt my Gaelic name). I still use “my” name at work, but it’s OK. The trick is to “own” it, and carry on regardless. People got used to it being my name pretty quickly.

I guess it depends what your surname is - if it’s very common like Smith, I’m sure that another Will/Maggie wouldn’t be remarkable. If it’s more distinctive, like Attenborough or Dimbleby, I might be more careful.

One of the baby names we were considering was the first name + surname of a slightly famous person (a soap actor). I discounted it for this reason. If he became mega successful and famous I think it would be embarrassing for DC to have the same name.

My parents disregarded one name because with my surname it would have been someone famous.

Many many years later I was changing planes in Germany and as I'm disabled I had 'assistance' the two, not sue what you would call them, porters? Any the two people taking me tot he plane kept giggling and said, "We have been telling all our friends we are meeting Miss sashh today"

I didn't get the joke so asked and they said , "you are ..." name of famous person.

Godess knows what they would have thought if my parents had given me the full famous person's name.

I have a girl's name which I have always loved the idea of for a future child, but unfortunately when paired with my married surname it makes the name of a celebrity who is a 'household name' and she is not particularly well regarded, so I know it would be cruel to give that name to a child. I think it depends on the name!

Very common first name plus very common surname is fine i think. I've known a Tom Jones and a Michael Jackson. (The Michael Jackson was really well known in his own field)

When either the first name or surname is rarer it becomes more obvious, as that name can be associated with the famous person without the other half, then adding the other half makes it obvious.

I used to work with someone called Harry Potter. He was born before the books were written and I'm sure his parents thought they were giving him a perfectly normal name 😁
He got so many remarks about his name though, it must have been very annoying. And still is I guess.

BIL has the same name as a mildly famous soap actor. There’s no way his parents could have known when naming him as he wasn’t known then so it’s a coincidence but he got lots of comments at school about it. He hated it.

@itsnotgolf

I used to work with someone called Harry Potter. He was born before the books were written and I'm sure his parents thought they were giving him a perfectly normal name 😁 He got so many remarks about his name though, it must have been very annoying. And still is I guess.

I knew a Holly Potter and she also got comments.

My dd has the same name as a famous person (spelt differently). The famous person was unknown when she was born 24 years ago. Luckily older people and very young people haven't heard of this person. Don't do it.

My married name is a famous person but I wanted to change it so had the same name as DC. It does get commented on alot! I usually use a shortened version of my first name (which they dont) which makes it abit better!

We avoided a couple of names which we might have otherwise considered due to very high profile famous people with our surname

I wouldn't be too worried about a lesser known soap actor or band member

My cousin has the same name as a reality show celeb. Just googled the person, my cousin is 2 years older in her 40s, and the ‘celeb’ became ‘famous’ about 10 years ago

I think it depends on how usual the name is and how famous the person.

If my surname was Thatcher I wouldn't name my DD Margaret for example.

But if my surname was Jones I might call my child Matthew.

My son has the same name as a celebrity. Our surname is Smith so I guess that would rule out a lot of names. His name is Elliot. I’ve had a small amount of people mention the singer Elliott Smith but it is rarely mentioned. I may think differently if it was someone very very famous like Michael Jackson though.

@COL1N

My married name is a famous person but I wanted to change it so had the same name as DC. It does get commented on alot! I usually use a shortened version of my first name (which they dont) which makes it abit better!

Me too. Very occasionally couriers, or waiters in places I’ve booked a table are dissapointed that I am not them -male rock star with female stage name.

@BikeRunSki

Alice Cooper?

I know a Harry Potter, born about a decade before the books came out. He hates it, constant comments, jokes etc.
I also know an Elsa, born a few months before Frozen was released. Her parents, whilst they still like the name, admit they wouldn’t have used it if they had known how much it would be related to the film character.

Yes, I would avoid it but sometimes you will end up in that situation anyway. I have felt very sorry my friend Matt Hancock for the last 18 months.

@Sarcobaleno

Yes, I would avoid it but sometimes you will end up in that situation anyway. I have felt very sorry my friend Matt Hancock for the last 18 months.

Oh no!

I know a man roughly the same age and with the same name as Peter Sutcliffe. Now that is unfortunate!