Giving baby a famous/well known name?

[DoYouWantACuppa]

Hi All. FTM here. We know we are having a girl. Husband and I struggling to agree on a name. There is a one we both like, but when paired with our surname makes a well-known actress name (born early 70s if that makes a difference!) Would that put you off choosing that name or would you pick it anyway? E.g. Would you pick Scarlett if your surname was Johansson? Would you pick Kate if your surname was Winslet? Not because we want to name our baby after the actress but because we genuinely like the name. Husband says it’s not an issue but I’m not so sure, but we struggling to find alternatives! WWYD? Many thanks!

My newborn has a 'famous' name. We mentioned it to a few people and most said 'who???' so we felt it was ok. When we registered the birth the registrar was really excited as it was her favourite actor so now I'm wary that we will actually get more comments than we expected.
The actor is a bit older than OP's famous name though so probably won't be well known when my kid is a teen and not hugely famous either.

If it’s two fairly common names eg Eva Green then I don’t think it’s too bad. If it’s more unusual such as Gwyneth Paltrow then it might be a little odd……

No, I wouldn't.
It is so annoying / irritating for the poor owner of the name.

Nobody's fault when the person becomes famous after you have the name, but ridiculous to lumber someone with a name that everyone associates with one particular person.

@SirNicholasDeMimsyPorpington

Sorry to take your thread off on a slight tangent OP, but on this topic, do you all think that the name Matthew Lewis would be an issue?

No more than Maggie Smith, or Alex Jones or Will Smith

How famous is the actress? Does she still act?

Depends on the name. I did snigger every time at baby weigh ins at Ben Affleck that was the same age as one of mine

There also a Thierry Henry and a Mohammed Ali at school and I know a Tom Jones and Paul Merton

We have an uncommon surname shared with someone very famous, we definitely couldn't use that first name even though I liked it. Depends on the unusual - ness of the names

I know 2 people called Tom Jones and don’t think they are bothered by it? Also not really commented on either?

I probably wouldn't unless your surname and the first name are both really generic OR the name was absolutely non-negotiable due to it being a family name or something. And even then, it would depend how well-known the actress was.

e.g. Simone Ashley? Fine. Olivia Coleman? No, probably not. My best friend's name is very similar to a very famous singer's and she's sick to death of people making the same three jokes, to the extent she nearly always uses her nickname with new people.

I knew a Hugh Grant - his life was totally uneventful until 4 Weddings and Funeral came out and then he was totally notorious from that point on.

Personally, I wouldn't do this to a kid. There are plenty of perfectly good names out there.

I wouldn't. So many names out there. I would pick something else and spare her potential embarrassment

Sorry to jump on your thread OP. Similar situation. Little boy due in September. What do people think of Euan MacGregor? Too similar to the actor Ewan McGregor? And does that matter or not?

That would be a hard no for me. While Eu(w)an and M(a)cGregor aren't unusual names, they aren't ubiquitous (like Tom Jones) so together I don't think anyone would think of anything other than the actor. He's also so high profile that (almost) everyone would have that immediate association. The spelling difference is irrelevant, out loud it's the same name.

Even with the most popular names though, I'd still avoid it. William Smith is possibly the blandest name in existence, but the association with Will Smith is still present. If Ewan McGregor does something similarly stupid and high profile, the association with your son's name would be stronger as the names are less commonplace.

Is it Jessica Rabbit? 😄

I probably wouldn't just because you'll forever be asking if you named your DD after the actress and if you didn't and it's purely incidental it will be annoying. Our shares a name with a fashion designer, but he's obscure enough that most people haven't heard of him, so it's fine. I remember when my friend called her son George back in 2006 (in the US) and one friend asked her 'Washington or Bush'?

I think Alex Jones is a bit of an issue.

I have known a Ricky Martin , a John West , a Philip Schofield and recently met a Serena Williams . After I while I didn’t think about it , but I do remember them !

If you're in Scotland I think this is ok as to me it's kind of like a John Smith in England (but much nicer - I love Euan! And definitely prefer that spelling).

Thank you for your reply. Yes, perhaps I should have clarified, we are in the Highlands.

William (Billy) Smith - yes
Arnold Schwarzenegger - no

I used to work with someone who had the same name as a current famous singer, the singer would have been known when they were born but have subsequently got a lot more famous. My work colleague was actually a singer in their spare time, quite good in a group and everything. They had to pretty much only use their first name when singing as the combination of their first and surname would have got venues very excited if they thought the famous one might show up ( same rough geographical area so not completely a bonkers idea)