Would it put you off a name if a high profile news case involving someone with the same name was in the news around the time your child was born?

[Giltedged]

Probably badly explained - I suppose not dissimilar to using Ghislane just when she was found guilty but obviously Ghislaine is quite an unusual name so when you say it most people do think ‘maxwell.’

Would you just give the name a swerve and find another one?

I thought it would be Lucy. It's fine. It's a pretty name.

When one of mine was born the baby across the way had the surname Affleck and they went with Ben as a first name

We still come across them occasionally at the GP and still have to stifle a snigger.

I wouldn't think twice about Lucy

Yes I was put off my top boy's name due to it being shared with a rapist in the news. I had a girl anyway, but I was put off the name.

Popular Top 100/200 type names shouldn't be an issue I think (unless the surname is the same!). So personally I wouldn't have worried about a popular name like Madeleine. However after her disappearance the name suddenly dropped in use about 70 places in the charts (quite dramatically) so clearly this isn't the case for many people.

Lucy, Rose, Fred(erick,) even Ian or Jimmy not an issue either I should think, as there are just so many other references. Rarer names like Myra and Rolf, I personally wouldn't.

It really depends on how common the name is. Lucy is a classic name and has always been popular. I really don't think anyone would think of Lucy Letby. There are millions of Lucys about. Myra is a much more unusual name and people will automatically think of Myra Hindley because they don't know any other Myras.
Fred is a very popular boy's name. I know several little Freds. However, if your surname was West you probably wouldn't call your son Fred!

I just think of the Lucy's I know so wouldn't associate it with Lucy Letby.

I honestly think Lucy is fine, it is well-used enough not to be linked to one person. It's the slightly less used names that stick in the brain. EG your example of Ian Huntley, I don't think of him every time I hear of anyone called Ian, but I do think of Madeleine McCann whenever I hear of a girl called Madeleine/Maddie. It's just that bit more unusual, Lucy will be completely fine.

NC for this, I guessed it might be Lucy! My little girl is called Lucy, named before the case, but when it came on TV I did think oh god! However, Lucy is a popular enough name with other people in the public eye called it as well (for example the TV historian Lucy Worsley who I love!). It’s a beautiful, classic name and if I had my DD now I would still use it 😊. No one has mentioned to me ‘oh she’s got the same name as that nurse!’ 🙈

I wouldn't be worried about Lucy. It certainly wouldn't be the first thing I think of if someone mentioned the name.

Kylie Jenner named her first child Stormy, and then just a couple of weeks later, Stormy Daniels suddenly emerged into the public eye. That was rather unfortunate timing.

However Lucy isn't going to be associated with anything negative, as it's not distinctive enough, but is a lovely, classic name.

I think you’re fine with Lucy. Our neighbours had a baby Lucy about six months ago, when the case was already in the news, and it never crossed my mind to link them - I have too many stronger associations with the name already. Also, when something awful happens to a child, they’re referred to in the press/by the public by their first names (“Find Maddie” “Holly and Jessica” etc) so it becomes more of a reflex to make that connection.
Nobody’s going to be referring to Lucy Letby as “Lucy”, however notorious she might become, so it won’t ever be anyone’s first thought.

Maxwell was our number one name for boys, despite the connection to Ghislaine. The case was the top story at the time of my birth (we had a girl).

I remember thinking, in 10 years no one will have a clue who Ghislaine was.

I suspect that there are still not many "Adolphs" around.

(... or Adolf...)

@Giltedged I think Lucy is fine. I don't think the Letsby connotation is that strong.

Even if people do think of it now (which they probably won't), by the time your DD is old enough to know her name I don't think people are likely to make that association.

I don't make the association with Lucy at all. It's actually my DDs middle name and it's only reading this thread that I've even made that connection. I think if it was a news story about a child called Lucy I'd be more wary but not in this case.

There's a reason people don't name theit children Myra. Objectively I think Myra is a lovely name but it's forever ruined.

Looks like Myra might be shaking off the connotations...

https://names.darkgreener.com/#myra

I disagree, I think it will come back. Maybe not for a another while, but it will be back.

I don't think people would make the connection and even if they did, Letby would be at the back of their minds after a few months.

I have an Ada and wanted my second to be a Thomas (Tommy) but it was at the peak of Peaky Blinders fame so I went against it. I don't think anyone would automatically make that connection now?

I work for a company with offices in multiple other countries. A colleague called her daughter Myra, which is perfectly normal there, but jars every time I hear it. Weirdly reading this thread I have realised how Teflon Ian is. Moors murders, Soham and Lostprophets were all committed by Ian's and yet no one flinches at that name.

Lucy is a lovely name and you should definitely use it. We don't even know what the case verdict will be yet.

No one became famous with my name, at the time of my birth, but did many years later.

It's a pain that whenever I say my name now, people automatically mention this person. If someone is meeting my husband with me at the same time, the person always raises an eyebrow or makes a comment.

When my father (he's the one who named me) heard about it he just shrugged and said, "It sucks to be you!"

The woman with my name cut off her husband's penis. Yeah, she ruined our name forevermore 🤦🏻‍♀️

Weirdly reading this thread I have realised how Teflon Ian is. Moors murders, Soham and Lostprophets were all committed by Ian's and yet no one flinches at that name.

That's obviously because it's a much more common name than Myra and therefore people have numerous other associations with that name.

To answer your question, I had to look up Lucy Letsby. I think that will be fine, and people won’t associate the two. How many news stories do you know from the year you were born?

Leo was on my radar but then Tony Blair named his son Leo. Thought it would become really popular or people would think we were naming it after Tony Blair. So didn’t use it. It’s not popular and most people couldn’t babe Tony Blair youngest son.