The name Lucy

[Stayawa]

I’m not so much naming a baby, but thought this was the best place to discuss! I have a wonderful 8 year old Lucy - I have always loved the name and knew I wanted to name a DD by that name if I had one as soon as I heard it as a child… and I still do love it- I associate it with Lucy from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe…it’s pretty, timeless, classic and all the Lucy’s I have known have been strong, intelligent women. Until the bloody Lucy Letby trial! I’m suddenly paranoid that the name is now tainted and I’ve saddled her with it, like, you don’t hear of kids called Myra do you?! Or is it a popular and classic enough name to weather it…thoughts everyone? (Btw I know this is a very petty first world problem)…

I have a 12 year old Lucy and I’m an over thinker and I’ve not even gave this a second thought.

agree that we wouldn’t know what to call our dc if we worried about association. Loads of bad people in history have many of our names. It’s their problem not ours!

I couldn’t even think who Lucy was at first because I don’t associate her with just her first name.
Like any serial killer you associate them with their full name.

My friend is called Isis and was very embarrassed by it a few years ago when Isis was constantly in the media but even that has died down now.

I definitely wouldn’t worry about it.

@Itsnotrightbutitsok oh goodness, isis? I think I’ve heard of someone called that actually. If even that has died down then I definitely don’t have anything to worry about with Lucy 🙈

Just spent a fortnight in Bavaria. Walked round a church graveyard and amongst all the josefs etc there was one Adolf. He was born in the 1930’s. I didn’t see another one so that name (based on my unscientific survey of one cemetery) fell out of favour!

Someone asked about Lucy on here and I automatically thought Letby and saw another poster had said the same. This might change with time though.

I think Adolf is an exception!!

No you definitely don’t have to worry about the name Lucy! It’s a lovely name and will continue to be a lovely name.

You might not get Myra's but you do get Rose (West) and Joanna (Dennehy). I suspect there will be a few months where parents will decide against the name Lucy just because it's current news but it will bounce back.

I’d more likely link a Khloe(with that spelling) to someone different than a Lucy.

Far too common a name to connect with one individual.

I can’t see it being a problem. Everyone knows a Lucy.

And also, and it might be insensitive to say, but news stories don’t tend to stay in the public consciousness in the same way these days. That might sound cold but it tends to be the case. Obviously, LL’s crimes were a special category of abhorrent, but I can’t see her name becoming as notorious as Myra's did.

Lucy is my angel baby. She's being flying high for 16 years now, and nothing and no-one will ever change or darken her spirit.

@Neverjudgeabookbyitscover 😥💐

I think it will drop in popularity for a couple of years but then pick back up! As pp have said I know a Ted, Jack and a Levi (which is apparently a no go to mumsnet but it didn’t even cross my mind tbh). Lucy is a lovely classic name, yes it will be impacted for the next year or two and I wouldn’t call a newborn it at the moment but in a couple of years it will be fine. Most people would find an unpleasant association with there name if they googled it!!

@Whatsthepoint1234 when I read Levi the first thing I think of is Levi Roots and the reggae reggae sauce from dragons den 😂…so yes there is a lot to be said for cases disappearing from the media..

Definitely and Levi is quite a usual name haha! To be honest I quite like the name Myra…

@Whatsthepoint1234 so do I! Was thinking today it’s a nice name in and of itself, but feel it still has bad connotations..

@Stayawa , I also have an 8 year old Lucy and was thinking the same thing. Thanks for starting the thread 😊.
It's been good to read the replies

My friend has a daughter called Myra. She was raised abroad so I don't think it had the same connotations to her. However, most people I spoke to about it said they didn't make the connection.

Having a DD called Myra could be an issue but Lucy is fine.

It's a ubiquitous name so I wouldn't worry at all.

@OhNoBumblesStolenAToy thanks, and thanks for making me feel less silly for worrying about it 😅

DD currently entertaining some friends upstairs. There is a Jimmy, a Lucy and a Fred. Rose is coming later. Never even crossed my mind that they all (apart from DD and one other kid) have names that are associated with serial killers or predators. And by the time Rose arrives I expect I will have forgotten.

I have a Lucy. I must admit I did think about that and Letby's name, but Letby and her heinous crimes don't deserve to tarnish such a lovely name! I'm just trying to make sure DD avoids the story, as she's only 5 (but can read well), so we haven't had the news on TV, and I've made sure I've not been reading the news when she's with me. She always takes an interest in people who share her name, and I definitely don't want her taking an interest in this evil woman.

Love the name Lucy!!

I hadn't thought twice about the fact that walking but of evil is called Lucy. You just see the whole name written down and don't really focus on the first name tbh.

You use myra as an example- I think that stands out because its so unusual.

Not first names but I'd watched Gavin and Stacey for ages before I cottoned on to their surnames. It's not top of people's minds, especially a standard name like Lucy. If you were to call your child Adolf then yes, people may make associations.

It's common enough for the link to not really be there. That said, it will probably decrease in popularity for a couple of years for babies actually being born now.

Fred/freddy isn't associated with fred west.
Ian isn't associated with Ian Brady

By Myra probably gets more association with Hindley as it's less common.

Don't worry about it.

I knew a woman with a girl called Isis who was already a teen when the terrorists came about. Now that was a problem!