Dream name Magdalene - but living in Cambridge!

[cambridgecoral]

We decided on our name for our new DD - Magdalene.
It's perfect - works well with our surname and the name of DS. I'm totally enamoured with it!

But I suddenly realised today - we live in Cambridge.
One of the most well-known university colleges here is MAGDALENE COLLEGE!

Arghhhhhhhh!
Is this the worst choice of name? Are we going to look a bit ridiculous if we name her Magdalene?
Is there some variation which would be better?
I'm pretty devastated with this realisation, but worried my bias will push me to go ahead, and we'll end up regretting it later.
What do you think?
Arghhh! 😫

I think you will get people saying ‘as in Mary?’ when you tell them her name (even non religious people). But so what? It’s a nice name. And unusual without being weird. She might get Maggie as a nn though, and that’s a complete no-no for me…. (Political connotations)

That’s a silly post, with respect. ALL stories, whether religious or not, are ‘stories that people tell themselves’. The name is inextricably linked with a major human rights abuse, and one which was not solely Catholic or solely in Ireland. The fact that you appear to be minimising it doesn’t diminish the import. It would be like calling a child Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo, or giving them the name of a forced labour camp.

Plastic -

Really though? Like naming my child abu ghraib?
I just don't know about that.
So many names are used for other things, right?
Maggie I don't get either.
That's just a name too, widely used in 50s/60s Britain. Not sure Thatcher would even come to mind if I heard it!
Open to advice, but there's something extreme about likening Magdalene to an american prison complex.
That just doesn't come to mind.
Maudlin is an issue. That's my main concern really.

Not a problem at all, and lovely name.

Are you worried that people will think you’ve done a Beckham?

It's a no for me. It doesn't matter how the laundries got their name, that's what they were called and so the name conjures thoughts of the horrific things done to those women and babies. I wouldn't want to saddle my daughter with that burden.

I came up with similar analogies to @PlasticOno in my head tbh. I think you might be downplaying the laundries.

Magdalena doesn't have the same issues.

I named my DD Magdalena, after a dear Czech friend. Love the name. Don't worry about the connections.

She never had another in her class!

If you love it too, go for it.

My daughter was in school in Oxford (which also has a Magdalen College, and a Magdalen College School). A younger child was called Magdalen, always known to her friends as Maudie. I thought that was a pretty name.

Maudlin is an issue. That's my main concern really.
What do you mean? That you are concerned people will pronounce the name “Maudlin” locally because that is how they have learned the name of the college and bridge, or that “Maudlin” is how you want to say it but it means sad and morose?

By the way OP, it doesn’t really matter that the name doesn’t immediately associate with the abusive laundries in your mind; what these posts are telling you is that it does have that immediate association for lots of other people. As it’s not a common name they may only have come across it in that context.

But lots of names can have negative associations. Doesn’t stop people using them., and lots of people equally don’t think of the launderettes (I didn’t).

Madeleine is the French version of Magdalen/Magdalene (which means 'from Magdala', thought to be the birthplace of Mary Magdalen).

As with many French versions of names it sounds nicer and more elegant IMO.

They weren’t laundrettes!

The point is to make the poster suggesting the name aware that some people will have the negative association. It’s then up to them to decide. But the person saying “well I don’t have the negative association” doesn’t make it go away.

I don't see how they get Maudlin out of Magdalene.
I'd go for it if you aren't using the college pronunciation. I'd use Magda as a short name to head off the use to Maggie if you are against Maggie.

Neither do I but Magdalene college in Cambridge is pronounced maudlin

I've taught a number of girls named Magdalene over the years and whilst we're not in Cambridge so don't have the college link, I'm not aware of anyone challenging the name or openly associating it with Mary Magdalene or the laundries. Most of the Magdalenes I know tend to go by Magda.

If it's a name you like, go for it. There are always people who will have different associations with a name and that's fine; they're not naming your baby.

I prefer Magdalena

It’s beautiful, use it. The college is pronounced “maudlin” isn’t it? Don’t suppose people will call her that 😁 it probably won’t even register with most because of the pronunciation.

Why is it an issue ? I don't get the problem
I live on st marks road but would call my baby mark if I liked the name
Is their bad association with the college?

@pimplebum , there are thousands of Marks (if you look at all age groups) but not many Magdalenes.

Beckham? What, like where the baby was conceived?

They get Maudlin because that's how Magdalene college is pronounced.

They get Maudlin because that's how Magdalene college is pronounced in Cambridge.

I think its unlikely that when they hear Magdalene, the first thing people think of is the laundries. Surely the first thing is Mary Magdalene. Most people know of her character in the Bible, religious or otherwise.

Either way, does it matter that Magdelene was the name of the laundries?
Does that somehow affect your opinion of someone with the name Magdalene?
Just not sure what difference that makes to anything.

Magdelena?

Either way, does it matter that Magdelene was the name of the laundries?
Does that somehow affect your opinion of someone with the name Magdalene?
Just not sure what difference that makes to anything.

Would you want to go through life with people associating that with your name? Even if it wasn't everyone. How can you be sure your DD will be ok with it?

No one will think your DD is named in tribute to those atrocities, but her name will make people think of them.

Perhaps some - but does that matter? If so, why?