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! 😫

When I lived in Cambridge years ago my hairdresser was called Magdalena. She was lovely.
Until this morning I haven't considered the pronunciation...and I worked about 100 yards from the college!
In Cork her name would probably shortened to Lena.

To use one of Plastic's analogies, would you want to go through life introducing yourself as Guantanamo?

That example is really not comparable given it's not an actual name.

It's a perfectly lovely name, people are being ridiculous saying it'll be associated with the laundries and atrocities. It's an old biblical name , in use all over Europe. I'm sure your daughter will receive compliments on her name.

I have never heard of Magdalene College. Not sure it matters.

Ok, true, I'll give you that.

Explanation of the pronunciation here:

I think the chances of anyone meeting your child and their mind immediately springing to despair and suffering via laundries, biblical prostitution or educational buildings is slim.

They'll see a gurgly baby, happy toddler, cheerful child and then sulky teenager 😂

I don't meet a child called Willow and think floppy tree, floppy tree, floppy tree. I think 'hi Willow, nice to meet you!'

It's a nice name. Go for it

Actually the screenshot I posted needs further context.

The college was called Mary Magdalen(e) because her name was pronounced that way in the 15th century. There is more discussion of that in this piece about the Oxford Magdalen college (same pronounciation) Here. It is here we get the word “maudlin” from, and also the name Madeline I guess. When Audley founded the Cambridge one, it was a clever pun to choose a tribute to a biblical figure whose name sounded a bit like his own.

I've scrolled through so many replies now; please, OP, tell us how YOU will pronounce the name so I can disinvest myself!

Sorry

• Mag-Da-Lin

I had never heard of the laundries before this thread. known a few with the name, neither pronounced maudlin. OP its a lovely name and I say go for it

What about Madeline instead? I would pronounce Magdalene as Maudlin as I've never heard it said any other way.

I'm Irish and I would associate the name with laundries, but not solely with the laundries. It's a pretty ancient name and I'm definitely not on board with the idea that it's on a par with calling your daughter Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib

Then I agree it's a lovely name!

I don't believe that in England people will think of the laundries. Maybe more so in Ireland, but to be honest I think that the majority of the British population won't even know about them. It affected Catholic women in Ireland and unless you have an interest in women's rights, Catholicism, or Ireland, it's just not going to register. Obviously proportionally more posters on MN will be aware, but start by asking all the men you know......
I think it's a beautiful name.

Tbh I immediately thought of the Magdalene girls/laundries and so my association would be very much a sad one. However I'm Irish and it's been very prominent in the news for so long, what with the enquiries etc, maybe that's skewing my view... I appreciate that maybe it wouldn't be as big an association in the UK. I do love the name Madeleine and like Magdalena as well fwiw!

I know.
That's what Im wondering, how the college ended up using Maudlin when spelled Magdalene. I'm sure it's a pronunciation going back in time, but still odd non the less.

@MrsCarson , the link explains why.

Magdalen is perfect and a very lovely name.

Well, continue to congratulate yourself on your own ill-informedness? The first Magdalene asylums were founded in England, by Protestant groups -- the first was begun in London in the mid-18thc. Some were founded by lay bodies. They weren't confined to Ireland by any means - they existed across the UK, Europe, the US, and Australia. By 1900, there were over 300 in England alone.

But a certain type of English person has an ingrained mental habit of othering unpalatable aspects of their own history onto Ireland.

Probably because they were apparently still running in Ireland until 1998 so within recent memory.

I typed Magdal into my browser and it immediately brought up Magdalene Laundries.

I know a Ted, a Fred, a Joseph, a Primrose, a Rosemary, several
Jacks & Ian's plus people with the surnames Bundy, West, Goble, Brady

Do I think of Ted Bundy, Fred & Rosemary West, Ian Brady or Huntley, Stalin or Joseph in the Bible, Primrose Shipman, Jack the Ripper & Joseph Goebbels when I see the above names? NO

If you like the name @cambridgecoral use it

A lot of people will immediately think Mary Magdelene. I only learned of the laundries recently from a bbc drama but Mary Magdelene is very well known as a prostitute.