Is Benito similar to Adolph?

[jette]

Just curious! i can't imagine ANYONE giving their son the name Adolph but Benito is quite cute.. Is it offensive? Is it still a popular name in Italy? Does anyone know?

Sill the name of a Fascist dictator, I'm afraid.

Plenty of Josephs around though

Yes, but there's Joseph Stalin and, um, Augusto Pinochet?

i know a lovely benito and never made an association between him and mussolini - if you are in Italy/Spanish-speaking country I think it's fine

Benito is fine - it's lovely in fact. Not the same connotations as adolph at all

Sounds a lovely name. Mussolini doesn't immediately spring to my mind.

I thought it was Adolf.

Makes me think of the dictator straight off, but might well not in a country where the name is more common. My childen went to school with a kid called Atilla and that just makes me think of Atilla the Hun. For me that's also NOT a good association!

I think maybe in the UK, or another country where Benito is not a common name, then there will be an association with Mussolini. In Italy I guess, if it is a commonly used name, then that association will have dispersed by now.

My Itialian Great Uncles are twins and are called Benito (after that one) and Vittorio (after the King of the time).

They were my greqat grandma's 8th and 9th babies, and she got a prize for being so fertile, and a bit extra for giving them patriotic names!

No negative associations for me. Lovely name.

Would immediately make me think of Mussolini (sorry - A level history module on Italy).
I would check with some Italians!

Like Benito but would probably not choose Adolf or Herman or Vladimir.

not very kosher really.

Benito to me is the name of the ice cream parlour in the south German town where we used to live. So no negative connotations for me.

Adolf is obviously a nono, and most of the other "Nazi" names are uncommon here, but mainly because they are old fashioned I think.

You could ask on the little Italy thread.

It is immediately associated with Mussolini, but Italians don't see him in quite as bad a light as Hitler. It's not used very often as it's just so very old-fashioned. (kind of like calling a British child Ernest or Derek)

sorry- it's NOT FINE!!! only die-hard fascists of the most repulsive kind in italy would give this name to their son, and even then they would be condemning him to a life of abuse. it's not at all common you see, so the ONLY association in people's minds would be with mussolini.

if you name your child that- be sure he stays well away from italy. the best you can get away with is people thinking you are quite ignorant and insensitive- at worst they'll think you are a die-hard fascist.

please, please don't do it...

(i am italian btw)

Message withdrawn

I suppose because Joseph has been mainstream for so long that any associations have been diluted? Kind of like it being OK to use Ian, but probably not Myra?

Thanks for you replies - interesting! Its seems pretty common in Spanish-speaking countries too but I guess its a bad idea overall.. Its a shame - its such a nice name.. Perhaps Benita for a girl..
Also thanks to charitygirl - thats a sweet story - and Vittorio will make a great middle name! Or will there be associations with Vito Corleone? (kidding!)