Is it ever ok to name a child after a "celebrity"?

[Incorgnito]

In general, I don't love names. I love 2 names that flow to make an exceptional sounding name. It's really hard to find the right sounds.

I love the sounds of Victor Hugo, and Florence Nightingale, even though, individually I think they're meh, and would never pick them.

Unfortunately, they're very well known and will stay well known until the end of time.

Would you side eye the parents if you saw these names out in public?

Are famous names ever acceptable, or should they be avoided?

I've been doing my family tree and one distant branch of my family had 3 boys who were given UK prime ministers' names as their first and middle names. Winston Churchill was one, Stanley Baldwin was another, can't remember the third. Big names to live up to!

Very difficult for those older than the famous or infamous who had their quiet name before the other exploded into the scene.

I believe I heard on the radio of a lawyer in Scotland with the same name.

I used to work with a David Cameron. As PPs have said, some names you can’t predict becoming infamous.

I know a Barry Potter.

It's a well known thing and not a person but my mum's best friend was called Barbie Kew.

Where does he live?

Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging.

My grandad was called Cecil Rhodes (+ surname.) Some people would think that in poor taste now.

I think it depends how famous the celebrity is, what they were famous for, how unusual the name is and how long ago they lived (ie any more skeletons likely to come out of the closet). There is increasingly a benefit to not being easily found online - being named after a celebrity is certainly a way to achieve that.

I worked with a Janet Jackson. I worked with her for only a few weeks (she was a consultant) and even I got sick of the endless comments.

The Catherine and Heathcliff example up thread is awful IMO. What a dreadful thing to inflict on your children.

James Dean Bradfield turned out ok.

But did she elope with the dashing but unscrupulous PE teacher?

I used to go out with someone who shared a name with a very popular TV detective. He got used to the comments (and the hummed theme music) and took it in his stride. However, the day we had a rather serious car accident and he saw the mouth of the policemen wobble as he was taking our details, I genuinely thought he might punch the guy if he made a joke.

His was entirely accidental but it’s not something I’d inflict on a child.

Was he called Hercule Poirot?

I was watching a documentary the other day and one of the experts they had on was called Harry Potter. He was quite old so was clearly the OG.

James Dean Bradfield (Manics) was almost Clint Eastwood Bradfield, but his mum said no!

Just seeing this after my comment, ha ha…

😂 that would have been a difficult name to bear at 18!

They had a shop in the King's Road! They sold cowboy boots.

I knew somebody who called her dd Beyoncé. Her surname isn’t Knowles, but Beyoncé on its own is bad enough.

I know someone whose first and middle name are the first name and surname of an internationally famous singer. When I went to their parents house they had loads of framed posters and platinum records of the singer all over the house.

It was a bit cringe tbh.

My first boyfriend was David Cameron. Mines ambition was to be train driver. He got there we broke up at 17