[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone. About a month ago many of you Berries helped me & my husband finalize the name [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] for our third child due in [name_u]December[/name_u]. However, I just recently googled [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] +our last name and found a terrible association, like a tragic national news story involving someone with a VERY similar name. It popped up all over when I googled it …sigh Sorry i can’t be more specific without getting too personal.
So, I CAN’T use [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] as a first name right?
I’m bummed! I’ve decided to put [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] in the middle spot but I’m struggling to find a first name I love. My other kids are [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] and [name_f]Selah[/name_f], both very strong Biblical names.
I like [name_u]Jude[/name_u] a lot and it was a top contender when naming our first son 5 years ago, I’m just nervous about it’s trendiness, especially just in the last few months I feel like I’ve seen [name_u]Jude[/name_u]'s being born all over the place.
Please help! I would love all suggestions that you think go with our sibset!!
Hmm it’s hard to confirm your feelings without knowing the story, and it sounds like you’ve already decided, but i just wanted to ask, do you feel any personal connection/empathy regarding the tragedy? For example, one of the reasons i love [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] is the association with [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] [name_m]Till[/name_m]–even though he was brutally murdered, it played a huge role in the civil rights movement, and using the name would in part be a tribute to that. Of course i don’t have the problem of the whole name sounding similar, so it’s not the same. But, just a thought that it might not have to be a deal breaker.
good suggestions above. [name_m]Amos[/name_m], [name_m]Oren[/name_m], [name_m]Boaz[/name_m] also came to mind. [name_u]Jude[/name_u] [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] also sounds fantastic.
I would encourage you to still use the name. Unless it’s the name if a porn star, I wouldn’t let a current news story keep me from using it. (Exception would be something like [name_f]Isis[/name_f]).
That story will pass and will soon no longer pull up front and center when googled.
thank you guys! I knew I could count on some thoughtful answers! I’m really glad to hear some encouragement to still use [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] as a first name because I really love it.
@emsky you hit the nail on the head with the [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] [name_m]Till[/name_m] association. It is a very similar story to our [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] situation except it would be like if our last name was [name_m]Till[/name_m] and we chose [name_u]Emmett[/name_u], so it would be an exact match.
Also thanks for the new name suggestions, I’m just gonna let a few of those names roll around in my head and see if I like them as much as [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] or [name_u]Jude[/name_u].