Really love the name [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] and had it on my list for possible boy names before I realized we share the same last name as the famous author. Now I’m 38 weeks pregnant and can’t help but keep going back to it. I just love the name and haven’t found another that I like as much. We have a daughter named [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] who goes by [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] or [name_f]Dot[/name_f].
Would it be weird to name my kid [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m], knowing he will share the same last name as the author? I’m not a huge literary person and didn’t even know who he was before I saw it mentioned on here so I’m not sure how much name recognition he really has.
I would really like to hear people’s answers to this question first and foremost. I am also open to suggestions of other names, but I feel like I’ve seen them all after spending months scouring NB and NameNerds on Reddit.
I had to google which author had the first name [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] as I didn’t know and even then, I wouldn’t have known who he was.
Maybe I just don’t read that sort of book, but tbh, I’d say it was usable
[name_m]Amos[/name_m], [name_m]Orson[/name_m], [name_m]Rufus[/name_m], [name_m]Pascal[/name_m], [name_m]Fergus[/name_m] and [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] came to mind as alternatives
If it’s the author I think it is, I really don’t think he’s famous enough to discard [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]. Which is a great name btw.
If your last name was [name_m]Fitzgerald[/name_m] I would steer you away from [name_m]Scott[/name_m]. If it was [name_m]Hemingway[/name_m], no go on [name_m]Ernest[/name_m]. Heck if it were Sparks, I’d say to avoid [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m]. But honestly I see no issue here.
I’m going to guess most people (at least under a certain age) will know [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] from [name_u]Dash[/name_u] Incredible.
After googling, if we’re tliong about the author who does 60 years ago that I’d be willing to bet most people don’t know, I wouldn’t say it’s a problem. [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] just reminds me of The Incredibles.
I immediately associate [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] with the author, so I would tend to avoid the name. I do love [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] though, and it seems many people haven’t heard of the writer … even so, I don’t think I would want the same name in this case where both the first name and surname are fairly unusual.
Sorry to throw a spanner in the works but if it was me, I’d rule it out. But I’m coming at it from the perspective of an English teacher who views [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]Hammett[/name_m] as an extremely well-known writer. But perhaps a lot of people wouldn’t know, especially newer generations, so maybe it wouldn’t be a problem. Hard to say… Either way, it’s a great name!
His peers won’t make the literary connection. I don’t think very many people in their 20s or 30s will make the connection, either? I only know who you are talking about because I took a literature class in college that featured his work. I think it’s still usable. Plus, [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] and [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] ([name_f]Dottie[/name_f] & [name_u]Dash[/name_u]) is super cute together!
Assuming we’re talking about [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] [name_m]Hammett[/name_m], I’m surprised that not many have heard of him. That’s definitely my immediate association with the name, even though I’m an Incredibles megafan!
I absolutely love the name [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m], love [name_u]Dash[/name_u] for short, think it’s great with [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]/[name_f]Dottie[/name_f]… but if your surname is genuinely the same as the author, I personally would have to rule it out. He’s so well-known internationally, your son would have to put up with comments about it all the time, and if you’ve never even heard of the writer then people assuming you’re a huge fan might quickly get annoying.
Plus, I hate to say it, but to me using a “famous” name for a child (I realise this wasn’t your intention, but still) comes across as a bit gimmicky. I know a [name_f]Lois[/name_f] [name_u]Lane[/name_u] and have heard of a little [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] — it just feels a bit like the first name has only been chosen to make a statement with the surname, rather than on its own merit.
I really do like the name, so I’m sorry to be so negative. [name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_m]Dougray[/name_m]? It’s a similar [name_m]French[/name_m]-surname-turned-preppy-first-name and even more unusual than [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m], but still easy to pronounce. And [name_u]Gray[/name_u] for short is as cool and current as [name_u]Dash[/name_u].
I’m not aware of any authors called [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m], and based on other people’s replies I don’t think it would be too much of a problem. My only association with the name is The Incredibles.
I think you should definitely go for the name! [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] ‘[name_u]Dash[/name_u]’ goes really well with big sister [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Dot[/name_f]’. If you’re still not convinced, what about [name_m]Donovan[/name_m], [name_u]Dexter[/name_u], [name_m]Beckett[/name_m], [name_m]Orson[/name_m], [name_u]August[/name_u] or [name_m]Oscar[/name_m]?
I do consider myself literary (I read 50+ books per year and majored in English), but I had never heard of the author until googling [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]. I think his name recognition is minimal, probably only for people who specifically read that genre. Plus, tons of people share the same first and last name, so I doubt it will be a big deal. [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] is a great name!
Thank you all for your replies! It really is interesting & helpful to see different people’s point of view. I’m not discussing names with anyone in my life because I don’t want to deal with their opinions so it’s really great to be able to get some more perspective without hurt feelings. Judging by the comments here, most people aren’t very familiar with the author and it shouldn’t be a big deal.
I’m still trying to convince my husband on the name, so we’ll see what happens. He likes it and agrees with me that [name_u]Dash[/name_u] and [name_f]Dot[/name_f] is adorable, but isn’t totally sold on [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] for an adult. It makes me feel better to know that I’m not totally insane to like the name, thanks everyone!
Other names on our list:
[name_m]Albert[/name_m] ([name_u]Bertie[/name_u])
[name_m]Archie[/name_m] (was on the list until this week!)
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m]
[name_m]Conrad[/name_m]
[name_m]Forrest[/name_m]
[name_m]Franklin[/name_m] ([name_u]Frankie[/name_u])
[name_m]Louis[/name_m]
[name_u]Sullivan[/name_u] ([name_u]Sully[/name_u])
[name_m]Truman[/name_m] ([name_m]Tru[/name_m])
Any other ideas similar to these? Especially ones that have cute nicknames? I seem to be drawn to presidential names.
And besides having an instantly recognisable name (by many of us) it wouldn’t be great to have kids called [name_f]Dot[/name_f] and [name_u]Dash[/name_u]. Didn’t you grow up playing dots and dashes? I like both names but definitely not as siblings.
