Nixon, [name_u]Reagan[/name_u], McKinley, [name_m]Truman[/name_m], and [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] are 10/10 for me, whilst [name_m]Ford[/name_m] is maybe an 8 (I think just as much of the car as I do the president).
The others make me think of the president (for example [name_u]Lincoln[/name_u], [name_u]Monroe[/name_u], [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_m]Wilson[/name_m] etc) but they are either very much established as names in their own right or have other associations as well ([name_m]Wilson[/name_m] makes me think of the tennis racket brand, [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] makes me think of [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] in addition to the president). So theyāre maybe a 6 or 7.
And then ones like [name_u]Jackson[/name_u], [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], [name_m]Grant[/name_m], [name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] etc, whilst I am aware of the presidents with the names, arenāt overwhelmingly/singularly associated with them and are very common as given names.
Iām in the US! I can name all of the presidents, so any ā1ā means I would almost never immediately associate it with the president!!
Reagan - 10 (which is so unfortunate, as Iād love the name if it wasnt!)
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] - 1
[name_m]Ford[/name_m] - 1 (first association is always cars, or the character from Gravity Falls!)
[name_m]Nixon[/name_m] - 10
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] - 6
[name_m]Truman[/name_m] - 1 (The [name_m]Truman[/name_m] Show and [name_m]Truman[/name_m] Capote come to mind!)
[name_m]Wilson[/name_m] - 1 (reminds me of Cast Away or House, [name_m]Woodrow[/name_m] would be a 10 though!)
McKinley - 6
[name_m]Harrison[/name_m] - 1 ([name_m]Harrison[/name_m] [name_m]Ford[/name_m]!)
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m] - 1 ([name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] comes to mind first!)
[name_u]Hayes[/name_u] - 1
[name_m]Grant[/name_m] - 1 (I always think of [name_m]Alan[/name_m] [name_m]Grant[/name_m] from Jurassic [name_u]Park[/name_u] for some reason!)
[name_u]Lincoln[/name_u] - 4 (I used to associate it with the president more, but now it just reminds me of [name_m]Link[/name_m] [name_u]Neal[/name_u]!)
[name_m]Pierce[/name_m] - 1 ([name_f]Maggie[/name_f] [name_m]Pierce[/name_m] from Greyās Anatomy is all I think of!)
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u] - 1 (this is my middle name, and Iāve literally never connected it to the president until this very moment!)
[name_u]Tyler[/name_u] - 1 (my favorite singerās first name, so thatās what I think of! Also I think itās well established enough as a first name anyway)
[name_u]Jackson[/name_u] - 1
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u] - 2 ([name_f]Marilyn[/name_f]!!)
[name_u]Madison[/name_u] - 1
This was fun! It was surprising to me that most of them ended up being 1ās, I expected higher numbers when I first started! Any name I didnāt leave a comment for just feels more like a common enough first name!
Iām in the UK, but Iāve been told that I know too much about [name_u]America[/name_u], lol.
Reagan - 10, but I knew about [name_m]Ronald[/name_m] [name_u]Reagan[/name_u] before I knew about [name_m]Barack[/name_m] [name_m]Obama[/name_m] (I was 3 when he was elected)
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] - 4, I donāt really have an association but because I donāt know much about president [name_u]Carter[/name_u] I donāt associate it with him
[name_m]Ford[/name_m] - 3, I associate it with the car brand but I do know about the president
[name_m]Nixon[/name_m] - 10, but I had to study president [name_m]Nixon[/name_m] in school so he sticks in my mind more
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] - 9, itās my top choice for a girl and it honours someone so thatās who I think of, but they were originally honouring the president
[name_m]Truman[/name_m] - 10, it doesnāt even sound like a first name to me
[name_m]Wilson[/name_m] - 6, I see it as a surname but not necessarily a presidential surname
McKinley - 7, but Mc names are nowhere near as common here in the UK so I knew it as a presidential name before a first name
[name_m]Harrison[/name_m] - 4, because I knew it as a first name long before I knew it as a presidential name
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m] - 4, I know there was a president with the name but I donāt automatically associate them
[name_u]Hayes[/name_u] - 2, just because it sounds like a surname and I could make the connection if I saw sibling names like [name_u]Reagan[/name_u] or [name_m]Nixon[/name_m]
[name_m]Grant[/name_m] - 1, I didnāt know there was a president [name_m]Grant[/name_m]
[name_u]Lincoln[/name_u] - 9, because I sometimes think of it as a place name
[name_m]Pierce[/name_m] - 1, I associate it with the word [name_m]Pierce[/name_m]
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u] - 2, I have some vague recollection of a president [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] but I would only pick up on it if [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] had a sibling with another presidential name
[name_u]Tyler[/name_u] - 1, I didnāt know there was a president with this name
[name_u]Jackson[/name_u] - 7, for similar reasons to [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], but [name_u]Jackson[/name_u] sounds more like a surname.
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u] - 1, my only association is [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] [name_u]Monroe[/name_u]
[name_u]Madison[/name_u] - 5, for similar reasons to [name_m]Arthur[/name_m]
Iām in the UK, but Iām fairly sure I can name most (if not all) US Presidents, so this is definitely more about my association between the name and the [name_m]President[/name_m].
So many people use [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_m]Harrison[/name_m], [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], [name_u]Tyler[/name_u], [name_u]Jackson[/name_u], and [name_u]Madison[/name_u] as names that I probably wouldnāt make the link unless I saw them grouped together.
Iām in the US. I think the association for some of these names is lessened by two facts: that most of these surnames are comparatively really common so theyāre not as strongly linked with one particular bearer (as opposed to if you met someone with the first name Eisenhower or [name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m]!), and also that some of these (thinking specifically of [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] and [name_u]Madison[/name_u]) are comparatively so common as given names that I hardly even think of them as surnames anyway anymore.
So, here goes:
[name_u]Reagan[/name_u]: I associate this one somewhat with the president, in part because every [name_u]Reagan[/name_u] Iāve met has conservative/Republican parents and admiration for [name_m]Ronald[/name_m] [name_u]Reagan[/name_u] definitely seems to have influenced their choice of the name.
[name_u]Carter[/name_u]: donāt associate this with the president really
[name_m]Ford[/name_m]: my first and strongest association is with the car company
[name_m]Nixon[/name_m]: Iāve never met a [name_m]Nixon[/name_m] but I would immediately and overwhelmingly think of the president
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u]: I think of the president but itās not an overwhelming association
[name_m]Truman[/name_m]: never met one but I would think of the president first
[name_m]Wilson[/name_m]: donāt think of the president
McKinley: donāt think of the president
[name_m]Harrison[/name_m]: donāt think of the president
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m]: donāt think of the president, I donāt even see this as a surname name really, itās more prominent as a FN
[name_u]Hayes[/name_u]: donāt think of the president
[name_m]Grant[/name_m]: donāt think of the president
[name_u]Lincoln[/name_u]: I do think of the president, because heās one of the most renowned ones and itās a less common surname, but itās not an overwhelming association.
[name_m]Pierce[/name_m]: donāt think of the president. In fact I once tried to list all the presidents and [name_m]Pierce[/name_m] was one of the few I missed
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u]: donāt think of the president
[name_u]Tyler[/name_u]: donāt think of the president
[name_u]Jackson[/name_u]: donāt think of the president
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u]: my overwhelming association is of [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] [name_u]Monroe[/name_u]
[name_u]Madison[/name_u]: donāt think of the president
Reagan- 10. would never use.
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] - 5. know enough people named carter that itās ok
[name_m]Ford[/name_m]- 6. I think of the car factory.
[name_m]Nixon[/name_m] - 10. devil incarnate, avoid at all costs
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] - 7. definitely think of JFK but also know a few girls named kennedy
[name_m]Truman[/name_m] - 8. would think of president
[name_m]Wilson[/name_m] - 4. [name_m]Can[/name_m] get away with thinking of someone else.
McKinley - 10. Never heard this not used on a president
[name_m]Harrison[/name_m] - 3. Not too presidential for me
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m]- 3. Ditto above
[name_u]Hayes[/name_u]- 3. Same!
[name_m]Grant[/name_m] - 5. A little president-y but not tooo president-y
[name_u]Lincoln[/name_u] - 9. Very presidential
[name_m]Pierce[/name_m] - 7. Somewhat presidential
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u] - 5. [name_m]Just[/name_m] think of tailors
[name_u]Tyler[/name_u] - 5. [name_m]Just[/name_m] think of [name_u]Taylor[/name_u]
[name_u]Jackson[/name_u] - 7. Another avoid, but I do know quite a few Jacksons so that slightly lessens the association
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u]- 8. Pretty Presidential
[name_u]Madison[/name_u]- 8. Usable but also presidential
Nixon
[name_u]Hayes[/name_u]
[name_m]Grant[/name_m]
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u]
Those are all are associated to presidents to me.
The rest donāt remind me of the presidents even though I know they once were the last names of a few.
Iām [name_f]English[/name_f], so these might be less presidenty for me than others, but:
[name_u]Reagan[/name_u] ~ Not at all, really. More like [name_u]Regan[/name_u] from [name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Lear[/name_m].
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] ~ Not at all.
[name_m]Ford[/name_m] ~ Not at all a president, but definitely a car. I think [name_u]Fjord[/name_u] does the job a bit better.
[name_m]Nixon[/name_m] ~ Quite a lot, really.
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] ~ Only a bit; Iāve heard it a lot and it doesnāt normally feel presidenty.
[name_m]Truman[/name_m] ~ Only a bit.
[name_m]Wilson[/name_m] ~ Not at all; might just be too common a surname.
McKinley ~ Only a bit - it seems super feminine, though.
[name_m]Harrison[/name_m] ~ Not at all.
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m] ~ Not even a little bit.
[name_u]Hayes[/name_u] ~ Not really, but it definitely sounds like someone.
[name_m]Grant[/name_m] ~ Not at all.
[name_u]Lincoln[/name_u] ~ A bit, but not exclusively.
[name_m]Pierce[/name_m] ~ Not at all, but definitely very [name_m]Brosnan[/name_m].
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u] ~ Not at all.
[name_u]Jackson[/name_u] ~ Not at all.
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u] ~ Not at all [name_u]James[/name_u], but very [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f].
[name_u]Madison[/name_u] ~ Not at all.
Thank you everybody who has been replying! This is really interesting for me to see, and Iām getting a lot more responses than I expected, which is great!
First of all Iād like to say Iām [name_f]English[/name_f], and have very little knowledge of US presidents. Most of these Iāve heard their name, but donāt really know anything else about them!
Reagan - 3/10 see above
[name_u]Carter[/name_u] - 1/10 I didnāt know there was a [name_m]President[/name_m] [name_u]Carter[/name_u], and I think the name is so mainstream now it isnāt a big deal
[name_m]Ford[/name_m] - 1/10 Cars are my immediate thought
[name_m]Nixon[/name_m] - 9/10 I know his name but not much else, but seen as though there arenāt many other associations thatās why itās so high
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] - 5/10 I went for 5 because the president is well-known, but Iāve seen this used as a name so much that it weakens the association for me
[name_m]Truman[/name_m] - 3/10 I think of [name_m]Truman[/name_m] Capote more
[name_m]Wilson[/name_m] - 1/10 This is just a common surname to me
McKinley - 1/10 I just thought with was part of the McK- name trend
[name_m]Harrison[/name_m] - 1/10 see [name_u]Carter[/name_u]
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m] - 1/10 see [name_u]Carter[/name_u]
[name_u]Hayes[/name_u] - 1/10 see [name_u]Carter[/name_u]
[name_m]Grant[/name_m] - 1/10 see [name_u]Carter[/name_u]
[name_u]Lincoln[/name_u] - 9/10 [name_m]Abraham[/name_m] [name_u]Lincoln[/name_u] is one of the few presidents I actually know lol
[name_m]Pierce[/name_m] - 1/10 [name_m]Pierce[/name_m] [name_m]Brosnan[/name_m] is all that comes to mind
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u] - 1/10 see [name_u]Carter[/name_u]
[name_u]Tyler[/name_u] - 1/10 see [name_u]Carter[/name_u]
[name_u]Jackson[/name_u] - 1/10 Another name like [name_u]Carter[/name_u] where there are other people who are much more famous with the name, and itās also become very popular in recent years
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u] - 1/10 This is all [name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] to me, plus I have a dog called [name_u]Monroe[/name_u]
[name_u]Madison[/name_u] - 1/10 I know loads of girls called [name_u]Madison[/name_u] so theyāre all I think of here
Edit: I wanted to add I know siblings called [name_u]Madison[/name_u] & [name_u]Lincoln[/name_u] and one of [name_u]Lincoln[/name_u]ās names is [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] too. In the US I think that would be very presidential but no oneās mentioned it as far as I know!
Iām not American and I do not live in a English speaking country.
Reagan - 3
Carter - 5
Ford - 2 (I think about cars)
Nixon - 8
Kennedy - 10
Truman - 7
Wilson - 3
McKinley - 1
Harrison - 1
Arthur - 1
Hayes - 1
Grant - 1
Lincoln - 10
Pierce - 1
Taylor - 1
Tyler - 1
Jackson - 3
Monroe - 1 (I think about Marilyn Monroe)
Madison - 1
American here! A lot of these names are pretty common as firsts nowadays, like [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], [name_u]Tyler[/name_u], [name_u]Jackson[/name_u], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_u]Carter[/name_u], etc. I would stay away from using any recognizable presidentās name, even the āmore admiredā presidents like [name_u]Lincoln[/name_u]. I learned that [name_u]Lincoln[/name_u] cared more about saving the union than ending slavery and that completely ruined the name for me. You donāt want a not-so-great fact to come up after youāve named the kid and make you dislike the name.
