I’ve always been curious if celebrity usage of a name leads people to take names off their lists.
Occasionally when a celebrity releases a birth announcement, people will say that it’s no longer an option for a future child. A recent example of this was when [name]Drew[/name] Barrymore had her daughter, [name]Olive[/name]. I’d still use [name]Olive[/name] regardless of how popular it’s going to get in the future, but still.
Does it depend on how popular the celebrity/name is? For example, whenever a celebrity(like [name]James[/name] [name]Van[/name] Der Beek or [name]Wanda[/name] Sykes) has a daughter named [name]Olivia[/name], I don’t flinch. It’s a beautiful name that’s already popular and so I don’t associate it with a particular celebrity. But something like [name]Suri[/name] or [name]Shiloh[/name]-too tied to TomKat/Brangelina?
Sometimes I’ll end up loving a name more because one of my favorite celebrities uses it- like with [name]Jennifer[/name] [name]Garner[/name] using [name]Violet[/name] and [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Michelle[/name] Gellar using [name]Charlotte[/name]. The same goes for tv shows-[name]Isabelle[/name] on Alias, and [name]Nora[/name] on Parenthood. Ultimately I’d still end using the name because I hate the idea of settling with another name because of popularity and/or a celebrity connection.
I think a couple of things factor into this for me. If it was a name that was already widely known/used, I don’t think it would matter. Like some of the examples you gave–no one’s going to assume you used [name]Olivia[/name] due to celebrity connection, but who else comes to mind named [name]Suri[/name]? It would also depend which celebrity is in question. I wouldn’t mind an association to someone I actually like, but if it was someone I decidedly didn’t like, I’d be less likely to use the same name. I think even if it was someone I was indifferent too, if the connection was too strong I’d avoid it just because it would feel awkward to be like “no, I’m not really a fan”.
It depends on the name and its popularity. I obviously have a [name]Violet[/name] born after the [name]Garner[/name]/Affleck’s named their dd this…however, the name has meaning to us and its a timeless nature name that ages well. I agree with names like [name]Shiloh[/name] (a friend had a boy [name]Shiloh[/name] right around the time I had [name]Bronwen[/name]…I know she was majorly ticked that her sons name that nobody knew how to pn/spell for the first 2 years of his life was now a “celebrity girls name”!), and [name]Suri[/name], they are “celeb baby” names whether we like them or not. Names pulled out of relative obscurity (except for us name nerds ) and are now in the spotlight because their parents are super famous.
Depends on the celebrity too. Popularity of the person as well as societys overall impression of them…[name]Penelope[/name] was on our list before I was pregnant with this baby, but now its 100% off because the Kardashian’s used it. [name]Tina[/name] [name]Fey[/name], she’s funny, she’s cool. [name]Hanson[/name]'s, not real big celebs, not a big deal. But the Kardashian’s, heck no! On the flip side, I dont think any [name]Mason[/name]'s born after their son will get “like the Kardashian’s” where as [name]Penelope[/name] will due to the popularity of the name before little [name]Mason[/name] had come to be.
People keep telling me I should not use the nicknames [name]Drew[/name] or [name]Suri[/name] for my daughter for this exact reason. But I don’t really watch TV, as we don’t have cable, and I don’t “follow” celebrity life like some people do obsessively, so this never bothered me. I just consider them other people in the world with the same name, how famous they are doesn’t even cross my mind, as I never hear of them. So no, I don’t care. I will call my children whatever I want to call them.
Yep, but more because I have a personal goal of using VERY obscure names. If it’s used by a celebrity, it’s bound to become more ‘known.’ But there are differing degrees of concern that align with differing levels of celebrity.
A good example would be [name]Satyana[/name], [name]Alyson[/name] Hannigan’s daughter, vs. [name]Shiloh[/name], [name]Angelina[/name] [name]Jolie[/name]'s daughter. I wouldn’t have a lot of concern over [name]Satyana[/name] becoming overexposed because Hannigan is somewhat under-the-radar (as far as the tabs, anyway). [name]Shiloh[/name], on the other hand, was born to an indisputably A-list couple who sold their newborn pics and birth stories to the tabloids.
[name]Shiloh[/name] popped out of obscurity onto the SSA list one year after [name]Jolie[/name]-[name]Pitt[/name] was born at spot 788 and has climbed to 625. It’s still low-usage, but VERY well-known. [name]Satyana[/name], on the other hand, remains out of the top 1000 and the vast majority of people wouldn’t know who she, and perhaps even her mother, are.
So if I loved [name]Shiloh[/name] and [name]Satyana[/name] equally, I’d see the latter as more usable. But if [name]Shiloh[/name] were my very favorite name of all names, I’d still use it.
It depends. I wouldn’t use [name]Lourdes[/name], [name]Shiloh[/name], [name]Suri[/name], [name]Rumer[/name], [name]Blue[/name], [name]Sparrow[/name], [name]Halcyon[/name] etc because in my opinion they are FAR too associated with the celebrity to get past them.
Names like [name]Violet[/name], [name]Samuel[/name], [name]Olive[/name], [name]Noah[/name], [name]Thomas[/name], etc? Absolutely fine.
[name]One[/name] of my guilty pleasures is [name]Harlow[/name], but its too celebrity-ish to make my list
I agree with everything that has been said. There are some names, like [name]Suri[/name], [name]Shiloh[/name],or [name]Lourdes[/name] that are a little too celebrity for me. [name]Even[/name] though my child wouldn’t even get the reference, it would still bother me.
I also agree that it depends on the celebrity. I adore [name]Jennifer[/name] [name]Garner[/name]/[name]Sarah[/name] [name]Michelle[/name] Gellar, so it wouldn’t bother me to use [name]Violet[/name] or [name]Charlotte[/name]. I did take [name]Penelope[/name] off my list ( at least as a first) after [name]Kourtney[/name] Kardashian named her daughter [name]Penelope[/name] because I don’t like the [name]Kourtney[/name] Kardashian association.
A lot of my favorite names have already been used by celebrities, but I’ll still use them anyway. :]
YES!!! My number one girls name for years was [name]Vivienne[/name] Marcelline, then [name]Angelina[/name] [name]Jolie[/name] went and used [name]Vivienne[/name] [name]Marcheline[/name] and I’ve given up on the name because it’s way too close. I will forever be sad about it
I’ve long loved the name [name]Moses[/name], but I could never use the name because of [name]Gwyneth[/name] Paltrow and [name]Chris[/name] [name]Martin[/name]. It’s because I don’t like them. Paltrow is the definition of smugness and [name]Martin[/name]'s music is dull, dull, dull. They ruined the name for me, as I don’t think I could use the same name they chose!
However, I wouldn’t be put off using [name]Olive[/name], because I like [name]Drew[/name] Barrymore.
A celebrity baby wouldn’t keep me from using a name I love, but people always say “there a celebrity baby with that name!” on here and it gets a little annoying sometimes. My boyfriend LOVES [name]Harlow[/name] and I think it’s really cool, but all I hear is “[name]Nicole[/name] [name]Ritchie[/name]!” Who cares? [name]Will[/name] my kid ever met her or her kid? No. So why does it matter? It doesn’t haha
I think the only reason it would matter, at that point, is if it would bother you to have someone think or suggest you chose it BECAUSE of said celebrity. Some people would be bothered by that, some wouldn’t.
It’s hard to let go of the desire to feel proud over one’s choice, especially if you are partial to unusual names. I wouldn’t feel “proud” in that sense anymore if it had already been used by a celeb, because the assumption that I was inspired by them would be too easy/convenient to make.
) and are now in the spotlight because their parents are super famous.
haha