After recieving great help from some berries the other day, I thought I might put this onto the table for discussion. My husband has been pushing for using the name [name]Dresden[/name] since our 2nd child. He loves the books by [name]Jim[/name] [name]Butcher[/name], the series being his absolute favourite of all time…
Me? I haven’t read them, and I have never been that fond of place names. However the name is growing on me and I really like it, but I feel it seems out of place with our children’s names [name]Julie[/name], [name]Mara[/name] and [name]Hugh[/name]. I’m thinking of putting it in middle spot, yet I don’t really know that much about the character and we seem to have an Irish theme in the middle for all of our children. Perhaps we’ll just give him two middles…
Our other contenders for boy names were [name]Arthur[/name], [name]Felix[/name] and [name]Benjamin[/name].
Really not a fan of [name]Dresden[/name]. I just think of the poor [name]German[/name] city we obliterated with incendiary bombs in the closing stages on World War Two. : /
Any of your other three choices are fine but I think [name]Benjamin[/name] fits the best with your other children’s names.
To be frank, [name]Dresden[/name] sounds very trendy. I wouldn’t put it in the first spot. Save it for the middle and that way Dad can still use this meaningful name
What about [name]Arthur[/name] [name]Dresden[/name]? [name]Arthur[/name] best suits the soft names of your other children.
I don’t know the book series in question, but to me naming your child [name]Dresden[/name] is like naming him Hiroshima or Pompeii. I would never do it, it’s like it’s commemorating the disaster.
I would strongly advise against it. I’ve actually been to [name]Dresden[/name] and I thought it was beautiful and really enjoyed my time there, but the first association that came to my mind is the band Prussian [name]Blue[/name]. They were in the media quite a lot a few years ago - a set of blonde-haired, blue eyed girls from [name]California[/name] of around 12 years old who sang neo-nazi music, wore Hitler T-shirts, and would do nazi salutes on stage. A lot of the press around them focused on their home life with their mother, who was raising them to be neo-nazis, and from that I can remember that the girls in the band had a younger sister named [name]Dresden[/name].
I would just use [name]Dresden[/name] in the middle spot to placate your husband. It has a very depressing sound and history. I wouldn’t want any child to be called “[name]Dresden[/name] [name]Doll[/name]” either. [name]Arthur[/name] [name]Dresden[/name] or [name]Felix[/name] [name]Dresden[/name] would be fine.
Like others, the first thing that comes to mind is the image of the bombed out city and the destruction of war. I’m not familiar with the books which inspired your husband, but I think the point of coming on the forums is to gauge how the wider population would react. I agree that the sound of the word has potential as a name, but the negative associations thoroughly overwhelm that potential.
[name]Arthur[/name] is still my favorite by a landslide and I just think it suits your other children’s names so well. The sound of [name]Dresden[/name] isn’t bad, and if your husband must have it, I think [name]Arthur[/name] [name]Dresden[/name] sounds good enough. He just needs to know that most people are going to immediately imagine a burning city. I’m okay with place names, in general, but I have to agree with a pp that said it would be like naming a child Nagasaki or Hiroshima.
Please reconsider [name]Dresden[/name]. I know another couple who named their son [name]Dresden[/name] without really knowing the history surrounding the firebombing in WWII and they are starting to regret it. Perhaps it can be used as a middle name as other people suggested.
Have you discussed with your husband other ways of honoring the novel series without using [name]Dresden[/name]? I am a fan of the books and understand wanting to name a son after the hilarious and badass title character. So what about [name]Harry[/name]? Less obvious than [name]Dresden[/name], but still an homage to the character. Or even [name]Michael[/name] could be a nod to the series (he happens to be my favorite character).
If you decide to use [name]Dresden[/name], I agree with others that it should be in the middle spot. I love [name]Arthur[/name] with your other children.
Thank you all for your responses, I did a bit more research on the character and found out his first name is [name]Harry[/name] which I much prefer (and it doesn’t have all the negative associations). I showed my husband this topic, and although he still loves the name he is more reluctant now, but he did mention that he liked [name]Harry[/name]. Though I do like the idea of [name]Arthur[/name] [name]Dresden[/name].
I’m embarrassed to admit that I was not aware of the bombing of the city of [name]Dresden[/name]. I knew it was a city, but that’s about it. I don’t think it’s as well known as the others, so I don’t know if I’d agree that it’s like naming your child Hiroshima.
That being said, although I do think [name]Dresden[/name] has a nice sound to it (and the nn Drez seems very cool), [name]Arthur[/name] and [name]Harry[/name] go so much better with your other kids names. And they seem like they would go well with Irish middles also. I’d recommend using one of those.
I don’t like the sound of the name personally and don’t know much about the books or place. I think [name]Arthur[/name] matches perfectly with your kids’ names!
[name]Dresden[/name] has pretty negative connotations due to the firebombing during World War II. [name]Kurt[/name] Vonnegut’s most famous novel, Slaughterhouse Five, is all about this topic, and I think some English teachers still assign it.
[name]Arthur[/name], [name]Felix[/name] and [name]Benjamin[/name] are all great choices.
I agree, I was going to suggest this book as offering a different literary perspective on the name.
And if this would be required reading for your son (good point econo!), it would be pretty uncomfortable if not embarrassing for him.
I think [name]Harry[/name] is a much nicer way to recognize the character from the books, and as others have said, it fits nicely with your other children’s names.
