We have fallen in love with name for our new baby, but there is a problem. We found out that the name is also the same first and last name of a famous religious figure from the 1700s. (The middle name would be different). My husband and I are not of that religion (or very religious) and most people have never heard of him. However, if you google the name he very clearly is an important figure in this religious community (including having websites about him and things named after him) and people of that religion known him well and follow his teachings. I love the name but am worried that people who Google our son’s name will make the incorrect assumption that we named him after this person or that we are very religious. Has anyone faced anything similar or have thoughts? Thanks!
Who is it joseph [name_m]Smith[/name_m]? [name_m]Ah[/name_m], I wouldn’t worry much about it. If you love the name so much then use it! Especially if it’s a well known name anyway. Probably most people wouldn’t make the association. Unless you lived in a community of people who follow this religion. But still.
I’ve had that happen twice when I was trying to think of boys names. One first and last name combo is an actor who played in twilight and another was a British actor who has been dead a long time. I still wouldn’t let that stop me if I loved the name enough.
If he’s a relatively obscure reference for most people and you love the name I wouldn’t worry about it.
I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you weren’t aware of the association, it’s likely that others in your circle won’t know about this person either. If someone mentions it, just laugh it off and no big deal. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t ditch a name you love just because of this association, which doesn’t even sound particularly negative, just a bit weird.
Good point to consider. It really depends on you and your preferences. I could think of the following criteria;
If you are anti-religious, then occasional references to the religious guy could start to bother you at some point;
It depends perhaps also on whether you live in an area where that religion is quite common, so that this association would be expected.
Not knowing who were talking about, it’s hard to weigh in more on the question.
Fwiw, my husband’s first and mn are the same as a famous author, so when I met him, I assumed he was named after that author. It turned out that wasn’t the case, and his parents didn’t even consider this as a potential association.
While I did think it was weird they hadn’t considered it (author pretty famous, well-known), it wasn’t at all a bad connotation, more a pleasant one actually. Now, I never think of the author anymore when I think about my husband’s name.