When I first brought up the name [name]Hero[/name] on the literary baby names post I made, it got a majority of good reviews. Then when people saw it on my long lists, it got terrible comments — and just last week when I asked about [name]Hermione[/name] ‘[name]Hero[/name]’, I had more than one person tell me to just use the name [name]Hero[/name] as a full name!
It’s probably irrelevant, since SO is not on board yet with [name]Hero[/name] as the full and only name for a daughter, but I sat down and tried to figure out what the advantages and disadvantages to this name are.
Advantages:
1 - Obviously, she will be the only [name]Hero[/name] in her class.
2 - The name is short (we have an 8-letter last name).
3 - It is easy to pronounce and spell.
4 - It has a literary connection to [name]Shakespeare[/name] (for our first [name]Valentine[/name]'s day, I got SO the complete works of [name]Shakespeare[/name])
5 - LN starts with an H, so it is alliterative - like my name, [name]Kaitlin[/name] K., which I always loved.
6 - [name]Hero[/name] has a very positive connotation. It’s a name that conveys strength, honesty, and bravery.
7 - Very few negative nicknames.
Disadvantages:
1 - People will think she’s a boy before meeting her.
2 - This might be a name that is hard to live up to (but does the child define the name or does the name define the child?).
3 - The only negative nickname I can think of is ‘Heroin’ like the drug. Or comments about heroes and villains or something.
4 - It would be hard for mom and dad to come up with names that sound nice with [name]Hero[/name]! lol :o)
Other than that I really can’t think of any reasons not to use this name, except that it takes guts. I don’t know if I would have the guts to actually do it.
But why the wishy-washy opinions on [name]Hero[/name]? What am I missing?
I guess I don’t think you are really ‘missing’ anything. Maybe I just think that some of these things are more important than others…
Let me go through your reasons:
PROS
Yes, she’ll be the only [name]Hero[/name] in her class. Good for the sake of being unique, if that is really very important to you. It isn’t for me, so maybe I’m biased. But, go back and read that first sentence again - “she’d be the only hero in her class” - anything strike you as odd with that?
Yes, it is short! Is this more for your sake or her’s? Is it so she won’t have a nickname? I don’t necessarily understand the benefit of a short name. Also, eight letters doesn’t mean anything to me, personally. My mom has an eight-letter last name, and it is two syllables. A two-syllable last name isn’t long at all in my book - it’s normal. If your eight-letter last name has a large amount of syllables - unlikely - then a short first name is best, but if not, this seems to be neither pro nor con for me.
Yes, in general, in the English-speaking world, I think that [name]Hero[/name] is pretty easy to pronounce and spell, for those who know how to spell and say “hero.”
Can’t argue with a literary connection! Definitely a plus if you are a [name]Shakespeare[/name] nut, which it seems you are. [name]Lovely[/name]!
Alliteration is cool in my book, too! But, there are plenty more H’s in the sea, right? [name]Hermione[/name] still has it, too!
Yes, “hero” does have a positive connotation. I think of [name]Hercules[/name], or of the rescuers and police during 9/11, and all of the wonderful “everyday heroes” who help people out despite their fear and own shortcomings.
Negative nicknames not noticeable. Agreed.
CONS
Well, since [name]Hercules[/name] is the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of “hero,” yeah, people might think she is a boy. Or a pet, if the context is right…
This is a huge red flag for me! [name]Hero[/name] seems like a name that is impossible to “live up to,” for me. Like [name]King[/name], [name]Hero[/name] has so much riding on it. [name]Hero[/name] isn’t first a name, it is first a word, a word that conveys so much, as you said before. What if [name]Hero[/name] did something very un-heroic. Well, that would be ironic? What if [name]Hero[/name] really wasn’t the helpful, confident, savior type? Well, that would be ironic, too! I don’t think this is a case of the name defining the child versus the child defining the name - rather, it seems more like labeling to me. “Wow, that girl is a hero!” “Really? I thought that was just her name.” “Oh…” See where I’m going with this?
I doubt she’d be called Heroin, really, but it is about all I can think of, too. Other than the obvious, “Well, that wasn’t very [name]Hero[/name]-ic! [name]Aren[/name]'t you supposed to be a hero, [name]Hero[/name]?”
Yes! What could quite match [name]Hero[/name]? You wouldn’t want to name another child something, well, usual and have him or her wondering why they weren’t the hero in the family, now would you? For some reason, the only thing I can think of is a boy called Bolt, as in lighting bolt, for [name]Zeus[/name]. Because I’m still on a [name]Hercules[/name] High. But, then again, I might think that [name]Hero[/name] and Bolt were a pair of Dobermans…
So, that’s my take on the issue. I think you can get a general idea of my opinion on it, and I’m sincerely sorry if it came across as rude. I didn’t want to rain on your parade, and I know some other people love [name]Hero[/name], too, but I just can’t get on the bandwagon.
[name]Hero[/name] is a great name! There is a female character called [name]Hero[/name] in a comic book series called Y: The Last [name]Man[/name] which is due to be filmed soon and may be popular though. (sorry I’m a complete nerd )
I don’t think [name]Hero[/name] is the kind of name that elicits wishy-washy responses at all. To the contrary, I think it is the kind of name people either love or hate. The reason why your informal poll results seem wishy-washy is because they’re a combination of responses from those who love the name and those who hate it. Personally, I have to admit that I fall into the “hate it” camp. Not that I literally “hate” the name, but I would not use it for my daughter and I would not want it to be my name; it’s just too out there and I can’t get past the, for lack of a better word, ridiculousness of it as a name. Unlike other names I dislike (i.e. wouldn’t use), however, [name]Hero[/name] is one of those names where I can really appreciate what the people who love it love about it - the symbolism, the literary quality, the gender-busting strength of it, the way it puts a new face on femininity, even the soft yet strong sound. I think it would make a fantastic middle name!
