Anyone else’s fav name been made mostly/completely unusable by the [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] books (or any other well known books/films)? Want to complain about it?! Go ahead!
Mine’s Albus… Albus Drinkwater 
[name]Val[/name] x
Hahaha Yes! The Twilight movies have made some of my favorite names way too popular.
Im glad [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] came, One of my most loved names ([name]Hermione[/name]) is in it, i wouldnt have discovered if HP didnt happen!
I enjoyed both the [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] and the Twilight series’. I would still use [name]Harry[/name] if I was so inclined.
Did anyone else ever notice that it looks like [name]Stephanie[/name] [name]Meyer[/name] went through the “[name]Baby[/name] Name Bible” by [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] before writing her books? Almost every single Twilight name is one of the starred suggested names. Of course, they are fabulous names. I would probably still use a name I loved even if it was in Twilight, but not [name]Isabella[/name]. Waaaaay too pop for me.
I’m still mourning the demise of [name]Hermione[/name] and [name]Fleur[/name], two of my favorite names. They are much too popular now, and everyone thinks of HP when they see them.
However, JK R was an amazing namer, so maybe I’ll get some inspiration from her.
Not really. I think HP is only a positive association for the names used in it. Twilight however is a horrible association for a name, and I’d never consider something like [name]Esme[/name] because of it. [name]Alice[/name] and [name]Edward[/name] I don’t think hold the connotation quite as bad though.
I’m with [name]Suzanne[/name] on this one: I had never heard of [name]Hermione[/name] until [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] came out, and since she was always my favorite character, I don’t think it makes for a bad association. As for Twilight, I loved the movie, and all of the names were on my long list before, during, and after I saw the movies. For that matter, I do not think I have ever read a book that caused me to dislike a name.
I loved the Twilight books and also the [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] books, I didnt mean that the books made me dislike the names, I just mean that the Twilight series is so popular now that the names are way too popular for me to use. The names arent “Ruined” They are still great names, they are just way too popular now.
Well, [name]Isabella[/name] was already pretty popular–but pretty enough for my tastes that I’m not quite sick of it yet. As for the others, I still have not met a lot of [name]Edmunds[/name] or Alices, even though I know these are popular with nameberries and other people who are fanatic enough to join a baby name message board. Then again, that was true, too, long before Twilight came out. The same goes for most of the other names she used. I think it’s just that, with the prevailance of baby name sites, we forget sometimes that ours is not really as common of a hobby as it seems sometimes, which means that the names aren’t nearly as popular as they seem. I know that, especially since I don’t have kids, if I start talking baby names with offline friends, I usually just get a strange look or a blank stare…don’t know if that’s true for anyone else. Still, they don’t seem to hesitate when they need naming advice themselves.
Oh no! I haven’t read HP, and until this thread I had no idea [name]Fleur[/name], a favorite of mine, was in it! Waaaaa!
I haven’t read Twilight either, but I’m not happy that [name]Jasper[/name] is a werewolf. I love that name. Werewolves? Not so much.
I do agree with many previous posters that showing up in HP is not as tainting as the Twilight tinge. I think the HP series has gone far to make [name]Hermione[/name], and interesting antique, usable once more. [name]Harry[/name] itself is a great name, suddenly more popular. But I would rather not mix the images of sweet babies with vampires and werewolves. Maybe that is just me.
[name]Jasper[/name] isnt a werewolf, hes a vampire!!
This might just be me, but I don’t see why this is such a big deal. [name]Just[/name] because a name is in [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] or Twilight doesn’t make it unusable. I don’t get how this “taints” a name. So what if your kid shares a name with a popular fictional character? Can someone explain this to me?
girlinred – Who said anything about a name being unusable?
As for “taint,” that is what happens when you introduce your child to someone, and that person’s first thought, spoken or not so much, is “He he he. So [name]Jasper[/name] is your little vampire!” It doesn’t ruin a name by any stretch, but I think taints is a great words for that phemon.
HP and Twilight are not the only sources of taint. Some (great) names can’t shake that association to slavery, which has been too bad for lovely [name]Dinah[/name], [name]Jemima[/name], and yes, [name]Jasper[/name]. If [name]Kermit[/name] is eternally green and [name]Oscar[/name] eternally a grouch, you aren’t going to use those names. And even though [name]Oscar[/name] recovered from muppet fame to go on to modest popularity, I’ll bet there have been plenty of “The Grouch” jokes for cranky little boys along the way.
I’m a great believer in using names you love, but sometimes the associations other have with your choice can make you wince. For those of us you aren’t on board with Twilight, a mention isn’t a plus. Other who find the series darkly romantic and thrilling might not agree. If you felt as though [name]Hermione[/name] was your wonderful, personal find in grandma’s attic, you might resent its sudden surge in popularity – which would never have happened if J.K. Rowlings hadn’t been born.
mystighost2010 – I have to disagree with you about names being ruined by books, sadly … [name]Roald[/name] Dahl ruined [name]Agatha[/name] for me with “[name]Matilda[/name].” My husband loves the name, and after years of conscious positive thinking I was starting to warm up to it again, when I discovered the Jeeves & Wooster stories. I don’t think I can ever recover from that. [name]Agatha[/name] is all evil aunt now. sigh
I must be showing my age when I state the following fact: although I’m an avid reader, I’ve never read any [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] or Twilight books nor have I seen any films relating to these two overly hyped franchises. I’m just not into wizards, vampires and werewolves. I guess it depends on what interests you. Having said that, there are certain names in literature or film that I would not choose for any child. [name]Ebenezer[/name] from “The [name]Christmas[/name] [name]Carol[/name]” or [name]Hannibal[/name] from “The [name]Silence[/name] of the Lambs” are two of the names that pop up in my head.
I was going to name my first born son Voldemort, nn Voldie, but at this point, it’s way to popular for my tastes. =P