When you hear [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], is Frozen (still) your first thought? [name_m]General[/name_m] opinions also appreciated. Thanks!
I think it’s still very usable, frozen is what my mind goes to but it’s not a bad connection at all.
It’s still frozen alright. (Atleast for me it is)
While yes, my mind does automatically go to ‘Frozen’, I don’t think that’s such a big deal. It’s not a negative association, and its use as a given name predates the recent movie. [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] is a lovely little name that I think is worth using regardless of the current pop culture association.
Yes, because Frozen is still so very popular in the pre-K world, but [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] has a long and established history that predates Frozen, so I see no reason not to use it if you love it. The Frozen association is not a negative one and it will eventually fade.
The first thing that comes to mind is a family friend named [name_f]Elsa[/name_f]. I think that if you named your kid [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] people would associate it with her after meeting her too! And like others have said it’s a name with long history and there are plenty of other Disney names being used right now ([name_f]Aurora[/name_f], [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f]).
If you think the Frozen association is too much there are always [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] and [name_f]Ilsa[/name_f] (also Elsinore thought it might be too much for you)
the first thing I think of re: [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] is the character from [name_m]Wagner[/name_m]'s opera Lohengrin 
but yeah, second association is Frozen - I think that movie was such a hit that it’s ingrained in pop culture.
I think of Frozen, then [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] Pataky, then [name_f]Jane[/name_f] the Virgin. I still think it’s usable, though.
While not necessarily a bad association, Frozen is for sure my first association, and I think will continue to be for a long time. Frozen seems to just be a movie that really resonated with a whole generation of little ones, with [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] being a name that is really enduringly tied to it. Kind of similar to how [name_m]Harry[/name_m] / [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] only produces [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] as an immediate association for most around my age (late teens). I think it’s still usable for sure, just depending on how much that association would bother you. It’s a lovely name.
I still associate it too much with Frozen 
sorry! From what I can tell, little kids are still obsessed with it…or at least the ones I know. I’ve also heard they are making another Frozen movie and, if that is true, I’m sure the association will only become worse. [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] or [name_f]Elise[/name_f] are pretty alternatives!
Yes, Frozen is the first thing I think of (because I have a 4year old who watches it all the time) but it’s not a bad thing at all. I think all princess names are highly useable. We have little Auroras, Jasmines, Ariels running around…[name_f]Elsa[/name_f] is an ancient and beautiful name that has been around forever. Unlike [name_f]Merida[/name_f] and [name_f]Moana[/name_f], definitely not owned by the movie character. ([name_f]Merida[/name_f] and [name_f]Moana[/name_f] are not commonplace so I feel using those specific princess names are a little harder than a classic like [name_f]Elsa[/name_f].)
I think it’s okay. [name_m]Plenty[/name_m] of people use the name [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], and my mind still goes to The [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid, but [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is still usable.
I do think of Frozen in the back of my head, just a little, but it’s more like… a beautiful snow-capped kingdom that my heart would take great joy in (I love winter way too much lol), Scandinavia, and princesses, not in an annoying Disney sort of way, if that makes sense? After discovering my Nordic ancestry, I’ve just become smitten with Scandinavian culture, and I love snow and winter anyhow. So Frozen is in the back of my head a little bit, but it’s more just a magical wintry kingdom for me.
It’s because of Frozen that I’ve grown to really like [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], while [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] appeals to me less and less and less as the years go by.
That being said, they are working on a second Frozen film, so if Frozen is a deterrent to you, beware? Lots of other Disney names are very well used and very beloved ([name_f]Aurora[/name_f], anyone?!), so that wouldn’t stop me from [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] if it was my favorite, but maybe you could use it as a MN if it bothered you that much? I took a glance at your long list and I think something like [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_f]Clemency[/name_f] [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], or [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] Ysanne/Ysanne [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] would be really lovely? Or even [name_f]Demelza[/name_f] nn [name_f]Elsa[/name_f]? I think that’s actually really versatile and usable–if [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] becomes an issue that you get really frustrated by, you could opt for [name_f]Demi[/name_f], [name_f]Emmy[/name_f], [name_f]Della[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f]/[name_f]Ellie[/name_f]/[name_f]Elle[/name_f], [name_f]ZsaZsa[/name_f], [name_f]Millie[/name_f], [name_f]Mimi[/name_f], [name_f]Dee[/name_f], or [name_f]Elsie[/name_f], but if it’s a non-issue, [name_f]Demelza[/name_f] nn [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] could be a nice option? I love it on its own, but if it’s too worrisome…
Good luck!
Also - [name_f]Fiona[/name_f] is in the top 200 names in the US, and is still heavily associated with Shrek. If it’s usable, then so is [name_f]Elsa[/name_f]
Thank you everyone for the feedback! I probably should’ve mentioned that this was a very speculative question; no children in my immediate future, sadly.
Admittedly, I kind of knew what the answers would be. I don’t think I all together mind the Frozen-association (it could be worse, after all), I’m more thinking how I would feel, for example, if it was my name, and everytime I introduced myself that I’d get, ‘Oh, like from Frozen?’ and wondering how annoyed I’d get.
I’m very much not a Disney kid, so it was never my first association for [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], but I love it as a vintage-revival name.
Thanks again, everyone!
Never did and I happen to love Frozen. I love the name, you shouldn’t let a movie keep you from using it.
I really adore [name_f]Elsa[/name_f]- if I think long and hard about the name, the connotations to the Disney movie do come to mind, but surprisingly not immediately. I know a thirteen year old named [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] who’s a darling girl, so those are the vibes I get from the name. As others have said, [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] has a name history that dates back much further than the movie- if you like it, use it!
It still very much goes to Frozen, but I think all beloved Disney princess names get that. A lot of people within my age group (80s babies born after) often hear the name [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] and think [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid automatically at first, but then that goes away after a minute. These names make a dent on a generation.
It’s going to take a few more minutes with [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], but it will eventually pass…
I think of my little one-year-old niece first. I wouldn’t worry too much about the Frozen connection. [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] has a long history.
P.S. I also tend to think of all the Elsas, Ilsas, Elsabeins, and Ilsabeins in my family tree. So, [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] of Arendale doesn’t really steal the spotlight in my mind.