I’m wondering what everybody thinks of ‘hurricane names,’ or the girls names that are given to hurricanes, and whether that makes it a deal breaker. i.e. [name_u]Sandy[/name_u], [name_f]Irene[/name_f], [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], especially.
[name_f]My[/name_f] name is [name_f]Katerina[/name_f] and I was surprised when I looked up my name here and found that Nameberry associated it with [name_f]Hurricane[/name_f] [name_f]Katrina[/name_f]. A few years ago, someone made that reference, but now I never hear anyone mention it when I tell them my name. I kind of forgot myself.
I’d never use [name_u]Sandy[/name_u] or [name_f]Irene[/name_f], but I think [name_f]Katrina[/name_f] is pretty. (I probably won’t use that either because it’s one letter off from my name) but if your favorite girls name was used for a hurricane would you not use it? Would it change the way you see it?
I’d love to hear everyone’s opinions!
If I had to name a daughter directly after the event, I probably would be a bit put off from doing it, because that would be the main association at the time. But at the same time, all hurricane names are valid names like [name_f]Irene[/name_f], [name_u]Sandy[/name_u], or [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], and there are still kids being given those names, even some born at the time had those names. If [name_f]Pandora[/name_f] became a hurricane name though, I think loads of people would see it as doubly negative, thanks to there being the whole [name_f]Pandora[/name_f]'s box (jar) connection. Plus if the name was quite uncommon, then the hurricane would be the only/main association. [name_f]Irene[/name_f], [name_u]Sandy[/name_u], and [name_f]Katrina[/name_f] all have other connections for me. I’m not sure if I would or wouldn’t use my dear [name_f]Pandora[/name_f], tbh.
I think that if I really liked the name then it wouldn’t put me off because they were names before they were hurricanes. However, if I lived in the area that the hurricane struck then I would shy away from using it because the association would be with devestation, but it could honour someone who was a casualty of the disaster.
If the event happened a long time ago then it wouldn’t taint a lovely name for me X
As @myosotis said, it depends on a name. I would use [name_f]Irene[/name_f] and [name_f]Katrina[/name_f] because they are well-known, traditional names. Maybe if it was [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] or [name_f]Altalune[/name_f], I would pick another name, but [name_f]Irene[/name_f] is perfectly fine.
To be honest, I find it silly to give hurricanes real names. It may be an unpleasant association to people who already bear the name and why ruin the ones that are actually used? If scientists lurked on Nameberry, there would have been names like [name_f]Desdemona[/name_f] for hurricanes. 
I think it depends on the name and how much time has passed. [name_f]Hurricane[/name_f] [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] was huge in the early 90s, but no one associates the name [name_m]Andrew[/name_m] with it. People born in 2015 will read about [name_f]Hurricane[/name_f] [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], but it happened 10 years before their birth, so peers won’t make the association and once enough time has passed, most of the older generation won’t either (none of this applies to people who are now or were then in [name_m]New[/name_m] Orleans as it will always be a part of their family’s history, no doubt).
[name_f]Irene[/name_f] is an established name, much like [name_m]Andrew[/name_m]. I forgot there was even a [name_f]Hurricane[/name_f] [name_f]Irene[/name_f] until you brought it up. I don’t know about [name_u]Sandy[/name_u]. I tend to think no one outside of NY and NJ would make the connection, especially if someone’s name is [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] or [name_f]Sandra[/name_f] and she goes by [name_u]Sandy[/name_u]/[name_f]Sandi[/name_f].
By the way, [name_f]Katerina[/name_f] is one of my favorite names for a girl. I’m not a big fan of [name_f]Katrina[/name_f], however. There’s something about that “e” that makes [name_f]Katerina[/name_f] look classy and sophisticated. [name_f]Katrina[/name_f] looks unfinished.
It depends on the temporal proximity of the event as well as how much damage was wrought by that particular hurricane. Geography matters a bit as well. The closer in time and location and/or the more severe the destruction, the less likely I would be to use the name.