Ok, this may seem to be an obvious situation where the answer should be evident but I have to ask anyway, in the 21st century do you think the name(s) [name_m]Judas[/name_m] and/or [name_u]Judah[/name_u] are not usable?
Maybe because I grew up in a mostly agnostic household but I think the sound of the name trumps the biblical connection but I don’t know if I would be right to put such a weighty name on a kid.
I love the name [name_u]Jude[/name_u] but it’s just too darn popular for my tastes and so that is kind of what has led me down the [name_m]Judas[/name_m] road…
2 Likes
I’m not religious but I personally think [name_m]Judas[/name_m] is not usable. It’s not as bad as Satan, but it’s up there (in my opinion). [name_m]Judas[/name_m] is synonymous with traitor, backstabber. The cultural meaning is highly negative and is likely to be a burden for a child.
[name_u]Judah[/name_u] on the hand is perfectly usable in my opinion because [name_m]Judas[/name_m] and [name_u]Judah[/name_u] are two different Biblical figures.
10 Likes
I fully agree with @choupette. I have seen the name Judas used as slang for a traitor before as well, so it seems like a well-known story that has progressed into a figure of speech at least in some places — enough that I would be cautious of saddling a child with that weight, even if you aren’t religious (and I am not).
Judah, however, carries none of those connotations and I think is perfectly usable! I also prefer its sweet sound 
5 Likes
I’m not at all religious but it isn’t usable imo. I agree with everything PPs have said and second [name_u]Judah[/name_u]!
2 Likes
I am a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] and I actually told my husband recently that [name_m]Judas[/name_m] would be such a cool name if Iscariot hadn’t ruined it with betrayal 
[name_m]Judas[/name_m], to me, is off-limits. [name_u]Judah[/name_u], however, is perfectly fine! We know of a kid named [name_u]Judah[/name_u] (sibling to [name_f]Miriam[/name_f], [name_m]Josiah[/name_m], [name_u]Ezra[/name_u], and Evangeline!) and it fits him so well. I love [name_u]Judah[/name_u] nn [name_u]Jude[/name_u]!
5 Likes
I mean I personally wouldn’t name my kid [name_m]Judas[/name_m] or [name_u]Judah[/name_u], but I also grew up in a fairly religious household. I just think it’s not worth taking the risk to name your kid something controversial because ultimately, the kid is the one affected by it
3 Likes
I think [name_m]Judas[/name_m] is unusable. [name_u]Judah[/name_u] seems usable.
3 Likes
I feel like I’ve seen [name_m]Judas[/name_m] still used as a synonym or metaphor for a traitor quite recently, so I don’t think it’s quite ready to be used for me. Then again, I’ve met numerous Cains/Kanes, so maybe it could work.
[name_u]Judah[/name_u] works!! Different name!
1 Like
I am not religious but I think I would just go with [name_u]Jude[/name_u]. I would avoid it personally even though I agree to liking the sound of the name. [name_u]Judah[/name_u] is cool and people are saying that one is fine so I would go thst route then. I agree that [name_m]Kane[/name_m] is used and I personally don’t like it due to the bibical reference while its a cool sounding name and I’m not even religious but I think I would avoid names with negative biblical associations only because I wasn’t religious but I may choose to expose my kids to religion and wouldn’t want them to feel bad about their names.
2 Likes
To preface, I am religious. I would say [name_m]Judas[/name_m] is not usable, as even outside of religion the connotations are pretty well known. A bit like a Doubting [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], only 10x worse (I’m sad about it, too. [name_m]Judas[/name_m] would be a lovely name otherwise!) [name_u]Judah[/name_u], on the other hand, is one of my favorite names! It’s biblical (tribe/house of Judah) while not tied to anything unsavory, and is a strong but soft, masculine name, imo. [name_u]Jude[/name_u] is also lovely, but I prefer it as a nickname for [name_u]Judah[/name_u].
2 Likes
I think [name_m]Judas[/name_m] , [name_u]Judah[/name_u] and [name_u]Jude[/name_u] are hard names to have be separated from their biblical association.
[name_f]My[/name_f] hubby and I aim for biblical- and one big thing is we aim for one of the good guys with no big stories of downfall / character drama and of these three the only one that would make the cut would be [name_u]Jude[/name_u]. It then would easily be scratched due to its popularity.
But does that make [name_u]Judah[/name_u] or [name_m]Judas[/name_m] unusable for others? I don’t necessarily think so.
Hubby and I axed [name_u]Judah[/name_u] from our list when brainstorming for our list because though one of the “good guys” he has some pretty notorious downfalls in scripture. Big one being sleeping with his daughter in law whom he believed to be a prostitute.
[name_m]Judas[/name_m]- there are two of them named as disciples of [name_m]Jesus[/name_m]. One being the notorious Iscariot. The other though being listed as the son of [name_u]James[/name_u] who died a martyr.
While I personally wouldn’t pick one of the above- I feel if people are picking controversial / high drama biblical names for their children like [name_f]Delilah[/name_f], [name_f]Jezebel[/name_f], [name_u]Athaliah[/name_u], [name_m]Cain[/name_m], [name_m]Samson[/name_m] etc etc then I could see these others being adaptable as well……
2 Likes
edited for privacy
3 Likes
No - the child would definitely feel betrayed. Use Jude, which is a great choice and really not that popular, or Judah.
1 Like
Judah is 100% usable! On the other hand, I would be wary of using Judas, even though it does sound nice.
2 Likes
[name_f]My[/name_f] cousin is named [name_u]Judah[/name_u]. He wears it well, but his family is religious. I think that both names work! [name_m]Judas[/name_m] works, who cares about associations that aren’t even that strong. I grew up religious and I don’t associate it with the biblical reference at all. It’s just a name.
2 Likes
I think if it’s a name you love and adore anything is useable.
There are always going to be people with associations that may be positive or negative. It only matters if you and your partner can see past those associations.
For me - I love the name [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] , but it currently has bad media associations due to [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] Winestein. In 20 years will people make that association, maybe not ! There’s other positive associations [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] Milk, [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] Keitel, [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] Mandel
Some people may not even know the association or context of [name_m]Judas[/name_m]. So if you love it - use it
3 Likes
I must live under a rock because I seem to be the only one who did not know the traitor connotation. I don’t necessarily think that alone makes the name unusable, but combined with the fact that there aren’t any notable namesakes and the name is not in the Top 1000, there’s little precedent for using it, which I think would make it very challenging for your child.
[name_u]Jude[/name_u] or [name_u]Judah[/name_u] seem the better option. I’ve also always associated the name [name_m]Judas[/name_m] with [name_m]Jonas[/name_m], if you like that too.
2 Likes
I’m agreeing with the majority. [name_m]Judas[/name_m] is just too loaded — even for the non-religious (like me), it’s common enough as a pejorative shorthand for traitor that I think it would be a hard name to carry.
[name_u]Judah[/name_u] or [name_u]Jude[/name_u] (or [name_m]Jonas[/name_m], for a very similar sound) are all lovely and totally wearable.
2 Likes
Agree with the post above. Choosing Judas is not like Harvey, which is a common name given to many people, one of which is Mr Weinstein, who won’t be a footnote in the history books in years to come. You don’t need a religious background to know Judas is used synonymously with betrayal and the story why has been going around for 2000 years. It’s pretty central to development of western culture and society, and the reason Judas would be a highly unusual name choice. Yes, there are people who won’t be aware of the cultural or religious association, or adopt a ‘who cares’ mentality anyway - ignorance is everywhere. You’re naming a person who will be part of a society, hopefully after you’re gone. I’m all for parents choosing names that are appealing and meaningful to them, but put the child’s interests above desire to be YOUnique. Jude or Judah are good options.
3 Likes
I’m with the majority on this one, [name_m]Judas[/name_m] as a fn would be an unnecessary burden to a person’s life.
In my own country, I think the authorities would say no to this.
[name_u]Jude[/name_u] and [name_u]Judah[/name_u] are quite charming, definitely usable.
2 Likes