One of my very favourite boy names is Lupin. Has been for a looong time.
I love the sound, I love the flower (and that it’s a floral name that feels at home on a boy), and I like the HP connection.
But… is it actually wearable? Would a boy hate being called Lupin? Would he be doomed to hearing HP comments every second of every day? Is the [name_m]French[/name_m] meaning of “lupine; wolf-like” an issue (we have [name_m]French[/name_m] speakers in the family — would this seem odd?)
I’m not a big fan of Lupin because it makes me think of the auto-immune disease, lupus, and it just doesn’t sound nice to me. Also, with [name_m]French[/name_m] speakers in the family, I do think the meaning being “wolf-like” would seem a bit odd. I love flower names for boys too, but I would avoid this one ^^
I think it’s a brave choice but not completely unusable. People name their sons [name_m]Wolf[/name_m], and [name_f]Lupe[/name_f] is a girl’s name, so why not Lupin? If you’re still worried about it, maybe just use it in the middle spot? It would make a very handsome middle name.
I absolutely think it’s usable! I have a soft spot for flower names on boys, but even for those who don’t, it’s not a very obvious botanical name and sounds quite distinguished.
I don’t think it’s usable. Lots of people would see the HP reference, which isn’t bad, but I feel like if that’s one of your goals there are more usable ways to go around it. I like the idea of having a more masculine floral name, but I’ve never heard of the Lupin flower and I doubt many will get the connection (maybe I’m just not a botany expert…idk). Plus it reminds me of Lupus… But as a middle, go for it.
Thank you for your responses. I get the “lupus” thing, but it hasn’t put me off… yet. The fact that it’s a word in [name_m]French[/name_m] — albeit not a particularly common one — is probably my biggest stumbling block at the moment.
The [name_m]French[/name_m] adjective “lupin”, meaning “wolfish”, is extremely rare; not all dictionaries even list it. [name_m]French[/name_m] speakers, on hearing Lupin, would definitely think of the flower, and probably Arsène Lupin. They would of course know that the name is related to wolves, but since Loup is a name (there’s even a St. Loup, and the name was ranked #455 in 2016), I doubt this would be a problem…
If it worries you, you can’t do better than to ask your [name_m]French[/name_m]-speaking relatives what they think!
Personally, I love Lupin. It seems so sensitive and wise, and I love the links to nature. I adore the more rough-and-tumble Loup as well, but that one probably wouldn’t wash so well in [name_m]Britain[/name_m].
My main hesitation with Lupin would be the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] association. Would you mind people asking “As in [name_m]Remus[/name_m] Lupin?” all the time? I think I probably would.
I would ditto this, but add that I find Lupin much nicer than [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] or [name_f]Lupe[/name_f]. I can totally see it working as a first name!
I think it’s great, especially with your style. The HP connection is there, but between the botanical and other connections, it’s not an overpoweringly HP name. With the currently stylishness of [name_m]Louis[/name_m], [name_m]Luke[/name_m], [name_u]Luca[/name_u], [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] (and in Telegraph-BA-circles, [name_m]Ludo[/name_m] and [name_m]Ludovic[/name_m]), Lupin is less eccentric and more bang-on style without being remotely popular. It’s awesome!
I actually know someone else considering it, for exactly the same combination of botanical, wolfy, and HP associations–they’re in the western USA, though, so your maybe-Lupin would be unlikely to ever run into their maybe-Lupin, if that matters to you!
I say maybe, I hate the character, his gaslighting behavior and I associate it with a pop singer I hate too but if I wasn’t familiar with these figures I would like the name because as a Turkish person I love wolves - it is just ruined for me at this point
For me it’s a bit too close to lupus I’m afraid. I didn’t make the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] connection at first, but it’s been years since I’ve read a [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] book. I don’t think everyone would make the connection.
Ha, as soon as I saw the title of this thread I knew it was you, @katinka! I personally adore the name Lupin, it has such a nice sound and ring to it. I find the wolf connection exciting and I do think that Lupin works because it became more familiar through the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] books. It reminds me of [name_u]Tobin[/name_u] and [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] in terms of sound and style to me. Literary, historical and quirky, which I think fits a lot with your style of names as well.
@thomasina Haha, yes — I’m still going on about this one! I love it but I go back and forth on actually using it. [name_f]Glad[/name_f] you like it, though.
@kew That’s very good to know about “lupin” being a very rare word in [name_m]French[/name_m] — I suppose just as “lupine” is in English. Thank you for making me feel less hesitant on that front.
@missbennet Thanks so much for your detailed response. You’ve hit the nail on the head as to why I’m so irresistibly drawn to this name. [name_f]Glad[/name_f] to hear someone else is considering it too. It can’t be too unusable, then!
Thank you all so much for your comments! It really helps to hear different perspectives and perceptions.