Name associations!

Hey Berries!
So today I tortured my family with a name discussion. I explained to them that even though I loved the names [name_m]Reuben[/name_m], [name_m]Jack[/name_m] and [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u], I couldn’t ever use them bc of my associations.
When we moved on to girls names (I got them to talk for a surprising length of time!) I mentioned [name_f]Joy[/name_f], and my dad immediately stated it was the name of his first kiss. When we talked about [name_f]Carrie[/name_f], the first thing to come to his mind was the horror movie, even though that name honors someone on his side of the family!

[name_m]How[/name_m] big of a deal are these associations? I really don’t want my dad thinking about his first kiss when he thinks of my future daughter’s name, nor do I want people associating her name with a horror film! Should I nix either one of these from my list?

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I dont think you should get rid of the names if you truly love them. I think if you had a little one named [name_f]Joy[/name_f] or [name_f]Carrie[/name_f], your dad’s first and only association would then become his granddaughter! I think both of the other associations would fade into the past, especially the movie one.
Also, depending on the person your daughter becomes, she may like a horror movie connection! I was named after a horror movie character, and it’s the only reason I don’t hate my name!

As for for the first kiss, that’s a little more tough. A first kiss is something you remember, but as I said earlier, I think that association would move to the backburner once he starts to associate the name with his granddaughter. Also, it’s not like it was the name of your first kiss! You can keep thinking on it, of course, but in my opinion it’s not a dealbreaker!!
good luck!

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Hmm…that is a tough one. :thinking:

[name_f]Joy[/name_f]…I might forego, tbh, because that is a personal association. But [name_f]Carrie[/name_f] not at all! The horror movie might exist, but I’m sure there are as many negative associations as there are positive ones for every name. Pop culture associations don’t have to be deal-breakers. Personal ones may carry more weight in such a consideration – at least, for me they would.

Anyway, if you love the name [name_f]Carrie[/name_f], I’d suggest you look for all the reasons you love it, all the reasons it is great and special, all the positive associations because I am 100% sure they’ll outnumber that one horror movie. :slight_smile:

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I like the spelling [name_u]Kerry[/name_u], like the county in [name_f]Ireland[/name_f].

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my dad dated someone named [name_f]Elena[/name_f] before he met my mom. Mom really liked the name of his ex and they ended up using it for one of my sisters. works for them just fine!
I think some associations naturally feel weird for some people/families. but it’s not inherently weird, and if it’s not a big deal to you or your dad, there’s no reason to nix the name.
you can find a negative association somewhere in pop culture for half the names out there. as it pertains to horror films,
[name_f]Annabelle[/name_f] is still well used (#141 in the US) and [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]’s [name_u]Baby[/name_u] didn’t erase the name [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] from people’s lists. a really famous vlogger/influencer named her daughter [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] last year.

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If you do end up naming your potential future daughter [name_f]Joy[/name_f] or [name_f]Carrie[/name_f], he’ll come to associate it more with his granddaughter than what currently comes to his mind for each name.

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Here’s the thing, adult brains can be pointless trivia generators. So it’s very easy for us to find pop culture connections that will just fly over the child’s head. [name_f]Carrie[/name_f] has not been in the cultural zeitgeist for decades, and it’s going to be awhile before your hypothetical future child is allowed to watch or read [name_f]Carrie[/name_f] (I hope). So no, I don’t think the connection’s a big deal.

I’m assuming your dad’s first kiss happened during his school days? As someone who’s pushing 40 I can assure you that the older you get and the more life you live the less those kinds of associations matter. Someone brought up my high school crush in a conversation once and it took me a while to figure out who she was talking about.

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