As the title suggests, this thread discusses some heavy topics so proceed with caution.
A little while ago I read somewhere that said it was a bad idea to name your child after a loved one who died young and/or in a violent manner and/or at all. It didn’t specify why, but seemed to imply that it could be bad luck and cause them to die young as well, or something along those lines, though it wasn’t completely clear. I was a bit surprised to hear this, as I’ve always though if this as a big reason someone might want to use an honor name. Have you heard this, and do you agree with it? If so, is it mostly for superstitious and/or spiritual reasons, or other reasons entirely?
I guess more importantly, if you know anyone named after a deceased loved one, especially if said loved one died young or violently, how did things turn out for them and did anything bad ever happen to them that could be in some way connected or attributed to the name? Or is it just one of those things people think is more common than it actually is because of the few incidents they’ve heard about?
there’s no way naming a child after a loved one who died young would cause said child to die young. that’s just not how it works. for many people, i think naming a child after someone who died young is a fantastic way to carry on that person’s legacy.
i imagine this is just a superstition thing, much like fearing black cats are unlucky.
for what it’s worth, i’ve never heard of this before so i can’t imagine it’s a very widespread idea
[name_f]My[/name_f] brothers and I have middle names that tick both boxes, and we’ve turned out all right lol. I appreciate how much thought and legacy my parents put into our names.
This sounds more like an old wives tale than anything else
This is thing in my culture, the rule of three. Basically events always come in sets of three’s, especially deaths, and if you name a child after one of the 3 deceased they’ll be born with bad luck. It’s 100% a superstition and not something you have to worry about. It’s a complete normal thing to honor passed loved ones (including in my culture where this is a common superstition) and it shouldn’t deter you from using a name in honor of someone you love
I wouldn’t give much merit to the wishing ill on your child by naming them after someone who had a violent death theory. I might worry about if the person’s family is alright with you using the name and doesn’t associate it with trauma, though. It depends on the circumstances and how close you are to the person i.e. if it’s a long lost cousin you see once a year, it’d probably work but if it’s your aunt that lives next door, it wouldn’t (assuming they are traumatized).
[name_f]My[/name_f] oldest son has the same name as one of my friends who died young and in a very tragic way, although he wasn’t named directly after him.
[name_f]My[/name_f] husband was named after a family member who died young. In his community it’s very common to name a child after a deceased loved one.
I don’t believe it means bad luck for the person getting the name. That’s a form of magical thinking I don’t believe in.
I’ve never heard of that superstition before. I don’t think it’s part of my culture (or at least not current culture). I can think of instances in my own family tree where a child was given the same name as a relative who died young.
Superstitions (including naming superstitions) do vary based on culture so I definitely don’t think it’s a universal belief. I remember talking to somebody from the Chechnya who told me that in his culture children are never given the same names as relatives (living or dead) at all because to do so would be considered either disrespectful or bad luck (I can’t remember which).
If I came from a cultural/family background where that’s a common belief and my mama or grandma believed it to be true, then I would probably avoid using such a name in case it would cause distress to other family members. But otherwise I think it’s perfectly fine to pay tribute to a loved one who died young.
