For example, I read Fifty Shades of [name]Grey[/name] and now I could never name a child [name]Anastasia[/name] or [name]Elena[/name] because of it, both of which were on my list! 
[name]Do[/name] you have any names you simply wouldn’t be able to use because of celebrities, books, films, etc.?
[name]Juliet[/name]. I love the name and would love to give it to a future child but [name]Juliet[/name] from “[name]Romeo[/name] and [name]Juliet[/name]” drives me nuts -> stupid teenage girl who deciders faking her own death is the best course of action just destroys the name for me. Luckily [name]Juliet[/name] [name]Butler[/name] from “Artimes Fowl” books has helped revive the name some. [name]Even[/name] though she too is a “ditzy” teen she’s got spunk, and is pretty kick-ass.
Oh I forgot there was an [name]Elena[/name] in that, though I don’t think she is that prominent of a character to take the name off the list. I think [name]Elena[/name] is much more tied to The Vampire Diaries “pop culture-wise” if you ask me. It’s so pretty though and still on my list. =]
Oh I forgot there was an [name]Elena[/name] in that “book”… though I don’t think she is such a prominent character that it taints the name. I think [name]Elena[/name] is much more tied to The Vampire Diaries “pop culture-wise” if you ask me. It’s still on my list though. =]
Oh I forgot there was an [name]Elena[/name] in that “book”… so clearly she isn’t such a prominent character that she ruins the name. I think if we’re talking pop-culture, [name]Elena[/name] is much more tied to ‘The Vampire Diaries’ series anyway. It’s lovely and still on my list though. =]
I do agree that [name]Anastasia[/name] is now going to be more connected to the annoying 50 Shades character, especially if they make it into a movie. It makes me wonder how many women are also secretly using the quickly-rising name [name]Grey[/name] just to honor that book. shudder
To actually answer your question yes, many names have been ruined for me because authors use them for their villains and I know I could never escape the particularly bad references. For example, I love the name [name]Dexter[/name], but…
Oh I forgot there was an [name]Elena[/name] in that “book”… so clearly she isn’t such a prominent character that she ruins the name. I think if we’re talking pop-culture, [name]Elena[/name] is much more tied to ‘The Vampire Diaries’ series anyway. It’s lovely and still on my list though. =]
I do agree that [name]Anastasia[/name] is now going to be more connected to the annoying 50 Shades character, especially if they make it into a movie. It makes me wonder how many women are also secretly using the quickly-rising name [name]Grey[/name] just to honor that book. shudder
To actually answer your question yes, many names have been ruined for me because authors use them for their villains and I know I could never escape the particularly bad references. For example, I love the name [name]Dexter[/name], but am likely not brave enough to use it now.
When I first fell in love with the name [name]Esme[/name], it felt like it was all mine. Not very commonly used and I loved both the [name]Salinger[/name] and Jawbreaker connections. Now it’s apparently been used in Twilight and is a lot more popular than I had anticipated. I don’t know if it’s at the point where I would rule it out completely, but it’s definitely lost some of its luster for me.
[name]Isabella[/name] has been completely ruined for me by [name]Stephenie[/name] [name]Meyer[/name] and her vampire “books”.
I don’t really care for the other names she used, but [name]Isabella[/name] has always been a favourite of mine and now it’s just kind of obnoxious.
[name]Lolita[/name]. I’ve liked the name since I was 6 when I heard it on the radio. About 10 years later, I learned about the novel by Vlaidimir Nabokov, and I just don’t look at the name the same way. 
And then there’s [name]Isabella[/name] (the ditzy and obnoxious character from Twilight ruined it). I love [name]Olivia[/name], but the children’s book character kind of makes me not want to use it.
[name]Isabelle[/name]/[name]Isabella[/name] and [name]Jacob[/name]. Twilight books killed them for me.
Yes! I can’t stand [name]Juliet[/name]. [name]Cordelia[/name] ([name]King[/name] Lear) falls into the same category, she makes me want to rip my eyes out. And [name]Bianca[/name] (The Taming of the Shrew) is gruesome too. For some reason I don’t mind the bad guys, at least they’re a bit clever.
I would add [name]Romeo[/name] to the list, but I think [name]Shakespeare[/name] “invented” the name, he based it on Romeus I believe.
I love [name]Caroline[/name] but am reluctant to use it due to the “Sweet [name]Caroline[/name]” [name]Neil[/name] [name]Diamond[/name] lyrics. I always assumed it was a song about a young woman, and it’s disturbing to me that it was actually written about an 11-year-old girl (according to [name]Diamond[/name]).
I can’t believe some of you would let fads ruin long-established names. [name]Isabella[/name], for example, is a royal name. Are you really going to let a silly little Twilight character ruin it for you? Come on now…
Since I’ve never read “Shades of [name]Gray[/name]” or the Twilight series, the connections mean nothing to me. I wouldn’t let any cultural fad ruin perfectly wonderful names that have been around long before they were even invented. [name]Edward[/name], [name]Jasper[/name], [name]Esme[/name], [name]Isabella[/name], [name]Elena[/name] and [name]Anastasia[/name] are well established names with long histories and I find it kind of silly that anyone would write them off so easily. The only names that I wouldn’t use are those with dubious character traits or negative perceptions (eg. [name]Humbert[/name], [name]Lolita[/name], [name]Jezebel[/name], [name]Pandora[/name] to name a few).
[name]Casper[/name]- the friendly ghost
[name]Anastasia[/name]- 50 shades of grey
[name]Lolita[/name]- Nabokov
[name]Isabel[/name], [name]Jasper[/name], [name]Esme[/name], [name]Rosalie[/name]- Twilight
[name]Paris[/name]- [name]Hilton[/name], [name]Miley[/name]- [name]Cyrus[/name], [name]Beyonce[/name]- Knowles, [name]Kanye[/name]- [name]West[/name], [name]Usher[/name]
[name]Draco[/name], [name]Sirius[/name], [name]Hermione[/name], [name]Ginny[/name]- [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name]- Shrek
[name]Zelda[/name], [name]Hilda[/name], [name]Sabrina[/name]- [name]Sabrina[/name] the Teenage Witch
[name]Tabitha[/name]- Bewitched series
[name]Primrose[/name], [name]Katniss[/name], [name]Gale[/name], Peeta- Hunger Games
[name]Dexter[/name]- [name]Dexter[/name] series
[name]Felix[/name]- the cat
[name]Casper[/name] (I don’t like [name]Jasper[/name] either for it’s closeness to it), [name]Bellatrix[/name] (I love, love this name still, though!), [name]Caspian[/name], [name]Crispin[/name] (again, too close too [name]Caspian[/name]), and that’s about it.
I don’t understand how associations that pre-date your own birth by hundreds of years can be said to have ruined a name for anyone? Colour me confused on that line of thinking.
For me, the name [name]Penelope[/name] fell from grace when it was used by a Kardashian.
I see what you mean. For me it is this: I would’ve liked the name [name]Cordelia[/name] if it wasn’t for [name]King[/name] Lear, because for me it is so related to that character and I really can’t stand her. But in theory it’s a name I should like, and I can see that it’s pretty.
That makes sense.
For me, [name]Bella[/name] wasn’t an option even before Twilight was a thing because of its popularity as a dog name. After years of working in animal hospitals that name more than any other is stuck in my mind as a dog name.