I am a long time name nerd and have been fascinated with names since I was little. Actually to the point that I currently maintain 5 different lists with my favourite names from various cultures and languages. I do not have any children and do not expect to have children for some years but that has not stopped me from regularly contemplating what I would like to name my own children.
Recently, I have been thinking about that when the time comes for choosing names for my children, I want to honour certain people beyond my own family whose legacy and/or work has not only been of huge interest to me but has also positively impacted my own life. But as excited as I am about the possibility of being able to honour such positive influences in my life I am also facing certain questions which make me question whether this is wise.
The names I have chosen are:
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]: I absolutely love [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Eyre[/name_f] by [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Bronte[/name_f]; that book influenced me greatly in an extremely positive way when I was teenager and I want to be able to honour that.
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]: I love [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u]'s novels and associate some wonderful things and memories with them. By using the name [name_f]Jane[/name_f], I would also be able to pay tribute to the wonderful novel [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Eyre[/name_f].
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f]: I grew up watching the 1995 film version of the novel and have always adored the character of [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] in that film (and the novel). It has been a favourite name of mine for so many years and I associate it with many positive things.
[name_f]Laura[/name_f]: I grew up being immersed in the wonderful “House on the [name_u]Prairie[/name_u]” book series by [name_f]Laura[/name_f] Ingalls [name_m]Wilder[/name_m]. To say that I loved these books would be an understatement. I loved them so much I spent my time either imagining that I was [name_f]Laura[/name_f] or wishing that I was! I also distinctly remember writing when I was 8 years old that my favourite name was [name_f]Laura[/name_f], only because of the books. Those books mean so much to me and I associate them with wonderful memories.
But the questions that make me leery of choosing names that honour literary figures are two:
Would naming a child after a literary figure make me an automatic candidate for the pretentious parent of the year award?
I am Scandinavian and none of the people I would be honouring hail from my own culture or country. Is it okay to name after people that do not have a direct connection to your country/heritage but do have a great deal meaning to your own personal life?
As a side note I would like to add that while all these names are English in origin they would work out fine in my own country ([name_f]Elinor[/name_f] would be changed to Elinora)
All advice and thoughts are gladly accepted - this has been bugging me quite a bit!