I’ve loved the name [name_f]Godiva[/name_f] for a girl for a long time now, but is it ruined by the chocolates and the whole horse thing? Online others have said they don’t like it because it sounds like you’re implying that ‘God is a diva’ which is totally ridiculous. The meaning of the name is ‘God’s gift’ which makes me like it a lot more, because any little girl, or child, is a gift from God if I was ever fortunate to have one brought into my life. I just love the sound of the name. And anyone that knows me knows I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] chocolate, so I don’t think its all that bad. So, WDYT? For me, the name brings to mind [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] lights, sweet chocolates and hot cocoa, and fireworks. [name_m]Just[/name_m] anything I love is in this name. I know I should totally hate it already considering Nameberry’s description, and how negative people would be if this name was ever given as a fn to a child, but I’m stuck on it. (By the way, I’m not expecting, I mean hypothetically speaking.)
Well, I have to say that I have no clue about the chocolate or horse thing. Is it a brand of chocolate or breed of horse? I think the God is a diva thing is ridiculous too…I wouldn’t have even thought that. The meaning is really sweet though that I like about it. I can’t really say much else because I don’t know how to pronounce it. GO-diva? GO-dive-ah? God-iva? As much as the word ‘diva’ irritates me, if it is pronounced GO-diva, I actually like the name. I can’t say it’s my favorite, but it would be kinda cool to see on a child.
[name_f]Godiva[/name_f] – go-DIE-va, first syllable is a bit clipped with strong emphasis on the second syllable, is how I’ve always heard it, in case anyone is curious…
I do really like the sound of the name.
I don’t think it’s the chocolate association that ruins this name. I do, however, think that the legend is a bit much to place on a child, as it involved a woman riding a horse naked through the streets because her husband was, basically, a jerk. The legend also recounts voyeurism and is said to be the origins of the phrase “peeping [name_m]Tom[/name_m]” . THIS makes the name unusable to me. I imagine some mean spirited teen / preteen could have great fun with all that.
p.s. that “god is a diva” thing cracked me up though. That’s just silly. God must be at least part diva to have created so many, bahaha. No, but really, the name has nothing to do with gods or divas.
Chocolate [name_f]Godiva[/name_f] didn’t ruin the name. [name_m]Just[/name_m] ignore that chocolate factory, even though you will get lot’s of comments based on that. [name_m]Just[/name_m] ignore them and focus on your kid.
‘God is diva’ might cause problems, since it’s really similar, but you can correct them (just few times) or ignore them.
What about putting it in the middle and use both names?
I don’t think it’s ruined at all. [name_f]Godiva[/name_f] is a gorgeous name! It has a vintage-y, clunky, posh feel to me. I’d class it with names like [name_f]Renata[/name_f], [name_f]Valentina[/name_f], [name_f]Augustina[/name_f] or [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f].
I don’t understand the ‘God, diva’ thing since it’s not pronounced anything like either word (I pronounce is ‘gah-DYE-vah’). The legend isn’t bad, either. I was taught that she was a hero. She took on a silly man’s dare (riding naked through the city) to help people who were suffering. What’s so heavy or tease-worthy about that? [name_m]How[/name_m] is her name any more baggage than [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], [name_f]Athena[/name_f], [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], or any other historical name that NB & others approve of?
that I like about it. I can’t really say much else because I don’t know how to pronounce it. GO-diva? GO-dive-ah? God-iva? As much as the word ‘diva’ irritates me, if it is pronounced GO-diva, I actually like the name. I can’t say it’s my favorite, but it would be kinda cool to see on a child.