Sirius: Guilty Pleasure?

General Name Discussion
1

Hello, Berries!
I’m not expecting, but I’ve been in love with the name [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] for a long time now. In fact, it was one of the first names that I was ever passionate about. [name_m]Reading[/name_m] has always been an important part of my life, so much so that it inspired me to become a writer. And like a lot of the names I love, I encountered [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] through reading. [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] fans will know the name as the name of character [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] [name_m]Black[/name_m]. It’s a series I adore, a character I adore, and a name I adore. But I also have other connections with the name. I’ve always been really interested in Greek mythology, which has given me a soft spot for many Greek names, especially ones like [name_m]Perseus[/name_m] and [name_m]Theseus[/name_m]. [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] is also Greek, and has that -us ending that I have always liked. It means burning, which to me is just so beautiful and powerful. Most importantly, however, is that [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] is the name of the brightest star in the night sky. I have been fascinated with space and astronomy for as long as I can remember. So above all the others, this associations makes the name completely magical to me. And to top it all off, I love the nickname [name_u]Si[/name_u] (pronounced with a long i, like the name [name_m]Cy[/name_m]) and feel that it is very natural.

So basically, this is the perfect name for me:

  1. It has many, varied, positive associations.
    2.It is a style and origin that I like.
  2. It has a great meaning.
  3. It has a natural and easy nickname.
  4. I love the way it sounds and looks in writing.

But unfortunately, everyone I know hates it. None of them have the deep connections that I have with the name. They just hear the word Serious and would no sooner use it on a child than Sad, [name_f]Happy[/name_f], or Angry. I understand that its an unusual name and not for everyone. But do you think that on the right child, and paired with the right middle and last names, it could be usable? Or is this forever a guilty pleasure name?

This is my first thread, so thanks in advance for anyone who replies!

2

I love [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] too. I would only ever use it as a middle name – [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] and serious sound the same in my accent – but even then I doubt I’d ever be daring enough to actually put it on the birth certificate. I do think it’s usable though.

3

I love [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] too but I would not use it as a first name because of teasing potential. It would work as a nice unexpected middle name tho.

4

I think it would be a fantastic middle name. For a first name, I understand the hesitation- as a homonym for “serious,” it does sound odd if you haven’t heard the name before, and the association with [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] would be a bit much for those who are familiar. I also understand the appeal- it’s a great Greek name with a long history and ties to astronomy.

But personally, I wouldn’t do it. The reasons you have for liking it- the positive associations, the sound and nickname- may not be shared by your child. They may not like [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], or the character, or the fact that the [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] constellation is a dog. And even if they do appreciate all of those things, I imagine that the “serious” jokes and misunderstandings would get very old very quickly. I would be very hesitant about bestowing a name with such obvious drawbacks on a child whose personality and opinions I couldn’t possibly know yet.

As a side note, how do you feel about [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m], Siris, or Cirrus? They’re very close in sound and could be a formal name for [name_m]Cy[/name_m]/[name_u]Si[/name_u] but eliminate the “serious” connection.

5

I hate [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] as a HP character (nothing personal I hate all Gryffindors except two of them) but as a space related name? I love it. It is also my father’s favorite star apparently. I prefer Greek spelling Seirios but I think that makes the serious jokes worse. It can make a nice middle name for a boy.

6

I agree with everyone else in that it would be a great middle name, but not so much as a first. The problem is not just the [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] [name_m]Black[/name_m] association, but also [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] satellite radio. And there’s the whole serious association to complicate things. Too many associations for me to ever give a child, though the sound is fun and the star meaning is great.

7

Partly to play devil’s advocate and partly because I hate to see people talked out of a name he/she loves, I think a case can be made for using [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] as a first name. The landscape of baby names has shifted so much since the internet era began that parents are increasingly looking for unique choices, so I don’t see a young [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] standing out too much among classmates [name_m]Fox[/name_m], [name_m]Ridge[/name_m], [name_f]Cressida[/name_f], [name_f]Pomona[/name_f], and [name_m]Wells[/name_m]. Word names in particular seem to have exploded in popularity, but that could just be my geographic area.

I also see people consistently listing fear of bullying as a reason to shy away from names but I’ve worked with kids for years and if bullying occurs, it rarely, if ever, has to do with the child’s name.

Finally, the original [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] fandom has started breeding. I would be shocked if we don’t see several offbeat [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] names in many classrooms.

I think it comes down to what you would regret more: using it and having some raised eyebrows until people just get used to it and think nothing of it after awhile or not using it.

Best of luck when the time comes!

8

I think [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] would be okay as a first name or a middle name. I’m not sure where you are from, but I say [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] and serious differently. They sound similar but not the exact same to me, so that association doesn’t bother me. As a [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] association, I don’t see why [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] is any less usable than [name_f]Luna[/name_f], which also has plenty of teasing potential.
You seem to really love it so I would say use it!

9

I absolutely adore [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] and would use it in a heartbeat as a first name. I’m a big [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] fan (although not a fan of [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] [name_m]Black[/name_m]) and love the connection it has with the series. I honestly think that people are more bold in their name choices nowadays and I would love to meet a little [name_m]Sirius[/name_m].

10

I love [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] as well, especially with the HP reference. However, I think it’s a bit much as a first name. I adore it as a middle.

11

Ys still too tied to the character

12

I loved HP growing up and [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] was my favorite character, so I totally understand you wanting to use it! You will have to wait and see what you SO thinks, that might be your biggest deciding factor! If you really love the name, I see no reason why it couldn’t work as a middle, but I don’t think there are a whole lot of other people out there who would be happy to give this name as a first to their child. There was a babyberry born earlier this year who had [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] as a middle name. You could always try messaging that member and asking how that’s worked out so far!

13

I totally think [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] could work. Sure, there is the [name_m]Sirius[/name_m]/serious thing, but I don’t think that is a total drawback. Besides, the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] generation is grown up now and having their own families. HP fans would likely pat you on the back lol.

14

For me, it would be a GP only (except I dont think I actually like it lol.) However I think its usable.

Most people will automatically think of HP, but then thats not really a bad thing. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t forget it is also the name of a star (I think). If it ticks all the boxes for you then I don’t see why you cant use it. I just thought of [name_f]Luna[/name_f] which is also a HP name, but I don’t even think of the connection when I see the name now.

Personally, when I say [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] I just think of the word ‘serious.’ But again, not really a big deal I guess

15

Thanks so much for all of the feedback!! I’m glad that so many of you think it would, at the very least, be a good middle name. For me the only association that might be a burden on a child is the “serious” one. I think that even if the child wasn’t a [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] fan, [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] [name_m]Black[/name_m] wouldn’t overshadow his name. After all, I’m a [name_u]Josie[/name_u] and even though I was never into [name_u]Josie[/name_u] and the Pussycats, or [name_f]Josey[/name_f] [name_m]Wales[/name_m] for that matter, the fact that people would occasionally mention the associations never bothered me.

And I also agree with the statement that teasing probably wouldn’t be an issue. I also work a lot with kids and playground teasing over names really does seem to be a thing of the past. I’ve seen kids interact with other children with truly strange names and never tease or bully them. I actually read an article on this subject, basically saying that unlike past generations, name diversity is so great today that kids don’t think anything of unusual names. But my concern isn’t really that the child would be bullied by his peers as much as I’m concerned that people, especially adults, would only hear the word serious and not think of the name [name_m]Sirius[/name_m]. Basically, I’m more worried about misunderstandings than intentional bullying. Growing up, I new kids named [name_u]Unique[/name_u] and [name_u]True[/name_u], and they were treated perfectly well and were popular and had many friends, so even if people thought his name was Serious, it might not be a very big deal. I don’t know. I think a kid’s friends would accept their name, but I can see some teachers and other adults making the “Are you serious?” joke a thousand times and never realizing it isn’t funny, you know? And I wish I felt the same way about [name_m]Silas[/name_m] or [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m] or even [name_m]Cy[/name_m], but unfortunately they just don’t hold the same magic for me.

So right now, I’m thinking that unless all the stars aligned, [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] will just remain a GP or middle name. The only way I can actually see myself using it is if my SO also adored it and it had become popular enough that people now recognize it as a name upon hearing it, instead of just hearing the word serious. I think this could happen, especially as HP fans get older. It might just take another couple popular characters for the name to really be able to stand on its own. I mean [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] was pretty much unusable, until TFIOS. And no one really like [name_u]Jude[/name_u], because of its similarity to [name_m]Judas[/name_m], until Hey, [name_u]Jude[/name_u] and [name_u]Jude[/name_u] [name_m]Law[/name_m]. So it could happen, though I think it might be unlikely. But if it doesn’t, there’s always the middle spot. Or get a great, black dog, I guess ;).

Anyway, thanks so much. It’s really helped to talk to fellow name nerds about this. I’m glad so many of you understand the appeal of the name, even if it is problematic to actually use!

16

I think it’d be super brave to use it as a full name, but honestly, if you love it, go for it! It’s not so crazy that I think it would really impede your child in some way in life…

17

I like this name a lot too! I took it off my list though, because I was worried about the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] connotations or to the [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] XM radio. Those are the only reasons I found [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] unusable.