I’ve been loving Athalia recently, but the biblical reference for her is not the best, and is actually one of the worst association as she was Queen Jezebel’s daughter in the Old Testament and a king’s powerful wife with a gory history… I love the meaning of it, but the association is throwing me off.
I prefer [name_f]Thalia[/name_f] to [name_f]Athalia[/name_f] and Talia/Talya/Tal are more common in [name_m]Israel[/name_m].
I am the kind of person who would not use names of wicked people, though, even if they are quasi-historical or mythological. This places me in the minority these days, I know.
Ultimately, you should go with your own preferences.
I think [name_f]Athalia[/name_f] is beautiful! I’ve liked the very similar [name_f]Athalie[/name_f] for a long time. I think the sounds in the name are so elegant and lyrical – I also like the similar [name_f]Talia[/name_f], [name_f]Thalia[/name_f], [name_f]Tali[/name_f], and [name_f]Talitha[/name_f]! (Talitha has more positive Biblical associations as well if you like that!)
I’m personally not familiar with the Biblical reference, so I can’t speak to whether that makes it unusable.
Athalia is very pretty and powerful in sound. The Biblical history is gory (but I had to look it up, as I’d never heard the story) but it has seen some usage over the years (there was an actress with the name, a Danish writer, and there’s a Botswanan activist and human rights layer with the name). Attalia and Atalia have slightly different histories too.
Would I let the history put me off I can’t quite decide, because it is lovely and I wouldn’t have known any of that if I hadn’t looked it up, so maybe? Probably?
I think it is pretty. I once knew someone from school named [name_f]Athalia[/name_f] and read about another, but haven’t come across this name ever since. It’s familiar yet so unusual at the same time. The biblical connection isn’t a prominent one, so I don’t think its should be a dealbreaker.
I honestly don’t think the biblical namesake matters at all !! It’s an association the grand majority of people won’t know about. I think I like just-Thalia more, but [name_f]Athalia[/name_f] is still very pretty, and I love her nicknames!
[name_f]Athalia[/name_f] is usable for sure! I didn’t know about the history of the name, but it wouldn’t bother me. The name is rare, so I guess not many people associate something bad with it.