[name_m]How[/name_m] do you guys feel about using full literary names for kids? I know [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] has been a big singular name with boys, but what about going for the full [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_u]Finch[/name_u] as first and middle? Or, for example, using [name_f]Anne[/name_f] [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] for a girl? Is it a good homage to favorite characters or a bad idea because of teasing potential?
Not for me. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if I were wholeheartedly obsessed with a character I wouldn’t want to saddle a kid with something so specific to live up to or emulate. You also run the risk of it seeming accidental if it isn’t a super popular character. I think a subtle homage is nice if it’s a favorite character, but honestly for me honor names are something I would save for real people who actually impacted my life.
Ooh, difficult one. I love literary names usually, characters are very important to me, as much as real people in some cases. But full names in one combo is a bit too much, even for me. Sometimes it’s better to be more subtle.
I think it can depend on the name. In the [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_u]Finch[/name_u] example, [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] by itself would probably mainly be associated with the same character, as it’s quite an unusual name with few associations, despite the increase in popularity. So if any teasing were to occur, [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] alone would have the same effect.
Whereas [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] is a bit more ‘normal’ and doesn’t necessarily have just one association. I wouldn’t immediately think [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] = [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] [name_u]Temple[/name_u]. So using [name_u]Temple[/name_u] along with [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] in one name combo definitely confirms the connection and makes it super obvious.
I personally don’t see much teasing potential in literary or character names, but it’s hard to be sure. It can depend on what’s popular at the time, and what school children especially would actually know or care about. [name_m]Even[/name_m] then it could be seen as a cool connection, and not cause any problems. And of course middles can go unknown, and unmentioned so the association could also go unnoticed.
I’d probably just use one literary name (per book) in a combo. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if the association isn’t that clear, there’s still a nice story behind it. Sorry if that didn’t make much sense.
As someone who loves literature and literary names, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t go full force and use one character’s name for first and middle. However, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using two literary names to create a nice combo. For example, [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_u]Jo[/name_u] (Pride and Prejudice/[name_m]Little[/name_m] Women) or [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_m]Tom[/name_m] (To Kill a Mockingbird/Adventures of [name_m]Tom[/name_m] [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u]) would both be perfectly fine.
I think using a full character’s name might be a little too much for a child, especially from a classic or popular piece of literature. Using two separate characters names from one book though, would probably be okay. It also depends on how common the name is, or how associated it is with that particular book. Overall, I would avoid using a full name. [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_u]Finch[/name_u] might end up happier being [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] Dill or [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_u]Jem[/name_u].
You could probably get away with it if the name isn’t immediately recognizable as a literary name. [name_f]Anne[/name_f] [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] [name_m]Sanders[/name_m] or [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] [name_m]Jones[/name_m], for example, do not immediately strike me as literary names. The same cannot be said for a name like [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_u]Finch[/name_u] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] or [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] [name_m]Granger[/name_m] Nichols. There’s a fine line between honoring a favorite character and being corny. You sort of have to figure out where that line is for yourself.