Would you dare to use (even just in the middle) a name completly tied to one thing?
I’m talking about [name_f]Katniss[/name_f], [name_m]Hamlet[/name_m], [name_f]Renesmee[/name_f], Voldemort (though not Voldemort), etc.
What about names like Aslan which actually has a meaning and history behind it (Aslan is turkish for lion)?
Of course only if the character/person is positive to you!
If I liked the sound of the name, sure. But I’d probably be more likely to use it as/give it a nickname–I have [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] as a nn for [name_f]Cathleen[/name_f] on my list-- or put it in the middle.
I don’t think i could even as a middle name because as of now the person or character has one connotation but different things could play into future connotations, which is risky. Not to be one of those people, but i actually liked [name_f]Renesmee[/name_f] when the Breaking [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] book came out but i realized it was just something new and unheard of that gave its appeal.
I would dare, if I liked the name. I don’t care for the sound of the names that were listed in the OP(had to look up [name_f]Renesmee[/name_f], weirdest name I’ve seen in a while and I’ve never heard of it). I like the sound of [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] but it doesn’t fit with my style. I also like the sound of [name_m]Aladdin[/name_m] and I actually have that one on the middle name list since it flows well with some of my favorites.
I would consider using Lorien and Anduin as middle names which are both quite obvious nods to LOTR.
I would have automatically said no a few weeks ago, but I have been crushing hard on the combo [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] [name_m]Benvolio[/name_m] lately, with [name_m]Benvolio[/name_m], of course, being a character in [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] & [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]. The fact that it’s only known from the play, though, makes me hesitant to seriously consider it as a legitimate option…
I would have to really love both the name and the reference - for instance, I would name a child after [name_u]Jamie[/name_u] [name_m]Fraser[/name_m] (from Outlander,) but I don’t like the name [name_u]Jamie[/name_u] and my friend has a [name_m]Fraser[/name_m]. I have also considered [name_m]Jovi[/name_m] after Bon [name_m]Jovi[/name_m], but not such a big fan of that name either… nor of Bon [name_m]Jovi[/name_m]'s more recent music. Pretty much if I wouldn’t get a tattoo of something then I wouldn’t name my child after it! So far the only thing I can name my child is “Dog” out of a [name_m]New[/name_m] Zealand cartoon strip - and I think (hope) there may be laws against that! I don’t love anything else enough to commit it to my skin, so I wouldn’t lumber a child with it! I just keep thinking of the name [name_m]Theon[/name_m] out of Game of Thrones… lovely name and a perfectly OK character for a start… but suddenly, totally not OK… so no way I would take the risk with a series or something that wasn’t 100% done and dusted!
If I really loved the name I guess I would. I probably wouldn’t pick a name just because of a love of a character though, I’d have to like the name. And if it was really tied to something, like HP or the Hunger Games, I’d probably put it in the middle. I’d totally use [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] as a middle, because I think it is a beautiful name, but not as a first due to teasing potential.
I also love the name Linus, which is totally tied to Peanuts but I love it enough for the initial spot. I think it depends how strongly the name is tied to pop culture, and I think Peanuts has faded enough to not be an automatic “you named your kid after a character”.
In the middle name place? Sure.
If I adored the name so much to want to give to my child, which I doubt I would. I really love [name_f]Daenerys[/name_f] (it looks so exotic and sounds it too), but I’d never use it/consider it because it’s tied completely to Game of Thrones and I’m not an avid watcher of it - I’d feel silly.
Same with [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], not to mention I’m British so [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] is known to everyone.
Usually no, but I’m crushing hard on [name_f]Daenerys[/name_f] and that might be my exception. I’m a mild Game of Thrones fan, but if I married someone who was an avid one, I’d consider it.
It would depend on the name for me. If I did, it’d probably be on purpose. I’d also have to like the character I was naming my child after. Basically, I’d name my kid whatever I wanted and not give a crap about anything else haha
For me the two biggest factors to consider are a) whether the name has a history of its own, like Aslan, and b) how popular the book/tv show/movie/etc is. So no Katniss and Renesmee for me–one is too popular, and the other is made up (although I do happen to love Esme.) No Daenerys for the same reason, though it is pretty. And definitely, absolutely no Khaleesi. That one drives me insane.
In the case of Katniss and a few others, I feel like besides being a book character’s name it’s also what nameberry calls a “one-person name,” like Oprah or Beyonce or Madonna. So, doubly off-limits IMO.
Then there are names like Hermione, which, while heavily associated with Harry Potter, is also a mythological name that’s been used in The Winter’s Tale and a few other places. I don’t quite like it enough to use it, but if I did, the HP association wouldn’t be a dealbreaker at all.
Of course, if I absolutely loved Katniss or Renesmee to pieces I’d use it anyway. Coraline is pretty high up on my list–it technically fits my requirements because it has a history of occasional use before the Neil Gaiman novel, but not many people know that.
I also have quite a few super obscure pop culture/literary names that most people wouldn’t get the reference for because they haven’t encountered the source material. When I fall in love with a name in an esoteric Elizabethan play no one’s ever heard of, I’m absolutely taking it, and if anyone gets the reference I’ll be impressed rather than dismayed.
Oh, and I actually have used the name Voldemort. On an adorable rabbit. I was going for irony; everyone else was horrified that I’d named a cute bunny after the dark lord. But in the words of icona pop, ‘I don’t care, I love it.’ In fact, I am 100% in favor of naming ALL the cute animals Voldemort.
Hmm. Well, we both obviously love [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], which I think falls into the latter group of names you’re talking about – names with history and some established usage while also being quite linked to a specific reference.
I think it depends on if it referenced pop culture or not. I would be worried about the name being horribly dated, rather than just good old fashioned dated (as my name is a bit). For example, I think LOTR and C.S. [name_m]Lewis[/name_m] have stood the test of time and it always helps to be a fan. For some reason time and perseverance make a big difference for me. I can’t say for sure when it comes to Hunger Games and [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]. In 30 years from now, will they have such grand status? I would dislike for a name I chose to signify “oh, that’s when that Hunger Games craze was going on”. In that case, no for first or middle.
That said, and I just griped about this, I think its a little ridiculous when a well-established and, even if not commonly used, commonly “heard of” name is suddenly tied to a pop culture reference and is deemed unusable.
I don’t know if I could. I don’t think I could use [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] or Peeta, but I could use [name_f]Primrose[/name_f] or [name_u]Gale[/name_u] or [name_u]Rue[/name_u] (even as FNs).
I don’t think I could use [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], but I could use [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] as a nickname for something ([name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] probably).
It goes the same way for people I know - the first [name_f]Michaela[/name_f] I ever met became one of my best friends. Now I know like 4 more, but I still don’t think I could use [name_f]Michaela[/name_f], except if it was to honour my friend because the name is so tied to the person I know the best with it, that it would be weird to use. That being said, I could use something similar - like [name_u]Michael[/name_u] - but not something with the same sound - like [name_f]Mikayla[/name_f]. [name_m]Even[/name_m] just [name_f]Kayla[/name_f] is a bit pushing it - and I really like [name_f]Kayla[/name_f].
[name_f]Elsa[/name_f] - I think [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] is gorgeous, but it’s so tied to Frozen, and I only started liking it after I saw the movie, I don’t think I could use it - especially since in the original story, [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] was evil.
I could never use [name_u]Arya[/name_u] or Khlaeesi - but I could use [name_f]Sansa[/name_f], [name_m]Theon[/name_m], or [name_f]Aria[/name_f].
See? I’m pretty particular. For me, there’s a really fine line between being too tied and being usable.
I absolutely dare!
For me it all depends on my perceived respectability of the thing the name came from. [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and [name_f]Renesmee[/name_f] are from fad books, and while the Hunger Games are at least good, well-written books (the same cannot be said for Twilight), but they’re still fad books and the subject matter is horribly depressing. It’s not something I find worth “honoring” in my kids’ names.
But I would totally name a child after a [name_f]Narnia[/name_f], [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings, [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m], etc character because they’re all things I love and that I perceive as more respectable of names? Mostly because they are classics and have stood the test of time (excepting [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], but I feel that it will become a classic like [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings)
I would happily use names from these books as firsts or middles. 
I would. Actually I’m planning/hoping to (see my signature).
Well maybe… I have about 10 Tolkein related names on my list, all of which I would be prepared to use in the middle. Some are more obvious, like Lorien and [name_m]Peregrin[/name_m] but some simply strange rather than tied to the books, like Arien, Laurelin, Elemmírë or Elentári. So yes I would use even an obvious one, but only as a middle name.
On a side note I have a friend with the middle name [name_f]Arwen[/name_f], which I have always been very jealous of.
Perhaps. I would depend on the character itself - I remember when I first read The Hunger Games, I would talk about naming my firstborn Finnick (I was joking, but still. I think it could work).
I would totally do that. No doubt in my mind. Only if I liked the name of course.
(I was dead set on [name_f]Sansa[/name_f] for this one, but hubby vetoed it.)