Hi there!
I’m obsessed with the name [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] at the moment thanks to [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] Fanshawe from [name_f]Villette[/name_f], and it got me thinking, would you name your baby after you favourite fictional character? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think the namesake would be something to live up to? Is it weird?
Would you do it?
I wouldn’t do it if it was a very specific name that would only make people think of the character. I also wouldn’t use a character name from media that is still unfinished, because for all we know that character could become a bad person in later installments. However, something like [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f], which isn’t super associated with [name_f]Villette[/name_f] and comes from classic literature is absolutely fine!
I would consider using a character name if I really liked it. One of my faves ([name_m]Wilbur[/name_m]) is inspired by a character and I’m very likely to use it in the future!
I wouldn’t unless it’s been a favourite character for many years. [name_f]My[/name_f] favourites (books, movies, shows) change so often and names I (re)discover through them will often appeal to me because of the characters. The problem with that: when I move on to another favourite, the names i just added to my list usually drop in rank very quickly, haha.
I would consider it. I love [name_f]Arwen[/name_f]. I love the name as much as the character. That said, what if my daughter didn’t feel so strongly about LOTR? And everybody who met her immediately thought of the books and films? That said, films and movies age, the next generation might not be as familiar with the series and movies that fascinate us today so yeah… [name_m]Worth[/name_m] considering if you really love the name.
I would! But I also would not! [name_f]My[/name_f] favorite literary characters are maybe those you wouldn’t want to be named after for one reason or another. [name_f]My[/name_f] favorite book of all time is Catcher in the [name_u]Rye[/name_u] (and I definitely know what that says about me hahahah yikes 
), and I have a major soft spot for [name_u]Holden[/name_u] Caulfield. I love the name [name_u]Holden[/name_u], and I think the book is less regular an association now that it’s so popular, but I’m not sure I would want my child to read the CitR and say “you named me after him?!” With a less obvious aligned or well-known reference, [name_u]James[/name_u] or [name_f]Franny[/name_f] or [name_f]Molly[/name_f] or [name_f]Lily[/name_f] or maybe even [name_u]Zooey[/name_u] for instance, yes, definitely!
Sure, if it were obscure enough that few people would notice and if the name was a reasonable name.
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f], no
Morse, maybe…
I would (and sort of intend to) but only if I loved the name enough or could make it fit. [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] isn’t actually one of my all time favourite characters, but I adore the sound and feel and general aesthetic surrounding the name, so it’s #1. Names with character connections I like are a huge bonus for me, and often they can make me like a name a lot more. So I do get tempted with particularly strong/important ones, but not enough to put at the top of my list on that alone.
In general characters are super important to me, and I don’t think it gives kids too much to live up to. I like to think I’d show/explain to my kids why I (and future S/O) gave them certain names and the meaning and connections behind them. However, I hope they’d always feel how proud we are of them and that of course they’re not expected to actually be like whatever character they may be named after.
I have met an [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] - they just chose to spell it differently to disassociate from the character. It was Awin
I’m not sure whether I would really name my child after my favourite character. However, the character could be a part of why I love a certain name.
Like many other people have mentioned, if the name wouldn’t be immediately associated with the character, and I loved the name by itself, I would consider it. Most likely, I would think about the name so much that, although the character would be a bonus, I would have them somewhat second in my mind to my love of the name. It’s happened 
[name_f]My[/name_f] favorite book character is [name_f]Annabeth[/name_f] [name_u]Chase[/name_u]… so I would never. If you like popular books and characters, then I think it’s best not to do it. You could use some elements of the name, like how I like the names [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. (Not for that reason, but it still works) I think if you are naming it after a character not everyone would know, or if the name is common, then you’re fine. And for @Greyblue, I think [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] would be associated with a certain other [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] from [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m].
I would only do it if I genuinely loved the name, and the name wasn’t strongly tied to that particular character in the eyes of the public. A name like [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] is completely fine, but names like [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and Gandalf would get a hard pass from me.
For me, the irony is that a lot of my favourite books contain names that I don’t particularly like and wouldn’t choose myself.
I wouldn’t pick a name just because it is the name of a character I really like, but I do have several names on my list that are the names of prominent characters. [name_f]Lyra[/name_f] and [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] are two of them. Calling my child one of those names wouldnt be naming my child after them, it would just be because I liked the name.
I wouldn’t name my child after a book character solely because I like that character, but I think I that is mostly because my absolute favorite will definitely stay a guilty pleasure. But there are book characters who introduced me to names that I now like/ I will love a name even more if I find a character I like with the same name!
I would. Usually if there’s a name on my list that’s also the name of a character it’s just because I like the name and the character was a nice bonus. But if I really loved a character and their name and I felt like they would be a good role model for a child, I’d go for it!
It depends on the name. If it’s a name that’s only associated with that one particular character ([name_m]Sherlock[/name_m] for example) I probably wouldn’t do it, no matter how long I’ve loved the character and how much I like the name. But if there’s a character I like and I also happen to like their name, or the name grows on me because of the character, and it’s not too out there, I might use it (like [name_f]Lyra[/name_f]).
My sister did, we have a [name_f]Lyra[/name_f]. She’s aware of the [name_m]Philip[/name_m] Pulman books but too young to have read them yet. She knows her mum liked the character and the name but wasn’t trying to clone the character in naming her! I think being named after something or someone your parents find a positive association is fantastic and doesn’t need to come with any pressure of living up to anything.
I think middle names after characters are much less weird and more wearable for the kid. I also have character names as middles on my list.
So my absolute favourite character is [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] from my favourite book series Noughts & Crosses I would definitely consider using [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] after that character because she will always have characteristics that I admire. Personally I think if that character has a lot of characteristics that you admire and you think those characteristics will be consistent then stick with it. Also [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] is pretty and I think the association isn’t that strong which is also a plus. I think I would be more hesitant if the association was strong like Sherlock. Whereas I know there was a trend of using [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] in connection with [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_u]Finch[/name_u] where he appeared the pinnacle of justice and fairness but in the second follow up novel he wasn’t exact a character you’d want your child to aspire to be. His character was rather questionable which even though [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] is nice if the inspiration was the How to Kill Mockingbird that isn’t the best.
Mine isn’t a very good person, but the name is common and not tied to the character. So yes.
And actually one of my favorite names belongs to my least favorite character 