Would you name your child after a: Celebrity, TV character, film character or any other person you admire. And what are your opinions on this? And would you do it and what examples do you have? I would do it!
I don’t think anything wrong with doing it, if it’s someone that you admire for the good that they do, etc. Two of my favorite choices for middle names are [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Diana[/name_f] because I really admired [name_f]Princess[/name_f] [name_f]Diana[/name_f] and now her son, [name_m]Prince[/name_m] [name_m]William[/name_m] for their strong character, down-to-earth quality, and the works they did/do for their community. Would I honor a Kardashian? No. There’s a difference.
I would, on my boys list, I have the names [name_m]Neville[/name_m] and [name_m]Harry[/name_m], which I definitely attribute to [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], and I would say my love of the name [name_f]Nellie[/name_f] came from the American Girl dolls, as did [name_f]Samantha[/name_f], [name_f]Felicity[/name_f], etc. I don’t see a problem if they’re a positive role model.
Only if I liked the name anyway. I admire [name_m]Bob[/name_m] [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], but I never considered naming my next daughter [name_u]Dylan[/name_u]. I admire [name_u]Flannery[/name_u] O’[name_m]Connor[/name_m], [name_f]Toni[/name_f] [name_m]Morrison[/name_m] and [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Joyce[/name_u]…I wouldn’t name her any of those either. [name_f]My[/name_f] first daughter is [name_u]Scout[/name_u], but that is because I love the name. The character is just a bonus.
+1
Sometimes a cool namesake will help push a name from “like” to “love” territory, but I’d never give my child a name I didn’t like on its own merits just because I liked the namesake.
I have definitely considered this, particularly after songwriters and novelists. But I have to like the sound of the name otherwise. I have considered [name_f]Leonora[/name_f] inspired by [name_m]Leonard[/name_m] [name_m]Cohen[/name_m], [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] for [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m], and [name_m]Faulkner[/name_m] (for [name_m]William[/name_m] [name_m]Faulkner[/name_m] obviously). [name_f]My[/name_f] dad told me that if I had been a boy he wanted to name me [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] for [name_m]Bob[/name_m] [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] (I was born before [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] was used on girls).
I would, much more likely than using a random ‘family name’ anyways. It feels much more reasonable to me to name a baby after someone you admire (or whose work you admire), than after a relative that you barely knew just because you feel obliged to have the ‘family connection’. Not trying to mock these who use family names, sorry if it sounds like this, I just never understood this tradition. (Using a family name because you actually love/admire the family member and want to honor them is another story, though.)
I would consider honoring authors/film directors/musicians and other people whose work has had a great impact on my life and outlook or is meaningful to me in any other way. For example,
[name_m]Oscar[/name_m], after [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] Wilde;
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]/[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]/[name_f]Georgia[/name_f]/[name_u]Jude[/name_u], as a reference to the Beatles’ music + [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] after [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m];
[name_m]Lennon[/name_m], after [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Lennon[/name_m];
[name_m]Salinger[/name_m], after J. D. [name_m]Salinger[/name_m];
[name_f]Frida[/name_f], after [name_f]Frida[/name_f] [name_f]Kahlo[/name_f];
[name_m]Harvey[/name_m], after [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] Milk;
[name_f]Sofia[/name_f], after [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] Coppola;
[name_u]Matisse[/name_u], after [name_m]Henri[/name_m] [name_u]Matisse[/name_u];
[name_m]Alfred[/name_m], after [name_m]Alfred[/name_m] [name_m]Hitchcock[/name_m];
[name_m]Jagger[/name_m], after [name_m]Mick[/name_m] [name_m]Jagger[/name_m] (already used that for a cat, though).
[name_f]My[/name_f] best friend’s sister met her husband while attending Tchaikovsky’s music concert. They once mentioned they are considering incorporating a reference to Tchaikovsky and/or his music in their future children’s names. I thought that was a lovely idea.
[name_f]My[/name_f] best friend says she’s going to name her first baby Dalinian, after [name_m]Salvador[/name_m] Dali.
I would. Recently I’ve really been wanting to use Tamla in a combo, because of Tamla [name_u]Kari[/name_u], who is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses. And there also happen to be loads of other names of people I admire on my list/in combos. [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] ([name_m]Franklin[/name_m]), [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] (the first), [name_m]Albert[/name_m] (Einstein and [name_m]Prince[/name_m] [name_m]Albert[/name_m]), [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] (Sir [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] [name_m]Conan[/name_m] [name_m]Doyle[/name_m]), [name_m]Louis[/name_m] (Pasteur), and so on. Most of them are coincidental, because I liked the names, and realised the links afterwards.
The only thing I wouldn’t be able to do is name a child after a celebrity crush. At least I feel I can’t at the moment, no matter how amazing the name (ahem, [name_m]Benedict[/name_m]) sounds in a combo.
For me it depends on the name. I love [name_f]Oprah[/name_f] but I am not going to name a kid after her, not even mn. On the other hand, I love [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] everything & [name_f]Jane[/name_f]'s Addiction (the band) so [name_f]Jane[/name_f] is a serious contender. If the name is so extremely distinctive I would not saddle a kid with the societal associations, societal expections, that come with that name ([name_f]Oprah[/name_f], [name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m], [name_f]Buffy[/name_f]). But if the nod to a celebrity or character can be subtle, an insider’s knowledge, then of course I feel freer to do it b/c there shouldn’t be serious repercussions for my kid.
Maybe, but it wouldn’t ever be my top priority and there isn’t a single ‘celebrity’ or character that I adore enough to honour. Unlike, say, my grandfather whose name I plan to use.
[name_m]Wes[/name_m] is on my list for [name_m]Wes[/name_m] [name_m]Anderson[/name_m] (I’ve considered Korine as-in-[name_f]Harmonie[/name_f] before too, and like [name_f]Polina[/name_f] I love [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] for [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] Coppola 
). There are lots of others I really like for various people; [name_u]Courtney[/name_u] as-in-[name_u]Love[/name_u], [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] as-in-[name_u]Finch[/name_u], [name_f]Dolores[/name_f] as-in-[name_m]Haze[/name_m], [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] as-in-Plath. But I don’t think any have affected my life enough for me to name a child after them.
I also love [name_m]Kurt[/name_m] for [name_m]Kurt[/name_m] Vonnegut (and secretly for Cobain). Oh and [name_f]Marina[/name_f] is on my list for both [name_f]Marina[/name_f] Abromovic and [name_f]Marina[/name_f] and The Diamonds (plus the [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] reference to an extent).
When choosing first names for my children, my number one priority is that I like the way it sounds. That it has a special meaning or connection to anyone is a bonus (though I will veto names for unpleasant meanings/connotations).
Middle names for me are a different story - I like to choose names that have meaning (though I have to at least kind of like them too) so they include family names, but also other names that are important to me. Someone I admire would definitely be a consideration. One of my daughter’s has my favourite book character as a middle name. If I have another son, then [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] is a top contender for a middle name after [name_m]Johann[/name_m] [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] [name_m]Bach[/name_m].
Firstly for me it would have to depend on what the name is and I would really have to love the name for me to use it. For example I recently stated loving the name [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] which connects to two of my favourite TV characters [name_u]Shawn[/name_u] [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] from Psych and [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] [name_u]Reid[/name_u] from Criminal Minds. But I don’t think I would use the name if if was too out their like [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] and Finnick from the Hunger Games. For me it would have to be a common enough name to use like [name_u]Spencer[/name_u], [name_u]Reid[/name_u], [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] and [name_m]Pierce[/name_m] of TV characters I love and would consider using for possible future children but not too far out there so that people immediately think of the person/character.
I agree with previous posters. I would love the idea, but only if I liked the name on its own anyway. I really like the way [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] flows as a middle name with some of my favorite first names, so I have that on my middle name list (after my favorite musician.) I have Estlin on my middle name list after E.E. Cummings. I have [name_m]Gordon[/name_m] on my list after [name_m]Gordon[/name_m] B. Hinckley. [name_f]Kathryn[/name_f] and [name_f]Joanna[/name_f] are both after characters as well.
It depends. If I have another girl her mn will be Galilei after [name_m]Galileo[/name_m] Galilei and I like to look at end credits for shows which is how I found [name_f]Katia[/name_f] (katia winter) but it isn’t after her, it’s just how I found it. I think it would have to be a celebrity that has passed or a character, not someone who’s living
Yes, [name_u]Elon[/name_u] is on our list ([name_u]Elon[/name_u] Musk)
I would, definitely.
Normally, it’s a character that first opens my eyes up to the name. For instance, [name_f]Astrid[/name_f]. Never given it a second thought until I came across a character that I adored. I started to rethink the name. I love how it sounds and how strong and viking it is. It is definitely more than just the character that makes me love the name, but it does boost it. Same thing has happened with quite a few names.
Sometimes I like a name, but then I meet the character that is amazing and it makes me love it.
With celebrities and real life, living people, it’s a little different. They may be perfect today, but somewhere in the future something may happen. Take [name_f]Ellen[/name_f] [name_u]Page[/name_u]. She’s one of my role models and I’ve always looked up to her. I have been considering using [name_f]Ellen[/name_f] or a variant somewhere as a middle name, but I decided against it. In ten years time she may become addicted to drugs and go off the rails and murder some people. It probably won’t happen, but on the off-chance it would, I wouldn’t want to tie my daughter to her somehow. Historical figures to me are along the same lines as characters.
I would if I like the name. For example: I love [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_m]Watson[/name_m] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is in my list, but I like the name on its own. [name_m]Even[/name_m] without [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_m]Watson[/name_m] I would still considere it.
It’s more difficult with characters because some names just have that strong connection with a certain character. For example: [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] (Twilight) and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] (Divergent) are usual enough names that existed prior both sagas. If I name my daughter [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] people’s first comment about the name isn’t going to be: “Oh, Divergent”!
But [name_f]Katniss[/name_f], Legolas, [name_f]Arwen[/name_f], etc…, are names that you really only saw in The Hunger Games, [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of The Rings, etc…
If I’m going to give a name to my children, personally, I would want to give them a name they can make their own. And, using [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] as an example, a name that doesn’t have a too strong connection withor only exists in a book or movie or something like that.
But this is only my opinion…
A lot of the names on my list are there because I heard it on a show or read it in a book or it was the name of someone I admired and decided I liked the name enough to consider it for a future kid. If I used one of those names and someone asked me how I chose it, I would obviously say what had led it to be added to my list. I can’t think of a single reason why this would be a problem. My mother heard my name on a soap opera while she was in the middle of labor and decided she liked it better than the one she and my father had pre-chosen. I liked hearing that story when I was growing up.
Watching shows on the CW is my vice. I find myself liking so many names on CW shows that my name lists are starting to look like a roll call for CW characters. I’m sure I’ve heard these names elsewhere or at least knew they existed but it wasn’t until I heard them on these shows that I realized how much I liked them. Now that I’m officially TTC, chances are I’ll be using one of the CW show names and I’ll be telling people that this 31-year-old’s guilty pleasures are Supernatural, [name_m]Arrow[/name_m], The [name_m]Flash[/name_m] and the Vampire Diaries.
I have to second (or third?) this. Actually many of the names on my list are drawn from fictional characters I love - [name_f]Daenerys[/name_f], [name_f]Arwen[/name_f], [name_m]Jaxon[/name_m] (“[name_m]Jax[/name_m]”). And even if I run out of sons to use it on, [name_m]Heath[/name_m] will remain on my shortlist in honor of the beautiful [name_m]Heath[/name_m] Ledger until I’m ninety.
It can work the other direction too, though. I never gave [name_m]Jackson[/name_m] a second thought and really feel nothing but apathy for plain old [name_m]Jack[/name_m], but after Sons, I love [name_m]Jax[/name_m]/[name_m]Jaxon[/name_m].
Yes, I would. My three favorite actresses are [name_f]Tina[/name_f] [name_f]Fey[/name_f], [name_f]Gilda[/name_f] Radner, and [name_f]Madeline[/name_f] Kahn. All of these are/were hard-working, talented ladies with good reputations. [name_f]Gilda[/name_f] Radner and [name_f]Madeline[/name_f] Kahn both died of ovarian cancer at relatively young ages, and they were viewed as strong woman during their fights with cancer. I’d love to name a daughter after such strong women.
However, I’d probably honor them in a middle name spot. I love love [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_f]Tina[/name_f] [name_f]Fey[/name_f], but I hate the name [name_f]Tina[/name_f]. If I were to honor her, I’d either use her real name ([name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]), or use [name_f]Fey[/name_f] (but probably the [name_f]Faye[/name_f] spelling). I like the name [name_f]Madeline[/name_f], so it could be a first name. [name_f]Gilda[/name_f], however, is a guilty pleasure name, so it would probably be a middle name. Either way, I find nothing wrong in naming your child after a celebrity who you look up to and admire.