I like names like [name_f]Marie[/name_f] or [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] but I don’t exactly like the meaning “bitter or rebellious.”
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Yeah most people don’t look too much into meanings anyways! [name_f]My[/name_f] name is [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and I don’t really feel mad that my name means “bitter.” If you like a name, use it!
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In most cases, yes! I wouldn’t let a proposed etymology put me off a name I otherwise loved. [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] is actually my favourite name & I usually think of it as meaning drop of the sea + grace. So many popular names have less than ideal meanings (Emily, Jacob).
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I absolutely can’t get past a bad name meaning, don’t know why… for example love the sound of [name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] and hubby does too, but despite it being the only name we both like, I just can’t use it because of the meaning!!!
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You’re lucky with a Mary name - seems to have a few positive meanings too (of the sea, beloved)? I love Mary and her variations - especially Marianne and Maria.
It would have to be a truly awful meaning and one obviously related to the name for me to care about it. I mean, I don’t love that Phryne means “toad” but most don’t know this. I think I could talk myself past most bad meanings.
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It would highly depend on why I wanted to use the name. I purely like the sound? I probably would not use it if it had a bad meaning than. But if it was a name that was meaningful to me in other ways, like an honour name of any sort, I would definitely consider using it anyway.
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I would still use it.
My names main meaning is “short nose” … however, if you search long enough I’ve found different meanings for it; ones that I resonate with and admire more.
There’s always two sides of a coin. And I’ve learned to love my name overtime. I could never be anything but my name.
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With ‘Mary’ names they also have the meanings surrounding the sea, grace and love so I wouldn’t allow the bitter meaning to put me off due to so many other meanings surrounding the choice. [name_m]Or[/name_m] let’s say I loved [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] but could create a positive spin on the name by going [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] ‘blind love’ which is definitely the type off love you feel for a child then I would embrace the name. However in general I would rather my child’s name to have a positive meaning as I love names (literally everything about the topic) and I have lots of favourites so I know I can find a name that has that special meaning. I also like that as a child when I searched my name that the meaning was victory rather than bald head. I would like my child to have a similar experience when she searches her name she also has a lovely meaning attached that can make her smile. I love that every name my daughter has a positive (in my opinion) meaning so I think when it came down to it would result in me preferring [name_m]Callum[/name_m] with the meaning dove over [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] meaning bald head.
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It doesn’t really bother me. I can never even remember what my son’s name means (it’s not a bad meaning, just not a very memorable one).
As others have said, most people don’t know what names mean and most wouldn’t care. The style and associations a name has are what is more important, I think.
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[name_m]Bald[/name_m] head 
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I was so sad when I learned the meaning 
[name_m]Calvin[/name_m] was the name I was thinking about for this exact problem and I think I’d still use it because although bald head isn’t exactly the best meaning, there’s also other meanings (Calvin meaning ; Calvin meaning). [name_f]My[/name_f] sister’s name is also kinda an example of this - her name means hardworking but is also a term meaning absence of limbs so not a great meaning. Repeating what others have said - most people don’t know the meaning of names or not without going out of their way to search it - at the end of the day, if you love the name, that’s the important thing
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Generally yes, unless maybe it had a particularly bad origin story that went beyond just the meaning, or the meaning was in some way obvious to other people (given that the name was uncommon enough for it to even stand out).
Honestly though I barely think about it, I can’t even remember the meanings of most of my favorite names. I might be a little sad if I found out one was really negative, but it wouldn’t make it unusable, especially if it was familiar and widely used.
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I honestly don’t really pay that much attention to the meaning unless I’m going to use it in a story
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It depends on the name and meaning.
I’m iffy on names like [name_f]Marta[/name_f], but that’s due to a Spanish teacher renaming me because she hated my name. Then every time she would say my “new” name, she would over elaborate on the fact that it means bitter and would say it would fit me perfectly. No, I was not bitter; I just told her upfront I didn’t like the fact that she wanted to change my name and I kept reminding her I didn’t agree to it.
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For me it really depends.
If the name’s meaning is disputed and there are multiple possible meanings (as is the case with Marianne and the other Mary names, “bitter” and “rebellious” are possible meanings but there are many others e.g. “beloved”), then I don’t really mind. (In the Catholic tradition Mary is traditionally said to mean “star of the sea”… This is probably a folk etymology, but it is a very beautiful meaning nonetheless!)
If the meaning is unambiguously something negative and there’s no debate about it or other possible origins, then it would bother me. Desdemona (“ill-fated”) and Perdita (“lost”) come to mind.
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Possibly! I feel like names can gain meaning in other ways - via association, sound, creating a combo etc.
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Yes definitely ! Meanings don’t really matter to a lot of people and they aren’t usually brought up often in daily life so I don’t personally think it’s important.
For example I adore the name [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] but some people are really put off by the meaning (blind)
Another example would be [name_f]Lola[/name_f] which means sorrows and might deter some people from using it, but [name_f]Lola[/name_f] is a popular name and I think it sounds very pretty and sweet. Meanings don’t always matter. However when it comes to names that are attached to heavy negative connotations then that’s different. When I was younger I liked the name [name_m]Lucifer[/name_m] for a boy and how it means light but now for myself I feel that it is unusable due to the connotations.
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probably! my main nickname is mimi! 
i get called this more then anything, i’m melia more on nameberry but i’m mimi the rest of the time!
the meaning of mimi is bitterness, i was having a conversation with my favourite teacher and somehow name meanings came up. i told her that her name means bee (she didn’t believe me for a minute) she asked what mine means. i said it means bitterness, she was laughing then told me that it suited me perfectly then! 
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Yes. Go for [name_f]Marie[/name_f] - so underused now, and lovely!
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