Not as a first name, probably - I think the "Where's Waldo?" association is still too strong, especially among my generation and a little older. But I rather like it as a middle name, for personal reasons. Waldo King was a very influential jazz educator in my area - he taught at a high school that still has a reputation for having one of the best high school jazz programs in the country. I know people who were his students. He died a couple years ago, but his influence is still everywhere around here. My high school jazz band played a song that was written for him called "Blues for Waldo," and we actually had a man who had studied under him come in and be the guest director for our jazz band on that song for a day.
Even though I never met Waldo King personally I feel like I kind of have ties to him, and I think it would be kind of neat to use his name, especially since I want to be a band director myself someday. Plus, the more I think about the name, the more I like it. :)
So what do you think of Waldo for a middle name? Any combo suggestions? These are the few I've come up with:
Desmond Waldo (possibly a little TOO jazz-influenced as I like Desmond because of Paul Desmond, the saxophone player)
Simon Waldo
Davis Waldo (again, maybe too jazzy, though Davis is more after my grandmother - it was her maiden name - than Miles Davis)
Tobias Waldo
Dexter Waldo
Morgan Waldo
There's a few names I *want* to pair it with - such as Rowan, Cyrus, and Phoenix - but they don't feel quite right together, so I need some other suggestions. None of my combos are quite jumping out at me (though I do like the sound of Dexter Waldo).