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I would possibly name my daughter Carolyn or Betty, the names of my grandmother's. I don't really care about celebrities so I would not name my kid after one.

I would be willing to name my children after my parents or things that occur in nature. I wouldn't name them after any famous person that is still alive, in case they get involved in controversy. That stuff is easier to forgive or ignore if they've already passed.

This message was edited 5/19/2025, 8:44 AM

All three of my children!
Peter, a friend, David, from my birth surname, Alastair, two friends
Caroline, variation of a friend, Carolyn, Beatrice, my mother, Mary, paternal grandmother
Beatrice, her late sister and my mother, Elizabeth, DH's stepmother, Anne, my mn, after my paternal grandmother

Most of my favorites are from books or shows or whatever. I think experiencing a character or person with a name, and you enjoy this character or person, it makes sense you'd start liking their name. Obviously there are loads I've never heard before that I love to because I found them mentioned on this site somewhere, but my top favorites are mostly because of people, real or fictional, who bore the name and made me like it.

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My top favorites for example:

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Remy - Gambit from X-Men
Eseld - a verison of Isolde, from Tristan and Isolde
Lyra - main character of His Dark Materials
Leon - main character in the Resident Evil games

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etc etc lol I will say that just because I love a person or story doesn't necessarily mean I'd like or use the name. One of my favorite X-Men is Jubilee, and while I love her and enjoy her name, I would never seriously consider it for a real child.

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I do love checking the charts though and seeing what name, their rise or fall, may be influenced by a person lol

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In my writing I don't name characters after people unless that's part of the story, though I occasionally will use a name, first or last, from another work of fiction I really enjoy. Like I'm writing a Lovecraftian urban fantasy and made myself an excel of names from Lovecraftian/cosmic horror books I've read that I like, with two lists for can't use and might use, but I'd use it for a side character as an homage rather than a main character. I try not to use my most favorite names in my writing, just in case, cause my grandma loved the name Katelyn and used it in her book, years after naming her daughter that name, and my aunt was kind of offended lol you just never know what the person would think. Like I like the name Cassandra but that's my sister's name and I'd never use it in a book unless I ran it by her first.

This message was edited 5/12/2025, 11:41 AM

Definitely, especially for pets! I would love to name a cat Hildegard, after Hildegard of Bingen.

When I was really young, I had my mind made up that I'd name my future children after characters in my favourite book, and I had made the combos of Sylvia Violet and Arthur James.

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I sort of like the idea of naming pets after things, but I also find it can be very annoying. My brother ALWAYS has to find a name that references something for his pets, some movie or television show or video game, and when you hear them all in a row it's really cringey.

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But do I like the idea of naming babies after places, objects or concepts rather than other people; it's more poetic and sentimental somehow. A child named for a hometown is so sweet.

I’d have to like the name on its own before considering it, but it would be a bonus reason to use it if it was also after a person/character/pet/etc. For word names, there’s more influence of the thing itself but it also still depends on the sound.
If I liked the name well enough I’d be willing to name a baby after: dead relatives, dead pets, historical figures, characters that are “done” (from standalones or completed series), or words like plants and animals. I’d avoid naming them after anyone still alive or characters from things that aren’t finished.

I've used character names for my cats, though it was more about liking the name than the characters themselves. My name preferences are closely linked to meanings, so I choose based on that more than namesakes, though if there's a seriously negative or polarising association with a name, I'll skip it. One of my twins has the same initials as my late brother, the other has my initial, but the names are entirely their own. My own experience of being named after someone was less than great. Even with pets, I only name them from books, or movies or TV series when they're done. That way they don't get named after characters that end up sucking.

Pets probably not - I tend to invent names for my pets, I don't like using existing human names because that always runs the risk of eventually having someone named the same in my life and I feel like that'd be awkward.

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A child yes but for it to be considered for first name I'd have to independently like the name as well. But putting it in the middle name spot is a no brainer for me - no one cares about middle names anyway so even if it doesn't flow or whatever, I wouldn't care. I'm just putting that honouring name there and no one can stop me. I would also name a child after things that are important or nostalgic to me, like Mirabel.

I like the idea of naming a child after a family member, but only if I already like the name. If I had a child, I would name them Cleo after my great grandfather and great aunt, because it's a beautiful unisex name, and I hear cool stories about these people.

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I have two cats and we did not change their names when we got them, but if I were to name a pet, I think it would be fun to name them after a fictional character. I don't know who though, I guess it would depend on the personality of the pet.

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Mariya is a beautiful name, even more beautiful if it is for your hometown :)

I will start by stating that while I have my opinions on names themselves, I think that middle names are a fabulous space for people to honor stuff that matters to them in their children's names.

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Characters, pets, and items are a bit hard for me to think about personally:
- I love my animals and remember them fondly, but it feels a bit too much to name a person after them? I don't know. Bluntly, all of my animals have been given names that I dislike. So maybe that's a factor.
- Items... I don't know what item would feel appropriate as a name?
- Characters are a different story. I do know that stories became very important to people. I do think there's something a little hokey about naming a child after, like, Princess Leia, or Spider-Man, or something like that.

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There's a caveat to that last part: I'm pretty deeply religious, and I love Biblical names and hope to use those for future children. I suppose it's a bit disingenuous for me to critique someone for using a character from a story that matters as much to them as my religious texts do to me. So. I do think there's some validity in questioning whether it's appropriate to name a daughter Katniss or Chewbacca or something, but I suppose it's not fair for me to criticize the premise when someone could very easily make the same criticism of me.

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For honoring places, I do think it sorts of depends on the place. To date, I don't think Chicago, for example, has become appropriate and accepted as a name. But Savannah or Charlotte or Carolina are. I think if there's a meaningful connection to a specific location, then that is valid. But again, if it's not an accepted name, then maybe throw it into a middle name spot.

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I do think that naming a child after someone who inspires you is okay, with some caveats for the name and for the person. I don't know how much it's practiced anymore, but there is a longstanding tradition in Catholicism to incorporate names of significant and meaningful saints into children's names. I actually remember for a long time on here, there was a regular user who was an enormous fan of the music of Carole King, and wanted to incorporate Carole into a future child's name. I see nothing wrong with that.

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I've thought very heavily about potentially naming a daughter Pamina after the princess in The Magic Flute opera. I'm quite surprised this name hasn't wedged itself a little more firmly into mainstream culture, considering the stage show is still being performed today even after a few centuries. I think it sounds super pretty and soft.

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For pets, I follow the Disney pattern. My pets are named something from Disney or childhood movies. So far we've had Meeko, Nala, Bear, and Kovu. I would have liked Kida, Balto, or Winnie, but I was overruled.

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I'm not huge on honor names, though, as in naming a child after another family member. I've always believed that a child should feel like they have their own name identity within the family.