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Help[Opinions] Naming babies after Golden Era celebrities
Do many people think it's acceptable to do so?
Say if your last name was say Grant (Cary) or Monroe (Marilyn) or Hope (Bob)
Say if your last name was say Grant (Cary) or Monroe (Marilyn) or Hope (Bob)
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I find it hard to understand purposely giving a child the name of a celebrity to honor that celebrity.
The child will have to live with that name until he or she is at 18, at least. How do we know they will want to honor that person? Is that celebrity meaningful to them in any way?
Now if there was a personal connection-- like if the famous person had a very worthwhile character/life and they were related in the family tree somehow-- maybe I could understand giving their first name as a middle name.
Otherwise, it seems like an unfair and nonsensical prank on the child.
If someone wants to honor a celebrity, why not get a nice piece of wall art for the den?
The child will have to live with that name until he or she is at 18, at least. How do we know they will want to honor that person? Is that celebrity meaningful to them in any way?
Now if there was a personal connection-- like if the famous person had a very worthwhile character/life and they were related in the family tree somehow-- maybe I could understand giving their first name as a middle name.
Otherwise, it seems like an unfair and nonsensical prank on the child.
If someone wants to honor a celebrity, why not get a nice piece of wall art for the den?
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I suppose it's acceptable, but I don't understand it. I found two George Washington Ln's in my family tree, and one was born in Canada!? If you had the exact same name as a celebrity on purpose, that would be annoying. You'd always have to hear the same lame jokes about being so-and-so your whole life.
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Personally, no... I share my last name with someone very famous and I get enough annoying comments from that alone. I can't even imagine the irritation of sharing your full name with an icon.
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Agreed
This reminds me of the character Michael Bolton, in Office Space as well as the current ESPN commercial where the guy is named Michael Jordan and nobody bothers to hide their disappointment when they find out he's not THE Michael Jordan.
It's acceptable but I would think looooooong and hard before I ever did that to my own kid.
Making such a reference with a MN wouldn't be nearly as bad. There was a kid in my high school named James Dean (Surname) and I thought that was actually kind of cool because no one even knew about it until they read his full name for graduation. Being named Cary Grant Smith or Marilyn Monroe Jones would be a LOT easier for the bearer to deal with I think
This reminds me of the character Michael Bolton, in Office Space as well as the current ESPN commercial where the guy is named Michael Jordan and nobody bothers to hide their disappointment when they find out he's not THE Michael Jordan.
It's acceptable but I would think looooooong and hard before I ever did that to my own kid.
Making such a reference with a MN wouldn't be nearly as bad. There was a kid in my high school named James Dean (Surname) and I thought that was actually kind of cool because no one even knew about it until they read his full name for graduation. Being named Cary Grant Smith or Marilyn Monroe Jones would be a LOT easier for the bearer to deal with I think
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I really like Gloria.
It's my mom's first name. I was thinking of using a form of it as a mn, such as Glorienne.
It's my mom's first name. I was thinking of using a form of it as a mn, such as Glorienne.
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Don't understand...
What? I'm confused. If my last name was Monroe, is it acceptable to name my daughter Marilyn?
I think any of those names are accepted. Grant, yep, Cary on either gender would fly, Monroe has gotten a bit of use lately, even Mariah named one of her twins Monroe (I forget which one), Hope is fine, Bob / Robert wouldn't be out of place. I just don't get what you're asking.
What? I'm confused. If my last name was Monroe, is it acceptable to name my daughter Marilyn?
I think any of those names are accepted. Grant, yep, Cary on either gender would fly, Monroe has gotten a bit of use lately, even Mariah named one of her twins Monroe (I forget which one), Hope is fine, Bob / Robert wouldn't be out of place. I just don't get what you're asking.
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He's saying do you think it's okay for people who have surnames like Monroe to name their daughters Marilyn. At least that's I thought he was asking.
To answer the question I say why not.
If you want to honor the Golden Era celebrity why not.
Also if you happen to like a name of a Golden Era celebrity and also happen to have the same surname as the celebrity then you need to ask yourself if you mind the association. If the answer is that you'd be fine with the association then I say why not use the name if you really love it.
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To answer the question I say why not.
If you want to honor the Golden Era celebrity why not.
Also if you happen to like a name of a Golden Era celebrity and also happen to have the same surname as the celebrity then you need to ask yourself if you mind the association. If the answer is that you'd be fine with the association then I say why not use the name if you really love it.
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This message was edited 5/15/2012, 6:04 AM
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Well, in that case, I think not. It's your kid's name, not a joke. It wasn't so long ago - people still remember/know them.
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I'd say no. I know a guy named James Bond. Seriously. People hang up when he introduces himself on the phone! When people meet him they never believe it's his real name either. When you have the same name as a popular celeb you'll have big problems. People will always think you're kidding.
James Bond solved the problem by always introducing himself with his first, middle and surname.
James Bond solved the problem by always introducing himself with his first, middle and surname.
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That's not a celebrity though. That's a fictional character. It's kind of the same but kind of different. People these days are a lot less likely to know of Cary Grant than James Bond. I guess Marilyn Monroe is different since I think more people know of her than Cary Grant and Bob Hope. Though James Bond is probably more known of than Marilyn Monroe.
Having the same name on purpose as a current celebrity in my opinion is a bad idea.
James Bond could go by Jim Bond or Jimmy Bond. Also I would definitely go by a nn when introducing myself on the phone and to people who didn't know me.
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Having the same name on purpose as a current celebrity in my opinion is a bad idea.
James Bond could go by Jim Bond or Jimmy Bond. Also I would definitely go by a nn when introducing myself on the phone and to people who didn't know me.
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I find it hard to believe that there are many people out there who have never heard of Cary Grant.
My advice to the OP is that it should be avoided. My son has the same first name (it's actually a nickname) and last name of a fictional character from a TV show that was popular in the 1960s. I never watched the show and was unaware of this when he was named--not that it would have made a difference, anyway, because my son's name had been set in stone for years before he was born and that wouldn't have changed it.
Anyway, it was fairly common for people to comment upon it when they first learned his name. I remember him telling me that when a teacher first heard his name, he said, "I"m not going to say it! I'm not going to say it! You must hear it all of the time." And once I was working in a cafe that was part of a large bookstore. My son was somewhere in the store and I wanted to talk to him, so I got on the PA system and paged him. A minute later, a man came up to me, and said, I don't remember the exact words, but it was along the lines of "Are you serious? There's a (my son's first name, my son's last name) in here?"
And this is just because of the name of a fictional character on a TV show from way back in the 1960s. It's not something that's ever really bothered me or my son too much, but my point is, it would be worse if it were the name of a very famous real person, and I definitely think it would happen, so if it's something the OP is concerned about, then it's something the OP should avoid.
My advice to the OP is that it should be avoided. My son has the same first name (it's actually a nickname) and last name of a fictional character from a TV show that was popular in the 1960s. I never watched the show and was unaware of this when he was named--not that it would have made a difference, anyway, because my son's name had been set in stone for years before he was born and that wouldn't have changed it.
Anyway, it was fairly common for people to comment upon it when they first learned his name. I remember him telling me that when a teacher first heard his name, he said, "I"m not going to say it! I'm not going to say it! You must hear it all of the time." And once I was working in a cafe that was part of a large bookstore. My son was somewhere in the store and I wanted to talk to him, so I got on the PA system and paged him. A minute later, a man came up to me, and said, I don't remember the exact words, but it was along the lines of "Are you serious? There's a (my son's first name, my son's last name) in here?"
And this is just because of the name of a fictional character on a TV show from way back in the 1960s. It's not something that's ever really bothered me or my son too much, but my point is, it would be worse if it were the name of a very famous real person, and I definitely think it would happen, so if it's something the OP is concerned about, then it's something the OP should avoid.
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I'm going to use this man's full name...
Because it sounds like it was made up.
My stepfather had a friend in school named Perry Mason. I don't know if the TV series or the books were popular when little PM was born, but it doesn't matter; the TV series did become popular.
So they had to go to summer school, and were late to the first day. The teacher, who was a new young guy who didn't know any of the students, asked their names. Larry gave his. PM said "Perry Mason." The teacher stared and asked again, more sternly "What is your name?"
PM replied very clearly and distinctly, "I'm Perry Mason."
The teacher got right up in his face and said "You listen to me, buddy. I don't want any smart-asses in this class. Now, for the last time, what is your goddam name?"
PM kept his cool and said "It's Perry Mason. It's right on your papers."
The teacher checked, saw it was true, and said "Both of you, just sit down and shut up." But for some reason, old Perry was one of his favorites after that. Maybe the teacher felt sorry for him.
Because it sounds like it was made up.
My stepfather had a friend in school named Perry Mason. I don't know if the TV series or the books were popular when little PM was born, but it doesn't matter; the TV series did become popular.
So they had to go to summer school, and were late to the first day. The teacher, who was a new young guy who didn't know any of the students, asked their names. Larry gave his. PM said "Perry Mason." The teacher stared and asked again, more sternly "What is your name?"
PM replied very clearly and distinctly, "I'm Perry Mason."
The teacher got right up in his face and said "You listen to me, buddy. I don't want any smart-asses in this class. Now, for the last time, what is your goddam name?"
PM kept his cool and said "It's Perry Mason. It's right on your papers."
The teacher checked, saw it was true, and said "Both of you, just sit down and shut up." But for some reason, old Perry was one of his favorites after that. Maybe the teacher felt sorry for him.
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Well I'm certain that I've had friends who didn't know of people like Cary Grant and Ava Gardner. Most people I know have only seen a handful of old movies. Of course almost all my friends are men. I have a few female friends would probably would know of them. Maybe some of my male friends would hear those names and think "That sounds kind of familiar..." But I doubt many of them would actually know who they are. I'm certain they would know of Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe. Judy Garland because most children watch The Wizard of Oz. Marilyn Monroe they would know because it is a much more common house hold name. Every Halloween you see ads for Marilyn Monroe costumes and she is a popular sexual icon.
You made me curious if I was right that my friends wouldn't know who Cary Grant and Ava Gardner were. I just asked my partner if he knew who they were and he told me no. He only watches a handful of old movies since his parents never watch old movies. Most of my friends have parents closer in age to his parents than to mine. My parents love to watch old movies but that's because those old movies weren't that old when they were young. I've seen so many old movies that I'm familiar with those names. I think you'd find a lot of people these days who have know idea who Cary Grant and Ava Gardner are.
I guess that being Marilyn Monroe or Judy Garland or named after someone very well known could be hard. Some people might not take you seriously. But I feel like you can just explain that this really is your name and it is not a joke and that your parents named you after that person on purpose. I think most people will believe you.
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You made me curious if I was right that my friends wouldn't know who Cary Grant and Ava Gardner were. I just asked my partner if he knew who they were and he told me no. He only watches a handful of old movies since his parents never watch old movies. Most of my friends have parents closer in age to his parents than to mine. My parents love to watch old movies but that's because those old movies weren't that old when they were young. I've seen so many old movies that I'm familiar with those names. I think you'd find a lot of people these days who have know idea who Cary Grant and Ava Gardner are.
I guess that being Marilyn Monroe or Judy Garland or named after someone very well known could be hard. Some people might not take you seriously. But I feel like you can just explain that this really is your name and it is not a joke and that your parents named you after that person on purpose. I think most people will believe you.
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This message was edited 5/15/2012, 3:45 PM
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