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[Opinions] Thoughts on Raven?
When I think of the name Raven, I get this "unique 21st century baby name" vibe, which I'm not really a fan of, yet I also still kind of like it..?
It makes me think of someone who entirely fits the whole "quiet, almost scary" feeling of the name, but who actually hates it and would rather have you call them anything but that, mainly because of the overly unique connotation it got in recent years, and also because of its really goth sound.I'd like to use this name on a character for a story I'm busy with, but I'm afraid people will see it as overly edgy and dislikeable. I'm torn on this because I only started thinking positively of the name once I attached a character to it.So, what are you guys' thoughts on Raven?
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I like it. I don't mind the goth sound, I think that's a point in its favor. And I always like a cool bird name.
I don't think it's unique (or trying to be unique), it's fairly common at this point.
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Fine on a bird. On a human, I automatically expect to hear the next word as "Lunatic".
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dont like it
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I don’t think it’s overly edgy and / or dislikable.I like Raven a lot, it’s a strong, sturdy name but still sounds pretty and charming.There was a woman on The Bachelor a few seasons ago named Raven, she was gorgeous, and nothing like the quiet, scary, edgy imagery you’re conjuring up. I think once you see a name like this used in real life they become a lot more normal.ETA: And it makes me think of Raven from Teen Titans, which was one of my favorite shows as a child. :)

This message was edited 12/6/2020, 6:35 PM

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To me it dates to the 80s, isn't 21st century ish to me. It was kind of edgy ... not exactly goth. Kind of like Ember or Phoenix is today.
Now, Raven seems almost retro to me, like Shane or Darcy. Or tv-ish, like Daria or Malcolm. (I like all of these names I mention)
It also seems pretty normally modern, like Autumn or River or Destiny, not really trying too hard to be anything.
To me it doesn't seem as 'overly edgy and dislikeable' as Luna or Nova or Scarlett or Axel (a lot of people do like those, of course, but I think as many dislike them).
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I like Raven as a guilty pleasure. It sounds like a character in a story and has a haunted house mystery vibe. As a bird, ravens are interesting; they can be observed using makeshift tools and utilizing rocks to break open seeds. They are sociable, and they seem to remember acts of kindness. Here is an article about a little girl who receives gifts from ravens and crows: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026Here is a National Geographic article on ravens' problem solving skills: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/07/ravens-problem-solving-smart-birds/

This message was edited 12/6/2020, 1:42 PM

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I get heavy emo vibes. Raven is unisex and paints their nails black and wears black lipstick too.
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I think it used to be likable because it was striking and unusual, and now it's likable because it's familiar and natural. It seems kind of like Jade in that way.I don't think ravens are quiet. It is a harsh name, though.I somewhat associate it with Mystique from X-men, but I think it's been normalized enough that using it for a character would be fine, no matter what the character is like.

This message was edited 12/6/2020, 12:16 PM

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I definitely associate it with Raven-Symone and That's So Raven from my childhood. If I heard of a real-life person named Raven I would assume they were black (in fact iirc Raven is one of the most popular names for black girls/women) which is certainly not bad but if you are creating a fictional character, something to be aware of.
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It feels very 1990s to me. It's about evenly split between a black girl's name like Ebony was in the eighties, and the kind of cliched goth name emo girls would give themselves to try and be unique just like all the other emo goth girls.
As a character name it feels not edgy, but tired and tropey.
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