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Diana
Is Diana OK on a baby or will people think about Princess Diana?
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I don't think the association is that strong. My main problem with Diana is the English pronunciation (Die-AN-uh) and the potential nn, DI (DIE). I met someone from Costa Rica who pronounced it dee-AH-nuh. Lovely!
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I like Diana and my strongest connection/association to the name is the moon. I'd be pleased to meet a little Diana.I also enjoy Diantha.
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I looove Diana
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I love Diana and would totally consider using it myself. I don't think the Princess Di association is so strong anymore. It's still there, yes, but it doesn't make the name unusable at all, in my opinion.
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I think it's fine. It's not a bad association, and I think it was common enough you don't instantly tie it to Princess Di.I think it would be sweet to see on a baby. There's a little girl at my church named Diana and I found it interesting and refreshing to see.
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Diana is one of my favorite girls names. I think it's elegant and classic, and works well in many languages. I also know like six or seven girls with this name. I wouldn't hesitate to use it.
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I absolutely adore the name Diana. And ya, ok it is my mother's name but it has to say something that despite that I still don't find the name dated or old...right? The only problems I know she has had with it is people forgetting the "a" and calling her Diane instead. I don't really think a child now would have that issue considering Diane is now even less common than Diana. As for the Princess Diana connection, as an American I know that I don't think of her straight away when I hear the name.
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To play Devil's Advocate....Some have stated that they think the name Diana will bring up associations with the Princess, and all of those have said it's not a bad thing or it's a good thing. Just want to point out that the Princess is not universally admired. I was never a fan of hers and my daughter actively dislikes her. So, *maybe*, *sometimes*, the association *could* be a bad thing.Mostly not, though.
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I disapproved of her heartily, while sympathising a bit because she was used as a pawn in a cynical game of Royal Offspring. That famous charm got switched off as soon as the cameras went away, and her "tragic" death could have been avoided if she'd been at home with her children instead of speeding through the streets of Paris with a very public lover. But that's all in the past.I don't think there was ever an explosion of Diana children during her lifetime, so the name wouldn't date and wouldn't be associated with princesses any more than with Supremes. If a Diana could stay Diana, as no doubt the former princess did, then it's a lovely name. Di spoils it completely, and I would only use it as a mn for that reason. Same problem with Diane, which is fine in French, but I don't like it in English at all.I was at school with a scattering of Dianas and a Diane, and as far as I know they all went by their full names. Never had to worry about whether their names would fit into newspaper headlines!
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I usually think of Diana Ross first......since me, my mom, and my mom's mom are all fans of her music! :)Princess Diana is second. I have mixed feelings about her, though. I never found her that interesting, but I don't have anything against her.For the record, my third association is my great-aunt's mastiff Diana.
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I'm not a huge fan of hers either...Or of Diana Ross's either. (Florence Ballard was a better singer but got second billing; Diana Ross has displayed a crummy attitude and behavior for years) but I still don't mind the name Diana.
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Yeah, I find Diana Ross' voice annoying and I think the only reason that she became the lead singer of the Supremes and thus became more successful than the other two was that she was better-looking, and that's annoying.Neither Princess Diana nor Diana Ross make me dislike the name Diana. I think it's a pretty name. I just wanted to make the point that the Princess association, if there is one, can't always be assumed to be a good one.
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Probably wouldn't, like, hurt her life though.
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Nah. "Oh my God, you're named Diana, makes me think of that spoiled crazy b***h princess, I hate you!"
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Yes and yes.
I don't think that those are mutually exclusive, necessarily. Diana is fine on a baby. And yes, people will think about Princess Diana. But that's okay, I think.
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Princess Diana would certainly not be the worst association out there. In fact, I think it's a wonderful association.I had a lovely teacher named Diana. I would use it on a baby.
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So what if they do think about Princess Diana? Lots of girls have been named after her over the last 30 years.Yes, it's fine on a baby.
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I prefer DianeCan't wait until E-ending names come back in style. All these frilly -A names annoy me at the moment.Diana is fine, though. Decent name and I think the Princess Diana association is a good thing.
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pref. DioneI think the name is stronger than Diane, and I like the mythological and astronomical associations.dye-OH-nee

This message was edited 6/4/2012, 7:43 AM

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I think people will mispronounce Dione as dee-ONN. I only associate it with the Clueless character and Dionne Warwick and I always thought of it as tacky, to be honest.
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It's one of the moons of Saturn and also the mother of Aphrodite in Greek mythology. I'm glad I am someone whose associations exceed Warwick and Clueless. Limiting oneself to pop associations is...limiting oneself.
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Oh please, most people are going to associate it with Warwick and Clueless. I know quite a bit about Greek mythology and I know it's one of the moons of Saturn but the pop association is much stronger, so the only things I think of immediately are Warwick and Clueless. Just as most people will think sneakers and not goddess when they hear Nike. I'm not limiting myself to pop associations. Wow, you're incredibly rude. Good luck trying to get people to pronounce it that way!

This message was edited 6/4/2012, 12:59 PM

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I am not one of those who think that Diana is too tied to Princess Diana. The name was around for a long long time before she came on the scene. Does every famous person with a name have to render the name unusable?Okay, I know, Charles makes me think of Charles Manson, but I do try.
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It's fine for a baby. Diana is a well-known name, so people are likely to have other associations with the name in addition to Princess Diana. Princess Diana might not even come to mind first when they hear the name. My guess is that most people in English-speaking countries have met at least one Diana.
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Diana vs DinahI think it's okay for a baby, sure. I do think it is a little passé à la Deborah, but certainly not problematic.I would certainly recommend the much fresher Dinah (DYE-nuh), which is adorable and underused. Love Dinah.
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Know what's weird? My husband has an Aunt Diana, but she pronounces it DIE-a-na so it sounds really close to Dinah. I thought her name was Dinah for awhile.I've always wondered why Dinah wasn't more common. It's such a sweet little name.
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I've wondered this too. Perhaps it's because Dinah is featured in that American folk song, "I've Been Working On The Railroad." I've only known one girl named Dinah when we were in high school.
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It sounds close to "diner".
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I thought Princess Diana's name was Princess Die until was about twelve. I don't think of Princess Diana every time I hear the name Diana. It might be different if I was British. I think most American's don't connect the name Diana straight away to Princess Diana.
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Hmmm, I don't know. I don't think I'd necessarily think of Princess Diana, more that Diana would be quite surprising on a baby in 2012. In a good way - I think it's striking. Not dated to the extent that Diane / Dianne is. But I agree with Anne that I'd be a bit iffy about the nn Di. I'd probably steer away from Di and instead use Anna if I wanted a nn for Diana.Also, there was a baby Diana in some BAs I posted last week that I was pleased to see.
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Surely she's faded sufficiently from public consciousness by now? It's a very good name if you can avoid Di or don't mind it, so I think you could go ahead. I do mind Di, so I would probably use it as a mn.
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I think you could definitely use Diana on a baby. I have a little cousin named Diana who is about 2. I don't believe it will be heavily associated with Princess Diana, however I still believe there would still be some associations to her. But I don't believe that is bad.
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