For the most part I'm entirely content with having been raised, well, not exactly sheltered from the world, but definitely sheltered from pop culture. Blake's always asking me, "Have you see ___________?" And I'm always replying, "What do you think?" Most things worth seeing, I've seen (thanks to Blake!). But there are a lot of movies that are not even on my radar. This is a little tricky when it comes to names. For instance, I've remarked to friends before, "I think ________ is such a great boy name!" Only to have them stare at me and comment, "That's the name of the freaky kid in such and such movie." Apparently said freaky kid is such a prominent part of culture that his name is off limits if I don't want my child associated with that movie character.
So, I've been pondering how much we should or should not let popular culture dictate our naming decisions. I think I'm much more comfortable with the idea of my kid sharing the name with a movie character than my husband is, probably since I haven't seen as many movies. This holds particularly true if the movie isn't destined to become a classic, and it's probably one you watch once and never go back to. Or, if the name isn't a very unique one ("Will" may be the name of a movie character, but it's also the name of a lot of other people. "Frodo," on the other hand...).
Is pop culture something you considered or would consider in naming your own kids?
Is it bad that I've considered Hermione a name for a girl??? Probably. My parents, who grew up when another Hermione was famous (not a book character), consider it a very old-lady name and not a proper name for a little girl. I think any name, with the right people, will have a weird pop culture association with it, so I guess it's more important that the name is okay within your little circle of culture.
ReplyDeleteIt does depend on if it is a "classic" for this generation. But I've found that our classics, the youth of today have never heard of - Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, etc. I think if it is a tv/movie name from the 80's or earlier, you are safe from bullying/teasing.
ReplyDeleteI have also considered Caedmon as a name for a boy (mine! all mine! Don't steal!), partly because my all time favorite band is Caedmon's Call, and then I read the story of Caedmon, who was a Christian in medieval times and wrote some of the earliest religious poetry that we have in a recognizable English language (hence the band's name). So it has a great story behind it. And is kind of cultural.
ReplyDeleteGood points, good points!
ReplyDeleteKatie, I have a friend how named her son Caedmon. I like it, as it's a legitimate, tried and true name (unlike some of the popular cade/kade-something names today). "Cade" is a nice, cowboyish nickname too. The only caution is that if it's not enunciated well, it sort of sounds like "caveman." But I'm a fan!