She looked so strong and spunky laying there in the NICU that Madeline seemed a more fitting name (I associate a high tower with strength). I think the meaning of a name is very important. There is, of course, also Dolores Umbridge, the awful Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from Harry Potter. Saskia meaning knife makes me like it better!
I'd heard this name before, a long time ago, and it took a while until it dawned on me that it was Mallory 'Mal' Pike from The Babysitter's Club books. From this list I truly adore Cecilia, Claudia, Lola, Persephone, Saskia and James. Cecelia was my confirmation name, although i don’t like the meaning she is the Saint of Music . The name's closest meaning is "lame" because of the latin verb "claudico" which translated means "to limp" or "to waver.". The name's popularity grew during the 1980's until it hit it's popularity peak in 1986, when the hit television comedy, Family Ties featured a character named Mallory (played by Justine Bateman). Pretty much the only way you can avoid the constant ridicule of having a weird first or last name is to be super hot or rich, and even then, the name bullying will always exist behind your back. You probably know the name Mary because of the song "Mary Had A Little Lamb," but what you don't know is that the meaning of the name is not as "white as snow." Portia actually means "pig." St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music so you'd expect the name to mean something along the lines of or similar to music. How ironic. It depends on what the name was. Chrissy Teigen & John Legend Buy $17.5 Million House To Prepare For Baby No.
According to Celtic legend, Deidre was the most beautiful woman in ancient Ireland.
In Twelfth Night, Viola, who is disguised as a man falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with Olivia. In Italy it's spelled Damiano, and in Russia it's spelled Demvan. Would I ever name my daughter or son either of these names? In the Shakta traditions, lila is generally understood as a certain sweet and playful goodness that characterizes a universe whose essential nature is Shakti (the powerful, energetic principle).”. I’m much more concerned with negative modern connotations, and words that may have a negative meaning in a foreign language. The name Carson was originally considered a Scottish surname, but in recent years it has become a popular first name among both males and females.
The name has seen a dramatic increase of usage over the past fifty years and in the United States, its ranked at #115.
One notable Portia is Portia Catonis, the wife of Brutus, a man famed for being one of Julius Caesar's assassins. That, and most names have religious meanings, and I’m not a Christian. Here, some otherwise good names with bad, bad meanings: What do you think?
Imagine finding that out as a child! In England there hasn't been a child called Kennedy since 1999. 1 - Akuji The meaning of this African name is "dead and awake" – not very cheery for a new life!. The name Courtney stems from an English aristocratic surname, which was used frequently during the seventeenth century.
Nowhere have I ever heard it as “raider”. The Australian actor and director Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain, 10 Things I Hate About You) popularized the name during the 1990s and early 2000s, but in the years following his death, the name's popularity has dropped drastically. I would never ever pick a name with a bad meaning, ever. Another significant part of Japanese superstition has its roots in Japan's ancient pagan , animist culture and regards certain natural things as having kami . If you're naming your baby Samuel, be careful when spelling his name for the birth certificate. I think I said this in the thread in question: I love the name Callisto for a girl, but the story behind her Greek Mythology namesake is that she was raped by Zeus and then punished by Athena by being turned in to a bear.
And, I know it’s not quite the same, but I think the name Lucifer would be lovely, if it wasn’t, y’know, Satan. It's reserved for 'the priestly caste' who are descended directly from the biblical Aaron. That is probably more why I couldn’t do Cecelia, but it all has to do with Cecil being figuratively blind in the book….one of the hazards of literary nerdiness. And Linelei, I’ve been wanting to write about names with distressing stories behind them — Lorelei is a perfect example. Leah actually means Weary meadow, and my name spelt the different way means meadow… i believe it even says that on nameberry lol. How meaningful is the root meaning of a name, anyway? http://nameberry.com/blog/good-names-with-bad-bad-meanings, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1549146/lila, https://closeronline.co.uk/family/news/worst-baby-name-bad-meaning-girl-boy/, https://nameberry.com/blog/good-names-with-bad-bad-meanings. In the Old Testament, Gideon was a judge called on by God to rescue the Jews from the Midianites. The last time it had anything like a boom was back in the 1940s. Olivia is very similar to the name Avery because both of their meanings have to do with elves. Though this is a name that sounds beautiful, it's notorious for belonging to badly behaved little girls, including the little child vampire Claudia in Anne Rice's novel Interview With the Vampire. This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.
They cannot, for example, marry a widow. You most likely think of Portia de Rossi, the Australian-born actress best known from the American TV show Arrested Development and for marrying Ellen Degeneres, or the luxurious sports car. While it's a romantic, seductive and strong name, Desdemona actually means 'ill fated' and, in Greek, 'of the demon.'.
Claudia is the feminine form for the ancient Roman family name Claudius and means 'lame.' The well-known child actress, Hayley Mills, popularized the name during the 1940s, even though the name was rarely used until the 1980s. Deidre has not been a popular name in recent years. A name is more than a word.
Ouida named her book Wanda and it is about a heroine with the same name.
It can either be lawr-e-LIE, or LAWR-e-lie. Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. Lamb-owner? I always thought the song was about a doomed, beautiful fishmonger, and though it was wonderful, it was still terribly depressing.
Girls named Emily have a tendency to be leaders and have a desire to set life at their own pace. Pattern the pattern will be compared to the name * is a wildcard that will match zero or more letters. I will add too, that “blind” isn’t such a “bad” meaning, except for the connotations I have with the character Cecil from the book A Room with a View. Despite it being frowned upon as a first name, Cohen is the most common surname for Jews in the United States, but even then it isn't thrown about. I’ll admit, I do like some names better if I know what they mean in another language (Lior means “my light” in Hebrew, very sweet). Check me out, I'm pretty rad. Rebecca is a very common first name for girls in the United States and the United Kingdom and like many other names on this list, Rebecca is a biblical name too. I have been able to transform a number of negative meanings in this manner, and often pray for people according to my spiritualized version of the meanings of their names. The history behind the name Samael is extensive, though it translates to "severity of God" in Hebrew and Samael is a demon in the Jewish demon lore. Lilith fell in love with the archangel Samael and refused to reenter the Garden of Eden alongside Adam. Kennedy is an extremely popular surname but is used much less as a first name.
63 Responses to “Good Names with Bad, Bad Meanings”. A visitor to our forums posed this question to the Berries: Would you give your child a name, a wonderful name that you truly love, if it had a negative meaning? I think a names connotations are more important than the meaning, I would use Cecilia despite the fact that it means blind but if it was used to imply something bad or inappropriate in a culture I probably wouldn’t. A beautiful, feisty, strong willed immigrant from Ireland living in London and working as a sex worker while battling tuberculosis. The name Jezebel means 'impure' or 'wicked.'.
When we think of Jezebel we think of a seductress, a temptress, a corrupt woman. Mary’s meaning of “bitter” refers to the loss of her son, that situation, not that she was bitter. The powerful ruler Nero had a daughter by this name, and Pontius Pilate's wife is usually said to be named Claudia, but the name's popularily came to a halt when St. Paul referenced a woman named Claudia in one of his letters. Pronounced KEN-a-dee, this name has various meanings connected to it, though the two most known are 'ugly head' and 'helmeted.' At the end of the day, your child's name will have an influence over his or her life. Sloane is a Celtic name (male or female) meaning Warrior. At the end of the day, your child's name will have an influence over his or her life. The name Lorelei is easily mispronounced. Taylor, just like the name Tyler, is a name and also a job title. The French meaning, however, is where things get difficult. While Molly is the most popular spelling, it has different variants including Moli, Molie and Moll. Similarly, I am able to like the meaning of Emily, “rival” or “striving to excel”, when viewed in the context of I Corinthians 9:24-27. Recently, 1990 has been the year of this name. I love to live life on the edge (of my bed) while never passing up free food. But I’m pretty sure nobody has ever associated my name with that meaning. water under the bridge….
The film was based on a novella by Jim Harrison who chose the name because of its connections to sadness. The name Heath is an English baby name and can be either a first name or surname. . It’s a GOOD meaning. The meaning of Joel turns me off, even though I love the name. The musical Damn Yankees even includes a sultry song with the lyrics, "whatever Lola wants, Lola gets." In Irish, the name Brendan means "stinking hair" which some scholars believe to be the true meaning of the name. Mary, I laughed out loud when I read “lamb-owner,” thanks for that. It's unknown where the name came from but it's thought the family were once pig farmers. The name is most popular among boys, but is starting to become very common among young girls too.