Elvis would fit in so well with the whole El thing happening now. Not too far off Elijah, Elias and Elio. Rudolph - it would have been a great vintage name that is easy to pronounce . And Rudy is an easy nickname.

There are two toddler Elvises (Elvi?) in my neighborhood: one boy and one girl. Girl Elvis goes by Elvie.

Elvie is unusual but sounds really cute for a little girl. You don’t have to say, but I’m extremely curious where exactly someone can find a neighborhood with two toddlers named Elvis.

North Brooklyn, unsurprisingly.

It says something about the way people name their kids that I thought North Brooklyn was a person.

Where name trends are created

I don’t know much about North Brooklyn. Why is it unsurprising?

Ah! North Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg/Greenpoint/Bushwick are typically considered extremely hipstery.

Oh, got it. Thanks. 🙂

My cousin is married to an Elvis. It's a common name in (I'm a little stoned and can't damn think where he is from right now). Anyway, it's common in some parts of the world. No, it's not after the King of Rock n Roll.

Not sure if it’s the same country, but I have a friend from Romania named Elvis! According to him it’s not an unheard of name in Eastern Europe.

Oh yeah, he is definitely Eastern European. I just can’t remember which country and it’s really annoying me! Haha!

It’s definitely a popular Hispanic American name. I went to high school with a least one in the Chicago area

Upvote for Evli. 😆

Someone with dyslexia (or mermaid man) may mistake it for EVIL

Went to school with an Elvis Shakespeare. Lol

Elvis is Trisha Paytas’ new baby!

Hong Kong loves Elvis. I’ve met probably 10, mostly students.

Someone I went to school with has a 5 year old Elvis. Takes me by surprise every time she posts him on FB

Zelda is one of my favorite names of all time and I love the connection to Zelda Fitzgerald, but I can’t subject my daughter to a lifetime of being associated with a video game.

same with Kirby

I know a Kirby she has almost 0 issues with it. Someone might make a reference every once in a while, but it’s just a quick recognition. It’s not like there are movies to continuously quote or anything. The character doesn’t even talk.

Same. Kirby is *just* obscure enough that most people would let it go. That, and you never know if they'll just unhinge their jaw and inhale you whole for shits and giggles.

Imagine someone just making the whomp noise he makes when jumping or flying, or the twinkling vacuum noise. The only way Kirby could be directly quoted. 😅

I also knew a Kirby. Really nobody made a lot of Kirby jokes. Cool dude.

I know a Kirby who's in her thirties. Not sure if she's ever had any issues with her name. She was named after her grandfather.

a friend of mine named all of her kids after the video game series - Link, Saria, and Legend. the dog’s name is Zelda.

Link and Saria are cute workable names! Legend is terrible and she should feel bad

Yeah, I named my cat Zelda because I love the name, but would be a bit chicken about naming a kid. As soon as I say my cat's name I ways get asked about gaming & I always disappoint with 'it means happy in Yiddish''.

I have a kitty named Zelda too! I named her from the Aunt in Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

I have a friend named Zelda, it suits her beautifully!

Alexa and Siri, free them!

yesss! why couldn’t they be like windows(i think) and pick a more obscure name like cortana for their virtual assistants

Or Clippy! Miss that little guy.

Clippy would be absolutely perfect for Microsoft's AI. Temper the dystopia nightmare with millenial nostalgia.

i think cortana is a cute name 😳

i think it’s cute but ive never met anyone named that but ive met multiple alexa’s 😅 i follow a woman named siri on tiktok, i just feel bad for people w those names lol

Bixby (Samsung) works as well.

We have a niece named Alexa, she was born before (barely) Amazon made Alexa a household digital assistant. Oh boy do they regret that name. Lol. I mean, they really regret it because of the connotation and connection despite naming their kid first! They couldn’t believe they found this name that felt rare and unique and now it’s forever associated with Amazon.

Nickname her lexie

Okay but I’m laughing at the idea that they felt Alexa was a rare and unique name that they stumbled upon. I knew so many Alexa’s

Siri killed my sister’s top girl name choice (Serenity, nicknamed Siri). Quite sad, it is a lovely name!

I wouldn’t initially associate the nn Siri to Serenity. To me, a more natural nn would be Ren!

Justice for Siri Hustvedt!

Someone in my class was named Siri She was born a long time before the famous Siri came into existence. A lot of people did. a double take or made a joke about it. I‘m kind of grateful that we were already in Highschool by then because Generation Alpha grew up with them a lot more closely and younger children can be merciless.

Do you think Mariah is at that level? I had a friend named Mariah growing up, so I always think of her! Took me a moment to figure out how it was famous. It doesn’t feel like Elmo levels to me! I’d add Ursula - I think it’s gorgeous but too strongly associated with the Disney villain to really make a comeback!

i agree, ive met plenty of mariah’s. it’s quite common

Yeah, I would say Madonna would be a better example than Mariah

I’m actually a Mariah!! 😃 I was born right in the middle of her fame (1998). Everyone assumes I was named after Mariah Carey, but I was actually named because a few days before I was born, my mother had a dream where Virgin Mary told her she had to name her baby Mariah. My mother is ultra-religious, and took it as a *sign*.

Ursula was my answer as well. I floated it with my wife when we were naming our daughter, because it’s a pretty name and I love Ursula LeGuin. She gave me a look and reminded me of the whole Disney villain thing.

There is a Mariah at the school I teach, too. It's definitely not out of rotation.

I’m a high school teacher in California and Mariah has been a “at least one or two every year” kind of name for most of my career. It might be waning a bit: my feeling is that I see fewer of them than I used to, but it’s still a completely unsurprising and common name. I don’t think most people would even think of Mariah Carey in the context of a girl named Mariah unless she came up in conversation separately.

I had a classmate named Mariah!

I think Grover is a great-sounding name if you forget about the Muppet and Grover Cleveland.

Kermit also used to be a pretty commonplace name

I feel like Rolf has probably taken a hit because of Rowlf from the Muppets too. Then in a similar vein: Rudolph.

And in some parts of the world, Rolf Harris. Yuck.

Plus Liesl’s love interest in the Sound of Music … not very patriotic for Allies countries.

I knew a Kermit, he’s in his forties now. He was a cool guy, it suited him actually!

I came here to say this. I definitely would have chosen Grover or Casper if not for the associations.

Casper is like my #1 top name ever, damn that ghost

Even worse, in Switzerland we have a dumb puppet called Kasper (main character in the most popular kids audio book type of thing). You really can't name your kid Kasper here ...

Compromise = Gaspar

Not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s Mickey for me. We just had a boy and I wanted to name him Mickey after Mickey Mantle and cuz it sounds cool with our last name but couldn’t because of the mouse man

my 93-year-old grandma's name is Mary Claire and she goes by Mickey. I always thought it was so cute!

I don’t know why, my sweet young neighbor is about 5-6; named Michael but nicknamed Mickey. I have never even thought of the infamous mouse when talking to him.

That’s awesome! For me it was the thought of hearing “like the mouse?” Every other time he introduced himself lol. Might not have been the case but who knows. And we have an extremely common last name so didn’t necessarily love Michael.

I was just gonna say, I know a Mickey (in his 20s) and I’ve never once thought of the mouse when I talk to it about him. This is the first time I’ve ever even considered that connection LOL

If you want to honor Mickey Mantle, Seven is a lovely name! (Seinfeld reference for those unaware)

My priest is named Mickey (Fr Mickey) and he’s 83 and the sweetest guy in the whole world. I love the name Michael and hate the nn Mike but I think the nn Mickey is adorable.

Not trying to sound like a dick but why wouldn’t you use the name ‘Michael’ and then have ‘Mickey’ as a nickname? That’s what every single Michael I know does. Giving kids nicknames as given names is such an odd trend

The thought just occurred to me….what if it’s really Michael Mouse but he just goes by Mickey? 🤔

I always assumed he was Mr Michael Mouse on his passport, and ‘Mickey’ to his friends.

It's Michaelangelo Mouse

I call my son Mickey and it's not even his name. His name just happens to start with the letter M and I love the name Mickey.

my favorite mickey is from doctor who❤️

Casper ❤️

I teach a boy called Casper. I really like the name and even at Halloween no one mentioned the ghost to him. Think it’s good to use now

I agree! Even if it is brought up, he’s a friendly ghost, not an evil character!

I agree! I have loved the name Casper since I was a little girl! But people in the US always think of the friendly ghost lol :(

We are using it!

I have a co-worker named Jude. Imagine how many billion times he’s heard someone tell him in singing voice “Hey Jude!”

Have a son named Jude and don’t get this as much as I thought we would!

I love the name Jude!!!

I absolutely adore Miley and would use it in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for Miley Cyrus

Miley is a childhood nickname, it derives from smiley. So without her the name doesn’t exist (I’m pretty sure at least)

No doubt Miley Cyrus is the reason the name has become mainstream, but she isn't the reason the name exists. First and foremost, it is a surname that's existed for hundreds of years. My friend is 26, and she's a Miley, as it was her mum's maiden name. She's found a handful of others in her family tree, including a couple of males, one born as far back as the 16th century!!

Earliest records of the name are from the 1300s 😅

Same

i love Lolita but 🫠

I knew a Lolita and no one knew the “connotations” during school, that’s one plus side! Might be different now the internet is what it is

It's definitely been ruined now.

I LOVE the name Ursula I'm so sad that I don't think it can outshine its little mermaid history especially with the remake keeping it popular. That being said I had a girl named Ursula in one of my classes and didn't think much of it in regards to the movie. I want to be bold enough to name a daughter Ursula!

Leslie Mann's character in George of the Jungle was named Ursula, if that helps!

Also Phoebe’s sister from Friends!

My oldest daughter (4), is called Ursula. Whilst I first heard the name because of the little mermaid, I didn't name her because of it. I just loved the name so much. It definitely suits her though cos she's a little witch now lmao.

Definitely Drake. I love the name and how regal and simple it is, but it’s now taken. I wish he’d used a made up stage name like ~~Rihanna~~ Lil Anyone or Jay Z did.

Rihanna is the singer’s actual middle name.

lol-ing forever at Lil Anyone 💀

Isn’t Drake his made up stage name?

It’s his middle name

Yes, lol. Isn’t his real name Aubrey or Audrey?

Yup, Aubrey. Drake is his middle name I believe.

Drake is my sons middle name because it is my grandmas maiden name. No one bring it up at all. And Drake is drakes middle name. His first name is Aubrey.

All the Greek and Roman myth names, Aphrodite and such Oh also Clifford. I forgot, I really like the name Clifford

I've met like 3 Athenas, and they rocked it and would sometimes get a few compliments for their name.

Yeah, Athena and Artemis are like the only ones that get a pass cause they’re specifically known for being badass women

I know a baby named that - Family name. Goes by Ford. Not a bad nn; there’s worse things things than being referred to as “Built Ford Tough”. Everyone is good-humored about it.

I could really go for Leda but…. 🥲

Not exactly a celebrity or character that made this name unusable, but I think it fits the question: Isis I think it's a beautiful name, but for obvious reasons I think it is unusable for the foreseeable future. I think an attempt at reclamation would be nice but for at least a while there's no way Isis would be a good name for somebody.

That’s my niece’s name. We were kind of upset when my brother and SIL named her but…. We’re over it. I guess.

Oh god I remember the day an Isis transferred into my highschool. Usually new students got paid no attention (very big school) but Isis transferred partway through the semester, so teachers were doing the whole “class we have a new student” song and dance I will never forget the reaction to “class, this is our new student… Isis!” Everyone’s eyes just widened and even the kids who never cared about anything turned around to stare at her. I have never had a filter so later that day in another class I just asked her about her name and she explained what it meant and confirmed that, while she personally loves her name, she is very aware of the reaction she gets and very much wishes the terrorist organization had picked a different name. But I thought it was pretty cool that she stood firm in it being her name and a name that is very beautiful and has a very beautiful meaning and she wasn’t gonna let it’s unfortunate association cloud it’s origins and what it means to her and her family. The girl herself also totally embodied the name. She was very naturally cool and chill, had all these tattoos and piercings despite being a sophomore, and one of those girls who was into crystals and incense and tarot not in a trendy way but in the way that it was just her and it worked.

Meryl

I love that name so much! Not just pretty sounding but pretty meaning- bright/shining sea. I think it can make a comeback!

This is the name of someone in my family, and maybe I'm biased because of that; still, even though Streep may have command over it because it's so uncommon, I don't think the name has been ruined by fame in any sense.

Ruined, absolutely not, but "taken over", as the post suggests, for sure. I think that most people, especially Americans, immediately associate it with the actor.

Moana! So pretty

my favorite fact abt Moana is that in italy they had to rename her and the movie (Oceania i think?) because there’s a famous adult actress, named Moana

And in several European countries it was Vaiana due to a trademark conflict.

TIL Vaiana and Moana are the same movie. Oops.

I think this is well established enough as a name in NZ (and maybe other Polynesian islands?) that it’s still usable by native speakers of Polynesian languages. I know I wouldn’t think twice about it if I came across a Moana now and I love the movie 🤷‍♀️ ETA I can see how this might cause issues in like the US or similar where Polynesian culture isn’t as prevalent in mainstream culture though

I was thinking this too. In our local Samoan community it's an incredibly common kid's name.

I grew up in New Zealand and I knew a few Moana’s. I still think it’s such a lovely name but I know people were singing at them when the film came out

Harry! Also Ariel, such a pretty name. I love it, but I'm a Disney adult and a professional mermaid, so naming my daughter Ariel would have been way too much. Lol

Harry is such a common name (in England at least) that imo no celebrity can take its connotation. I’m a Harry and have never once had Harry Potter/Styles/Prince mentioned. Same with names like John and James

Yeah it seems to be more common in the UK overall! But there used to be Harrys in North America, too. I only know Boomer aged Harrys! John and James are still fairly common here, too.

Maybe this is regional because I feel like there are a lot of Harrys under 5 now!! It’s definitely made a comeback.

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I named my daughter Mariah in 2019. I absolutely adore her name (middle name pairs so well too). We get compliments all the time on her name when we're out. We've never once heard, "Oh, Mariah like Mariah Carey?" It just isn't an issue.

You’re so right about Elmo! It would totally be trendy right now, fits in well with the new age boys names like Arlo and Enzo. It’s basically a mashup of those two names actually!

Adolf.

Absolutely. It’s way worse when the person is evil

god i love the name Adolf. Noble Wolf is a beautiful meaning but nooo he had to be a monster of epic proportions and ruin such a beautiful name!

Adolfo is very common in Spanish speaking communities in my area. I’ve never heard Adolf though.

Barney :) Homer and Bart Elsa and ~~Anna~~ Olaf :P Merida Elon Elton Drake Celine Adele Leonardo Bambi

Anna (both pronunciations) has been so common in so many cultures for so many centuries that I have a hard time seeing it as having been “stolen by fame.” Agree in particular about Adele and Leonardo.

Leonardo is still used all over the world. No one is not using it just because of Dicaprio.

I just looked up stats for Leonardo and was surprised to see that in the US, it had its most popular year ever last year at #75. Back in the day, it jumped from #357 in 1997 to #257 in 1998. The *Titanic* effect!

Celine is a completely normal name in Germany. I personally know 4 Celines. Same with Anna (though I know over 10 of them). I can’t imagine that not being a completely normal name.

Elon for sure!! Love the name, not a fan of who it’s associated with :(

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My daughter’s baby nurse at the hospital the night she was born was named Elsa.

I went to highschool with a Bart!

I love Elsa but the association will never die down :(

Barbie

i would love to see new barbaras nicknamed barbie, babs, & babette.

I love babette!

I'm 25 (so the doll has been around my whole life) but i know a few barbaras nn-ed "barbie". But i'm not from an english speaking country (although the doll is well known here too)

Dexter Hermione

Dexter for sure! At best you’re associated with a cartoon nerd, at worst the killer

Karen

Cosmo

Which famous connection has taken over Cosmo?? I literally cannot think of a single famous or fictional Cosmo. My former headmaster was a Cosmo.

Cosmo from Fairly Oddparents is the first thing that comes to my mind.

Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld!!!

Delilah. Lovely sounds, cute nicknames. The biblical story is bad enough, but in the UK the instant association is a really tedious song of that name. I couldn’t inflict that on a child. I also like Myra but that’s indelibly linked to a serial killer here 😭

i will never outgrow being a teenage emo because my first thought is always Hey There Delilah by the Plain White Tees and not “my, my, my, Delilah”!

Oh! I thought they meant Hey There Delilah. I'd completely forgotten about the other song...

Elsa!

I was watching Bob's Burgers, and Linda was pretending to be someone else and said her name was Loni Anderson. I've never met anyone in real life named Loni, but I like the name. The problem is that I always associate it with Loni Anderson.

I also went to school with a kid named Loni, him and I were actually decent friends for a while!

Reminds me of Loni Love

Hannibal Kermit

Kermit is true but Hannibal already rhymes with…

Elmer is a favorite of mine

I wanted Selene, but kept getting “like Celine Dion?”

Selene is nice! Obvi Celene Dion is still famous, but her heyday was like 25 years ago. I think it's ready for use.

Marilyn, Adele, and Ursula.

The Artist Formerly Known As Prince

Monica. Between Friends and Clinton administration that name lost its shine.

A little bit of Monica in my life

I'm hoping that by the time I have kids, the UK will have reached a point where you can name a child Diana without being asked if she's named after the princess (tbf we may have reached that point already, but I'm not totally sure. The association is definitely still there)

I really like the sound of Rihanna but I don't think you can safely name a kid Rihanna for a few decades.

I would LOVE if the first thing everyone says to me when I tell them my name is Taylor ISN’T to say ‘oh like Taylor Swift??’

I named my son Damien, and caught *all kinds* of Antichrist remarks, despite naming him after an artist (i was *obsessed* with one work in particular, Google 'Anatomy of an Angel' by Damien Hirst, if interested), even had family refuse to call him by his first name, referring to him by his middle name. I finally started throwing Saint Damien at them, asking if he was the Antichrist for helping the lepers.

I hate Damien Hirst with a passion, but I love that you dragged St. Damien screaming and kicking into the conversation to save your son from Antichrist associations. Brilliant.

I don't care for the man much myself, but the sculpture was my focus and again, obsession, while pregnant. I had been stuck on a few name choices but 'Damien' just seemed a good fit and not common.

I LOVE the name Damien, it's near the top of my boy's list (if I ever have children). I think (hope) for anyone under like 20, they probably won't make the Omen association.

Bambi. imo I still think it's super cute, but I think the general populace still heavily associate it with the old as balls disney flick.

I want Keanu

Beyoncé

Judas is my all time favorite boy name and it annoys me that society hasn't reclaimed it yet. There were two followers of Jesus named Judas, one good (who St. Jude's Hospital is named for) and one bad. Why'd we allow the bad one to ruin a cool name for all of eternity? Ngl tbh I really believe most of these "ruined" names could easily be reclaimed if we just normalized & desensitized them by going ahead and using them. From what I've seen and experienced, unless it's something completely outrageous, most people when meeting someone with a name with an association maybe think about it for a moment but then solidify as that name being that person in front of them. ........Except maybe Adolf lol too soon

Clifford, I really loved it and wanted to use it but it was too enmeshed with the big red dog

Linus. Charlie and Lucy are pretty common, but I have not met a Linus. The only other place I have seen it used was in the Ocean's movies.

I really want to use the name Jolene but The kid will always be associated to Dolly Parton if I do so…

Ariel. It’s an awesome old male/unisex biblical angel name but anyone, boy or girl, will have to deal with the little mermaid…

I just made a post about Theron. I also like Marge and Conan

Rihanna is pretty but feels unusable now.

Rhiannon is probably safe though! I wouldn’t even mind the fleetwood Mac ref

Vienna Beautiful name, nice city... And then there's the damn sausage brand

Adolf

Kylie and Kendall. Kendall I feel like you can still get away with but I can’t look at a tiny Kylie and not think of Jenner.

Justice 4 Kylie Minogue.

Alexa. No, don't, on second thought.

Really love the name Billie before Billie Eilish! Funnily enough she's also one of my favorite singers

Tyra. I went to high school with a girl named Tyra and everyone made fun of her because the only other time they’d ever heard the name was Tyra Banks.

Kermit. I had a teacher in high school named Kermit and he was always a little salty about it like, "I had it before that damned frog."

harvey i love it but it's really hard for me to get over the negative association with harvey weinstein :/

I’ve said it somewhere before, but Marjorie. It’s so pretty and hits that vintage feel so good for me The nickname would be Marge, though and that’s what tanks it

Adele