Were you named after a favorite character or famous/historical figure?

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Hey Berries,

This morning, I came across this particular blog post :http://nameberry.com/blog/no-dumb-na...orth-following from NB.

Now I was most curious about Rule # 15: Don't name your baby after a pop star or sitcom character. And I wondered whether people who were named after "famous people", notable historic figures, favorite fictional character, and et cetera.

If so, did you always know this? How did you feel about being named after people who weren't "nearest and dearest" to you? Did you worry about living up to your name?

I'm asking this because I noticed my top two names (male and female name) have strong connections with my favorite actor and tv show character.

Feel free to share your insights.

[kungfualex]

Well, my mom named me Alexandra and while she is a big fan of Russian history (and actually her 2nd husband is Russian) I don't think she specifically named me after Tsarina Alexandra, it's possible. It would be an awfully tragic namesake, though, so I assume she likes the name independently.

[mega_muffin]

I was named after my grandmother Margaret, but the choice of my nickname (Meg) came from my mother's favorite book growing up, Little Women. I always thought that was rather cool, and when I read the book myself, Meg became my favorite character. (My sister also has a LW-related name - Laura, after Theodore "Laurie" Laurence.)

[dovah]

I wasn't named after prominent characters or historical figures, but I was named after a news story.

I've always known that a little girl name Jessica got trapped in a well in Texas (I believe) when my mom was pregnant with me. My grandmother actually decided that if the girl survived, they would name me Jessica. From what I've heard, the little girl had incredibly strong spirits, and would even sing and converse with her rescuers as they tried to free her from the well. I've seen "Where are they now" news stories featuring her, but I still don't know much about the incident. I think she was 2 or 3 when it happened.

Anyway, my mother and grandmother admired her strength and named me Jessica. I was going to be Erica, otherwise.

[kungfualex]

I really like that. When you first started saying you were named after baby Jessica, I was kind of horrified, but the reasoning behind it is actually very positive.

[taz]

My name is Tara which most people associate with Gone With The Wind, but my name actually had no connection to that. My mom named me after a soap opera character...she was the "good twin" dealing with her evil twin! I'm glad my mom didn't go for a really well known character because I do think soap names are pretty low brow! What can I do, my mom was young & that's what she was into!

I definitely veto any names with YA lit or popular TV connections- even if I liked them first like Esme!! Anything too tied to that kind of thing turns me off!

[alfiejoe]

@Kungfualex that's really funny my mom is very into Russian history and named me after Tsarina Alexandra as well, however she used her birth name Alix, instead because she doesn't like long names. So Alix I am, I always thought it was very cool to have that connection that most people don't know and can educate others that my name is not a misspelling!

[valkyrie]

I was named after Natalie Wood, who is one of my mother's favorite actresses. When I was little, I didn't know who Natalie Wood was, but vaguely knew of Natalie Cole. So for the longest time, I thought I was named after Natalie Cole. About the time I entered my preteen years, I found out who I was really named after, and liked it more. As I got older, I saw movies starring Natalie Wood, though I still find it kind of sad regarding her death.

I'm glad my parents chose Natalie as opposed to, say, Wednesday (another one of her choices, after a character from Addams Family) or Lucy (my father's choice for me, possibly after Lucille Ball), which to me seem more obviously associated with one particular character. In contrast, Natalie seems more versatile to me.

[agent99]

I was named after an author, I share her first and middle name and I love the connection!

[kungfualex]

@Kungfualex that's really funny my mom is very into Russian history and named me after Tsarina Alexandra as well, however she used her birth name Alix, instead because she doesn't like long names. So Alix I am, I always thought it was very cool to have that connection that most people don't know and can educate others that my name is not a misspelling!

That's cool! Really sad what happened to her and her family, though.