I'm expecting a girl, and would really like to hear your opinion on my name possibilities. I love names like Tamsin and Rhiannon, and, most controversially, Guinevere. Does the name still have bad karma and a try hard vibe? I just love the sound of it.
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I am pretty lucky to have this gig. That’s an understatement, but I am continually surprised by how much I love doing this and how many new questions there are.
One of the reasons why this will never be boring is because people have such incredibly different ideas about what constitute good and bad names, or where the “bad associations” are. I still can’t believe one movie has made Damian such a no-go. I mean, Heather still happened after Heathers.
So I really had to search to find the “bad karma” associated with Guinevere. I assume you mean how she had an affair with Lancelot and betrayed Arthur. Right? Because while that exists, there’s a really, really small proportion of people who automatically know to make that association. So I think it’s reasonable to expect that, while there will be people who know where Guinevere comes from, they’re not going to automatically outfit your daughter with a scarlet letter. Those who do know are going to say “Oh I’m so glad you brought back that beautiful old name. Did you consider the original “Gwynyfyharr” spelling?” Then she will go off to call her child, Thistle, off the climbing structure.
But seriously. It’s a gorgeous name, and while it’s always going to be different-seeming, particularly to parents who choose, you know, Katie, it’s still beautiful.
Similarly Tamsin and Rhiannon – both are delightful, used rarely, which is part of their charm. But don’t get caught up in whether or not people will like them or think they’re overwrought or whatnot, because that’s what makes the difference between people who think about name choices and those who think about everyone else’s opinion. None of these is so unusual or steeped in folkore or upsetting as to be unuseable. Go in peace.
