Does the name of TV characters influence your naming style?

Question

O.K., I'll admit it - I'm on school holidays and am so bored, but I go back to school next week. I thought I'd ask some questions to what what all you guys have to say cos I love hearing others opinions. Today I want to know if TV characters influence your naming style. Like, I watch this Australian soap opera called "Home and Away", and I pick up on these names I like. I like the name Rachel Marie (Amy Mathew's character is Rachel Marie) and Cassandra Joan (after Sharni Vinson's character). Does anyone else do this, or it is just me? 10 points to best answer - c'mon and answer, cos if you don't get the 10 points, you'll still get the ones for answering, and you gotta be in it to win it!!

Answer 1

In the 80's I watched Knots Landing and one of the characters was Paige. I always wanted to use it for my daughter. Now it's her middle name. (she was born in 2002)

Answer 2

not at all.i could not care less what others names are or what people think of the names i chose as long as mommy and daddy like it nothing else matters!

Answer 3

Hey, it's not just me! Nice to know that it influences others too. I'm a little 'Home and Away' addicted - I've been watching the programme for almost the full 20 years of my life. I must admit that I've gone through times, growing up, that I've really liked a name I've heard on the programme and have seriously contemplated naming any future children after the character, but generally, the novelty wears off after some months. A few, I will admit, stick, and others are names I loved prior to hearing them on the show, such as Noah and Jack (although I'll admit that my love of the name Matilda came from Indiana Evan's character). Also, I've always loved the name Elizabeth, and one night, whilst watching 'Neighbours', Susan refered to Libby by her full name, Elizabeth Grace; well, Elizabeth Grace has stuck with me ever since. If I have a daughter, I'll contemplate calling her Elizabeth Grace, nickname Libby. I think if you have prolonged exposure to any TV show, it's likely that at some point you'll pick up on a name you really like, and it'll end up sticking. And, by the way, before I forget, where'd you get that list of the 'Home and Away' character's full names??

Answer 4

A phillipian lady i work with watched this show over there while she was pregnant with her first son and one of the guys from the show's name was Jericho and she thought he was hot, so she named her son that haha

Answer 5

Well I do think charactors on tv do make you like or dislike a name. Even people you know or have met that you like or dislike influance your opinion on a name.  

Answer 6

Yes, I gave my oldest son a middle name I liked from a character on

"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers".

Answer 7

my mom named me Raven after a soap opera character that she liked...

Answer 8

Yeah, totally. Like, before I watched the TV show Gossip Girl I hated the names Nate, Dan & Jenny,  but now I love them! o.0 It's weird how popular culture can influence your naming styles.

Answer 9

I don't think that they personally influence my naming style, but unfortunately, I think they do influence names.  Example, I'm 23 and there are a ton of Ashley's in my grade, and come to find out, about that time I guess there was an Ashley on a soap opera or something. Also, after Rachel on FRIENDS named her baby Emma, that name blew up, there are so many Emmas.  Another name that has looked like it has gotten popular again (looking at people's fav. names on Y Answers) is Bella, that was the main character in Twilight.  I have family that was tempted to name their son Harry if they had a baby last summer.  I think that TV shows & books do have infuences on baby names.  Most of the time, after a major movie or book, a certain name booms!

I also had a child in a Kindergarten class this year named Anakin.

Answer 10

No because if I used a name off a popular TV show I wouldn't want people saying "Oh like the chick on American Idol??", or whatever you know.

Answer 11

People have been doing this for years. It's cutting-edge the first year and boring after that. I wouldn't want to burden my child with a name that is so closely identified with a particular actor, show, or year.

"Dynasty" was on TV from 1981 to 1989. Everybody and his dog used the names from this show. Here's the rate of popularity for the major characters:

KRYSTAL

1989 rating: 82

1988 rating: 74

1987 rating: 70

1986 rating: 61

1985 rating: 53

1984 rating: 74

1983 rating: 78

1982 rating: 83

1981 rating: 131

1980 rating: 220

ALEXIS

1989 rating: 92

1988 rating: 97

1987 rating: 113

1986 rating: 129

1985 rating: 112

1984 rating: 89

1983 rating: 83

1982 rating: 93

1981 rating: 173

1980 rating: 204

Then there was Shirley Temple. The bulk of her memorable films were done between 1934 and 1939. Look how popular the name became:

1930 rating: 11

1934 rating: 4

1935 rating: 2

1936 rating: 2

1937 rating: 4

1938 rating: 5

1939 rating: 5

Answer 12

Nope, because most tv characters have awful names.

Answer 13

I always thought I'd name my daughter Michaela, I fell in love with it from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman but now it's been ruined by all the ghetto spellings and over usage now I wouldn't use it which makes me sad. My fiance actually likes Lorelei now from Gilmore Girls though I'm not sure I'd use it.

Answer 14

I picked up two of my very favorite names from the American show "Charmed". Rose McGowan plays Paige Matthews, and I absolutely adore the name Paige. I'd never really thought of it before I watched Charmed. Also in Charmed, Julian McMahon plays Cole. Cole is one of my top boys names. I think it's a fabulous name.

It's a little silly, but all of my cats are named after a TV icon as well. One of them, Biff, is named after a character in "Back to the Future". The second, Hazel, is named after a character in a Canadian show called "Degrassi". The last is Kali Marilyn (yes she has a middle name- I'm an idiot lol) named after my idol, Marilyn Monroe.

So- YES! TV influences my naming style!

Answer 15

I can't really think of a show on TV nowadays that's really worth being that into.  And I've never liked soap operas. Bleh!

The only show I've been really into was the X-Files.  Hmm, "Fox..."  No I don't think so. "Dana..."  Well my Dad's name is Dan... Nah. :)

Answer 16

TV characters definitely influence people when choosing names. Think about it: When researching names on the internet or in a book, it can be hard to narrow it down. But then you flip on the TV and go Wow! Blair is such a pretty name! And Nate's kinda cute! And I've never even thought of Serena before! I'm using examples from Gossip Girl. Maybe even if you don't actually name your baby AFTER a character, then you certainly can get a lot of ideas from it.