Contentious doll names - gods and so on.

I think that the name itself doesn't carry as much weight as the character you give the doll. Just giving the doll a name doesn't imply that there actually is good or bad.
I do believe however, that naming a doll Lucifer and depicting him as a devil would offend fewer people than say naming a doll Hitler and depicting him as a Nazi.
My thinking with this is that : Yes, you most likely would offend some people with a Lucifer doll, but to many people it would be a novelty. Were as the historical events that occurred because of Hitler are more tangable to most of society.

 

I wanted to name one of my dolls Spicdale or Spic for short, but I was informed that "spic" is a racial slur. I was shocked. I thought that I had come up with a nonsence word. I was very strongly told that my name choice was not appropriate. So, I will not be naming my doll that because I wouldn't want to be offensive.

 

If you called him 'Spickdale' then that wouldn't be too bad and the spelling 'Spick' wouldn't be offensive (like the inoffensive British idiom "spick & span", meaning "neat & tidy"), but the spelling "spic" is a slur. Ultimately though, it is entirely up to you what you call your doll and if you still like the sound of "Spicdale" as a name, go for it...even if you're uncomfortable with calling him "Spic" for short, "Daley" is a pretty cool short form as well.

 

Actually, it would have been a girl doll, a very tomboyish girl. I had originally wanted her to be known as Spit, but that's just nasty. Maybe she will end up being Daley. Hmm... I agree that spelling is important when trying to avoid offensive names.

On another note, I would not advise naming a doll Hilter. However, Lucifer has become more of a cultural name that indicates abstract evil as opposed to a specific genocide, as in the case of Hitler. In my mind an inappropiate name has to do more with the portrayal of the doll's charater and the view of culture on the name.

 

I've been sorta curious how people would preceive the names i'm saving for my dolls. On one hand I have been wanting to name one SD Male doll, Frey. I've always liked the name and knew it came from Scandinavia. I created this whole story around Frey and realised that the norse god Frey has a lot of similarities to my doll or rather the doll has a lot of similarities to the god. So do others think if the god and doll have similar personalities I should consider changing the name? I'm also naming another SD Female doll Evelyn. I'm partial to nicknames for dolls so I was thinking Eve. But she's not going to be going around naked or suddenly having children named Cain and Abel. So does anyone think that it is wrong to give this doll a nickname such as this as well? Eve is going to be from the past during a time when Evelyn was a very popular name and Eve is also a popular nickname.

 

I don't find any offense in the name or nickname Eve.
On top of that, Eve is a common name in my country. I'm a Christian and yet when I read "Eve" I didn't immediately think of Adam & Eve.

I also don't find any offense in using the names of gods when you simply like the name.

I actually like the name Lucifer (meaning "Day Star" or "Morning Star") but I probably wouldn't name my doll that because of the connotations. "Satan" is out of the question because I only relate that name to Satan himself.

 

I like religious and mythological names. I can't think of any that would be offensive to me. If someone named their doll after a deity or an angel or whatever, I'd just assume that they were inspired by the name or thought it sounded nice.

OTOH, I'd have to wonder if someone named their doll after an evil human being, like Hitler. That would have too many negative connotations for me.

 

Actually, it means "light bearer" (from lux, light and ferre, to bring or bear, and yes I minored in Latin).

I have not made any of my own comments to this thread yet, because it's a tricky question... But since it keeps coming up, I'll admit it here and here only I guess, one of my dolls is in fact actually named "Lucifer," and I do in fact have a reason within the context of the story he's from for naming him that. But I never refer to him as that, I didn't give him the name as a way to "draw attention" (in fact, my insistence on calling him "Luc" at all times is a way of actually drawing attention away from his full name, which I'm sure most people have assumed is something more conventional).

Conversely, I also have a doll named "Gabriel," for the angel; as there are people out there who share that name, and it's a relatively common one, there are different connotations to it, and people just take that one as it is. The name lacks the notoriety factor, which I think is where the concern comes more from than just the meaning. (All names have meanings, when you get down to it; even my brother is named for a mythological figure.)

Ultimately, it comes down to the notoriety of the name and the context in which it is used, more than the name itself... I personally have not named my doll "Lucifer" out of a sense of sensationalism or attention-grabbing, and I don't think I could or would want to name a doll that or anything similar as a way to do so. My dolls are fairly average anyway, and I'd like people to notice them because of the work I put in to improve them, not because I chose a wild name. To my mind, it's not severely wrong, however, to choose a "contentious" name in itself. I disagree with the idea of attention-whoring, and tend to condemn it, but as for whether it's truly ethically wrong, I really don't think I could say that.

 

Usualy when you choose a name for your doll it is because you like it or you like the sound of it so frankly for me what others think of it it is the last thing I will consider, One of my doll name is Damien and the only time I realised that it was the same of the boy in the Omen it was my daughter that kept telling me I don't like is name it's scare me. but anyway she's scare of another one because she said the doll look like a devil. If you like the name go for it

 

Hitller would be terribly tacky to say the least, as it's a name just loaded with negative connotations. And truly? Naming your doll that is just BEGGING people to misunderstand and be offended.

A lot of offense is going to come from the beliefs and opinions of others around you. If you live in a very conservative Christian area you might want to think twice about naming your doll Jehovah or Jesus, but untimately it's up to you on whether you want to deal with it or not.

I have a friend who named her girl Necrophilia because she like the sound of it I'm rather over it but it isn't my doll so I don't care. I kinda want to name one Cockerel, just to mess with the stupid auto censor on the board.

 

I'm naming my Unoa Lusis Samara, which I'm sure everyone is going to assume I named her after the girl from "The Ring" and while that's where I first heard the name, I loved it so much it stayed in my mind. I think it will suit my new girl, though she won't be a bit creepy or scary, just a demure, innocent Victorian Gothic Lolita.

Is that silly?

 

Everyone? I've never seen the Ring so umm no I wouldn't

 

I didn't remember that was the girls name in the ring. Probably because i'm used to the Japanese character's name.

I find it interesting tha a lot of people say don't name your doll Hitler for obvious reasons. But his last name was Hitler not his first name. So does anyone on here think it's ok to name your doll Adolf? That was Hitler's first name. Ironically i think it should be ok. Does the idea of Hitler come to mind when you hear the name Adolf? I bet for most it doesn't. Though you won't catch me naming mine Adolf anytime soon.

 

Sorry, that's my mistake. The word "Lucifer" is a name for the "Morning Star." But you're right, the actual meaning is "light bearer (or "bringer" according to Wikipedia)."

 

As "ferre" is both "bring" and "bear" (and about a dozen other meanings, Latin's fun like that), both are correct. I've heard it as a name for the "morning star" as well, and figured that's where the error was. (I also find the Vegetarian food product line sharing that name amusing.)

Negative connotations aside, it's a lovely name, which makes the associations rather unfortunate.

 

xD Haha! You should see all of the different companies that come up when you search "Morning Star." How would you like some Morningstar financial help?

 

bwahaha. it would be in very bad taste but it would be funny to see people's reactions.

 

silentstardust - I'm skim reading, but the Norse god you want is Freyr, not Frey. As far as I know from my studies 'Frey' is a vaugley Norse name but not applicable to that god. He's the dwarf-god with a chariot pulled by two huge goats.

Freya, on the other hand, has a penchant for anyone she likes the look of and possesses a chariot drawn by cats.. I think.. she also at one point transforms one of her squeezes into a Boar.

My two pence: I'm fine with most dolls names. Really iconic ones such as 'Jesus' I'd probably twitch at, though I would also twitch at 'Titania' or 'Oberon'. I think, personally, naming your doll after the supposed head of a pantheon is a little pretentious, but oddly I'd be fine with names like 'Venus', 'Freya' and if you -really- wanted to, 'Loki'.

Looking at the new Soom possible-wolf-boy I'm wondering how many Fenris/Fenrir names are going to surface, which is going to make me flinch no end. ^^"

 

A name is a name. Names can be very important to a "meh, it's just something to call them." I think it's cool when dollie names have a reason behind them. The owner should not hesitate in any way to name the doll what s/he wants! I didn't realize Aine was the name of a Celtic deity until I did some serious googling but that did not stop me from naming my girl as such!

Let your creativity roam free and follow your gut on your decisions, people!

 

Personally, a name is a name. It depends on your culture, heritage and personal history as to weather a name is offensive. It has been demostrated a lot in the news (such as the woman arrested for calling thier school mascot Muhammed.)

I am not religious so a doll called Jesus, Muhammed or Allah will not offend me and a doll called Hitler would not offend me unless it was intended to be Adolph Hitler the Leader of the Nazi's...Even then, It would be more of a silent awkwardness for the dolls owner.

It's all a matter of Opinion. Some names have conotations that have changed a hundred times as the years have passed. Common respect would stop people from being so ignorant towards naming or basing thier doll off a currently worshiped deity as this could cause a lot of upset, but as long as the owner understands that.

Afterall, Calling a doll Jesus is no different from calling your doll Zeus or Ra...It's just that there are less people to offend with the last two.