Nov 13, 2023·edited Nov 13, 2023Liked by Nancy Friedman
I was interested to see in the Name Grapher (https://namerology.com/baby-name-grapher/) that "Jezebel" as a girl's name gets zero hits. Assuming I did my search correctly, that suggests that in the US, at least, the name has been thoroughly pejorated.
Now I wonder if there are other such names, ones that have been so tainted that they're effectively off the list, so to speak.
I've also often wondered about Cassandra, but lots of people love that name, even apparently knowing that it references a seer (tho perhaps not the way in which she was cursed?).
Thank you for sharing your observation, Mike! It's fascinating how names like "Jezebel" have become so culturally loaded that they're almost entirely avoided. As you pointed out, some names have become so negatively associated that they've fallen out of favor completely. For instance, names like "Adolf," which has nearly disappeared due to its historical connotations, or "Lucifer," which carries a strong stigma due to its association with the devil. If you're curious about the name "Jezebel" specifically, you can find more information here: https://www.namecutie.com/girl/baby-name-jezebel
I was interested to see in the Name Grapher (https://namerology.com/baby-name-grapher/) that "Jezebel" as a girl's name gets zero hits. Assuming I did my search correctly, that suggests that in the US, at least, the name has been thoroughly pejorated.
Now I wonder if there are other such names, ones that have been so tainted that they're effectively off the list, so to speak.
For some reason Delilah has not suffered a similar fate.
I've also often wondered about Cassandra, but lots of people love that name, even apparently knowing that it references a seer (tho perhaps not the way in which she was cursed?).
As Laura Wattenberg (Namerology) often points out, name style is more influential than name meaning.
Thank you for sharing your observation, Mike! It's fascinating how names like "Jezebel" have become so culturally loaded that they're almost entirely avoided. As you pointed out, some names have become so negatively associated that they've fallen out of favor completely. For instance, names like "Adolf," which has nearly disappeared due to its historical connotations, or "Lucifer," which carries a strong stigma due to its association with the devil. If you're curious about the name "Jezebel" specifically, you can find more information here: https://www.namecutie.com/girl/baby-name-jezebel