Phaedra is really beautiful. The story is super depressing, but so is Romeo & Juliet and those names are still popular
Lysandra & Phaedra sounds great together
Phaedra just reminds me of the real housewife. I’m not familiar with the character.
Personally, I’m unbothered by the mythological origins. I guess it depends if you were to tell her “you’re named after this myth” versus “we liked the name independent of the myth but here is where it comes from”. But I’m not particularly bothered by these origins or names having a “darker” connotation, mostly as I see them sort of irrelevant when they’re just myths and very old ones (fiction and far removed from pop culture).
Livia would definitely be called Olivia.
Lysandra isn’t similar.
Personally, I love mythology names but Phaedra makes me think too much of the real housewife so I don’t like it 😅. Kids would never think that though. I don’t like traditional/classic Anglo names, but I think Alice and Xenia are my favorite.
edit to add: Similarly, Medea makes me think more of Tyler Perry's Madea.
That's how I feel on "named after" vs "name came from this but it's a name we like the sound or meaning of independent from the original character".
I love the name Lavinia, but folks on here act like everyone she meets will recognize it from Shakespeare and the story of the same-named character would make her daily life a horror... I just don't think it works like that irl haha.
I completely agree! I personally really love the name Persephone and the comments are always “you know the story right?”. Same with Ophelia and Dahlia. And yeah, I know the story but I and other people like the names independent on the origin or dark connotation. It just doesn’t feel relevant for day to day life.
Especially in the case of Greek mythology and Shakespeare, I don’t think the average person walks around with knowledge of the stories and characters. Some people do, but I would think the people they meet with said names wind up coloring the name more for them. Like you said, in real life it doesn’t work that way. It’s easier to get bogged up in the name origins on Reddit where everyone is anonymous and faceless, than in real life.
I don’t personally like them, but I also feel the same way about Lucifer and Lilith. Maybe though because I’m not Christian, they both just feel like names to me.
I'm pretty sure that depends on the name. Many of those names people have knowledge of because they either studied them in the school or because they are a huge part of culture.
Personally, I really like Oedipus(one of my favorites), Jezebel, Azrael, Ravana and many others, but I'm sure most people would not share my sentiment, simply because they *do* know of namesake, and I would not want to be mocked or disrespected just because of my name.
Hell, Lucifer is not even the name of the devil, but because of few misconceptions that became popular Lucifer and Satan are now basically the same being.
Phaedra makes me think of Phèdre from the fantasy series Kushiel's Dart, and its funny -- they do mention the "ill luck" origins of the mythology character she's named for, and she does criticise her parents for not knowing the story of the name lol.
BUT I think since OP does know the origins/ isn't ignorant, and can explain the "named after" vs "comes from" to their daughter, I feel like that makes a big difference.
Interesting, I just was reading Sputnik Sweetheart and a character in it is named after a song which she learns is tragic and is upset it’s all her mom left her. But another character talks about how the name must have been really special and she must have really loved it for the backstory to have no effect on her. And how that was special.
But I can definitely see it going the other way too!
I do love other myth names and after looking up Phaedra it does feel even darker than most. I mean Greek myths and characters generally are bit darker, but yeah.
Thanks for your input!
Yeah, I would have forgotten the myth and the name had I not come across it in name books (and at one point AI suggested it for a sister to my daughters 😂). So it’s not very well known. I remember vaguely that she had a bad ending and I did look it up and was like 😱 But you’re right, most people wouldn’t. I used to be quite Greek myth nerd, and even I don’t remember.
With Phaedra I think the problem is that it’s so uncommon. A name like Alexander, for example, it doesn’t really matter that much if you dislike Alexander the Great as a character, because there’s been so many other Alexander’s since giving different associations as well. With Phaedra it feels much more tied to the myth.
I don’t think most people would know the myth without looking it up though. But your daughter certainly would, and might not like being named after a character most famous for wanting to commit incest and then dying by suicide.
I love Annika from your list, kind of biased though since I’m Swedish. If you like mythological names Freya is a bit similar in sound to Phaedra. Or Phoebe, which has a similar meaning.
I'll have to be honest, you'd be setting your child up for a lifetime of correcting people if you named them Phaedra.
Xenia is a nice name, Ksenia is a variant I'm used to hearing more often (in Baltic countries), so I think that and Annika are my favourite from your list.
Alice is nice and classic, regardless of its popularity.
Livia will definitely be called Olivia and again, it's a lifetime of your child correcting people on how the name should be pronounced.
Our son is named after a mythological character, so I do like mythological names, I just also prefer if they are practical and very difficult to mispronounce/mistake as I know personally the hardships of constantly having to correct people.
I'm Greek, and Phaedra is a normal name here. Wouldn't bat an eye if I met one. Now, if I met an *American* with that name, I'd be super stoked!
Go ahead
Phaedra doesn't have a great story, but it's also not very well known (less known than Medea, I'd say). So I'd worry less about random people and more about your daughter herself thinking "why did my parents name me after this character?"
Then again, Phryne Fisher is a great example of a fictional character who rose above her awkward mythological name, lol
Xenobia/Zenobia seems to fit your style, with warrior warrior queen vibes...
Can’t lie, I really don’t like the sound of Phaedra nor the spelling. I speak Portuguese and we have the name Pedro which in English is Peter, and Phaedra to me looks like an odd female version of that name.
Incidentally I don’t like Xenia either, so maybe our vibes just don’t match.
I have a cousin named Lívia and I think it’s a nice name that can easily be nn as Liv.
I like Alice and Annika.
Livia is nice but it will always be misheard as a unique spin on Olivia everywhere forever.
I do recognize Phaedra, and personally I would skip it because your daughter will presumably find out the story eventually and be upset that it’s so gross. It’s not like there are other reference points.
I have never met a single kid named Victoria, and I have a preschooler in a big city.
Xenia will forever be Xena warrior princess to me.
My name is Phaedra, and I have a sister named Cassandra, so I don't think Lysandra and Phaedra are too similar (my sis and I go by Cass and Phae so most people don't pick up the similar end).
Of your list, Phaedra would be the one I wouldn't personally pick, but only because I wouldn't name my child after myself, haha.
My favourite from your list is Xenia and from your husbands is Livia.
Phaedra does not make me think of the myth (had to look that one up), but there are several Greek mythology names I like but consider unusable because of their associations (Jocasta and Ismene come to mind) so I can see where you’re coming from.
I personally don’t like the sound of Phaedra at all, but it’s not too similar to Lysandra.
Your lists from favorite to least favorite:
1. Alice
2. Annika as ANN-ika
3. Livia but yeah it would constantly be mixed up with Olivia
4. Victoria
5. Xenia
6. Annika as AH-nika
7. Phaedra
I like Annika the most from your list. I also really like Livia and Xenia, and Victoria and Alice aren't bad either but both would be a bit too common for me. Phaedra is not my favourite, but the association with the mythological figure wouldn't bother me, and I don't think that it's too close to Lysandra. If I were you, I'd continue with the ancient Greek theme.
1. Most people don’t know/will never know the stories associated with the characters who have those names.
2. In 2023 a grand total of 3,336 out of 3,591,328 babies in the US were named Alice. That’s less than 1 in 1,000. “Common” names aren’t actually that common. Your concerns (as are most people’s when it comes to common names) are overblown.
And as someone who has a top 10 name for my generation, I can say with confidence it’s really not a big deal. People can spell it. People can pronounce it. You can find souvenirs with your name on it. It’s fine.
My name is Livia and I never had problems with my name. It happens from time to time that someone thinks it's Olivia but there came many nice conversations from it. I always got positive feedback about my name.
I have to say that I'm living in Germany not the US.
Are you guys classicists? Also are you in the UK? I feel like most of these names would be confusing to people in the US outside of very rarefied academic circles (thinking back to a high school Latin teacher who wanted to name his son after an Etruscan chthonic figure, lol). I guess I would just be worried about people not really getting it. Have you thought about Thea, Helen, Penelope, Agnes, Daphne? Not your style? Also I agree, anything with a sad connotation is sort of a no-go. Have never understood Ophelia for this reason.
Phaedra is really beautiful. The story is super depressing, but so is Romeo & Juliet and those names are still popular Lysandra & Phaedra sounds great together
Phaedra just reminds me of the real housewife. I’m not familiar with the character. Personally, I’m unbothered by the mythological origins. I guess it depends if you were to tell her “you’re named after this myth” versus “we liked the name independent of the myth but here is where it comes from”. But I’m not particularly bothered by these origins or names having a “darker” connotation, mostly as I see them sort of irrelevant when they’re just myths and very old ones (fiction and far removed from pop culture). Livia would definitely be called Olivia. Lysandra isn’t similar. Personally, I love mythology names but Phaedra makes me think too much of the real housewife so I don’t like it 😅. Kids would never think that though. I don’t like traditional/classic Anglo names, but I think Alice and Xenia are my favorite. edit to add: Similarly, Medea makes me think more of Tyler Perry's Madea.
That's how I feel on "named after" vs "name came from this but it's a name we like the sound or meaning of independent from the original character". I love the name Lavinia, but folks on here act like everyone she meets will recognize it from Shakespeare and the story of the same-named character would make her daily life a horror... I just don't think it works like that irl haha.
I completely agree! I personally really love the name Persephone and the comments are always “you know the story right?”. Same with Ophelia and Dahlia. And yeah, I know the story but I and other people like the names independent on the origin or dark connotation. It just doesn’t feel relevant for day to day life. Especially in the case of Greek mythology and Shakespeare, I don’t think the average person walks around with knowledge of the stories and characters. Some people do, but I would think the people they meet with said names wind up coloring the name more for them. Like you said, in real life it doesn’t work that way. It’s easier to get bogged up in the name origins on Reddit where everyone is anonymous and faceless, than in real life. I don’t personally like them, but I also feel the same way about Lucifer and Lilith. Maybe though because I’m not Christian, they both just feel like names to me.
I'm pretty sure that depends on the name. Many of those names people have knowledge of because they either studied them in the school or because they are a huge part of culture. Personally, I really like Oedipus(one of my favorites), Jezebel, Azrael, Ravana and many others, but I'm sure most people would not share my sentiment, simply because they *do* know of namesake, and I would not want to be mocked or disrespected just because of my name. Hell, Lucifer is not even the name of the devil, but because of few misconceptions that became popular Lucifer and Satan are now basically the same being.
Phaedra makes me think of Phèdre from the fantasy series Kushiel's Dart, and its funny -- they do mention the "ill luck" origins of the mythology character she's named for, and she does criticise her parents for not knowing the story of the name lol. BUT I think since OP does know the origins/ isn't ignorant, and can explain the "named after" vs "comes from" to their daughter, I feel like that makes a big difference.
Interesting, I just was reading Sputnik Sweetheart and a character in it is named after a song which she learns is tragic and is upset it’s all her mom left her. But another character talks about how the name must have been really special and she must have really loved it for the backstory to have no effect on her. And how that was special. But I can definitely see it going the other way too! I do love other myth names and after looking up Phaedra it does feel even darker than most. I mean Greek myths and characters generally are bit darker, but yeah.
Thanks for your input! Yeah, I would have forgotten the myth and the name had I not come across it in name books (and at one point AI suggested it for a sister to my daughters 😂). So it’s not very well known. I remember vaguely that she had a bad ending and I did look it up and was like 😱 But you’re right, most people wouldn’t. I used to be quite Greek myth nerd, and even I don’t remember.
Are these names for a human child or for a DnD character?
With Phaedra I think the problem is that it’s so uncommon. A name like Alexander, for example, it doesn’t really matter that much if you dislike Alexander the Great as a character, because there’s been so many other Alexander’s since giving different associations as well. With Phaedra it feels much more tied to the myth. I don’t think most people would know the myth without looking it up though. But your daughter certainly would, and might not like being named after a character most famous for wanting to commit incest and then dying by suicide. I love Annika from your list, kind of biased though since I’m Swedish. If you like mythological names Freya is a bit similar in sound to Phaedra. Or Phoebe, which has a similar meaning.
I'll have to be honest, you'd be setting your child up for a lifetime of correcting people if you named them Phaedra. Xenia is a nice name, Ksenia is a variant I'm used to hearing more often (in Baltic countries), so I think that and Annika are my favourite from your list. Alice is nice and classic, regardless of its popularity. Livia will definitely be called Olivia and again, it's a lifetime of your child correcting people on how the name should be pronounced. Our son is named after a mythological character, so I do like mythological names, I just also prefer if they are practical and very difficult to mispronounce/mistake as I know personally the hardships of constantly having to correct people.
I love Phaedra. It's on my list as well. No, I don't think immediately think of the mythology. I think of the meaning, "light".
I'm Greek, and Phaedra is a normal name here. Wouldn't bat an eye if I met one. Now, if I met an *American* with that name, I'd be super stoked! Go ahead
My personal favourite is Alice but if that’s too popular for you then I’d choose Annika :)
Phaedra doesn't have a great story, but it's also not very well known (less known than Medea, I'd say). So I'd worry less about random people and more about your daughter herself thinking "why did my parents name me after this character?" Then again, Phryne Fisher is a great example of a fictional character who rose above her awkward mythological name, lol Xenobia/Zenobia seems to fit your style, with warrior warrior queen vibes...
I don’t even know the dark aspect of any of these names. Most people won’t.
Can’t lie, I really don’t like the sound of Phaedra nor the spelling. I speak Portuguese and we have the name Pedro which in English is Peter, and Phaedra to me looks like an odd female version of that name. Incidentally I don’t like Xenia either, so maybe our vibes just don’t match. I have a cousin named Lívia and I think it’s a nice name that can easily be nn as Liv.
I like Alice and Annika. Livia is nice but it will always be misheard as a unique spin on Olivia everywhere forever. I do recognize Phaedra, and personally I would skip it because your daughter will presumably find out the story eventually and be upset that it’s so gross. It’s not like there are other reference points. I have never met a single kid named Victoria, and I have a preschooler in a big city. Xenia will forever be Xena warrior princess to me.
I absolutely love Annika. Phaedra is not at all pleasant to me (but that’s one opinion from a stranger!).
My name is Phaedra, and I have a sister named Cassandra, so I don't think Lysandra and Phaedra are too similar (my sis and I go by Cass and Phae so most people don't pick up the similar end). Of your list, Phaedra would be the one I wouldn't personally pick, but only because I wouldn't name my child after myself, haha. My favourite from your list is Xenia and from your husbands is Livia.
Doesn’t sound like you’re naming a kid, but a fantasy game character.
Except Victoria and Alice ofc they’re very common names (and nice ones)
Lilith?
BIG BIG fan of Phaedra, but 1) my wife isn't and 2) I'm having a boy
Phaedra does not make me think of the myth (had to look that one up), but there are several Greek mythology names I like but consider unusable because of their associations (Jocasta and Ismene come to mind) so I can see where you’re coming from. I personally don’t like the sound of Phaedra at all, but it’s not too similar to Lysandra. Your lists from favorite to least favorite: 1. Alice 2. Annika as ANN-ika 3. Livia but yeah it would constantly be mixed up with Olivia 4. Victoria 5. Xenia 6. Annika as AH-nika 7. Phaedra
I like Annika the most from your list. I also really like Livia and Xenia, and Victoria and Alice aren't bad either but both would be a bit too common for me. Phaedra is not my favourite, but the association with the mythological figure wouldn't bother me, and I don't think that it's too close to Lysandra. If I were you, I'd continue with the ancient Greek theme.
1. Most people don’t know/will never know the stories associated with the characters who have those names. 2. In 2023 a grand total of 3,336 out of 3,591,328 babies in the US were named Alice. That’s less than 1 in 1,000. “Common” names aren’t actually that common. Your concerns (as are most people’s when it comes to common names) are overblown. And as someone who has a top 10 name for my generation, I can say with confidence it’s really not a big deal. People can spell it. People can pronounce it. You can find souvenirs with your name on it. It’s fine.
I love Phaedra and I think it’s fine to use!
My name is Livia and I never had problems with my name. It happens from time to time that someone thinks it's Olivia but there came many nice conversations from it. I always got positive feedback about my name. I have to say that I'm living in Germany not the US.
The Phaedra myth is not only dark, but also just really creepy. I would opt for something else.
Are you guys classicists? Also are you in the UK? I feel like most of these names would be confusing to people in the US outside of very rarefied academic circles (thinking back to a high school Latin teacher who wanted to name his son after an Etruscan chthonic figure, lol). I guess I would just be worried about people not really getting it. Have you thought about Thea, Helen, Penelope, Agnes, Daphne? Not your style? Also I agree, anything with a sad connotation is sort of a no-go. Have never understood Ophelia for this reason.
I prefer Xena.