Hi Jennifer,
I was just browsing through your Q&A and came across the question about the name Dexter being too reminiscent of the serial killer from the TV show. You advise against using the name because it has “bad associations” right now. While I think this would be somewhat true, I don’t think it should stop the parents from using the name if they really love it. If it were me, I’d hate to look back 20 years from now and think “I can’t believe that dumb old show stopped me from using the name Dexter.”
People have surprisingly short term memories and will likely forget the name has anything to do with the TV show after getting to know little Dexter. If the parents are worried about strangers prejudging their child based on a name, well I think that happens with a lot of names anyway and they can always say it was after their favorite childhood cartoon (strangers don’t need to know if this is true)! For what it’s worth, I am a fan of both shows and I love the name Dexter!
Thanks,
Rebecca
Dear Rebecca,
Thank you for your feedback! If I were expecting I would seriously consider the name Dexter for a boy, even if I relegated it to a middle name.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.
Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.
