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Help[Opinions] Delilah
What do you think of Delilah? Do the meaning or associations bother you? It seems to be entering the Top 100 soon.
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Hi Perrine !!!
Actually my first thoughts about Delilah are linked with two songs: 'Delilah' by Tom Jones and 'Hey! There Delilah' by Plain White T'S.
Then I associate Delilah' with the sound of 'delight, delightful' or with the sound of Diletta.
I obviously know the Biblical figure but these links come before It and are more immediate.
This because the Biblical figure is not Delilah' here but Dalila (DA-lee-la). Being a quite rare name it is only tied with the Bible in my mind.
Dalila is not a bad name though. It is old-fashionable and a bit frilly but it could have a comeback. It has a liquid sound and a quite refined vibe.
The meaning? Uhm... it means "delicate", it's not so horrible. About the Biblical figure: if the Puritans themself used it (and this is quite comical) so why we that are in a more open and free world would have any problem?
Actually my first thoughts about Delilah are linked with two songs: 'Delilah' by Tom Jones and 'Hey! There Delilah' by Plain White T'S.
Then I associate Delilah' with the sound of 'delight, delightful' or with the sound of Diletta.
I obviously know the Biblical figure but these links come before It and are more immediate.
This because the Biblical figure is not Delilah' here but Dalila (DA-lee-la). Being a quite rare name it is only tied with the Bible in my mind.
Dalila is not a bad name though. It is old-fashionable and a bit frilly but it could have a comeback. It has a liquid sound and a quite refined vibe.
The meaning? Uhm... it means "delicate", it's not so horrible. About the Biblical figure: if the Puritans themself used it (and this is quite comical) so why we that are in a more open and free world would have any problem?
This message was edited 3/25/2019, 6:35 AM
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"About the Biblical figure: if the Puritans themself used it (and this is quite comical) so why we that are in a more open and free world would have any problem?"
The Puritans used some names that come across as rather deprecating. They where very strong proponents of humility and reflected a lot on the depravity of man and personal evil. With some obviously negative names, I sometimes wonder if they were trying for reverse psychology or if it was some form of mental flagellation on the next generation. I have often been curious about how they came up with some of their names, but I wouldn't use the Puritan's as role models for modern naming practices.
What I find interesting about the Puritan's is how enterprising and somewhat egalitarian they were in comparison to other groups of their time while simultaneously embodying many of the superstitious fears of their era. At a time when the literacy rate in England was less than 30 percent, the Puritans believed children (both boys and girls) should be educated for both religious and civil reasons, and they worked to achieve universal literacy. In 1642, Massachusetts required heads of households to teach their wives, children and servants basic reading and writing so that they could read the Bible and understand colonial laws. In 1647, the government required all towns with 50 or more households to hire a teacher. One of the most infamous men involved in the Salem witch trials also has a scientific legacy due to his hybridization experiments and his promotion of inoculation for disease prevention. The Puritan's were so full of contradictions that I wish there were more nuanced portrayals of them in media.
The Puritans used some names that come across as rather deprecating. They where very strong proponents of humility and reflected a lot on the depravity of man and personal evil. With some obviously negative names, I sometimes wonder if they were trying for reverse psychology or if it was some form of mental flagellation on the next generation. I have often been curious about how they came up with some of their names, but I wouldn't use the Puritan's as role models for modern naming practices.
What I find interesting about the Puritan's is how enterprising and somewhat egalitarian they were in comparison to other groups of their time while simultaneously embodying many of the superstitious fears of their era. At a time when the literacy rate in England was less than 30 percent, the Puritans believed children (both boys and girls) should be educated for both religious and civil reasons, and they worked to achieve universal literacy. In 1642, Massachusetts required heads of households to teach their wives, children and servants basic reading and writing so that they could read the Bible and understand colonial laws. In 1647, the government required all towns with 50 or more households to hire a teacher. One of the most infamous men involved in the Salem witch trials also has a scientific legacy due to his hybridization experiments and his promotion of inoculation for disease prevention. The Puritan's were so full of contradictions that I wish there were more nuanced portrayals of them in media.
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I think it's pretty but the association does bother me. I wouldn't use it.
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I love Delilah. The meaning doesn't bother me - I and, I would guess, my contemporaries, are more likely to associate it with the Plain White Ts song, I think. Then again, I'm irreligious.
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The meaning "delicate, weak, languishing" would bother me. There is nothing empowering about it.
The the longstanding association with prostitution is also problematic. Delilah the hooker who sold her boyfriend is still one of the first results that comes up when you Google the name, so it isn't like it's an obscure reference. I honestly wonder about the parents of a child named Delilah. The are all these social messages about encouraging girls to dare to do great things, the need for good role models, and a push for stories about innovative women in the fields of math, science, engineering, etc...
With all the options out there, you have to wonder about parent's who name their daughter after a whore. Way to have high expectations.
Yes, I know there are other associations with song lyrics, but it doesn't seem very thoughtful or considerate to name a child without at least Googling the name.
The the longstanding association with prostitution is also problematic. Delilah the hooker who sold her boyfriend is still one of the first results that comes up when you Google the name, so it isn't like it's an obscure reference. I honestly wonder about the parents of a child named Delilah. The are all these social messages about encouraging girls to dare to do great things, the need for good role models, and a push for stories about innovative women in the fields of math, science, engineering, etc...
With all the options out there, you have to wonder about parent's who name their daughter after a whore. Way to have high expectations.
Yes, I know there are other associations with song lyrics, but it doesn't seem very thoughtful or considerate to name a child without at least Googling the name.
This message was edited 3/25/2019, 11:13 AM
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I think Delilah is a very soft and beautiful name. It conjures up strong images of summer, perhaps of a girl wearing a flower wreath. I also think of a cat we used to have (The great-grandmother to my late Diamond ♥) as well as one of the dogs from Homeward Bound.
Seeing that the name has been rising and where it currently ranks within the charts, I'd be surprised if it doesn't enter the top 100 this upcoming May.
Seeing that the name has been rising and where it currently ranks within the charts, I'd be surprised if it doesn't enter the top 100 this upcoming May.
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I think it is pretty, and the association with the Biblical Delilah doesn't bother me as I am not a Christian though I can see why it would bother someone who is religious and the nickname Lila is pretty, especially if it is said Lie-la. The meaning doesn't bother me.
Once my brother wen't to school with a girl name D'Lyla and that bothered me.
Once my brother wen't to school with a girl name D'Lyla and that bothered me.
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"the Biblical Delilah doesn't bother me as I am not a Christian though I can see why it would bother someone who is religious "
Out of curiosity, why would it bother you more if you were Christian? I don't believe in ancient Greek myths, but I wouldn't use Phaedra or Oedipus as names. Regardless of belief, I wouldn't want my kid associated with something negative like betrayal, false accusations of rape, or incest. It just seems messed up. For me, a similar principle applies for Delilah.
Weirdly enough, Lilith doesn't bother me that much although I probably would still never use it. Maybe its because vampires are mythic creatures whereas betrayal and abuse are things that exist in the real world even if the famous exemplars are people of legend.
Out of curiosity, why would it bother you more if you were Christian? I don't believe in ancient Greek myths, but I wouldn't use Phaedra or Oedipus as names. Regardless of belief, I wouldn't want my kid associated with something negative like betrayal, false accusations of rape, or incest. It just seems messed up. For me, a similar principle applies for Delilah.
Weirdly enough, Lilith doesn't bother me that much although I probably would still never use it. Maybe its because vampires are mythic creatures whereas betrayal and abuse are things that exist in the real world even if the famous exemplars are people of legend.
This message was edited 3/25/2019, 1:21 PM
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Lilith supposedly caused birth defects and infant death. Not all traditions call her a vampire.
This message was edited 3/25/2019, 7:19 PM
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Yeah, I just meant to point out that her legend is associated with real world horrible things...though I feel the opposite of Raven Briar; I'd be more reluctant to use the name of a demon than a name that may be associated with a complicated possibly real person...unless it had an extra negative connotation, like Oedipus (Complex).
This message was edited 3/25/2019, 9:04 PM
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"Oedipus (Complex)" is a very funny word combination when you take it out of context.
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This times 100.
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I certainly wouldn't call a child Oedipus either. Or Hamlet (came to mind because Freud, haha). But I think that since Delilah is fairly common as a name, it has more associations beyond the Bible. Oedipus doesn't. Any child named Oedipus would be received with much confusion and concern. Delilah might raise eyebrows in some circles but you wouldn't question the parents' sanity.
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I think it sounds pretty when other people are named it, but I wouldn't use it myself, because the meaning bugs me. I'd use Lilah or Delia over it.
The biblical character doesn't negatively impact it much from my POV, partly because it is fairly common now and partly because I associate it with songs..."Samson" by Regina Spektor plus "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's.
The biblical character doesn't negatively impact it much from my POV, partly because it is fairly common now and partly because I associate it with songs..."Samson" by Regina Spektor plus "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's.
This message was edited 3/25/2019, 7:39 PM
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I like it. Since I’m not religious, it doesn’t bother me personally.
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I think it's very nice sounding. Not really my style though. The associations don't personally bother me, but it does bother me that they might bother others - enough that I wouldn't want to have the name. So I would probably not use it even if I did like it.
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I love the look and sound of Delilah. I also went to school with someone with this name. She did it justice. Having said all that, the meaning and association do put me off a bit. Still, all it would take for me (and others) to change my mind is seeing it used more often. I'm happy to see it gaining in popularity. Delilah really is a beautiful name.
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