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If you first hate/dislike a name and then meet a person by that name whom you grow to love, does your opinion of the name change?

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Not ... really. I'm like you, I mostly respond to a name the same regardless of who bears it. For most of the names I was exposed to as a child, I almost don't have a reaction to them. They're just names. Jennifer, Michael - okay.

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If I meet someone with a name I hate, what happens is, I stop reacting as negatively to the name. I still don't like it. Like Felicity. I hate that name. But, I don't react to it when I meet a girl named it. It's just her name. Sebastian is another one.

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There have been a few names I disliked, but decided they were nice after meeting a person named them. Not that I liked the person so much, but just that the name seemed more real and normal. Like - Summer and Madison. Hated them, until they were the names of real people to me.

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And there have been a few names I thought were OK, and decided I disliked them when I heard them used for a person. Landon and Annabel are two I can think of right off the top of my head.

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If I like a name, and then also like a bearer, I like the name more. Same thing if I dislike them both - makes me hate the name more. Aaron and Kimberly.

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- mirfak