Damien tops most feared names

DAMIEN MOST FEARED: The name of the young star of the Omen films is not a popular choice for Brits.

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Damien, Myra and Carrie are Britain's most feared and mistrusted names, due to superstitious and dark associations.

A poll of 2000 Britons - commissioned by Warner Home Video to publicise the release of television series Supernatural Season 4 - showed the effects of television and fiction on the way that people view names.

Damien topped the poll with nine out of 10 respondents uneasy about the associations with the devil child from the 1970s film The Omen.

Myra, was the next most feared and distrusted name at 83 percent, potentially due to associations with serial killer Myra Hindley, the survey said.

That was followed by two other prominent horror film names Carrie (a 1976 film starring Sissy Spacek), Rosemary (Rosemary's Baby, directed by Roman Polanski) and Judas, who the Bible says betrayed Jesus Christ.

Three quarters of respondents said they would avoid dating someone with the name Damien and 66 percent of women said they were superstitious about naming a child after someone they hated at school or an ex-boyfriend.

More than a third of respondents said they believed that teachers gave higher marks to children with attractive names and 70 percent of people said they would pass judgement about a person's lifestyle and character based on their name.

The top 10 list of superstitious names were:

1) Damien
2) Myra 
3) Carrie
4) Rosemary
5) Judas
6) Adolf
7) Pandora
8) Regan
9) Samara
10) Boris

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Angela   #53   09:50 am Sep 24 2009

Just for the record, i love the name Damian!!

Darren   #52   05:55 pm Sep 23 2009

Alice #50 is right. Just this week I was looking through my 12 year old neice's facebook contact list. At least three different (odd ways) of spelling Amy. Ashley/Ashlee/Ashleii Allysia Beths and Callums galore. Charli-rae (!) Chenel Fayee Louiise Countless Jades Cassee-Mariee and a Kassey-Marie Katee Kira Marie Megan-Ann Rebeca Romarni Several Tahlias A handful of Tias

Stupid first name syndrome is alive and well.

Me   #51   04:57 pm Sep 23 2009

Carrie just reminds me of Sex and the City. I think it would depend on what generation took the survey on what names people find unpleasant. Being a 'spring chicken' myself I only dislike a few of these names.

What about the traditional meanings of names? E.g Aldof means noble wolf, Myra = admirable, Samara = reward, Damien = to tame, subdue Hardly a terrifying concept.

alice   #50   01:50 pm Sep 23 2009

I think people with names with incorrect/made up spelling are doomed to be bogans. DOOMED

Riggo   #49   12:03 pm Sep 23 2009

Russell Coutts?

R   #48   11:19 am Sep 23 2009

I would imagine that the negative association with the name Rosemary comes (in much the same way that Myra did) from Rosemary West, rather than Rosemary's Baby, considering that this is a British list.

Miss_Madame_S   #47   10:55 am Sep 23 2009

I love the name Boris, how can anyone fear that? LOL.

L   #46   10:51 am Sep 23 2009

Lol @ PC #43

GL   #45   10:17 am Sep 23 2009

I dare people to name their twins "Frederick" and "Jason".

Matty   #44   10:06 am Sep 23 2009

Actually "Samara" refers to the Lada vehicle of the same name. Drive one and suffer nightmares for life. It's true, you read it on the Internet...

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