Hello Swistle!
I have a quandary I haven’t seen you address and I was hopeful you’d be able to help me.We are pregnant with our second son, he’s due in May, and our preferred name with him is George. We like that George is a storied name with history and lots of people share the name, so it’s not tied to any one person or stereotype. We like his first and last name would make him google anonymous should he prefer. Our quandary is our last name is Burns, and frankly the name George Burns has “been done” before. So my question is “How bad is it if we name our son a name that has a somewhat famous former occupant?”
I’m cringing typing out the words, because my manta picking baby names is generally “first do no harm” and “if it starts out a joke, it doesn’t end up on the birth certificate”. I know all names have drawbacks, but it’s hard to pull the trigger on a name if you feel like your child may spend a lifetime fielding questions like “Where’s your Gracie Allen?”. I have told select acquaintances and friends about the name just to gauge reactions and the response seems varied by age. George Burns died 22 years ago, and I’m not sure how enduringly famous exactly he was, as people 40’s and younger seem to not know about him or mention him being a famous namesake, and a few people over 40 are appalled I would name a child a name that someone else has had.
I find the fact that George Burns was a pseudonym for the original George Burns (formerly Nathan Birnbaum) soothing. He didn’t actually own the name! He picked it because it sounds good together! I’ve facebooked searched the name and there’s a surprising amount of George Burns listed. Perhaps I should message them and ask them how big of a hassle their name is. Maybe I’m just overthinking this.
I would prefer not to go back to the drawing board if most people are going to be fine with the name George Burns on a child born in 2019, but it’s hard to gauge how big of an issue this is before naming him. I value your input, is this a deal breaker?
If you think this is a horrid idea, do you have any suggestions as for alternatives? Our first son has an honor name, and it’s an outlier for our style so I’m fine with the sibling names not matching. His name is Ezekiel Thomas and he goes exclusively by Zeke. Names I like include Peter, Ira, Felix, Linus, Benedict, (only as a middle). Names my husband likes are Bryon and Eugene. We both like Theodore…but we think it’s not this child’s name. If this baby was a girl we’d name her Jane Cordelia.
I love the name George. It does sound great with Burns. And I vote no to using it.
It fails my “Would I want this name?” test, even though I would like to be named either George or Georgia. I would wince every time I said my name and someone showed a reaction. “Name please?” “George Burns.” No, I don’t want to say that, either at my own appointment or at the baby’s.
I agree with you that an increasing percentage of people below a certain age will not have a strong association with the name—and the child’s peers are unlikely to have any association with the name at all. But I don’t think we’re yet at the point where I would want to have to cope (as the name-holder or as the parent) with the percentage of people who still DO have an association. It’s not about having a name that was once used by someone else; MOST names were once used by someone else. It’s about a name having an association with a particular famous person—and in this case, a person who was a bit of a caricature. I know he had a very long career and did many things; I’m not sure how the demographics would work out, but I was only familiar with his more recent work, where he was a very old man biting a cigar and waggling his eyebrows and making wisecracks, plus I was a little bit familiar with his wisecracking back-and-forth stuff with Gracie Allen. It’s not a negative association, but it’s still not one I’d want. Looking for the equivalent in a woman’s name (to make it easier to tell if it was a name I wanted for myself), I considered Joan Rivers and Lucille Ball. Very talented, long careers, and Joan and Lucy are great names—but I don’t want to be named (or have a daughter named) Joan Rivers, and I don’t want to be named (or have a daughter named) Lucille Ball. I don’t want to deal with the name recognition, even if not everyone recognizes it.
I didn’t know George Burns wasn’t his given name, but that only slightly affects things for me. “Name, please?” “George Burns.” “Oh! Like the…” “You know, it wasn’t his actual name.” No.
Let’s see, alternatives. Are you planning more children after this one? If so, I’d want to take the name Jane into account as a possible future sister name just in case.
I think of the name Ezekiel as both nicely ancient and currently hip; plus, it has a cool nickname. This makes it a hard act to follow. You’ve said it’s an honor name and a style outlier for you guys, so I won’t try too hard to coordinate, but on the other hand I don’t think I’d take an Ezekiel/Zeke and follow him with a Eugene; I’d be looking for something more along the lines of Felix. Peter works well, too, I think: less hip, but I think most people would be pleasantly surprised to encounter a young Pete. It’s a name so familiar the eye can accidentally skip past it in the baby name book, but in person it’s sounding fresh and unexpected again. Zeke and Pete is adorable, and both of them can go by their longer names if they don’t like it so much when they’re older.
Eugene and George make me wonder if you’d like the name Roger. I wasn’t even considering that name yet (I don’t expect it to cycle back around for another generation or so), until I saw somewhere that an old nickname for Roger was Hodge. Hodge! Ezekiel and Roger; Zeke and Hodge.
More to consider:
August Burns; Ezekiel and August; Zeke and Gus
Benjamin Burns; Ezekiel and Benjamin; Zeke and Ben
Calvin Burns; Ezekiel and Calvin; Zeke and Cal
Charles Burns; Ezekiel and Charles; Zeke and Charlie
Elliot Burns; Ezekiel and Elliot; Zeke and Elliot
Frederick Burns; Ezekiel and Frederick; Zeke and Fred
Henry Burns; Ezekiel and Henry; Zeke and Hank
Joel Burns; Ezekiel and Joel; Zeke and Joel
John Burns; Ezekiel and John; Zeke and Jack
Malachi Burns; Ezekiel and Malachi; Zeke and Mal or Zeke and Kai
Malcolm Burns; Ezekiel and Malcolm; Zeke and Mal
Simon Burns; Ezekiel and Simon; Zeke and Simon
Wesley Burns; Ezekiel and Wesley; Zeke and Wes
Wilson Burns; Ezekiel and Wilson; Zeke and Wil
I think for me the question isn’t so much how much will old people associate his name with the actor, but will his peers do it? And I seriously doubt his peers will know or care who the famous George Burns was. Older people will make the association and maybe comment, and maybe even be somewhat appalled (hopefully privately). But I imagine it would have little affect in his day to day life.
Is there anyway you can claim a family connection to George? That would at least allow you to shrug it off as a family name when/if someone comments.
Full disclosure, my youngest is named George, so I may be somewhat biased in favor of using the name.
We have a Eugene sounds like Burn-y so obviously I vote Eugene! (But I’m in the UK and it seems like a completely different demographic). Eugene’s brother is Xavier – I think Xavier and Ezekiel sound great. Although if it’s an outlier for your style perhaps too much x/z.
P.S For what it’s worth – I have just had to google George Burns. Never heard of him. But again… UK!
I had to look up who George Burns was, I think many people will not even realize someone famous had that name. I personally would use i if your heart is set on it. That said, I do love many of the names Swistle suggested and even think they sound better with Ezekiel/Zeke. I particularly like Frederick but would suggest the nickname Fritz. There is a boy at my daughter’s school with that name and I love it! I heard the name Ralph recently too and was pleasantly surprised, I think if you like Eugene and Peter, Ralph may be your style. I’m obsessed with the name Harris too and think Harris nn Harry and Zeke sound so wonderful together!
I have no idea who George Burns is. I googled him, and I also don’t recognize the picture. For the record, I’m 36 and American. There are a lot of pop culture names that I wouldn’t recognize, but as a point of comparison, I am very familiar with both Lucille Ball and Joan Rivers.
Same here. 37 and Canadian. Familiar with Lucille Ball and Joan Rivers, but had to Google George Burns!
Same, 32 and American, never heard of him and pic is unfamiliar when googled.
I do wonder (in the optimistic, maybe this is okay! sense) if enough time has passed that it’s okay to use. I think George would be a great, refreshing name.
Would you consider using it as a middle? Or, finding a good middle name such that if the comments on George Burns get to feel like Too Much, you can transition to using the middle name.
I have no idea who George Burns is and I am 34 and American. If I heard the name George Burns at my kids’ daycare I would think “cute name”. I would never associate it with a celebrity. I say go for it.
I had no idea who Geroge Burns was either. I did think you were talking about Mr. Burns from the Simpsons, but that character turns out to be a Charles Montgomery Burns. Who knew! I do like the suggestions of Xavier or Calvin in the other option category. Sounds great with Zeke. Xavier George or Calvin George. You have some great alternatives! Congratulations on your newest little boy!
I am about as familiar with George Burns as Swistle is, except that I didn’t get the Gracie Allen connection. I had the opposite reaction to the name also. Yes I did immediately think of the comedian when I saw the title, but I think that meeting a little George Burns would be refreshing. It’s time for someone else to make the name their own. I agree a little Lucy Ball would be startling, but I don’t think he had the same enduring appeal. I think gauging the reactions of those around you is the right course. It doesn’t seem to be a problem with them from your comments. But maybe it is too problematic for yourself, if it makes you cringe, that’s a dealbreaker.
For the record I think Eugene is fine with Ezekiel. I also like the suggestions of Calvin or Henry. Both sound great with Burns.
My immediate thought was, no, no, no, definitely not, but I’m 51, which I gather is older than the average reader of this blog. When I was a teenager my boyfriend used to do a (not very good) George Burns imitation and he’d call me Gracie.
It does seem like a lot of people haven’t heard of him, though. I think Peter, Felix, Ira, & Linus would be good choices. If you used Eugene and there’s a possibility of a third, would you feel boxed in to E names or would it not matter since Ezekiel is mainly called Zeke anyway? Theodore’s good, too, if you come back to liking it for this child. That does happen sometimes.
I’m 34 American white southern woman, and I didn’t know who George Burns was. It did vaguely sound familiar, in the “I’ve heard that name before… did I use to work with someone named George Burns?” kind of way.
When reading the beginning of the letter, while I was still trying to figure out who George Burns was, i though of Mr Burns from the Simpson, but not in a string way just a “is that who she’s worried about” kind of way (which you should NOT be! He is mostly referred to as “Mr Burns” )
I think George Burns is completely usable and If i came across it on a class roster, I wouldn’t think twice about it. You might get a few comments for older ladies who work in a Dr’s office, school office etc. but I doubt they’d make jokes, just “Oh, like the funny guy” or whatever.
Mr. Burns from the Simpsons was who first came to my mind too – and not in a negative way, just in a familiar way.
I’m about to turn 50, and I say definitely not. I also wouldn’t name a kid Joan Rivers or Lucy Ball.
I love the list of names that work with Ezekiel/Zeke that Swistle came up with, especially Peter and Felix. What about Isaac/Ike, Frederick/Fred/Freddie, and Jacob/Jake?
I’m 33 and American, and I had never heard of George Burns. You’re not planning on having several more children, are you? If that was the case, you could gamble on saving the name for a possible future son. Sometimes even just a few more years on these things makes a difference. I remember eight years ago, every single person I mentioned the name Felix to said, “Like Felix the cat?” But more recently, the question has completely disappeared. The name Felix now has less baggage than it used to just a short time ago. It’s probably a long shot that this would work for you, but I thought it’d be worth a mention.
I came here to say the same thing! I’m 36 and American, and had to Google George Burns. I knew there was a famous guy with that name, and I had a hunch he was a comedian, but I could not picture him in my head. The strongest “Burns” connection I have is from the Simpsons, as others have mentioned.
And yes, we were considering Felix 5-6ish years ago (for our baby who turned out to be our daughter Cate), and so many older folks said, “Oh, like Felix the Cat?” And I had to Google that as well!
This past year, we again considered Felix, and like Rose mentions above, hardly anyone made a Felix the Cat comment.
I like how George Burns sounds. But I also like Peter, Roger, and ***Benjamin Burns*** That’s just so fun to say.
I have a 7 year old (almost 8) named George. I have never heard of George Burns. I’m 38 and I did grow up in the UK, but I’ve been in the US since 2001.
So I say go for the name George!
I did google George Burns and it looks like he was a comedian. I don’t recognize him from the photos. Plus he died so long ago. It’s not like he died within the past few years. He didn’t have a terrible scandal or anything very negative in his life, did he?
I think George is a very good name. Not super common but very well recognized.
I googled my George’s first and lastname together and there are other people who pop up with the name in history. But that’s ok. If I wanted something super original, I wouldn’t have gone with George!
I’m going to disagree with swistle here and say go with George. I’m 35 and American I know the association. It’s not one that would make me wonder what the parents were thinking. However, little George’s peers are not going to make the association. And, it seems, a good portion of the parents’ peers will also not make it, either.
George is a strong, solid name. It’s one that the parents like and agree on.
I’m 36 and American. The named popped up in my head as “vaguely familiar but no idea why”. It seems there is a definite generational gap in most of those that say No No and those that don’t see a problem. If that age is, say, 50, then by the time your child is entering the workforce that group will be 70.
So I think it boils down to this: Will it bother YOU if people comment on it? Because I don’t think it will be a long standing problem for your child’s adult life. But there are lots of people over 50, so if it bugs you people noticing or mentioning, I wouldn’t.
You should absolutely name him George Burns! First of all, no one under the age of 45 even knows who George burns is. Second of all, it’s not like he was a bad guy! if people make a connection, wouldn’t it be a positive or neutral one? I’m 42. I’ve heard of George burns but don’t have any association about him. I googled him and he seems like a neutral character. GO FOR IT! it’s an adorable name!
I’m another person who has never heard of George Burns, I’m 30 and American. I had to google him and it doesn’t seem like a bad association to me? I say go for it, George is a great name and this child’s peers and most likely even peer’s parents won’t make the connection to the former actor.
I’m a 38 year old white (Jewish– does this matter here? Maybe…) american woman, but apparently an old 38, because I do know the comedian and as soon as I saw the title I was shaking my head no.
I do think that Eugene (which is absolutely on top of my sad cannot use list) would be perfect.
But I do think that if you love George and want to use it, then use it. George Burns was a pretty tame comic and not going to raise ire. His peers and (from this thread) probably their parents wont really know the reference so it will probably only come up occasionally. You could teach him a little quip and let it be what it is (the comic George would probably like that).
I completely agree with this. I’m 44 and American. I’m familiar with George Burns in a superficial way, without any negative associations that would make me say an absolute no, but enough to make me lean no.
And I 100% agree with Laura and disagree with Swistle: Eugene seems perfect. The one caveat I would have is that I LOVE Jane and if Eugene is Gene it would be a pity if this kept you from using Jane in the future.
I’m 37, American, and have seen The Burns and Allen Show. You’re not old Laura, you’re educated. ;)
George is a great name! But I don’t think I would use it with the last name Burns. Upon hearing it on a darling little boy, I’d do a double-take and wonder, “Did his parents do that on purpose?” I did know who he was, and I am around 40.
But…
To speak out of the other side of my mouth, the actress Anne Hathaway shares her name with William Shakespeare’s wife! That’s pretty famous, but WHO CARES? Did her parents knowingly use that name, or is it her stage name? Does it matter?
Another moniker that perhaps would have a place on your list is Hiram. He’s got just the right amount of history, familiarity, and obscurity to hit the sweet spot of pairing with Ezekiel.
Hiram Benedict Burns.
Zeke and Hi.
Or Zeke & Ram.
Best wishes and congrats on your new son!
I have to agree with the point about Anne Hathaway. I am 47 and I know who George Burns was, but I did not have a negative association at all. I’d say go for it. While some (few) people might associate him with the comedian, the generation he’s growing up in will have no association at all. And for the few people who do make that connection, it will be fleeting, because you and everyone who knows him will associate the name with your boy, not anyone else.
When I was at the university (so some 10 years ago), there was a guy in our group who shared a name with a very well-known football (soccer) player of the 1970s, and I remember that basically everyone was raising and eyebrow when hearing his full name… (Poor guy always said something like “Yup, my dad was a huge fan” in a kind of apologetic way…)
However, after reading the comments, I don’t think it would be the case with George Burns the comedian, because he doesn’t seem to be THAT recognizable (I did not hear about him either, but I’m not American so it doesn’t mean much).
But if not George, I really like Swistle’s suggestion of Roger: it brings Roger Federer to mind (which isn’t a bad thing) and that nickname, Hodge, would be really cool with Zeke!
And from your list I like Ira best. What about Ira George Burns? Or Roger George Burns?
Xander nn Zane could be a good alternative for Xavier (but it may be slightly too similar to Zeke…): Xander George Burns, Zeke & Zane
I’m 36 and Canadian and had no clue who George Burns was.
I say go for it! Great name!
I’m nearing 50 and know who George Burns is. But if a child had the name, I wouldn’t really think about it at all — other than a recollection of the “Original” George Burns. But doing the Swistle “Would I want that name” test, I started to think about it like this. When would this start to matter to him? Maybe when he was ordering a coffee in a Starbucks? He’d be a teenager then — and then people who recalled the original George Burns would be nearing 60. Maybe with his college applications? Now people who knew the original would be solidly in their 60s. Maybe with his first job? Now people who knew the original would be nearing 70.
In short (or to make a long story even longer) if the parents are ok with the occasional double-takes, maybe this will never be a real issue for the child.
I say go for it!
George is a lovely name. I am a 28 year old American and I never heard of George Burns – I guess he was no Lucille Ball!
Plus, as you said there are many George Burns(s?) on Facebook and I’m not surprised, George is somewhat common, Burns is somewhat common. It was not unique to the comedian.
Plus plus, upon Googling it, he seemed like a non controversial comedian- it’s not like you’re asking about calling him Lenny Bruce or Howard Stern…
I am just shy of 40 and I recognized the name but wondered if it was really who I thought, so I googled and it was. So . . . I recognized the name, mostly, and I have never seen a movie with him or know anything about him.
I would lean no, because I don’t like popular culture very much, but I don’t think the name association is a big deal.
I wouldn’t go with Roger. I really feel we’re not ready for that name yet, despite the awesome Hodge nickname. A commenter on Appellation Mountain said that Edge was a great nickname for Edgar, and I was sold. I love the “dge” sound, so I also recommend Ledger, Dodge, Bridger, or Badger. I particularly love Dodge and Zeke together. Dodge, Zeke, and Jane is just plain awesome.
Of Swistle’s suggestions, I adore Peter. It is a gorgeous name that goes well with Ezekiel. It does give a bit of a religious vibe, but probably not to the average person.
Good luck!!
I am working at a university, and just stumbled upon the name Walter. I thought you might like it too! I picture Walter as an Old Man Name, and (because of the character Zeke in Parenthood) think the same with Zeke!
Walter is one of my favorite names.
I am of the “don’t use George” camp (much as I love the name), but I would pick that if the only other names you loved were a slang term for penis (or penis-adjacent) when the last name is going to be Burns. I base this on the experience of a friend who has gone through life with a [Dick/Peter/Roger/John/Willie] + Burns name
The name Roger is “penis-adjacent”? I didn’t know.
My last name is Burns and I would 100% name a baby George Burns! Who is the original George Burns?! I have literally no idea! Never heard of him! I guess I could google him, but eh. Assuming he’s not a famous pedophile or something, I can’t see that it would change my mind. (For what it’s worth, I’m under 40 but not by that much.)
I honestly don’t feel like it’s a huge deal at all and I’d just go ahead with George if it’s the name you love best. Heck, even if you wanted to name him Robert Burns I’d say why not! Think of how many Michael Jacksons there are in the world. When you meet one, you’re like “ohhh, like Michael Jackson hahaha” and then it ceases to be interesting 5 minutes later. And he’s a lot more well-known than George Burns!
I’m 43 and definitely have a strong “nope” association with the name George Burns. However, I think I have a solution for you! Incorporate a middle initial or middle name, particularly whenever you say his first and last name together,
Real-life example: Michael J. Fox goes by Michael or Michael J. Fox but never Michael Fox. (Yes I know it’s a stage name, but you get the idea.) Fictional example: George Michael Bluth on Arrested Development. He;s either called George Michael or George Michael Bluth, but never George Bluth. (Yes I know George Michael is a singer and the name is a joke, but you get the idea.)
So if you name your son George Felix Burns, for example, you could call him George, Georgie, George Felix, George Felix Burns, or George F. Burns and never run into the George Burns problem. Voila!
As a thirty year old New Englander who had to Google George Burns, use it if you love it. I doubt his peers or most working adults who see his name in its entirety (teachers, etc.) over his lifetime will have a strong association.
I’ve never heard of George Burns. I think it’s probably safe to use, negative reactions will be few and far between it seems.
But if you like August, as suggested, be aware there is a fairly well known band called August Burns Red.
I’m under 40, and know who George Burns was. I would assume the parents did not know, rather than that they named their child after a silly old comedian. Since Ezekiel goes by Zeke, I imagine George will get « Georgie » and Georgie Burns is super cute. You could even call him George Eugene so he could be George E. Burns. So, my vote is to go for it!
I’m 38, not American and I’m shocked at how many people are saying they don’t know who George Burns was! I would put this on the same level as never having heard of Shirley Temple or Charlie Chaplin. I wouldn’t use it because I do think that a very large number of people will share the association and I think it would get old (like my dad is Ken and there are lots of Barbie jokes). I don’t think it matters that the name wasn’t his birth name (which is common in Hollywood anyhow). Why not do the Starbucks test and see how you feel?
I couldn’t feel more old or out of touch!
My favourite sibling name for Zeke is Silas.
I’m 37, American, and am also shocked at the number of people who say they had to Google George Burns.
I’m 31, American. This name sounded vaguely familiar to me—I actually thought upon first seeing it that it was the main character of It’s a Wonderful Life, but turns out that’s George Bailey, lol. I’d definitely go for it!
Same(ish)! It sounded vaguely familiar and I thought it was from Father of the Bride, but that’s George Banks. Which then reminded me that the dad in Mary Poppins is ALSO George Banks. There’s probably enough George B’s to confuse everyone and weaken the association, at least with people under 40/50.
So it seems there are two camps, the more mature audience who recognize the name and wholeheartedly say “no” and those who are a bit younger and have absolutely no connection to the actor. Few in between, but I am one. I’m 34 and remember watching his movies, so I knew the connection, but my first thought was his peers won’t know it, and even most of their parents won’t either as exemplified by this thread. So I say go for it…would be good to have a poll on this one to see the results. Good luck!
I’m over 55 and know who George Burns is. Enough time has passed that I don’t think it is a problem.
Admittedly I’m British, but my job is in entertainment journalism and I’m married to a comedy-obsessed American so you’d think my field of knowledge here would be fairly broad – and I have literally never heard of George Burns. I honestly don’t think it’s a problem, from reading these comments it seems as though mostly only the over 40s would have the vaguest idea who he is – and by the time he’s an adult, applying for college, jobs etc, let’s assume the pool of people with any name familiarity would be tiny.
Please add me to the list of people who are shocked that so many people don’t know George Burns! I’m 42 and Canadian and remember a number of movies he did in the 1980s. I wouldn’t use it unless you really can’t find anything else you like. What about Alexander with the nn Xander? That feels parallel with your son’s name. (Very traditional name with unusual nn.) Or Fredrick/Fred has the same feel as George to me.
I loved the “Oh God” movies when I was a kid (I’m 40, so I was 6 when the last one came out). I would note the association, wouldn’t make a joke about it (because I don’t remember enough details about him for that), and would move on with my life. George is a really common name. Burns is a really common last name. If George is the name you love, I’d use it, recognizing that you might hear “oh, like the comedian?” from time to time. He’ll hear it less since his peer group isn’t likely to know George Burns.
I’m 37 years old and live in Canada, and I had no idea who George Burns was. I’m just Wondering how many times is your child going to be called by his first and last name? At roll call in school, or at the dr’s office and even at Starbucks you usually are only called by your first name. He’ll obviously be called by his first and last names sometimes, but how many people are going to make the connection, and is it really that bad if they do?
What a fascinating thread. Among the commenters, 40 seems to be a critical cut-off for familiarity with the George Burns. I wouldn’t use it, either, because I grew up in the early 80’s and can remember his dirty-old-man persona in interviews, like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5-MZWS4gpo
Mild, comic misoygyny that hasn’t aged particularly well. But certainly not a bad human being per se. For me, George Burns is unusable but I think I could become desensitized to the association with time.
Buuuuut, considering how children meet one another in preschool, as George, not Mr. Burns, and the fact that he isn’t lingering in the millenial/post-millenial consciousness, I think it would be a minor issue.
In short, no wrong answer!
I am 53 and certainly know about George Burns, but somehow I don’t think of using the name as a problem.
George Burns sounds great…use it if you love it. I totally know who George Burns was…but it’s not a bad connotation at all. The guy was a national treasure! And I give this advice as someone who has a brother named Jimmy Stewart (surname spelled differently). It gets a reaction from time to time but not often and never more than once by the same person (and he was born when the actor was still alive and I think he’s better known even today).
That being said, if it still gives you pause, I love tyre suggestions of Peter, Ezekiel/Zeke, August/Gus and Henry/Hank. I also think Griffin or Gideon would work well.
In my mid-thirties and never heard of him, so it wouldn’t even register to me. I think it partially depends on how many people in your life are older than 40 beyond your parents (there’s always a 50% chance that parents will hate the name anyway so I honestly don’t think they count) and how much it bothers you.
I especially like the suggestion of Alexander/nn Xander.
I think Arthur Burns would be a lovely name! My son’s name is Arthur and I find it pleasingly multi-faceted like George – it’s a bit medieval and a bit old man and the spelling feels unusual even though the name is quite common now.
I know a Joe/Joseph Burns and think that works too!
I came here to say what apparently everyone else is saying (ha!!)- the name hits me in a “hm, should I know that name?” way. I’m 34 and American. The name is vaguely familiar, and when I got to the part of swistle’s letter where she mentioned a Gracie I was like, “Oh, is he that goodnight, Gracie person?” (Is he?) If so, I know that sound bite, but I don’t have a face or storyline to go with it. Now I’m going to google to see who this guy is. … I’m back. I recognize his face and robe and cigar. No idea how.
Go for George! I am in my mid 40s, white, American; I knew immediately who George Burns was, but I don’t have any negative associations with him.
I named one of mine Ozzy; older people think I named him after Ozzie and Harriet, people my age are either amused or appalled that I would name a child after Ozzy Osbourne, and children don’t know Ozzie and Harriet OR Ozzy Osbourne. But we love the name & I have no regrets.
I’m a 31 year old American, and have no clue who George Burns is! And I don’t really feel like googling him. Haha.
I think George Burns sounds awesome together, for what it’s worth.
I have a student whose name is Brian Williams. He’s in high school and it certainly seems like his parents would have heard of the news anchor when they named their baby. Or maybe not… I’m not actually sure when the news anchor became well-known. So, I do think my students’ name is a bit unfortunate. But I have no problem with George Burns!
I’m 37 and knew immediately who George Burns was even though I don’t specifically remember watching any of his comedy. I say go for it. Some older people might make a joke, but as far as I remember there was nothing offensive about him. I would definitely make sure you google things like “George Burns a raging racist” whatever to make sure there isn’t something there.
Honestly, in this day and age it might be nice to not be the first person who shows up when your name is googled. Although this might be a positive or negative. As one of apparently two people with my name in the US – I’m a little skewed toward anonymity.
I’m 30, American, vaguely knew who George Burns was when I read the letter, but had to Google him to be sure. I don’t really think using this name is a problem, but the important thing is if it bothers you. If it does, then no matter how infrequently it comes up, it will irk you each time and make you question the choice, even if you love George.
If you do decide to scrap George, I think Peter or Linus would be great alternatives.