this post was submitted on 23 May 2026
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Showerthoughts

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Naming your kid Donald now a days is like naming your kid Adolf in the 1940s.

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[–] FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website 90 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

One of the funniest videos of politicians that I've seen recently was a casual meetup of Poland's PM Donald Tusk and the then incoming Hungarian PM Magyar. He had just defeated Viktor Orban, Putin's fifth column in the EU and authoritarian asshole of the year. Magyar introduces one of his ministers to Tusk. I don't remember which ministry but her name is also Orban. Tusk is ever so briefly taken aback by the mention of that name, which Magyar realizes and quickly adds: "No relation." They giggle at the mixup and Tusk just fires off nonchalantly something like: "Well, my name is Donald." They laugh and move on.

[–] Fondots@lemmy.world 59 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I think the name Donald has been out of style since before Trump was born.

Imagine spending your whole life being compared to Donald Duck.

[–] Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Well, there's Donald Knuth

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[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The most recent famous Donald I can think of is Glover, who was born in '83.

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[–] becausechemistry@piefed.social 43 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

My grandpa’s name is Donald. I was gonna name my kid after him.

Sorry, grandpa.

[–] Janx@piefed.social 31 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The solution is obvious: name your kid Grandpa.

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[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 weeks ago

Middle name, maybe?

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 37 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Karen is similarly poisonous

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 35 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] TipRing@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

Nominative determinism

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[–] DocMcStuffin@lemmy.world 26 points 3 weeks ago (8 children)

Hillary. No one names their daughter Hillary and haven't for a while now.

Grover, Kermit. These were also common names. There was president Grover Cleveland. Teddy Roosevelt named one of his sons Kermit. Sesame Street had such a strong cultural impact that these names also fell out of use.

[–] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago

Elmo too certainly

[–] taygaloocat@leminal.space 7 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I dated a girl named Hilary once. She was okay.

[–] Trail@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

Must have been hilarious.

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[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Kermit Roosevelt. I'm sure with a name like that, he definitely didn't do anything of consequence that ripples through geopolitics to this day.

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Nobody names kids "Adolf" here, even today. That name is thoroughly burned.

[–] EtzBetz@feddit.org 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

I am German and have an uncle whose name is Adolf. His dad/my grandpa also had the name Adolf, but he got the name before WWII.

My parents told me that my uncle has this name because my grandpa misunderstood the nurse when my uncle was born. He supposedly understood "What's your name?", while she asked "How should he be named?". He then said "Adolf" obviously, because that's his name. And it's said that once they figured out the error, it was too late to be undone.

There's a certain scepticism about this story being real. But for sure my grandpa didn't do it to honor Adolf Hitler (aka being a Nazi. I don't know about his doings during WWII tbh, but at least how I perceived him, he didn't have any sympathy for Nazis), maybe he did it because he wanted to name a son after himself while the name was burnt..

Just a tidbit from my life :D

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[–] sudoer777@lemmy.ml 19 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)
[–] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

President of Africa.

[–] irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 3 weeks ago

The country of africa?

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[–] Simulation6@sopuli.xyz 17 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

Nobody shied away from Joseph after Stalin.

[–] zurchpet@lemmy.ml 28 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

There is a very famous Joseph in a old fairy tale book which most people associate with that name.

But Donald or Adolph?

I mean at least Donald has a Duck, Knuth and Glover.

But Adolf, yeah you named your kid after him...

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[–] FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world 16 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

Contrary to what other peole say, donald is still super common as a name. It's culturally significant to many nationalities and scottish people don't really let the fact that the 47th POTUS is a tosser interfere with what they name their kids. I think various commonwealth countries (e.g in the caribbean) like it as a first name, and loads of american people born since '45 have had it - actors, musicians, artists.

I think people should be allowed to use the name adolf without it conjuring association with 🚨🗿.

Edit: btw, Donald Trump is an interesting name because it etymologically means "World Ruler Trump" and Trump, in card games and such, means "victor," so 47's name is "Victorious World Ruler."

No wonder he has issues.

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[–] medem@lemmy.wtf 16 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)
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[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 15 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Not yet, there are people who have, and will, name their kids Donald. They might actually give him the "t" middle initial too.

[–] MyceliumNetwork@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 weeks ago

It is also just...an old person's name right now.

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[–] AceTKen@lemmy.ca 13 points 3 weeks ago

Just make their middle name Duck and you are golden.

[–] badgermurphy@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I've heard a fun fact about this! Nowadays, at least in North America, they make great effort to always use the full names of people that become infamous to reduce the poisoning of names like that, as well as to minimize the incidence of living people with the same name.

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[–] ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)
[–] _wizard@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

One of my good friend's is named Adolf.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

In Sweden there are lots of Adolfsson (son of adolf). I think it's more Hitler that's the forbidden name.

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Adolph was a relatively uncommon name in English, and thus became taboo easily. In Sweden, Adolf has historically been a common name, largely eclipsing all that unpleasantness happening to the south that Sweden didn’t participate in anyway, do why should families change their surname?

Having said that, naming a child Adolf in Sweden is still uncommon, though presumably more out of concern that he may have a hard time if he travels.

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[–] lucullus@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 3 weeks ago

In germany though Adolf is also taboo. There is even a german drama movie about this naming choice (I think its called "Der Name", so "The Name")

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[–] Bonesince1997@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

However, DioramaOfShit is a great name!

[–] Atomic@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Naming your kid Judas or lucifer has been pretty taboo for the past 2000 years.

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[–] yermaw@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

Is Adolf a safe name yet? How long needs to pass?

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