Children Named After Willow

[Moggin]

How many of you either named your own kid after Willow, or know someone who did? I know of two.

 

[IndianaSolo221]

Okay, so this really doesn’t count, but my stepmom named our cat Willow because she liked the name, and it kinda worked out because she doesn’t have any daughters to have been able to use it otherwise.

This cat turned out to be incredibly loving, but also annoying. She craves attention so badly that she’ll sit on your face just to be pet. She’s also a major foodie and is very overweight.

She doesn’t really live up to her namesake, but she is a sweet cat.

 

[Myheadsgonenumb]

Willow's become an ubiquitous name now - though I don't think most of them are actually named after the character. The first person I knew called Willow would be about 18 now - and I suspect she and the first generation of Willow's were, but then it just got picked up and used by parents who just thought it was pretty. Hermione is similar - when HP was first published it was so unknown that most people didn't even know how to pronounce it, but now no one would bat an eye on meeting an Hermione - but they won't be specifically named after Miss Granger.

It's funny - I remember before I started watching Buffy my friend who did watch it saying that Buffy's best friend's name was Willow and me being very scathing about it: "Buffy's best friend is called Willow? Oh for goodness sake what are the chances? Does nobody have a normal name? What a ridiculous show. What's the boy called? Xander? well - I never did."

But now Willow is the 19th most popular girl's name in England and Wales, and more and more boys called Alexander shorten it to Xander not Alex.

 

[Moggin]

Willow's become an ubiquitous name now - though I don't think most of them are actually named after the character. The first person I knew called Willow would be about 18 now - and I suspect she and the first generation of Willow's were, but then it just got picked up and used by parents who just thought it was pretty. Hermione is similar - when HP was first published it was so unknown that most people didn't even know how to pronounce it, but now no one would bat an eye on meeting an Hermione - but they won't be specifically named after Miss Granger.

It's funny - I remember before I started watching Buffy my friend who did watch it saying that Buffy's best friend's name was Willow and me being very scathing about it: "Buffy's best friend is called Willow? Oh for goodness sake what are the chances? Does nobody have a normal name? What a ridiculous show. What's the boy called? Xander? well - I never did."

But now Willow is the 19th most popular girl's name in England and Wales, and more and more boys called Alexander shorten it to Xander not Alex.

That's hilarious. I love hearing first reactions.

The two kids I know of were definitely named after Willow Rosenberg.

The first woman is a bit older than I am and would have been a twenty something when Buffy first aired. The first time I met her she was in full Wicca mode. She hadn't had her daughter yet, and when she did I wondered where she got the name. Just by the way she was acting I got the notion it was from a famous character somewhere, but I didn't find out until much later. At the time I hadn't ever seen Buffy.

The second kid was from someone much younger who I taught for a while, but also loved the show. She was more forthcoming with why she named her that, and went on for quite while explaining how awesome Willow Rosenberg is as a character.

 

[HowiMetdaSlayer]

My mom says that if I had been born year or 2 later, I might've been a Willow.

 

[fivebyfaith]

I can think of 2 celebrities off the top of my head who are named Willow, Willow Shields and Willow Smith (both 20 years old), it's become super common! Maybe part of that is Willow being such a prominent character, so it helped the name enter the popular consciousness?

 

[Priceless]

There is a writer (not a well known one or anything) I follow on twitter who actually named her daughter Buffy because of this show. Now that is unusual

 

[TriBel]

I've taught UK university students since before BtVS aired - and know of no Willows, Xanders or Buffys. I'm not under-estimating the cultural influence of the programme (though I don't think it's as wide as fandom believes) but I wonder whether the current popularity of "Willow" is because botanical names are back in vogue?

 

[Mr Trick]

No, but if I ever have a daughter I might name her Willow.