Is Casper too cruel?

[Pippi L.]

I love the name Casper, but does it still have friendly ghost connotations? I don't think I ever watched this show as a kid (I'm 29) but I've heard of it and can picture the character. Do kids nowadays know about the ghost? I haven't watched television in years so I'm out of the loop.

[MaerynPearl]

I dunno... but does it really matter? Its not the worst thing your child could be associated with... a friendly ghost... much better than naming a child Lolita or Adolph or anything else with a very negative connotation!

[Pippi L.]

I don't mind -- but my husband does!

[MamaFern]

i love it! i once had a friend named Casper and always thought it was a super great name

[FarrenSquare]

I love it, too. I have an adult friend named Casper, so it doesn't seem that strange to me!

[dakotablue]

I will admit, I clicked on your topic thinking how could the friendly ghost be cruel? I think however that it could be fine since I think the popularity is mostly gone...Only adults will have the connection. Then for them...Casper is a friendly ghost...its not Casper the evil ghost.

My DS has the same name as a famous invisible rabbit!

[RedOakMomma]

Funny you mention Casper...I was putting a list of C names together tonight and when I saw Casper I thought "huh...what a great name...but wait...is the ghost association too big of a problem?"

I don't think it's that big of a deal. Casper cartoons are actually pretty innocent, and they're going to be ANCIENT history by the time our wee ones grow up. Think of all the goofy cartoons and radio shows our parents/grandparents listened too....do we have any memories at all of the character names? Not really.

Great name.

[CherryBomb]

I don't care for the name myself, but I don't think it's cruel I really wanted to name dd1 Kerrigan but dh swore everyone would think of Nancy Kerrigan...well how many 8/9 year olds do you know that have any clue who she is?

If you like it, go for it!

[Melly24]

I know someone who named their son Kasper. It really suits him and I never think of the ghost when I hear his name.

[happysmileylady]

I don't think it's a bad association...but I can say that my niece and nephew, who are 5 and 4, have a Casper The Friendly Ghost video that they love. So, it's certainly possible that there will be kids that do know it.

[Smokering]

For me the association was immediate and strong, and I've never even seen the film. So... I suspect he'll probably get Casper jokes his entire life. That isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but it is what it is. Cas is a cute nickname, though!

[HeatherB]

I never watched the show as a kid, but did know it. And, yes, it's still an association.

I know my boys have been watching old cartoons like Rocky and Bullwinkle thanks to Netflix on the Wii. You never know what will be available and for how long!

[EviesMom]

I have a Jasper, and people often mishear it as Casper. Doesn't seem shocking or offputting to anyone that I've seen, so I think it would be fine.

I find it particularly funny right now since he's on a little kick of putting e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g on his head and going "ooooooooo! my a ghost!" But that is completely unrelated to the similarity of his name and Casper; DD just taught him to do this because she has a book where kids wear ghost costumes.

It may also make a difference where you live; I'm in a big city with lots of unusual-sounding-to-Americans names, so Jasper/Casper are some of the least-unusual names I've heard here. In a tiny town, it would be different.

[EviesMom]

Originally Posted by dakotablue

My DS has the same name as a famous invisible rabbit!

Harvey? Isn't he really a Pooka, just in the form of a rabbit?

[Smokering]

I was thinking Frank, from Donnie Darko..?

[HopefulJo]

I was thinking Harvey, too, mostly because it's my favorite movie

Casper is actually on our list because it's a family name on DH's side, and we asked the same questions. We decided it's a fine name, even with the cartoon association, since it's not a bad/scary association, and really not that up-to-date.

[hawthornehill]

i think of the friendly ghost right away, but maybe not sure a bad association. how about jasper instead? that's getting more popular these days though.

[taffywelsh]

Well, all I can think of is the Herzog movie "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser", about the famous 19th century feral child. You should see that if you haven't already, it will give you another Casper to think about!
I know a woman called Petra and she has been tormented for years by people calling her "The Bitter Tears", so if these references make no sense to you, your kid is probably off the hook. Until he gets to college/grad school.
Wikipedia link to Kaspar Hauser:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspar_Hauser

[dakotablue]

Originally Posted by EviesMom

Harvey? Isn't he really a Pooka, just in the form of a rabbit?

Haha yes, but I didn't think anyone would get the reference. Even people who've seen the movie forget its a Pooka! But everyone remembers the sister describing the big long ears

[Cujobunny]

I think Casper is cute. I loved the show when i was a kid (I'm 35). FWIW I carved a jack-o-lantern into a Casper ghost design last halloween and of all the trick or treaters we had, only one woman who was older than I am knew who it was