"Famous" person baby name?

drea1016 · May 2016

For starters, our last name is Hogan.

For years I've loved the name Benjamin and it is one of the few boy names my husband and I agree on. I mentioned this to a couple people and their first reaction was "oh, like the golfer Ben Hogan." I had never heard of this guy but apparently he was a famous golfer who died almost 20 years ago.

My husband doesn't think it is a big deal, but I'm torn. Will our child be annoyed growing up with these comments? Or is it not a big deal, especially considering his generation probably won't even know this old golfer guy?

Thanks!

bbiutmcph · May 2016

I mean he's a little more than an old golfer guy. That said its not like it's a bad connection. If he ends up enjoying golf I think it would be an ironic association he would hear comments on but if Benjamin is name you both like and agree on I would not let it deter you. Benjamin is classic and classic names have lots of associations. This is similar to choosing something like William Smith. Yes it has a famous person association but since it's a classic name that's been used forever it's not like naming your kid Tiger Woods, where Tiger has pretty much one association as a name.

kmvisioli · May 2016

I've never heard of Ben Hogan and would guess it won't be a big deal, especially for your son's generation. Benjamin is a great name.

alyssa0714 · May 2016

I've never heard of him either, and if he died 20 years ago your child's peers almost definitely won't have heard of him by the time he's grown up.

It's not like you're naming him Hulk or something that's only associated with a specific person and not a common name.

MamaWren919 · May 2016

I've never heard of Benjamin Hogan and doubt most people outside of golf fans know him. It wouldn't keep me from using the name. I think it's different if it's a FAMOUS person. I worked with a guy named Michael Jackson.

CaboBride2015 · May 2016

I'm familiar with Ben Hogan and I didn't immediately make the connection. That said, even if someone does connect the two I don't see it being in a negative way.

carolyn219 · May 2016

I'm a little older, and I immediately thought of the golfer. I'm guessing everyone over 30 would associate the two names. Of course your son's peers probably will not make that association, so it's your choice.

LoveLee85 · May 2016

No biggie in my book. I'm weird though. I actually google searched my LO name BEFORE I named him. I wanted to make sure no criminals or weird porn star has the name I was giving my son! LOL Hours of looking and never found anything. I also checked on Facebook. Not one account found with his name. Haha

sunset30 · May 2016

This is the most ironic post - my husband loves Ben Hogan and would have given anything to name our son "Hogan." He admires the guy so much he still wants to name our second child Hogan. I vetoed the name the first time and will again on #2.

As an FYI, the golfer's real name is William Ben Hogan (not Benjamin - I've researched it trying to come up with compromises). But most people would probably just know "Ben Hogan." That being said, if you love the name, I'd go for it. Ben Hogan was a pretty admirable guy - he overcame a lot of adversity and is one of the best players in golf. He's not a bad guy to share a name with.

PhoebeJune1984 · May 2016

Never heard of Ben Hogan.

holli0801 · May 2016

No clue who that is...

sid464 · May 2016

I've never heard of him. I'm sure some people you know may make that association, but I'd have to imagine there will be just as many that won't-- and like you said, I can't imagine the next generation will have any familiarity with him. It's not like Tiger Woods or some other very distinct name either.