Is it terrible to use a Disney Princess Name?

Dear Jennifer,

I recently watched the Disney movie Brave, and I love the name of the independent princess, Merida. I looked up the meaning of her name, but couldn’t find anything. Could you tell me what it means?

Also, would it be a bad idea to give your child the same name as a Disney princess? Interested to hear your take on this.

Thanks for your help!
Emily

Dear Emily,

Excellent question! I think it would be okay to name your daughter after this particular Disney Princess because she is a strong character and has a positive association to her.

The movie Brave was released in 2012, so it’s fairly recent when it comes to Disney princess lore. Where a more “classic” princess might have a life goal of marrying a prince, Brave’s heroine, Merida, challenges that tradition. She opposes her mother’s wishes to just marry, so she can make her own path in life. As you said, Merida is independent and strong-willed. A very worthy namesake!

Disney’s Merida is Scottish, and although there is no known Scottish name “Merida,” the closest traditional Celtic name would be Mairead, a form of Margaret, which means “a pearl.”

There is also a an ancient city named Mérida in Spain, founded by the Romans in the 1st century BCE.

So my recommendation would be…go for it!

Sincerely,
Jennifer

Jennifer Moss is the founder & CEO of BabyNames.com. For almost 30 years she’s been a valuable resource on names and naming and has answered questions on social media and in her popular column, Ask Jennifer, which we bring back to our blogs! Have a question for Jennifer? Email names@babynames.com.

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