The most beautiful names can become forever tarnished in our minds after they appear in certain movies, TV shows, or books. One of Carrie Underwood's favorite baby names was ruined by Fifty Shades of Grey — so the country music star felt the pain of having to come up with another option quickly.
Carrie and husband Mike Fisher welcomed a baby boy last February, but one of the names she told Today she had in mind for him was rapidly removed from the list when E.L. James's novel became a crazy-successful blockbuster film.
"Christian was on the list too," Underwood said. "That was when Fifty Shades of Grey was coming out, like right around that time, and I'm like, 'Christian's off the list, babe.'"
Carrie and Mike instead went with the much safer "Isaiah," a biblical name that means "salvation of the Lord."
More from The Stir: 20 Best 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Baby Names
I can understand Carrie's reservations about Christian because, in 2015, the name automatically brings to mind a red room and bondage gear. But those connotations won't last forever. Christian, Anastasia, and Leila are all beautiful-sounding names that are also classic and will outlive the fury surrounding Fifty Shades. I highly doubt that in 10 or 15 years, anyone will meet a teenage Christian and ask, "Were you named after Christian Grey?"
Interestingly, the Fifty Shades effect works the opposite way, too. It's no coincidence that the name "Khaleesi" from Game of Thrones is one of the top 25 most popular girls' names in 2015— or that "Atticus" from To Kill a Mockingbird is the most popular boy's name. Back in 2012, one year after the first Fifty Shades novel was released, "Christian" appeared in the top 50 names for boys, while "Anastasia" climbed 43 places in the ranking and "Grey" went up an impressive 155 spots.
I don't think I'd let a film change my baby name decision, but I will admit: the fact that both Keira Knightley and Colin Firth are gorgeous, talented actors certainly makes me feel better about my babies' names — so maybe there is something to it?
Image via fiftyshadesmovie/Instagram