Will Baby Girls Get the Name Maleficent?
Maleficent, everyone's favorite Disney villain, is coming back to the big screen.
But not in an animated Sleeping Beauty sequel. In a live action movie. And she'll be portrayed by Angelina Jolie, no less.
The movie, which is scheduled to be released in early 2014, will offer us a kinder view of the sinister Maleficent. This incarnation of the character is a "misunderstood sorceress who ultimately turns evil," according to E! Online.
The name Maleficent can be traced back to the Latin word maleficus, meaning "wicked, vicious, criminal." Fitting for an evil sorceress, but how about a baby?
Do you think we'll see baby girls named Maleficent when the movie comes out?
Update, 5/7/16: Maleficent has debuted on the SSA's list! Five baby girls got the name in 2015.
I hope not. I'd rather see a child name Magnificent.
@Rose: Interesting story. Thank you for sharing!
Your Maleficent is literally the first human being I know of with the name.
I don't disagree with Disney's definition of "mischievous," though I think it's a deceptively cute-sounding, as it overlooks less complimentary meanings.
The root word here is malus, which means "bad, evil, wicked, injurious, destructive, mischievous, hurtful, ill-looking, ugly, deformed" (from Language Log).
Omg that word is SOO annoying. (Muhwef)uh-cin is what it would sound like coming out of a toddler's mouth. Yuck. Bleugh.
My oldest daughter (born 1996) is named Maleficent. I personally adore the name, but I never thought I'd name my daughter it. When she was born I didn't have a name ready, so she was discharged as Baby girl Whiteway. However her eyes were mesmerizing; emerald with flares of brown/hazel, and the name Maleficent wouldn't leave my mind. So at 15 days old she was registered as Maleficent Lilah Whiteway. To this day, she still loves her name, and I don't think I could have chosen a more suitable one. To the person who thinks it sounds silly coming out of the mouth of a toddler, it doesn't. By the time she was 3 – 3+1/2, she could pronounce her name very well. She sounded so cute saying it, mal-eff-a-sin-t. The name isn't that common, and I hope that just because a movie was made people don't start naming their kids Maleficent as even I would find that odd. After 18 years of raising my girl, I have not come across another child – or adult – named Malecifent. As the names 4 syllables, it comes across as too long or strange for somle people, which is fair enough. When she was 7 she and her friends started using the nickname Mailie (pronounced mal-ee). Each to their own. I can't imagine there suddenly being an influx of people naming their children this, if there was it would be quite hilarious.
I named my daughter Maleficent and my parents (mainly speak Spanish) started calling her Malie (Maa-ly). I love that name. Yes she was born a month after the movie came out but I've had that name picked since I found out I was pregnant. Honestly I had a pick between Ursula and Maleficent. I wasn't going to pick Ursula.
I love my little Maleficent. I can't think of a better name that suits her.
It starts off with the word "male" so that's a reason I wouldn't name my daughter that.
I would hope not as the name means someone who does evil and malicious deeds.
While I actually like the sound of the word maleficent, I could never see it as a good choice for a name because of the actual definition (sorry Disney your 'definition' is just PR fiction). Maleficent means acting with evil intent and has been defined that way since it was first used in the late 1600's. That's why the name was originally chosen for the character.
A similar sounding and far more appropriate word to use as a name would be "mellifluent" which is a synonym for mellifluous and means sweet-sounding or mellow.
Sweet or evil. Seems pretty clear which attribute you'd want to have describe your child.