Happy Halloween!
Here’s a scary name story for you:
Mike and Susan Cooper of Bristol, England, welcomed a 6lb, 6oz baby boy on 06/06/06 and named him Damien after Damien Thorn, the devil-child in the movie The Omen (1976).
Why did screenwriter David Seltzer choose the name Damien for his five-year-old Antichrist? I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that Damien reminded him of the word “demon.”
(Despite the similarity, Damien isn’t related to “demon.” It comes from the ancient Greek name Damianos, which was derived from a word meaning “to tame.”)
Source: Smith, Richard. “Born at 6am on 06/06/06, his Mum was induced for 6 days, he weighs 6lbs 6oz and he’s called…Damien.” Mirror 7 Jun. 2006.
A cousin of mine was born that day and named Nevaeh Kristyne. The name was planned way ahead of time — Nevaeh was the mom’s favorite for years, and Kristy is the grandmother’s name — but it almost seems as if they chose the name to counteract connotations of the date.