How long has it been since you saw “The Omen”?
I think most folks don’t automatically think of that flick when they hear the name “Damien” anymore, right?
Around here, it’s not a problem.
In Hawaii, it wouldn’t be a problem.
We’re not particularly religious ;), but I just want to be sure, before possibly giving my son a troublesome name.
Yes, my wife thinks I’m freaking out over nothing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great name, and I hope it’s just me.
I think it’s a fine name, and your son will be just fine with it as his name. The chances of the kids he’ll grow up with having seen “The Omen” is probably pretty slim … at least until they get older.
My friend has a son who’s named Damien. He’s about 20 years old now, and so far no sign of satanic tendencies. 
Honestly?
The Omen remains the first think I think of when I hear the name Damien. Maybe it’s because the movie completely freaked me out (I’ve seen it a total of once, and anytime I think about watching it again, I realize that I don’t want to) or maybe it’s because that’s my only exposure to the name.
FYI, I’m in TN (in case there’s a geographical difference to the answers).
I shall be watching this thread with great interest, as Damien is the only name me and Mr. Armadillo have thus far agreed upon for FirstBornMaleArmadilloPup (as yet not conceived). Sadly, we’ve got a slew of good girl names, but those boy names escape me.
I would vote no, but my vote doesn’t count. If you want the name you want it for a reason.
Okay Mr. Armadillo and I.
mutter mutter grammar mutter
Seems a fine name to me for a son. May I suggest the alternative spelling “Damian” to avoid confusion? Or perhaps the alternative version “Damon”?
However … I do NOT recommend calling your 1983 Ford Ranger Damien. Trust me on this one, m’kay? I’ve done it, and no good can come from it.
I’ve never seen The Omen and honestly, had never even heard of it until recently. How old is the movie?
And personally, I think of Damien Demento and Damien 666 when I hear the name but both’re wrestlers which 99% of America has not heard of.
Old. Yet very freaky.
One of the basic responsibilities of a parent is to not give a kid a name that’s going to result in everyday torture in school. “Damien” would have definitely been such a name 28 years ago. While the original and the sequels would not be known to other grade schoolers, there was a remakish thing done in 1995. Plus, by high school there’s sure to be one person who knows about the movie and will tell everybody else.
I see no reason for being sadistic and saddling a child with a name that they’re going to despise. There’s thousands of good names that are not so amenable to playground taunts, use one of them.
[Homer]
Let’s see, Bart, Art, Cart, Dart, Eeyart…nope, can’t see any problem with that
[/Homer]
Don’t be a Homer, check at least thru “F”.
I have negative associations with the name “Damien.” I’m not even a believer in the heaven/hell thing and it freaked me out. Probably because my psychotic ex drew three tiny sixes on my beautiful baby son’s head and then started freaking out over it. If he wasn’t such an asshole, it would have been pretty funny, actually.
Oh, come on. Nobody I’ve ever discussed it with has ever thought it would be much of an issue, other than “wasn’t there a movie with a kid…?” and by the time my kid is born, grows up, and hits high school the movie will be, what, nearly fifty years old? I imagine there will be a whole world of other playground taunts more accessible than a demon kid in a fifty year old horror movie.
There just don’t seem to be many nice-sounding, moderately uncommon, yet not bizzare boys’ names out there. I guess if you don’t want your son to get beat up you’re pretty much limited to the same ten names that 99% of boys are called.
I always think of the Omen when I hear Damien…
I gave my kid an awful name though so I can’t say too much - I convinced my husband that no one would remember the “Zack - Zack - He’s a Legomaniac!” commercials. I was wrong. :smack:
What a horrible idea. Unless you live in Hawaii, “Damien” is the Antichrist – if the kids don’t know it themselves, someone will tell them.
What the hell is is about parents these days and their “moderately uncommon” names? Common names are protective coloration for your children – don’t knock it.
Just to confound your efforts, there’s been an episode of “South Park” in which Satan’s son Damien enrolls in South Park Elementary.
So my vote sways towards no. It’s become a pop-culture thing now.
Its the first thing I think of when I hear the name. But I am 43 and won’t be hanging out with your kid. Nor would I make fun of him if I did.
But I kinda agree with NameTag that the kids will probably hear it from their parents and then they will probably use it to make fun of him.
I vote no. The movie came out the year before I was born, so you would have expected it to be forgotten by the time I started high school 15 years after its release, right? Yeah, tell that to my former classmate Damien… 
It’s not as though the movie isn’t still seen by a lot of people. It’s on cable all the time - which is where I saw it for the first time last year. It’s a classic, I bet there are tons of people under 30 who have seen it, and will see it. The connection between the name and the antichrist is going to stand for a very long time to come.
Wouldn’t a name like that make people view you as the ultimate badass? I like it!
Good names get ruined by pop culture all of the time.
My middle name was once hugely popular - in the top 50 for boy’s names in the beginning of the century. Then it was used as a Warner Brothers cartoon character, and the name didn’t sound strong and honorable anymore.
I had to go through school in the 70’s and 80’s with the middle name “Elmer”.
Parents, do the right thing.
I don’t think you have a problem. The movie is old, and for the most part, kids who would tease your son for having the name of Satan’s child probably would not have seen the movie, and hence would not tease your son.
I was a kid when the movie came out. There was a kid in my school named Damien (K-3). Nobody every teased him for it. As a matter of fact I have fond memories of him because we almost became each other’s first boyfriend/girlfriend.