Right, I have been thinking lately: Is Sherlock really such a weird name?
Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern Sherlock Holmes sitting in 221b Baker Street (BBC Sherlock)
I’ve always loved the canon stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And reading all those stories in which the protagonist is called Sherlock made me think that it’s an unusual name, yes, but a pretty one too. Unlike ACD’s first choice of Sherrinford (and John Watson would have been Ormond Sacker – No way I would contemplate those names!!). However, in the canon, he is usually referred to as “Holmes”, just like John Watson is just “Watson.” Obviously in keeping with societal practices from the time in which the stories were written. And that’s fine.
Don’t worry, I’m not pregnant or anything. I’m just wondering. Would the name Sherlock really be out of place in this day and age? There’s an actress called Galadriel something-or-other so if that name is acceptable, Sherlock should be too, right? Not to mention all the Arwens and Sawyers and Heathcliffs and Ophelias out there.
What really got me thinking is the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. It is set in the London of today – make that sometime between 2010 and 2013 from Season 1 to the filming of Season 3 which is currently under way. Sherlock is a young man in his mid-30s who dresses smartly, mixing a long coat with well-tailored suits by trendy designers. He’s tech-savvy, has a website and frequently texts. He can drive a car and jumps in and out of London cabs. He’s a bachelor, sharing a flat like many young men and women do in London due to the steep rent. Sherlock Holmes is – and always has been – a man of his time. Up-to-date with technology and forensic procedures. Dashing about, riding the tube, ordering takeaway. So why is his name perceived as silly or old-fashioned? A child named Sherlock could easily have the nickname Lock. That’s not that weird. I know three boys named Lachlan and I call all of them Lock or Lockie. What would be the difference?
Unlike in the books, Holmes and Watson address each other as Sherlock and John. And why wouldn’t they? I certainly wouldn’t call my flatmate Mr Holmes after living with him for a week, let alone the rest of my life. And I think that’s just the point. I am now so used to hearing the name, and just his given name, spoken out loud that I don’t find it strange anymore. It somehow fits. And not to mention all the fan fiction. Holmes and Watson have become Sherlock and John to me. And always will be.
Of course I know that the name Sherlock could get a kid into trouble. Could. OK, the canonical character is a pipe-smoker and habitual user of cocaine. Both of which was perfectly acceptable at the time the stories were written. The new version is still portrayed as a former junkie but has stopped doing drugs and instead of cigarettes uses nicotine patches. So no worries there. Not everyone (and especially not every fictional character) is a saint.
Yes, Sherlock is rude sometimes, never one to observe social niceties. But it can be argued these days that Sherlock Holmes suffers from a mild version of Asperger Syndrome. In BBC Sherlock, John Watson suggests as much to DI Lestrade in The Hounds of Baskerville. I don’t see Asperger’s or autism as a bad thing. An ex-boyfriend of mine (who I was with for more than 4 years) had mild Asperger’s and he could be exactly the same as Sherlock. Not good with emotions in others. Sometimes he would barely talk to me, his brother (who also had Asperger’s but a slightly stronger version) barely acknowledged us when we came to visit. Not always certain of the rules and boundaries society dictates. But often they are incredibly smart, can recite facts from memory, love puzzles.
Sherlock is incredibly clever, a talented musician and (apparently) holds several university degrees or has at least studied several subjects.
I fail to see how the name Sherlock could be anything but a good thing for a child. An homage. Something to aspire to, just like all the kids named after their great-grandfathers in the hopes they’ll step into those footsteps. Who knows how many children with “common” names are named after fictional characters? Who’s to say that John next door is not named after John Watson? Or that Robin is not named after Robin Hood? Annika after Pippi Longstocking’s best friend or Jane after Jane Eyre. There are even Gretchens – to me that always brings Johann Wolfgang von Goethe‘s epic work Faust (Dr Faustus) to mind. The Finns of this world could be named in honour of Huckleberry Finn for all I know. Even biblical names are still in fashion 2000 years later.
I like the name Sherlock.
I know it doesn’t go with my own surname, nor any common names in my native Germany. Maybe I’ll move back to the UK one day and find myself a husband there. He’d have to be a Sherlock Holmes fan, of course. And speaking of Holmesian names – I’m even warming to Mycroft. Shortened to Myc or spelled “Mike”, people would be none the wiser as to where the name comes from.
Artist’s impression of a young Sherlock Holmes (BBC Sherlock) calling after his big brother Mycroft
Like my own given name, Sherlock and Mycroft are not names for little kids. They just aren’t. I’ve had a nickname since before I was born, but now as an adult have come to embrace my full given name. I still have my nickname, but professionally I go more and more by my full name and I like it. But in my opinion, William and Arthur and Elizabeth are not for babies either. But the grown-ups they become would suit those names. Sherlock might even be the most child-friendly name of the lot. I can imagine a little boy with riotous hair and skinned knees answering to the name Sherlock. Can you?
It’s been said about Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays the current BBC incarnation of Sherlock): “Benedict Cumberbatch – The first actor to play Sherlock Holmes with a name more ridiculous than Sherlock Holmes.” How are either of these names ridiculous?
16 popes called themselves Benedict. So that name shouldn’t be weird. As for Cumberbatch… it’s certainly unusual but not ridiculous. And it’s not even the most British and posh sounding name I know. I think I’ve made my feelings for the name Sherlock clear in what I have written above. And Holmes is a fairly common surname. So I ask again, how are either of these names ridiculous?
Baker Street Girl 