That connotation seems obvious but I didn't pick up on it until months after I heard about CockroachDB. For one, a minority of people who know about cockroaches know about their resilience. For two, people who _do_ know that still know that cockroaches are disgusting. The reptile brain is going to react with revulsion even if the higher brain finds the metaphor.
Cockroach on the other hand is very strongly associated with insects and disgust.
I do think it interferes with adoption. I don't think it'll kill it though.