I’m a few weeks from having my first child, and we still haven’t settled on a name. I always wanted to name a kid after a fictional character, and when I suggested Zooey for a girl (from Franny and Zooey*), my wife liked it and we settled on a girl name pretty easily. Then it turned out to be a boy. Months later we still can’t agree on this anything. I’ve suggested Hal (Infinite Jest), Finnegan (Finn for short, from Finnegan’s Wake), Huck (duh), and Quinn (modification of Quint from Jaws for ease of pronunciation), among others. The wife is sort of lukewarm on Finn and Quinn, but hates the others. I didn’t even try Kilgore.
Any suggestions?
Zooey was actually the brother in that book, but it doesn’t feel like a boy’s name.
Be careful about naming Dumbguy, Jr. after pop fiction characters. If you don’t mind that the reference severely dates him, well, ok. Fictional names that have stood the test of time are cool in my book, though. YMMV.
This makes me think of the Charles DeLint story about a boy named Peregrin who was embarrassed by his name, but thankful that his parents hadn’t gone with Frodo instead.
Why not consider using those names as middle names?
Hah! One of my step-brothers named his first Francis after his grandmother, but she was frequently a Franny. When daughter number two came along, you guessed it - Zoey :D.
In Eric Flint’s “Ring of Fire” series, there is a character named Tom Stone. He’s the last resident of a defunct commune. Tom raised three sons there. One is his, another may be his, and the third isn’t his but Tom kept him when the mom skipped out.
All three boys were given names out of LOTR, but Tom never calls them by their registered names, and it embarrasses the boys when their stepmother does. Ron is actually Elrond. Frank is Faramir, and Gerry is really Gwaihir.
A fictional situation in itself, sure, but I’d never name a kid for someone famous. As said upthread, it dates them. My sister escaped being name Dwight(for the president) only by being a girl.
Just factor in that other repurpose-a-fictional-character parents may well be taking their cues from how the Next Big Superhero Movie will apparently feature Hal “The Green Lantern” Jordan.
Warning: I am apparently falling half asleep. This presumably affects my brain.
Mercutio. Tybalt. Laetres. Lysander. Corin (not that strange, unless you name him Corin Thunderfist. Don’t name him Corin Thunderfist. One has to earn that.) Peter, Edmund, Eustace, Aslan, Puddleglum. Shasta (Don’t name him Shasta McNasty.) Kermit. Oswald (not after the guy in The Drew Carey Show just a nicely distinctive name.) Sledge. Jimi. Sly. Beornbjorn (I just made this up.) My cousin named her kid Samuel Clarence, I keep trying to turn it into Samuel Clemens/Clement. Rilian. (Trillian?) Tristram. Trismegistus.
Name him J.R., call him Bob. Don’t have the R. stand for Robert. Change last name to Dobbs.
Friedrich. Nikola. Tesla. Tyr. Charlemagne (maybe esp. if he’s tall). [del]Esp.[/del] Del. Floyd. George. John Henry. Stalnoivolk.
When I was an undergrad, I met a young lady named “Arwen”. She was surprised that I knew where the name was from. Of course, now I’m sure a lot more folks recognize it.
Personally, I think that things like this are the reason for existence of middle names. If you want to give your kid a wild and crazy name, knock yourself out, but put it in middle, not in first. That way, they can choose to embrace it if they want, but they also have the option of hiding it away behind a mere initial. For your child’s first name, though, pick something that neither of you will have reason to regret later.