# Naming your kid after a fictional character **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049 "2010-07-17T18:21:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/61 "2010-07-18T17:16:00Z")
Its not a character, in fact, the one I know is the only one with this name so you should try it-Toran. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/62 "2010-07-18T17:19:23Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > 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. If you want to go with the traditional spellings, “Francis” is a boy’s name; “Frances” is a girl’s name. > [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I don’t see what’s the problem. Franny was the girl. Zooey was her brother. Seems like you could still go with Zooey. Well, just because the character was male doesn’t mean the name will be perceived as masculine. If you want to really mess your boy up, name him “Bambi.” ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/63 "2010-07-18T17:24:41Z")
How about Crimefighter or Kal-El? [http://www.celebritybabies.info/index.php/category/penn-jillette/](http://www.celebritybabies.info/index.php/category/penn-jillette/) ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/64 "2010-07-18T17:45:34Z")
My best friends’ oldest son is named Geddy Alexander. Rush happens to be one of their favorite bands, but they swear it has nothing to do with that - they just liked the names. Uh-huh. But wait, Rush aren’t fictional characters. Let us consider their second son, then. His middle name is Q. You guessed it - they’re also ST:TNG fans. But again, their choice of “name” has nothing to do with that - they just wanted to be quirky and unique. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/65 "2010-07-18T17:48:35Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > If you want to go with the traditional spellings, “Francis” is a boy’s name; “Frances” is a girl’s name. > > Well, just because the character was male doesn’t mean the name will be perceived as masculine. If you want to really mess your boy up, name him “Bambi.” i know a man named tambi. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/66 "2010-07-18T18:05:16Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I kinda want to name my daughter Harleen Quinn. A boy: Remy Le Boux (or however you spell it). Please, please, please! If it’s a name YOU have to ‘figure out’ how to spell, you’re not doing the child or the rest of us any favors. I really don’t understand this trend for unusual often ancient or made up spellings for names. “We want our child to be unique.” You want your child to have to spell their name for everybody else in the world. That’s not unique anymore, there are plenty out there like that. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/67 "2010-07-18T18:24:18Z")
I’d just post a few of your other favorite books and movies and see what names you can find in there. Here’s what I think about the general issue: there’s nothing wrong with naming your kid after a fictional character. But if you’re going to do it, I think it’s better to use a name that doesn’t scream “I named my kid after the hero of my favorite book/movie.” That looks more derivative than creative, and to be honest it makes it look like the parents was more interested in a cool name than coming up with a name their child could live with. (The kid will also get a lifetime of questions of ‘are you named after \_\_\_\_\_,’ but this is _not_ the big deal some people make it out to be.) After all the kid may hate read _Huckleberry Finn_ and find he hates it. Eventually maybe he’d understand it meant something to you. So by way of example, I think Zooey is good: some people would get it, others would’ve thought it was a variant on a pretty popular name. Hal would also work. It’s an old fashioned name and after all [there were Hals before Infinite Jest.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV,_part_1) 😉 I don’t really like Finn but not everybody would assume you are naming your son for a James Joyce character. On the other hand they might think you got the idea from Julia Roberts, which may or may not bother you. Quinn is not really the name of the Jaws character, as you said, so if you went with that name, not everybody is going to walk up to your son and start singing the Jaws theme. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/68 "2010-07-18T18:29:54Z")
ON a tangent, my little girl Kayleigh is named after the similarly named Kaylee from Firefly. Didn’t like the spelling so changed it. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/69 "2010-07-18T18:30:51Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > The chart, AKA the Name Voyager, is [here](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#). > The Social Security Administration’s name website (top 1000 names for each gender for every year since 1879) is [here](http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/). Thanks **GilaB**. You rock. I suggest that the OP try out any baby names on these sites, and avoid anything on an upward swing. For instance, _Quinn_ is rising pretty fast. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/70 "2010-07-18T19:25:45Z")
When a couple of the other grad students had a baby named Quinn, I had to ask if it was a boy or a girl. They seemed slightly offended that I needed to ask (for what it’s worth, girl). ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/71 "2010-07-18T19:45:44Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > This is reminding me that I knew a girl named Goldberry when I was in college. > > Don’t do this to you children, people. Back when I thought I might want children, I always thought [Fimbrethil](http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Fimbrethil) was a lovely name. In retrospect, it’s a good thing I didn’t have kids. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/72 "2010-07-18T20:21:28Z")
I can’t believe that several people have mentioned names from the _Hitchhiker’s Guide_, and no one has yet suggested _Slartybartfast_. (Shortens very naturally to Bart, if the kid turns out yellow.) ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/73 "2010-07-18T20:24:05Z")
[http://lifeingraphs.com/?p=47](http://lifeingraphs.com/?p=47) ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/74 "2010-07-18T20:32:16Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > ON a tangent, my little girl Kayleigh is named after the similarly named Kaylee from Firefly. Didn’t like the spelling so changed it. Yeah, these people I knew wanted their daughter’s name to sound the same as that, and they changed the spelling too, to Kali. When I told them that first, they were pronouncing the name wrong, then that Kali wasn’t a very nice thing to name a little girl after, and that it was almost the equivalent of naming the kid Satan, they got all bent out of shape. Then I told them just because they figured they could end a name with an “i” didn’t make it any more trendier. Idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/75 "2010-07-18T20:46:25Z")
My wife was named after Sheena of the jungle and Tarzan’s wife. My brother was named after the Pig on Green Acres. OK the names are pretty normal but that is what they were named after. ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/76 "2010-07-18T21:05:32Z")
Thanks for all the responses. Was going to respond post by post, but it seemed self indulgent 🙂 Definitely some good options in there to add to the list. I really like Jonah, and I forgot we had talked about Noah at some point, but I’m not sure if it would be weird to choose a biblical name being an atheist. For those suggesting we pick something normal and traditional, I can only say that in the last few years I’ve found ‘normal’ to be a fairly slippery concept. My wife is Romanian, and normal names to her are Octavian, Mihai, and Ion. We’re living in Germany, where Karsten and Lothar are pretty run of the mill. Almost anything we pick is going to be weird to one side of the family or the other. We were looking at made up names as a possible neutral ground that both families might find odd but not intolerable. So far, the strategy hasn’t been very successful, and the reactions have been roughly similar to the posts here. All I can say is is that what’s normal to you isn’t necessarily normal to lot of other people. That website is awesome. I think I’ll be spending a lot of time on there in the next few days. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/77 "2010-07-18T21:09:35Z")
I like Ion, but maybe I wouldn’t if I was used to encountering it. I’m guessing it’s a variant on John, so it’d be related to Ian and Evan, and I’m not crazy about any of those. > [@njtt](#): > > I can’t believe that several people have mentioned names from the _Hitchhiker’s Guide_, and no one has yet suggested _Slartybartfast_. (Shortens very naturally to Bart, if the kid turns out yellow.) And since Slartibartfast is eternally morose because of his name, this would be terrible from a parenting standpoint and excellent for the rest of us. 😉 > [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > Yeah, these people I knew wanted their daughter’s name to sound the same as that, and they changed the spelling too, to Kali. > > When I told them that first, they were pronouncing the name wrong, then that Kali wasn’t a very nice thing to name a little girl after, and that it was almost the equivalent of naming the kid Satan, they got all bent out of shape. > > Then I told them just because they figured they could end a name with an “i” didn’t make it any more trendier. > > Idiots. Maybe you know more about Hindu mythology than I do, but I don’t think that’s a very accurate description of Kail. And personally I give people credit for pronouncing names however they choose. You’re right that pronouncing Kali “Kay-lee” is a real stretch, but what were you hoping to accompilsh here? ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/78 "2010-07-18T21:21:50Z")
> [@Dumbguy](#): > > For those suggesting we pick something normal and traditional, I can only say that in the last few years I’ve found ‘normal’ to be a fairly slippery concept. My wife is Romanian, and normal names to her are Octavian, Mihai, and Ion. We’re living in Germany, where Karsten and Lothar are pretty run of the mill. Almost anything we pick is going to be weird to one side of the family or the other. We were looking at made up names as a possible neutral ground that both families might find odd but not intolerable. So far, the strategy hasn’t been very successful, and the reactions have been roughly similar to the posts here. All I can say is is that what’s normal to you isn’t necessarily normal to lot of other people. Seriously, if you can’t find a name that makes everyone happy, go with one that makes her happy. Trust me on this one. > [@Marley23](#): > > Maybe you know more about Hindu mythology than I do, but I don’t think that’s a very accurate description of Kail. And personally I give people credit for pronouncing names however they choose. You’re right that pronouncing Kali “Kay-lee” is a real stretch, but what were you hoping to accompilsh here? Kali [may not be parallel with Satan,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali) but anyone who knows their Hindu mythology and reads the name would find it an interesting choice. On a related note, I ran into the name Salome for a little girl recently. As someone who’s read his bible, I found it an interesting choice. Salome danced before Herod, and he granted her a boon. [She asked for the head of John the Baptist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Titian-salome.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/79 "2010-07-18T21:28:01Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Kali [may not be parallel with Satan,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali) but anyone who knows their Hindu mythology and reads the name would find it an interesting choice. Oh, I have no doubt about that. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049/80 "2010-07-18T22:13:56Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > Yes, and how rediculously cliche is that? > > “Madison” is a last name, not a first name anyway. See President #4. Tell Anderson Cooper or Truman Capote. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naming-your-kid-after-a-fictional-character/547049.md?page=5)