# Soliciting baby name opinions - GETTY **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 4, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341 "2009-02-04T01:14:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/1 "2009-02-04T01:14:53Z")
My wife has this idea for a baby name in the event we decide to have a kid at some point. Boy or girl, the proposed name is… GETTY It was inspired by John Getty but only insofar as my wife enjoys the history of that period, not that John Getty is particularly inspirational himself. I don’t know much about him other than he was a rich oil man and philanthropist. Love it or hate it, what do you think about that as a baby name? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Jettboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@Jettboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jettboy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/2 "2009-02-04T01:20:17Z")
Very cool; I like unusual, but not ridiculous, names (I named my own son “Dashiell”). It’s a sure bet he/she’ll be the only “Getty” in a classroom of Jims, Bobbys, Lindas and Jennifers. ---
**Author:** ![Elyanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@Elyanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elyanna)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/3 "2009-02-04T01:23:08Z")
Meh. Makes me think of Gettysburg, first, and the Getty Museum, second. I think it’d be okay on a girl, bad on a boy. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/4 "2009-02-04T01:46:30Z")
I think you should go with Geddy instead. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/5 "2009-02-04T01:56:41Z")
> [@Elyanna](#): > > Meh. Makes me think of Gettysburg, first, and the Getty Museum, second. I think it’d be okay on a girl, bad on a boy. We didn’t think of that angle. However, my wife loves Civil War history too, so that connection make make her more eager to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/6 "2009-02-04T02:19:00Z")
In many North American accents, it will be very close to [Geddy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geddy_Lee). You like Rush? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/7 "2009-02-04T02:22:18Z")
I hate it - but mainly because we have Getty gas stations around here. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/8 "2009-02-04T02:27:03Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > In many North American accents, it will be very close to [Geddy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geddy_Lee). You like Rush? They’re ok. Never really got into them beyond Moving Pictures. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/9 "2009-02-04T02:33:53Z")
The first thing I thought of was Estelle Getty. I like Geddy Lee though. Over all, I think it would work much better for a boy than a girl. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/10 "2009-02-04T02:36:26Z")
I dunno. I definitely don’t like it and sounds like she’d be cursed to a lifetime of people mispronouncing her name and asking things like “What’s that from?” or “What a…unique…name…” ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/11 "2009-02-04T02:38:13Z")
I say you can find a better name. I’m not a fan of unusual, androgynous names, especially not ones that don’t automatically elicit images of the thing you’re trying to honor. Also, most last names don’t make good first names. This, IMO, is no exception. Besides, neither you nor your wife knows much about this guy, and even then it’s not really about him so much as the era he lived in? Those are poor reasons to pick his name. Pick someone with significant meaning to you. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/12 "2009-02-04T02:39:54Z")
Not for me. Sounds short for “Spaghetti.” ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/13 "2009-02-04T02:45:44Z")
It’s not a ‘pretty’ name, certainly. It’s a name I’d like to give to a book character or a pet, but not a child. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/14 "2009-02-04T02:51:32Z")
I thought exactly the same thing Zoe did: sounds like a kid saying “spaghetti.” Definitely do not like. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/15 "2009-02-04T02:54:27Z")
Gas station. Or one of those really clunky old-fashioned nicknames, like Hettie or Letty. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/16 "2009-02-04T03:00:10Z")
Strange name, and not in a good way IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/17 "2009-02-04T03:10:31Z")
Eh. I’m not a fan but it’s not as horrible as other names I’ve seen. Only for a boy though, it wouldn’t work for a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/18 "2009-02-04T03:11:17Z")
I _do_ like unusual names, but not this one. Estelle Getty was my first thought. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/19 "2009-02-04T03:13:14Z")
First place I went - Geddy Lee. Second - Spaghetti. If you’re good with your little girl spending her entire childhood as Getty Spaghetti, go for it! (They say the test of a child’s name is to go yell it out the back door five or 10 times. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/20 "2009-02-04T03:18:02Z")
I thought of the gas station. It’s much better than Lukoil or Exxon though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341.md?page=2)