# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/41 "2009-02-04T15:31:30Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > I think you should go with Geddy instead. A friend of mine just named his baby boy that. Yes, because of _him_. He said it confirmed that he had the coolest wife in the world. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/42 "2009-02-04T15:39:10Z")
> [@Risha](#): > > I _do_ like unusual names, but not this one. Estelle Getty was my first thought. Me, too. Do not like. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/43 "2009-02-04T15:45:13Z")
I grew up with someone named Geddes (it’s a boy’s name, though, AFAIK). You could always name a boy “Geddes” and give them the nickname “Getty”. Although, I think people will always assume it’s spelled “Geddy”. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/44 "2009-02-04T15:59:27Z")
Strongly dislike it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/45 "2009-02-04T16:00:04Z")
It makes me think of logging into a Unix box: getty is the program that monitors the tty (teletype, pronounced ‘titty’ and actually referrs to any text-based I/O channel) to read a username and then exec login to read the password in a secure fashion. Unix is really big on separation of concerns and the principle of least privilege. So, there you have a good reason to not name a child Getty: It rhymes with ‘titty’, and that’s just the thing [del]my[/del] an immature mind would pick up on. ---
**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, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/46 "2009-02-04T16:01:53Z")
My wife is not fond of the name _because_ of John Getty. She is not naming anybody _after_ him as a person, per se. She just likes the sound of the name and likes it because it is androgynous and unique but not so unique that it sounds like a needle across a record. She also likes it because it has some historical connection to a period she likes, although that connection is pretty thin. So that’s the rationale, and I appreciate all the feedback, good and bad. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/47 "2009-02-04T16:04:23Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > IMO, it’s your kid and you can name it whatever you want Yet another way Europe is superior to America… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/48 "2009-02-04T16:45:26Z")
I know there’s Geddy Lee, but a girl carrying the name Getty? A thousand times no. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/49 "2009-02-04T16:51:49Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I don’t agree, however, that you should not give your kid a name because kids are going to make fun of it. Agreed, and I don’t know why people here say that. Kids tease. It happens and life goes on. Since when do we trust the aesthetic tastes of little kids, by the way? 😉 If it’s a bad name, it’s a bad name regardless of what children are doing. Kids pick on things that are unusual, not things that are bad. I’ve never envied Matt B., Matt J. and Matt S., if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/50 "2009-02-04T17:01:04Z")
B is next to G on the keyboard. Your daughter will go through life with people “correcting” her name to Betty. Your son will have the same with more confusion. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/51 "2009-02-04T17:24:20Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > 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 No. Three problems: 1. Everyone over 35 will think, “Rush fan.” That they’re spelled differently won’t matter; they sound the same, or very similar, in most accents. 2. It’s a last name. Please, please, give your child a first name for their first name. Trendy baby names, especially last names, are not cool. They’re stupid and horrible and will seem very, very dated when your child grows up, the way being named “Ethel” or “Gladys” seems now. 3. “Getty” is bad as a boy’s name but horrible as a girl’s name. Especially given point #1, as well as Little Nemo’s point about the inevitable “fixing” it to “Betty.” It’s your kid and your decision but if you want honest opinions, mine is that it’s a brutal baby name and most people will think less of you - maybe just a little less, but less all the same - and will pity your child. There are lots of really nice baby names that aren’t overused, trendy, or surnames. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/52 "2009-02-04T18:19:10Z")
1. If you and wife like it, then screw all of us! 2. I like it. I’m reminded of an Asian actor from the 80s. 3. Getty will sound conservative compared to the names of his/her contemporaries by the time they start school. 4. If you and wife like it, then screw all of us! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/53 "2009-02-04T18:22:47Z")
I like it as a girl’s name but not as a boy’s. ---
**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, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/54 "2009-02-04T18:42:13Z")
We probably will screw all of you, but I wanted to know what people will probably say behind our backs if we go this way. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/55 "2009-02-04T19:10:04Z")
> [@jali](#): > > 1. If you and wife like it, then screw all of us! > **2. I like it. I’m reminded of an Asian actor from the 80s.** > > 2. Getty will sound conservative compared to the names of his/her contemporaries by the time they start school. > > 3. If you and wife like it, then screw all of us! What’s happenin’, _hot stuff_?! ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/56 "2009-02-04T19:24:59Z")
Getty - thumbs down. 4 things I personally hate WRT kids’ names: 1. Deliberate misspellings/mangling of commonly recognized names. (Anfernee) 2. Co-opting of a name traditionally asssociated with the opposite gender of the child. (Seems to happen more with girls using boy names, such as Morgan and Jordan; I’m sure there are names boys have stolen from girls too) 3. Use of traditional last-names as first names, seemingly to confuse/thwart gender identification, though other motives may apply. 4. Using a name that’s currently a rage because its the unique name of a famous person, or worse, the name of a current TV character. In short, if you take out any naming book you’ll find 1000-1500 usable names. You can multiply this many-fold if you expand your pool to include foreign versions of English names. There’s no need to go inventing a new name. It screams of “look at me I’m unique”. Don’t say you’re unique- just be unique. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/57 "2009-02-04T19:43:56Z")
I’d go with _Quimby._ ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/58 "2009-02-04T20:03:02Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > We probably will screw all of you, but I wanted to know what people will probably say behind our backs if we go this way. 😉 Hee hee. I did the same thing - asked a question here about baby naming, got an overwhelmingly negative response and did what I wanted anyway. I decided that no one should ever tell the baby name until after the birth certificate is filled out so that no one else feels like they have a right to put in their 2 cents. Because there’s always going to be someone unhappy. ~ bean, mother of a kid with a really weird name and a really normal middle name ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/59 "2009-02-04T21:05:37Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I hate it - but mainly because we have Getty gas stations around here. Yeah, it screams “gas station” to me… ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341/60 "2009-02-04T23:29:42Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Agreed, and I don’t know why people here say that. Kids tease. It happens and life goes on. Since when do we trust the aesthetic tastes of little kids, by the way? 😉 If it’s a bad name, it’s a bad name regardless of what children are doing. Kids pick on things that are unusual, not things that are bad. I’ve never envied Matt B., Matt J. and Matt S., if you know what I mean. Of all the Nicoles I went to school with, only one was called “Nicky Picky” (as in: picks her nose), and that was the Nicole that no one liked. Her name didn’t cause them to tease or dislike her, it was just one more weapon they wielded against her. The other Nicole - popular, well-liked Nicole - was never teased about anything. There’s no need to hand the schoolyard bully ammunition, but in the end even the most plain, ordinary name can be a source of ridicule. If your kid is popular and well-liked then the other kids won’t make fun of him even if his name is Cucks Socks. I went to school with girls with unusual names like Sharnadei and Kirralee, but Nicky Picky was the only kid who got stuck with a nasty nickname. However, there are certain punny names or names with pop-culture references that some people will always reference when they hear it, well into adulthood. Those are the ones to avoid, lest your child snap at 40 and punch the barista in the face when they make the same old predictable joke for the 80,000th time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soliciting-baby-name-opinions-getty/484341.md?page=4)