# What awful baby name could this have been? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2017, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771 "2017-05-03T12:29:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/21 "2017-05-03T13:53:02Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > We also don’t know if the character on TV is the same character as the book. Could just share a name. We also have no way of knowing if we’re right, so the details don’t matter much. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/22 "2017-05-03T13:54:52Z")
Googling “Fictional bookworms” brings up Tyrion Lannister, from _The Game of Thrones_, and the books it was based on. I have not watched the show nor read the books, but this is a terrible name, and sounds like a name that even young people who are accustomed to cre8tiv names might dislike. It also sounds like the kind of name a young mother-to-be might get attached to. If I’d had a baby in my 20s, she probably would had gotten saddled with “Dorothy Parker Lastname.” ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/23 "2017-05-03T13:57:10Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > Tyrion? (Game of Thrones) Not so bad. Could call him Ty. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Googling “Fictional bookworms” brings up Tyrion Lannister, from _The Game of Thrones_, and the books it was based on. I have not watched the show nor read the books, but this is a terrible name, and sounds like a name that even young people who are accustomed to cre8tiv names might dislike. It also sounds like the kind of name a young mother-to-be might get attached to. Gus, you posted while I was Googling. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/24 "2017-05-03T14:17:10Z")
If it was Lucifer, it should be pretty obvious why everyone hates it. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/25 "2017-05-03T14:27:29Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > We also have no way of knowing if we’re right, so the details don’t matter much. True, but it opens up possibilities for speculating. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/26 "2017-05-03T14:33:07Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Brick? That’s the name of the book loving kid on _The Middle_ and is also the name of one of the lead characters in Tennessee Williams’\* Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.\* The only problem is that in the sea of ridiculous names out there these days, Brick is far from the worst. > [@Acsenray](#): > > Wow, Brick. That’s a pretty good suggestion. It’s not the worst, but I can really see someone’s friends and family really hating it when told about it. The letter writer says the name is from “literature” and I wouldn’t call a stage play literature. Aside from that, it fits. The sitcom character is definitely a reader. And from the phrasing, it sounds like the same character in both literature and television. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/27 "2017-05-03T14:46:21Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > Tyrion? (Game of Thrones) Not so bad. Could call him Ty. My first thought was Samwell, but I don’t think Sam is a bad name. I’m assuming based on the article that the TV show is A) Based on the book (as opposed to just sharing a characters name) B) Currently airing C) Premiered in the last few years ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/28 "2017-05-03T15:04:11Z")
Here’s a suggestion that’s a little off-beat; I just did some more Googling on popular names, and found a site that breaks down by ethnicity. It seems that African-Americans give a lot of names that begin with Ty-: Tyrese, Tyrell, Tyrone, Tyson. In fact, Tyr- names seem pretty popular. There are a lot of Tr- names as well, like Trayvon. These names are rarely used by white or Asian families, and not terribly often by Hispanic families. Maybe the writer to Prudence is white, and comes from a racist family who thinks that “Tyrion” sounds “black” somehow. I honestly couldn’t tell you whether the GOT character is black or white, but it doesn’t really matter, except that if the writer’s family is racist, then they’d probably hate her naming her son after a black character even more. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/29 "2017-05-03T15:33:39Z")
I have a friend who recently named her child Damian. I believe that was the name of a character in Homeland. I can assure you that all of us cringed when we heard the name. I’m not sure about the literary tie in… ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/30 "2017-05-03T16:12:44Z")
I’m assuming that the literary reference and the recent TV reference aren’t necessarily the same character. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/31 "2017-05-03T16:25:17Z")
Sherlock? Mycroft? Watson? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/32 "2017-05-03T16:30:44Z")
A reader, huh? “Hello, my name is The Mentalist Johanson.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/33 "2017-05-03T16:55:11Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The letter writer says the name is from “literature” and I wouldn’t call a stage play literature. Aside from that, it fits. The sitcom character is definitely a reader. And from the phrasing, it sounds like the same character in both literature and television. I’d call it literature. I read a LOT more stage plays in various literature classes than I’ve ever seen performed on stage. I don’t think it’s necessarily the same character in both the TV and literature context, though. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/34 "2017-05-03T17:10:12Z")
Called a Lavoris recently. Can’t get much worse than naming your kid after the mouthwash you usually use to clear the taste of semen. Maybe it serves as a reminder of what mom shoulda done. ---
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/35 "2017-05-03T17:17:46Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Sherlock? Mycroft? Watson? Sherlock was my first thought when I read the Dear Prudence column last night. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/36 "2017-05-03T17:19:16Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Called a Lavoris recently. Can’t get much worse than naming your kid after the mouthwash you usually use to clear the taste of semen. Maybe it serves as a reminder of what mom shoulda done. I’ve met two people named that, one man, one woman, both young. I haven’t seen the mouthwash for sale since I was a little kid, when my parents used to have it. Thanks for the semen info. Never knew that. Going to gouge out my mind’s eye now. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/37 "2017-05-03T17:24:29Z")
> [@Magicicada](#): > > Sherlock was my first thought when I read the Dear Prudence column last night. I’m torn between Sherlock and Tyrion now. On one hand, GOT seems like the kind of thing that would have “personal meaning” for someone without a lot of life experience. I can’t imagine someone being sentimentally attached to Sherlock-- it sounds more like the kind of name someone would give to make a point about people naming their kids “Faith,” “Hope,” “Angel,” and “Heaven-spelled-backwards,” instead of “Wisdom,” “Logic,” “Darwin,” or after a fictional character like Sherlock Holmes. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/38 "2017-05-03T17:52:14Z")
My first thought was Game of Thrones. I know “Daenerys” is popular now, and also “Khaleesi”. Haven’t heard many boys names from the show yet (except maybe weird spellings of common names like “Robb”). I actually think “Tyrion” is a cool name. So I guessed maybe she named her kid “Hodor”, which _is_ a very awful name (and it turns out, it isn’t actually the character’s name, either). Oops, missed the “character is a reader” part. Hodor is a simpleton, so not a reader. GOT “readers” leaves us with Samwell and Tyrion, basically. Or maybe Aemon. ---
**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:** [May 3, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/39 "2017-05-03T17:59:43Z")
Quentin’s another possibility. Quentin Coldwater is the lead character in _The Magicians_, which is a novel that was made into a TV series in 2015. And he’s a reader. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771/40 "2017-05-03T18:06:35Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Oops, missed the “character is a reader” part. Hodor is a simpleton, so not a reader. GOT “readers” leaves us with Samwell and Tyrion, basically. Or maybe Aemon. Samwell or Tyrion can be abbreviated easily, to Sam (very common) or Ty (less common, but I have heard of the name). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-awful-baby-name-could-this-have-been/785771.md?page=3)