My daughter is named Tali'Zorah. I suppose I'm crazy : )

[balladbird]

a) I'm fairly certain that Tali is her first name and the Zorah is her surname, considering her father is Admiral Rael'Zorah.
b) Tali [http://www.ourbabynamer.com/baby-names-Tali.html] is a real name. Hebrew in origin, meaning "dew of heaven".

It is. Their culture puts the given and family name first followed by the ship they're attached to, hence why her name changed to Tali' zorah vas normandy in the second game.

As a result, if you named your kid "Tali Zorah" you'd be cramming a given and family name into your child's given name... quite a mouthful. Best to split it up.


Honestly, I'm not as critical of the decision as some. Naming a child after an individual you respect or admire, in the hopes that those qualities about them you respect/admire will be passed on, is a time honored tradition, real and fictional alike. There's a reason such a huge portion of western names come from the bible, after all. Provided you don't give your daughter a bombastic first name that takes more than one break for air to spell out, then you're not really doing anything that differently.

Anyone who thinks you are can try to voice their complaints to my son: Hercules Sebastion Rockefeller.

 

[Neonit]

Its gonna suck once she has to deal with the bureaucracy.
"Sorry, could you repeat that?"

I know. I have to spell my family name every.effing.time. Its annoying.

Some people will assume they know how to write it. Some people will be wrong. Which is even worse.

And yeah, school will suck, but tbh - its probably gonna suck anyway. If its not the name, then it will be body weight, hair color, the type of pencil used.... At least you know what will hit her. So there is that.... i guess its kinda good.

And lets be honest, before she will hit the school - the kids at the playground will be lucky to know who the hell Mari-oh is, let alone Tali.

I would totally name my hypothetical Daughter Lufia. Good thing that anyone outside of very specific gaming circles would even know where that is from.

OT: you are crazy. But the world needs crazy. I suggest naming her Tali and her second name zorah. Also the kods on the playground won't even get it.

Every time something or someone reminds me of lufia, a little sad tear appears in my eye. DAMN YOUUUUU!!!!!1111

 

[Something Amyss]

I was pretty embarrassed when I learned my middle name came from Dune, and I even liked that book. Personally, I wouldn't even name a pet after a video game or something similar...it's just too nerdy and you're not the one who has to live with it and explain it whenever someone asks. As someone with a first name that's also kind of unusual, people DO ask.

The only exception is "Thwomp." For a cat.

At least cats are unlikely to get picked on at recess.

"Thwomp" does sound awesome, though.

 

[Something Amyss]

Why do you guys all say "Kids can be cruel"... here is a thread full of people who think that name is strange - or even stupid.

Yes, and we're not berating the name on a routine basis or singling out the kid for having it. Things fairly likely to happen with kids.

Personally, I grew up around enough weird names I probably wouldn't bat an eyelash.

 

[anthony87]

Aside from the fact that you've given her a video game characters name, you've also given her a video game characters first AND last name as her first name.

Unless you're making the "Zorah" part a middle name or something then she'll be Tali'Zorah *middle name* *last name*. Hell of a mouthfull.

 

[sabercrusader]

I highly suggest, just like everyone above, that you go with just Tali, and maybe add Zorah as the middle name. At least a weird middle name isn't going to get her as much flack as a child. Tali is a perfectly fine and normal name.

 

[kasperbbs]

I guess Tali could work if you dropped the Zorah part. Having an unique name is not that great and you are not the ones who will have to deal with the teasing.

 

[Fijiman]

I say go for it. You said that you're doing it because your wife really like the name so it's not that bad. Besides, it's way better than naming your kid Dovahkiin in order to get free Bethesda stuff for the rest of your child's life. And if your daughter isn't fond of the full name she can always just go as Tali or Zorah and can even ask to have her named legally changed if it bothers her that much. And as far as explaining the name goes, if you're that embarrassed by it you can always claim that it's foreign and leave it at that.

 

[ABLb0y]

Well, I know of people who name their kids 'Khaleesi' 'Dovahkiin' or 'Spock', so I guess Tali'Zorah isn't so bad... Kind of pretty in a way, actually...

 

[mitchell271]

My girlfriend and I are at the point that we can have unabashedly real conversations about baby names, despite us both being in university (our conversations are purely hypothetical and dependent on us being together that long), but we settled on Winry for a girl and Garrus for a boy. So I understand perfectly where you're coming from.

Like the others though I'd probably shorten it to Tali for a first name and Zorah for a middle name.

 

[mitchell271]

Quoted just for the avatar. I love that movie, and that song. *squeee*

 

[CloudAtlas]

From what you are saying, you have not listened to the whole episode, in which such concerns and other studies are talked about. Studies you quote are just as problematic, albeit in a different way.

I have not listened to the episode at all, because behavioural economics is one of my specialties, cognitive psychology is a big part of it, so I know my material.

If you give teachers schoolwork to grade from students they don't know, and randomly write "normal" kid's names on top of half of the papers, but "frowned-upon" kid's names on the other half, and the latter group gets significantly lower grades for it, then that's a pretty solid result. Evidence in social sciences rarely gets any better.
And even if the results were more ambiguous, why take any risks as parent here?

And, honestly, to all those people saying that kids are cruel and children will get picked on anyway: Yea, that's true, but you don't have to make it even easier for them - without any good reason.

Anyone who thinks you are can try to voice their complaints to my son: Hercules Sebastion Rockefeller.

Possible complaints? Here you go: What if your son is will turn out to be physically rather weak (statistically not that unlikely), then calling him Hercules will make it really easy for other kids to make fun of him, and he might have a hard time himself because he totally lacks the qualities of which his namesake was famed for. Then you proceed with a middle name with a weird spelling, so your son will have to explain to everyone that, yes, that's really how it's spelled, he'll be asked why it spelled in such a strange way, and he will have to correct other people writing his name incorrectly all the time. Now I don't know where you get such a weird name, but if it's from some anime or something, it makes it even worse. About Rockefeller, if that is your real last name, then that's another story, but if not, you should be able to realize that giving such a name to a kid that might be poor makes it an easy target for ridicule as well.

Just call him Sebastian if you like the name. Just like the OP could name his daughter Tally, Natalie, Talia or something and just call her Tali, that way he can still express his fandom if he must and nobody will be hurt.


Edit: Anyway, this thread is at five pages now, and the vast majority of people thinks naming your kid Tali'Zorah is a bad idea. And these people are all games - exactly the people who you would expect to be the most sympathetic towards such a name. Yet even they dislike it. Other groups will, in all likelihood, give your baby girl an even harder time.

 

[Spitfire]

I like it a lot, I'm assuming she'll like it, and I don't think she'll get teased for it or anything like that.

You're wrong.

First of all, Mass Effect is a fairly popular franchise, so she'll probably meet people who will be familiar with the origin of her name, and whom at best will think her name is kind of cool, or at worst they'll tease her about it.

Second of all, Tali or Zorah would perhaps make for an interesting first or middle name respectively, but Tali'Zorah as a first name really sticks out, and particularly for a kid, it's the kind of name that can alienate her from her peers, which is never a good thing.

 

[WWWLUCIFERCOM]

So would her full name be Tali'Zorah nar op's last name because thats how quarian names work

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

I'm just going to repeat what other people have said. Tali is great but drop the 'Zorah.

No there is nothing wrong with naming a child after a character from a piece of fiction or after a person. I was named after an actor or a footballer, depends which parent you ask. But giving your kid a crazy name will probably have a negative impact on them, it sucks but there you go. But you can name your kid after something without it being overly weird.

Also as others pointed out you would be naming her wrong if you are naming her after Tali. You would be using a first name and surname as a first name. Zorah is Tali's surname. A Quarian name would be Tali'[Surname] vas [The ship she lives on]. It would be like wanting to name a child after "Harry Potter" so you call them "Harry Potter [Surname]" rather than just "Harry [Surname]"

 

[EyeReaper]

Well, there are certainly worse names you could give your daughter based on videogames. Like Peach, Aerith, or Mordekaiser.
I say, if you're going to name her Tali'Zora vas Neema, or, even better, Tali'Zora vas Normandy. All on her first name. That would either make you the best parent ever, or the worst. I haven't decided yet.

 

[CloudAtlas]

My girlfriend and I are at the point that we can have unabashedly real conversations about baby names, despite us both being in university (our conversations are purely hypothetical and dependent on us being together that long), but we settled on Winry for a girl and Garrus for a boy. So I understand perfectly where you're coming from.

Like the others though I'd probably shorten it to Tali for a first name and Zorah for a middle name.

But do you also understand where all those people who voiced their concerns are coming from? And that they/we would, arguably, apply to your own choices, Garrus and Winry, just as well. I mean, Tali is at least a real name...

I just don't get all of this, I really don't. Parents should choose a name for their kid that is in the kids best interest, it's not the right place to express one's fandom for something.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

Thanks mate, I sent you a PM back but I'll keep you informed.

Your child's name isn't a billboard for you to advertise your interests on. It's their name, don't be selfish about it. I'm a giant dick to be sure, but nonetheless I see a lot of applications for employment and reject the more stupid names out of hand, because I know from the start that person was raised by assholes.

Like I said, it wasn't my idea. The game is technically the inspiration, but not the reason. There seems to be some understanding that I went "lol Mass Effect is awesome, let's name a human being after it". My wife fell in love with the name for its own sake, she's never even played the game with her own hands.

Lots of angry people here...

I'm just going to relate my opinion. My name is Thomas. It is extremely common; such that I was once in a class of 20 or so with 3 other Toms. I would much prefer a more unique name.

I'm in the boat that says just Tali would be best. Even if you do use Tali'Zora you will probably end up calling her Tali for short.

My name is Adam. I was teased for that. "So hey, where's Eve?", "You don't look very old for being the first person". No those aren't brutal statements or anything but kids will pick on each other and find any reason to do so. And you guessed right, in 99% of situations she has already been referred to as just "Tali" at the doctor's and speaking to her stomach.

All that aside, a couple of people have told me that we're nuts for giving a child that name. I like it a lot, I'm assuming she'll like it, and I don't think she'll get teased for it or anything like that. Out of curiosity, am I totally off base about that? For further discussion value, this thread can be about the entire concept of video games being used to inspire names.

Well first off, congratz on the kiddo. Secondly, good on you both for settling on a name you can both like. Third, good on you both for committing to it. Now, to answer a bit of those quotes ..... I don't think she'll be teased. Look at everyone elses names today. You can, nor ever will, do any worse than Kanye West. Just keep that in mind. Funny that this thread should pop up, as my daughter's middle name is set in stone to be Tali'Zorah, with the first name of Willow (which, comes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and my son's shall be Nile, with a middle name of Boba (yes, after Fett.) Why care what anyone else of the present has to say about it? Just worry about what it'll sound like years down the road. But don't be surprised if you guys suddenly want to change the name a year later. More and more parents are doing that now, it seems.

Thanks for the support. If anyone was wondering the purpose of this thread, it wasn't a "look at me and this nutty thing I'm doing!" but rather a test run to see how receptive the general public is. So far, I've learned that people on the Internet are far more brutal and less likely to mince words than in person, and I'm not sure why I'm surprised. Out of hundreds of combined people comprised of doctors, nurses, friends, and both sides of the family, the absolute worst statement I heard was "is that really her actual name? Oh okay". 98% of people love the name and thinks it sounds pretty, which I must stress is the real reason for the name.

I don't see why not.

There are enough people choosing names from books or movies. Why not from a game?
My reason for being totally ok with this stems mostly from your reason: ''My wife fell in love with the name''
Instead of ''My wife fell in love with the game''
Big difference.

Either way I'd say go for it. It's her choice either way if she wants to give her friends her full name or just Tali.

It's because of the name and not the game, but out of curiosity, why does that make so much of a difference? Would it really be that much worse if it was as simple as "man I love that game therefore the name's gotta come from there"?

Stick with Tali (or maybe even Talia, nice name), Tali'Zorah - as exotically awesome as it sounds - is just going to result in a hellish school life. Kids are freaking horrible unfortunately, I knew people in school with bog standard names like "Peter" that got made fun of for their names, I don't even want to know the possibilities with Tali'Zorah then.

But regardless, congratz man! Hope you guys have an amazing time ahead with the kid.

I've gotta say, even just hearing the congratulations and good wishes along with a disagreement makes it much more easy to take. I mean, if someone was going to lock me up or take my daughter away (which seems to be the general prediction), wouldn't the Doctors, OB/GYN, nurses, home nurse, hospital staff, or a family member made this attempt already? They all know the name, and have known it for months. Most of them are in love with it. I actually wanted to make this thread to check with actual nerds since I was amazed that the general public was liking it so much. Turns out they don't like it nearly as much.

To everyone else I couldn't quote right now - Holy balls this thread got insane quickly. The name is not and cannot change, my wife was deadset on it years ago and it's already on official papers and what not, not that I even want to change it. Now I'm unsure why I even asked, considering that I can't do anything about it and I'm apparently a bad person who's ruining a life. It's alright though, I've got bigger things to worry about right now. Thanks everyone.

 

[CloudAtlas]

So would her full name be Tali'Zorah nar op's last name because thats how quarian names work

No, it would would be Tali'Smith nar New York (or something), and since this peculiar placement of the family name probably won't go down with the authorities, you'd have to settle for Tali'Smith nar New York Smith, I guess. What a great start in a new life that would make for.

 

[Saltyk]

Like others have said, I think the name Tali is perfectly fine, and you will probably be calling her that 99% of the time, anyway. Zorah should be left as a middle name. Perhaps even used as a nickname.

Hell, my mom named me after her favorite actor at the time, why can't you name your daughter after a game character? Others name their kids after plants, right?

Also, I wonder how many of her teachers will see the name and realize the reference.