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

[chinangel]

I think she'd like it, then again I'm a bit biased. Tali'zorah would be an interesting name and she'd probably have fun seeing people try to pronounce it.

It's far from vulgar or stupid, it really is just a nice name. As long as you don't add 'vas neema' or 'vas normandy' or 'vas home address' to it, you should be just fine.

 

[tzimize]

If a videogame is significant enough in your life that you name your child after a minor character in it then you probably need to look in the mirror and think about if you're ready to have children in the first place.

The lesson, dear reader is your child is not a gimmick.

Well, if you read the OP its not that they are big fans of the game (even though they probably are) but big fans of the name.

Personally, while I can see that a child MIGHT get teased by such a name...but that could be true of any name. Children get teased and the reasons are usually stupid. Where I live there are few immigrants. People from for example Africa have names that are as foreign and exotic as Tali'Zorah. Should they not be allowed to use the naming conventions of their people?

I doubt any first graders have the mental capacity to tease someone about why they are named from a game anyway. If anything it would be the strange sounding name, and kids are a lot more adaptable than adults. To me, that would be a bigger concern. People in my country probably have less chance of getting a job with a foreign sounding name, than with a "standard" (for us) one. This though is a problem that does not present itself for about 20 years. And one should think society has moved forward by then, if just a little.

To you OP I say, if thats the name you want, use it. Not because you think ME is awesome, but because you like the sound of the name. There is no better reason than that.

 

[Stu35]

I think she'd like it, then again I'm a bit biased. Tali'zorah would be an interesting name and she'd probably have fun seeing people try to pronounce it.

See, I can't speak for the future personality of this child of theirs, but as someone who's surname is perennially spelled incorrectly by everyone(despite being a fairly straightforward Scottish surname), I find it incredibly frustrating, annoying and very occasionally: An actual fucking liability when it comes to getting my name on shit. I had to send my driving license back to the DVLA twice because they spelled my name wrong after I changed address - keep in mind that I sent them a FORM with my name WRITTEN on it, and the fucking Clerk at the other end was too fucking retarded to get it.

That paragraph was, I admit, a bit vitrollic, but after 27+ years on this planet, I'm genuinely sick of people who can't spell a pretty simple fucking last name.

That's just the written form. I'm pretty sure I'd just explode if people struggled to pronounce my name as well.

Again though, this child might grow up to have a sense of humour about the whole thing, many do.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Your child is a fucking person.

You don't name people after the shit you nerd out over.

No, just, no. Terrible idea, and the fact you have to even ask if it's a bad idea is even worse.

Christ.

 

[Vykrel]

im in agreement with most of the folks here in that you should have left out the "Zorah". Tali sounds fine.

 

[Cmdr Keen]

Funny, I was going to name mine Zora, because she kinda looked like a fish in the ultrasound. Then I realized that it's an idea worth of a metric fuckton of stupid. I don't even like Zelda!

 

[00slash00]

I would be extremely surprised if she didn't get teased for it. Kids are likely to get teased regardless of their name but I suspect it will be especially bad for children named after an alien. It's not like Mass Effect is an old game. Video games are a well known form of media and that's likely to only increase in the coming years, so I imagine many children will what Mass Effect is and who Tali is. Maybe cut off the second half of the name and just call her Tali, though even that wouldn't give her the easiest time early on in school, just because it's not a common name. I don't know, I'd rethink this. It's not just because she's a video game character. I think it's weird when someone names their child after any fictional character. Of course, there are children in the world who are named, Facebook, so it could always be worse

 

[Delta2501]

David Mitchell had a good rant on the subject of weird baby names. Here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xblh12XgQ4o

I basically agree with him. Neutral names just draw less attention and let the child form their own identity, whereas a name that is obviously of a certain class, mythological or has some specific meaning to it is limiting.

Note even if the child likes the name that doesn't mean they won't get weird looks from other people who have to awkwardly try not to react.

 

[Ishigami]

Short answer: Yes, yes you are crazy.

Long answer: Names like this impair children. There are actually studies about this and the conclusion is always the same: Short, simple and traditional names give a child more chances to succeed in life. Fantasy, long and cryptic names limit them.
Google it, that?s no joke.
These studies also revealed that such fantasy names are usually picked in a low-brow environment?
Don?t set your child back in life just because of a hobby of yours.

 

[Augustine]

I recall a Freakonomics episode a while back, where a sociologist conducted an experiment on the effects of names on his own children - naming them "M" and "Yo". As I recall, the names had no detrimental effect on their lives, and both were rather happy with their names.
So, there you have it.

 

[rokkolpo]

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.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I would say yes, you're totally off base.

As many others have said, Tali is a perfectly fine name. However, giving your child the complete first name of a fictional character is a bit dickish to the kid. It sort of pushes a certain identity on them, specifically one related to video games.

And yes, despite what you may think, having that name will get a kid made fun of. Hell, [i/]I[/i] would probably poke fun if I met someone named Tali'Zorah. If others understand the reference, she'll be made fun of because it's the name of a character. If they don't understand it, she'll still probably get made fun of for having a weird name with a Z and an apostrophe.

Not the end of the world regardless of what you do. Maybe it will all turn out perfect and if not, people chance their names all the time.

 

[CloudAtlas]

I recall a Freakonomics episode a while back, where a sociologist conducted an experiment on the effects of names on his own children - naming them "M" and "Yo". As I recall, the names had no detrimental effect on their lives, and both were rather happy with their names.
So, there you have it.

Yes, because this "study" with a sample size of TWO is totally a proof for anything. In contrast to the studies that show that e.g. typical "under class" names (celebrity names and such) lead to lower grades in school and lower income later, everything else equal.

 

[omega 616]

snip

Is this one of those "I'm not going to change my mind, I just want to be reassured" kind of topics?

Naming a kid isn't really about what you like, it's about having a way to get your kids attention, you get some creative freedom about it but just 'cos you can name your child literally anything, doesn't mean you should.

I believe you shouldn't force yourself on to a child, you shouldn't put what you like or your hopes and aspirations on to them (like if you wanted to be a runner, you shouldn't force them to take track). Just 'cos you like the name Tali'Zorah doesn't mean she will, like you claim she will ... she is her own person, you might as well claim that most people like the name as it means just as much. You could say "she will like the same music as me, the same games as me and have the same fashion sense" but she could be a total goth or love Justin Bieber (although I'm going to assume he will be a bad memory at that point) and absolutely hate games.

Your childs name isn't a time for you to be creative and show how unique she is, all kids are the same.

I will say that you could choose Tali and be ok but the full "Tali'Zorah" is going to create issues, not just "bullying the kid with the crazy name" but imagine every time you are asked to spell it. Constantly seeing my second name spelled incorrectly is annoying, you always having to say "big M. little c. big A. Double l.i.s.t.e.r" every single time, it's just a chore that can easily be avoided.

yeah, there are worse names but you are entering a hall of shame in terms of names, such as Kal el (nic cages son), Pilot inspektor, Audio Science and the other gaming parents who called there kid Dovahkiin.

I hope you take the advice of this thread to heart, I know getting advice off the net isn't always a good idea. By the looks of it though, we are just looking out for your kiddie ... not saying you're already bad parents but do your kid a favor and change it.

Just another video example

 

[T3hSource]

Well, I started calling a girl named Natalia Tali, which seems OK. I have to agree with the others you guys are kind crazy.

Just call her Tali, say it comes from a video game character and thought it sounded nice. Sure beats Talia, which in my language sounds too similar to our word for waist.

 

[Jessta]

I think names are getting weirder and weirder by the generation so it's probably not going to be to much of an issue. I'm 20 now and throughout my years I've been well acquainted with people that go by names such as, raven, cloud, ocean, Destiny, Infinity, Gale, Lucky, Sky, Robin, Joy, Jesus, Gee, and blue and some of my friends who have recently had kids have named them things like Rain, Storm, and Nikola. Tali sounds normal enough though. I doubt she will get any shit for it that she wouldn't get anyways just for being human which in and of itself is reason enough for people to hate you in the lower grades.

 

[Multi-Hobbyist]

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.

 

[hazabaza1]

Tali'Zorah?
Yes.

Just Tali is less so but don't tell them where it came from. Knowing that she's been named after probably the biggest Space Waifu with a really creepy fanbase won't do much for her self esteem.

Also, telling people that you wanted a "nice Quarian name" really just sounds like you're picking the name for shits and giggles.

 

[CloudAtlas]

I don't think she'll be teased.

And you came to this conclusion how? Kids get teased for their unusual names all the time. Why should it be different in the future?

Look at everyone elses names today. You can, nor ever will, do any worse than Kanye West. Just keep that in mind.

Yes, people have weird names today - and don't we make fun of them because of that? Your logic here is that, well, other people give their kids weird names, so nothing wrong with giving your own kid a weird name yourself?

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.

1. You should care about what people of the present will say about it because it's likely that people 10 years later will say the same thing.

2. No offense, but you're saying here that you should worry what a name sounds like, but you want to name your own child "Willow Tali'Zorah" and your son "Nile Boba"?

 

[Thomas Barnsley]

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.