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

[Ravage]

If it was me and my wife...

Tali is okay, I like it.

Tali'Zorah, not so much.

If you really, ABSOLUTELY want Tali'Zorah, at least leave Zorah as the middle name, either that if you do make the full name her first name, make her go by Tali.

It's like getting a tattoo of, say, your favorite band. Or a tattoo of your girlfriend's name (please guys don't ever do that.) You may like it now but some years later you look back on whatever it may be and think "I really shouldn't have done that." Because at the time you liked the band, but now your tastes have changed over the years. You don't care for that band so much anymore, right? What if your girlfriend turned out to be a complete psychotic bee-yotch? You're stuck with it!

So.. Just choose wisely. Because once you commit to it, you CAN change it, but it's a lot of legal work, on top of whatever other trouble may come with it.

 

[mecegirl]

I agree with most that it could work with Tali as her first name and Zorah as her middle name. That way you still get to pay homage to a favorite chracter. Though it may make people assume that she is Jewish or that you and your wife are very religious. Tali is a Jewish name and Zorah is the name of a city in Judea.It was the city that Samson was born in.

The Thundercats cartoon came out the year that I was born. And I found out when I was in middle school that my mom wanted to name me Cheetara because she watched the show while she was pregnant. My dad talked her out of it. Considering my current interests and friends I am so glad that he did...I'd never live that down.

 

[Shim3d]

One of my best friends is called Erekose (the protagonist from a standard fantasy setting novel called The Eternal Champion) so you can't get much nerdier than that.
I'll add that pretty much everyone thinks his name is unique and cool.

Just food for thought.

 

[ATRAYA]

I knew a girl who had her first baby at seventeen (and is now nineteen and pregnant with another), and she named her baby Lyric. Because, you know, music and lyrics are so deep, and meaningful, and totally speak to her, and represent her and her daughter completely, and live, laugh, love, and... Yeeeeeeah, can't get anymore obnoxious/stupid than that, really.

Tali'Zorah just sounds very foreign, and she can easily go by "Tali". Before I was asexual, I was going to name my baby girl Brynhild, but just call her "Bryn" for short. I don't really see a problem with your choice of name, as it's modifiable and unassuming (unless the people she's introducing herself to are gaming geeks).

 

[Frankster]

Keep the Tali, ditch the Zora.

I know I'm just repeating the common sense everyone else has likely already said, but that kid is gonna live the rest of their life with that name and you don't need to give future kids ammo to which to taunt them with all for a brief flash of geekiness you had, and being named after a game character whose popularity might not have the same connotations then as it does now is a gamble.

One of my best friends is called Erekose (the protagonist from a standard fantasy setting novel called The Eternal Champion) so you can't get much nerdier than that.

I have no idea what that book is and nor would most potential class bullies. So yeh it's gonna fall under a unique and cool sounding name rather then one to be teased at.
Now imagine if your friend was named Gandalf or Froddo, something popular that would actually be known and identifiable as taunting material...Would have been a different story and at the very least your friend wouldn't have gotten the same positive comments about his name.

 

[[REDACTED]]

Cool name for a kid.

But yes, you are crazy.

Still, all this will do is add a little extra splash of crazy to an already insane world, difference is that its the good kind of crazy that will make the world a little bit brighter and more fantastical.

Or the child will hate you forever because you gave her a weird fucked up name which will ostracize her for the rest of her life.

But hey, what are you supposed to do? Giver her a boring normal name that is shared by ten's of thousands of other boring people? Just so she can fit in?

...

Yes. Yes you should.

No person is made boring by a "boring" name, and no person is made interesting by an "interesting" name. And who are you to decide that your daughter doesn't get to fit in? Giving her a normal name in no way guarantees that she'll fit in, but giving her a weird one pretty much guarantees that she won't.

Edit: Rereading your post, I honestly can't tell if you're being sarcastic. Little help here?

 

[Reed Spacer]

Sorry if this somehow belongs in gaming discussion.

Anyway, tomorrow my daughter is scheduled to be born. I'm freaking out and all that, but that's not why I'm here. Since day 1, her first name was always going to be Tali'Zorah. It's not necessarily "named after Mass Effect", but rather my wife fell in love with the name during our first playthrough of ME1 many years ago. Confused friends and relatives are told "we wanted a nice Quarian name" just because it's funny to see the confusion become worse.

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.

Name her 'Edward'. Keep 'em guessing.

 

[persephone]

There's a Zelda Williams and she's okay with it.

Well, "Zelda" is an actual name; ever heard of Zelda Fitzgerald? In other words, you can be named Zelda without being named for Princess Zelda, which is probably part of why a Zelda probably won't mind having that name. (In fact, Princess Zelda was actually named after Zelda Fitzgerald, I believe because Miyamoto thought the name was pretty.)

 

[UsefulPlayer 1]

Tali is a fine name, Tali'Zorah goes on a bit too much.
One thing I think you should consider is maybe not have her play video games too much. You know, just a parent thing.

Potential bullying in school? Make sure she does after-school activities and don't dress her like a hobo; she'll make plenty of friends.
Real issue? She might be passed over for jobs because of strange name.

I have an extremely strange name and I never thought it was the sole reason for any teasing I got. All these nay sayers are kinda being insecure. Its school, not the goddamn hunger games.

(My first name has only two letters in it)

 

[bug_of_war]

Really? There isn't something neat to finding out the origin story to your name and finding out "Oh this is the character my parents thought very highly of to name me after"?

Yeah but see, kids are not replicas of their parents. They may have similar mannerisms but they are in fact individual people with their own like and dislikes. What if this kid plays the game and decides they fucking hate Tali as a character? What if they aren't into video games at all?

OT:

snip

Yes as a parent you have every right to call your kid what you want, but remember that it's their name, and they're going to have to carry it around for the rest of their life (or fork out hundreds of dollars to change it).

 

[Elvis Starburst]

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.

Massive points for sticking to your guns about it, I'll give you that. Maybe it should have been considered to be a first and middle name before hand. Thinking of how the kid will have to have that name for the rest of her life should always be considered heavily. With that said, it's by no means a bad name. And of course, it will be shortened by pretty much everyone.

And hah, my name is Cameron. Grade 4 is when people learned Camera could be used as ammo. Didn't last long, but man, I got riled up over it XD Kids, as you said, will always find something to use to tease someone. Just be ready to talk to her when it does eventually happen. It happens to pretty much everyone when they're younger, no doubt.

I'll leave ya with saying that again, good on ya for sticking to what you both wanted. And congrats to you! Hope her life is wonderful, and I hope you all become a lovely, happy family together :3

 

[Elvis Starburst]

If you potentially want your child to hate you later in life, then by all means name them that.

My name is fairly common. I STILL get shit for it. I hate my parents for the name. And fucking despise my name. I can't figure out a name I like enough to change it to So for now I am stuck.

Tali is a good name but seriously think about the possible ramifications. Girls are evil, vile, vicious creatures from personal experience. Especially to each other (thanks hollywood and society you fucks) so be prepared for possible coming home from school in tears days/months/years. On the flip side, your child name her what you want. It could work out well. And could prevent her from gaining employment because employers are shallow assholes.

Come now, it can't be THAT bad if it's fairly common... Right? (PM me it, out of curiosity? I won't tell a soul!)

Edit: Just checked your profile again. Blow Pop can't seriously be common in some place in the world... Could it?

 

[Elvis Starburst]

I love how the OP thinks that the logical sounding people here are just insane.

Really?

Eeeeeyup... Weird. It's just some help trying to be given from the GAMER side of the world. Nothing to be seen as horribly negative, more as something that a spectrum of the world will see it as. I think that's good stuff to have at your side, as mixed as responses have been

 

[Chaos Isaac]

Robin Williams used Zelda, right?

Ain't nothing wrong with that. Could use worse names... like Peach... or something.

 

[Zeraki]

Tali'Zorah is a horrible idea for a first name. It's too strange, it will call attention to them and they will get singled out and picked on because of it. Kids are monsters, they'll take any chance they get to make others suffer.

Now if you just make Tali the first name, that would be far more socially acceptable.

Robin Williams used Zelda, right?

Zelda was also an established name a long time before the games. Shigeru Miyamoto named the character after Zelda Fitzgerald, who was a novelist in the 1920's.

 

[Camaranth]

Anyway, tomorrow my daughter is scheduled to be born.

I realise that right now you're busy exhausted and emotionally rung out but I'm going to ask anyway,can we get an update?

Is little Tali'Zorah in the world and healthy?

Also HUGE congratulations!

 

[Peter Toering]

Not going to add on the big pile of "Tali = good, Tali'Zorah = bad" so,

Congratulations, dude! Hope your daughter is doing ok.

 

[Whateveralot]

Just a random question:

Would you change your last name into "Vas Normandy", or does that sound stupid to you?

 

[Caiphus]

I'm not predicting a thing

Very well. Sorry.Your actual argument was more along the lines of "It's not so bad, they can always just have people shorten it.". To which my argument is still: Why not shorten it to begin with?

nothing is stopping that person from calling herself something else

Aside from the fact that she'll be unable to legally change her name until the age of 18 (in my country, yours may vary).

Anyway, names for children are always mostly for benefit to the parents

Perhaps. Like I said, even if that is the case, most parents have the foresight both to choose a name that they like and to choose a name that won't likely hinder their child. To do otherwise is selfish.

I say parents should be free to name their children whatever means the most to them

And this is where I feel neither of us will be able to convince the other. I don't think, frankly, that parents have a right to name their child what they want at all.

Children have a right to a name under Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/UN_Convention_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child#Article_7

Article 3 says that in all governmental matters concerning children the interests of the child are a primary priority.

Article 36 protects against other forms of exploitation prejudicial to the child's welfare.

I don't think there are any equivalent rights of the parent to name their child whatever they please. But if you can find some, then you may have a point. Choosing a name is more akin to a responsibility or a duty than a right, and I think there should be limits. And clearly there are limits, because the government, at least in my country, can and does stop parents naming their children "Formula One Racecar" or whatever:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2452593/Talula-Does-The-Hula-From-Hawaii-not-a-girls-name-New-Zealand-court-rules.html

I don't think that Tali'Zorah should be disallowed by any government, it's clearly not that bad. I do, however, think it's unwise and unfair, and that OP should reconsider. Clearly he loves the name, but it's not his name. And thus it should be kept to a nickname or middle name. If he introduces it to his daughter and she loves it, she can legally change her name to Tali'Zorah when she is 18. Not the other way around.

And you can't take into account that it might make getting a job more difficult, it never was a problem for my wife having an Asian name so it shouldn't be something to be considered in my opinion when me or any other parent considers names, if it's that much of a hindrance that person could always legally change their name

Of course you can take it into account, along with the likelihood of bullying. If the likelihood is real enough, then it would be negligent not to do so. "Who cares if this name might cause my child grief, I like it?" isn't good parenting. And I'm afraid those studies would seem to trump your wife's anecdotal evidence.

 

[EternallyBored]

I don't know why I'm responding this late in the thread, OP probably isn't going to read this, but I work with kids for a living and actually have run into this issue on multiple occasions so whatever I'll say it anyway. Weird or unique names tend to be a minefield, they can turn out well, or blow up in your face and cause your kid a lot of unnecessary grief. Of the kids I've worked with over the years that have eventually gotten old enough and changed their legal names, they were all kids with unique or quirky names that their parents thought was cute or awesome when they were born.

Especially names of fictional characters that stand out, I knew one kid who was saddled with the name Skywalker, yes, I don't know exactly why his parents gave him the last name of a Star Wars character as his first name, but he claims that's where they got the idea from because they thought it sounded cool, and he pretty much refused to answer to anything except Walker. When he turned 18, the first thing he did that day after school was file to have his name changed to just Walker. I've never encountered that with people with more widespread names, so be prepared, because your girl may very well end up loathing that name and counting down the days until she can change it herself, kids sometimes don't like their given names, but it's always the more unique and quirky ones that seem to ignite that all-consuming passion to change it as soon as possible. Still, it's a crap-shoot, the more unique names tend to inspire more hatred from those saddled with them, but I've also met kids that like them, so who knows, maybe she'll love it, and maybe she will have her name change paperwork filled out and ready to mail in years in advance.

Another issue people bring up is jobs, and as much as it sucks, there are definitely biases in Human resources departments when it comes to hiring people with out there names. If you have two equal resumes, except one person is named Arthur Mason, and the other one is name Superman McGee, I can guarantee the guy with the normal name is going to get the callback almost every time. Dunno how much you'll have to worry about this though, Tali'zorah sounds more foreign than just outright wacky, but then again, depending on where you live, a foreign sounding name can get you passed over for jobs as well. That's not really, your, or your kids fault, but it's a risk you take with names like that, just be aware of the possibility and a smart person should be able to mitigate the problems.

Although, I do have to question, why bother to actually put her name down as Tali'zorah, if you're just going to call her Tali all the time, seems like a pointless complication to me. The only thing it accomplishes is making official paperwork more of a pain in the ass, and the apostrophe is going to cause a screw-up by the government bureaucracy somewhere down the line. Last time I remember a kid with an apostrophe in her name ended up spending hundreds in court fees, after a computer system fucked up her name because it couldn't process apostrophes in the name field correctly. Not really your fault, but be aware that somewhere down the line that apostrophe is likely going to fuck something up, and you'll need to be extra careful in any paperwork you or she fills out that will require her full legal name. I can't begin to tell you the number of times someone with a name with odd punctuation in it has resulted in people not getting paperwork properly sent, or important calls and notices not going through properly.

It probably won't be some terrible burden on your kid, and if she ends up liking the name, it will certainly be an uncommon one, (not unique, I'm willing to bet there are already a couple Tali'zorahs out there) so yeah, good luck, just make sure you fill out her full legal name properly or you're going to be giving some poor government bureaucrat a major headache down the line. Also, don't take it personally if she ends up fucking hating her name, it's a risk with this type of thing, but changing your name isn't too hard in the U.S., kind of a pain in the ass, but hey, that's what nicknames are for, and there are a lot worse things you can shorten a name to than just Tali.