Poll: Is it [wrong] to name a child after a [video game character]?
- Thread starter Liv's Runaway Snail
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Getting teased in school is just a part of it. Your name is a marker of who your parents want you to be and how they view themselves, and your child will be judged accordingly.
When we named our children we thought about what image the name gave us. One of my suggestions, my grandmother's middle name, fell because it made us sound like white supremacists. We tried to say the names out loud with titles in front. In the end, both our kids got names that work equally with "member of parliament", "CEO", "teacher", "carpenter" and so on.
When we named our children we thought about what image the name gave us. One of my suggestions, my grandmother's middle name, fell because it made us sound like white supremacists. We tried to say the names out loud with titles in front. In the end, both our kids got names that work equally with "member of parliament", "CEO", "teacher", "carpenter" and so on.
Other. I'm with the 'depends on the name' crowd.
I'm not a great judge on names, but naming your kid something like Sephiroth or Illidane is pretty extreme to me. I reckon they're names that work only with certain characteristics so it's too much for anyone.
You could possibly get away with it if it's just a middle name, but just remember that you could be writing it down a lot when signing certain documents and it can really stand out and embarrass the kid. And I could imagine it can be really annoying for the kid if they don't like the character they're named after in any shape or form.
Be considerate people. Put as much effort into your decision like choosing your first Pokemon or picking the facial features in an MMO.
I'm not a great judge on names, but naming your kid something like Sephiroth or Illidane is pretty extreme to me. I reckon they're names that work only with certain characteristics so it's too much for anyone.
You could possibly get away with it if it's just a middle name, but just remember that you could be writing it down a lot when signing certain documents and it can really stand out and embarrass the kid. And I could imagine it can be really annoying for the kid if they don't like the character they're named after in any shape or form.
Be considerate people. Put as much effort into your decision like choosing your first Pokemon or picking the facial features in an MMO.
I've been thinking about this for a while. It is an interesting question.
Now, if we assume that the name is a feature of our own personal identity would it be right to label one's offspring with something that we use to define ourselves? I really like Wednesdlydale cheese so if I named my daughter "Wedneslydale" then her name would mean that her father really liked a certain kind of cheese. This strikes me as being kind of dumb and unfair on the little lady who may not even like cheese, let alone Wedneslydale. Then again, if I named her "Susan" what would that mean? Bugger all, as far as I can tell.
One supposes that she would take the mostly blank canvas that is "Susan" and build her own definition around it. This strikes me as the fairest way to proceed.
Now, if we assume that the name is a feature of our own personal identity would it be right to label one's offspring with something that we use to define ourselves? I really like Wednesdlydale cheese so if I named my daughter "Wedneslydale" then her name would mean that her father really liked a certain kind of cheese. This strikes me as being kind of dumb and unfair on the little lady who may not even like cheese, let alone Wedneslydale. Then again, if I named her "Susan" what would that mean? Bugger all, as far as I can tell.
One supposes that she would take the mostly blank canvas that is "Susan" and build her own definition around it. This strikes me as the fairest way to proceed.
Is it wrong? Silly? Stupid? [even if its an established name like April and Nathan] Why?
I wouldn't hold it against anyone. Kids have been named after bands and pop culture icons, movies and such for a while now. Games are just another form of entertaining media, and if parents find a name they like, why not? It's a bit silly to even question ordinary sounding names, since the real reason behind the name hardly matters. If the name sounds good, the it's good.
So yeah, definitely not stupid at all.
Is it worse than naming your child after a movie/tv show/book character? Why?
No it isn't. Why? I brushed this in my previous answer, they're all forms of entertainment, of media. While not all games fit the bill, some choice cuts can safely be place in the same bin as movies and books. The art bin. And that bin is a treasure trove for cool, kickass baby names.
Does it matter if there is a positive background story behind it? (i.e the character stands by good morals that are inspiring/meaningful to you).
It'd be important to have at least some meaning behind the name when using more exotic names, so you don't end up with kids being named Dovahkiin so the parents can get free games. [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/22/bethesda-proves-its-really-serious-about-baby-name-contest/] But if you just plain old like the name, why not? All names are great to have a background, but these types don't have any prerequisites regarding them. A kid called Sephirot is gonna stand out, but maybe both parents love the character? A bit of a silly name, and it does not sound good to my ears personally, but what do I know? It could be the name of an ancient Hungarian folk-tale hero or something.
Where should you draw the line? Between established and totally obscure. Does it matter?
Again, this has kind of come up in my previous answers. A child with a strange name is going to get bullied. Remember people, school-age children are just little sociopaths. They find a funny name, they'll make fun of it. If it's a cool name, I suppose one might get away with it, but little Sephiroth Martin and his friend Dovahkiin Kellermeyer are gonna have their asses handed to them.
Then again, there are those Nord names from Skyrim that have no trouble settling in actual Nordic countries. Reading the earlier posts, I'm really getting into this Brynjolf idea. Too bad I live in the only Nordic country where it wouldn't fly.
Also, the villain in Alter Echo [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alter_Echo] is named Paavo. It's a very old and traditional Finnish name. Aha, it seems that the tables have turned, videogame characters being named after real people!
I wouldn't hold it against anyone. Kids have been named after bands and pop culture icons, movies and such for a while now. Games are just another form of entertaining media, and if parents find a name they like, why not? It's a bit silly to even question ordinary sounding names, since the real reason behind the name hardly matters. If the name sounds good, the it's good.
So yeah, definitely not stupid at all.
Is it worse than naming your child after a movie/tv show/book character? Why?
No it isn't. Why? I brushed this in my previous answer, they're all forms of entertainment, of media. While not all games fit the bill, some choice cuts can safely be place in the same bin as movies and books. The art bin. And that bin is a treasure trove for cool, kickass baby names.
Does it matter if there is a positive background story behind it? (i.e the character stands by good morals that are inspiring/meaningful to you).
It'd be important to have at least some meaning behind the name when using more exotic names, so you don't end up with kids being named Dovahkiin so the parents can get free games. [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/22/bethesda-proves-its-really-serious-about-baby-name-contest/] But if you just plain old like the name, why not? All names are great to have a background, but these types don't have any prerequisites regarding them. A kid called Sephirot is gonna stand out, but maybe both parents love the character? A bit of a silly name, and it does not sound good to my ears personally, but what do I know? It could be the name of an ancient Hungarian folk-tale hero or something.
Where should you draw the line? Between established and totally obscure. Does it matter?
Again, this has kind of come up in my previous answers. A child with a strange name is going to get bullied. Remember people, school-age children are just little sociopaths. They find a funny name, they'll make fun of it. If it's a cool name, I suppose one might get away with it, but little Sephiroth Martin and his friend Dovahkiin Kellermeyer are gonna have their asses handed to them.
Then again, there are those Nord names from Skyrim that have no trouble settling in actual Nordic countries. Reading the earlier posts, I'm really getting into this Brynjolf idea. Too bad I live in the only Nordic country where it wouldn't fly.
Also, the villain in Alter Echo [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alter_Echo] is named Paavo. It's a very old and traditional Finnish name. Aha, it seems that the tables have turned, videogame characters being named after real people!
I wouldn't say so. Its really just inspiration in the end. Its not really that much different to naming your child after someone famous, or someone you know. Even I am named after characters, my name Is Joey Ross Kuca (Named after characters from the TV show 'Friends')Liv said:
Not really, same reasons as above.Liv said:
Sometimes its nice for a name to mean something. Like say, Isaac (Isaac Clarke from Dead Space), who no matter how scared he was, he got through it and saved the people he loved. It is a nice thought.Liv said:
Well, if the name is a little obscure it will probably require a little explaining, say like Ezio, or Vaas, or Garrus. Whereas if it can be considered a relatively "normal" or common name like Connor, Jason, or John then I'd say its acceptable.Liv said:
Depends on the name. If you just give them a normal name because you like a character who has that name (e.g Ashley after Ashley Willians from Mass Effect) that's absolutely fine.
If you want to name your son Sephiroth or your daughter Bayonetta, however, that's a different matter. It's not WRONG as such- just absolutely moronic. Remember your kid has to LIVE with that name.
If you want to name your son Sephiroth or your daughter Bayonetta, however, that's a different matter. It's not WRONG as such- just absolutely moronic. Remember your kid has to LIVE with that name.
If you choose a very unusal/strange/weird name (with respect to the country you live in) for your kid, you're usually not doing him/her a favor. That standard should apply no matter who the kid is named after. If a video game character fulfills this criteria, fine, if not, better not.
I wouldn't say it's wrong to name a child after a fictional character.
What would be wrong is trying to project that character's personality on to your child.
Personally, I've been introduced to a lot of names I never would've really considered for children through videogames. I'd have no shame in stealing one for a baby (assuming I ever have children, that is).
I suppose it depends on the name, though. Some are much more "normal" than others.
What would be wrong is trying to project that character's personality on to your child.
Personally, I've been introduced to a lot of names I never would've really considered for children through videogames. I'd have no shame in stealing one for a baby (assuming I ever have children, that is).
I suppose it depends on the name, though. Some are much more "normal" than others.
As long as that name won't make life difficult for your kid, it's fine. That doesn't mean you have to stick with established names necessarily - just ones that don't stick out so much. There wouldn't be many issues if you called your daughter 'Liara', for example. (Though seeing as most people who would do that would've romanced Liara...yeah, perhaps there might be issues with that.)
To all those saying that the Skyrim names would work in the Nordic countries:
No. No they wouldn't, at least not in Sweden. The Skyrim Nord names are often very close to traditional Nordic names, but not quite. If I named my child Brynjolf or Haelga they would be alone in all of Sweden with those names, I checked the national name register.
Also, the old-school Nordic names aren't that common. There are 78 men called Brynolf and 2006 women called Helga, and I would guess that most of them are old people.
No. No they wouldn't, at least not in Sweden. The Skyrim Nord names are often very close to traditional Nordic names, but not quite. If I named my child Brynjolf or Haelga they would be alone in all of Sweden with those names, I checked the national name register.
Also, the old-school Nordic names aren't that common. There are 78 men called Brynolf and 2006 women called Helga, and I would guess that most of them are old people.
As long as you aren't naming your kid something ridiculous like "Dragonborn" then it's all good.
Existing name (from before the videogame but appears in the game)? Fine. Even if it's foreign, it can make sense.
Videogame name? If it means a lot to you and you are a certified serious adult, then ok.
Fictional language name? A bit wierd, but if it's pronounceable and actually LOOKs like a name and makes sense then why not. Just refrain from something obvious (Frodo, Morgoth, the Elder Scrolls examples, Ezreal, Klingon names)
Name like "Doombringer" ? You might want to turn in your parenting license.
Names are beautiful, they should appeal to you and your child. And if you can't predict the name your child would want...Then how can you consider yourself a parent (yes I am kidding)
tl;dr he is the Chuck Norris/Vin Diesel/Jack Bauer of Dark Souls.
Videogame name? If it means a lot to you and you are a certified serious adult, then ok.
Fictional language name? A bit wierd, but if it's pronounceable and actually LOOKs like a name and makes sense then why not. Just refrain from something obvious (Frodo, Morgoth, the Elder Scrolls examples, Ezreal, Klingon names)
Name like "Doombringer" ? You might want to turn in your parenting license.
Names are beautiful, they should appeal to you and your child. And if you can't predict the name your child would want...Then how can you consider yourself a parent (yes I am kidding)
Black Iron Tarkus is a summonable NPC in Dark Souls, he is one of the few NPCs in the game who can actually beat an area boss (in this case, the Iron Golem) without your assistance (Moonlight Butterfly and Pinwheel have summonable NPCs, but are killable within 10 seconds for any character with enough power). Because of this he has become possibly the second most popular Dark Souls character in the whole game (first being Solaire of course), so much that people refuse to accept the evidence of his death in the game (you find his armor on a body) by creating funny theories to explain his survival (myself included).PBMcNair said:Care to explain that for the uninitiated ?Xcell935 said:
Besides, if I ended up naming a son Tarkus, it would definitly be from Dawn of War 2.
And then pray he never ever looks like that.
tl;dr he is the Chuck Norris/Vin Diesel/Jack Bauer of Dark Souls.
I voted "undecided" but it is more of a "depends".
Is it wrong? Silly? Stupid? [even if its an established name like April and Nathan] Why?
Wrong? I don't see it any more "wrong" than it would be to name a child after a character from a book or movie, either. They are all sources of entertainment with made up characters, so I don't see how Zer0 from Borderlands 2 is "more made up" or "more fictional" than Riddick is. If it is an established name, then it is even less "wrong", since it is an actual name (I'll get into that more below).
Is it worse than naming your child after a movie/tv show/book character? Why?
Already went over that above.
Does it matter if there is a positive background story behind it? (i.e the character stands by good morals that are inspiring/meaningful to you).
I wouldn't say it matters, but it could be more meaningful. Same would go with naming them after someone in real life, too. If your dad meant a lot to you, then naming your child after your dad could be more meaningful than just naming him some random name that you liked.
Where should you draw the line? Between established and totally obscure. Does it matter?
Two name two examples of people going over the line: Vault and Skyrim. Pretty sure it was this site where a guy made a "give me praise because I'm awesome" thread about how he named his kid Vault because he liked Fallout. It is not an established name or close to one, it is a place. Just the attitude the guy had about it, too, made it seem like I was going to force his kid to be a nerd and force his kid to do what he (the father) liked.
If the parents are nerds, gamers, etc. and they want to make the name nerdy, game related, whatever, that is fine as long as it isn't to the point where it could condemn them. For example, I work with a guy who purposely gave his daughter the initials RGB. Nerdy, yet subtle. Her first and middle names are actual established names, and it works.
Second example, my sister's friend named her kid Skyrim. Like with Vault - seriously? Sure, you like the game, but to do that could just ruin the kids life. I love id games, but I would never even think of naming my kid Quake. At least keep it to something established.
That just my opinion on it...
Is it wrong? Silly? Stupid? [even if its an established name like April and Nathan] Why?
Wrong? I don't see it any more "wrong" than it would be to name a child after a character from a book or movie, either. They are all sources of entertainment with made up characters, so I don't see how Zer0 from Borderlands 2 is "more made up" or "more fictional" than Riddick is. If it is an established name, then it is even less "wrong", since it is an actual name (I'll get into that more below).
Is it worse than naming your child after a movie/tv show/book character? Why?
Already went over that above.
Does it matter if there is a positive background story behind it? (i.e the character stands by good morals that are inspiring/meaningful to you).
I wouldn't say it matters, but it could be more meaningful. Same would go with naming them after someone in real life, too. If your dad meant a lot to you, then naming your child after your dad could be more meaningful than just naming him some random name that you liked.
Where should you draw the line? Between established and totally obscure. Does it matter?
Two name two examples of people going over the line: Vault and Skyrim. Pretty sure it was this site where a guy made a "give me praise because I'm awesome" thread about how he named his kid Vault because he liked Fallout. It is not an established name or close to one, it is a place. Just the attitude the guy had about it, too, made it seem like I was going to force his kid to be a nerd and force his kid to do what he (the father) liked.
If the parents are nerds, gamers, etc. and they want to make the name nerdy, game related, whatever, that is fine as long as it isn't to the point where it could condemn them. For example, I work with a guy who purposely gave his daughter the initials RGB. Nerdy, yet subtle. Her first and middle names are actual established names, and it works.
Second example, my sister's friend named her kid Skyrim. Like with Vault - seriously? Sure, you like the game, but to do that could just ruin the kids life. I love id games, but I would never even think of naming my kid Quake. At least keep it to something established.
That just my opinion on it...