Poll: Is it [wrong] to name a child after a [video game character]?

[mitchell271]

If it's not a batshit crazy name, it's fine. Think of it this way, if I name my first daughter "Winry", that'd be okay. It's a nice name and she wouldn't get mocked for it. If you name your kid "Lightning" then your kid will probably get beat up assuming schools haven't banned running.

 

[Denamic]

I'm named after an old french cartoon, so I don't see why it'd be wrong to name someone after a game.

 

[omega 616]

Zelda Fichandler (born 1924), American director and educator
Zelda Fitzgerald (1900?1948), author and wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald
Zelda Harris (born 1985), American actress
Zelda Kahan (1886?1969), British communist
Zelda Kaplan (1917-2012), American socialite
Zelda La Grange (born 1970), former private secretary to President Nelson Mandela
Zelda McCague (1888?2001), Canadian supercentenarian
Zelda Schneersohn Mishkovsky (1914?1984), (pen-name "Zelda"), Israeli poet, notable writer of Hebrew religious poetry
Zelda Popkin (1898?1983), American mystery novelist
Zelda Rubinstein (1933?2010), notable for starring in the Poltergeist film series
Zelda Sears (1873?1935), American entertainer
Zelda Wynn Valdes (1905?2001), African-American fashion designer and costumer
Zelda Williams (born 1989), American actress and daughter of Robin Williams
Zelda Zonk, a pseudonym used by Marilyn Monroe (1926?1962)

Well for your last two, a pseudonym isn't a name and daughter of Robin Williams? ... Nic Cages son is named "Kal El", doesn't make it a suitable name for a child.

Zelda just in'st a big name, maybe in other countries but I couldn't name a single Zelda. It's probably one of those names that has died off and will probably come into fashion again, like Barry, Clive ... Cornelius.

The most recent one is the same age as me, next in line is 19 years previous to that.

EDIT: if it really gets to you that much I will amend it for you, "just don't call your son "Banjo-kazooie"

 

[Denamic]

Or Bayonetta, I haven't decided yet.

'Bayonetta' is the pseudonym she goes by. Her name is Cereza.

 

[Brutal Peanut]

Like other posters have said, it really depends on what it is. Zelda, Zoe, Booker, Logan, Jack, Morrigan, etc. anything that sounds like it could be an actual name or is an actual name. I don't think it's silly. Plenty of people have been named after characters from entertainment; movies, novels, and now video games. Anyway, none of them can be so bad as to be named something like, 'Marijuana-Pepsi' or being named after a venereal disease.

I've heard some people were named after their father's favorite porn celebrity. Part of me really hopes that is a joke - not that porn celebrities are bad people, but it's just really creepy to me that a man can look at his daughter and immediately begins to fantasize about sex and his favorite porn actress.

 

[madwarper]

a pseudonym isn't a name

Umm... You might want to look up that word's definition.

Zelda just in'st a big name, maybe in other countries but I couldn't name a single Zelda.

Yea, because how popular names are is totally dependent on whether or not you know someone with it.

 

[robot slipper]

Hee hee why am I not surprised that the vast majority voted that it's not wrong! I think Liara is quite a nice name, and not to noticeably odd like Sonic or Dragonborn or something.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Hey it worked for Robin Williams so why not. In truth I suppose it's fine as long as you don't get ridiculous with it like naming your kid Sonic the Hedgehog or something.

 

[Sewer Rat]

I really have no problem with it, not my job to coach what people name their kids, but I do sometimes question why anyone would give their kids not even real sounding names like the parents who named their kid 'Dohvakiin'.
I can't really judge since I'm guilty of it myself, if I ever have a boy I want to name him Canas after the character from Fire Emblem, but at least it sounds (sort of) real, and I simply like the name. I also like Slania for a girl though that is a real Irish name.

 

[Apollo45]

I don't think there's anything wrong with it. My fiance was named after a book character, and it's a mildly obscure name (although we've both met people named the same thing after the same character... That happens when you go to book signings though). The key is whether or not it's a realistic name or not. There are different lines that could be drawn - for instance, I don't see the problem with naming a kid Link or Zelda (I've met a Link and a couple Zeldas actually), but naming them Ysgramor because you like Skyrim seems a little far for me. There's a line between "that's a pretty cool name"/"I love that game!" and "Why the hell would your parents name you that?" It can be blurry, but it's definitely there.

 

[Rascarin]

No. I fully intend to name my first daughter Revan.

I'm not kidding.

 

[omega 616]

a pseudonym isn't a name

Umm... You might want to look up that word's definition.

Zelda just in'st a big name, maybe in other countries but I couldn't name a single Zelda.

Yea, because how popular names are is totally dependent on whether or not you know someone with it.

"A pseudonym is a name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from his or her original or true name" does her birth certificate say Zelda? Then it's not what her parents called her, which is what this thread is about.

I don't know a single Jane or John but I know they are very popular and common names.

The most recent one is the same age as me, next in line is 19 years previous to that.

So? My father named me Martin. I've never encountered a Martin in my lifetime that wasn't either black or older than fifty. The only reason its common as a name for black men is because of Martin Luther King, who in turn, was named after his father, who was named after Martin Luther. Is there anything wrong with Martin Luther King's name, or my name, for that matter?

Congratulations? Gotta ask though, what does your skin colour matter? What does any of what you say have anything to do with what I said? I'm just confused why you quoted me, is all.

My point was Zelda isn't a common name, might have been long ago but since the guy only posted 13/14 names, I doubt that is even true. Martin is a very common name, from what I remember there were about 6 in my year at school.

 

[Phlakes]

It's not wrong, but you should still use common sense. Dumb names are dumb names no matter where they come from. Novelty names are like fedoras- there are maybe five people overall who can pull them off. And neither you nor your child is one of them.

EDIT: Also your kid will hate you.

 

[TheLogicalGamer]

Considering that I am named after two biblical figures... and that I got mocked for that when I was younger... yeah I'm going to say this is okay.

I would just reccomend you stick to naming the kid something that can be easily pronounced. Dovahkiin is impossible to know how to pronounce, by Revan is fairly easy to figure out (and it sounds awesome). Even naming the kid Zero (Borderlands... or Nightmare before Christmas) would make sense in a way, although that kid would need a really thick skin once people start noticing his name is Zero.

Also, I once knew a guy who named his daughter Serenity after the ship in Firefly. If you can do that then video games are wide open as far as I'm concerned.

 

[IckleMissMayhem]

I'm not keen on naming any potential child of mine "after" anyone, real or otherwise...

One one hand, a friend of mine named his son Sephiroth....

That's nothing... I used to work with a GIRL called Sephiroth. Commonly known as "Eddie" (although accompanying her to hospital in france and the staff there convinced i was insane and/or that was her surname was fairly interesting...!) 99% sure she was born pre-FFVII though. But still.

 

[RJ 17]

Where should you draw the line? Between established and totally obscure. Does it matter?

I'm TOTALLY going to name my first-born son Golbez and if I have another, Cecil.

Seriously though, a name is a name. As long as it's not intentionally weird like in the lame joke I made above, I don't see something wrong with it. Name your kid Nathan Drake (insert last name) for all I care, those are all regular names.

What pisses me off is celebrities that name their kids after random objects. "Apple", for instance, is not a child's name...it's a fruit.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

As long as you're not naming them after an alien in a sci-fi game, something that has an apostrophe in the middle of it, or something that's just dumb as shit like "tails" then I don't see a problem with it. I could even get behind some of the more exotic ones like "Kratos" as long as it doesn't sound dumb phonetically.

 

[Miles Maldonado]

I've never seen "Welkin" used as a first name (as a Surname, though, I've seen several variations on it - Welken, Wilken, Wilkins, etc).

I have considered the prospect of giving the name to a future son, though it would break the family naming convention, because I personally like the name "Welkin".

 

[MorganL4]

I was named after a musical artist... I guess it is different because the guy actually exists..... But I do like my name, and where it came from.