not to odd SF/Fantasy character names

[Deanne]

My niece was named Sophie after the main character in Sophie's choice, a book both her parents love.

[David Majlak]

The two female character names I made on my own for my book, well, three but one could be confused:

Sarca
Jenla
Torino (could always shorthand to Tori)

If you want to get funky, i'm naming one species Prixdise (pronounced Prix like grand prix - di(duh)-say, so: Prix-di-say) but you could shorthand it to Prixie.

Hope that helps :)

[Ami]

Thank you to whoever suggested "Lily", I think I just named my baby. I think I'll go with "Lillian." Now I need a middle name.

I also need to convince my husband. And hope for a girl. I should find out in a few weeks.

[Stan]

I wanted to name my daughter "Rowan," but my wife wouldn't let me. (I know it's a boy's name, but here in the States people are starting to use it for girls.) When the wife shot down that name, I wanted to name her "Snow" since we lived in Alaska. Again, I was shot down.

We finally settled on "Sydney Marie."

[Al "Tank"]

Pickle wrote: "So far im liking Sophie and Aeryn :) ..."

Go with Sophie (or Sophia and call her "Sophie" for short). It's easier for someone else to spell correctly and will save her the problem of having to spell it out every time so people won't key in "Erin".

The only possible stupid nickname I can see coming out of Sophie is "softie", and that's something she can probably live with.

[Brenda]

The Edwardian variant, Lilias, is very pretty. There are certainly girls in this country named Rowan. And if you read FABLES then you may know that there are girls named Snow and Winter. Remember though that it MUST work with the last name. If your surname is Mann, do not name the poor baby Snow!!!

[Evilynn]

Last names depends on where you're from too. In my home country it's not all that odd that the two people in a marriage have different surnames (or that couples never bother getting married for that matter). The legal default is to keep your own name upon getting married. The legal default for the children in that case is that the first child gets the mother's last name, unless the parents explicitly asks for the father's name, and then the rest of the kids get the same name as the first one. So the onus is kept on the siblings having the same last name.

[Pickle]

Al wrote: "Pickle wrote: "So far im liking Sophie and Aeryn :) ..."

Go with Sophie (or Sophia and call her "Sophie" for short). It's easier for someone else to spell correctly and will save her the problem o..."

I notice the 'Theory of how to pick a children's name by Homer Simpson' is evident here :)

[Caitrin]

I'm definitely giving my kids some unique names. I loved mine growing up. My Mom found Caitrin (evil pretender queen in) in a book she was reading at the time and loved it so much that's what she named me. Sure sometimes people mispronounce it but it's a good way to avoid telemarketers on the phone :P Caitrin is a gaelic version of Katherine. It might be interesting to look at names you like and then to see the equivalents in other cultures.

I love baby names :D

[Genia]

I am really not a fan of the 'if your average Joe over the phone can't spell it - don't use it' approach. Some of the average Joes over the phone can't spell 'phone' either, and they still use it.

I have a very normal name, for the place of my birth. As it happens, though, I don't live in the place of my birth, so for the entirety of my life I've been the only Genia everywhere, and people struggle with my name and misspell it. So far, it hasn't induced me to change it. In fact, I'm so uncomfortable with altering y names that I kept my own last name as well, and did not take my husband's.

I say, name the child whatever name you think best, because you think it is the best name. If you thin it would symbolise something meaningful, for instance, or want your children to be like the person they are named after. If I were you, I'd spend a good deal of cautious research on what each and every name might mean, and not think too much about whether it would sound good with the title 'President of the U.S.'.

Of course, I come from a vastly different naming philosophy. In Jewish culture, especially Israeli, the meanings of names are very much on the surface still, so people largely pick for them. That requires a measure of caution and serendipity, of course. If you happen to have named your rather plain daughter Yaffa (beautiful), it's bound to be commented upon at some point.

[Brenda]

Another thought, on the first name/last name balance: if you have a really difficult last name, give the poor kid a simple first name: Sam, Jane, Susan. So when she is making reservations over the phone, or signing up for health benefits, or all the millions of times in her life where she will have to spell her name, she will only have to spell one of them out.

[[deleted user]]

Spelling out your name, or having it be misspelled by folks, really isn't the ordeal some of you seem to think.

[Caitrin]

Exactly! I've never really had a problem, it's second nature to me. My last name always has problems, it's like whatever.

[Genia]

Exactly. You get used to it, it's really not Chinese torture, so long as you make certain your child can actually spell.

[Brenda]

I'm not talking about the common or garden surname, among which I would place my own. (Clough) I am talking about the steeper mountains of nomenclature. How about Zbigniew Brzezinski -- would it really be a good idea for him to name his daughter Schuyler or Tawwalynsey? That child should be named Anna or Caroline.

[Anne]

Even "easy" names get misspelled. People get my first name wrong about 90% of the time (despite Ann/Anne being equally popular), and my last name (Crisp) is spelled incorrectly almost as often. No one seems to believe that it is as easy as it sounds. People sometimes even get it wrong when I spell it out for them. The most "creative" spellings I've seen are Khrisst and Chrissdt. WTF?

[[deleted user]]

Brenda wrote: "I'm not talking about the common or garden surname, among which I would place my own. (Clough) I am talking about the steeper mountains of nomenclature. How about Zbigniew Brzezinski -- would it r..."

I don't see why it would be a bad idea to name his child whatever he chooses. His(and SOs) choice.

The rest of the world can pretty much go to hell if they've got a problem with it.

[Ami]

I have to spell my first and last name every time I give it, due to creative parents. It's really not that bad.

[Genia]

The Aimdoggg wrote: "I have to spell my first and last name every time I give it, due to creative parents. It's really not that bad."

Pretty much this. No one in the Anglo world (or Hebrew speaking world) manages to spell my last name correctly. I've pretty much gotten into the habit of simply spelling my entire name for them. "It's G-e-n-i-a L-u-k-i-n. Yes, G, not J. I. And then A." I can live with that. I think the people having to write my name down are the ones who have more of a problem.

[Brenda]

Here's a great one, from a byline in today's NY Times: Felicia Nimue Ackerman. Nimue, what a great name, especially in combination with Ackerman!

[Margaret]

@David:

Prixdise (pronounced Prix like grand prix - di(duh)-say, so: Prix-di-say)

Only wanted to mention that "prix as in grand prix" to anyone who speaks French would be "pree". Is that what you meant?

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

I have a (real) first name which should be easy to pronounce for English speakers but isn't - possibly because there are 2 accepted pronunciations and my parents went with the less common one. In over 20 years of education I had 2 teachers get it right on the first try. And then I had to correct them all because I prefer my nickname anyway. *shrug*

My only advice is not to pick any names that rhyme with commercial products with annoying jingles. Not that you necessarily can predict this years in advance....

[Riona]

Ala wrote: "Spelling out your name, or having it be misspelled by folks, really isn't the ordeal some of you seem to think."

Thank you for being the voice of reason in this thread. I still can't believe all these rules! I didn't see the OP's request for suggestions of cool fantasy name as an invitation for holier-than-thou posturing. I must have forgotten that unless your child's name sounds great after "Supreme Court Justice" and "US President" and can be spelled by every telemarketer in the world, you're a horrible parent who is setting your child up for lifelong failure! My mistake.

[[deleted user]]

I think it's simply a difference of viewpoint. Most seem to be following some western sensibilities when it comes to naming conventions.

Those of us from a different background and heritage, whose names are far off the western path, have an entirely different view.

My name is Ala Maulupe. I've never had a teacher, or anyone except other Samoans really, get the pronunciation or spelling right. I've been called Alan, Al, Aaron, Alex and one time Rob.

Sure, it was kind of annoying growing up. But it didn't scar me in any way. It's my name and it has a meaning to my folks. And, honestly, it was nice being different in school. While there were three or four Jennifers and Johns and Marks in each class, there was always just one Ala ;)

[Peggy]

How's this for a different perspective - when I was growing up, I was disappointed by my "ordinary" name and wished for something more exotic.

[Lara Amber]

Wow, we're touching on a lot of stuff here.

I have an usual spelling and pronunciation (Russian) and while I love my name, it can get to be annoying. Especially when people seem to be incapable of getting it right and introduce you to more people with the wrong pronunciation. When that person is your BOSS it's hard to step in and say "hey that person I've been working for for the last six years got it wrong, this is how you say my name".

I'm not against unusual names. I just hate made up names or "we changed the letters to be different". Sigh. I do agree that you should try on some titles for baby names "Officer _", "Lieutenant _", "Judge _", "Doctor _" and really think through that name. (After all that full name is likely going to printed on a diploma, so Angelica Jello-Shots Logan would be bad.)

My son is named Anthony and so far most people are accepting the whole "NO his name is not Tony." I just hope he doesn't end up like a friend of mine names Charles who hated when people called him Chuck, but wouldn't stop them. (We did tease that if he was a girl we would have named him Liberty Station because Courtyard by Marriott was too long for a birth certificate.)

Oh and on marriage. I think unmarried couples can love each other as much as married couples. But there is something to be said for the legal protections provided by marriage in case something serious happens to one of you (long-term illness, coma, death). So if you don't get married, I would have a nice sit down with a lawyer and make sure you have everything that is covered by default under marriage covered by legal documents (power of attorney for healthcare, wills, etc) to protect each other and those kids.

Personally I like Kaylee from Firefly.

[Michelle]

well, I've got an utterly "normal" name, with no vagaries in spelling or pronunciation for the average American...and I can assure you, it has gotten mangled plenty of times. remember those valentine card exchanges we did as little kids in elementary school (do you non-US folks do this sort of stuff??) back in the day? well, everyone took home a complete list of their classmates (couldn't leave anyone out), so they all had my name properly spelled right there in front of them. I was repetitively Melissa, Michel, Michele, Mushel, and ever-stranger permutations thereof. I'm scar-free, and when they call me doctor, they use my last name, so it wouldn't have been too big a deal anyway.

fiction is such a fun source for names! though I was never a huge LOTR fan, I adore the idea of a kid named Galadriel...you could call her Gala for short. Kassandra (or with a C), princess & prophetess of Troy is a fave, and Greek/roman mythology is full of cool choices. Zane, traditionally a boy's name that crops up in plenty of fiction, would be a really neat middle name, as would Valentine.

have fun with it! all of my friends that had common names (Jennifer for my generation, especially) hated being numbered or going by their last names in class, so go ahead and step outside the box just a bit (ok, not to "jello-shots", lolz Lara!).

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

The jello shots thing reminded me ... When I went to a relative's high school graduation I'm sitting there listening to them read all the names. Blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda, Amber Nicole Stout ... who names their kid Amber Stout? :) (Actually, lots of people, according to Google.)

/coolstorybro

[Pickle]

Riona wrote: "Ala wrote: "Spelling out your name, or having it be misspelled by folks, really isn't the ordeal some of you seem to think."

Thank you for being the voice of reason in this thread. I still can't b..."

i never realised it would be a touchy subject for some!

some of the idea's are great and with only 4 weeks to go i will be running these past my girlfriend.

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

Something that occurred to me re: Yelena - its real world equivalent is Jelena. (Serbian, so the J is a Y in disguise.)

[Genia]

Well, the real-world equivalent of Yelena is tons ofstuff. In Russian it's Yelena (with the Y) and in English the equivalent is Helen, or Helena or Helen and the Spanish which is also often used is Elena.

[Deanne]

Spent three hours this morning being called Dionne, then was asked if I mind being called Dee. Doesn't bother me like, frequently find myself answering to different names, Dianne, Dionne, Dean etc.
Even Mum looks at me and calls me David, Derrick, Denise, Debbie and still misses out my name.

[Dawn]

It doesn't matter what your name is.. People are stupid. Mine is four letters, a commonly used English word at that.. And I still get Donna more often than not.

When I named my son, I made a list of names I liked, and sat and said them all out loud. When I said his name.. It felt right. It was his name, it just was. Screw worrying about people misspelling or mispronouncing names.. Name the child what feels right. Something will. And hell, if that name happens to be "Pizza"? Just go with it. Who knows, maybe they aren't destined to be on the Supreme Court. Maybe they'll deliver pizza and have a cute little story to tell to get extra tips. Or own a pizza company or something. I dunno, I'm getting too in depth with this "Pizza" thing. Probably should avoid that one as a name, on second thought.

But seriously.. Make a list. Say them out loud.. You'll know what is right when you say it.

[[deleted user]]

Ala wrote: "Your girlfriend have any she's partial to?"

What a good question. I've always loved the name Freya. It was my staffordshire terrier's name, but of course I named her after the Goddess.

[Trike]

Anne wrote: "Even "easy" names get misspelled. People get my first name wrong about 90% of the time (despite Ann/Anne being equally popular), and my last name (Crisp) is spelled incorrectly almost as often. No one seems to believe that it is as easy as it sounds. People sometimes even get it wrong when I spell it out for them. The most "creative" spellings I've seen are Khrisst and Chrissdt. WTF? "


The most hilarious misspelling of my first name -- Doug -- came from a Chinese restaurant where they consistently called me "Duck." (I never even bothered with my last name because I knew they'd never get it.) On a positive note, though, now the phrase, "OK Duck, be ready ten minute" is used by family and friends alike to indicate that they will attend a gathering.

[Trike]

Snail in Danger (Sid) wrote: "The jello shots thing reminded me ... When I went to a relative's high school graduation I'm sitting there listening to them read all the names. Blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda, Amber Nicole Stout ... who names their kid Amber Stout? :) (Actually, lots of people, according to Google.)"

My cousin's first and middle names are Krista Lynn.

If you look in the Dayton, OH, phone book, you'll see both a Harry Back and a Gandalf T. Wizard. (Maybe not Gandalf. We once called the number and asked if Bilbo were there -- the woman who answered was a good sport about it -- but they were an older couple back in the mid '80s.)

[[deleted user]]

Now I'm not sure if this can be taken as a fact, but we have friends who have friends who called their kid Special Agent Chicken Finger, I think the other child was called Rainbow Jellybean. Special agent Chicken Finger is called Spesh for short. Then there's Peaches Geldof (I like Peaches, Cherry's fine too, but not sure about Apricot and Plum and Soursop doesn't bear thinking about).

Possible abbreviations should be taken into consideration too.

But I'm positive, Pickle (unless that's really your real name) that your daughter's name will surface in your and above all (sorry just biased here) your wife's mind, and when it does it will be perfect for your daughter.

And congratulations for the coming birth! March, she'll be a a Pisces like me, vague and emotional and prone to dreaming?

[Pickle]

Pickle is my cats name :)

Prone to dreaming is certainly me and im also a Pisces :)

[Dawn]

Pisces in the house, what what.






And by that I mean me too :P

[Julia]

My cat was Kickle, which is, in my experience, an inedible mostly sugarless sugar cookie, or maybe it was a crap bakery, a word I found in The Joys of Yiddish. And she was a great cat.

[Genia]

>.>

My husband and I, if we ever get a white kitten, are planning to name it Kittel.

[Trike]

Brenda wrote: "Galadriel dates you -- the way Brenda/Linda does (just about all of us are in our 50s or 60s) or Gertrude/Myrtle (mostly older ladies)."

Or first-generation Korean-American. There is a definite trend among Korean girls I know to have names we Americans consider "older."

[Deanne]

There's a lot of pisces in this thread. March 17th, St Patrick's day and a great day for a birthday.

[Liz]

I share my birthday with Dr. Suess - March 2.

[[deleted user]]

Aries up in this piece!

[Dawn]

March 14 - Pi Day.

Math geek born on Pi Day.. I win :P

[Genia]

I am an indifferent Aquarius. My birthday was two days ago.

[stormhawk]

Regardless of what name is ultimately chosen, I do implore the parents to very carefully test the first name against the last name. Many school playground beatings can be avoided by following this simple advice.

These days, in a sea of home-made names (especially ones involving punctuation and silent letters other than "E"), a traditional name can stand out.

Speaking as someone who has NEVER been able to buy a personalized item off the rack, that wounds a child. It doesn't matter how many cute custom-embroidered or hand-painted items you buy. I want to buy a damn keychain in the airport. Seriously. That's all. That's not asking much, is it?

[Lara Amber]

I've never been able to buy anything personalized off the rack. Which is why I loved it when one of my friends ordered for me a custom little California license plate keychain with my name right before I moved out of state.

[Lara Amber]

Oh, and Aries are the best :)