Don't name the baby Thrall
by Amanda Rivera 
Nov 15th 2007 at 9:15AM
WoW is a phenomenon that extends beyond the virtual world and into our everyday lives. An excellent example of this is Bunnypasta's recent forum post. She asked players for suggestions of WoW-related names for her as-yet unborn bundle of joy.This isn't the first time I have heard of something like this. In fact, one of my former guildies recently had a child, and gave the little girl the middle name of his best-friend's character. Now I'm not sure that carrying around the name of a rogue will influence her personality, come to think of it.
I know the Warcraft universe is filled with many lovely names. If I were to suggest a subtle name for a WoW-player-to-be, I would probably lean more towards the lilting names of some of the lore's female heroines, Tyrande, Shandris, Azshara, Garona. But then again, selecting names of famous Warcraft characters might not count as "subtle." What about places within Azeroth? There are dozens of amazing names for locations that might work as baby names: Brill, Feralas, Auberdine, to name a few. It's not that easy to come up with names that don't immediately scream "I got this from my favorite video game."
One of the CMs made an interesting point in the thread, saying that he wouldn't suggest naming a child after WoW, since it's a fairly permanent decision that you could come to regret later. I'm not so sure. I am of the opinion that if you feel passionate about something, be it online gaming, gardening or English Literature, then even if that passion fades you will still have a fondness for it. Granted it takes a certain kind of person to commit to naming their child after virtual characters. But I know plenty of people that have named their children after songs, movies, and even in a few cases, products. How is naming your child after WoW any different?
Filed under: WoW Social Conventions, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Forums
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Zeplar Nov 15th 2007 9:23AM
It's a little weird... a lot weird, actually. Because you know that when the baby's old enough to think, WoW will probably be over. Maybe not; Starcraft is still a big thing some places.
Anyway I do like "Garona" and "Shandris," but the other ones have that style that RPG names often have...too lord-of-the-rings elf-really-long-name-ish.
Kiyokko Nov 15th 2007 9:25AM
I would rather see a kid named Thrall, then see a kid named "4Real" like those screwy parents I read about tried to name their child.
Ghen Nov 15th 2007 9:25AM
I agree, if you name your child after your best friend there's just as much chance of you moving away or not liking that person anymore.
Vestras Nov 15th 2007 9:27AM
i kid you not when I tell you there is an Alora Danon (Smith) at my place of work. Now that's parents with fan wank issues.
FireStar Nov 15th 2007 9:28AM
I've always been fond of naming a boy Cabe, after one of my favorite books when I was a kid FireDrake. I'm not sure I see much of a difference between a book and a video game. If you draw inspiration from something, and it's not goofy, then go with it.
todbodman Nov 15th 2007 9:44AM
It's a shame that someone who decides to name their kid after a videogame it allowed to reproduce.
Usu Nov 15th 2007 9:46AM
As someone with a rather uncommon name (yea thanks, mom & dad), I have to say I'd much rather have a name that I don't have to constantly spell and explain. So if you *have* to get an oh so special name for your kid, do her/him a favor, give the kid a regular first name and a creative middle name. "Jane Auberdine Smith" might sound goofy, but at least she can use either "Jane A. Smith" or "Auberdine J. Smith" when she's grown up, and won't be stuck with a silly fandom name.
MechChef Nov 15th 2007 9:55AM
People with WoW tattoos are stupid enough. Branding your kid with with a name from your fantasy-land is worse. If they want to name themselves after some fruity game, let them. Parents who have or are considering doing this should be flogged.
Fuzzyfuzz Nov 15th 2007 9:59AM
Bad idea, unless you can come up with an inconspicuous name. My cousin recently had a kid and named it after a character in the silmarilian (lord of the rings). Luthien Tunuvial O'Brian... Every person that she introduces herself to in the future will think she has a bad lisp. "Hi, my name is Luthian, but you can call me Luthy."
oh no.
Jericho Nov 15th 2007 10:17AM
Green Text is not a CM. That's an forum MVP, no official connections.
xarnx Nov 15th 2007 4:20PM
I think if the name can stand on its own, then it's fine. But if you name your kid Garona, I'm going to expect that kid to be eviscerating me in no time.
Side note - I used to live with a woman named Gulark, so named by a friend of someone who laid down a significant portion of the Klingon lore for Star Trek, and it still kinda creeps me out.
s256 Nov 15th 2007 10:19AM
I'm fond of the name "Jaina". It's passable as normal, isn't it? =]
vaelin Nov 15th 2007 10:25AM
I don't know. I've actually thought about this, and considered what it would be like to name a son Vaelin. Being somewhat of a linguistic geek as well as a gamer, I've even worked out a tie to my own name - Glenn - which means "from the valley" in Gaelic. A number of languages utilize various prefixes or suffixes to denote things like possession or derivation, so it's not too much of a stretch to imagine a language where words ending in -in exhibit this. "Vael" is also close enough to the actual English word vale, meaning valley. Anyone who has dabbled in lingustics and/or etymology knows that over time, words are warped and modified based on the local environment and speaking tendencies. J.R.R. Tolkien drew on this tradition when he developed his languages for his now legendary works of fantasy. The elven language, in particular, draw heavily on Welsh mechanics.
As with anything of a highly personal nature - be it a child's name or a tattoo - one should spend a significant amount of time considering the facets of their choice. In the end, ensure that it is meaningful and be prepared to offer a plausible explanation to those who will undoubtedly ask about something as unique.
Ktok Nov 15th 2007 10:37AM
The naysayers are missing the point… what fun is it to have a kid if you can’t permanently scar them? Personally, my wife and I have joked that if we ever had twin boys they should be Illidan and Malfurion in the hopes that the impending carnage would be entertaining. If we could talk a friend into naming their daughter Tyrande, all the better.
I kid… mostly… children *do* need to be entertaining. They’re too expensive not to be. :P
shoan Nov 15th 2007 10:37AM
I named my daughter after a charater in final fantasy mystic quest. "Kaeli" its just another spelling of the name kaylee no one would ever tie it to a video game. But I have always liked the name and that is what we gave her.
Mad Cow Nov 15th 2007 10:39AM
I don't have an "fantasy" named coworkers or friends, but I worked in an office once that had the likes of James Brown, Bob Dylan, Michael Bolton (yes, just like Office Space), Barry Bonds, and one Robin Leach (though it was a girl). There were a few more but I can't remember them ... despite our office only having 110 people.
I'm also very proud to say that while working there ... I hired one ... Mike Hunt ... who refused to go by his full name of Michael. I only hired him because of his name and the fact that we had an intercom system in the building ... when I saw his resume, I hired him before he even came into the office with the anticipation of paging him one time, just one time. He last 5 months, but it was a fun 5 months.
Midore Nov 15th 2007 10:38AM
Can't be any worse than being named after a song by Bread...there's a guy I work with who finds it amusing to sing "And Aubrey was her name" every time he sees me. That's the only part of the song he remembers.
Amalgham Nov 15th 2007 10:40AM
I still think all of the WoW names are still way, wayyyy better and more original than Laquesha, Billy-Jane-Joe-Bobrina, Tyquan, and the fifty Marias and Joses that I've encountered.
Brian Arnold Nov 15th 2007 10:41AM
It's not quite the same, but we named our dog Gryphon, trying to reference something in WoW. He kind of had that golden color in him and somehow it hit and stuck. :D
Todd Nov 15th 2007 10:44AM
"In fact, one of my former guildies recently had a child, and gave the little girl the middle name of his best-friend's character."
Um, what was the name given?