Hal......simple and sweet or blah??

[AreYouAbleMabel]

Just that really! I was flicking through baby name book and liked it.....what's the general consensus?? Tanx

I like it, but i find it really hard to say for some reason, i dont know why

Hal is the scary nuts computer in 2001: a space odyssey to me, I'm afraid....

HAL the evil computer in 2001? No.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_9000

Shallow Hal jack black film for me I'm afraid.

Hal = evil computer for me too. Quite like Al as a nn though for Alec (when mine plays "grown ups shooting some hoops" with DH), Alistair, Alexander and Albert.

• Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
• I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

Short for Harold. I believe.

Yes, short for Harold or Henry.

awful

and it makes me think of a computer aswell

Lovely nn for Henry. I wouldn't go for it as a freestanding name.

To me it's Prince Hal from Henry IV.

I love it as a nn for Henry.

great as a nickname for Henry but not keen as a 'real' name.

Love the name Hal - like you say, simple and sweet and most kids will never have heard of Space Odyssey

OK as a nickname.

I love it. But it's the name of the evil/sometimes nice vampire in Being Human and an evil computer.

I love it. A friend of ours has a son called Hal. DD is certain she will marry him.

Sounds like half a name to me (sorry).

Reminds me of bad breath, not sure why.

The poor dad in Malcolm in the Middle...and the evil computer.
I like it, but it sounds a bit like you're saying 'How' if you shout it/say it quickly in your head.

Seems to be getting very mixed reactions.....though moreso from associations! Don't know about evil computer thing but have heard it also on Malcolm in the middle! I think it may be a love it or hate it sort of name!

Horrid.It's a very harsh sounding name.

1. It's a nickname.
2. It's too short with a very soft sound at the beginning, so people won't quite hear what you've said.

You will forever have this conversation...

"What's his name?"
"Hal."
"Al?, Hank? Hel?, oh Hal, short for Henry. Lovely. Hello Henry!"
"No, just Hal"
"Really? Are you sure?"

It might drive you mad! :o

I really like it!

It sounds quite cool, I can picture a musician called Hal, he'd be in a lo-fi Americana type band.

Could be short for Hallam which was the name of one of the characters in the recent series of Upstairs Downstairs.

I like it as I do think of Prince Hal, aka Henry V. But I'd use Henry as his full name and Hal as his nn just in case he wasn't so enamoured of the name when older

I like it.