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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

WARNING Nerds naming a baby...

138 replies

SleepyBug · 02/12/2014 20:35

Hello ladies :) I'm pregnant with non-identical twins (unknown genders) and we're stuck in the mud. Our current favourites are ~

Boys ~
Remus
Thomas
Castiel
Bronn
Wulfric
Ronald
Merlin
Stanley
Rogue
Percy
Azazel

Girls~
Circe
Paloma
Sansa
Minerva
Khaleesi

Honest opinions and suggestions would be lovely although be gentle, over emotional pregnant lady alert
Thank you x

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Arven · 02/12/2014 21:32

Those names are nuts.

Rogue!!! Circe??

AuntySib · 02/12/2014 21:32

Paloma and Bronn are nice- unusual but not too woo.
I always liked Alaric for a boy, but DH wouldn't hear of it:(

fatterface · 02/12/2014 21:33

Doves and pigeons are basically the same thing though!

Arven · 02/12/2014 21:33

Was paloma on the list?
I like that.

Camsie30 · 02/12/2014 21:34

Joffrey and Theon?

moonrocket · 02/12/2014 21:34

GoT and HP are not really nerdy though, are they? They are seriously mainstream.

What about Ada (Lovelace)
Alan (Turing)
Napoleon (Dynamite)
Scott (Pilgrim)

Blanketontheground · 02/12/2014 21:36

Never heard of the name before but someone suggested Arwen. Now I want another baby. Baby Arwen.

strawberrypenguin · 02/12/2014 21:37

Lois (lane)
Pepper (Potts)
Clark
Lex
Bruce

GilbertBlytheWouldGetIt · 02/12/2014 21:38

Wulfric
Ronald

Minerva

I wanted Wulfric (nn Wulfie) for DS, but people talked me out of it.

Allstoppedup · 02/12/2014 21:38

Paloma is also the colloquial term for dick in Spanish...apparently...

MaryWestmacott · 02/12/2014 21:40

Do not let your DH talk you into naming your child Khaleesi - it was the nerdy version of 'Queenie' or 'Princess' (it's a title, not a name), but now it's too well known so even naffer.

Sansa, now that is a pretty name that you can get away with not being too obviously from a TV programme. Paloma is also a pretty name.

From your boys list, Bronn is my favorite (although it feels like it's a nickname for something, people might well ask him a lot what it is short for). Merlin would be cruel, although Wulfric is good. I really like Remus as well.

In fact, Remus and Sansa sound lovely. (A lot of your list are fine on their own but don't 'go' with any of the other names)

AryaOfHouseSnark · 02/12/2014 21:40

Arwen. I want a baby Arwen too.

GoodtoBetter · 02/12/2014 21:41

I live in Spain and speak Spanish and I've never heard Paloma as slang for dick.

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 02/12/2014 21:43

I love the Percy Jackson books but think Percy is an awful awful name in the UK. Thalia or Annabeth would be nice though.

Arwen and Elanor both nice nerd-friendly names. Agree that Arya and Brienne are the pick of the GOT options. Khaleesi isn't wrong as a name exactly, it's a bit like Princess which is an accepted name (if you're Katie Price) but I think it's naff.

Boys are more difficult. I also have a soft spot for Athelstan, I'm sure it's due a comeback after a millennium out of fashion.

Allstoppedup · 02/12/2014 21:43

good ahh that's good to hear! I googled it when someone said the meaning wasn't nice and that came up! The other meaning was dove which I thought was quite lovely!

Grin
BrightestAndBest · 02/12/2014 21:44

I quite like Wulfric and Percy (although not together). Less sure about your girls names - Circe and Paloma are OK.

How about:
Lyra, Trinity, Eowyn,
Arthur, Hal, Orion

or I quite like Erasmus and Isambard

Allstoppedup · 02/12/2014 21:46

Ooh, further investigation seems to suggest it's Latin American Spanish speakers that use it but I'm sure it wouldn't be too much of an issue in the UK!

BathshebaDarkstone · 02/12/2014 21:48

DD2's dad wanted her middle name to be Amidala, but I put my foot down as I don't like names from fiction. Also I have a cousin called Adric (Dr Who). Smile

almapudden · 02/12/2014 21:50

Oh please use Castiel! Supernatural fan? It's one of my favourite boys' names!

johendy · 02/12/2014 21:50

From your list I like Remus and Paloma, unusual but real names. I know one of each and they're both great and made me love the names.

I agree with earlier comments about thinking seriously before using names from current popular TV or books...

skylark2 · 02/12/2014 21:58

Which of these would you like to be called yourself? Really, truly, honestly, deed poll is over there and your Christmas gift is a new name time - would you like to walk into a new job and say you are called Wulfric or Rogue?

If what you want to do is display your nerdiness, name a pet, name a tree, buy a dolly and name that, write a story and name your characters...

You're naming a baby. It's not supposed to be a "spot the parents' favourite fandoms" contest, and that's what almost every name on your list is. Great character names, some great fun series there. Truly awful for an actual person.

MoominKoalaAndMiniMoom · 02/12/2014 22:04

If you're into your science fiction/literary names -

Kara, Cally, Ellen, Tori, (Battlestar Galactica)
River, Kaylee, Zoe, Inara, Saffron, YoSaffBridge Wink (Firefly)
Lyra, Tris, Hermione, Annabeth, Holly (various books)

And for boys

Gaius, Galen, Brendan, Lee, Felix - BSG
Malcom, Simon - Firefly
Remus, Gale, Tobias (more literature)

Nerd names don't always have to be outrageous and obvious - DD has a fairly subtle Nerd name.

RustyBear · 02/12/2014 22:05

Percy is also a colloquialism for dick, of course...

There's a lot of scope in Doctor Who:
Aridian
Astra
Atraxi
Axos
Bazima
Berenice
Boe
Borusa
Cassandra
Compassion
C'rizz
Dulcian
Evelina
Fitz
Fenric
Hath
Kaled
Kinda
Leela
Lilith
Mara
Megara
Nyssa
Peladon
Peri
River
Romana
Rutan
Shakri
Sirian
Taran
Thal
Tharil
Xeron

Or you could go for one of the more normal ones, where you know the derivation, but it's not obvious, like Tegan, Vicki, Barbara, Jamie, Katarina, Ian.

MollyBdenum · 02/12/2014 22:11

Remus or Merlin for a boy. I know two small Merlins. Or Stanley, although it's a bit too fashionable. Wulfric is fine, too. Paloma or Minerva for a girl. Not Khaleesi. My favourite geek names are Ada and Linus.

florascotia · 02/12/2014 22:25

First of all, congratulations on expecting twins and very best wishes.
Secondly, your babies, your (and your SO's) choice of names.

What follows is just my opinion. Obviously, you can take it or leave it.

Like earlier posters, I don't really like made-up names from TV/films/games and agree that they can seem rather naff. I would worry that they might prejudice some people against a child, or even lead to bullying. And they will date. If you really love them, what about using them as middle names - that way, you and your children have more options.

Among your boys' names, Remus, Thomas, Ronald, Stanley (popular), Bronn (means 'wells' (for water) in Norwegian) and Wulfric (cool nn Wulf?) would all be fine. Cassiel is an alternative name for an obscure angel and has a hidden religious meaning; I would avoid for that reason. I know of a dog called Rogue. Percy has an unfortunate slang meaning (the same as Paloma in Latin America, as mentioned above).

Most of your 'real' girls' names are connected with birds. Is this coincidental?
Circe meant 'bird' in ancient Greek, and was pronounced Kirkay, though it is now more often 'Sir-see'; as has been said, Paloma means dove or pigeon in Spanish; the Roman/Etruscan goddess Minerva was accompanied (and symbolised) by an owl. I think Paloma or Minerva would be fine, though Circe - a cruel druggy/poisoning witch - might raise a few eyebrows.

Sansa sounds rather like the Scots word 'sonsie', which means 'plump and bonnie' and is traditionally used to describe a haggis. As to Khaleesi, as others have said, would you really want to call a child 'princess'?