DS Daily: Register your name
by JC Fletcher 
{ Feb 8th 2008 at 9:00AM }
This morning, our friend and colleague Alisha is off gifting the world with the very latest DS Fanboy: a new consumer with nearly endless need for training, and for whom every control scheme is novel. In other words, a baby infant. We'd like to extend premature (as of writing time) congratulations! The impending baby got us thinking about video games, as we desperately try to make things do. Specifically, game-related baby names. Everyone reading this blog is a huge nerd, and nerds do things like naming things after game characters. What's your hard drive's volume label? What's your cat's name?
We wonder if there's anyone out there bold enough, or disinterested enough in the kid's well-being, to have given their offspring a game character name, or to plan to do so in the future. Any baby Luigis out there? Otacon? Marth? Diddy? Agent Chieftain? Lolo? Phoenix? How about a Samus? Zangief? Vic Viper? Pyramid Head? Gas-O? Corn? Waiter Skeleton? Heat Man? Two-P?
Somebody please name a kid Zangief.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kevin @ Feb 8th 2008 9:29AM
I don't hate my kid enough to do this to him. Kids are mean enough about names as it is, they don't need the extra baggage of a retarded name. It reminds me of the friend of my brother-in-law that is such a Hot Gothic fangirl that she named her kid Lestat. No kidding. They also named their daughter Magenta.
We're sticking with plain old traditional names - no need to pass my baggage on to my kid.
Swampgirl Inez @ Feb 8th 2008 9:37AM
My Godson is named Sid, after Mr. Meier. :)
We were glad it came down to that as the alternatives were James T., Ghengis, and Winston.
Stewart @ Feb 8th 2008 9:37AM
I remember a news thing somewhere (probably on here or WiiFanboy) about a family naming there child Ganon, which I don't think is such a terrible name. Also, Congrats Alisha!
Stewart @ Feb 8th 2008 9:39AM
I remember a news thing somewhere (probably on here or WiiFanboy) about a family naming there child Ganon, which I don't think is such a terrible name. Also, Congrats Alisha!
Dig @ Feb 8th 2008 1:25PM
I think Ganon is actually a legitimate baby name in real life. I know that I have a friend named Ganon and it seems neither he nor his parents have ever played a videogame in their life. Perhaps it's a family name?
caldwelk @ Feb 8th 2008 10:58AM
Haha. There are bound to be some Zangiefs over in Russia.
igorponweed @ Feb 8th 2008 9:50AM
Samus, Q*bert or Tetris Middle Name Block!
Justin @ Feb 8th 2008 9:59AM
Yes, congrats and all the best!
raindog @ Feb 8th 2008 10:26AM
I guess I'm the other kind of nerd. My three cats are named Willow, Tara and Jasmine.
XyZero @ Feb 8th 2008 8:18PM
Got a Buffy, Angel, and Faith in here >_>;
TheCoats @ Feb 8th 2008 10:46AM
Congrats to Alisha!!.......!!
Rurik @ Feb 8th 2008 11:08AM
Named my son Garrett after Thief. Luckily, the name isn't that uncommon.
Eleniel @ Feb 8th 2008 6:09PM
Congrats Alisha!!
Not game-related, but still nerdy, my cat is named Trip, after the Enterprise's chief engineer. His middle name is Greebo, though.
Brello @ Feb 8th 2008 11:32AM
Congratulations Alisha! Hope everything goes/went well!
...and no, I wouldn't name a kid Waiter Skeleton. Although an endless supply of curry would be rather nice.
foosnark @ Feb 8th 2008 11:36AM
Awesome.
My wife is named Alisha, and for whatever reason, everyone in St. Louis has problems pronouncing or spelling it. Ah LEE sha, it's not difficult :)
And then of course, there's the band Alisha's Attic. My wife is fond of their song "Alisha Rules The World" for some reason... :)
CJLopez @ Feb 8th 2008 1:15PM
I'm more of an otaku than a gamer, so, i have chosen some anime carachter names for my kids, but mainly female ones, I only want girls, xD, but my gf want at least 1 boy, we are still deciding what to get, technology nowadays is pretty awesome!!!
I'd chose names like Sakura (Sakura Card Captor, Sakura Taisen, Sakura Kasugano), Yuri (Yuri Sakazaki), Yui (Corrector Yui) and Usagi (Sailor Moon).
For boys.... I leave em to my gf, she is the one into yaoi, xD
Matdredalia @ Feb 8th 2008 12:37PM
Well.......my PC is named after an original character I wrote set in the Final Fantasy VII universe, and my husband's PC is named after Vincent Valentine from FFVII. Our cat is named Chromie, after a bronze dragon who crossdresses as a female Gnome in World of WarCraft, and I am notorious for giving things "game names". I also take a ridiculously long time naming characters in games because I prefer being original (as if ya'll couldn't tell that with the whole "Matdredalia" thing).
As for babies, we have none, but some are planned in the relatively near future. And to be honest, I think every single one of the names we picked is from a game or anime in some way.
The ones I can remember at this exact moment are Rinoa, Squall, Rydia, Edward Zidane (think FullMetal Alchemist + FF9), Teela (remember that OC I mentioned earlier? Yeah. I like that name). And yeah....Rinoa & Squall is My other husbands doing. He's a big FFVIII nutter (^-^)
omgitsalisa @ Feb 8th 2008 12:47PM
I met a kid named Ganon, once. It had nothing to do with the game, though. Apparently the mother's maiden name was something like "Gan" (don't remember what, exactly) and she wanted it to be incorporated into her first son's name, so she went with a shortening of "Gan lives on" so her kid is a total badass now.
Jason @ Feb 8th 2008 12:49PM
What ever name I choose for my child I think I'll throw "Solid" in front of it as a tribute to MGS. Maybe...Solid Dexter...
DomoBraden @ Feb 8th 2008 12:57PM
I've always thought Kratos would be a bad-ass name... Link wouldn't be terrible. Sora might work okay as a girl's name.
In all seriousness though, I would never ever name a child after a game character, (unless it happens to be a normal name).
Covarr @ Feb 8th 2008 1:09PM
If I named a kid after a game character, it would be something inconspicuous enough that s/he'd be able to survive in school without too much teasing, like Mike, Ashley, Ana, or most of the other WarioWare characters, or perhaps Ken. Hardcore nerd names that aren't in common usage, like Link or Captain Falcon, would be saved for pets, obviously.
Opus @ Feb 8th 2008 1:16PM
I wouldn't do that to a kid, but my dog is named Samus.
Henley @ Feb 8th 2008 1:26PM
well i dont have any kids but i would name them after myself.. in a jobs case it would be DJ, yeah thats awesome... i have a dog wouldnt name it after a game character but i did call him esky.
samorama @ Feb 8th 2008 1:55PM
My pug is named Zelda. It suits her.
devitek @ Feb 8th 2008 2:09PM
Ok, here goes. My wife's cat was named Lulu (FFX). My 2nd daughter's middle name is Rei (Neon Genesis Evangelion). My 3rd daughter is named Evelyn Violet, but I just call her Vivi (FF9). I've got a computer named Paramina (FFXII), Kakariko (Zelda), Apshai (do your own homework there), Rabanastre (FFXII), and Luca (FFX). I've also got a wireless network named Bevelle (FFX). I'm sure there's more, but that's all that comes to mind.
Am I obsessed?
MonoDiabloLoco @ Feb 8th 2008 2:56PM
I would never do that to a child. Normal-ish names MAYBE. Like the one above named Sid. That's OK. But Squall? Really? Enroll your child into self defence early.
You may as well name them PleaseIwanttohavementalissuesandbebeatupalot Smith.
I am not against unusual names. Some are pretty neat, but to choose a video game hero over a real life hero is pretty F-ed up.
Teacher: So, Martin, who were you named after?
Martin: Martin Luther King Jr.
Teacher: A wonderful person to live up to!
Teacher: How about you, Squall?
Squall: A video game character...
Teacher: So you parent's hated you before you were born?
Squall: *sob*
Kiley @ Feb 8th 2008 2:58PM
Many congratulations Alisha! Don't keep us in suspense, is it a girl or a boy :)
Erm, I'm not that big enough a game nerd to name people/things after game characters. Although I am a big enough comic nerd to do so (my car's named Gar after Beast Boy, cos it's green). However I'm waiting for the day I adopt a kitty and name it Shingo, so I can wrap a little white headband around its head and take pictures of it with a notepad. But I doubt anyone would get that KOF reference :(
igorponweed @ Feb 8th 2008 3:32PM
Shiguru! And Opus, did you work at Shakesphere theatre company?
tonedef @ Feb 8th 2008 6:12PM
I have an acquaintance who named his cat "PlayStation 2." That cat's about 6 now.
Donald @ Feb 8th 2008 6:40PM
One of my cats is named after a FF6 protagonist (Shadow).
RootiePatootie @ Feb 8th 2008 9:55PM
Mucho congrats Alisha! Hope you and the baby fair well and no problems.
No kiddies of our own and there won't be but I'd never name my child anything oddball or a name that would be readily recognizable from a game, book or tv show/movie. Pets, that's different. Our first two cats, one who is gone now :( were named after characters from a set of German children stories (Max und Moritz). Our others were named what we felt fit them. Max and Moritz, funny enough, quite resembled their book characters in their behavior! My characters in games, especially in MMOs, usually come from books I've read and not necessarily of the same genre as the games. I don't read much fantasy yet my EQ2 chars, obviously fantasy, have names that come from non-fantasy books I've enjoyed, sci-fi mostly but one is from a sort of sci-fi/fantasy/romance kind of novels (Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series).
I know someone though who named their boy after a character from a movie, I think (maybe it was tv) and the poor kid's name is Bo Stringfield or Stringman can't remember which but I thought it was really awful of the parents to do that. Kids can be very mean..and although my first name was not and is not common at least it couldn't be picked on. My parents told us they tried hard to pick unique but easy going names. Thank god!
RootiePatootie @ Feb 8th 2008 9:58PM
Well, the boy's last name was left off because I put it in brackets..and it wasn't his real last name...I just put LASTNAME in brackets. So the boy's name is Bo String...whatever.... LASTNAME *and* his Dad often called him in front of his friends even, the full shot. Of course, his Dad was/is a bit wacked IMO.
Lord Bo @ Feb 9th 2008 10:51AM
There's a guy who always seems to be at a Gamestop near my house. I started talking with him one day. He has twin daughters who are named Halo and Cortana. He also has newborn son named Riddick. Seriously. He introduced me to his daughters right before he left.
The girl working behind the counter just sighed and said, "He comes in here all the time..." Her voice seemed very sad.
BlackDS @ Feb 9th 2008 7:17PM
Congratulations Alisha for getting a baby and NOT "Babyz". :)
Hopefully, they gave you tons of narcotics and you were spared most of the pain of child birth.
Peace.