My daughter is named Tali'Zorah. I suppose I'm crazy : )

[Mersadeon]

Ok, first off: I think you should change it to just Tali. "'" isn't a good thing to have in a name, and everyone who has played ME will consider you a not so great parent.


But also to all of the people here saying "a kid deserves better than be named after a videogame character" - there are pretty much two kinds of names: traditional names that change over time (and a lot of those are biblical) and names that have been newly invented - normally by some kind of media. How do you think new names get into the "name pool"? And implying that you could name your child after a character in a book but not from a videogame just shows that people still haven't understood that videogames are art, just like any other.

EDIT: Also, Zora or Zorah in itself isn't a bad name either. I've seen people called Zora - it's actually a semi-rare name over here, pronounced with a sharp "z" that isn't anywhere in the english language.

 

[Kyber]

Wow really? I can't believe you would do something like that... It's 2014 and you are not going to name her "The Matriarch"?
You are wasting a good chance here.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yes you are.

Far be it from me to give anyone advice on childrens names, since I have none, but please don't treat your child as part of your nerd paraphernalia. If you wanna show you like the character of Tali, wear a T-shirt.

Don't subject your own child to a silly name for the rest of her life, just because you and your wife liked Mass Effect once. Add to that that she'll one day find out her parents named her after a videogame character you had the option to fuck. Talk about awkward.

 

[MorganL4]

Well, my aunt's name was Zorah, and she was born in 1946, so it's not exactly NEW just uncommon.

It's sounds like something out of WoW, and it kinda sounds like something that should be said in an angry voice, that's not a good thing. But Tali or Talia is a good name, it's just the Zorah part that's kinda awful, like something a celebrity couple would call their kids. As many others here, i would rethink the Zorah part, but if you love the name, by all means, go for it. It's your decision after all.

If they were still alive, I am sure my Grandparents would love to hear your opinion on that.

 

[JayRPG]

Coming from my perspective, which is: A guy who changed his name to a video game name FROM a perfectly normal, common name.

I don't think there is anything wrong with this, and I actually think it's rather cool.

Society is moving more and more towards wanting to be unique, it's not just celebrities with wild baby names.

My sister named her daughter Alora, her friends baby's are named Navaya, Tiga and Nalu.
My uncle named his son Xayden (pronounced Zayden).

It's more likely that when Tali'Zorah grows up and starts going to school it'll be the ones with 'normal' names that are getting picked on, I can't think of anyone who I know who chose a common name, because nobody wants anything that is common these days.

Tattoo parlors that specialized in flash sheets/pre-determined designs are almost non-existent because people want unique/custom designs.

Everybody is vying for uniqueness and soon names like these will be the norm.

If you and your wife both like the name, I'm sure your daughter will too

 

[Blow_Pop]

If you potentially want your child to hate you later in life, then by all means name them that.

My name is fairly common. I STILL get shit for it. I hate my parents for the name. And fucking despise my name. I can't figure out a name I like enough to change it to So for now I am stuck.

Tali is a good name but seriously think about the possible ramifications. Girls are evil, vile, vicious creatures from personal experience. Especially to each other (thanks hollywood and society you fucks) so be prepared for possible coming home from school in tears days/months/years. On the flip side, your child name her what you want. It could work out well. And could prevent her from gaining employment because employers are shallow assholes.

 

[AnnaIME]

1 - This kind of name marks you as a parent. Other parents and teachers will think just a leeetle bit less of you, and this will make things just a leeetle bit more difficult for you AND your child. Why stack the deck against your child?

2 - Names shape people's expectations of you. This works in both subtle and not so subtle ways. Will little Tali'Zorah even get an interview for that job she wants? You don't know who your child is going to be, what kind of life she will want. Don't you want to keep her options open?

 

[Ragsnstitches]

Sounds selfish, using your kid as a reference to popular media. I doubt they will appreciate it when they get older, especially if Mass Effect falls out of popular culture. Actually, she probably won't like it either way. The question of "why did you call me *name*?" is one question that you are guaranteed to be asked by your daughter. Suffice to say "It's the name of an outdated video game series character" as a response can lead to problems.

The point in time where it could become a serious problem between you and her is when she is a teenager... you know, that time where you are trying to find your own identity? I'm pretty sure having a name anchored to an antiquated piece of media with no depth or meaning beyoned "it sounded cool and exotic" might lead to some chaffing. Don't be surprised if they lash out as a result.

As others have said, Tali is fine (though I'm hesitant to say it sounds normal... it depends on where you live). It sounds exotic, but not alien. Tali'Zorah is too alien and obviously fictional.

 

[Blitsie]

Stick with Tali (or maybe even Talia, nice name), Tali'Zorah - as exotically awesome as it sounds - is just going to result in a hellish school life. Kids are freaking horrible unfortunately, I knew people in school with bog standard names like "Peter" that got made fun of for their names, I don't even want to know the possibilities with Tali'Zorah then.

But regardless, congratz man! Hope you guys have an amazing time ahead with the kid.

 

[mindfaQ]

I think you are punishing your kid with a name like this ^^. You as parents should probably be the last ones to want that.

 

[chinangel]

I think she'd like it, then again I'm a bit biased. Tali'zorah would be an interesting name and she'd probably have fun seeing people try to pronounce it.

It's far from vulgar or stupid, it really is just a nice name. As long as you don't add 'vas neema' or 'vas normandy' or 'vas home address' to it, you should be just fine.

 

[tzimize]

If a videogame is significant enough in your life that you name your child after a minor character in it then you probably need to look in the mirror and think about if you're ready to have children in the first place.

The lesson, dear reader is your child is not a gimmick.

Well, if you read the OP its not that they are big fans of the game (even though they probably are) but big fans of the name.

Personally, while I can see that a child MIGHT get teased by such a name...but that could be true of any name. Children get teased and the reasons are usually stupid. Where I live there are few immigrants. People from for example Africa have names that are as foreign and exotic as Tali'Zorah. Should they not be allowed to use the naming conventions of their people?

I doubt any first graders have the mental capacity to tease someone about why they are named from a game anyway. If anything it would be the strange sounding name, and kids are a lot more adaptable than adults. To me, that would be a bigger concern. People in my country probably have less chance of getting a job with a foreign sounding name, than with a "standard" (for us) one. This though is a problem that does not present itself for about 20 years. And one should think society has moved forward by then, if just a little.

To you OP I say, if thats the name you want, use it. Not because you think ME is awesome, but because you like the sound of the name. There is no better reason than that.

 

[Stu35]

I think she'd like it, then again I'm a bit biased. Tali'zorah would be an interesting name and she'd probably have fun seeing people try to pronounce it.

See, I can't speak for the future personality of this child of theirs, but as someone who's surname is perennially spelled incorrectly by everyone(despite being a fairly straightforward Scottish surname), I find it incredibly frustrating, annoying and very occasionally: An actual fucking liability when it comes to getting my name on shit. I had to send my driving license back to the DVLA twice because they spelled my name wrong after I changed address - keep in mind that I sent them a FORM with my name WRITTEN on it, and the fucking Clerk at the other end was too fucking retarded to get it.

That paragraph was, I admit, a bit vitrollic, but after 27+ years on this planet, I'm genuinely sick of people who can't spell a pretty simple fucking last name.

That's just the written form. I'm pretty sure I'd just explode if people struggled to pronounce my name as well.

Again though, this child might grow up to have a sense of humour about the whole thing, many do.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Your child is a fucking person.

You don't name people after the shit you nerd out over.

No, just, no. Terrible idea, and the fact you have to even ask if it's a bad idea is even worse.

Christ.

 

[Vykrel]

im in agreement with most of the folks here in that you should have left out the "Zorah". Tali sounds fine.

 

[Cmdr Keen]

Funny, I was going to name mine Zora, because she kinda looked like a fish in the ultrasound. Then I realized that it's an idea worth of a metric fuckton of stupid. I don't even like Zelda!

 

[00slash00]

I would be extremely surprised if she didn't get teased for it. Kids are likely to get teased regardless of their name but I suspect it will be especially bad for children named after an alien. It's not like Mass Effect is an old game. Video games are a well known form of media and that's likely to only increase in the coming years, so I imagine many children will what Mass Effect is and who Tali is. Maybe cut off the second half of the name and just call her Tali, though even that wouldn't give her the easiest time early on in school, just because it's not a common name. I don't know, I'd rethink this. It's not just because she's a video game character. I think it's weird when someone names their child after any fictional character. Of course, there are children in the world who are named, Facebook, so it could always be worse

 

[Delta2501]

David Mitchell had a good rant on the subject of weird baby names. Here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xblh12XgQ4o

I basically agree with him. Neutral names just draw less attention and let the child form their own identity, whereas a name that is obviously of a certain class, mythological or has some specific meaning to it is limiting.

Note even if the child likes the name that doesn't mean they won't get weird looks from other people who have to awkwardly try not to react.

 

[Ishigami]

Short answer: Yes, yes you are crazy.

Long answer: Names like this impair children. There are actually studies about this and the conclusion is always the same: Short, simple and traditional names give a child more chances to succeed in life. Fantasy, long and cryptic names limit them.
Google it, that?s no joke.
These studies also revealed that such fantasy names are usually picked in a low-brow environment?
Don?t set your child back in life just because of a hobby of yours.