Would naming my kid "Vault" be a detriment to him in life? Or a bonus giving him instant geek-cred?

[damocles23]

What do you say about it, Critic?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOxt9PoJNkg

 

[Lawllerskater]

Not going to lie, that's one of the most nerdy things I've ever heard on this website. It seems like you're taking an element you like out of a game you like and naming your kid that to reference the game you like...and you're trying to give it credibility by adding that "deeper meaning" stuff to it.

I mean, I have no real say in what you name your kid, but this really makes me cringe at the level of fanboyism that is spreading throughout you people.

 

[Russian_Assassin]

There have been plenty of folks who've pointed out perfectly reasonable justifications for why it's a dumb idea to them, and you're handwaving away the ones you can't accuse of snobbery or being bullies. I think there's definitely some value in acknowledging that internet gamer forums are going to be the most supportive audience you could possibly find - if there's resistance here, there will be much greater resistance out in the world. DON'T USE YOUR CHILD TO FIGHT SOME KIND OF NERD CULTURE-WAR. .

Gah! Thank you! My thoughts exactly! Why ask for advice in the first place if you intend to strike everyone down anyway?

 

[Flare Phoenix]

There have been plenty of folks who've pointed out perfectly reasonable justifications for why it's a dumb idea to them, and you're handwaving away the ones you can't accuse of snobbery or being bullies. I think there's definitely some value in acknowledging that internet gamer forums are going to be the most supportive audience you could possibly find - if there's resistance here, there will be much greater resistance out in the world. DON'T USE YOUR CHILD TO FIGHT SOME KIND OF NERD CULTURE-WAR. .

Gah! Thank you! My thoughts exactly! Why ask for advice in the first place if you intend to strike everyone down anyway?

Because he didn't want advice... he fully expected all of us to simply go "OMG! That is the best idea in the world! Your son will be subjected to nothing but rainbows, puppy dogs, and sunshine because of this!".

I mean it's like "it doesn't matter what I call the kid, because all kids have a chance of getting bullied regardless". That's true, but unless you would honestly be willing to force your son to go to school in a pink dress and make-up, you really cannot make that argument.

 

[TheEndlessSleep]

I know a guy who's middle name is 'Gauntlet', it's awesome - I don't think middle names really matter tbh

Just don't make it his first name or torment will most certainly ensue...

 

[JochemDude]

Depends wether you want to make such a decision for him or if he's to make that decision himself. I would say please don't

Edit: A middle name you say, well go nuts then

 

[Bobbity]

Holy crap, this topic is still going?

Aw hell, I might as well respond while I'm here.

OT: Don't do it. In naming him "Vault", you're trying to define your son before he's even born. He should be free to make himself as his own man, and not because you decided to name him after a video game that you once liked over a decade ago.[footnote]Well, by then, at least.[/footnote]

 

[MercenaryCanary]

As far as targeting him a bit easier, good. Get tough skin. Learn to be witty in your defense.

So instead of sparing your beloved son the pain of having to be made fun of for a couple of years simply because of his middle name... you're just going to go ahead and do such simply to give him "tough skin"?

You might as well name him Sue.

I have a girlfriend who's last name was considered quite strange to all the other kids during her elementary years. She'd get made fun of everyday about it. I asked her how she felt about it, and she basically tells me that it was just miserable.

If you actually go through with this, you're being a bit of a bad father in my honest opinion. I'm sure you're a pretty cool guy in general, but by refusing to acknowledge that you might be causing your kid to have to go through school being continuously made fun of simply because of his middle name being "Vault", you're showing a lack of caring for him at that point.

A nice alternative: Have his middle name be Victor from Fallout 2. You still get in the Fallout reference.

 

[M920CAIN]

I don't think anyone at his school would fuck with a kid named vault. Vault is a badass name.

THANK YOU. I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought it was kinda BA.

I kinda agree with this. Vault is pretty bad ass.

 

[Flare Phoenix]

I don't think anyone at his school would fuck with a kid named vault. Vault is a badass name.

THANK YOU. I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought it was kinda BA.

I kinda agree with this. Vault is pretty bad ass.

Well except for the fact that he has gone on record saying a name does not contribute to the likeliness of a kid getting bullied. If the argument is made that a name does not contribute to bullying, it cannot be said that a name can help prevent bullying.

 

[Da_Vane]

How can you consider calling your kid "Vault" and not having the surname "Dweller" - That's just wrong! Make sure you buy them a kickass leather jacket and get them a nice big dog called Dogmeat and then see who's going to try and kick his ass! You could even go make sure he spends all his holidays scavenging in the Nevada Desert... that would make sure he knows is roots! Oh, plus, screw the Power Armour, the Vault Dweller could kick ass with a shotgun, so better get you kid some practice...

No, no, no, no... you have to start out letting them shoot radroaches with bb guns first. Geez, have you never raised a kid after the bombs dropped? Noob.

(/sarcasm)

Depends what version you were playing. Technically, it's rats, pigrats, and molerats in the ruins of Vault 15 with a 10 mm pistol or SMG... although you might take the Radscorpions on in Shady Sands.

We like to send 'em outside for some first hand experience when we train 'em! None of this wimpy practicing inside the safety of the Vault malarky. It's out the door and no coming back because of "technical difficulties..."

Noob!

 

[rsvp42]

I actually had a kid named "Furious" in my 4th grade class. He was a cool, level-headed guy, and no one bothered him about his name. Except me, obviously. I talked to him once about it, and he said something that I don't remember about power. But, the thing is, I still remember this kid. He stood out, not just with his name, but with his actions. His unique name put him in the spotlight, and he shone. On the same track, there was also another guy that I remember called something like "Demetrio" he was black, so it wasn't uncommon, but he stood out as well. He didn't shine like Furious, but he was my friend, and a good one.
So, what I'm saying is that names help you stand out, then, if you're lucky, become great.
I'm not very old (14) , and I don't know where they are now (I moved away) , so I can't give any more examples.

This is an interesting take, but it kind of rings true. There's a couple friends of mine with very unique names doing really remarkable work. That being said, a strange name isn't quite enough to motivate someone into greatness. I suspect these great people with unique names also have driven, stable parents who support and inspire them (and chose the names naturally, not in an attempt to make a statement or satisfy a whim). If the OP is the type of person that can do that for his son, then he can probably name him whatever he wants and he'll rise above it/make it his own. Though since he's using it as a middle name, I doubt it will have much of an effect either way.

All I know is that if I'm naming my child, it'll be something uncommon, but not unheard of. Obviously you can't prevent a kid from ever getting bullied, but there's no sense risking it being worse for the sake of some lame novelty name. It'd be like getting a joke tattoo; feels awesome at first, but then reality kicks in and the novelty wears off and you're left with something garish and impractical.

 

[JoJo]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

If you had actually read anything a few pages back, you'd know that's not the case. Most people just simply cannot offer a better reason than "That's a dumb name" or "they'll be picked on", like somehow having a certain name makes you immune to bullying.

I honestly think the hate comes from anti-Fallout/Bethesda elitists. It's the only thing that makes sense. Fanboyism often renders one selectively illiterate. Because anyone that simply didn't like the name got a 'thank you for your civil input'. Others get snark and (rather easy) trolling. It's the only way to respond to such lines of thought.

I'm sure I'll have to come back and repeat this another 5 million times, but that's cool. I'm satisfied with all those that liked the name. (Special side note...all the females that have commented seem to like it, so yeah.)

Come on now, you know that doesn't make any sense, Fallout 3 is within my top 3 games ever and I don't like the name "Vault". Have you considered the possibility that many people simply do not like the name?

Seriously, why not post your idea on a parenting forum like Mumsnet or similar. Most the people here are younger than you so if you want the opinion of fellow parents who won't be biased about particular game series, try one of those and you'll see a reaction closer to that of the general population. Don't forget to post a link here if you do.

 

[Wolfwind]

Wow.... I'm surprised this thread is still open. I mean, after reading through the first half of it, the OP was either one of the biggest trolls I've ever seen if he wasn't being serious, or one of the biggest idiots if he was.

It was obvious that he only started this thread to hear the answers he wanted to hear and basically plug his ears and go "La la la la" to anyone who didn't agree with him. Most of his responses were immature AT BEST, and I just feel bad for everyone who actually wrote up intelligent, thoughtful arguments. Your time was wasted people....

 

[NoNameMcgee]

Its a fucking stupid name, and its not like Vault is Fallout-exclusive, its just a word.

This is why nerds should not have children... Luckily I think you're trolling and not serious.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

Honestly, I think it would ruin the kids life and I'd hate my parents if they named me after something in a video game. And, even to an extend, I don't think people like that should be allowed to have kids. But, that is just my view on it. Your life and your kid, so if you want to, go for it.

That's pretty harsh. "Sorry, name not approved. No breeding. Try again when you conform."

You asked what people thought, so I said what I thought. Like I said, just my view on it. And not doing something that could possibly ruin your child's life is conforming?

First off, if you think something as basic as a name RUINS someone' life, I don't want to debate with you.

Secondly, if people's response to "How do you like this name" is "YOU SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO BREED", my fear of irrational mob mentality is heightened. That doesn't seem a little harsh to you? REALLY? If that's the case, I hope you never gain a position of political power.

megasnip

I appreciate your concrn and rational. Thanks for that. As I've answered many of the ponts you've brought up several times already, I'll address the few I haven't... well, not directly. Ahem.

1. I will not FORCE my child to love video games. If they enjoy it, cool. If not, cool. I figured Vault would be obscure enough, like I said, to only give him the geek cred if he wanted it.

2. I place no preconceptions (literally) on my unborn child. That would be insane. I am fully aware that children become their own people. That's expected. But, of course, as a parent, I will try to influence them more with morals and general right/wrong concepts than "you MUST play video games and live up to your name, dammit!"

3. If the kid wanted to change his name later, I'd probably help him do it in any way I could. It's JUST A NAME. I'm not doing it for geek-cred. I never said I wanted any. That's an assumption by the irrational haters/trolls. Again, if he becomes a gamer, then it COULD POSSIBLY give him some when meeting other gamers. I simply like the name as is sounds, and the reference is a tertiary bonus.

4. Again, thank you for your civility and rational.

stop trying to give your kid a name that people will be like "good job man, thats a great name good thing you picked that"

give him a normal name stop trying to be different for the hell of it

See above.

Duuuude, that's an f-in awesome name! He's not going to get picked on by smart people at least! Quite frankly, I don't think name matters much (with it's exceptions... Shithede is clearly an insult to your daughter/son as Shithead....) because you're going to face all kinds of shit in your life. Bullies, quite frankly, are only hard to deal with when you take yourself too seriously and still haven't learned to laugh at yourself a little. It's hard at a young age, but I was bullied pretty bad, and I felt like crap through most of elementary, but once I got to high school, I learned to take care of serious bullies and just people who like making jokes. We need to stop babying our kids; they're smarter than we think.

In short: GO FOR IT, MAN!

Thank you. Your thinking is very similar to mine in this regard.

You, my good man, should not be allowed to breed.

YES it's a bad idea! YES it would cause more harm than good! And YES, both you and your wife should get your heads out of whatever cloud of crap you are smoking!

That, or you can move to the Sweden. I hear that giving your kids really stupid names is ok there. (Maybe little Vault could have a play date with Metallica or, oh wait, no, SWEDEN thinks that's a stupid idea too! Whodathunkit?)

See up there^, please.

there's a kid at my brothers school who's first name is Ender. apparently his parents are pretty geeky, big trekkies according to my mum. don't think anyone actually realises what its from or cares that its not a standard name. afaik none of the kids give him shit for it but they're only like 10 so maybe they haven't 'grown up' enough to be mercilessly bullying each other over trivial bullshit yet.

imo its not that bad (certainly better than apple or tyson[way to make your kid sound like a pitbull] or kristal or any of the other utterly shit names parents choose these day) its a word that isn't a name but feels like it could be. anyway its a middle name they're basically just decoration, its perfectly possible to go through life completely ignoring the fact that you have a middle name.

btw you should totally name him [first] vault pipboy [second].

wow, some seriously strong negative reactions there. get a fucking grip people, there are far better reasons for disqualifying people from reproduction than slightly unusual middle names.

Thanks. And yeah, the irrational declarations that I should be sterilized are a bit much.

There have been plenty of folks who've pointed out perfectly reasonable justifications for why it's a dumb idea to them, and you're handwaving away the ones you can't accuse of snobbery or being bullies. I think there's definitely some value in acknowledging that internet gamer forums are going to be the most supportive audience you could possibly find - if there's resistance here, there will be much greater resistance out in the world. DON'T USE YOUR CHILD TO FIGHT SOME KIND OF NERD CULTURE-WAR. .

Gah! Thank you! My thoughts exactly! Why ask for advice in the first place if you intend to strike everyone down anyway?

Because he didn't want advice... he fully expected all of us to simply go "OMG! That is the best idea in the world! Your son will be subjected to nothing but rainbows, puppy dogs, and sunshine because of this!".

I mean it's like "it doesn't matter what I call the kid, because all kids have a chance of getting bullied regardless". That's true, but unless you would honestly be willing to force your son to go to school in a pink dress and make-up, you really cannot make that argument.

You sir, have far too great a vested interest in this subject. You seem to keep popping back in to say how I ignore everyone's rebuttals against the name, yet you don't read anything I type. At this point, I'm forced to believe you are trolling.

Regardless, I'm going to try ONE MORE TIME to explain it to you.

I only blatantly disregard posts that ignore the OP, complete with edits. I've repeated several times that this is not for nerd cred for me. See my above responses for further explanation on that. (If you choose to finally start READING my responses, that is.)

It's simple. like the name. And if I can't get a better reason not to do it other than "They'll be bullied" or "lol, wut a dum name", there is no discussion value there, and yes, I ignore it. We've already covered the bullying issue to death. Names, 'odd' or 'normal' are no immunity to bullying.

I'm afraid that's all I care to type for the 500th time. If you truly want to contribute and understand, I suggest spending a few minutes reading without your rageface on.

I don't think anyone at his school would fuck with a kid named vault. Vault is a badass name.

THANK YOU. I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought it was kinda BA.

I kinda agree with this. Vault is pretty bad ass.

Well except for the fact that he has gone on record saying a name does not contribute to the likeliness of a kid getting bullied. If the argument is made that a name does not contribute to bullying, it cannot be said that a name can help prevent bullying.

I don't think anyone was making that argument, per se. Just giving their thoughts on the word. 'Badass' is also another was of saying "neat' or 'cool', just FYI. Doesn't mean you have to be a gun-toting, barrel-cested man's man....

Wow.... I'm surprised this thread is still open. I mean, after reading through the first half of it, the OP was either one of the biggest trolls I've ever seen if he wasn't being serious, or one of the biggest idiots if he was.

It was obvious that he only started this thread to hear the answers he wanted to hear and basically plug his ears and go "La la la la" to anyone who didn't agree with him. Most of his responses were immature AT BEST, and I just feel bad for everyone who actually wrote up intelligent, thoughtful arguments. Your time was wasted people....

See above, please. Also, it's nice to see who equates a jovial sense of humor with immaturity. It's quite ironic.

Its a fucking stupid name, and its not like Vault is Fallout-exclusive, its just a word.

This is why nerds should not have children... Luckily I think you're trolling and not serious.

Thanks for your opinion. Well, right up to the part where you advocated sterilization of a whole culture.

Also, not trolling, serious.

 

[CScuff]

I'll tell you, after reading your second and fourth edits, you reminded me of a friend of mine. His name is Ryan Topaz (last name). And he's chosen to go by Topaz for as long as I've known him. And he's one of the wittiest kids with the thickest skin I've ever met. Also, he's a genius. I don't know if that's pertinent.

EDIT: And all you people hating and picking on the OP, saying it would be a bad idea because his kid would be picked on...isn't it people like YOU who would be picking on him? I saw somewhere "you should not be allowed to breed" or something to that effect. It's people like you that make people like the OP *HAVE* to ask these kinds of questions.

We shouldn't live in a world where we have to ask if it's a good idea to give a certain name to our children. But we do. And net bullying isn't going to further the cause in any way.

EDIT 2: Also, remember that most of these net bullies would probably never say a word to a peer at a young age in the real world. They get all their power from not having to be face to face with anyone.

 

[EeveeElectro]

I would think it was cool if I met someone with the middle name Vault. Not everyone thinks like me though...
Maybe give him two middle names, in case he doesn't want to use Vault when he's older, he can use the other on instead.

Some girl is vaguely know recently gave birth and named him Aleksander, after the Meerkat advert. Maybe she likes the name, but I don't see why you'd spell it the foreign way and after a fictional Meerkat that tries to sell car insurance...

[sub]I say foreign because I'm not sure if it's Russian or Polish...[/sub]

 

[Paularius]

You want people to look at your kid and think of Borderlands?

 

[MaxwellEdison]

Probably should of included that it was planned to be a middle name at the beginning.
There's a difference between being called "Vault" and being called "Joe. You know what's funny? His middle name is Vault. huh, weird. That's cool, I guess."