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

[yellingatpixels]

I like it. Here's why.

As a middle name is fine. First names: it's not that other kids make fun of him: but that it's such a polarizing name: if he hates it: he doesn't really have a fall back name. Can't shorten it, or whatever. (i.e. if you hate "John" you can be a "Jack" etc. Elizabeth can be a Betty...)

Go for whatever you want though. Just keep in mind that he has to live with it. Can a lawyer be "X Vault Lastname" Can an artist? an accountant? a whatever?

Actually yeah... this isn't a bad middle name at all. Has the same qualities as "Stone"

and I don't see the geek cred angle ( I mean I DO... but it's not an obvious geek angle). I see an odd... but not stupid middle name here.

 

[Tselis]

EDIT: I mean as a middle name, not a single name like Madonna or Jesus. So, he can pick which he goes by, Vault, or whatever first name I give him.

quote]

Okay, phew. I was really going to tear into you there. I have three kids and all have Irish names, as my husband is an Irishman. I get so much flack about how to pronounce thier names that it's just silly. What's really frustrating is that they aren't even old Gaelic names. *sigh* I'm not saying give your kid a pedestrian name. I'm silly saying that first impressions are what people remember, and you may end up taking flack for it. Just think before you act. I guess that's all I'm saying. Please remember, it's a small person, not a doll. They have to live with this name.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

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?

 

[Char-Nobyl]

Yeah, I'd like to name my kid (if it's a boy) Vault. Don't ask me why gender matters, but Vault doesn't seem like a girly name to me. It represents hidden treasures and the ability to literally leap any obstacle. Plus, it's kind of avant-garde.

It also represents a tough-as-nails barrier of protection. So yeah. That's a pretty masculine name.

Also, for a while, on my game-broadcasting channel on another site, Vault is part of my screen name, and that was my default nickname given by my fans, so it'd kind of add that sense of Jr. to his name without actually adding Jr. (I'm a lot like Indiana Jones in my opinions on the Junior moniker.)

Anyways, am I setting him up for a lifetime of torment, or am I giving an awesome, life-long gift? What do you think, Escapists?

Nah, he'll be fine. In all honesty, it isn't that weird of a name. At worst, people will just assume it's an Eastern European thing. It doesn't sound like he's got hippies for parents (as so many crappy names imply), and...well, yeah. It seems fine.

EDIT: I mean as a middle name, not a single name like Madonna or Jesus. So, he can pick which he goes by, Vault, or whatever first name I give him.

Oh, it's his middle name? Then it's hardly even an issue. How many people will ever even find out what your middle name is? Subdivided by the number who would potentially mock him for it, you're down to a fraction of a person who would give him shit for it.

EDIT 2: Oh well, I've learned what I wanted to... he'll have to put up with ignorance... big shocker. That'll happen regardless, as the world seems split about even with heartless d-bags and people that realize 'A rose by any other name" etc.

Meh. He'll be fine. Go for it.

I've decided I'm going for it.

His name will be (firstname) Vault (lastname).

In order to feel important, I'm going to pretend that my opinion retroactively helped you make your decision.

Their names being 'normal' is not a guarantee against bullying. As far as targeting him a bit easier, good. Get tough skin. Learn to be witty in your defense. Soon, it will turn from detriment to bonus, as a conversation starter, or an aid for witty repartee.

Thus, I do not find the 'advice' that 'they'll be made fun of' a valid argument against it.

No shit, dude. Kids make fun of each other for anything. Unless you're going to name your kid "Orange," they'll always have it easy (ie, picking a word that rhymes with the name), and if you did that, he'd be the kid named after a fruit.

Unless his name is "Cornswaggle Von Huffington VII" or something, the only people who will mock someone for their name alone are people that you don't want to be friends with.

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

I think it sounds like a better middle name TBH... I don't think I'd too much enjoy my first name being Vault.

 

[Raine_sage]

Ok so at 14 pages this thread is thread is becoming one massive tl;dr but I skimmed enough to get the gist of what is going on so I hope I'm posting something new but if this has already been brought up please disregard it.

I would say no, simply because you seem waaay too personally invested in this particular name. The name holds significance for you, it reminds you of something you hold dear. And while this may seem like the perfect reason to give it to your child, it is in fact the opposite because you don't seem to be taking into account the child's capacity to reject the name.

And this is important because a name with significance means you attach certain expectations to that child. I had a friend whose father named her Persephone because he was a big fan of classical literature. However his mistake was also expecting her to share his love of the subject, and when she rejected all his attempts to immerse her in the subject and changed her name as soon as she was able to do so, he started crying betrayal even though everyone had pretty much warned him that this was going to happen.

Now I'm not saying she wouldn't have changed her name if he'd given her a more ordinary one. But he certainly wouldn't have taken it as hard because he wouldn't have seen it as a personal attack on something he held dear.

So here's the deal. Imagine for a moment your child grows up into a strong capable adult. He decides he absolutely hates fallout, in all of its iterations, and thinks the resources spent making the games could have been better spent... I don't know making shoes for orphans or something. And as such decides to change (or completely remove) his middle name. Would you be ok with this? Would you feel in some sense like they'd betrayed you and your values? I know it's easy to say "Psh yeah I'd totally be cool with that" now when it's just a rhetorical question, but this is important because otherwise you're just setting up pointless family drama that could have been avoided.

And to sum up my wall of text: If you, the parent, would be totally fine with your kid changing their name at some point. The go for it. If they do, well you're cool with it anyways, if they don't then awesome. Go them. But always remember that kids don't exist for parents to mold into perfect models of themselves.

 

[Flare Phoenix]

Ok so at 14 pages this thread is thread is becoming one massive tl;dr but I skimmed enough to get the gist of what is going on so I hope I'm posting something new but if this has already been brought up please disregard it.

I would say no, simply because you seem waaay too personally invested in this particular name. The name holds significance for you, it reminds you of something you hold dear. And while this may seem like the perfect reason to give it to your child, it is in fact the opposite because you don't seem to be taking into account the child's capacity to reject the name.

And this is important because a name with significance means you attach certain expectations to that child. I had a friend whose father named her Persephone because he was a big fan of classical literature. However his mistake was also expecting her to share his love of the subject, and when she rejected all his attempts to immerse her in the subject and changed her name as soon as she was able to do so, he started crying betrayal even though everyone had pretty much warned him that this was going to happen.

Now I'm not saying she wouldn't have changed her name if he'd given her a more ordinary one. But he certainly wouldn't have taken it as hard because he wouldn't have seen it as a personal attack on something he held dear.

So here's the deal. Imagine for a moment your child grows up into a strong capable adult. He decides he absolutely hates fallout, in all of its iterations, and thinks the resources spent making the games could have been better spent... I don't know making shoes for orphans or something. And as such decides to change (or completely remove) his middle name. Would you be ok with this? Would you feel in some sense like they'd betrayed you and your values? I know it's easy to say "Psh yeah I'd totally be cool with that" now when it's just a rhetorical question, but this is important because otherwise you're just setting up pointless family drama that could have been avoided.

And to sum up my wall of text: If you, the parent, would be totally fine with your kid changing their name at some point. The go for it. If they do, well you're cool with it anyways, if they don't then awesome. Go them. But always remember that kids don't exist for parents to mold into perfect models of themselves.

*claps* Well said, and welcome to the Escapist. I would want my kids, if I ever had any, to stand out based on their own merits; not because I decided to name them "Phoenix Wright" or something like that.

 

[lizards]

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

 

[IkeGreil29]

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!

 

[Titan Buttons]

Call your kid whatever you want, it is yours

Spoiler: Related vids

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Could be worse:


However I do think names that are kinda 'out there' should be the choice of the kid when they're adults. There again, Penn Gilette's daughter is called Crimefighter

 

[Flare Phoenix]

Could be worse:


However I do think names that are kinda 'out there' should be the choice of the kid when they're adults. There again, Penn Gilette's daughter is called Crimefighter

It's a little different with celebrities; the kid is already going to be in the spotlight for most of their life to begin with.

 

[Garchomp445]

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.
Consequently, I have a very unique name that's normally for girls, but you... actually you probably would be able to pick me out in a crowd... especially once I get a trench-coat

Also, I really wish that there were more people with unique names. There are around 4 girls in my grade that are all named "Lauren", and that gets confusing when two of them are best friends, there's far too many "Sam"s, and the rest of the names are just kinda bland. Quite a few of my friends... wait... lost my train of thought...

The point that I was trying to make was that there are far too many bland names, and trying to remember people's names soon becomes a chore.

... I think I'm done here...

 

[Harry Mason]

I was going to be named "Kasper," but my parents bailed at the last second, fearing I would be teased my entire life. Instead they gave me a boring, horrible, generic name I'll always hate.

I've never forgiven my parents for taking the easy route. Always give children the benefit of the doubt that they'll be able to live up to awesome names, I say.

 

[Gothproxy]

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?)

 

[milkkart]

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.

 

[tavelkyosoba]

Definitely a better name for a pet, they'll die by the time you lose interest in fallout...children won't.

 

[CityofTreez]

No. Terrible terrible name.

 

[Robert Sanders]

Name that boy Sue!

 

[FluxCapacitor]

Wow, so you're still intent on doing this, eh? It seems an awful lot like you're doing this for your own amusement, not the kid's sake...

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.

There's a great little Australian film I'll recommend called "The Rage in Placid Lake", about a guy who is the child of hippies who try to do the sort of thing you're doing by naming him Placid, confronting stereotypes etc. And he rebels by conforming, and joins an insurance company - because it's not his attitude, it's theirs being forced into his life. You can't control your kid's personality, so don't jam him into a geek role before he's even born. Accept whatever son you get.

And for those who are saying it's a perfectly strong masculine name, because "Vaults are strong and protective" or some such, the same can be said for all sorts of English words - You could name your kid Table, because it's "supportive, and people crowd around tables". There are lots of words that are nice, but are not used as names.