See the results of this poll: Is it wrong?
Respondents: 46 (This poll is closed)
- Yes : 2 (4%)
- No : 41 (89%)
- Undecided: 3 (7%)
For the most part, I say no, it isn’t wrong. That being said, I’m not going to run off and name my child after a major, nasty villain that will only carry negative connotations.
not at all if the character is important to you. Some of my favorite names come from characters I love from books, movies, or TV.
To preface this, I haven’t really played video games for years and the only character names I know are [name]Lara[/name] Croft, [name]Mario[/name], and [name]Luigi[/name], all of which are real names. Overall, I don’t think there’s any right/wrong with naming your child. People get inspiration from all kinds of sources; there’s no reason why video games would be worse than, say, TV characters as sources for names.
As with any character name, I’d want to think:
a) Is this name intrinsically linked with the character, or is it a stand-alone name with some usage. If it’s ONLY associated with one person, it may be difficult to wear.
b) What is the character’s story? Overall, it’s not that important, but I wouldn’t want to be named after someone super-evil or super-violent. If the description is like, “So-and-so has nothing left but a thirst for revenge…” then it’s probably not great for your kid!
c) [name]How[/name] out-there is it. Obviously, this is a personal question. Some people like names that no one else will know, and some people would like it to sound more traditional or normal. The more strange, the more likely you and your child are to be asked about it, and you have to be okay with saying it’s from a video game.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. There can be some interesting names in video games. I am thinking in particular of the Mass Effect series and the Dragon Age series. I think names like [name]Tali[/name], Liara, Garrus, [name]Samara[/name], [name]Miranda[/name], [name]Aveline[/name], [name]Anders[/name], [name]Alistair[/name], [name]Merrill[/name], and Leliana are pretty interesting. Obviously I think that people may be more judgmental about names chosen from video games, but if it’s one you love or you identify with the character, then name your baby whatever you like!
I don’t think it’s any different than naming your child after any other fictional character. There are several names on my list that were inspired by/are after fictional characters, so I don’t have an issue with it.
[name]Robin[/name] [name]Williams[/name]’ daughter is [name]Zelda[/name] after the computer game character 
I think as long as it’s also a real name then there’s no problem. Something like [name]Quistis[/name] from Final [name]Fantasy[/name] might be a bit much though!
While I don’t think it is ideal to name your child after something like a video game character, I don’t think it is horrible either. I know parents who chose a name they liked after a Playboy model and another couple who chose a name of a tv host from a fitness program. It is definitely easier if it is a common name. If it is something unusual or unique then it might come across as cheesy. Personally, I would rather see parents choose a name that is meaningful to them, whether it comes from a video game, a book or a movie, than a name just because it is trendy or sounds good.
I have several names on my list that are inspired by all kinds of different people or sources. For example:
[name]Xavier[/name] (Professor [name]Charles[/name] [name]Xavier[/name] - X-Men)
[name]Atticus[/name] (TKAM)
[name]Darwin[/name] ([name]Charles[/name] [name]Darwin[/name])
[name]Arthur[/name] ([name]King[/name] [name]Arthur[/name])
[name]Arya[/name] (A Song of Ice and [name]Fire[/name])
[name]Matilda[/name] (the name of a tank)
[name]Cordelia[/name] ([name]King[/name] Lear and [name]Buffy[/name])
I wouldn’t choose a name that has really negative associations.
If you feel it is acceptable to name a child after a literary character than a video character should be no different.
Video games are becoming an increasing influenced by and on American culture therefore choosing a name from a video game seems on different than choosing a name off the top 100 list. (Except of course that it could be much more interesting).
I think that as long as it’s an established name, it isn’t bad - but like someone else mentioned, if it’s a name that is exclusive to that particular game, then it will likely just come off as tacky and childish. It REALLY depends upon the name.
Is it wrong? [name]Silly[/name]? Stupid? No. I don’t think it’s any more silly than choosing a name from a book or TV show. It’s a bit more “nerdy” but that’s rather popular these days. I don’t know how you could even argue that it’s wrong, unless the name is so blatantly ridiculous that it would cause your child problems, like Deathwing or Magolor.
There are thousands of video game character names that are perfectly average and normal, and plenty more that are unique but not so weird that they’d immediately stand out as crazy nerd names.
Is it worse than naming your child after a movie/tv show/book character? Why? I can’t imagine any argument that could stand for why it would be worse.
Does it matter if there is a positive background story behind it? I guess that would be preferable if you’re actually going to tell your child about the connection, but I don’t know that it’s 100% necessary. There’s a movie with a villain named [name]Hans[/name], does that make the name unusable. There’s a book with a villain named [name]Jane[/name], does that somehow become a problem?
Where should you draw the line? Between established and totally obscure. Does it matter? I don’t think it matters anymore than with any other type of name. Is it worse to name your child an obscure name from a game than from mythology? Maybe a bit harder to explain, but not in actual practice.
Like any other name I think you have to find a balance and think not about yourself but about your child. [name]Avery[/name] is a name from a video game, and while it’s not a classic it’s an accepted name and I doubt most people would ever make the connection.
I think it really depends. Does the name have any history besides being in the video game/book/movie. My cousin was planning on naming her baby if it was girl, Cereza, from a video game. She liked the sound of the name. Problem 1, not an established name, and problem 2, it’s Spanish for cherry. Not appropriate imo, and thankfully she had a boy.
See, I love the name [name]Luna[/name]. Sure she’s a character in [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name], which I also love, so it’s a plus, but I love the connection to my name, [name]Diana[/name]. [name]Both[/name] have moon meanings.
If you are purely naming the child because it’s your favorite character or something like that, I think it’s okay as a middle, but as a first it might be embarrassing later on. Think about when your kid asks “[name]How[/name] did you pick my name?” And you’re response is “Because I love Beauty and the Beast, so I named you [name]Belle[/name].”
It just doesn’t feel right to me. It might come off as a little “obsessive”
So in the end: just as long as that isn’t the sole reason for choosing the name and the name has history behind it other than in the game, movie, book, etc… I think it’s fine.
I can see where your coming from, I don’t think it’s inherently wrong - but I won’t lie, when I see someone with a child named [name]Rinoa[/name], it looks really, really childish.
ETA - cant spell.
I don’t think it’s wrong, if you really like the name and it’s not something crazy, like Bowzer. However, if it’s a name like [name]Mario[/name], where that’s the first thing everybody will think of right away when they hear your child’s name, you might want to think twice.
I don’t see a problem with it. It’s really no different than getting inspiration and naming your child after a character in a book or a movie.
My brother has been playing the Kingdom Hearts games for years, and that’s where I first heard the names [name]Sora[/name] and [name]Kairi[/name]. Fell in love with them right away! Then I looked them up and fell in love with them even more (especially [name]Sora[/name]). I could see myself possibly using [name]Sora[/name] in the future.
I think there’s a difference between naming your child after (meaning in honour of) a character in a video game, and giving your child a name that you just happened to hear in a video game and liked. The former seems rather obsessive. The latter I don’t see any problem with at all. I don’t think it would be any different from taking a name from a book or a film.
I guess it would seem silly to some people because video games aren’t viewed as high-brow like literature. But would it be an issue? Are the names of video game characters really that well-known to the average person? If I named my son [name]Niko[/name] I doubt many people would ask “After [name]Niko[/name] Bellic?” or shout “Hey [name]Niko[/name], you wanna go bowling?” in an Eastern European accent, à la Cousin [name]Roman[/name]. Especially not in twenty years time, when most people will have forgotten about GTA4.
I like the name Liara, which comes from a video game (Mass Effect 3). I also like [name]Ezio[/name] and [name]Lucrezia[/name], from the Assassin’s [name]Creed[/name] series, and there are some great names in the [name]Elder[/name] Scrolls series ([name]Azura[/name], [name]Lucien[/name], Indara). Does it matter to me if there is a positive background story behind the character? Not really. [name]Lucien[/name] Lachance certainly isn’t a positive namesake, but I still like the name [name]Lucien[/name], and I have positive memories of playing the game.
I would only draw the line at very odd-sounding names, such as Donkey Kong or Jyggalag or Master Chief.