If you have a girl, how about Tesla? I’ve always liked that name and it’s different enough.
After posting, I remembered I went to highschool with a [name]Thor[/name]. He also had a brother named Holgar and a sister named Wikka. I remember the kids thought [name]Thor[/name] was a cool name, so I take back saying that you should reconsider using it as a first name!
[name]Thor[/name] [name]Leopold[/name] sounds AWESOME!!!
[name]Thor[/name] is a great first name! [name]Don[/name]'t let anyone put you off of a name you love. 
I would advise against the name [name]Thor[/name].
While I, personally, like the name [name]Thor[/name], I know a guy named [name]Thor[/name], and he has NEVER liked his name. (We are in the US.) Also, the [name]Thor[/name] I know was subject to much teasing as a kid, and even now, as an adult, he gets a lot of strong reactions to his name, which he does not enjoy.
If you must use the name [name]Thor[/name], I think it should be a MN.
If you must use [name]Thor[/name] as a FN, then I would urge you to use a MN that you think almost anyone would like. I do not think [name]Leopold[/name] is a good choice. I would use a more traditional name that would not stand out in a crowd. In other words, a VERY safe back-up name, because there is a very good chance your child will not be happy with [name]Thor[/name].
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But I am quite familiar with the pains of being named [name]Thor[/name] (at least, if you live in the US.)
EDITED TO [name]ADD[/name]: [name]Just[/name] read some of the other older posts from people who say they knew people named [name]Thor[/name] who liked their name. I wonder if those other Thors lived in very Scandinavian areas?
The [name]Thor[/name] I know was not part of a Scandinavian or Scandinavian-heritage family. He did not grow up in a heavily Scandinavian part of the country. These things might make a difference as to how a person named [name]Thor[/name] perceives his own name.
But again, if you are not living in a heavily Scandinavian part of the US (assuming you are in the US), then I would urge very strongly AGAINST the name [name]Thor[/name].
Well, I love the name [name]Thor[/name], and I think [name]Thor[/name] [name]Leopold[/name] sounds great. If he grows up to dislike it, he can go by [name]Leo[/name] and life will still be swell.
[name]Thor[/name]'s on my very short list for favorite boy names, and if my husband would have gone along with it, we probably would have had this baby inside of me named already. Plus, I love the research you’ve been doing when you’re leaving your name places.
RESULTS…
20 Nameberries have left opinions about [name]Thor[/name] [name]Leopold[/name]: 18 have given a thumbs up, 2 have given a thumbs down. Camom initially didn’t like it but changed her mind when she remembered a [name]Thor[/name] she knew. [name]Deirdre[/name] has serious reservations, saying that if the child’s not of scandinavian heritage or in a scandinavian part of the country, he’ll likely not appreciate the name choice.
18-2 is a pretty overwhelming positive reaction to the name. For [name]Deirdre[/name], the child’s heritage will be 50% Norwegian and 50% [name]German[/name]. The parents are both tall and athletic - no expectations here but the child likely will physically fit the name. And if he’s a small nerdy guy then there will be a certain irony to the name which can be cool - or he can go by [name]Leo[/name].
We’re 95% settled on this name. I’ll keep testing it by leaving the name at restaurants and such over the next few months. I really appreciate everyone’s feedback. I’ll start throwing out our girl choices over the next few weeks. Thanks again!
I don’t really like [name]Thor[/name], so that’s three that don’t like it. But I would admire your originality and boldness for choosing [name]Thor[/name]. If I knew a little boy named [name]Thor[/name], I would try very, very hard to like his name. Often a person with a certain name who is lovable can help others to love his or her name.
As with anything, if you like it, that is all the matters. As for my thoughts, [name]Thor[/name] conjures up visions of a stinky viking fighting off some evil something. But, I am having a hard time picking a name I like at all and I have not much time to contemplate.
Good luck!
18-4.
19-4 – I like it just fine!
I have to be honest when I first started reading your posts I REALLY didn’t like [name]Thor[/name] but as the days have gone by it has really grown on me. If I ran a cross a [name]Thor[/name] I would be like great name. Being a [name]Stephanie[/name] I tend to lean to the unusual or unique. I personaly love [name]Leopold[/name] it makes me think of [name]Hugh[/name] Jackman in [name]Kate[/name] and [name]Leopold[/name]. Thumbs up Norsedad you guys have a great name picked out:)
I will add an official addendum to this very entertaining thread endorsing the name [name]Leopold[/name], my son [name]Joe[/name]/[name]Joseph[/name]'s middle name. My husband chose it in honor of an ancestor and I was initially appalled (this was 20 years ago). But we have all grown to love it and if [name]Joe[/name] could rename himself, I know he’d put the more distinctive [name]Leopold[/name] in first place.
And listen, you gotta know by naming your child [name]Thor[/name] [name]Leopold[/name], or even [name]Leopold[/name] [name]Thor[/name], that you’re choosing a controversial name that’s going to get strong reactions, and that will continue even in your post-nameberry life (if there is such a thing).
I do love your pro-[name]Thor[/name] arguments and am amused imagining your wife’s reaction to such dedication. But listen, the real point is, I think you should write a guest blog on The [name]Thor[/name] Question! If you’re interested, email me at pam@nameberry.com.
I’m really late to this discussion, but I thought I’d just add my two cents…
Have you considered using the Scandinavian pronunciation of [name]Thor[/name]?
‘Th’ is always pronounced just like ‘T’ in Scandinavia and I think it makes the name sound stronger in English
Other than that, [name]Thor[/name] [name]Leopold[/name] is a bold and lovely choice! ^^
My favourite version of [name]Thor[/name] is Thorarin which you may not have heard of. It sounds super heavy in English though! Worse than [name]Aurora[/name]! XD
I’m assuming you are already aware of this, but just in case, and since I have not seen it mentioned in any other post (though I might of missed it) … You are aware, aren’t you, that [name]Thor[/name] is also a comic book character? These “[name]Thor[/name]” comic books are widely available (I’ve seen them on sale in Borders), so it will be an association for [name]Thor[/name]'s friends.
Also, just wanted to reiterate that I actually like the name [name]Thor[/name]. I adore the [name]Thor[/name] I know. It’s just that HE really dislikes his own name and has told me many times that he would strongly discourage anyone from naming a kid [name]Thor[/name].
As for pronunciation, the [name]Thor[/name] I know accepts both pronunciations. But if you plan to use the “[name]Tor[/name]” pronunciation, be aware that a great many Americans will not comply with it. So just be ready to accept both pronunciations.
Honestly [name]Deirdre[/name], I believe your friend’s experience with his own name is the exception and not the rule. There is another baby naming website where people with the name can leave a review of what it’s like to live with that name. Of the Thors that responded, 93% say they “like their name a lot”. That is about the highest percentage of any name. From what I can tell, the average rating is probably 70%. Here is a link if you would like to check it out: Nickelodeon Parents | Printables, coloring pages, recipes, crafts, and more from your child’s favorite Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. shows.
Yes, I know that [name]Thor[/name] has been a superhero/comic book character for a long time. No, I wouldn’t consider naming my child Aquaman, Batman, or [name]Green[/name] Lantern.
I agree that the people will be using the “Th” pronunciation. I like both pronunciations so no problem.
What surprises me is that this web site was able to find enough Thors to respond to the survey to actually produce any statistics on the name! We searched the census once, and according to those results, there was no one in the USA named [name]Thor[/name]. Now that is obviously wrong, but my [name]Thor[/name] has heard of only one other [name]Thor[/name] from the USA in his entire life (that is, one other genuine [name]Thor[/name], since some people have [name]Thor[/name] as a NN for [name]Thornton[/name] and other names). On the other hand, I’m sure there are a lot more Thors being born in this country nowadays than there have been for quite a while (given the trend toward unique and foreign names).
RE: babynamesworld.parentsconnect … Can anyone anywhere in the world answer the survey questions? Is there any data on where the respondents live? I just wonder if some of the name stats on [name]Thor[/name] come from some of the Norwegian Thors.
Anyway, you are obviously carefully considering the naming question, which is very commendable. I don’t think I have anything much to add except to say that the only two people I can think of whom I have known who have really had problems with their names were named [name]Thor[/name] and [name]Venus[/name]. So I wouldn’t feel like I was doing my job on Nameberry if I didn’t at least caution against either of these names.
This is funny. I was riding in the car with my husband and daughter last night. I asked them what they thought about the name [name]Thor[/name]. My daughter said that [name]Thor[/name] is fine. She goes to a multicultural school where every name is fine unless it’s too dated. Like people would be taken aback if your name were [name]Michelle[/name] or [name]Scott[/name].
Then my husband responded to the [name]Thor[/name] question. “Awful name,” he said. He told us that he went to [name]Junior[/name] High and High School with a guy named [name]Thor[/name].
“Did he get teased?” we asked.
“Never!” he replied. “He was so tall and so big nobody ever said anything about his name. We would have been pounded to dust. If he had asked us if we like the name [name]Thor[/name], we would have said, ‘We love it! In fact we’re going to name all our sons [name]Thor[/name]!’” [name]Thor[/name] used to smoke with the smokers in the alley out behind the school. By 11th grade, he had dropped out of school. He wasn’t into studying.
Haha! Your husband’s jr. high bully was named [name]Thor[/name] so he hates the name. Funny. Hopefully, all Thors aren’t prone to dropping out of school. My wife went to MIT so if he gets her brains we’ll be fine. If on the other hand, he gets my brains, we might be in trouble.
I love this thread, it makes me smile!
The one thing to take note of in this particular discussion is that Nameberry-ites tend to be more forward thinking than your average neighborhood, so you may get more negative reactions in the “real world” than here.
Then again, I’ve already asserted my love for the name and I say you are good to go! (Especially with your athletic natures and Scandinavian background!) Can’t wait to see what you come up with for a girl’s name!
P.S. Please do the Nameberry blog! I would love to see it!
What girl’s names are you considering?
[name]Do[/name] you like Tesla?