Iām sort of charmed by the idea of a Tarka reading Tarka the Otter and the meaning that the author put forth (wandering as water) is gorgeous.
But I feel Tarka may be a bit of a controversial name with some people thinking itās cool and others thinking itās strange/out-there. Iām generally okay with uncool names - love them actually - but I do anticipate that introducing a marmite name like Agnes would be different than Tarka. Iām also in the US so people wouldnāt necessarily have the perception of it as a āTelegraph styleā name.
So do you feel like Tarka is fun uncommon (maybe as in Ivo?), eyebrow-raising uncommon (maybe as in Marmaduke?), or something else?
Also, in searching Tarka in the Telegraph birth announcements for combo inspiration, I saw an announcement for a little girl named Tarka! I know Iām putting this in the boy name section but I would be interested to hear if you like/prefer it for a girl as well. Iāve found that I tend to gravitate towards softer boy names and more solid girl names - Tarka almost seems like both.
Iāve spotted a couple in the Telegraph announcements in the past too and it always puts a smile on my face. Itās definitely quirky (a little quirkier than [name_m]Ivo[/name_m], Iād say) but itās simple and straightforward and not at all āfussyā in terms of sound so I donāt think itās in the same league as [name_m]Marmaduke[/name_m], [name_u]Willoughby[/name_u], [name_m]Sacheverell[/name_m], etc.
I have a special personal connection to the name (I briefly lived on a narrowboat called [name_m]Tarka[/name_m] as a baby!) but even without that I find it warm, fun and attractive. Slightly prefer it for a boy but could certainly work for either.
[name_m]Tarka[/name_m] is such a cool sounding name! I can see it being unisex but I enjoy it for a boy. It has a kind of rugged, earthy feel! I do associate it with otters thoughš
I actually know of a young Tarka! I would say heās about 11 years old? Heās friends with one of my little cousins. To me it gives off quirky, but not necessarily uppercrust vibes. Iād agree with @katinka that while it is the sort of name youād hear about in Telegraph, itās not as inaccesible/overly tied to class as other such names might be perceived to be. The family of the Tarka I know are very āhippyā so thatās the association I have, and I think his name does fit that - kind of off the beaten track, out-there, naturey, rugged feel.
To me it feels quite boyish but I think it could also work for a girl, especially with the āaā ending. I also think it could work as a nickname for Tarquin if you thought Tarka itself was a bit too much. Overall itās a brave choice but one I like and think could definitely work both in the UK and the States. And such a cute meaning!
So nice to hear - I stumbled across a family on socials with a Tarka (siblings were MerI!n, lv0, and R0w@n which felt delightfully quirky without being pretentious)
What a fun name, I have never heard this! Off to check out the novel though, I love otters. Anyways, I can see it working for a boy or girl but I do like it for a boy. Itās fun to say and is unusual/unique but doesnāt feel made up.
I like the sound of the word but I didnāt know the association with otter. First thing I thought of was [name_m]Tarka[/name_m] dhalā¦ The [name_f]Indian[/name_f] lentil dish. So for me it would be a no. But if thatās not an association thatās common in your community, I think its cool sounding.