See the results of this poll: Which are usable in real life?
Respondents: 70 (This poll is closed)
- Davos : 18 (13%)
- Theon : 40 (29%)
- Jorah : 40 (29%)
- Samwell: 39 (28%)
I think they’re all usable! I’m not terribly familiar with GoT but I have been bribed by my aunt to watch the show with her and the books are on my reading list. Looking at it from an outside point of view, the names seem absolutely fine. My only concern would be that the [name_m]Theon[/name_m] Greyjoy association isn’t great (?) but I’d say that it’s fine.
In my personal opinion, picking names because of TV shows is a bit odd. I feel like children should have meaning behind their name, not just “we were addicted to xxx back then”.
I know nothing about the show or characters, so I can’t comment on connotations and such. But to me, Davos is the only one that sounds fake or odd to me. I’d call the others all fair game.
Samwell is quite sweet. Looks like a smoosh of [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] and [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m].
[name_m]Theon[/name_m] and [name_m]Jorah[/name_m] are more unique, but have a slightly Hebraic sound to them. They sound a bit old time.
@mummacat92 You raise an interesting point about whether names indicate a love for a show versus love of a name. I started with the books and, between the books and the show, it takes weeks or months to get through all of the ones that have been published/released. That’s a long time to spend with characters. So even a made up name starts to feel really familiar. But from an outside view, you might think I just watched the show and thought [name_m]Jorah[/name_m] was hot. That’s fair.
I also like this series and in general the characters are positive ones. [name_m]Theon[/name_m]… not as much, though I can’t deny the name sounds nice. And it is pretty close to something like [name_u]Theo[/name_u] or [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] to where I think the association isn’t a dealbreaker. All of them seem usuable to me. My favorite is [name_m]Jorah[/name_m]. Least usable if any is probably Davos (which is a shame because he’s excellent).
Shakespearean names are highly accepted,so I think GoT(which was literature first) is fine. Especially the ones you picked. [name_m]Jorah[/name_m] is biblical. [name_m]Theon[/name_m] is Greek meaning godly. Davos is a city in Switzerland. Samwell is a surname. [name_f]Every[/name_f] name there is was created by somebody. [name_m]How[/name_m] old do they have to be before they are not considered “made up”?
I honestly don’t think any of them are usable because I’m such a big fan of the show - it seems a bit odd to me. I like [name_m]Theon[/name_m]'s sound the most.
I think they’re all somewhat usable. I mean there are crazier names out there…
I actually quite like [name_m]Theon[/name_m]. I like [name_u]Theo[/name_u] but feel like it’s kinda missing something if used as a first name and I don’t like [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] so [name_m]Theon[/name_m] is perfect. I don’t think the [name_m]Theon[/name_m] Greyjoy association really matters because [name_m]Theon[/name_m] is a real ancient name, not made-up for the character.
[name_m]Jorah[/name_m] I think is also a real name from the bible or something. I don’t particularly like the sound, but I think it’s still usable.
Samwell I think sounds very sweet, just maybe a bit too sweet for my taste. And I think some people might mistake it as [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] when they hear it.
Davos I kinda really like. If I heard it on a baby I’d just assume it’s a foreign name. It sounds different, but still familiar enough that you wouldn’t get those “you named your baby what?!” looks. I don’t know if it is a real name somewhere or not, but if it’s not, it should be.
Most people will definitely recognize these from GoT, but if you don’t mind that they all seem usable, maybe apart from Davos. You could also use them as middles or nicknames, or consider similar common names, like [name_u]Theo[/name_u], [name_m]Jonah[/name_m], [name_m]Samuel[/name_m], and [name_m]David[/name_m].
You could consider the names of the actors who play those characters, too: [name_m]Iain[/name_m], [name_m]Liam[/name_m], [name_u]Alfie[/name_u], and [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_u]Bradley[/name_u].
There’s also the option of other, more subtle GoT names, like [name_m]Jon[/name_m], Bronn, [name_u]Bran[/name_u], [name_m]Ramsay[/name_m], [name_u]Jaime[/name_u], [name_m]Ned[/name_m], etc
I’m possibly the only person in the English-speaking world who hasn’t watched GoT, and in my outsider’s opinion, all are simple and familiar (in terms of sound/soundalikes) enough to be usable. All could be shortened fairly naturally to “normal” nicknames too, if the child wanted something more mainstream.
Samwell is my favourite, and it reminds me of Samwise (The Hobbit) which I also really like. The only problem with it is that people may assume a creative misspelling of [name_m]Samuel[/name_m].
[name_m]Jorah[/name_m] is also great and not so far removed from [name_m]Jonah[/name_m], [name_u]Jory[/name_u], [name_m]Jura[/name_m] and the like.
[name_m]Theon[/name_m] I don’t particularly like (and I’m gathering that it has negative associations for fans of the show), but it definitely feels like a usable name. [name_m]Leo[/name_m] - [name_m]Leon[/name_m]; [name_u]Theo[/name_u] - [name_m]Theon[/name_m].
Davos sounds like [name_m]Davis[/name_m] so I don’t think it’s too “out there”, but it does kind of sound like a Greek party island to me!
I’m sipping my morning coffee as I pour over all your wonderful replies! I’m not super surprised by most, but I am sad that Davos didn’t get more love. It’s actually my favorite. I’m not sure my husband would agree to it, but it’s my favorite anyways. Samwell is my second (@katinka, I’ve said that if we don’t use Samwell, we’ll name two pets Samwell and Samwise somewhere down the line!).
I’ll probably sit here awhile longer and ponder where the line is drawn for people between loving and using literary or character names ([name_f]Eliza[/name_f]/[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_m]Bennett[/name_m], or [name_u]Darcy[/name_u]!) and where it is a no-go (Davos). Thanks again! More comments always welcome!
I think all of the names are usable. The show is poorly written and has done some of the more complex characters (like [name_m]Theon[/name_m]) a great injustice by opting to portray them as 100% bad or just thoroughly pathetic.
@southern.maple – I am also disappointed at some of the ways they’ve had to cut depth out of characters in order to squish it into TV storytelling. I agree that [name_m]Theon[/name_m] is far more interesting in the books, but it is the characterization of [name_u]Jaime[/name_u] that breaks my heart the most. He is so much better in the books! Maybe he’ll get there now, but they’ve missed out on “conscientious [name_u]Jaime[/name_u]” for a few seasons already! I could talk about this for hours. But I won’t since this is a name forum.
I love all of these names and think they are all very usable. [name_m]Even[/name_m] Davos, I love it! It has such a strong feel, plus it’s made up of familiar sounds so it’s not a strange name at all. I’m surprised this one seems to be the one that is getting left out the most as far as usability. [name_u]Love[/name_u] the name and the character.
[name_u]Jaime[/name_u]. Yes. Definitely. I could also rant for hours about what was done to [name_f]Sansa[/name_f]‘s and the Martells’ storylines. But as you said, this is a name forum. :rolleyes:
Honestly, I would be absolutely giddy if there were more brave people willing to use [name_m]Tyrion[/name_m]. He was always hands down, my favorite character in the books and the show. And I think the name itself has a lovely sound.
Yes!! Not going to lie, this name has been discussed by me and my OH multiple times lol
I like [name_m]Jorah[/name_m] the most. You could also call him [name_u]Jory[/name_u] after [name_u]Jory[/name_u] Cassel.
I think they’re all usable! Davos is my favourite!
I haven’t read nor watched GoT so my usability ranking is purely based on how I’d perceive them as regular names:
[name_m]Theon[/name_m] & [name_m]Jorah[/name_m] feel like perefectly normal names to me; like twists on [name_u]Theo[/name_u] and [name_m]Jonah[/name_m] or variations in a foreign language
Davos makes me think it’s a Greek name, however, he also very much reminds me of “Davros” the Dr. Who villain, so I don’t get a positive vibe from him. Generally he also feels more last name-y or made-up.
Samwell reminds me of Samwise, which I don’t think is very usable either, the -well part throws me off and it’s likely he’s just be called “[name_u]Sam[/name_u]” throughout his life.