Felix- Quirky/Fun name or Embarrassment for Life?

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My partner and I recently engaged in the "What would we hypothetically call our children?" discussion. Needless to say, the conversation yielded some interesting names, including Felix which is at the top of our Boy name list. Ok, so now we know that no-one in either of our families likes the said name (primarily because it reminiscent of rubbish cat food adverts, and perhaps toffs), but regardless of that we like it because it is quirky, individual, and well cute. So, Felix as a childs name, classic or dud? And what would you NEVER call your kids?

― Mr T, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Felix isn't a bad name. I used to work with fifth graders, one of whom was named Felix, and I don't remember him ever being teased about it.

As a general rule, don't name your kids after abstractions, like Hope or Charity (Grace being a possible exception). Don't give them stupid hippy names like Moonbeam or Sunflower. Do not name them after their geographical point of conception, and if you are Bono, do not name your first daughter Eve (oops, too late...)

A friend of a friend had parents with last names that were already hyphenated. Instead of passing all of these on, they officially registered the kid's surname as "Lovechild". Do not do this.

For girls, names with the latinate -a ending are indisputably classic: Laura, Anna, Rosa, etc. For men, Xerxes is without question the best choice, but any name with an X will do :-)

― xwerxes, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey, Hope was my grandma's name. And she wore it well. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, Grace is my grandma's name, hence the exception ;-)

This points up why I don't like abstractions as names, actually, since I associate them with being old-fashioned and conservative. Maybe that's just me.

― xwerxes, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

And Grace was my grandma's sister's name at that -- and yes, if there was a third sister, she was going to be charity. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

err well my mother was going to name me "monica" but decided to name me "geeta" --> an entire life of having people mispronounce my name. eventually you get used to people saying your name incorrectly, but i often wish i had an easy name, like "bob".

also it's v. important to find what rhymes with the name you end up choosing. so far for "felix" all i can think of is "helix" and that isn't so bad...the only insults i can come up with that one are more snarky-intelligent than childish.

― geeta, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

FELIX DA HOUSECAT!!!!

Though the above will not be popular in the playground I doubt, unless he makes some strange and interesting change of tack.

― Ronan, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My cousin, who was adopted, found out her birth mother, before giving her over, named her Chastity Hope. If you knew my cousin you might find this deeply, deeply ironic.

Felix is not the worst name. The guy from Basement Jaxx did not seem overly impacted upon by sharing a name with a well-known brand of cat food.

― suzy, Saturday, 9 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i like agnes clara

― anthony, Sunday, 10 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i think its best to give your child a name that is usually given to someone not of your ethnicity... like if you're white, name him/her Ji-Sung, or Yolanda, or Mahmoud.

― phil-two, Sunday, 10 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have a hyphonated first name, which has caused a few problems as Ive grown up. Generally people call me Sarah, because frankly it sounds too posh to call me by my full name. My boyfriend has a really dull surname, whilst mine is more exotic; we considered having a double-barrelled surname to liven things up. However, a double- barelled double-barrelled name for me would be problematic (though comic I guess). Does anyone else know people with hyphonated names? Do they naturally confer 'poshness'?

― Sarah-Anne, Sunday, 10 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If I have a daughter I'm calling her Crystal-Amber-Tiffany-Dakota- Zoe.....via her baby monitor I will radio in whispers of "you will represent maximum grime" around the clock.....I'll hold a raffle with my friends as to when she'll enter the porn industry......when she ends up in an Ed Powers flick I'll tell her she disgraced the family and disown her.

― Ramosi, Sunday, 10 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i'm modest and charmingly self-effacing as sure as my name is felix! also, my hair is a lovely auburn colour and i have a puckish sense of humour.

― ethan, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one of my mum's friends knew someone who had three daughters, two of which were named Faith and Hope. so my mum's friend said 'i suppose the your other daughter is called Charity, right?', and the mother looked puzzled and said (in her strong Essex accent), 'No - Tracey'.

― michael, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think Zoe is an excellent name, as are Sara(h) and Ian. I will NOT be calling any of my kids Romana or Adric, however.

― Dan Perry, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

dan does dr who himself ever get named and shamed? (in books eg?)

― mark s, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

what about 'Kerry', Dan? i knew someone with the surname Kolah, but she didn't go along with my suggestion of naming her baby Cherri

― michael, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I've just remembered Sara's really Sara-Marie. I admire the pointlessness of giving her an extra name than no on ewill ever use.

― Graham, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Kerry/Kari/Carrie/Larry/Barry/Merry... They're all on the short list! (Not.)

Mark, the Doctor never actually gets a name in the books. He does get turned into the reincarnation of a mythical figure from the Age of Rassilon, but they decided to dump all that and have a bad guy rip out one of his hearts. Oh, and one of his companions turned into a TARDIS. It was kind of bizarre.

― Dan Perry, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There is a bank teller in Nat West on Tottenham Court Road called Romana and it suits her very very well (she would also be about the right age....) Like the real Romana she is also a Maths whiz as she can count money very very quick.

― Pete, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I would like to meet this Romana, if only to ask, "Is that short for Romanadvoratrelundar?" and watch her pretty face crumple into tears of hatred and loathing.

― Dan Perry, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

According to my book 'How Dare You Call Me That!' (surely that should be a question mark?), which was published in 1966, Felix is "a floral consultant."

I like the name Diesel.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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