No men clature
For reasons that will become clear around the first of April, I find myself needing a good name for a baby girl. And because it’s me, I want a name that has some resonance. I am called James because my parents liked the name James. I should have been Thomas, the name given to the first male in every other generation of my family, except nobody bothered to remind my father of this until it was too late.
But names are important. One of the reasons that I became the person I am was the Jameses who were presented to me by media and education—James Watt, James Burke, James Cook, James I, James and the Giant Peach. They weren’t exactly role-models but they were seed-crystals for my early ideas about what I could do and who I could become. And I want to give my new daughter the same sense that she’s part of a chain of illustrious forebears who shared her name, and had skills and attitudes that will serve her well in the twenty-first century.
I also want a name that only idiots can mis-spell.
Of course, when I say I need a name for a baby girl, I mean that I need a name for a baby girl, a girl child, a teenage girl, a twentysomething woman, a career-woman, a mother and the future goddess-empress of the universe. Though I have a suspicion her older sister is first in line for that job.
So a propos of nothing and because I don’t want to see my research on the subject go to waste, I thought I’d compile a short list of good names for daughters of geeks. More suggestions welcomed.
- Ada. After Ada Lovelace, who worked with Charles Babbage on his difference engines and who thus was the first computer programmer. (Which would make Babbage the first sysadmin, I suppose. Though wasn’t one of the difference engines clockwork? “It’s crashed, you say? Have you tried running it down and winding it up again?”)
- Eliza. After the software robot Eliza, designed by Joseph Weizenbaum in 1966. Designed to mimic the behaviour of a Rogerian psychotherapist, Eliza is noted for being small and asking a lot of questions. On early evidence (2.5 years into the trial), naming your daughter after a chatbot is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Florence. After Florence Nightingale, who revolutionised healthcare and saved thousands of lives through the application of scientific principles. She was also a gifted mathematician and the first female member of the Royal Statistical Society.
- Heddy or Hedwig. After Heddy Lamarr, the great golden-age film actress, who also held one of the first patents on frequency-hopping spread-spectrum communication techniques. Stuff she invented is in your mobile phone. Bizarre but true.
- Lara. Nothing wrong with fictional role-models.
- Marie. For Marie Curie, obviously. First woman to win a Nobel prize, first person to win two.
- Maya. The leading 3D animation program, though it’s also the Sanskrit word for ‘illusion’ which is a bit “Uh, wha?”. I have the same reaction to kids called ‘Maya’ as I do to kids called ‘Cassandra’—did their parents really not do the reading?
- Roberta. After Roberta Williams of Sierra Online, games designer and creator of the classic Kings’ Quest series of graphic adventures.
- Ursula. After the sainted LeGuin.
- Valentina. After Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.
- Zelda. The largely ineffectual princess from the eponymous games. I am less convinced by this one, but then I’ve never been a Nintyhead. Of course you’ve also got Zelda Fitzgerald, if you wanted to name your offspring after a alcoholic schizophrenic.
Filed under: Uncategorized on January 18th, 2010
If you think she’s going to move house a lot you could call her Peach?
The problem with Ada is that it’s a really stuffy boring Pascal derivative programming language.
Princess Peach is even more ineffectual than Princess Zelda. And I don’t want anyone–least of all herself–thinking that she’s named after Peaches Geldolf.
Additional suggestions:
Zoe: Empress of the Byzantine Empire from 1028-1050; a scientific survey robot used to survey life in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile; and one of the 2nd Doctor’s companions on DOCTOR WHO.
Tesla: After Nikola, of course (Laura actually grew up with two friends, whose parents were science professors — sisters named Tesla and Kepler). Tom Strong’s daughter in the comics is also named Tesla.
Emma: Peel, naturally.
You’re probably best off avoiding names like Boadicea — I mean, that’s just asking for trouble.
Florence makes me think of “and the machine” which is no bad thing but Hedwig is the angry inch.
Other ideas could be Willow, Xena or being more historical, Marie (as in Curie) or Mary (as in Seacole), Rosalind (as in Franklin), Heloise, Elena (as in Piscopia)…
There’s a good list of names of scientists here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pre-21st-century_female_scientists
Grace: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper
Lisa, after the Apple Lisa?
An early draft of the list did have Apple as a suggestion. But the Apple Lisa? That’d be an interesting conversation: ‘Yes dear, you’re named after an overpriced computer that failed in the market. Because that’s what we want to think of every time we look at you.’
For purely aesthetic reasons, I like Ada and Ursula.
That is all my unhelpful input!
(Also, wasn’t Lisa the computer named after Steve Jobs’ daughter in the first place?)
Zelda also has “Beautiful Zelda” by the Bonzo’s to recommend her… though raising a child influenced by the bonzo’s is fraught with it’s own dangers.
BTW I was going to suggest Florence because of Princes of Florence; then I noticed it was already there.
Have you considered Bayonetta?
I don’t know a red-blooded male gamer who hasn’t considered Bayonetta.
Scrap all that and go straight to Aubergine.
My daughter’s name is Octavia, after Octavia Butler. Everyone never fails to say how pretty it is.
I think you should choose something pretty, basically ignore Rev.
Well I chose Amélie for my first. I suppose because of a film I’ve never watched, but mainly just because I liked the sound. Plus her mum is Marie-Claire and granddad is Louis, so that keeps the French theme going.
I used to share a house with a Zelda, a name I grew to really like. Although Zelda may still remind people of terrahawks! That or Florence would be my choice from your shortlist.
I’ve another baby on the way in a week or so so I’m scratching my head about names too…
you forgot that Zelda is the evil woman robot alien android out off Terrahawks (which my uncle made models for!)
http://images.google.co.uk/images?sourceid=chrome&q=zelda+terrahawks&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=fBpXS7L2H4n40wTP4tz4BA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBoQsAQwAA
How about Thomasine/Thomasina/Tamsin? It keeps the family tradition going.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomasina
I’m normally very down on feminised versions of male names–I think ‘Nigella’ is the ugliest name I’ve ever heard–though I will make an honourable exception for Michelle. So we’d ruled out Thomasina, though Tamsin hadn’t occurred to us. It’s on the list now. Thank you!
Perhaps Amelia, for Ms. Earhart? A pioneering aviator and heck of a rolemodel for a girl.
Bizarrely I asked Eliza (2 1/2) what her baby sister’s name should be, and she looked at me like I was an idiot and said, “Amelia’s name is Amelia.” She doesn’t know anyone called Amelia.
I like that, from the mouth of babes.
What about Alice, from such a wonderful fantasy epic?
A friend called his baby girl Arwen, but I honestly wouldn’t even consider that. Not as bad as being Mr and Mrs Card and calling your first born Birthday, obviously.
Laika – first animal in orbit
(although died shortly afterwards – which might cause tears when she learns the history!)
I think Eliza speaks wisely.
I completely forgot to include the awesome Mary Somerville and Caroline Herschel in the above list of inspirational early female geeks.
You might want to avoid Hedwig – she’s a famous suicide from Henrik Ibsen’s play “The Wild Duck”.