Would you give your son or daughter a Na'vi Name?
 

I had wondered about this for a while and thought I'd post it here and see what you folks thought. Would you name your son or daughter after one of the Na'vi?
I don't have children, but if I had a son or daughter I would give some serious consideration to this. I think "Neytiri" (Wants Life) is a beautiful name for a girl. I would also consider "Ninat", (Nina for short) I would have to give some consideration to a name for a boy. Aside from "Jake" or "Jacob", my only other choices would be "Eytukan" (did I spell that right?) or "Tsu'Tey". I would have to do some research into other Na'vi names but I thought it was a cool idea at the moment.
If you think I have lost my mind... that's cool too. Everyone tells me that I have, I reckon I lost it a long time ago. :P But it's fun anyhow.

Tey'Kan

Ack! Too late!!!

I've had all the kids I plan to have.

However, if I had to name them again: ...No, I probably would not use Na'vi names. That's certainly not to say that I'm all about fitting in, but then we're not really talking about me, we're talking about the kids. These are their names, not mine. Choosing names that require uncommon amounts of explanation and, once explained, might seem even stranger to the average person, feels a bit like abuse of power. And trust me, when you have kids, there is NO shortage of opportunity to abuse your power! ;)

That said, when my kids are old enough to watch Avatar (one *almost* is), I hope they love it! :D

I guess it is somewhat a far fetched idea. We do name our children... either before they are born or shortly there after. You make a good point, Eywa's Pet... this would be a hard one to explain, let alone an abuse of power...:P

I was just a thought. I could see how a Na'vi name might cause some issues for a child, amongst his peers, especially if some of THEM weren't AVATAR fans such as you and I.

If I'd had kids however, I would hope that they would enjoy the movie(s) as well, who knows when the next AVATAR film will arrive. I would also hope that they would appreciate the message, and learn something from it.

All the best --
Tey'Kan

It is an interesting idea...although I don't think it is a practical idea in today's society, it would certainly be awesome. I would love a Na'vi name, however there are a lot of people who might think it is just too weird to take a name from a non-existent race from a movie and give it to a child...

If I would have a daughter I would name her Sylwanin and if I'd have a son I would name him Atan'eko. :D

Fun topic, really ! :awesome:

Nobody's going to pick Ninat, are they? ;)

Of course, the other problem with the Na'vi names is putting them with Tawtute last names. When I say, "Neytiri ... Smith," I have the mental image of a ballerina dancing into a brick wall. :facepalm:

:xD::xD:

I don't want Ninat ! :shoop: Well, not because I don't "want" that name, but I don't know who she really is on Pandora. Oh, yea, I remember. She's a singer... she got lost in the woods after RDA bombed the Hometree... :airquote:

Neytiri Smith. Ney Smith would be cool. :D

Absolutely not - the child has to LIVE with that name, he or she would have to grow up with, interact with other children with it...

No. I couldn't inflict that on a child, anymore than I would call a child 'Arwen' or 'Aragorn.'

(Although there is an Israeli singer called Ninet, so actually Ninat may be able to sneak in)

Not really... I'm sure they would like it (after all, if I ever have children, they will know a lot about Avatar...), but sadly, other people are ayskxawng. Also, exactly what was said above about skypeople names - it just wouldn't fit with one.
I guess a middle name... possibly, but it would require a lot of thought, but not as a first name.

I remember this same thread popped up on AF and I got into an argument with another fellow avatar member. LOL

But yeah I wouldn't mind.

Makes sense to me, HNM, especially what you said: "I'm sure they would like it (after all, if I ever have children, they will know a lot about Avatar...), but sadly, other people are ayskxawng."
I probably wouldn't use any skyperson name, except for maybe "Trudy", or "Jacob" (Jake). My Godson's name is Jacob and surprisingly enough, he is a U.S. Marine. "Grace" is my niece's name, actually "Grace Ann". I think my best mates, and family members have the "skyperson" thing covered... in a good way.

I do like the way "Ney Smith" sounds. Smith is one of those names however, that works well with any first name. Still, as stated earlier... I believe a kid would rather be named after a family member, :airquote: or maybe someone in history, rather than a fictional character from a movie, but I could be wrong.

Tey'Kan

Why?

They're foreign-sounding. I wouldn't name my kids after some obscure name, or even a known name from the film, just as I wouldn't name them "Apple" or "@". I'm American. I'll give 'em English-traditional names.

Wanna' talk about obscure names? Look at the names Frank Zappa gave his kids. Wonder what it's like going thru life with a name like "Dweezle" or "Moon Unit"? Compared to that, a name such as "Neytiri" or "Ney" sounds much better. I do see your point, Woodsprite... I reckon I would probably go with traditional names as well, but a Na'vi name was something to consider.

Tey'Kan

NO, leave your obsession at forums and stuff like that, don't take it into your kids lives. They would be ridiculed at school.

I don't know who had the idea for using a Na'vi name as a middle name. I think that is completely possible and no one would make fun of the kid, but it would be there and would sound really cool.

example: James Aketuan Smith
or: Hannah Neytiri (or "Ney") Taylor

...Actually, those don't sound half-bad. If they're middle names, they might work.

Though, it depends on which name you use. For instance, I can think of no example where "Tsu'tey" would serve as an appropriate middle name... even if it is a middle name.

Maybe with some east Asian names. Traditional English names, though? I draw a blank too. :S

I probably wouldn't.

:awesome: yap. Reminds me of New-New, Rashad's (T.I.) girlfriend from the ATL movie :xD:

Neytiri also sounds to me a little Ancient Egyptian... Don't know how would Mo'at sound as a girl's name, so imagine this : Mo'at Jackson. :shoop: Well, it doesn't sound bad though :) Tsu'tey Stevenson. Sylwanin Jones... :xD::xD:

Oh, good, it's not just me! There is, actually, an Ancient Egyptian name very close to hers - Nefertiri. I forget what it means, though (it's in one of my zillions of books).

I'm guessing Nefertiri was Cameron's prime inspiration for "Neytiri". It's the same name, only without "-fer-", and adding a 'y' to convey a foreign, tribal nature to the spelling.

This name thing is pretty obvious, though, and I don't think is only coincidence which makes them similar to what we know. The "Na'vi" description of their race comes from "Na[t]iv[e]". And it explains why Neytiri can be associated with Nefertiri/ Nefertari/ Nefertiti. To be sincere, when I first heard Grace and Norm speaking in Na'vi, my mind headed to the Ancient Egyptian language that I heard in "The Mummy"... :shoop:

Like this : Kyuna: [kjuna] G prop.n. female of the Anurai. Anurai ? I know things about "Amurai" or "Amu Rai", a spiritual quest. :)

I actually really doubt it - it's exceedingly obscure. NeferTITI is the famous one - I really can't remember who Nefertiri was.

Exactly. It might take quite a bit of thought to get something to fit, but the right one certainly can :)

My mistake; I meant Nefertiti. But Nefertari (spelled with an 'a')... she was one of Ramesses II's wives, but I only know that from common knowledge, History Channel, and watching "The Ten Commandments" many times. :P That's pretty much all I know about 'tari (let's nickname her 'tari :awesome:).

I just saw on MSN that somebody named their daughter "FaceBook"!... No kidding here, it's for real. Talk about bad taste! A Na'vi name would be much better, in this case.... or a 'not-so Na'vi name'. either way... anything is better than "FaceBook". Geezzz :P

Go to the MSN Homepage for the story.

Tey'Kan

no, love of avatar is seperate from the "outdoor life" Think of the hippies naming their kids...star, happy, love, ect....

:hmm:...what's so bad about those names?

I have a pretty unique name, so I guess I fail to see the importance of being traditional and fitting in(*yawn* BORING!!!!!). I've never been ridiculed. In fact, quite the opposite. I get compliments on my name quite often. Although, I don't usually tell people my full name as I've become rather weary of repeating it(seriously, it's not that hard to pronounce).

Anyway, on topic: I can't say I'll ever have kids. But on the off chance I do, I'd definitely consider it. Especially if it's a name as pretty as 'Neytiri' or as exotic as 'Jake'(lol jk) 'Tsu'tey' might be a bit of a stretch, however

*side note* I'd really like to get a pet some day(preferably a dog). I'm definitely giving it an Avatar name :)

Well, They are great words for feelings, but as a name, well they are way out to left feild. I personally would not want to be named with thoses names, can you imagine being named after stars character, cool is what you think now, but grow up with it you may have a different feeling, thats all. I am very gald josie, that your unique name work, My hat off to you sir. I will tell you a bit about myself, I an regimented, friendly, and little old fashion, but I do not tell other what to do, one must make up their own minds, with adviced and/or experince. Thanks.

Well, then don't give them a first name, but a Na'vi or Na'vi inspired middle name would still work.

I agree... a Na'vi inspired middle name souds kinda cool, actually. (Good thing I don't have any children :P). "Hanna Neytiri Smith" does have a nice sound to it. "Hanna Ney Smith" sounds even better. :airquote:

Tey'Kan

i kind of like the idea of trying to raise a kid to be bilingual in English and lì'fya leNa'vi. I know someone tried (and failed) to do the same with the Klingon, but Na'vi is so much more beautiful that I think it might actually work.

The point being?

...why not? If people get to inculcate their kids with all manner of unpleasant religious ideologies without the Social Services stepping in it seems to me that teaching a kid a constructed language is a relatively minor affair.

The main problem was that he had nobody else to speak Klingon to other than his parents, not difficulty or anything. Sadly, Na'vi would most likely give the same problem, so natural fluency is not that likely, although at least they would still gain an excellent understanding of it :)

I like some of the Na'vi inspired middle name ideas, but yeah never a first name.

Well.. I dont' have any children, but many i will get one in future! - i don't thinks i would name he/her a Na'vi name, maybe just call he/her it.. if you know what i mean?

slightly off topic
 

An interesting factoid concerning those who are worried about fitting in, the name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan". There was never a recorded Wendy before. That name is quite well known now and not considered strange in the slightest, despite it being from a fictional story. I just found that interesting...