Baby Names For Motor Enthusiasts
Mum and Dad named me Skoda!
One of the life events that sends people on a hunt for an MPV or some other large family-sized car is the addition of a new person to the family. I think I may have covered the things that need to be considered when choosing a family car in another post a year or more ago. But what about the new person in question? You’re going to have to pick a name for your new child, so if you’re into cars at all, why not look to the motoring world for inspiration?
An awful lot of cars are named after people (or at least their surnames), so why not name a baby after a car? However, you should have some consideration for the kid in question and follow all the usual rules such as thinking about how the name would look or sound in the grown up world – painted on the side of a commercial vehicle with “Contracting Ltd” after it, inserted into “Your captain on today’s flight is xxxx” or “Dr XXXXX will carry out your knee replacement surgery.” So combining anything automotive with the surname Carr is probably out (except possibly as a second name – if you have to!) or anything really outlandish (at least for Australian culture) like “Toyota” or “Mitsubishi”.
Other names have a lot more promise, partly because they were names for people before they were names for cars. The one topping the list here is, of course, Mercedes. In the pre-WWI era, a designer named Emil Jellinek for working for Daimler decided to honour his daughter by naming a line of vehicles after her. The cars were good and the name “Mercedes” caught on and was continued long after the merger with Benz. (Note: if you have the surname Benz, don’t call your daughter Mercedes.) Other good names that are now associated with cars but are (or were) decent people names are:
- Ford (boys)
- Holden (boys)
- Lincoln (boys)
- Royce as in Rolls-Royce (probably boys but you could possibly get away with calling a girl Royce).
- McLaren (boys)
- Bentley (probably boys but maybe a girl)
- Aston (boys)
- Martin (as in Aston Martin) (boys)
- Austin (more of a boy’s name but could be OK for a girl)
- Morris (boys)
Other car marques may not have been taken from names (some have been) but you can probably get away with them as they sound fairly similar to other names out there and won’t sound too outrageous, especially with alternative spellings:
- Lexus (probably girls but OK for a guy)
- Alfa or Alpha (boys or girls)
- Romeo (boys – although he may not thank you!)
- Chevy (boys and girls)
- Opal – sounds like Opel (girls)
- Portia – sounds like Porsche pronounced the right way (girls)
- Minnie (girls – although she’ll have to put up with the nickname Mouse)
- Suzie (short for Isuzu or Suzuki – girls)
- Chrysler (probably boys)
- Tesla (probably girls)
- Lotus (for a girl –preferably if she’s got a bit of Asian in her genetic mix)
You don’t have to stick to marque names. Model names are a much richer source of inspiration as well as making life a bit easier on your child. You may love Renault cars but don’t want to saddle your daughter with the name “Renault”, but Clio and Megane are just fine. If you’re a Saab fan, then Griffin would work for a boy (so would Viggen if you look a bit Scandinavian). And what about Lizzie as in Tin Lizzie as in the classic Model T Ford? Sierra, Ranger, Cressida, Cherokee, Cooper and Octavia, Laurel and Astra won’t raise too many eyebrows. These days, you can probably get away with Wrangler, Cayenne, Jetta, Odyssey, Leaf, Genesis and Journey as well… but only just. Car parts such as Axel might be OK, but avoid Dipstick. Turning to the two-wheeled world, there are plenty of Harleys out there.
However, there are probably some “don’t go there” names. Spare a thought for the kids out there who have been saddled with the following
- Diesel
- Veight (as in V8)
- Jaguar
- Jeep
- Audi
- Cougar
- Falcon
- Paxton (after the supercharger system)
- Camry
- Dodge
- DeLorean
You should definitely avoid the following, which haven’t (at least as far as I know) been given to children. At least I hope not…
- Volvo (change the vowels…)
- Studebaker
- Avenger
- Cruiser
- Rover and Landrover
- Maloo
- Ute
- Fiat
- Aircross
- Evo
- Pajero
- Volkswagen
- Getz
- Tiida
Of course, if you originate from Japan or Korea, you are better placed than I am to comment on the wisdom of calling your child Suzuki, Ssangyong, Nissan, Subaru or Mitsubishi. You can probably get away with it and claim that it’s traditional.
What other car-related children’s names have people come across, considered for their children or even been given? Share your best finds here?
Safe and happy driving,
Megan (No, my parents did not drive a Renault!)
Level 2, 9 Help Street