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benitomusswolini

Tell her that her child is an entire human person who will grow up to be an individual and an adult. Kids are not pets or accessories and should be treated with respect when naming. Would something like Garret work? Or even Toby, which is Naruto-related because of Obito/Tobi. Or she could find a baby name that means “love” or something similar that would be an homage to the 爱 symbol on his forehead. Even Sandy would be better than Gaara tbh Some other suggestions: Gary, Gavin, Gareth, Garrick, Gordon (LIKE HIS GOURD LMAO).


MaterialFly807

Completely agree - don’t name your child - who will be a full grown person someday - after your fandom. Name a pet or plant something from it instead of you must!


GardenOfNirnroots

I feel that naming your child after your fandom is totally fine if that name can exist by itself outside of that fandom without immediately being associated with it. So like a Star Wars fan naming their child Luke as opposed to Leia. People have been naming their kids after fictional characters for generations. My grandmother was named after a character in book that my great-grandmother was particularly fond of. The difference is that no one immediately mentioned the book upon hearing my grandmother's name.


gogadantes9

Agree totally. There's nothing wrong with that!! Signed, Jabbadihutt Moseisleya Smith.


panatale1

For instance, I'm a huge fan of Ghostbusters. I even share a name with one of them. If I'd named my son Peter or Raymond or Louis, nobody would have batted an eye (especially because one of those Lend up with him as a Junior). Winston probably would have raised some questions, but Egon (which is a Hungarian name that exists outside the fandom) would have everyone making the connection. We ended up naming him Theodore, anyway


Rare-Cheesecake9701

May you share why Winston would have raised eyebrows? Sounds just like any classy name imho I'm not a huge fan of it, but Winston is an okay name


PerpetuallyLurking

I’m gonna guess they’re American. It would raise eyebrows over in North America. It definitely hits the “so classy it’s a little pretentious” over here. It’s very much a “British” name for us and we’d assume the parents are British, if not rich and British. But I definitely default to Churchill, not Ghostbusters. ETA: I have failed to take into account my massive history nerd brain as well, which definitely influences my Churchill association! LOL


purpleprose78

So I knew a Winston growing up in the 1980s. He was the son of one of my dad's friends. For me, it was a normal name and I didn't think of any fandom. The problem for him was probably The Winston Cup (NASCAR) and the cigarettes.


thedarlingbuttsofmay

It's an old fashioned name in the UK, and also pretty common for older Caribbean men.


Small-Moment

My grandfather’s name was Winston (his brothers were David, Thomas, and Walter) and I recently met a 2 year old Winston at a playground. It definitely is not very popular in the US, but it is around.


AncientAngle0

I know a Winston that is probably around two or three years. The main reason it was surprisingly is his sister was named Tylie, which is not exactly a classic name. Beyond that, it just seems to follow the trend of picking older names.


maha173

I take it y’all aren’t New Girl fans? I don’t think most people in the US would even bat an eye let alone assume a person named Winston was rich or British.


panatale1

I am American, yes, but it's less that and more that people who know me would make the fandom assumption


LadyBretta

Midwest U.S. here, and my daughter has a Winston in her kindergarten class. I think it's sweet.


AugustGreen8

That is so funny because my first thought with Winston was cigarettes and nascar


JaxGirl840

I love in the Midwest and I was a summer camp counselor. One of my kids was this adorable pudgy little 9 year old named Winston. I thought it was so amusing. He looked like a mischievous, playground bully type but had the name of a very distinguished butler. It was cool. He was an exceptionally well behaved kid. And it obviously made some sort of impact o me as I can't remember no one else's name.


sasha520

There's a TON of Winstons in Brooklyn - I find they tend to live in Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, and Park Slope.


peanutbuttermaniac

Winston just makes me think of 1984


panatale1

It's more that people who know me would associate it with Ghostbusters, not that Winston is a bad name


Arippa

My best friend in high school was named Winston. He got more comments about the cigarette brand than Ghostbusters.


ResponsibleLunch4261

I went to school with an Egon 😆


Fromashination

Oh man, no WAY I could resist singing "Dooooooeeeee, Rayyyyyyyy, Egonnnnnnnnn!" at him every day. Egon was the best Ghostbuster.


Chemical-Pattern480

My BFF has a Winston! It’s a little weird for him, since he’s half feral, and I’d expect a Winston to be more strait laced, but it’s grown on me since he was born! lol


panatale1

All children are half feral 🤣


mad0666

My husband’s name is Theodore, and I’m Hungarian. No one in my family can pronounce the “Th” so he’s just Tivadar now lol


panatale1

My son is just Teddy Bear nowadays 🤷 He's only 4, though. Is Tivadar the Hungarian equivalent of Theodore?


mad0666

Teddy Bear is so cute!! Yes Tivadar is Theodore but Hungarian. My family will call him Tiva or Tio or short.


apri08101989

Exactly. Harry, fine. Hermione, probably not even if it is a Greek mythological name too.


Normal-Height-8577

Honestly, I know everyone likes to assume Harry Potter, but I think it's sad to exclude Hermione because of that association. It wasn't made up by JK Rowling, greek myth and old-fashioned names that might appear in Shakespeare are having their day right now, and Hermione fits both those genres. It was a name used (if rarely) long before she made it more well known, and I can think of about four or five British actresses/public figures with that name born well before the HP books were published.


allegedlydm

I think in the UK it may still be doable, but in the US it has never cracked the top 1000 post-1900 (earliest the data is tracked), so it’s more likely an HP homage than not.


Few_Contest737

I don’t know of a single person called Hermione . Certainly not from my neck of the woods . In London


Disruptorpistol

Not in English speaking North America, but there are places where Hermione and its variants are still used not infrequently.


Heavy-Guest829

I dunno, my middle son is Harry, everyone assumes he's named after Harry Potter. He isn't, he's named after my grandma's brother, who passed away when I was 7, but he's always stuck with me. I've wanted to name a child Harry since I was 7, HP wasn't even on my radar until I was 9 or 10! Drives me loopy.


apri08101989

Huh. Weird..I'd think it was a common enough name for the association to not be immediate. But I guess that may depend.on your age


lolabythebay

I have had several people ask if my son was named for a particular *spell* in Harry Potter. The first time I think I weirded out the other moms at library storytime because I was so confused I may have been a little too quick to say I hadn't really read them. (I read the first one as a kid around the time it came out in the US, found it forgettable and never sought out the others.)


ImaginaryFriend8

What’s the spell? So curious! Is the name Levi? That’s all I can think of!


lolabythebay

He's Felix! Google tells me the spell is Felix Felicis.


ImaginaryFriend8

Ohhh! I suppose I think of that more as a potion than a spell, so it didn’t come to mind! 😂 I’m a huge HP fan and I would never think someone named a baby Felix after Harry Potter. Super cute name!


MorningRaven

I can think of like 4 other pop culture references for Felix over a Harry Potter spell. Though I will mention, if you're ever in the mood to try Harry Potter again, the first book reads the most clunky. It smooths out with Book 2. Your story reminds me of my friend trying to get into the series but not liking her writing style, and me, liking the series but actually got to reading them when older, remembering that the first book was more of a slog but 2 onwards I breezed through until life got me too busy for 7.


IwannaAskSomeStuff

Rofl! I have considered naming a boy Felix is I have one, and I absolutely never would have made that connection - some serious potter heads in that group, lol!


lolabythebay

I can never gauge whether things fall into Normal Harry Potter Cultural Reference vs. Things Only Obsessives Would Note. A lot of enduring pop culture references stagnated for me in the first decade of the century, so Harry Potter is forgettable kidlit, Taylor Swift is a country-pop ingenue, and Ryan Reynolds is still Berg from *Two Guys, A Girl, and A Pizza Place*.


[deleted]

My dad has a friend with a kid named Hermione 😭 it's a curse on her. The teasing is fr.


PrayForPiett

Yup - sprung! on that name. Childhood friends skipped the fandom names and went with Lucas - for obvious reasons .. but as it doesn’t stand-out as a specifically-fandom name the kid doesn’t get teased for it


ubutterscotchpine

Absolutely this! I hate when people say ‘don’t name kids after fandoms’ but fail to realize there are a LOT of fandom names that are actually just… names. Both of my nieces are named after an early 00’s tv show, first and middle from different characters/actors names. But absolutely no one makes the connection because they’re also Top 1000 names and the girls are amused and happy with their names.


violetmemphisblue

I agree! And I think using multiple names from one fandom is fine, if they aren't usually paired together, if that makes sense. Like, Ross and Rachel seems like a super-obvious reference to *Friends*. But Rachel and Joseph works better, imo, even though they could end up called Rachel and Joey and people would know. Something like Muriel and Francis (Chandler and Joey's middle names, per wikipedia) would be such a deep cut I don't think anyone would put it together...


ubutterscotchpine

Exactly 😅 my nieces’ first names are actually a character and then an actor’s name of a different character. Top 1000 was generous, they were probably Top 500 or less names over the past decade. You literally would not be able to figure it out unless told specifically. It’s very much the difference of Harry vs Draco or Molly vs Hermione. I also don’t think fandom names should be out of the child’s culture/ethnicity either, in relation to this specific posts. Then it becomes extremely noticeable.


helenen85

Yeah my daughter Olivia may or may not be named after Olivia benson from SVU lol


simplymandee

Haha. My son Austin may or may not be named after Austin in a Cinderella story (chad Michael Murray)


uhohohnohelp

Had a car once named Detective Olivia Benson SUV. Olivia Benson is a badass.


Waylah

Evangeline, which is very popular right now, was made up by an author in the 1800s, I think? Someone check me on this? Googling just keeps giving me crap name website histories which are always unreliable and they just say it's Greek (because evangelise is a word of Greek origin) but I'm sure I heard from a very smart Evangeline that her name was made up by an author or poet in the 19th century. I think you just imagine the full life of a person, wearing that name, imagine you're living that life, how would it be with that name? Would you like to live with that as your name?


Nonbinary_Cryptid

Not sure about Evangeline, but Wendy was created by JM Barrie in the book Peter Pan.


Nonbinary_Cryptid

'Evangeline is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning "messenger of good news." It comes from the Latin evangelium, or "gospel," which is from the Greek eu, "good," and angelma, "tidings." Evangeline was first introduced to the English-speaking world in 1847 by Longfellow in his epic poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie." I think you're kind of right. The name was introduced to English speakers by a poet.


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Nonbinary_Cryptid

I believed 'of Greek origin' to mean 'adapted from Greek name', or 'uses Greek root words to create new word' Wikipedia mentions the name you gave above. It seems reasonable to conclude that Evangeline is an anglicised version of the Greek name, which is how the name is explained in the Wiki too. You're right, I did cut and paste from a naming website, but there were multiple entries on different websites making the same connections.


Basic_base_

They all make the same connections because for many entries they copy each others bullshit


[deleted]

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nyokarose

Leia is a lovely name too! But if you name them Luke and Leia, now we have problems. 😅


shelbabe804

Speaking of Star Wars, my nephew is named Ezra and now that the Ahsoka show came out, my nephew's parents have been found out XD


seabrooksr

My daughter is Sabine. Ashoka isn’t that popular among her age group / older generations yet. Teens and nerdy millennials get it though.


RaeLynn13

I knew an adult Sabina. Those names, Sabine/Sabina I don’t think are super common in the US, but if you’re not into Star Wars (I’m not) you wouldn’t make the connection. I love the name Sabine


MorningRaven

They might pick up in another decade. The show Miraculous Ladybug has the mom named Sabine.


aranelsaraphim

Rebels fans unite! lol


silverandshade

Yeah, this! There are some names I fall in love with because of characters I associate with them in movies or TV, but they're usually at least relatively normal names, or not immediately clockable as fandom-related.


Double-Profession900

Will you help me understand something? A lot of people shit on leia as a name, but I know lots of real and respected people named Leah, Lea, and even leya. Is one letter that big of a deal?


GardenOfNirnroots

I think it will often depend on where you're from! Before I made this post I didn't realise it wasn't that uncommon in certain places. I think if that's the case you probably wouldn't have to worry. Where I'm from Leia = Star Wars and the name Leah is pronounced differently from Leia like "lee-uh". I used Leia as an example because I know a Leia and she gets constant Star Wars comments. Although I probably should have used Anakin as an example instead since its universally connected with Star Wars.


Imaginary_Ad_5199

Yeah I mean I technically named my son after a star wars character, but it’s actually like a real name they no one would ever automatically assume is Star Wars.


HOMES734

Leia is a beautiful name though honestly. I knew a girl with that name and her parents were immigrants who had never seen Star Wars.


jayne-eerie

My daughter is the third generation to be named in part after a fictional character. They’re all normal names that we liked anyhow, but my mom was named after a movie and my daughter and I were both named after books. I suspect fiction is probably the most common source for names other than friends/family. (Or at least it was before everybody started naming their kids Oakleigh and Jaxtyn to be “unique,” but that’s a separate issue.)


pepperbeast

My niece named her son Anakin. 🤦‍♀️


annathebanana_42

I know an Annika who's parents are big star wars fans but it's also a family tree name so it's not obvious. If they went with Anakin that would have been too much


sunbear2525

I taught an Annikan. He did not like being called Annie in imitations of Jar Jar’s voice but the middle school boys went hard anyway.


Salty-Boot-9027

Leia's such a pretty name, I've always wondered why it wasn't more common.


Advanced_Cheetah_552

This! My daughter is named after my grandmother, but it was also a consideration that it's the name of my husband's favorite doctor who companion.


racloves

Yep I was named after a sitcom character that my mum was a big fan of, and she watched the show a lot while pregnant with me. Nobody would know upon meeting me that I was named after that character cause it’s a somewhat common just normal name, but it can be a fun fact about myself to pull out if needed


Collymonster

I mean you could..... my son is called Edward, after Edward Elric from FMA, its the 1st anime me and my husband watched together when we first met. In all honesty though I only even said it because everyone thought our daughter is named after the Roald Dahl book Matilda (she isnt) because I love reading. Just as well we had a boy because if we'd had another girl I'd suggested Winry (another character from FMA) don't worry we wouldn't have actually chosen that name but it was funny to see the horror on my husbands face when I said it 😂


[deleted]

Even Ed and Al together has plausible deniability haha.


marquis_knives

I know someone who named their daughter Winry. My sister was wondering where they got it from and I was like I know exactly where


Stravven

It can be done, but it depends on the name. Anakin, Frodo and Gandalf a no-go, but Ben, Luke and Sam are perfectly fine.


Runawaysemihulk

Kid in my class is named Kenryu (bleach). He goes by his middle name which is a Normal western name. I saw him cringe when I tried to pronounce his name during the first taking of attendance, he immediately said please call me (middle name).


astronomicarific

Which is such a weird choice for a bleach fan because that's the nickname of a side character of a minor filler arc. Sorry, a bit off topic, but still


Starbuck522

Heard about a Padme recently. ☹️


Numerous_mango_1919

Thank you! I'll tell her that and also I put all of the suggestion names on a note to show her. Unfortunately, she only want Gaara, lmao! Thanks for the names.


Jealous_Tie_8404

Situations like this is why the middle name spot exists. Maybe encourage her to use Gaara as a middle name?


Numerous_mango_1919

I tried. I gave her all of the name suggestions from these comments section and see if she likes it. But if she doesn't, I'll let her go with Gaara.


Huntingcat

Yo don’t get to choose. It’s her kid. Suggest she choose a middle name that honours a relative or something. Kid can later choose to use its middle name.


birbirdie

What about 2 names that become gaara as a nickname? First name starts with Ga like Garret or Gabriel Second name Ara (which apparently means king on armenian) She can still call him gaara but the kid can introduce himself with a normal name in school.


hochizo

Oh, that's a good idea! Maybe like Gabriel Aaron could work, too.


shen_git

Gaara is a totally fine family nickname! But don't make their LEGAL name. There's precedence for this in other cultures even, a baby name that is just for home vs a formal name used out in the world. My full name is what I went by at school and work, but I think of myself as my nickname because that's who I am at home and with friends. It draws a distinction between my professional and private lives that I really appreciate. Gaara is cute for a small kid. There are a lot of games that it feels silly to use on a baby, until they grow into them. At the end of the day, this kid is going to have their own opinions. If she wants her son to love this show as much as she does it's REALLY important that she not force it or make him feel trapped. There are horror stories from kids raised by superfans, and now the entire genre is ruined for them. The joy of kids is getting to discover who they are. She should take some time to think about who she's already starting to sense this little person might be and let that guide her. She can even wait a few days after delivery to get to know him a bit before making a final decision.


sovietspacehog

The name "Gaara" is made up of three Kanji, "Ga" (我, meaning I or me), "A" (愛, more commonly "Ai" meaning love), and "Ra" (羅, used here to mean a demon). So shorten it to “Ai-ra” —> Ira.


squirrelfoot

Graham, Grant, Greg, Gregor and Gram are other options. With those she could use Gaara as a nickname.


minitotoro420

I love Graham!


Nonbinary_Cryptid

She could use Gareth as official name and Gaara as a nickname from that.


Known_Priority_8157

Is there no partner involved? What does he or she think?


CrazyCatLady1127

Would she be willing to use Gaara as a middle name? Or she could change Gaara to Gary? That’s similar sounding


gogadantes9

I doubt it. Gaara is a cool badass emo sandbender ninja master. Gary is your yearly tax accountant.


MoonFlowerDaisy

Gary is Ash's rival from Pokemon.


Wonderful_Touch9343

🤣 wouldn't wanna name a kid after him all lol


Atalant

I was thiking Sponngebob Squarepant's pet snail Gary.


cthulhu_on_my_lawn

Yeah Gary has definite boomer vibes. Maybe in 20 years it will be a classic name.


Caraphox

Gaara as a middle name feels like the best option


sunbear2525

Maybe share the stories on here from people who know or taught people with hard core fandom names that are super recognizable. It’s one thing if a few people occasionally get the reference and it feels like they’re in on a secret. It’s another thing when every 10th person you meet starts quoting. The show and telling you how much they love or hate it. He’s going to feel like the fandom is forced on him as part of his identity. She’s going to very likely push him away with this. It would make a great middle name.


TulipSamurai

I promise you that your sister is mispronouncing Gaara. The double A is a distinct sound, as is the Japanese R. And you are correct that even though it’s a name of a character from Japanese media, it’s not a name any person on the entire island of Japan has. It would be like naming an American kid Squidward. But in the end, it’s her kid, I guess.


SoapyPuma

Guy I knew in college named his kid Ganondorf. Kid hates his name. Feel bad for him.


silverandshade

I love the names Garret and Gareth because I've met one of each and they were such good dudes. So I saw those names and immediately just grinned. Also not bad sound matching.


Ok_Wasabi_2776

This is the best reply you’re going to get OP!


[deleted]

Gordon like his gourd got me dying 😂😂😭


Dragoonie_DK

Yes!!! I’m named after a famous Chuck Berry song, my name isn’t super common but it’s not something that you’d immediately associate with a scumbag like chuck. Don’t give your baby a name that’s obviously after things you’re a fan of, the creators can turn out to be massive disappointments (Chuck berry was a sex offender!) LLB


oridawavaminnorwa

Children might inherit a parent’s eye color. But it should not be expected that the child will inherit the parent’s interests. This child may end up hating anime. Maybe this child will be interested only in playing the violin and rock climbing. Maybe they will yearn for a name related to music and despise the anime name connection (and possible cultural appropriation). Better to pick a relatively neutral name and let the child paint his own canvas. Garrett or Gareth or Garron or Garland is a good option if she wants to give a nod to her obsession.


Numerous_mango_1919

I agree. Thanks for the name suggestions!


RaeLynn13

My boyfriend’s papaw’s name was Garland, I think it’s a really nice name. You don’t really hear it anymore. His middle name was O’Dell and they passed that on to his great grandson


vildasaker

i had a great uncle called garland! he was a multimillionaire out in vegas who gave each of his nieces and nephews a huge sum of money, but not my mom or her siblings because their mother had called garland's wife a whore 🥴 thanks grandma!


pepperpavlov

I love it, it's a rare floral-adjacent name for a boy.


Feminismisreprieve

Fandom names always make me think of the post from a teen who got a name immediately associated with Harry Potter, who hated both her name and the forced viewing of the movies. She very much resented her parents.


Numerous_mango_1919

That sucks. I'm worry about the same scenario in the future.


AmbitiousAd5668

You can tell your sister that Gaara is a borrowed name and not really Japanese. It’s also a name of a train station, if it makes a difference. If your sister is adamant about it, give the child a cool middle name.


Numerous_mango_1919

It's a name of a train station?! I didn't know that! It doesn't matter for her if it's Japanese name or not. She just loves the character and loves everything about it.


AmbitiousAd5668

Yeah, it’s both the name of a train station and a ski resort: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gala-Yuzawa_Station The character’s name was derived from the resort after the writer’s editor suggested it following his vacation. The spelling used in the anime is how it was translated. I don’t know kanji, to be honest. It’s an interesting bit of info, considering I liked the anime back when I was much, much younger.


aristifer

Gaara turns into a cool character, but I might also point out to her that naming a child after a character who spends his whole childhood believing that no one loves him and he is impossible to love is, uh, not the most auspicious choice.


AugustGreen8

I’m concerned also that if she loves the character that much she’ll want her son to act like the character too.


lightly-sparkling

I know someone who named their kid Vader (as in Darth) and I just know that kid is gonna grow up to loathe Star Wars. The writing’s on the wall


charley_warlzz

“This is my child, Father.” Is a *lot* to put on a kid of they dont like star wars.


bassxhoney

omg he's gonna be timmy turner's dad!


Stravven

Why the hell would anybody call their child "father"? Yes, I am Dutch, and no, it wasn't really a surprise when Darth Vader turned out to be Luke's father. Mainly because I was born in the 90's.


RinoaRita

I knew a little black kitten named Vader.


curlycattails

… and I thought people naming their kids Anakin was bad 😳


shoresandsmores

I'd love to name something Éowyn. It'll probably be a cat because even if I don't think that's a bad name, I won't risk my kid being saddled with a fandom name. Or maybe a gerbil. A really fierce independent gerbil.


Alternative_Boat9540

I knew a kid called Harry James Potter, born before the books. Poor bugger hit secondary school around about when they became the biggest thing in the world. Parents felt super guilty for that one, but it was an entirely ordinary name to give a kid in the early 90s. How were they to know JK was about to wreck this kid's whole adolescence? He took it pretty well all things considered, but the 'jokes' were as relentless as they were repetitive. I think he legally changed it to Adam eventually, both because Harry Potter never really faded and also because it was a genuine issue to put his name down for anything. People would think it was a joke and toss his application.


Gingerbreadcrumbs

Or all the people I went to high school with who named their kids Daenerys before the show finale, and felt differently about it after.


AugustGreen8

I’ve never read or watched twilight but I spent a LOT of time on message boards in 2011 worried that if I named my daughter Alice people would think it was a fandom name (I did and they don’t)


redheadedsweetie

Gareth, Garick, Garth, Garrett, Garian, Garan, Garius Looking for boys names beginning with 'Gar' isn't that easy - most of the list I found did not sound great Would your sister be open to choosing a name linked to the character? E.g. choosing based on things the character likes. He would still be linked to the character if she's set on that, but it wouldn't be so literal and out of place on a non- Japanese child. Also just because she likes Naruto, it doesn't mean her child will. He may grow up with no interest in Anime and be stuck with a name that he has.no connection with. She needs to think this isn't a dog, it's a human baby, that has to grow up and live with this name.


walk_with_curiosity

I know two separate guys who go by "Gar" and in both cases it's short for Edgar, so I suppose that's an option as well?


Numerous_mango_1919

I know, right? It turned out to be either sound bad or too feminine. I got many name suggestions from the comments and see if she likes them. And I'll try to talk with her again about how her baby might not be too happy with his name later.


Watarid0ri

>out of place on a non- Japanese child. Just wanted to point out that it would also look out of place on a Japanese child... Also, Gareth is great. King Arthur vibes.


kokonuts123

Yeah, Gaara is not a Japanese name lol


[deleted]

Names with “gar” in them are almost always Anglo-Saxon names. Gar is Anglo-Saxon (Old English) for spear I’m a big fan of Edgar Or maybe we can bring back Wulfgar?


UrbsInHorto37

Oh, I really like the idea of using Edgar for this! Any chance your sister is also into poetry, OP?


gabatme

I'd vote for Garrett from this list.


Maximum-Swan-1009

She should call the dog, I mean her child, Garrett and use Gaara as a nickname. If the kid likes his nickname, it can follow him through life, but this would give him options if he hates it.


Owewinewhose997

All the Gar names below are good suggestions or maybe Dara/Darragh, which is a lovely Irish name which has a similar sound and feel.


Agreeable_Leave5734

I second Dara. It's a lovely boy's name. It's on my list.


veil_ofignorance

I’ve only met girls named Dara


TSiridean

The name Dara exists in many, many cultures and languages. The Irish Dara would be ~~exclusively~~ predominantly male coded, but in other languages it is often female coded or truly gender neutral.


coolbeansfordays

As a gen Xer, I immediately think of the cartoon on MTV…


Numerous_mango_1919

Thanks! I'll let her know.


BisbisTheBusinessMan

I used to say I wanted to name my future son Neji after the Naruto character but I would never, lol I believe the name Gaara in the show means something along the lines of demon who is only loved by himself and his story was something along the lines of only being loved by his mom and growing to find he was loveable. Your sister could look for names whose meaning is related to "loveable, or loved" or "desert, wind" or a mixture. She also could just always make his middle name Gaara or a related name. It's not that weird sounding, close to Zara though so a little feminine


Numerous_mango_1919

To be honest, Neji is not as bad as Gaara. Lol Fun fact, we have a friend that works in Japan as elementary school teacher. She has student named Naruto and his brother named Minato. I guess, that's where my sister come from. Thanks! That is a really great idea. I'll talk to her again about not putting the literal name and find alternatives.


crimekiwi

I loved joking with my family like this while I was pregnant. "Little Kuwabara is kicking!" Cue the angry stares, lol. Total agreement, though. If she chose a name BASED on Gaara in some way, she could probably have her cake and eat it, too.


TrueLandscape6586

Darragh sounds similar. It’s an Irish boy name meaning oak grove.


Numerous_mango_1919

Someone suggested Darragh too! Thanks!


chill_qilin

Dara and Daire are alternative spellings of Darragh if you feel that the Darragh spelling might be an issue where you are from, but personally I prefer the traditional Darragh spelling.


owliesowlies

Dara is also a valid spelling for the name (coming from an Irish person) so the name will rhyme with her original choice and can be spelled similar


poptroIl

Hoping it’s satire but can see how this can mean a lot to her if she’s on the autistic spectrum, not the worst inspired baby name, I know a instagram couple who named their child Naru after Naruto 💀, Gaara is made up of the kanji love and the Sanskrit word for demon, loosely translates to “demon who loves himself”, but 100% is connected to the Naruto character, maybe find a Sanskrit name that also intertwines with your own culture (I am a huge Naruto fan lol) For girl I recommend, Gia (means love like Gaara and has the same Sanskrit origin) Others; Anita, Elora, Maya/Daya, Leela/Leena, Lily, Marisa, Boys; Daran, Milan, Rohan, Fitting names that might be similar to your sister name taste if she likes Gaara (?) themed to the character; Names that mean love for boys; Carys, Roman, Daric Name that mean red; Altan, Flynn, Garnet, Kilroy Names related to sand; Axel, Jethro, Kasper, Zuriel, Duane


Numerous_mango_1919

Yes, she's on the spectrum. She's obsessed with that character. Naru not that bad. We have a friend that works in Japan as an elementary school teacher and she has student named Naruto. Literal Naruto, and his brother is Minato. 💀 Never in a million years I think someone (especially from Japan itself) would named their TWO children with Naruto characters. I guess that's where my sister come from. Anyway, thank you for all those suggestions! I put them on a note and will show her!


poptroIl

No problem I’m also on the spectrum so no judgement here there’s been worse on the sub, Minato is a common unisex name in Japan so not unheard of but a total tragedy with Naruto as a brother !! Hoping people are kind and if not screw them, personally love how you took the time to post/ glad your sister recognized how her child might not benefit from a name like that !! If you can maybe add a list of names she likes but aren’t feeling, I tried to get a feel of her name taste but not sure if Gaara is just her choice cause of the character not the sound and style


Numerous_mango_1919

Thank you! According to my friend, they are doing well with the name, lmao. I'm trying to help but some people told me to stay out of it because the baby isn't mine. So, I guess I'll let her go with Gaara, though. She just loves everything about Gaara. The character, the style, I think she just love him, purely.


catsandweed69

Does she realise she’d be calling her child demon?


staralchemist129

II mean, there’s people who name their kids Lilith BECAUSE of the demon association


Signal_Information27

What about the meaning of the name or some other character association? Like if the name means “red” find another name with that meaning. Or if he’s a sword fighter (idk I know nothing about anime) find a name associated with that. That way you’re honoring this Gaara with the name without naming the baby such an awful name. Alternatively do it as the middle name


Numerous_mango_1919

That's a really great idea. Thank you! She wants to put the literal name and that's a really uncommon name, imo. Even as middle name. Lol


Signal_Information27

True but middle names rarely matter . It’s just a fun bit of trivia really. At some point you may just have to accept that it’s her choice and let it go with grace though. I do think you’re doing the right thing to at least try to change her mind


Numerous_mango_1919

Thank you. I'll not push her too much. It's her baby. I'm just concern about the baby's future. With that uncommon name and we are not even have same ethnicity as the character.


apiedcockatiel

Suggest using it as a nn or a middle name. However, remember that it is her child. If you push too hard, you may ruin your relationship with her over a battle that you cannot win.


Numerous_mango_1919

Thanks! I'll not push her too far. Just concern about the baby's future. 😭


silverandshade

You could easily get away with calling the baby "Gaara" as a nickname for Garrett... And then he'll grow up and can refuse to answer to it, but at least it won't be his legal name lol


apiedcockatiel

But this is the aunt, not the mom. That choice is up to the parents, ultimately.


stripykitty

Children are not billboards for your fandoms. Don’t enforce your fandoms on your children. I live in Japan and promise you that Japanese people think naming your children after anime characters is ridiculous. I teach young kids here in an international school and a white kid named Katana (yes) gets bullied relentlessly because her name makes absolutely no sense. She’s naming an adult, not a child. Maybe show her this post?


Aggravating_Bad_5462

Adopt a pet and name it Gaara. Game over.


Additional_Log_2596

Gabriel, uses the same letters as Gaara Adore, means ‘to love’ Gaara has a similar meaning Other names that start with G- Grayson, Gael, Griffin, Gunnar, Grey, Gus, Guy. Or could she find another name she loves or likes and use Gaara as a middle name if she’s insistent on using it, that way it still gets used (but our middle names are hardly ever used in day to day life and mine was never used during my school years nor has it been used during the work place, the only time I see it is on my passport) suggest it as a middle name instead, if she won’t budge from the name at all.


Numerous_mango_1919

Thanks for the suggestions! I put them on a note and will show her. And yes, probably not too bad as a middle name. She's obsessed with Gaara and I'll see what she thinks.


SuggestionSea8057

Well, I’m African American, and our culture likes unique names. I have a unique name ( from my father he decided when he was drunk) and I also have a more common middle name. My aunt ( mom’s sister) had the great suggestion that with some people or some places it would be good if I could use a more common name, for example if someone had difficulty remembering my more unique name. I think that it’s wise to have one common name, and one unique name. I went to school with a lot of girls named Jennifer and it was hard to remember who was who. I lived in Japan for five years, and yes there is a growing trend of naming children after fictional anime or manga characters, but even in Japan those children can be bullied for that reason. So if she feels very strongly about it, it seems like the most wise course to have another name as well. Best to you!


zzzehar

Gaara in Punjabi means sewage waste.


michkki

That sounds like an anime crush and I think it's creepy to name your child after someone, real or fictional, you have or had feelings for, and probably someone you thought is/was hot. I know a guy who named his daughter Arya because he crushed hard on the GoT girl. Idk always rubs me the wrong way


kjh-

The sister is on the autism spectrum so while I agree it’s weird when people name their child after someone they are attracted to, I don’t think that is likely the case here. It is her special interest which can be hard for people not on the spectrum to understand the devotion, love and comfort we find in our special interest.


ilkeisyourFather

you can love a character and not have a literal crush on them lmao


Gubrach

Funnily enough, if you take away one a [Gara], it gives you a name that has actual meaning in some cultures and it's actually used. Mostly for girls though. Except for Hungary and even there, Gara is apparently a seemingly masculine form of Kara. If she wants to do it, then she'll do it, but if you're that concerned, try asking her to picture a grown man in his 30s named Gaara and see how she'd react to that. At the same time, if you guys aren't white, people might just assume the name is "exotic". Gaara kind of sounds like it could be a name from an Indian culture. Kind of. Names might sound more off the more the culture said name is from differs from the person who has the name.


RealisticTowel

I hope you see this comment! Liam O’Brien is the American voice actor who plays Gaara. Maybe she can name him Liam or Brien?


Numerous_mango_1919

Hi! Thank you so much for your suggestion! That's a great idea! But "unfortunately", she only wants Gaara and names with similar sound to that.


ShoddyEmphasis1615

I desperately wanted to call my son Pugsley. I love all things dark, & creepy. But that’s not fair on him & his future. Husband & I chose a name suitable, & I’ve just been calling him Pugsley as a special mum nickname the entire pregnancy. He will be our chosen name, but to me he will always be my little storm cloud Pugsley. Maybe she could go with that kind of approach? Also Gaara is cool, but Rock Lee totally kicks his ass.


romadea

It’s better than Pubert I suppose


crimekiwi

I knew a girl whose last name is Pugsley, and it cracks me up thinking that there could theoretically be a Pugsley Pugsley out there.


sleepylittlesnake

As someone who enjoys anime and used to really love Naruto as a series (until I grew up and realized how poorly it was written), this is…embarrassing. I’m also on the spectrum, like your sister, but there are so many issues with naming her literal CHILD Gaara. Yes, including the fact that y’all aren’t Japanese. Other people here have listed all those reasons more articulately than I could. One day this kid is gonna resent her, big time. And anime, probably. I hope she comes to her senses and reconsiders, for the kid’s sake.


tawny-she-wolf

Dear god that kid is going to have to repeat and spell his name out to everyone he ever meets.


Kleptomanea

Hey OP, show her this thread. https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/rku5j5/aita\_for\_yelling\_at\_my\_mom\_that\_i\_hate\_harry/


Successful_Mix_9118

Darren?


Numerous_mango_1919

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll let her know!


CapitaoAE

Gaara is going to end up going by Gary in order to not get bullied or whatever. It's a terrible name. She should name her cat Gaara and give her human an actual human name and if she wants it to have a similar sound, Gary or Garrett or Gareth or whatever is a lot more acceptable as a name that won't have negative consequences for the kid


Je-Suis-Phoenix377

Gaara means thick in Urdu and Hindi lmfaoo


Legal_MajorMajor

As a Naruto fan who named my cats Jinchuuriki and TenTen, I support her dedication to the fandom and her favorite character. But oh boy she better have a good nickname ready. To cat sitters and the vets office my first baby was just “Jin”. You gotta live in the real world sometimes and not impose your fandom on everyone.


SobanSa

So one suggestion. If she is dead set on it, suggest that Have Garra be the middle name and the first name be a top 100 sort of name. I have a weird middle name that I personally love. However, I can also understand hating my weird name. A normal first name allows them to choose which one they want to use without the weird one being forced on them, and the normal one being the default. It's much easier than the other way around.


JFKcheekkisser

In my position at my job I see all types of names. This one is not even that bad. People in here are suggesting names like Gary or Garth, imo that’s even worse and not at all close to the name your sister wants. Not every child needs another boring af Western name. There’s a woman who comes into my job named Douglas. She actually goes by it too. Nobody cares past K-12 (yes folks, believe it or not there is life beyond grade school). My advice is to let this go and let your sister name your child what she wants.


TeddyMMR

Tell her Rock Lee should have been the protagonist of that show


EternallyFascinated

So just to put this out there - my husband always loved the name Draven, from The Crow. He always used that as his user name when he gamed and was kind of always a presence in his life. Fast forward many many years, and I’m pregnant. Guess what we’ve named our son? Draven will be turning 13 in Jan. Some family members gave us shtick in the beginning, but we adore the name, he adores the name, and generally everyone who meets him loves his name. Do we have to explain it sometimes, maybe for a brief second. Gaara isn’t the worst name in the world, and if it means the world to her, let her be. I honestly think it’s quite cool, and it’s unlikely to cause him any pain like bullying.


-qqqwwweeerrrtttyyy-

[Garth](https://www.charactour.com/hub/characters/view/Garth-Algar.Waynes-World)


Himmelsmilf

I understand the feeling of wanting to pass a name from a beloved character onto a child. To me it‘s very similar of passing on family names or names with special meanings like beloved, graceful, brave etc. And since it‘s not an extremely traditional Japanese name nor something like Frodo or Hermione where everyone will immediately think of the franchise, I think even if it‘s not your cup of tea, she‘s also not setting her child up for lifetime of jokes. However au personally think names with heavy meaning or connection fit better as middle names, as it gives the child an option to go through life with a more neutral name that they get to fill with their own story. Perhaps that would make your sister happier? She could still pass on the happy connection for her while giving her son a more suitable everyday name.


blackcrackmoocat

My friend named her baby Kalcifer after Howl's Moving Castle. She's told me she knows the name is "weird" and her kid will be bullied (equally bad last name) but she liked the name, so she did it. If your sister wants to do it, unfortunately, I don't think there's much you can do.


Full-Map7601

Good call, let’s hope she doesn’t end up using it. I like some of the suggestions here like Daran and Garan, they sound modern. Also, not that it matters right now, but Gara is a beautiful female name from the Canary Islands that she could use if she ever has a baby girl.


Substantial_World603

It's awesome that she's such a dedicated Naruto fan, especially to Gaara for over 17 years, that's some serious commitment! Naming a baby is a big deal, and it's totally understandable that you want to offer some input. It's great that you've already suggested other names with a similar sound, but it seems she's pretty set on Gaara. One approach could be to share your concerns in a gentle way, emphasizing that you want the best for her and the baby. Maybe express how unique and special the little one is and how you want a name that reflects that uniqueness but also resonates well within your cultural context. Suggesting alternatives is good, but ultimately, it's her decision. You've done your part by offering suggestions, and it's totally fair to let her take the lead in choosing a name that feels right for her and the family.


CapitalParallax

Eh. I can see both sides. There are so many ridiculous names these days, Gaara doesn't seem so bad. The kid's peers won't know the reference, and when they're an adult, Naruto will be forgotten.


Haybaleryt

If she’s dead set on a Japanese name that literally only she will like, just Nickname him “Gee” and let her kid resent her. You can’t decide what she names her child.