How did you decide upon the perfect name for you son or daughter? Many parents choose names that have been handed down in their families from one generation to the next. Others pick names that are popular in the year the baby was born. One couple decided to break with tradition and ask “the internet” to select a name for their baby girl. Poor thing almost got named Cthulhu All-Spark!
How did this very unique name get suggested? It didn’t come from either of her parents! Stephen McLaughlin, a software developer, decided to ask the Reddit community to suggest some options for a name for his daughter. It appears his wife went along with this potentially disastrous decision. They put together a website called “NameMyDaughter.com”.
There was a disclaimer written on the website. Stephen McLaughlin and his wife would make the final decision. In other words, the couple was still going to exercise some control over what the name of their daughter would be. As explanation, Stephen McLaughlin wrote on the website: “internet, I know better than to trust you.”
What names did the creative people of Reddit suggest? The most popular one was Cthulhu All-Spark (which would be a first and middle name). Cthulhu, for those who are unaware, is the name of an elder god that appeared in the book The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft in 1928. Cthulhu is described as gargantuan in size, hideous in appearance, and a being that inspires absolute terror in those who look upon it. Not exactly the prettiest name for a baby girl, right?
AllSpark must be a reference to something in the “universe” of the Transformers cartoons and movies. The AllSpark is a shell that contains incredible life-giving energies. It can bring life to new Transformers. The Autobots and Decepticons fight over it. Put it all together, and the name Cthulhu AllSpark might “translate” into something like “Terror Life”.
Other suggested names included: Megatron (both the Decepticon leader, in Transformers, and a reference to Meg in the the Family Guy cartoon), Not Zelda (a reference to the Zelda series of video games), Snorlax (the name of a Pokemon), Streetlamp, 13, KidsRGross, You, Salad, LOL, and Reddit. Stephen McLaughlin removed suggested names that were STI’s and sexual positions. Thankfully, there actually were some traditional names among the suggestions!
What name did this baby girl end up with? Parents Stephen McLaughlin and his wife named their daughter Amelia Savannah Joy McLaughlin. That’s quite a sensible name, especially considering that this is the first child to have been named by Reddit!
Image by IntangibleArts on Flickr.