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Help[Opinions] Elphaba
A former classmate of mine who is pregnant with a girl told me on Tuesday that Elphaba is one of the names she is considering because she's a fan of Wicked (she loves the book and she saw the musical on a vacation to New York City). I think it's a rather weird name. Her boyfriend isn't willing to use it since he doesn't think it sounds like a name. But she likes it.
What do you think of Elphaba? Is it too far-fetched for a real kid?
What do you think of Elphaba? Is it too far-fetched for a real kid?
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I don't know the first thing about Wicked, so my first thought was that it might be a suitable name for an elephant! On a human, or a pachyderm actually, I'd also assume that it had its origin in one of the Semitic languages.
In spite of the elephantine connection, it seems rather lightweight and flimsy. I hope they'll give her an unambiguous mn or two.
In spite of the elephantine connection, it seems rather lightweight and flimsy. I hope they'll give her an unambiguous mn or two.
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I think any name too heavily associated with a single person or character shouldn't be used. So yes, there is only one Elphaba and I wouldn't use it. To each their own, however.
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I like it, but only because of Wicked. I wouldn't like the name if not for that character. My cat is named Elphaba "Elphie". I don't think I'd use it for a human, although I think that Elphie or Elfie is a cute nickname for a girl.
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I think it is too out there, too fairy tale. It also reminds me of elephant, which I am sure most little girls would not be too thrilled about.
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I think it's a name that would get a lot of teasing; even at a quick glance Alphabet and Elephant come to mind.
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I believe Gregory McGuire created the name based on the initials of L. Frank Baum, original author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I think one of the reasons it works for the "wicked" witch is that it's so ugly sounding.
Wicked aside, I think it's a terrible name. The "elf" sound, the "buh" sound at the end of the name, the fact that I think "elephant" when I see it written out-- all reasons it's awful IMO. Unless the baby is born green, I'd scratch this name.
Made up names form literature work sometimes, but I don't know that the world is ready for little Elphabas yet.
Wicked aside, I think it's a terrible name. The "elf" sound, the "buh" sound at the end of the name, the fact that I think "elephant" when I see it written out-- all reasons it's awful IMO. Unless the baby is born green, I'd scratch this name.
Made up names form literature work sometimes, but I don't know that the world is ready for little Elphabas yet.
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This was supposed to go under the OP
Elphaba is a GP of mine, and if the little girl doesn't like it she can always go by Ellie, so I don;t see it as being too tragic. That being said, I have two main problems with Elphaba:
First, it sounds like elephant and alphabet, which has already been mentioned. That doesn't bother me, but I suspect a lot of girls won't like the connection.
Second, giving kids bizarre names after characters you like always seems like a mistake to me. What happens when your interest in this fictional world inevitably wanes? Will you still like the name? Will it sound even more ridiculous over time? For example, I feel like a lot of people who have named their daughter Khaleesi are going to regret it someday.
Elphaba is a GP of mine, and if the little girl doesn't like it she can always go by Ellie, so I don;t see it as being too tragic. That being said, I have two main problems with Elphaba:
First, it sounds like elephant and alphabet, which has already been mentioned. That doesn't bother me, but I suspect a lot of girls won't like the connection.
Second, giving kids bizarre names after characters you like always seems like a mistake to me. What happens when your interest in this fictional world inevitably wanes? Will you still like the name? Will it sound even more ridiculous over time? For example, I feel like a lot of people who have named their daughter Khaleesi are going to regret it someday.
This message was edited 7/13/2014, 1:01 PM
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I think it's incredibly ugly.
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I quite like Elphaba. Other literature names have become real names, why not this one? It would be cute on a little girl.
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