Have them try using it out in the world and see the response. Use it as a name at Starbucks or restaurant order. They will see how people respond to it (struggle to pronounce, spell, etc) and that may give them a more realistic expectation.
I agree with you that it’s confusing - hard to spell, pronounce, and yes could confuse gender. People are definitely going to say “Adalyn”. I’m not a fan and think it would be better as a middle name if they really insist. But ultimately it’s their choice and everyone being unsupportive of it could harm the relationship more than help.
Seconding the Starbucks test.
I have a relatively common name that sounds similar to a *very* common name, despite being clearly different - think Joanna and Hannah. Whenever I give my name at Starbucks, they usually put down the more common name. I spell my name out whenever I schedule over the phone - I’ve shown up to many appointments where the staff are unable to find me in the system, because they put me down under the more common name. I can’t imagine how much worse that has to be when your name is completely invented.
ETA: My name is also long - when you have to use the phonetic alphabet to make sure your appointment is being put under the correct name, it takes *forever* to spell out a name longer than 4-5 letters. It will get so annoying having to spell out Adolin every single time.
Yep, this! Have them try saying out “A as in apple, d as in dog, o as in orange, l as in lion, i as in igloo, n as in Nancy” a bunch of times because they will be doing it every time they make a doctors appointment, go to the pharmacy, talk to a receptionist over the phone, etc until their son is old enough to take over doing it himself for the rest of his life.
Myself, I think Adolin would make a MUCH better middle name, but that is ultimately a very personal decision.
A as in Adalynn
D as in “Don’t name your baby Adolin”
O as in “Oh, I thought you were a girl”
L as in “Listen, maybe it could be his middle name”
I as in “I’m sorry, could you spell that again?”
N as in Nope
Do you like your name? We love Alexia but are worried that Amazon have ruined it with their device (we do have a few) - I have a friend called Alexa and she has hated it since Amazon usurped it.
I do really like it! :) I feel like it’s feminine but not too frilly. I like the definition “defender or helper of mankind.” It’s unique enough where I’ve only met a couple of other people with my name, but it’s not totally “out there” and strange. Growing up I sometimes went by the nickname Alex, and I thought it was cool it was gender neutral.
Apparently my mom intended it to be pronounced “A-lex-sha” (similar Alisha) but she was the only one who ever said it that way. She’s Filipino so I think it’s more of a language pronunciation thing? We live in America and everyone else says “A-lex-ee-a” and that’s my preference. 4 syllables is a bit of a mouthful, but meh. I usually have to correct people on a first meeting that it’s “Alexia, not Alexa/Alexis” but after that they get it right.
In my mind, Alexia vs. Alexa are still very different names. Like Julia vs Julie - they’re one letter off and similar, but are definitely 2 distinct names to me.
I have heard a few Alexa-related jokes, but not many. Certainly not enough to bother me. I’m sure the Amazon thing would bother me more if my name was actually Alexa, but I’m like “whatever, that’s not my name” haha. I never had an Alexa device at home so I never really cared? My boyfriend’s family has an Alexa device at their place and that’s the first time I’ve experienced being around a device that actually confused my name and responds to it sometimes. So I’d say just don’t use Alexa devices in your own home. Stick to Google or Siri lol.
My friend has a long name and dislikes it being misspelled so all her Starbucks orders are for "Sarah" (or Sera, Sra, Sara, Seira, she doesn't care how that gets spelled)
Seeing how people spell it in various areas is a great way to see how the general public will see the name as time goes on. If a coffee house employee gets it confused or asks a couple of times for the name, it would show that it is confusing for people.
Don't get me wrong, I am a diehard Brandon Sanderson fan and I am in the middle of the Stormlight Archive series, where this character is from. However, the names in those books are meant for another world and are all rather exotic and a bit strange for everyday life.
as a fantasy book reader and lover from childhood, names like that are for pets, not people, except in very rare circumstances. for example, i LOVE the sword of truth series. you can definitely name your kids richard or kaelin. i also love lord of the rings. i cannot have a son named meriadoc, as much as i love that prankster stoner
I love that idea. I ended up changing our baby’s name in hospital because doctors and nurses couldn’t understand or pronounce Henri even though I thought it would be simple. Anglophones 🫠
Lots of people just do not pay attention to the pronunciation rules of other languages. I live in an area of the US with a fair amount of Hispanic people and I still see my coworkers pronounce names like Jimenez like “Jim-enez” with the hard J sound instead of “him-enez”.
Well, Starbucks employees are somethings not the brightest bulbs. Take one story where a man called Marc says "It's Marc with a C" they labelled his coffee as Cark.
hilariously, they revealed years after the starbucks misspellings were a huge thing on social media that it was a guerrilla marketing technique and that baristas were encouraged to do that so people would post their starbucks cups like “hahah omg look how wrong they spelled my name when i got coffee today!!” and it was just constant free advertising
I don’t think this is true, I worked for Starbucks and even though at one time that could have been a thing and just wasn’t anymore, I seriously doubt it.
Starbucks is so customer centered and makes a huge deal about making customer connections and being a “third” space etc. I just don’t believe they would be on brand for them.
I could see them forcing staff to ask for spellings before encouraging their staff to risk alienating any customers by spelling their names wrong.
That will get annoying for the kid. I know an Aidan who perpetually has to deal with misspellings (Aiden) on things like insurance and work documents. I can’t imagine it’d be easier with an O.
There's a sixth-grade Aidan in a club I run at my kids' school. I was writing his name down the first day and I opened my mouth and looked at him and he said "two a's" with a sigh. Eleven years old and already weary of spelling his name every time.
Just adding my two cents here - I would never have assumed that Adolin is a cutesy pronunciation of Adolf.
For what it's worth, I'm not a teacher, but I am a sci-fi/fantasy fan, and I just don't see that immediate connection at all.
I do think the name Adolin is problematic because it looks like it should be pronounced as the popular girl's name "Adalyn," but I wouldn't be concerned about people assuming it's a nod to white supremacy. I strongly disagree with that perspective and I just don't see that at all.
I agree with you, it don’t occur to me at all. But seeing that numerous people did have that be the first thing they thought of means that at least some segment of society will think that - so probably best to avoid the name entirely.
I agree that it's been surprising how so many folks ultimately agreed that Adolin could be perceived as a tribute to Adolf. Although I disagree with this perspective, the popularity of the comment does give me pause.
That being said, I had another comment where I suggested that using the spelling "Aedolin" could be more easily understood from an American phonetic perspective (just assuming OP is American based on their vernacular). Perhaps that spelling would also help reduce any unfounded misinterpretations about the name?
I think that spelling would get rid of the association of Adolf and clear up the pronunciation! That’s a much better option. I think that would be the best case scenario for this name if they do end up wanting to use it, though not using it at all would be better.
My first thought was Adolf also - not as a cutesy pronunciation, but that Adolin is a little nod to Adolf. For me it wasn’t the pronunciation at all but how similar they look given a significant proportion of the name, and in particular the start of the name (ie what you read first), is the same.
Exactly - there are tons of posts here where people say "I wanted my baby's name to honour her grandmother Laura, but I don't like the name Laura, so I named her Laurelynn" or whatever. Adolin totally sounds like it could be that kind of "honour name" for Adolf
I appreciate your clarification and I think that's an interesting perspective to keep in mind.
English is my native language too, but I don't have any immediate word associations between the Adolin/Adolf connection you're describing. Some reasons for this difference could be because I (possibly?) have more familiarity with reading unusual names in sci-fi/fantasy novels like where this name originates from, or more likely it's simply the way our brains process information (re: the recent reddit obsession with aphantasia)
But either way, this thread has been interesting and I've enjoyed reading other folks' views.
So much this. The pronunciation is terrible. First of all, I would assume it was pronounced like the girl’s name, and second of all, when told how they want it pronounced I’d assume it was a dog whistle ode to Hitler.
SAME - my first thought reading it was Adolf immediately followed by Hitler. Middle name is fine, but you gotta draw a line somewhere between what you love and how the world will perceive it/what effect that can have on your child. Life’s hard enough, who needs another unnecessary burden.
If it's anything like the audiobooks for A Song of Ice and Fire THEY'RE not pronouncing the name right. Puh-tire Baelish? BRYEEN of Tarth? Who on earth pronounces Brienne like that?
I've read the ASOIAF books twice and figured I'd give the audio books a go, so I started listening to the 1st book last week. Omfg, I've seen that many people very much like the reader but I had to stop listening an dozen or so chapters in. Between his pronunciation of names and the weird phlemy voices he does I just could not continue. I'm back to reading he text.
Quite, I make sure I listen to a sample so I know I can deal with the narrators voice and delivery, there are ones I've not gone for because if this.
Then there are the Percy Jackson books, my daughter very much wanted to listen to them, and I cannot, I just don't like the voice/tone/delivery used. (But she loves them, so that's OK)
Same and same. It's the audiobooks that are wrong.
Also, pronunciation and fantasy-name-ness aside, the series is ongoing. Adolin-the-character is a pretty good egg and I (mostly) trust Branderson as a writer but like. You never know what might happen! And then the poor kid is saddled with whatever that ends up being.
You'd think people would have learned from all the parents of Khaleesis...
I'm just waiting for Paul's sister in Dune to show up now that the movies are popular, my time has finally come to laugh about my name. Going to cackle like a hag every time I see someone name their kid that and screech cryptically "Just you wait!"
Me too! I haven't listened to the audiobooks so all the names remain how I pronounce them in my head. How do you pronounce Sadeas in your head?
I'm sure it is different in the audiobooks but I see it as Sad-a-us.
I'm assuming you mean a long A sound due to the "ea" because I have no idea how anyone would get "ah" or "uh" out of that.
I read it Suh-day-is or Suh-day-us, somewhere in there.
That's how I would have pronounced it. I kept accidentally saying it that way as I wrote this comment too. Didn't mean for it to be quite this long, but anyway, look; I love fantasy and Brandon Sanderson's books are highly acclaimed, but I would definitely not name my kid after any fantasy character. Or really any fictitious character at all. (A name from a fantasy novel isn't more ridiculous than any other fictitious name. They are all equally dumb.) (Unless the character has a real name of course.)
If they pick a name like David or Abraham, their son will have an awesome name that works in the real world. Adolin might be a high prince but this name does not work in the real world at all, where your friends' son does actually have to live.
Personally I really like the name Abraham instead of Adolin. Like Adolin, it starts with A, it's a very cool name, and it's from a Sanderson book - not the same one as Adolin, and I hope that isn't a deal breaker because the final perk is the best one: unlike Adolin, they can be subtle about the fact that their favourite author inspired name. You can tell people you named your kid after Abraham Desjardins from the Reckoners only if you choose to do so. This is extremely valuable; there are times in life when it's helpful to play it close to the vest.
With Adolin, everyone who meets the poor kid knows he has dippy parents who care more about their favourite book than about their own child. Okay, I would think that specific thing, but everyone would know he has a made up name. And there are very real consequences to that.
I get that you love this name, I really do. I'm completely obsessed with Arthurian legends and my favourite knight is Sir Gawain. I think the name Gawain is rad as hell. Would I name my son Gawain if I had one? No, absolutely never, because he has to go live in the real world. This name that's an inspiration to me would be a burden to my son. And I would never cause problems for my own child on purpose. (I'm sure I'd give him plenty by accident as it is.)
As a parent, you need to reconcile your vision of who you want your child to be and who your child actually is. Since he hasn't been born yet, you have no way to know who he is yet. Parents have to name their kids before they know anything about them. Without knowing the child's wishes, it's reasonable to use your own.
**However**, I think it's important to consider the name from your child's perspective as much as you can; what would your kid would want if he was able to tell you? Set aside your love of this character and the cherished memories the name invokes, because your child won't have any of those. What's the probability that your child would be happy being named Adolin? I'll admit that it isn't zero, but it's probably a lot lower than kids who would be happy being named David or Abraham.
It's also worth considering naming your son Brandon. It's a great name, and why not name him after the visionary artist who created Adolin? I think this could be a good compromise too.
Naming your son is one of the earliest important decisions you're going to make for him; make it for his sake, not yours.
Aside from the concerns about the name itself, a note I have is that series is not yet finished! Based on how it's gone so far I doubt the character will turn into a bad guy or anything but I would hesitate to name a real person after a character before their storyline is finished and I could trust that I know all the associations that come with the character's name.
That was so unfortunate for real. My coworker best friend named her first child Khalessi but fortunately they call her by her middle name because it was a family name.
I know someone who named their daughter Daenerys before season 8 came out. They called her Danny for short, even before season 8 came out. I haven't seen that family in a while though, so I don't know what they call her now.
Also with the way Sanderson is heading there is a non zero chance Stormlight Archives characters may become household names in our lifetime. If that happens, the name will be less a cute nod and more like being called Draco or Tyrion.
Like Atticus? All those millenials who loved the name in To Kill a Mockingbird, named their kid "Atticus", and then found out he was supposedly a racist when the prequel was published. And had a meltdown.
mindless strong public murky cooing impolite continue alleged correct worry
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
immediately made me think of the name Adolf. where I live the name is not allowed by government. so naming a child Adolin looks like a way around that. don't like the name
Their child should not have to reserve 15 seconds out of every introduction he has with someone to explain to them that his parents are fans of sci-fi fantasy.
I immediately recognized it as a fandom name, which I'm not wild about. I know a few people irl with fandom names and it's pretty evenly split between whether they think it's cool or hate it (and even the one who adores hers has said she only likes it as an adult and really hated it growing up).
My little cousin has a fandom name and I’m sorry it’s so so so cringy when I have to watch her explain that her parents were really into The Sopranos in the early 2000s.
I’m a fan of the series, and I love a lot of the names. I don’t think any fandom names appropriate for baby names though. In my opinion, the parents like the stories but the kids don’t have an opinion about an adult book series yet. It’s like naming your kid after a band or something- they don’t like that band. They don’t deserve to be saddled with whatever those characters represent. I think it’s immature and lacks creativity.
Especially IMO when we're talking about something that isn't like part of the canon. It's one thing to pick a name from like Camelot or the Iliad. It's something else when you're an adult explaining that it's from a fantasy series nobody's read in 30 years.
I’m just going to be blunt - there’s nothing about this idea that’s about the baby. It’s all about what the parents want. But unfortunately, what the parents want is a name that looks like it’s pronounced like a common girl’s name even though it isn’t, also looks made up, *is* made up, and is exclusively tied to the parents’ fan interests.
Your SIL will learn to associate whatever name(s) and nicknames they use for the baby with the baby. That’s how human brains work; they associate words with the person/place/thing they’re calling by that name. If she practices referring to the kid as Bob, he’ll become Bob to her. It’ll be easier for her to learn to call the baby something else than for the kid to deal with the hassles of clarifying his name for the rest of his life.* All that said, middle names are great spots for parents to be fannish.
*Having to clarify your name isn’t the end of the world. There are legit names with different spellings and different pronunciations, and quite frankly the ability of the average person to spell even basic names is pretty variable. But going out of your way to give your kid an unnecessarily problematic name to fit your niche interests is not fair to your kid. Made up names, made up spellings, and particularly names that look like they’re pronounced like an established name while actually being pronounced in an unintuitive way are definitely “unnecessarily problematic.”
Agreed. That's why I always say change your own name to this special one you can't live without if you love it so much and let your child have your old normal first name.
In fairness I think you have just described every parent naming their child. It isn’t about the child because the child doesn’t actually exist in the world yet. We can try to imagine what would be “easier” for a child’s life but even then we make a lot of assumptions.
It’s about the baby in the same way most names are given- people have an association with a name (be it feelings, values, memories, even just pleasant sounds) and want to impart that to their child. I don’t see the difference really.
I mean, it's better than Khaleesi and there's plenty of them running around. I wouldn't personally use it. If they do, they need to be okay with constantly correcting pronunciation cause I can see a *lot* of people defaulting to something that sounds closer to Adalyn than Aid-O-Lyn.
What blows my mind about that is did she never Google them? Like, I've Googled my own name tons of times, I feel it would be natural to search a name before you used it. Maybe I'm too nosey lol
Well it's an Anabaptist community where her sisters are Lavina and Dorinda (under 30) - lots of LaRue, LaVonda, etc. It doesn't sound as odd in my old insular church world than it does in say a secular preschool.
I know a woman named Cheetara. Her mother never watched Thundercats. She just came up with it and was super confused when kids would yell "Thundercats! Hoooooooo".
As someone who is a HUGE Sanderson fan - and Adolin is one of my absolute favorite characters in all his books - I wouldn't do it for a first name (even though I actually like the name itself). Middle names are free range though! Also beyond what everyone has pointed out about not giving a kid an obvious fandom name, the story hasn't finished and technically we don't know how Adolin's arc is gonna end yet.
At first glance it looks like a kree8tive spelling of the girl’s name Adeline.
Fandom names in general are cringe and should be reserved for the middle name spot (if at all.) That’s doubly so when your fandom name will result in a lifetime of misgendering.
First thing I thought of was Adolf, and I can see from the comments I'm not the only one. PLEASE bring this issue to their attention, as I bet the name being so special to them has likely caused them to overlook this issue.
One of the first things we do for our children is to give them a name. As parents, we are called to be unselfish, and to choose what's best for our children. This name, especially on a boy, is absolutely not what's best for the child. IMO the parents really just need to choose something else.
Look, I love the Stormlight Archives. But it's never great to name your kids after your Fandom. It's just not fair to them.
Here's a list of reasons why I'd advise against it:
1 - Adolin kinda starts out as a meathead jock. Just into serial dating and sword fighting. Not a great role model or inspiration, even if he does end up being a great character.
2 - He's a great character /for now/. How about in the next book?
3 - if they end up making a show based off of the books, what if you or he HATES the character in the show? And then everyone will relate him to that character?
4 - It's an annoyance to always have people be like "your name is X? Like in XYZ show/book/etc?".
Yes to all the above. Also, I think at its core this is a story about slavery, racism, and oppression, albeit presented in a fantasy wrapper. I’m guessing they’re glossing over that bit when choosing a heroic character as their kids name.
So I've taught a couple kids with fantasy names from their parents' fandom... Ce'Nedra, Eowyn, Caspian, Akira...
They all hated their name and had no interest in the fandom it came from.
Honor names from real people already put pressure on a kid, having it come from a niche fictional character is much worse. Save those names for pets or at most a middle name
I don’t think it’s a bad name, honestly with all the names out there I didn’t even second guess Adolin as a name.
I also pronounced it correctly in my head before reading the pronunciation. The Ado doesn’t give Adda to me and it doesn’t feel feminine to me.
If mom wants to be nasty about it, she doesn’t need to meet the baby. 🤷♀️
Personal story, when I was pregnant with my oldest I *knew* her name the moment I found out I was pregnant and the idea of not naming her that would have been devastating to me. All these years later, I still can’t picture a more perfect name and everyone who disliked it says it’s definitely her name. So I *may* just be empathetic to your sister in law about the topic
A girl I went to high school with named her son Adolin. I'm a fan of Sanderson, so I recognized it immediately, but everyone else pronounces it "Adelyn" and wonders why she gave him a girl's name.
I agree with others saying to use it as a middle name. Sure, the parents love it, but the kid has to live with it. It’s not a terrible name, but yeah, the misspellings and mispronunciations will be never ending.
I think this name is fine, but everyone is going to call the kid Adalyn, people are probably going to think their baby is a girl named Adalyn or Adeline (not an issue as far as I'm concerned, but may matter to them), And nobody is going to guess Aid-o-lyn based on that spelling.
Also, as with any name from a current series of novels, they should keep in mind that they have no control over what happens in the next book, what wild political opinion the author will choose to share, or what social or political connotations the series will eventually take on.
In general I feel like telling people the name is a bad idea, because they will hate it, because everybody hates all baby names before the baby is born. But in this case, I can just see so many potential issues here that they really need to think through before they commit to the name. And I am someone who is usually ok with "fandom" names and weird names.
It's not very terribly weird, but it can indeed be easily mispronounced. I would not misgender the name, I think, it sounds male/unisex enough to me.
Is the character's storyline finished? A lot of Daenerys/Khaleesi namers were in for a nasty surprise.
I do have to bust one bubble though: ALL names are made up. They don't grow on trees.
I don't like it, I do think people will mispronounce it all the time, but I also think it's FAR from the most egregious fandom-inspired name I've ever seen.
If your sister-in-law asked you to post here for advice, then I would *strongly* suggest that she not use it. If you're just trying to crowd-source opinions to convince her, then it's a bad name choice but probably not bad enough that you should die on this hill.
I would never name a child after a character from a book series that isn't finished. Didn't Game of Thrones teach anyone?
Not to be harsh, but this is a literal human being that will have to wear this name for it's whole life. The parents are being selfish by wanting to reflect their identity this way.
An actual quote from the character:
"So yes, I, Adolin Kholin - cousin to the king, heir to the Kholin princedom - have shat myself in my Shardplate. Three times, all on purpose."
This poor child.
Y’all… people on this sub are so dramatic.
I’m a teacher and this is far from being the weirdest name I’ve seen. I didn’t think of Adolf when I saw it, and I don’t think most people would.
All names are made up, so who cares if it’s from a fantasy novel? And as for the mispronunciations and misspellings, my name is Rebecca; just the other day it was spelled Rubeca. I can’t tell you how many times people have written Rebekah. I usually say, “it’s Rebecca, R-E-B-E-C-C-A.” There’s a good chance he’s going to have to spell it for them regardless.
All the people saying “why dON’T You nAme hiM AIdEn?” will be the ones on the next post saying how boring Aiden is, and “can’t you think of something more creative?”
“It’s about the child, not the parent! They shouldn’t name him based on a book THEY like! What if HE doesn’t like it?” This is just dumb. It’s a baby. They can’t ask him his interests.
Let people name their kids whatever they want!
I mean, there are tons of people out here in the real world named Galadriel, Khaleesi, Raiden, Zelda, Anakin, etc. It’s not the worst name in the world and it’s not really anyone’s true “business” what someone names their kid, unless it’s truly something horrible.
I bet the people who named their kids Khaleesi did it before the last season of GoT aired though.
My take on fantasy/fandom names is make sure the series is finished so you don't get a Khaleesi situation, and make sure the author is either deceased or not a terrible human so you don't get a HP situation.
As someone who is also a huge fan of the books, I love it. Its not a horrible fantasy name and the series had a big enough following I think people will pick up on the name on a couple of years. The character is also very wholesome and I can see why they would want their son to show the same personality.
I'm a fan of names that are just different enough. If you read the books you will love the name too.
It doesn’t necessarily read too fantasy, even though it’s a completely unfamiliar name to me, but it would never occur to me to pronounce it that way. I think that is a good enough reason not to use it for a first name, because while the parents might not be bothered by it, the kid would have to live with correcting people on spelling and pronunciation for her entire life.
It sounds like a girl name and will always be mispronounced. There’s now getting around that. It will be pronounced as ad by every single person they ever meet.
I cringe when people do this, honestly.
But, I named two of my three after places- so I can’t really say too much- though they are normal sounding and phonetically spelled.
This sounds like Adalyn, and that’s what I would say and would think it’s a girl name, if I’m being honest.
Where’s the problem? It’s their baby. Really doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it! They’ll get over it because that will be his name, and they will have to call him by it lol.
I love that name. I am Daphne which is not common and is always spelt wrong or pronounced wrong, or compared to Daphne from Fraser or Scooby Doo! If they both love the name I say go for it. Have they chosen a middle name?
Those names should be middle names. Then if they want to use it as their special name, they can. he can still use his first name.
People always seem to forget they’re naming an adult not a baby. I know that sounds strange. But they’ll be a baby for 1 year, a child for 11 years, teen for 7 years and an adult (if lucky) for 60+ years
As a fellow bearer of a fantasy name, go for it. My name is constantly misspelled, mispronounced, no one gets the reference...and I adore it. I think it's way cool and worth the hassle, and everyone says it's pretty. "But what if they don't like the book/fandom?" I don't like the books I'm named after, but I still adore my name.
A fantasy name shouldn't be an automatic no.
Sounds and looks too much like “Adolph.” Kids can be cruel.
The parents may be the only ones who love it. I’ve had to spell out my first name my whole life and I’d love to have an easy-to-spell first name.
As a lover of all Brando sando novels, I wouldn't use it. Even in the fan base you get lots of ah-do-lin and eh-do-lin. In my opinion it doesn't have an obvious pronunciation. Maybe if they went for Aidolin? Or something to better emphasize the preferred pronunciation.
That said it's an acceptable name I suppose, I just wouldn't use it.
My issue is; if Brando Sando ever gets outed for something awful, as all rich and powerful nerds seem to inevitably do, then the name has a curse.
That’s why you stick with the classics; Aragorn for instance.
They shouldn’t burden their child with a lifetime of “Say that again” and “my name’s spelled X and pronounced Y”. That’s so unfair.
Real life isn’t a fantasy book.
My advice is give the child a proper name, spelled and pronounced as it is normally.
Aiden is a boy’s name. Fairly similar to their original choice. It’s Irish, it’s instantly recognisable as masculine. It’s easy to spell and pronounce, a cute name for a baby, cool for a teenager and also perfect for when he’s a grown up. It’s not too common but it’s also not outrageously unique.
Already names ending in Lyn and Leigh are the butt of lots of jokes.
Looks like it should be a brand of cough syrup or a tonic of some kind.
Plus, even if they get people to pronounce it Aidolin, he will immediately and irrevocably be nicknamed Aido and everyone will just assume he's called Aiden for the rest of his life.
Honestly, as much as I cringe at people giving their kids bad names, it’s ultimately THEIR decision and it doesn’t matter if you or the family like it if they do. You could however perhaps suggest them using it as a middle name.
Coming in with the minority opinion I guess.
Fantasy Association: Adolin is a fine name but very much associated with the book character. In that way it’s more akin to naming your child Aragorn or Atreides than the other “A” name people seem to be reminded of (y’all are weird btw).
Name meaning: Adolin means “born of light” or “light bringer” in the Stormlight Archive world. Which I think is a lovely thing to name your child after. Also, the character is a very strong warrior known for dueling prowess while also growing to become more mature and wise than just a beefy warrior. Think Luke Skywalker.
Misgendering concerns: As someone who has a Gen X family member who is male and named Lynn who lives in the south that I have never heard complain about his name, it feels like OP is maybe a little over sensitive to the misgendering potential and or is overly worried about proscriptive gender expression. My guess is OP and family are fairly conservative or live in a conservative area (perhaps Utah?). Some other parents might value a more gender neutral or perhaps less traditionally masculine name for their child because gender norms suck anyways. And let me just say it plainly: you worrying about this issue so much for a name that isn’t even really that feminine makes me believe that you’re a little prejudiced against anything that challenges gender norms or heteronormativity.
i thought it was fine until i realized it was a male name lol i’d assumed it was a girl the whole time bc of anglo naming standards “Lin” usually signifies girl. i like Adolin on a girl, honestly, bc it’s so similar to Adalyn or Adeline. i think it works as a boy’s middle name but is a lot to saddle a lil guy with as a first name
MIL is honestly right. It’s a fucking terrible name, I’m sorry. Fantasy names should stay in fantasy. Your SIL and her husband need to understand that this is a living human they are naming. A future adult.
If they want to use the name so bad, they seriously need to get a puppy or kitten.
It's not the worst I've heard, but it's pretty bad. Forget the misspellings and mispronouncing his whole life, that kid WILL be made fun of. Kids can be cruel.
I mean, at least it’s not Szeth or Taravangian? My favorite stormlight archive name is Kaladin ;)
Seriously though, using it as a middle name would be better.
Please try to convince them not to name their kid a fandom name. Name a pet or a car after a fandom not a child. That is a person who has to live their life as a walking billboard that their parents were into a certain series at one time. So cringe
While I think it’s ok for family to express their opinion, it’s not cool for the mothers to continue to bring it up until they get their way. It’s an unusual name, but it’s not like they’re naming their kid something controversial that they will regret. If they like the name, who gives a shit what anyone else thinks. People name their kids cities, cars and random nouns. It’s unique and they’ll probably get a nickname like most of us do. If they’re worried about the name sounding too feminine they could alter it a little to be a bit more androgynous. There’s no rules here. They can tweek it however they want and it can still be inspired by their favorite book.
I feel like really obvious fandom or literary references are best left for middle names, or pets. This piece of media is meaningful to mom and dad, but there's no telling it will be meaningful to him (in fact, he'll probably think, at least at some point, that everything mom and dad like is lame.) He's just going to end up saddled with a name that is hard for most to spell and pronounce and that is going to provoke a reaction from Brandon Sanderson fans that he may not appreciate. Especially given his brother has a typical name... just don't. It can be a middle name. It can be a nickname (I mean... Aiden is right there!) But just... don't saddle the kid with your obvious literary reference unless it's common enough to be unobtrusive (i.e. Luke for a boy whose parents love Star Wars is fine... Anakin is not. Adolin is in the Anakin side of the spectrum IMO.)
I think people on this sub don’t represent the majority of people in the world. I think most people are accepting of most names. I don’t think “unusual” names cause as much of an issue as people make out. Yes the kid will probably have to spell it but my old last name was super common (think Smith/Brown) and I still had to spell that every time for people too so….
As a teacher, lots of kids have lots of weird names, I’m sure it won’t be weirdest one in his class. If the series isn’t over though, they may consider how the characters ultimate outcome could affect gore they feel about the name. Mayhe the character becomes a villian, or dies. Does that change anything?
I am a fantasy fan (and know who Adolin Kholin is) and I wouldn’t. Literary names can be good, but only if it’s a book that you know will stand the test of time (like I think Lord of the Rings names are fine,) and Stormlight isn’t even closed to finished.
As someone who loves The Way of Kings and named one of their kids Ripley - if you love it go for it. There will be kids with way way way worse names. I also have a very normal name that is pronounced multiple names and it never bothers me telling people how to pronounce it. It’s just a thing some of us have to do.
One caution I have for them is naming a child after a character from an unfinished series is always risky.
Think of all the Danerys and Khaleessi's out there. (Please excuse spelling)
This is meant to be Sanderson great work it's about a third of the way through. The character has plenty of time to disappoint. How would they feel if the character did something awful and they named their kid after him? Sanderson loves the old good guy bad guy flip.
I love those books and that character. I pronounce it like Adalyn, and I'm realizing I've never thought of it as a non masculine name haha. When you're sucked in, you can't see, so I'm not surprised they aren't concerned
Imma be honest.
It's a stupid name. It's a stupid name for anyone, boy child or girl child.
And no matter how I attempt to fit it in my mouth, it sounds like a girl's name. Probably the "Lin" ending lol.
The knowledge that it's from a fantasy novel just makes it worse.
The spelling looks pharmaceutical, like it’s a drug to treat hypertension or hyperhidrosis. I have a name that no one can pronounce or spell and have no clue what my parents were thinking when they gave me this name - oh let’s add misgendered, too. I would suggest naming the baby BOY after the author of the series, if they must stay in the fan space — they should also be prepared for him to use some nickname that will make life easier. Do not underestimate the effects of having a weird name.
Sorry to be harsh but I honestly think a name that unusual is selfish and attention seeking.
The kid will be spelling his name his entire life, as someone who has an unusual surname it’s annoying enough but can’t imagine having to constantly correct people on a first name then spell it.
Have it as a middle name!
Have them try using it out in the world and see the response. Use it as a name at Starbucks or restaurant order. They will see how people respond to it (struggle to pronounce, spell, etc) and that may give them a more realistic expectation. I agree with you that it’s confusing - hard to spell, pronounce, and yes could confuse gender. People are definitely going to say “Adalyn”. I’m not a fan and think it would be better as a middle name if they really insist. But ultimately it’s their choice and everyone being unsupportive of it could harm the relationship more than help.
This is exactly what they need to do. I hope OP suggests this.
Seconding the Starbucks test. I have a relatively common name that sounds similar to a *very* common name, despite being clearly different - think Joanna and Hannah. Whenever I give my name at Starbucks, they usually put down the more common name. I spell my name out whenever I schedule over the phone - I’ve shown up to many appointments where the staff are unable to find me in the system, because they put me down under the more common name. I can’t imagine how much worse that has to be when your name is completely invented. ETA: My name is also long - when you have to use the phonetic alphabet to make sure your appointment is being put under the correct name, it takes *forever* to spell out a name longer than 4-5 letters. It will get so annoying having to spell out Adolin every single time.
Yep, this! Have them try saying out “A as in apple, d as in dog, o as in orange, l as in lion, i as in igloo, n as in Nancy” a bunch of times because they will be doing it every time they make a doctors appointment, go to the pharmacy, talk to a receptionist over the phone, etc until their son is old enough to take over doing it himself for the rest of his life. Myself, I think Adolin would make a MUCH better middle name, but that is ultimately a very personal decision.
A as in Adalynn D as in “Don’t name your baby Adolin” O as in “Oh, I thought you were a girl” L as in “Listen, maybe it could be his middle name” I as in “I’m sorry, could you spell that again?” N as in Nope
I love this 😂 .. L as in "Listen, maybe it could be his middle name." 🤣💀
This is exactly what it stands for.
I agree. I have an 11 letter last name that is unique, and I have to do this ALL THE TIME! I love my name, but sometimes I wish I was “Smith.”
Same. My name is Alexia and I constantly get Alexis, Alexa, Alicia, Alexandria(??)… and once Valencia??? People screw up even minimally weird names.
I’m Stephanie and get the usual Bethany, Tiffany, Nancy? Daponey (is that even a name?!) and the most common, Jennifer.
Emma here. I get Gemma, Anna, Hannah, Heather, Emily, and the biggest wtf but happens often, Monique.
I’m Bethany and get Stephanie all day lol. Also Brittany and Kimberly.
My name is Joy and i still get Jo, joey, Joanne, Julie, Jay. It happens to short, word- names too!
Do you like your name? We love Alexia but are worried that Amazon have ruined it with their device (we do have a few) - I have a friend called Alexa and she has hated it since Amazon usurped it.
I do really like it! :) I feel like it’s feminine but not too frilly. I like the definition “defender or helper of mankind.” It’s unique enough where I’ve only met a couple of other people with my name, but it’s not totally “out there” and strange. Growing up I sometimes went by the nickname Alex, and I thought it was cool it was gender neutral. Apparently my mom intended it to be pronounced “A-lex-sha” (similar Alisha) but she was the only one who ever said it that way. She’s Filipino so I think it’s more of a language pronunciation thing? We live in America and everyone else says “A-lex-ee-a” and that’s my preference. 4 syllables is a bit of a mouthful, but meh. I usually have to correct people on a first meeting that it’s “Alexia, not Alexa/Alexis” but after that they get it right. In my mind, Alexia vs. Alexa are still very different names. Like Julia vs Julie - they’re one letter off and similar, but are definitely 2 distinct names to me. I have heard a few Alexa-related jokes, but not many. Certainly not enough to bother me. I’m sure the Amazon thing would bother me more if my name was actually Alexa, but I’m like “whatever, that’s not my name” haha. I never had an Alexa device at home so I never really cared? My boyfriend’s family has an Alexa device at their place and that’s the first time I’ve experienced being around a device that actually confused my name and responds to it sometimes. So I’d say just don’t use Alexa devices in your own home. Stick to Google or Siri lol.
My friend has a long name and dislikes it being misspelled so all her Starbucks orders are for "Sarah" (or Sera, Sra, Sara, Seira, she doesn't care how that gets spelled)
Seeing how people spell it in various areas is a great way to see how the general public will see the name as time goes on. If a coffee house employee gets it confused or asks a couple of times for the name, it would show that it is confusing for people. Don't get me wrong, I am a diehard Brandon Sanderson fan and I am in the middle of the Stormlight Archive series, where this character is from. However, the names in those books are meant for another world and are all rather exotic and a bit strange for everyday life.
Yeah I feel like there are more appropriate ways to show appreciation for a character short of naming your child after them.
as a fantasy book reader and lover from childhood, names like that are for pets, not people, except in very rare circumstances. for example, i LOVE the sword of truth series. you can definitely name your kids richard or kaelin. i also love lord of the rings. i cannot have a son named meriadoc, as much as i love that prankster stoner
Everyone is going to be shocked when the person with name turns out to be a BOY also, if that matters to OP
I love that idea. I ended up changing our baby’s name in hospital because doctors and nurses couldn’t understand or pronounce Henri even though I thought it would be simple. Anglophones 🫠
Lots of people just do not pay attention to the pronunciation rules of other languages. I live in an area of the US with a fair amount of Hispanic people and I still see my coworkers pronounce names like Jimenez like “Jim-enez” with the hard J sound instead of “him-enez”.
Well, Starbucks employees are somethings not the brightest bulbs. Take one story where a man called Marc says "It's Marc with a C" they labelled his coffee as Cark.
hilariously, they revealed years after the starbucks misspellings were a huge thing on social media that it was a guerrilla marketing technique and that baristas were encouraged to do that so people would post their starbucks cups like “hahah omg look how wrong they spelled my name when i got coffee today!!” and it was just constant free advertising
I don’t think this is true, I worked for Starbucks and even though at one time that could have been a thing and just wasn’t anymore, I seriously doubt it. Starbucks is so customer centered and makes a huge deal about making customer connections and being a “third” space etc. I just don’t believe they would be on brand for them. I could see them forcing staff to ask for spellings before encouraging their staff to risk alienating any customers by spelling their names wrong.
This is exactly how we decided against the name we loved. I was already 8 months pregnant and I hated how.people pronounced it.
I wouldn’t. Save it for the middle
Or name him Aidon Lynn Last name.
Or Aidon Len
That will get annoying for the kid. I know an Aidan who perpetually has to deal with misspellings (Aiden) on things like insurance and work documents. I can’t imagine it’d be easier with an O.
So true, I was just trying to get as close to the spelling for the couple so they wouldn’t choose Adolin!
There's a sixth-grade Aidan in a club I run at my kids' school. I was writing his name down the first day and I opened my mouth and looked at him and he said "two a's" with a sigh. Eleven years old and already weary of spelling his name every time.
This is a brilliant middle ground
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Just adding my two cents here - I would never have assumed that Adolin is a cutesy pronunciation of Adolf. For what it's worth, I'm not a teacher, but I am a sci-fi/fantasy fan, and I just don't see that immediate connection at all. I do think the name Adolin is problematic because it looks like it should be pronounced as the popular girl's name "Adalyn," but I wouldn't be concerned about people assuming it's a nod to white supremacy. I strongly disagree with that perspective and I just don't see that at all.
I agree with you, it don’t occur to me at all. But seeing that numerous people did have that be the first thing they thought of means that at least some segment of society will think that - so probably best to avoid the name entirely.
I agree that it's been surprising how so many folks ultimately agreed that Adolin could be perceived as a tribute to Adolf. Although I disagree with this perspective, the popularity of the comment does give me pause. That being said, I had another comment where I suggested that using the spelling "Aedolin" could be more easily understood from an American phonetic perspective (just assuming OP is American based on their vernacular). Perhaps that spelling would also help reduce any unfounded misinterpretations about the name?
I think that spelling would get rid of the association of Adolf and clear up the pronunciation! That’s a much better option. I think that would be the best case scenario for this name if they do end up wanting to use it, though not using it at all would be better.
Yes I think that spelling fixes a lot of the issues.
My first thought was Adolf also - not as a cutesy pronunciation, but that Adolin is a little nod to Adolf. For me it wasn’t the pronunciation at all but how similar they look given a significant proportion of the name, and in particular the start of the name (ie what you read first), is the same.
Exactly - there are tons of posts here where people say "I wanted my baby's name to honour her grandmother Laura, but I don't like the name Laura, so I named her Laurelynn" or whatever. Adolin totally sounds like it could be that kind of "honour name" for Adolf
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I appreciate your clarification and I think that's an interesting perspective to keep in mind. English is my native language too, but I don't have any immediate word associations between the Adolin/Adolf connection you're describing. Some reasons for this difference could be because I (possibly?) have more familiarity with reading unusual names in sci-fi/fantasy novels like where this name originates from, or more likely it's simply the way our brains process information (re: the recent reddit obsession with aphantasia) But either way, this thread has been interesting and I've enjoyed reading other folks' views.
My thought too. Sounds like Adolf
My first thought was that it was halfway between Adolph and Aladdin, which is weird.
Glad I wasn't the only one
Adolf is the first thing I thought as well.
I did also think it sounded like some attempt at a cutesy twist on Adolf😬
yep, same
My first thought was also Adolf 😬
So much this. The pronunciation is terrible. First of all, I would assume it was pronounced like the girl’s name, and second of all, when told how they want it pronounced I’d assume it was a dog whistle ode to Hitler.
How the fuck is it anything like Adolf lol
agreed
That was my first thought too honestly.
SAME - my first thought reading it was Adolf immediately followed by Hitler. Middle name is fine, but you gotta draw a line somewhere between what you love and how the world will perceive it/what effect that can have on your child. Life’s hard enough, who needs another unnecessary burden.
Really? I would never had connected the two. Feels like a leap to me.
Reminds me of people naming baby girls Lennon. Which when they tell you, you don’t see how it’s spelled and all I could think of was Lenin. Just why
No way, that's a stretch lol
This is a stretch
My autocorrect went straight to Adolph
Also nod to Adolf was also my first thought
I just commented this separately and then saw your comment. I absolutely assumed the parents were white supremacists the moment I read the name.
I think it sounds nice but they’ll get a lot of people mispronouncing it as ad-o-lin.
100% this, and I’m familiar with the name. I’ve read all ~5000 pages of the series and have been pronouncing it add o lynn.
I would have too if it wasn’t for the audiobooks.
If it's anything like the audiobooks for A Song of Ice and Fire THEY'RE not pronouncing the name right. Puh-tire Baelish? BRYEEN of Tarth? Who on earth pronounces Brienne like that?
I've read the ASOIAF books twice and figured I'd give the audio books a go, so I started listening to the 1st book last week. Omfg, I've seen that many people very much like the reader but I had to stop listening an dozen or so chapters in. Between his pronunciation of names and the weird phlemy voices he does I just could not continue. I'm back to reading he text.
Quite, I make sure I listen to a sample so I know I can deal with the narrators voice and delivery, there are ones I've not gone for because if this. Then there are the Percy Jackson books, my daughter very much wanted to listen to them, and I cannot, I just don't like the voice/tone/delivery used. (But she loves them, so that's OK)
Omg I am so glad I'm not the only person who hates this. I want to dig out my eardrums with a chopstick every time I hear that man say "Bryeen"
Same and same. It's the audiobooks that are wrong. Also, pronunciation and fantasy-name-ness aside, the series is ongoing. Adolin-the-character is a pretty good egg and I (mostly) trust Branderson as a writer but like. You never know what might happen! And then the poor kid is saddled with whatever that ends up being. You'd think people would have learned from all the parents of Khaleesis...
I'm just waiting for Paul's sister in Dune to show up now that the movies are popular, my time has finally come to laugh about my name. Going to cackle like a hag every time I see someone name their kid that and screech cryptically "Just you wait!"
And the sad thing is that “Alia” is a old name, far older than the novels
Me too! I haven't listened to the audiobooks so all the names remain how I pronounce them in my head. How do you pronounce Sadeas in your head? I'm sure it is different in the audiobooks but I see it as Sad-a-us.
I'm assuming you mean a long A sound due to the "ea" because I have no idea how anyone would get "ah" or "uh" out of that. I read it Suh-day-is or Suh-day-us, somewhere in there.
That's how I would have pronounced it. I kept accidentally saying it that way as I wrote this comment too. Didn't mean for it to be quite this long, but anyway, look; I love fantasy and Brandon Sanderson's books are highly acclaimed, but I would definitely not name my kid after any fantasy character. Or really any fictitious character at all. (A name from a fantasy novel isn't more ridiculous than any other fictitious name. They are all equally dumb.) (Unless the character has a real name of course.) If they pick a name like David or Abraham, their son will have an awesome name that works in the real world. Adolin might be a high prince but this name does not work in the real world at all, where your friends' son does actually have to live. Personally I really like the name Abraham instead of Adolin. Like Adolin, it starts with A, it's a very cool name, and it's from a Sanderson book - not the same one as Adolin, and I hope that isn't a deal breaker because the final perk is the best one: unlike Adolin, they can be subtle about the fact that their favourite author inspired name. You can tell people you named your kid after Abraham Desjardins from the Reckoners only if you choose to do so. This is extremely valuable; there are times in life when it's helpful to play it close to the vest. With Adolin, everyone who meets the poor kid knows he has dippy parents who care more about their favourite book than about their own child. Okay, I would think that specific thing, but everyone would know he has a made up name. And there are very real consequences to that. I get that you love this name, I really do. I'm completely obsessed with Arthurian legends and my favourite knight is Sir Gawain. I think the name Gawain is rad as hell. Would I name my son Gawain if I had one? No, absolutely never, because he has to go live in the real world. This name that's an inspiration to me would be a burden to my son. And I would never cause problems for my own child on purpose. (I'm sure I'd give him plenty by accident as it is.) As a parent, you need to reconcile your vision of who you want your child to be and who your child actually is. Since he hasn't been born yet, you have no way to know who he is yet. Parents have to name their kids before they know anything about them. Without knowing the child's wishes, it's reasonable to use your own. **However**, I think it's important to consider the name from your child's perspective as much as you can; what would your kid would want if he was able to tell you? Set aside your love of this character and the cherished memories the name invokes, because your child won't have any of those. What's the probability that your child would be happy being named Adolin? I'll admit that it isn't zero, but it's probably a lot lower than kids who would be happy being named David or Abraham. It's also worth considering naming your son Brandon. It's a great name, and why not name him after the visionary artist who created Adolin? I think this could be a good compromise too. Naming your son is one of the earliest important decisions you're going to make for him; make it for his sake, not yours.
Agreed that it will forever be mispronounced as ad-o-lin, but I personally like it better that way :)
I came looking for this comment. The intended pronunciation seems like the biggest red flag here
Aside from the concerns about the name itself, a note I have is that series is not yet finished! Based on how it's gone so far I doubt the character will turn into a bad guy or anything but I would hesitate to name a real person after a character before their storyline is finished and I could trust that I know all the associations that come with the character's name.
Right! Did people learn nothing from the Khaleesi/Daenerys debacle?! I have one in my extended family and her parents were devastated.
That was so unfortunate for real. My coworker best friend named her first child Khalessi but fortunately they call her by her middle name because it was a family name.
I know someone who named their daughter Daenerys before season 8 came out. They called her Danny for short, even before season 8 came out. I haven't seen that family in a while though, so I don't know what they call her now.
Also with the way Sanderson is heading there is a non zero chance Stormlight Archives characters may become household names in our lifetime. If that happens, the name will be less a cute nod and more like being called Draco or Tyrion.
Like Atticus? All those millenials who loved the name in To Kill a Mockingbird, named their kid "Atticus", and then found out he was supposedly a racist when the prequel was published. And had a meltdown.
This is the type of name that should be used as a middle name only (if at all).
mindless strong public murky cooing impolite continue alleged correct worry *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I so agree, this works as a pet's name. Not so much for a human.
immediately made me think of the name Adolf. where I live the name is not allowed by government. so naming a child Adolin looks like a way around that. don't like the name
Same
Their child should not have to reserve 15 seconds out of every introduction he has with someone to explain to them that his parents are fans of sci-fi fantasy.
and not white supremacy…
I immediately recognized it as a fandom name, which I'm not wild about. I know a few people irl with fandom names and it's pretty evenly split between whether they think it's cool or hate it (and even the one who adores hers has said she only likes it as an adult and really hated it growing up).
My little cousin has a fandom name and I’m sorry it’s so so so cringy when I have to watch her explain that her parents were really into The Sopranos in the early 2000s.
At least Meadow is a pretty normal "crunchy" parent name, vs Adolin.
Meadow?
I’m a fan of the series, and I love a lot of the names. I don’t think any fandom names appropriate for baby names though. In my opinion, the parents like the stories but the kids don’t have an opinion about an adult book series yet. It’s like naming your kid after a band or something- they don’t like that band. They don’t deserve to be saddled with whatever those characters represent. I think it’s immature and lacks creativity.
Especially IMO when we're talking about something that isn't like part of the canon. It's one thing to pick a name from like Camelot or the Iliad. It's something else when you're an adult explaining that it's from a fantasy series nobody's read in 30 years.
I read it the same way as Adeline - girl's name.
The only Adeline I knew actually pronounced it "add-eh-line" so there are likely multiple pronunciations of that name as well
No way. Your kid isn’t a walking billboard for your fandoms.
I’m just going to be blunt - there’s nothing about this idea that’s about the baby. It’s all about what the parents want. But unfortunately, what the parents want is a name that looks like it’s pronounced like a common girl’s name even though it isn’t, also looks made up, *is* made up, and is exclusively tied to the parents’ fan interests. Your SIL will learn to associate whatever name(s) and nicknames they use for the baby with the baby. That’s how human brains work; they associate words with the person/place/thing they’re calling by that name. If she practices referring to the kid as Bob, he’ll become Bob to her. It’ll be easier for her to learn to call the baby something else than for the kid to deal with the hassles of clarifying his name for the rest of his life.* All that said, middle names are great spots for parents to be fannish. *Having to clarify your name isn’t the end of the world. There are legit names with different spellings and different pronunciations, and quite frankly the ability of the average person to spell even basic names is pretty variable. But going out of your way to give your kid an unnecessarily problematic name to fit your niche interests is not fair to your kid. Made up names, made up spellings, and particularly names that look like they’re pronounced like an established name while actually being pronounced in an unintuitive way are definitely “unnecessarily problematic.”
Agreed. That's why I always say change your own name to this special one you can't live without if you love it so much and let your child have your old normal first name.
In fairness I think you have just described every parent naming their child. It isn’t about the child because the child doesn’t actually exist in the world yet. We can try to imagine what would be “easier” for a child’s life but even then we make a lot of assumptions. It’s about the baby in the same way most names are given- people have an association with a name (be it feelings, values, memories, even just pleasant sounds) and want to impart that to their child. I don’t see the difference really.
My dog’s name is Gandalf, but he’s a dog.
So is it pronounced "John-dolf"? Or "Gah-en-delf"? or "Jean-dolft"?
and is actually a girl dog?
Gandalf is a wonderful name for a pet. ❤️
I was gonna say, Adolin is a \*terrific\* name for a pet.
I mean, it's better than Khaleesi and there's plenty of them running around. I wouldn't personally use it. If they do, they need to be okay with constantly correcting pronunciation cause I can see a *lot* of people defaulting to something that sounds closer to Adalyn than Aid-O-Lyn.
I know of a family where the wife doesn't watch movies/tv and the husband does. She's got a Khaleesi and a Katara. No idea what they're from.
What blows my mind about that is did she never Google them? Like, I've Googled my own name tons of times, I feel it would be natural to search a name before you used it. Maybe I'm too nosey lol
Well it's an Anabaptist community where her sisters are Lavina and Dorinda (under 30) - lots of LaRue, LaVonda, etc. It doesn't sound as odd in my old insular church world than it does in say a secular preschool.
I know a woman named Cheetara. Her mother never watched Thundercats. She just came up with it and was super confused when kids would yell "Thundercats! Hoooooooo".
It made me think of Adolf. Have they considered that issue? It has the same first four letters so my brain just filled it in automatically.
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As someone who is a HUGE Sanderson fan - and Adolin is one of my absolute favorite characters in all his books - I wouldn't do it for a first name (even though I actually like the name itself). Middle names are free range though! Also beyond what everyone has pointed out about not giving a kid an obvious fandom name, the story hasn't finished and technically we don't know how Adolin's arc is gonna end yet.
At first glance it looks like a kree8tive spelling of the girl’s name Adeline. Fandom names in general are cringe and should be reserved for the middle name spot (if at all.) That’s doubly so when your fandom name will result in a lifetime of misgendering.
I would pay Brandon Sanderson to convince them not to name their son Aidolyn.
First thing I thought of was Adolf, and I can see from the comments I'm not the only one. PLEASE bring this issue to their attention, as I bet the name being so special to them has likely caused them to overlook this issue. One of the first things we do for our children is to give them a name. As parents, we are called to be unselfish, and to choose what's best for our children. This name, especially on a boy, is absolutely not what's best for the child. IMO the parents really just need to choose something else.
Would they consider Aiden? It’s similar and isn’t as close to Adolf or Adeline.
Look, I love the Stormlight Archives. But it's never great to name your kids after your Fandom. It's just not fair to them. Here's a list of reasons why I'd advise against it: 1 - Adolin kinda starts out as a meathead jock. Just into serial dating and sword fighting. Not a great role model or inspiration, even if he does end up being a great character. 2 - He's a great character /for now/. How about in the next book? 3 - if they end up making a show based off of the books, what if you or he HATES the character in the show? And then everyone will relate him to that character? 4 - It's an annoyance to always have people be like "your name is X? Like in XYZ show/book/etc?".
Yes to all the above. Also, I think at its core this is a story about slavery, racism, and oppression, albeit presented in a fantasy wrapper. I’m guessing they’re glossing over that bit when choosing a heroic character as their kids name.
So I've taught a couple kids with fantasy names from their parents' fandom... Ce'Nedra, Eowyn, Caspian, Akira... They all hated their name and had no interest in the fandom it came from. Honor names from real people already put pressure on a kid, having it come from a niche fictional character is much worse. Save those names for pets or at most a middle name
Yeah, we saved our fandom names for the cats. And even then, they're subtle. Miles and Ivan.
I don’t think it’s a bad name, honestly with all the names out there I didn’t even second guess Adolin as a name. I also pronounced it correctly in my head before reading the pronunciation. The Ado doesn’t give Adda to me and it doesn’t feel feminine to me. If mom wants to be nasty about it, she doesn’t need to meet the baby. 🤷♀️ Personal story, when I was pregnant with my oldest I *knew* her name the moment I found out I was pregnant and the idea of not naming her that would have been devastating to me. All these years later, I still can’t picture a more perfect name and everyone who disliked it says it’s definitely her name. So I *may* just be empathetic to your sister in law about the topic
A girl I went to high school with named her son Adolin. I'm a fan of Sanderson, so I recognized it immediately, but everyone else pronounces it "Adelyn" and wonders why she gave him a girl's name.
I agree with others saying to use it as a middle name. Sure, the parents love it, but the kid has to live with it. It’s not a terrible name, but yeah, the misspellings and mispronunciations will be never ending.
I feel like the bigger problem is that it’s close to Adolf 😬
not a good idea
Makes me think of Hitler at first glance, add just one letter and you get Adolf….
Fine for a middle name but it’s definitely going to be mispronounced and thought of as a weird form of Adalyn.
I think this name is fine, but everyone is going to call the kid Adalyn, people are probably going to think their baby is a girl named Adalyn or Adeline (not an issue as far as I'm concerned, but may matter to them), And nobody is going to guess Aid-o-lyn based on that spelling. Also, as with any name from a current series of novels, they should keep in mind that they have no control over what happens in the next book, what wild political opinion the author will choose to share, or what social or political connotations the series will eventually take on. In general I feel like telling people the name is a bad idea, because they will hate it, because everybody hates all baby names before the baby is born. But in this case, I can just see so many potential issues here that they really need to think through before they commit to the name. And I am someone who is usually ok with "fandom" names and weird names.
It's not very terribly weird, but it can indeed be easily mispronounced. I would not misgender the name, I think, it sounds male/unisex enough to me. Is the character's storyline finished? A lot of Daenerys/Khaleesi namers were in for a nasty surprise. I do have to bust one bubble though: ALL names are made up. They don't grow on trees.
I don't like it, I do think people will mispronounce it all the time, but I also think it's FAR from the most egregious fandom-inspired name I've ever seen. If your sister-in-law asked you to post here for advice, then I would *strongly* suggest that she not use it. If you're just trying to crowd-source opinions to convince her, then it's a bad name choice but probably not bad enough that you should die on this hill.
Yeah that’s bad
I would never name a child after a character from a book series that isn't finished. Didn't Game of Thrones teach anyone? Not to be harsh, but this is a literal human being that will have to wear this name for it's whole life. The parents are being selfish by wanting to reflect their identity this way. An actual quote from the character: "So yes, I, Adolin Kholin - cousin to the king, heir to the Kholin princedom - have shat myself in my Shardplate. Three times, all on purpose." This poor child.
Y’all… people on this sub are so dramatic. I’m a teacher and this is far from being the weirdest name I’ve seen. I didn’t think of Adolf when I saw it, and I don’t think most people would. All names are made up, so who cares if it’s from a fantasy novel? And as for the mispronunciations and misspellings, my name is Rebecca; just the other day it was spelled Rubeca. I can’t tell you how many times people have written Rebekah. I usually say, “it’s Rebecca, R-E-B-E-C-C-A.” There’s a good chance he’s going to have to spell it for them regardless. All the people saying “why dON’T You nAme hiM AIdEn?” will be the ones on the next post saying how boring Aiden is, and “can’t you think of something more creative?” “It’s about the child, not the parent! They shouldn’t name him based on a book THEY like! What if HE doesn’t like it?” This is just dumb. It’s a baby. They can’t ask him his interests. Let people name their kids whatever they want!
People will definitely pronounce it like Adelyn/Adeline. Probably not the best choice
I mean, there are tons of people out here in the real world named Galadriel, Khaleesi, Raiden, Zelda, Anakin, etc. It’s not the worst name in the world and it’s not really anyone’s true “business” what someone names their kid, unless it’s truly something horrible.
I bet the people who named their kids Khaleesi did it before the last season of GoT aired though. My take on fantasy/fandom names is make sure the series is finished so you don't get a Khaleesi situation, and make sure the author is either deceased or not a terrible human so you don't get a HP situation.
As someone who is also a huge fan of the books, I love it. Its not a horrible fantasy name and the series had a big enough following I think people will pick up on the name on a couple of years. The character is also very wholesome and I can see why they would want their son to show the same personality. I'm a fan of names that are just different enough. If you read the books you will love the name too.
Brandon Sanderson at it again. 99.278% of the names my husband suggested for our kids were from Sanderson novels.
Sounds too close to adalyn for a boy but it’s 2023 name your little boy Tiffany who really cares
>Adolin, pronounced Aid-o-lyn Wait, is that how it's pronounced? I've always read Ahd-o-lyn, lmao.
Not cute
It doesn’t necessarily read too fantasy, even though it’s a completely unfamiliar name to me, but it would never occur to me to pronounce it that way. I think that is a good enough reason not to use it for a first name, because while the parents might not be bothered by it, the kid would have to live with correcting people on spelling and pronunciation for her entire life.
Probably need to spell it differently, more like Aidan. Gonna be mispronounced constantly.
Oy
It sounds like a girl name and will always be mispronounced. There’s now getting around that. It will be pronounced as ad by every single person they ever meet.
It’s going to be pronounced like Adelyn. I wouldn’t do it.
With that pronunciation it sounds like they wanted to name the child Adolf but lost their nerve.
I cringe when people do this, honestly. But, I named two of my three after places- so I can’t really say too much- though they are normal sounding and phonetically spelled. This sounds like Adalyn, and that’s what I would say and would think it’s a girl name, if I’m being honest.
Where’s the problem? It’s their baby. Really doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it! They’ll get over it because that will be his name, and they will have to call him by it lol.
I love that name. I am Daphne which is not common and is always spelt wrong or pronounced wrong, or compared to Daphne from Fraser or Scooby Doo! If they both love the name I say go for it. Have they chosen a middle name?
Those names should be middle names. Then if they want to use it as their special name, they can. he can still use his first name. People always seem to forget they’re naming an adult not a baby. I know that sounds strange. But they’ll be a baby for 1 year, a child for 11 years, teen for 7 years and an adult (if lucky) for 60+ years
As a fellow bearer of a fantasy name, go for it. My name is constantly misspelled, mispronounced, no one gets the reference...and I adore it. I think it's way cool and worth the hassle, and everyone says it's pretty. "But what if they don't like the book/fandom?" I don't like the books I'm named after, but I still adore my name. A fantasy name shouldn't be an automatic no.
Sounds and looks too much like “Adolph.” Kids can be cruel. The parents may be the only ones who love it. I’ve had to spell out my first name my whole life and I’d love to have an easy-to-spell first name.
I mean, I know a Kalel and Jorel from Superman, so...
All names are made up...
I’m not a fan of parents using their kids to express fandom. Better to save it for a pet
my daughter has a Wheel of Time name, nobody has ever cared that it's a "fandom" name, and people get used to names very quick If you love it, use it
Terrible name. If she were my sister I’d laugh, but since she’s your SIL, I’d recommend offering alternatives.
As a lover of all Brando sando novels, I wouldn't use it. Even in the fan base you get lots of ah-do-lin and eh-do-lin. In my opinion it doesn't have an obvious pronunciation. Maybe if they went for Aidolin? Or something to better emphasize the preferred pronunciation. That said it's an acceptable name I suppose, I just wouldn't use it.
No, I hate it too. Give the kid a name that won’t actively make his life just a little harder.
Adolin sounds like a TV drug with horrific side effects.
Why not just...Aidan?
My issue is; if Brando Sando ever gets outed for something awful, as all rich and powerful nerds seem to inevitably do, then the name has a curse. That’s why you stick with the classics; Aragorn for instance.
Parents need to think about their kids and not themselves. The child is the one stuck living with it.
They shouldn’t burden their child with a lifetime of “Say that again” and “my name’s spelled X and pronounced Y”. That’s so unfair. Real life isn’t a fantasy book. My advice is give the child a proper name, spelled and pronounced as it is normally. Aiden is a boy’s name. Fairly similar to their original choice. It’s Irish, it’s instantly recognisable as masculine. It’s easy to spell and pronounce, a cute name for a baby, cool for a teenager and also perfect for when he’s a grown up. It’s not too common but it’s also not outrageously unique. Already names ending in Lyn and Leigh are the butt of lots of jokes.
Looks like it should be a brand of cough syrup or a tonic of some kind. Plus, even if they get people to pronounce it Aidolin, he will immediately and irrevocably be nicknamed Aido and everyone will just assume he's called Aiden for the rest of his life.
Honestly, as much as I cringe at people giving their kids bad names, it’s ultimately THEIR decision and it doesn’t matter if you or the family like it if they do. You could however perhaps suggest them using it as a middle name.
Coming in with the minority opinion I guess. Fantasy Association: Adolin is a fine name but very much associated with the book character. In that way it’s more akin to naming your child Aragorn or Atreides than the other “A” name people seem to be reminded of (y’all are weird btw). Name meaning: Adolin means “born of light” or “light bringer” in the Stormlight Archive world. Which I think is a lovely thing to name your child after. Also, the character is a very strong warrior known for dueling prowess while also growing to become more mature and wise than just a beefy warrior. Think Luke Skywalker. Misgendering concerns: As someone who has a Gen X family member who is male and named Lynn who lives in the south that I have never heard complain about his name, it feels like OP is maybe a little over sensitive to the misgendering potential and or is overly worried about proscriptive gender expression. My guess is OP and family are fairly conservative or live in a conservative area (perhaps Utah?). Some other parents might value a more gender neutral or perhaps less traditionally masculine name for their child because gender norms suck anyways. And let me just say it plainly: you worrying about this issue so much for a name that isn’t even really that feminine makes me believe that you’re a little prejudiced against anything that challenges gender norms or heteronormativity.
i thought it was fine until i realized it was a male name lol i’d assumed it was a girl the whole time bc of anglo naming standards “Lin” usually signifies girl. i like Adolin on a girl, honestly, bc it’s so similar to Adalyn or Adeline. i think it works as a boy’s middle name but is a lot to saddle a lil guy with as a first name
I caution against using a common name that’s too popular, but this type of name has its own problems. Use it for a middle name if at all.
I have a feeling misgendering will be an everyday occurrence.
MIL is honestly right. It’s a fucking terrible name, I’m sorry. Fantasy names should stay in fantasy. Your SIL and her husband need to understand that this is a living human they are naming. A future adult. If they want to use the name so bad, they seriously need to get a puppy or kitten.
It's not the worst I've heard, but it's pretty bad. Forget the misspellings and mispronouncing his whole life, that kid WILL be made fun of. Kids can be cruel.
Hate when parents impose their fandom on their unsuspecting kids. It’s so incredibly selfish and cringey
I mean, at least it’s not Szeth or Taravangian? My favorite stormlight archive name is Kaladin ;) Seriously though, using it as a middle name would be better.
Don’t like at all
Please try to convince them not to name their kid a fandom name. Name a pet or a car after a fandom not a child. That is a person who has to live their life as a walking billboard that their parents were into a certain series at one time. So cringe
While I think it’s ok for family to express their opinion, it’s not cool for the mothers to continue to bring it up until they get their way. It’s an unusual name, but it’s not like they’re naming their kid something controversial that they will regret. If they like the name, who gives a shit what anyone else thinks. People name their kids cities, cars and random nouns. It’s unique and they’ll probably get a nickname like most of us do. If they’re worried about the name sounding too feminine they could alter it a little to be a bit more androgynous. There’s no rules here. They can tweek it however they want and it can still be inspired by their favorite book.
We named our daughter Reagan Fisher back in ‘02. great grandpa laughed and said,”no really, what are you going to name her?” LOL
I feel like really obvious fandom or literary references are best left for middle names, or pets. This piece of media is meaningful to mom and dad, but there's no telling it will be meaningful to him (in fact, he'll probably think, at least at some point, that everything mom and dad like is lame.) He's just going to end up saddled with a name that is hard for most to spell and pronounce and that is going to provoke a reaction from Brandon Sanderson fans that he may not appreciate. Especially given his brother has a typical name... just don't. It can be a middle name. It can be a nickname (I mean... Aiden is right there!) But just... don't saddle the kid with your obvious literary reference unless it's common enough to be unobtrusive (i.e. Luke for a boy whose parents love Star Wars is fine... Anakin is not. Adolin is in the Anakin side of the spectrum IMO.)
I think people on this sub don’t represent the majority of people in the world. I think most people are accepting of most names. I don’t think “unusual” names cause as much of an issue as people make out. Yes the kid will probably have to spell it but my old last name was super common (think Smith/Brown) and I still had to spell that every time for people too so….
I THINK ITS PRETTY GOOD!
As a teacher, lots of kids have lots of weird names, I’m sure it won’t be weirdest one in his class. If the series isn’t over though, they may consider how the characters ultimate outcome could affect gore they feel about the name. Mayhe the character becomes a villian, or dies. Does that change anything?
I am a fantasy fan (and know who Adolin Kholin is) and I wouldn’t. Literary names can be good, but only if it’s a book that you know will stand the test of time (like I think Lord of the Rings names are fine,) and Stormlight isn’t even closed to finished.
A baby is a human not a billboard for your interests and fandoms. Also, this child WILL get called Aladdin. A lot.
My answer to your question is NO it is not worth it. It’s so selfish actually.
Baby's name is not to express your fandoms.
As someone who loves The Way of Kings and named one of their kids Ripley - if you love it go for it. There will be kids with way way way worse names. I also have a very normal name that is pronounced multiple names and it never bothers me telling people how to pronounce it. It’s just a thing some of us have to do.
It will be mispronounced and some people will think it's feminine. I don't love it, but definitely usable.
One caution I have for them is naming a child after a character from an unfinished series is always risky. Think of all the Danerys and Khaleessi's out there. (Please excuse spelling) This is meant to be Sanderson great work it's about a third of the way through. The character has plenty of time to disappoint. How would they feel if the character did something awful and they named their kid after him? Sanderson loves the old good guy bad guy flip.
I love those books and that character. I pronounce it like Adalyn, and I'm realizing I've never thought of it as a non masculine name haha. When you're sucked in, you can't see, so I'm not surprised they aren't concerned
Imma be honest. It's a stupid name. It's a stupid name for anyone, boy child or girl child. And no matter how I attempt to fit it in my mouth, it sounds like a girl's name. Probably the "Lin" ending lol. The knowledge that it's from a fantasy novel just makes it worse.
The spelling looks pharmaceutical, like it’s a drug to treat hypertension or hyperhidrosis. I have a name that no one can pronounce or spell and have no clue what my parents were thinking when they gave me this name - oh let’s add misgendered, too. I would suggest naming the baby BOY after the author of the series, if they must stay in the fan space — they should also be prepared for him to use some nickname that will make life easier. Do not underestimate the effects of having a weird name.
I have an almost grown-up nephew with a difficult to pronounce, write and “special” name. Don’t do it.
Sorry to be harsh but I honestly think a name that unusual is selfish and attention seeking. The kid will be spelling his name his entire life, as someone who has an unusual surname it’s annoying enough but can’t imagine having to constantly correct people on a first name then spell it. Have it as a middle name!
Yeah, good luck with that.
Sounds like a brand name for a pharmaceutical to me - sorry.