There are those who call me... Tim?

[rj_anderson]

It has been suggested to me that I change the name of my young hero from book two of FAERY REBELS (a.k.a. REBEL in the UK). I am told that for most British people, especially of the younger generation, the name "Timothy" is considered fairly radically uncool.

I don't mind Timothy's name being unpopular, because he was born to missionary parents and raised in Uganda, and him not fitting in with the cool kids in England is kind of the point. However, if it's going to make all my young readers in the UK gag and put the book down hastily the moment they see it (as I'd be tempted to do if the hero's name was, say, "Leslie") then I suppose I would be foolish not to take that into account.

So I'm doing a poll. The first question is specifically for UK readers, but for the second I'd be glad to hear from anybody.

[Poll #1398565]

If you're not on LiveJournal, you can still participate by leaving a comment as "Anonymous". Thanks for helping me out on this.

Comments

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

I love both names - actually Timothy is one of my favourite names in general, but granted, I'm not from the UK, so I don't have the associations tybalt_quin mentioned (I have read Famous Five though, but would never have thought to make that connection).

My problem with Thomas is that "a doubting Thomas" is pretty much a stereotype in some circles. I like the name though, so *shrug*.

But then, I may not be the right person to ask. Names generally won't make or break a book for me. If I like the book, I don't care about the names :-D

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Names generally won't make or break a book for me. If I like the book, I don't care about the names :-D

Yes, that's how I feel, too. I absolutely loathe the name "Harry", but it didn't keep me from enjoying the Potter books. Usually I spend about a chapter wishing that the author had chosen some other name I like better, and then I get over it.

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

The only names I really take an issue with is if the author chooses a name I typically associate with a female for a male character or vice versa - and it's not that I dislike it as such, it just throws me for a loop every time I'm reminded that the character is not the gender I thought he/she was.

So if you decide to call the main character Abraham and it's a girl... I might wonder what on earth you were doing ;)

[tybalt-quin.livejournal.com]

:flails:

I've re-read my comment and have just realised that it sounds like I'm hating on Timothys!

Sorry - I have absolutely nothing against Timothys. There are some fine Timothys in the UK - Timothy Spall for example, who plays Pettigrew in the Harry Potter films - smashing bloke, great actor, national treasure.

It's just that there is an image that pops into my head when I hear the name and it is quite a common one in the UK because it's got a bit of a jokey, negative connotation to it. In fact, I've got to admit that my first thought on reading it was a flashback to an 80s sitcom called Sorry! that starred Ronnie Corbett and had the catchphrase, "Language, Timothy!".

It could be that kids won't pick up on that because they can be pretty oblivious to things like that (there's a kid who sometimes takes my bus to work called Wally, which definitely has negative UK connotations), but the parents are likely to pick up on it and given that they're the ones who buy the books, it's possible that it will have an impact over here.

Gah. Have probably just dug myself into a bigger hole. I'll put the shovel down now and back away.

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Oh, please don't worry! It didn't sound like you were hating on Timothys at all. I just read it as you giving examples of associations people might make, and that might be reasons to stay away from that name :-)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

No need to flail! Honest opinions and input from people in the know is precisely what this discussion is for!

On an uncoolness/wimpiness level, would "Timothy" be on a par with, say, "Jeremy" or "Barnaby", or is it somehow more extreme than either of those? I get the uncoolness factor in the latter two names, though it doesn't strike me as fatal, more a sort of "Well, you're going to have to work to get over that" kind of thing.

[tybalt-quin.livejournal.com]

On an uncoolness/wimpiness level, would "Timothy" be on a par with, say, "Jeremy" or "Barnaby", or is it somehow more extreme than either of those?

It's about on a par with Jeremy and Barnaby (although Jeremy is more common a name in the UK than Barnaby is, but again that's with men over a certain age). Another comparator would be 'Nigel'.