FORGET movie stars, family tradition or even the Bible - sci-fi is the latest source for unusual baby names.
A new book, Sci-Fi Baby Names, offers 500 suggestions from the world of Star Trek, Superman, Dr Who and The Matrix.
If you are a Trekkie, there's Tuvok, after a Vulcan character from Star Trek: Voyager, or for a girl, perhaps Amidala, after Natalie Portman's character in the newer Star Wars movies.
Parents in Victoria have embraced names of characters from The Matrix and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
There have been 18 Neos, 133 Xanders, 273 Trinitys and 158 Willows born in Victoria since 1980, according to the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Trinity and Neo were both characters from The Matrix movies, while Xander and Willow feature in the cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Some parents just choose a name of their favourite movie or book character, actor, singer or sports star because they have qualities they admire or they simply warm to them. Sci-fi inspired names were becoming more popular because science fiction had become more mainstream. Male fans often wanted to name their children after famous sci-fi characters, but their partners usually stopped the idea.
Scott Liston, committee member of Star Trek fan club Austrek, said he had met a fan who called his son Damon Jean-Luc -- Damon is the Ferengi (an alien race in Star Trek) word for Captain and Jean-Luc is for Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Mr Liston said if he had a son, he would like his middle name to be Tiberius, not for the Roman Emperor but after Captain James Tiberius Kirk (played by William Shatner).
Peter Jordan, the director of Australia's biggest Star Wars fan club, Starwalking Inc, said many fans had a fleeting wish to name their children after their favourite characters but settled on more conventional names.
"You've got to take into consideration that this kid has to live with the name for life," he said.
"If someone called their kid Jar Jar (after Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks), I think they'd have serious issues."
Mr Jordan said Luke (after Luke Skywalker) was on his baby name shortlist.
"And I jokingly say that if we ever had twins, I'd put my vote in for Luke and Leia."
A new book, Sci-Fi Baby Names, offers 500 suggestions from the world of Star Trek, Superman, Dr Who and The Matrix.
If you are a Trekkie, there's Tuvok, after a Vulcan character from Star Trek: Voyager, or for a girl, perhaps Amidala, after Natalie Portman's character in the newer Star Wars movies.
Parents in Victoria have embraced names of characters from The Matrix and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
There have been 18 Neos, 133 Xanders, 273 Trinitys and 158 Willows born in Victoria since 1980, according to the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Trinity and Neo were both characters from The Matrix movies, while Xander and Willow feature in the cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Some parents just choose a name of their favourite movie or book character, actor, singer or sports star because they have qualities they admire or they simply warm to them. Sci-fi inspired names were becoming more popular because science fiction had become more mainstream. Male fans often wanted to name their children after famous sci-fi characters, but their partners usually stopped the idea.
Scott Liston, committee member of Star Trek fan club Austrek, said he had met a fan who called his son Damon Jean-Luc -- Damon is the Ferengi (an alien race in Star Trek) word for Captain and Jean-Luc is for Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Mr Liston said if he had a son, he would like his middle name to be Tiberius, not for the Roman Emperor but after Captain James Tiberius Kirk (played by William Shatner).
Peter Jordan, the director of Australia's biggest Star Wars fan club, Starwalking Inc, said many fans had a fleeting wish to name their children after their favourite characters but settled on more conventional names.
"You've got to take into consideration that this kid has to live with the name for life," he said.
"If someone called their kid Jar Jar (after Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks), I think they'd have serious issues."
Mr Jordan said Luke (after Luke Skywalker) was on his baby name shortlist.
"And I jokingly say that if we ever had twins, I'd put my vote in for Luke and Leia."
