I disagree with most of the comments. I do not think you should name the daughter for the van. My father-in-law used to say the first mistake parents make is the name they give their child. Whatever you name your daughter, she will have to explain it all her life. My own daughter, now age 20, has objected to her name for more than 10 years…it is an old Irish family name. She says she wish she had her OWN name, not the name that had a meaning to us, but not to her. If you do use “van” in the name, I agree with the comment about using it as a middle name. But whatever you do, congratulations! It sounds like she’ll have great parents. Good luck.
If all the “Van” names are too weird, how about choosing names that would give the kid the initials “VW”: names like Veronica Wendy, or Vincent William?
Since the vehicle in question is a Volkswagen, how about making historical reference to the father/developer/inventor of the Volkswagen, Ferdinand Porsche?
Porsche if the baby is girl; Ferdinand (or a variant) if the baby is a boy.
It sounds like a great story overall, and thank you, Tara, for sharing this with the Car Talk Listeners. Good Luck and all the Best.
Sylvania, for either gender. Relates to forests. Hides the “van” in the long a (sill-VANE-yah) for Tara, includes the beautiful green forests of Canada, is unusual but still a name, and meets Curtis’ hope for getting “van” in there somewhere.
Savannah or Vance. Savannah is a sweet name
Lia is a great name (and a subtle reminder of the Westphalia).
How about Weston for a boy? Very artistic and evocative. -Viveca
The perfect name is Devan Tripp (last name)It says it all!
I don’t think it’s necessary to name you children after their place of conception. Consider their feelings. Just ask any of my four children: Posture Pedic, Holiday Inn, Drive Inn Cinema and Lufthansa!
Good luck with your new family.
I’ve always loved the name “Evan” for a boy or a girl. For a boy, you could go with “Geovanni” and for a girl, I liked the “Caravan” idea. It could be Cara or Kara, then Van for a middle name. Of course, it all depends on how the name flows with your last name. I liked the idea of “Vincent” in reference to the vehicle’s vin number.
I’ve known people named Harley, Jett, and Nash…so I think it’s cool to have a car name reference.
Your baby needs a classy name–for life! If you MUST use “van” to remind you of the conception and good memories, hide it in a classy middle name only–good suggestions so far have been Savannah/Vanessa or Sullivan/Vance. But middle name only–the first name should be original and not constrained by any memory or family obligation. It will belong totally to the new person you have just made, so make her or him proud to own it.
Joanne
Since the trip was across Canada, my French Canadian girlfriend suggests LeVan if it’s a boy and LaVan if it’s a girl
Well there’s Van, Vance, Vanna,… but I think the best idea is to give him/her the middle name West. Odd, but not too far out there, and they can say honestly that it’s been in the family for generations (if a car’s generation defined as one model year …)
I alos think that Tom & Ray should send lots of stuff to the baby shower - can’t you just imagine a Car Talk bib or sippy cup? Maybe an old O-ring for teething?
In a VW? To represent the VW van how about Fahrvergn?gen (German Fahrvergn?gen, from fahren (to drive) + Vergn?gen (pleasure); popularised by Volkswagen advertisements in the 1990s) :>)
Obviously “van” should be added as a prefix to the baby’s last name. Think Ludwig van Beethoven. At some point in the kid’s charmed life, the parents can explain that the baby looked, well, noble, so they just had to provide a noble handle.
Others have mentioned Evan for a boy, but it is also a beautiful name for a girl (e.g., Evan Rachel Wood), and would be a good first or middle name for either gender. Also, a name that includes the initials V.W., especially if the last name starts with W, might be a subtle compromise.
My mother’s best friend, Josephine was born in Josephine County Oregon, in the 1920s. The practice of naming your child for a memorable thing or place is not all that uncommon.
I read many good suggestions in the prior postings. My favorites for a girl are Vanessa, Vanna, Evangeline, or Cara (without the Van). I also like place names, such as Victoria, Louise, Alberta. My favorites for a boy are Evan, Donovan, & Vancouver. The one I haven’t seen suggested yet is Westfall, which may be used a middle name.
I agree with the persons who say a name relating to the van trip could be used as a middle name. That should reduce the embarassment factor for the child. Ultimately, naming of the baby is the mother’s perogative!
What about Nugen? What?! Because it’s a VW; VW used to have a slogan: Fahrvergnugen- (driving enjoyment). Since Tara & Curtis had shared some “enjoyment”, it’s a subtle cool unisex name.
Under no circumstances! Nice joke for the family and friends now, but this is your child’s name you’re talking about. Forget about the van thing. Many of us have unusual stories about how we met our mates, but you don’t see them translated into their kids’ names. There’s a very good reason. Put away the joke book and pull out your newly developing parental instincts. This is about the child, not about your good party story.
Vanadian, Vanada, V. or just plain old Van. If you want to get away from the Vehicle how about Trip or Tripper. Chas
I don’t know family name. That’s important, I think.
For a boy, what about West…as in Westphalia. Would go with any last name. It has a very positive vibe. As in 'go West young man!" Wouldn’t arouse suspicion and lead to a lot of questions for the boy re: where’d you get THAT name. And, very important, it can’t be shortened to a lousy nickname. I had thought of Donovan, but then he’d be Don.
Of course, you can always go with Sullivan!