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Sat May 15, 2010 7:55 am

Just another Saturday, ripping out the sink cabinet in my Westy while listening to NPR's Car Talk. I hear a caller describe how she and her husband first started dating after a trip in their "van" and now they are pregnant and he wants to incorporate the "van" into the child's name or middle name.

FINALLY, they ask, "What kind of van is it?"

Turns out it's a '87 WESTY!!!

Apparently they're going to have a place on the Car Talk website to suggest Vanagon baby names. Click and Clack suggested Van, Vanagon, Vanessa, and Ivan. They also grossly mispronounced Vanagon and Westfalia, but they're NorthEasterners, so I'll forgive them for that. Listen to the clip here. I wonder if Tara and Curtis are Sambanites.

I have a daughter coming in a couple weeks...maybe I'll change her name from Francesca to Vancesca....

What say you?

Sat May 15, 2010 8:04 am

He's such a sweet baby, dear little "POS". Hmm, doesn't sound right.

(Well, sometime I do call it that.)

Sat May 15, 2010 8:09 am

Hey Morris_82, I sure get a kick outa listening to click/clack their laughter is so damn infectious, kinda reminds me of the radios version of The Three Stooges.

I sense a name change, go for it :lol:

Sat May 15, 2010 8:16 am

Just heard that episode as well, it's actually the third time they've talked to this young lady. First time was when she asked if she should break up with the guy because he "lived in a van", second time was to get advice before driving cross-Canada with the van-driver, both relationship advice, and whether the van would make it. Pretty funny stuff!! They are hilarious, even if they do butcher the pronunciation of Vanagon and Westfalia.

Sat May 15, 2010 8:28 am

I believe Disney once made a movie called 'the brave little toaster'. But my little girl isn't so little anymore.....

Sat May 15, 2010 5:14 pm

My brother and his wife met through his van (a '64 Ford Econoline), when their son was born they simply named him Van.

Sat May 15, 2010 5:27 pm

My father's middle name was Van, and he was forever having people trying to append it to his last name in the Dutch fashion ala Rembrandt van Rijn. Not a good idea, IMO.

And, later on, how will that child feel about being named after a car? I think that more common sense is needed here.

Sat May 15, 2010 6:59 pm

I did! my vans name was shaniqua!
click and clack are in a really cool movie called "Car of the Future"
narrated by John Lithgow. look for it on netflix or PBS.org
theres a carbon fiber electric car thats awesome

Sat May 15, 2010 8:05 pm

GeorgeL wrote: My father's middle name was Van, and he was forever having people trying to append it to his last name in the Dutch fashion ala Rembrandt van Rijn. Not a good idea, IMO.

And, later on, how will that child feel about being named after a car? I think that more common sense is needed here.

Its not a lack of common sense, its a celebration of how the met, why they fell in love, and why their son was born. Its not uncommon for people to name their children after significant events or places in their lives or relationship.

As to how he will feel about "being named after a car"? Who knows but most likely he will be driving the car he was named after. It doesnt seem much different than naming your child after a plant or tree (as in Rose, or Birch both names of people I know).

Sun May 16, 2010 9:36 am

It sounds all romantic and sensitive to give your kids exotic names. Well it sucks! My parents saddled me with a stupid, long exotic combination of names and then to top it off, numerically controlled me. So now I have 42 Aliases (based on my last security background check)! I even get mail as 'Dear Mr. IV. The list of unfortunate kids who have to suffer the eccentricities of their parents misguided attempt to be clever or 'sensitive' is long and sad. Like Moon Unit, Chandalear, Lavalear and so on.

Sound cool to the parents, but making your kids name a joke sucks for them for the rest of their life. I really should have had mine changed when I turned 18. I hate having to explain it to the numbskulls in customs in the podunk places I go. Like my name has every letter not in the Italian alphabet (they have 21), oh what a joy forms were there for me.

Sun May 16, 2010 9:41 am

I let my kids name the Vanagon but that's about it :)

Whistler

Because the turbo :)

Sun May 16, 2010 2:30 pm

Dogpilot wrote:
The list of unfortunate kids who have to suffer the eccentricities of their parents misguided attempt to be clever or 'sensitive' is long and sad. Like Moon Unit,

Hey, at least he gave his wife a choice between Moon Unit and Motorhead.
:P

As for the cl + clk show, one of the best parts was their estimate that the van would break down every 185 miles or so. One the re-cap, she said it actually turned out to be a breakdown every 300 miles. :!:

Sun May 16, 2010 3:35 pm

Morris_82, hmmm, you are named after a car!
And it's not even a Westy!
But it is cool!

Sun May 16, 2010 4:03 pm

even junior and senior is retarded. so afraid to be forgotten.
my pop was known as June to his folks. pointless, like youre not real around your parents.
similar to aunt gemima, I once met a gal whose name rhymed with that but started with a V. her mom didnt even know what one was, but must have liked the sound of it. so stubborn as to not change it when its true meaning came to light, and another grand family tradition is born!
just when you think youve heard it all, new frontiers open up in the naming of victims.

Sun May 16, 2010 7:02 pm

foodeater wrote:
Its not a lack of common sense, its a celebration of how the met, why they fell in love, and why their son was born. Its not uncommon for people to name their children after significant events or places in their lives or relationship.
Respectfully, it was a significant event in their life, not their child's. The child shouldn't have to live with an odd name to celebrate their event. In my job I encounter quite a few teens who were saddled with odd names that their parents though were unique, cute or meaningful. Most of them go by a nickname to avoid embarrassment.
foodeater wrote:
As to how he will feel about "being named after a car"? Who knows but most likely he will be driving the car he was named after. It doesnt seem much different than naming your child after a plant or tree (as in Rose, or Birch both names of people I know).
Rose and Birch are fairly common names. Vanagon isn't. Van might be passable. I suppose that the future child should be grateful that the meeting didn't take place in a Beetle or Thing. :shock:

Sun May 16, 2010 9:41 pm

1965-1966 jerry van dyke, "My Mother the Car"