Hi Swistle,
I have recently fell in love with the name Ferris. I think it’s fun and spunky and mischevious and that’s exactly the personality I’ve seen from our baby whilst in utero. It’s rare, unusual name without sounding too bizarre to our older relatives. I think Ferris John M@rino the perfect name for our child, if our child is a boy.
While my husband also loves the name Ferris, he’s concerned about the association with Ferris Bueller and that our child will get “Bueller? Bueller?” for his whole life and that people will think we named our baby after a movie character. I don’t think the Bueller connection is a bad one. I actually think it’s kind of fun! And we do love the character and the movie and the idea of slowing down and enjoying the world around you. I totally get that our child will hear about Ferris Bueller from my generation and older, I don’t see that as a bad thing.
My husband prefers the name Lindon John M@rino, which I also like but it doesn’t have the same sparkle and excitement to me. My heart is set on Ferris – How can I convince him??
For reference, if the baby is a girl, she will be Ruby Diane. My name is Meredith and my husband is Jay. Other names that we liked but eventually decided against for boys are: Shepard, Perry, Calvin, Cameron, Brooks, Ian, Darcy and Edwin.
Baby M@rino is due in 4 weeks. Please help Swistle!
Thank you!
Meredith
I have an instant, strong, positive, nearly exclusive association with Ferris Bueller. I also think of Ferris wheels.
Although the association is positive, a quick field test at my house showed a nearly universal impulse to say “Bueller?… Bueller?” in that familiar flat Ben Stein voice. Paul also immediately said, “Save Ferris!” I do think those knee-jerk movie-quote reactions could get tiresome.
As an aside, re-reading this post, I realized it’s interesting the association is positive. It’s a tribute to the charm of the actor and character that a movie in which a person repeatedly ditches his obligations, lies to and manipulates his parents (so successfully and so long-term that they think they have a completely different kid), pressures and manipulates others to do things against their will, steals a car, takes over a parade in a successful yet behavior-worrisome way, etc., still ends up leaving an impression about slowing down and enjoying life. It’s that famous quote, I think, the one that so many people used (and probably still use) under their senior pictures.
I think if I were set on the name, I might consider it as a perfect fun middle name. John Ferris M@rino is handsome. You could even call him John Ferris: I think double names are fun, and can spruce up a name such as John.
Or you could just go with it, accepting the mentioned downsides as part of the package deal of the name. “YES, after the guy in the movie: we love him, and we love the whole message of that movie.” “Yes. Ha ha. Bueller. I see what you did there.”
Name update!
Dear Swistle,
Thank you so much for helping with our naming dilemma! You and the commentors were so helpful and encouraging. We had not considered hyphenating our son’s name like you suggested but in the end, it made perfect sense.
Our son, John-Ferris Edwin, was born on June 28, 2015.
We have received so many compliments on his name and very few Ferris Bueller comments.
Thank you Swistle!
Meredith
I love Ferris, and I think it totally works. First, Ferris Bueller isn’t such a strong association for kids born today that he’ll automatically here it from his peers. The movie came out in 1986, which is the Dark Ages to my ten year old. (Well, unless – until!? – they remake the movie.)
But the thing about that Ferris is that he’s a great, positive character. And Ferris Wheels are all sorts of fabulous. Plus, ferris could come from the word for iron, so there’s all sorts of strength to this name, too.
Positive, uplifting pop culture associations + a great origin for the name? I can’t believe MORE people don’t use Ferris!
I also agree. A child today is probably going to view Ferris Bueller’s Day Off the same way I view the original James Bond – I’ve heard them quoted/referenced and I’ve maybe seen it once as a “throwback” with my dad, but I don’t consider it a mainstream movie anymore. So while other adults may initially respond with ‘Bueller?’ that’ll probably be a short-lived early in the child’s life (at a time when he doesn’t remember or care).
Agree wholeheartedly!!!! LOVE, love, love Ferris, and if it didn’t clash with our last name so much, would be adding it to my list immediately. It’s so handsome and dignified, but also fun and whimsical! How does it manage to be both??
I also think the Ferris Bueller association is fantastic, if only because people will have heard of the name and will thus know how to spell and pronounce it without a ten-minute explanation. “Like the movie?” “Yes, like the movie.” Done and done. That’s not a painful conversation to have.
For issues like this, I automatically think “Would I mind having this name?” I have to say that I would prefer not to have the name Ferris. I completely agree with you that the movie association is not a bad one, but it’s a tiresome one. The constant quotes would get SO old, and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is one of those classic movies that ten-year-olds may not be as familiar with right now, but every teenager will eventually see it and then quote for the rest of their lives.
I love Swistle’s suggestion of moving it to the middle spot or using it as a double barrel first name.
Oh my gosh name that baby Ferris! I LOVE it!
Hmmm…my association with Ferris Bueller is not so positive as everyone else’s. I only saw the movie once and that was over a decade ago, so my impressions might be different if I re-watched it. But I found that character annoying and irresponsible. All the reasons why Swistle says we “shouldn’t” like him (but somehow do) are the things that drove me nuts about him (and still do).
But maybe if I re-watched it I would feel differently. Maybe I just watched it at a time in my life when I took things too literally and missed a more subtle message.
Anyway, I wouldn’t use it. There are probably many many people whose overall impression is positive, but there will also be people like me who have a pretty negative association because of the movie. It fails the “would I want this name for myself?” test.
My first thought was Ferris Wheel, which is a fun, whimsical fairground association. Although the line is always so long that we don’t even go on them!
Then I thought of the movie, which I don’t know if I have ever even watched. But I know of it. My kids (9, 7 and 4) don’t know the movie. Is it a movie that people show to their kids? So it might not come up in elementary school. Maybe moreso in middle & high school? Since you are aware of the movie and are ok with it, I think it’s workable. If your husband comes around to the idea.
Ooh, this is a tough one! My immediate connection was to Ferris Bueller, too. For me it is a neutral association. I agree with others that he probably won’t hear about it from peers. I know it is kind of a cult classic, but I would be a bit surprised if most high schoolers were still watching it 16 years from now. I think I would get annoyed by how many comments you are sure to get from other adults who love or hate the movie, but it sounds like you don’t think that is a big issue.
My first thought was also Ferris Bueller and I can say that I wasn’t a fan of the movie. However, I also know several people with the last name Ferris so while a lot of surnames can be used as first names, I don’t think Ferris is one of those. I have a suspicion baby would be called Ferris the Ferret. BUT, I have a daughter named Ellery and people were afraid she would be called Ellery Celery and no one has ever made that association. I agree with Swistle in that it could be used as a spunky middle name.
If you decide to go with Lindon, I prefer the spellings Linden and Lyndon over Lindon. Lindon Ferris M@rino works just fine.
I think it’s a really fun name with a positive association, but if I had the name myself, it might be annoying to always get the “clever quips”. As a Sheri, I get SO SICK of hearing people sing horrible renditions of “Sherry Baby” and “Oh Sherrie” UGH. Journey is a great band, but that song is the WORST.
If you go with Ferris John and he decides he’s tired of the quips, he can always go by his middle, though – would you be ok with a teen or adult who goes by F. John M@rino? I think it’s kinda cool, like F. Scott Fitzgerald =)
Linden and Ruby are great names, too! I hope you get to use them for future siblings!! Good luck and congrats on your new sweet boy!
Ferris was my great-grandpa’s name, so I am totally tickled to see his name coming back around. It’s also interesting that you think of a person named Ferris as fun and spunky and mischievous because that’s exactly how I would have described him — the kind of guy who liked jokes and pranks but never at somebody else’s expense. So my inclination is to tell you to use it because it’s lovely and vintage and uncommon, but I recognize that my personal association is skewing my perspective. (For another data point, wife says that the movie association is too strong to make the name usable.)
I think Ferris has a similar set of drawbacks as the name Forrest: a cute, under-used boy name with a strong but (at least somewhat) positive association to an unfortunately extremely quotable movie. I would suggest that modern children would not care or have this association with a movie that was released so long ago, but Swistle’s children’s responses give me pause. If you really love the name, you shouldn’t let other people’s inevitable inability to keep their chatter to themselves get in the way of your name bliss. And once people become acquainted with their son Ferris, I predict that their association to the name Ferris will be of him and not the movie character, so you’ll hear less “Bueller?… Bueller?” over time. Still, that’s an annoyance that you will have to be willing to embrace, at least for a while.
Swistle, I wish the polls were working again. This one is right on the border of usability, and I’m so curious about the proportions of yea vs. nay.
Oh, ME TOO! Especially because when the polls WERE working, I noticed pretty frequently that the proportions in the comments were not the same as the proportions in the polls. I think this is such a respectful and “Just because it’s not my style doesn’t mean it’s not yours” community, sometimes people aren’t sure how to say in a comment that they don’t like something—but a poll lets them do it politely.
Oh, yes, I would find it just as annoying as Forrest, because for both names, the movie is the ONLY time I’ve ever heard either name used (personally, in my life). And both movies have quotes that would get really annoying, really fast.
I knew some teenagers who would always quote ‘Bueller, Bueller…’ for years and it got so annoying. And they weren’t even directing the comment at anyone in particular! Imagine if it was one person who got that comment for years . . . urgh!
However, I’m also another (strange?) person who disliked the associations of the movie character, so I guess I’m biased on the ‘no’ side. You obviously like the association. But I suppose it’s feasible that your future son might not?
I’m right in the generation that should love that movie (born in 1980), but somehow never saw it! I thought of the movie and of the 90s band Save Ferris (which is an allusion to the movie, which I didn’t know) when I heard the name, but only slightly. I love it, and while I suspect he would get the “Bueller…?” thing enough that it would cause him to roll his eyes, I wouldn’t think it would be often enough to avoid using a name that you think fits him so well!
My cousin and his wife named their baby Ferris! I immediately thought, “like Bueller?” and honestly even though our Ferris is now almost 12, I STILL think that. However, I like it. :)
I wouldn’t let the movie association keep me from using the name. If its not an issue for Luke (I am your father) or Scarlett (Frankly, I don’t give a damn), why should it be for Ferris? I guess Ferris has fewer other associations, but still…the movie is almost 30 years old. Most kids won’t have seen it. Those who have won’t be able to make Bueller jokes without explaining them to the rest of the class, at which point they won’t be funny anymore.
Also I think it’s ironic that Lindon is the name with less baggage. No one remembers presidents, right?
That was my thought! I have a far stronger (negative) association with Li(y)ndon due to President Johnson :)
I love it, and I think you should go for it! I have seen the movie thousands of times and love it and have a very positive association with the character. But when I read this question, it didn’t instantly strike me that the name would be related to the movie. Ferris seems like a normal name to me (maybe because I am SO familiar with the film). I also agree with the other commenter who noted that the silly jokes would only happen upon the first encounter with your son, if at all. Once you’ve met someone one time, you don’t tend to think about their name again, because it’s just THEM, ya know? DO IT.
My first association is with the movie, a movie that I really liked growing up, and think about fondly even though Swistle is right, Ferris is totally irresponsible and manipulative. (But so, so charming!)
I think Ferris is a fine name, but you’d have to be prepared for the Bueller quotes, and oh, there will be Bueller quotes. I would expect that a kid today will probably not have the strong Ferris Bueller associations that I have, but again, they are really into remaking classics these days.
I agree with the “Forrest” comparison. I dated somebody named Forrest and got “Run Forrest Run” more often than I can count, and he hated it. I still love the name, and I think he likes it too, but those quotes were the bane of his existence I think.
I think Ferris is usable. My Forrest had peers who grew up with Forrest Gump, little Ferris will not have the same environment.
My problem with For(r)est is more the association with Nathan Bedford Forrest than Forrest Gump, but I find it unusable either way.
I think it’s a great and usable name. I agree with others who say that the movie possibly won’t even be known to this baby’s peers by the time it would be an issue (middle school, one imagines). And if it is, the references will grow tired very quickly and everyone will move on.
My daughter has the same name as a popular TV show from the late 1990s: Felicity. My daughter is five, so she was born well after the show ended. It seems that enough time has passed that I rarely get remarks from people about the show; usually they say, “What a beautiful name!” Very occasionally someone will add, “Oh, and I loved that show!” No one assumes we named her after the show/character.
Granted, Ferris Bueller has a wider fan base than Felicity the show did, and it has more catch-phrases associated with it. But I want to reinforce the notion that a name in the abstract isn’t the same as a name associated with a real, live baby/child/person. People who know you and your child will come to associate the name with HIM, not with the movie or a persona. I think it’s worth going for it since you love it!
For what it’s worth, when I have known people who named their children something extremely unusual, I have been able to move past any initial reservations quickly because then that name is that child’s name and no longer carries whatever else I might have associated it with along.
Let’s say someone names their daughter Scooter. It’s uncommon, it’s a noun, it’s a Muppet, and it would more typically be viewed as a male name. But pretty quickly, it’s just a natural thing. “It’s Scooter’s first day of preschool!” Etc. And it’s fine. I think Ferris has MUCH LESS baggage to overcome than more unusual name choices such as that. (For the record, I have NO PROBLEM with the name Scooter and mean no offense to anyone — just using it as an example.)
That’s a really good point about quickly “getting over” the weirdness of somebody’s name. I know several people with extremely uncommon first names, and I forget about it once it just becomes THEIR name. Then my like/dislike of the name usually becomes dependent solely on my like/dislike for the person!
My Felicity will be 3-years old soon and I get the I love her name, beautiful name, etc more then I ever get ‘hey, like the show!’
I really like Ferris–the movie is a positive association. I also knew a guy in school whose last name was Ferris, and I don’t recall him having any problems with it. I say if you like it, (and it sounds like you really do) go for it!
I think answering honestly to some of the typical questions asked here when considering a name will help:
– Would I want that name?
– Does it work on a baby, child, teenager, and adult?
– Is it an easily “tease-able” name?
– Would it work on a doctor or lawyer, artist, teacher, athlete?
My vote is for Ferris as a middle name. The associations with Ferris Bueller and ferris wheels are just too strong for me. It’s a great, fun name, but the potential for teasing and/or irritating questions and comments is high.
This is eerily familiar because my husband has the same name as the actor playing Ferris, and my husband gets the Beuller jokes! We’re much more of that generation, though (born in 1980), so I would think it would be much less of a “thing” for your child. If your husband still has reservations, I love the suggestion of John Ferris.
I love Ferris, and Ferris Bueller makes me smile regardless where I hear it.
Side note, when I see Lindon John and I have a strong urge to say “Lyndon Johnson.” Maybe it’s the history buff in me but as soon as I saw Lindon I thought of the president. He was an active president but not many people remember exactly what he did. Hard to follow a Kennedy, I guess.
I’m afraid I have a dissenting opinion. I want to like the name Ferris! I do! It seems unusual but not too unusual! It’s easily pronounceable!
Ferris Bueller, Ferris wheel, Ferris ferret, and feral Ferris all came to mind in rapid succession.
I’m going to be bluntly honest here. I hate the movie character. I find the character to be obnoxious, constantly lying and manipulating the people around him. I don’t find that to be a positive association. The character is spunky and energetic but there’s a lot going on there.
HOWEVER, like the name Damian, it needs to be evaluated on its OWN MERIT. The wheel, ferret, and feral all should probably be considered… Children will find the rhymes, similar sounds, and associations that aren’t Bueller-related (and probably the Bueller ones too). I personally wouldn’t like to be a Ferris or name a child a Ferris for those reasons. Granted, so many names have less than positive rhymes/word associations (Daisy/lazy, Zach/yak, etc.) But, as a teacher, those wheel/ferret/feral concerns are just too big for me.
Ferris does pass the name song test! Ferris, berris, ferris, merris… :) And I think if I met a sweet new baby named Ferris, I might have a moment of pause to reflect on my concerns and then quickly move on to associating the name with the tiny person.
I would say that although the name isn’t my personal style, I LOVE it! I think it fits into todays’ “noun” names like Forrest and Archer, etc. BUT it is very unique and uncommon but definitely not made-up. I also think that kids born today will not have the Ferris Bueller association, so although you may receive some comments from people our age, I’m almost positive your child would never come across it.
If your husband can’t get on board, I actually love Swistle’s idea of John Ferris… you don’t see many double-names nowadays, especially on boys, which can make it even more fun. Once he goes to school, he can decide what he prefers as well :)
Good luck and keep us posted.
FYI – I love Ruby :)
I think Ferris Bueller is a cult classic and the fun quotes will follow him for life. In school with his peers they will know your son before they see the movie do it won’t be a big deal. But eventually he will have to work with multiple generations in an office or wherever and will face movie quotes regularly. I think that if he ends up in a career like sales where he meets new people all the time it would be very hard name to live with. Or awesome if he was able to embrace it.
Scarlet and Luke are different b/c the names have other associations (Cool hand Luke, Scarlet Johansen for example). There is really only one Ferris. I think it would be like being named Jack Daniels. Most of the hassle would come as an adult not kindergarten. Some people would enjoy the association others would hate it.
My suggestion is make it his middle name but call him Ferris. That way if he hates it it is easy to change. My dad and two cousins both go by their middles which to me is a nice way to give your baby options.
I agree. This is a cult classic, not a one-generation association. While it may be a positive association for the LW and many adults on here, it is a (big!) stretch to assume that the movie character will also be a positive association for the boy. What if he is a quiet, bookish child, who dislikes attention from strangers? I can see him loathing the extra attention and jokes about his name. Or he could be gregarious and love a conversation opener. But why take that risk with his future, especially without a handy nickname? Middle name material, for sure.
Really an interesting discussion. Aside from the Ferris Bueller association, I found myself musing about the “is” sound at the end, & thinking about that family of boys’ names: Aldous, Amadeus, Atticus, Angus, Augustus, Boris, Cornelius, Costas, Curtis, Dallas, Davis, Demetrius, Dennis, Elias, Ellis, Elvis, Ennis, Francis, Harris, Hollis, Jarvis, Justus, Lewis/Louis, Maurice/Morris, Norris, Paris, Prentice, Regis, Terence, Travis, Wallace, Willis. (There are others, but these seemed most useable, some more so). Of these, I would put Augustus, Elias, Ellis, Harris, and Lewis/Louis in the “somewhat popular” category, and others, such as Curtis, Davis, Justus and Willis in the “sometimes suggested” category. Others, like Dennis, Terence, and Travis, seem dated in an unpopular way, though I always tend to put Dennis in a “why not?” category. In my mind, Ferris would fit in the Harris, Morris, Norris category the best. Maybe this is neither here nor there–I’ve just gotten carried away.
In contrast, Linden/Lyndon/Lindon fits into a much, much broader category of “boys names ending in N”. And yes, it’s so interesting that culturally, Ferris Bueller is more memorable/influential than Lyndon Johnson!
(I am impressed at the list of boys’ names you considered and discarded. Perry, Darcy, Edwin? Really open, both of you. Kudos for that.)
Oh, and Atticus is also obviously popular.
Great alternatives!
I personally would grow quickly tired of the movie references. For that reason alone I wouldn’t choose it for myself or my own child. But that may not be an issue for you. If it’s not, I’d say go for it! Ferris is a handsome name, easy to recognize and spell, yet not common. Nice attributes!
I just love the name Ferris! We’re pondering one, equally associated with a famous character name ourselves, so I may be biased, but I just don’t see it being an immediate problem amongst peers. Their parents maybe, but I doubt it would be a constant irritation like it might for a Ferris born in the late eighties! Ferris is such a spunky name, and I love the idea of Ferris and Ruby as siblings. Ferris sounding like “ferrous metal” and ruby being a gemstone. I like the metallurgy tie-in :)
The whimsy of Ferris could wear thin. Perhaps you could test it out in public (have your husband use the name at a restaurant)?
I know I’ve commented this here before, but we are in a kind of related situation. We named our daughter Juliet, she is in school now and I can count of one hand the number of times people have mentioned Romeo to her. Of course that might increase as she gets older, but we’ve heard it very little. And she really has no frame of reference for it it, I’ve just told her there is a character in a very famous play with her name and she thinks that is the coolest.
I am ambivalent about Ferris as a first name–it’s entirely possible that the movie associations would be a consistent problem, but it’s more likely that the family would only occasionally hear comments about it, and the comments would be mostly positive. If it’s a concern, I would definitely think about Swistle’s suggestion of John Ferris as a double name. I love double names, and that particular combo really jumps out at me! I love it!
A former classmate named her son Lyndon. I’ve always wondered if they hear lots of president-related comments. They live in a part of the country where Johnson and his legacy are not remembered favorably by most people (especially those old enough to be alive during his administration). Again, that may not be an issue, but as the previous commenter mentioned, Lindon John sounds a lot like Lyndon Johnson, and that combo might invite more conments than Lindon with another middle name.
I like different names… Ace, Dawson, Forrest are all on my long list of boys names…and it doesn’t bother me one bit about Ace Ventura, Forrest Gump or Dawson Creek. My daughter’s names are Piper and Felicity both first heard from the show Charmed and Felicity, so connections to famous people/shows/movies obviously doesn’t bother me….
but there’s just something about Ferris that I don’t like as a first name… I think it would be a really cool/different middle name!
But in all reality if it’s name you LOVE and you can get DH onboard with it. And can get pass all the little worries you both have I say you should just go with it…
If there was a poll that asked, “do you think there would be issues with Ferris?” I would have said YES, don’t use it. While reading your email, I thought, “I hope she’s considering the name for a girl and not a boy.” (I’ve never seen Ferris Bueller) The first thing I thought of was “Ferris the Fairy”. Kids can be cruel.
Hhhm, I don’t normally comment if i don’t like a name – it feels rude :) also I figure if i don’t like someone’s choice they probably won’t like mine so each to their own. I hadn’t considered that this gives a false impression.
Soooo breaking my rule, I’m sorry but I hear ferret. Depending on your actual Ln (is it an e like the sheep?) I also hear furry. I do like John.
It is difficult, isn’t it? This is why I am so sad about my polls: they give people a chance to comment against a name (which, I agree with you, I usually feel like just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t use it), without feeling rude.
Oh I LOVE Ferris and think it totally works!! I knew a teenager with the name, and it was worn beautifully with universally positive reception. :-) I actually don’t think I remember a single movie-quote reference ever occurring. (I know that’s hard to believe, but the environment at the time was somewhat low on 70’s/80’s-borns.)
Even as someone born after the movie came out, that is my immediate thought because there is no other reference for me. It kind of crosses a lot of generations. High schoolers still use his advice as yearbook quotes. Ferris wheels didn’t even enter my mind at first. I think the name is usable and the quotes would stop after time once they knew your son. Sometimes I wonder who has the guts to tease someone immediately off the bat for things like this though. Even though Bueller is my first thought, I’m not the kind of person to voice it to a person I just met. This is much like naming a son Elmo to me – cool, unusual, easy to spell, even a saint – but risky because of a character. Not a perfect comparison but helps with perspective maybe.
Ferris is an awful lot of cool to live up to. The adults around your kid will most likely expect a spunky, gregarious little boy & it may not mesh with your son’s actual personality. That was the case with the Ferris I knew.
Do you like Fergus – it sounds similar without the issues and shortens to super-usable Gus?
Oh I LOVE this suggestion!
First, I really like the name Ferris. I think it has a great sound and I love that it seems to fit your baby’s personality as seen so far.
I also think it’s totally useable! The movie associations are likely to fade as people begin to associate the name more with your son than they do the movie character, as many have said above. It’s also very heartening that most folks have such positive associations with the character.
However, reading all these responses really makes me wonder: how many of us have seen the move recently? I loved it when I saw it as a younger person and always had happy associations with it…until my husband and I re-watched it a couple of weeks ago. Then, all the negative aspects of the character Swistle mentioned just overtook the movie. It was so bad that we found ourselves actively hating Ferris and rooting for Principal Rooney. It possible we’ve become a couple of grumps in our “old age” (mid 30s), but Ferris just seems awful to me now, and kind of a sociopath.
This is clearly a minority point of view, though. I think most people still love the character — as I would if John Hughes had kept this movie in a Disney-style vault.
I’m on the fence. I like it the name in and of itself (for someone’s kid), but I’m concerned that the movie will remain popular enough to cause problems. Getting the same joke about your name over and over and over again gets very old. I wouldn’t want to do that to do a kid. And movie popularity is a hard thing to predict.
My husband & I were in a similar situation last summer before our baby girl was born. I wanted the name Juno, but hubby was worried that everyone would think we named her after the movie & character of that name. He didn’t think a pregnant teenager was the best namesake for our daughter. But from my perspective, she was a funny, spunky girl who made a compassionate, selfless choice in a difficult situation. Not to mention, we weren’t actually naming her after the movie anyway! I’m happy to say that in the 9 months she’s been here, only two people made movie-related comments upon learning her name. In the brief time that it was news worthy this winter, 5 times more people mentioned the winter storm named Juno.
Personally, I would want to go for it… (if I would is a different story – I’d like to think I would)
Reason is that I think this name is ‘up-and-coming’ again. It would annoy me beyond belief to have many little Ferris’s around in the next years, but to have skipped my favourite name because I was afraid while other parents weren’t. Ha!
The problem that I see with Ferris is that most of his teachers will have seen the movie, and they will ALL be thinking “Bueller” when they call on him. Put it in the middle spot.
I say use it, and I saw the movie in the theater! There are so many names out there now that this isn’t an outlier any more. The quotes might get old, but I’m guessing they’ll peak when his peers are teens, because after that, it won’t really be funny any more.
I taught a 4th grade Forrest who would’ve been born right as the movie came out, and I never felt the urge to quote the movie to him (although I did serenade a student to the tune of “Daniel” to get him to pipe down.) And up until this year, the name Holden would have been all Caulfield to me, and everyone reads that book at some point. But now he’s just a 2 yo with a brother named Hudson, oh hey, nice sibset. I just don’t think the reference will be that big a deal.
Beyond that – I’m not sure teasing about names is that much of a thing anymore. My daughter’s 2nd grade class of 25 had Nepalese and Indian names, a car company, a Tolkein elf, and an Hawaiian island. She didn’t bat an eye at a one of them. Kids still get teased, but I don’t think kids associate “names” with “weird” any more.
I just realized that I know an older adult called Ferris, and even though I have seen the movie several times, I have never associated him with Ferris Bueller.
I love Ferris! It totally makes ME want to use it now!! I will say that I love the movie and the character. I remember when my parents shared the movie with me as an adolescent (it was one of THEIR favs) and I instantly loved it. I have fond memories to this day!
My friend’s dad is named Ferris. I thought, “Like Bueller?! How awesome!!” I didn’t say anything, but it just helped me remember his name. I won’t forget it!
Incidentally, I also love the name Sloane. It’s one of my very favorite girl names, I’m just not sure how it sounds with my surname. Sloane Grade……
If you love it, I say use it!
I think if you both like it, you should use it. I really don’t think it will be an issue for your son, so much as an issue for you and your husband. My son is Arlo. He was not named for Arlo Guthrie, we just liked the name, but that is certainly the association that folks our age and older have. I guarantee it will not be something my son has to deal with much (he’s currently 5), but I have had to get used to saying “Yes, like the singer!” at the doctor/dentist/grocery store. We have a family friend who is about 5 years younger than I am who thought we made the name up, so these things shift generationally.
It doesn’t bother me if people think that we named him after Arlo Guthrie, especially because they are usually strangers. Will it bother you (or your husband) if random people assumed you named him for the movie? Because I really don’t think that EVERY kid growing up now is going to see that movie eventually– there are just too many movies out there to discover. My two cents. I think Ferris is adorable!