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He’s a surname choice with playful literary associations, as well as a tie to engineering.
Thanks to Jen for suggesting Kipling as our Baby Name of the Day.
It is almost a rule that any surname will have a few uses in first spot, and it is surprising how many surnames owe their roots to a given name.
I know this is a post from 2011, but we named our son, Kipling! He’s almost 8 months old now! I love it!!
Very interesting! I named my son Kipling. He is almost 14 months now. We live on the east coast. Most people we tell the name to really seem to like it. We have always loved the name. Didn’t use it because of Rudyard, we just really liked it. I don’t regret using it…it’s so fitting! We love it!
Glad to hear Kipling wears so well!
I think I prefer Rudyard/Rudy over Kipling. I know that Kipling is male, but the only Kip I know is female. Kip is the 60 year old hippie woman who was my mother’s head midwife at my twin sisters’ home births 20 years ago. So despite Rudyard Kipling, ‘Kip’ will always be a warm hearted woman to me 🙂
I can’t help but read this name and think “Crippling.”
One of my earliest memories is seeing Disney’s Jungle Book and I loved the Just-So stories, especially “The Elephant’s Child.”
Other the other hand, I knew a guy in college who was called Kip/Kipling (I’m not sure about his real name… maybe Charles?) Anyways, he was the preppy, frat boy back when most guys were trying to emulate Kurt Cobain or Eddie Vedder. Kipling just feels like the name of an East Coast, upper class “WASP” (not that’s a bad thing, I just described my brother’s FIL.)
Out of the two I definitely prefer Rudyard to Kipling. The syllables in Kipling sound too similar to those in “pickled kippers” for my taste.
Having grown up in India, I have conflicted feelings about the famous author bearing this name (undoubtedly a genious). I LOVED the Just So stories when I was younger, and grew to love The Jungle Book tales as well. However, I still haven’t made up my mind about “The White Man’s Burden”; I simply don’t know whether I should be taking the poem seriously or not.
The information you provided about The Engineering Society of Canada was very interesting. I have a number of engineering friends and relatives who wear their rings with pride. Academically at least, I never felt like we had much in common since I’m clueless about engineering and most of them rather detest the study of literature. Now I have a topic of conversation we might both be interested in.
How interesting. I was going through my google reader feed and this was the post that came after a birth announcement for a baby Kipling. He is a rainbow baby for another babyloss mama.
I had no idea of its history, just the association with Rudyard Kipling. Your posts are always so thoughtful and informative. 🙂
Wow! and Yay! Thanks for doing this one!!
I keep thinking about this name, for future use. I’m just not sure I’m brave enough! But it would really be fitting- I want literary or musical names (Ophelia’s my favourite name EVER) and he’s an engineer. “Kipling” for him was a ceremony, a ritual, a right of passage… but also a final night of fun and celebration with his friends before heading out into the real world of engineering.
Much love for this one, and if I don’t use it, I hope to meet one some day. Is the general preference for Kipling/Kip over Rudyard/Rudy? (I do have a very close and dear niece named Ruby already!)
*rite of passage… 😛
Fantastic post! I learned a lot about Kipling.
But yeah, it just reminds me of the Mr Kipling brand. And kippers.
Also the ancient joke about, “Do you like Kipling?” “I don’t know, I’ve never kippled before.”
This almost seems like it might go down better in Maryland, where they have a vague link with it.
HA! I’m sitting in Maryland. Actually, I’m writing from Plato’s Diner, on Baltimore Avenue, a stone’s throw from the University of Maryland’s main campus. Though, strictly speaking, this is inner-beltway DC, so we’re less Maryland and more metropolis.
Kipling would, I think, go over well here, but not necessarily because the reference is well known. More because it is the kind of thoughtful, academic choice that we tend to like.
Oh, and I like the hypothetical sibset of Huxley & Kipling too! Lovely! 😀
Count me as a Kipling fan, both of his works & his name. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was my favorite story when I was 4. Easily. It still is among my very favorites. My Mother used to complain to my Father “Why do you let her read anything at all?” And he would reply “Because she can.” Drove her bananas! My Mother hated that I read as much as I did. She’d rathered I sewed, knit, sang or anything else. Spent all her life trying to get my nose out of books, to no avail.
So while Kipling absolutely appeals to me and I’d love to use it, it strikes me as a slap for Mom. So maybe I’d hide it in the middle. 😀
Kipling sounds so upbeat & happy. I can’t NOT like him. And Kip is all sorts of appealling as a nickname. Yes! I really like Kipling. I hope someday I meet one!
British people have the bonus association of Mr. Kipling, a baking company. They make lovely cakes but I think it would rule it out over here. Still, in another country I could see it working.
(Also Huxley + Kipling = very interesting imaginary sib-set)