I have a 3 y.o. son, and he is wild about trains. We’ve been careful not to feed him a steady diet of Thomas the Tank Engine – in fact, he’s only recently discovered the other Little Blue Engine That Could. But as I watch the show – over and over and over again – I can’t help but note that Thos and his fellow engines have appealing monikers.
First, there’s Thomas himself. A saint’s name, a surname, one of those rare choices that can translate into any language (Tamihana in Maori; Tuomas in Finnish!) and a perpetual Top 100 choice.
In fact, until 2006, it had spent better than a century in the Top 50. (It charted at #51 that year.)
If you’re a trainspotter, naming your Thomas fan’s new little brother, or just looking for a boy’s name with a built-in birthday party theme, here are others, plucked from the series, to consider:
- Edward
- Henry
- James
- Oliver
- Fergus
- Arthur
- Duncan
- Peter (though the engine’s full name is Peter Sam)
And while the Thomasverse is remarkably male, there are even a few choices for girls:
- Annie
- Clarabel
- Henrietta
- Daisy
Though it must be said that the female characters are rarely the main focus of the action.
So there you have it. All aboard!
This is really interesting 🙂 On the male list, the only one I like & would use (I used to love it & then grew out of it – it’s now SOLELY a middle name option ) is James.Such a handsome name. Edward I can now tolerate, though Ed I don’t like. Pieter is WAY too popular too much of a ’60s name where I live & Peter is just there for me. A bit dull, to be honest. I would have possible gone for Duncan, except for the ‘dunkin part & there’s a Duncan on a soapie here, so I don’t want that
I’m not really a fan of Anne/Anna/Annie etc & would never use them. They’re not bad & there’s nothing wrong with them – just not me. Henrietta does not appeal to me at all. The name, the style & the idea of a Henrietta to me is so opposite to me as a person & the type of vibe that a child of mine would be raised in. Clarabel I don’t mind & is sweet, though Clarabelle is better to me (dislike it when the names are spelled Annabel etc, it doesn’t look ‘complete’). I just don’t like Clara enough to ever consider it. Daisy I do like, though it had to grow on me. I wouldn’t use it, though I think it’s cute.Very British 🙂
Very interesting post