Clio. Patsy. Felix. Floyd. Reg. (short for Reginald). No, those are the names of actors, pets, family, or friends. They’re car names. You read that correctly. Cars! Not the names that manufacturers give to their creations. But names given to vehicles by their owners. These personifying names were posted by members on the Facebook page “Naming Your Car and Referring to It As a Person”. (There’s a page or group for just about anything one can imagine.)

I don’t recall ever having named one of my vehicles. However, I do remember the name that my mom gave to her pre-minivan era, people-mover: a light blue, Ford station wagon with external wood-grain paneling (pretty image, huh?). Her name – Betsy! The car – not my mom.

October 2nd is Name Your Car Day! Who knew there was a car-naming holiday? I didn’t until an hour ago. As I stated earlier, I don’t believe I’ve ever named one of my vehicles. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Holidayinsights.com lists the following advice for those of us who need car-naming tips.

• Don’t select wimpy names. That might give your car a personality complex and it will perform accordingly.
• Do give a strong, aggressive name to sports cars and cars with powerful engines .
• Sleek, sexy feline-like cars savor names that begin with “lady”.
• Old junkers are proud just to be around. You can call them just about anything. Try “Tramp“, or “Old Yeller“, “Old Blue“.
• Pick names to reflect your personality.
• “Pickemup” trucks must have country names.
• Don’t give common names (like Joe, Mike or Sue) to luxury cars. They beam over names like Reginald, Archibald, and Crystal.

My newest vehicle is a combination of several “personalities”. It’s a sleek, black, luxury minivan with a large engine that goes, “Vroom!”. Following the above advice, whatever name I choose should match my personality.

Brutus is out; it’s a strong name, but there’s nothing sleek or luxurious about it. I’m also not a guy.

Candy is very feminine, but it’s lacking the strength that defines both me and my vehicle.

Hmm, Charlotte is a strong, feminine name. I’m channeling the character, Dr. Charlotte King, from television’s Private Practice. That names fits for other reasons, too. Charlotte’s medical speciality? Sexology!

I think I’ve found a name! My strong, black, sexy, luxurious minivan could be aptly named Lady Charlotte.

Lady Charlotte is a few months shy of her first birthday, but when the day arrives, I’m sure she would love to receive birthday wishes. Good thing there’s a greeting car for that!

What’s your vehicle’s name and why did you choose it? If you’re thinking about naming a vehicle for the first time, what names would make the list of potentials?

CC