Naming of vans

[treesprite]

The idea of naming vehicles has always seemed a bit lame to me, and most people don't do it. But I have recently come to learn that LOTS of people name their camper vans. It doesn't seem so lame, because the camper vans are like land boats and it's pretty much expected that a boat be named. So, I asked my family member and she does not like the idea, she responded the way I would have responded if it was about naming a regular car. I kind of think I should do it though, so I'm going to ask...

How does a person come up with a name? Do they just name the thing when they get it before it's built out, do they wait until it shows some actual character? When I name pets, I don't just give them names, I wait for clues from them as to what their names should be (in a couple of cases the clues didn't come, so I had a cat I just called  Kitty Cat and a ferret I just called Ferret).

 

[ckelly78z]

I don't often name my vehicles, but my 2004 Diesel 4x4 Ford Excursion needed one. It is lifted 2" with 33" all terrain tires, is dark green, with tinted windows....I figured naming it "The HULK" would be fitting, it's the biggest thing on the road, very powerful, and green.

 

[Uncle Todo]

Only vehicle I've ever named was an orange Jeep I had, and didn't even really name it, it was the tag I got.

I'm not a fan of naming it for the sake of naming it, but naming it an earned name creates character and back story for your van.

BTW, being my Jeep was orange, and my name, had a nice flow, THORNGE

 

[Allan1958]

I don't name my vehicles but if I did, I would name my Transit "Whitey Ford".

The name would come from the song "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" and not the baseball player. It is cold this morning and we have about an inch of snow on the ground so I am singing the blues this morning.

The blues will go away shortly as I am heading to FLA in a few days.

 

[Freelander]

I call my RV Roscoe and the towed car Sparky.

 

[B and C]

I've pretty much always named my vehicles to suit what I see in them. I figure they are the modern equivalent of a horse and get a name that kinda describes them. Even the car mfg.'s give their cars names. My Chevy van from the factory was called an express. I named it the beast!

 

[jacqueg]

It'll come to you as you work on it / travel in it. I've had several vehicles that never did seem to want a name. Don't worry, you can't hurt its feelings.

Mine is named Mr White, after a character in a book that a friend wrote.

 

[crofter]

Blimpy after the airship hangars on our first trip. 
-crofter

 

[MotorVation]

I just named my van for what it is. 'The Big White Piece of S#it.' I was thinking about calling it the 'White Trash Winnebago' but it's too hard to spell

 

[desert_sailing]

White trash Winnie.



I got a trailer park queen too.
Love her til the day I die.

 

[user 423]

.. I had a cat I just called  Kitty Cat and a ferret I just called Ferret.

Also had a cat who we just called Kitty Cat.

So the van is just The Van.

 

[MotorVation]

White trash Winnie.



I got a trailer park queen too.
Love her til the day I die.

I get attached to vehicles, especially this van. I had an old 4wd 4Runner for 17 years and it was 10 years old when I bought it with 165000 on the odometer. I killed the poor thing

 

[wayne49]

The name would come from the song "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" and not the baseball player.

Indirectly, it is about the baseball player.

""Whitey Ford" in the album title refers to the New York Yankees pitcher"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitey_Ford_Sings_the_Blues

 

[crofter]

White trash Winnie.



I got a trailer park queen too.
Love her til the day I die.

Good truckin song.
-crofter

 

[Sofisintown]

My van's color is dark metallic blue.
"Midnight Blue" is what Chevy calls it.

I think it is a good name, and there's a song that goes with it!

 

[treesprite]

Some humorous and interesting posts. Gives me more to think about. Thanks.

 

[ByeBye]

I don't have a van, truck camper but no matter.
I've never named a vehicle and I love vehicles, lol. But this was/is different.

This symbolized a paradigm shift, in lifestyle and freedom, for me. So, a name evolved for my truck and one is evolving for camper/rig.



"Rocinante", for the 1999 F450, [font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]is Don Quixote's horse in the two-part 1605/1615 novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. In many ways, [/font]Rocinante[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] is not only Don Quixote's horse, but also his double: like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and engaged in a task beyond his capacities.[/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]Thought that was very fitting for my world. I am awkward, quirky, engaged in tasks people think are past my capabilities. [/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]My 'rig' name is still evolving so I haven't christened it...funny, I think of the 'rig' in feminine terms and the truck in masculine terms...hmm. [/font]

[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]Guess that's balance, no?[/font]

 

[bullfrog]

^^^ Outstanding name! I also liked the horse in the movie Catbaloo that the good character Lee Marvin played rode. Something about seeing a horse lean against a building with a drunk in the saddle made it an extension of the character.

 

[highdesertranger]

bullfrog, don't forget that the horse when it was leaning against the wall also had it's front legs crossed. this stands out to me because horses never cross their front legs they really had to work with that horse to get that shot. shows you how smart that horse was. for people that know horses those crossed front legs was such a big deal. highdesertranger

sorry OP boy am I off topic

 

[LERCA]

Rocinante is kind of negative in Spanish. Actually the word is Rocín (won’t bore you with a grammar lecture and Cervantes brilliantly played with words and puns) is a broken down old work horse. A little sad, no?
I don’t love vehicles like many on here or name them but I always cry and miss them for weeks. I’m a weirdo. I know.