Help me "name" our new black Prius

October 9, 2007 2:03 PM

I would like help "naming" our brand new black with tan interior '08 Toyota Prius. I have always loved names for cars that make them seem like part of the family-----my friend's red Subaru was "Ruby" etc. Another friend's caravan was Carrie and so on. What are some suggestions you have for names for our new black Prius? We are a family of 5 with 2 teens and a tween living in the Pacific Northwest. (I do not know if that matters!) Thank you!
posted by seekingsimplicity to Travel & Transportation (64 answers total)

What's the plate number? I had a car with the Oregon plate starting in 'BRE', and the car became "Breanna"
posted by SpecialK at 2:10 PM on October 9, 2007

Kevin
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 2:11 PM on October 9, 2007 [4 favorites]

Guiness
posted by Pollomacho at 2:14 PM on October 9, 2007

I call my Seattle-based Civic Hybrid "Fiddy," because it gets 50 mpg and because of a bumper sticker I saw that says "Hybrid: Runs on 50% less war."
posted by GaelFC at 2:16 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Olive Oil, as in Popeye but also as in, something, somehow, it may be a stretch, with using less oil and some kind of play on 'live.'

it's a stretch.

Maybe just Olive because it's black?
posted by nnk at 2:22 PM on October 9, 2007

Sparky
posted by doctor_negative at 2:28 PM on October 9, 2007

Smoky, as in Bandit.
posted by mattbucher at 2:32 PM on October 9, 2007

Suzanne.
posted by mdonley at 2:34 PM on October 9, 2007

K.I.T.T.
posted by Oddly at 2:34 PM on October 9, 2007

Frank.
posted by sanko at 2:38 PM on October 9, 2007

Nightie
posted by sociolibrarian at 2:40 PM on October 9, 2007

Voltron
posted by zippy at 2:41 PM on October 9, 2007

Priam?
posted by taliaferro at 2:43 PM on October 9, 2007

According to Wikipedia: Georgius Cuprios (George of Cyprus) was a Byzantine geography of the seventh century. He is known for his Descriptio orbis Romani, written in the decade 600-610. AKA Georgios Cyprius. So call it Cy, or George.
posted by b33j at 2:46 PM on October 9, 2007

Check out this thread from Priuschat.
posted by Joleta at 2:49 PM on October 9, 2007

Black and Tan? Dobie. Like doberman. Or Gillis.

Or pick a random human name that you love - I just named my new car Betty literally 3 minutes ago. The key, I found, was to first brainstorm a list and then decide which one fits. Take your list out to the driveway and address your car by each name. See which one feels right.
posted by vytae at 2:51 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Klaus
posted by Ironmouth at 2:55 PM on October 9, 2007

Oscar
posted by Mr_Crazyhorse at 2:56 PM on October 9, 2007

Cleavon
posted by infinitewindow at 3:01 PM on October 9, 2007

Stubby
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:04 PM on October 9, 2007

Ruby, eh? Name this one Python.

Or PHP: Hybrid Prius

Or you could go with the fine tradition of giving your vessel a woman's name. Like Ada. Or Perl.

I'll stop. Just call it "Fluffy."
posted by MaxK at 3:19 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Quite frankly, I would hold off naming the vehicle. You can't properly name a car until you get to know it - usually, a month or so of driving is enough. My impala was christened "Sally" but goes by Big Red - everyone in my family, friends, etc never refer to her as "the impala". My truck is Kurt (read backwards) because it likes to do things the hard way. My CRX, though, has always preferred to be anonymous, though I sometimes refer to it as "little red".

Seriously, give it a month. I know of a rather burly pickup truck that goes by Alice, another truck of the same vintage named Wilbur, and a funny little Nash Rambler that goes by Edna. You can't necessarily tell the sex of a car at first glance.
posted by notsnot at 3:20 PM on October 9, 2007

Dovebar
Mel (short for melanin or melanocyte)
Pigment Markham
Sammy Davis III (black and Jewish)*
* ducks *
posted by rob511 at 3:24 PM on October 9, 2007

Also, since "Prius" sounds vaguely classical, you could refer to the car formally by its surname:
Eulaichus
posted by rob511 at 3:34 PM on October 9, 2007

Primus
posted by jclovebrew at 3:38 PM on October 9, 2007

How about "Nisi"?
posted by keep it tight at 3:39 PM on October 9, 2007

Satchmo.
posted by wafaa at 3:43 PM on October 9, 2007

On preview, I agree with notsnot. I waited until the very last minute before I named my second-born "Sam". He had to "live up to" the name (or something like that...).
posted by wafaa at 3:49 PM on October 9, 2007

Schwarz. German for black, or as in "bigger than mine".
posted by pmbuko at 3:58 PM on October 9, 2007

make that "as big as mine"
posted by pmbuko at 3:59 PM on October 9, 2007

Al Gore JR.
posted by ian1977 at 4:04 PM on October 9, 2007

or even better...

Hal Gore

Part Hal from 2001, part former VP
posted by ian1977 at 4:06 PM on October 9, 2007

Karl
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 4:13 PM on October 9, 2007

Priapus
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 4:19 PM on October 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Doctor Love.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 4:29 PM on October 9, 2007

i agree that you have to know the car for a while before naming it.

although i knew what kind of car i'd be buying and i was set on the name Leo (one of my favourite characters from a book), after driving the car a few times i had to name him Elliott -- it's just who he is!

but some great car names, to help out: Chuck, Ernie, Jet, and Klyde.
posted by gursky at 4:37 PM on October 9, 2007

There's a black Prius in my town with the license plate "DARK NRG" (the owner is a cosmologist).
posted by zippy at 4:39 PM on October 9, 2007

Dr. Daniel Jackson.
posted by thinman at 4:44 PM on October 9, 2007

Rachel Carson.

(get it? CARson? The Silent Spring lady? Yeah?)

I do agree that you have to get to know a car before you name it though.
posted by padraigin at 4:50 PM on October 9, 2007

Nougat
posted by gottabefunky at 5:09 PM on October 9, 2007

Denise.
posted by chococat at 5:27 PM on October 9, 2007

Wiggles McSnickerpuss
posted by briank at 5:36 PM on October 9, 2007

Hey isn't the Prius one of those fancyshmancy American allegedly environmentally friendly beasts that help allay the consumption guilt associated with owning a house that has 4 times the capacity of Tasmania, packed with a quarter tonne of ozone depleting electronic devices and a garage containing 3 other superfluous vehicles?

I'd call it Demi.
posted by peacay at 5:44 PM on October 9, 2007

Bean (or Beanie).
posted by buka at 5:45 PM on October 9, 2007

There is no other appropriate name for this car than Barry, I'm afraid.
posted by strawberryviagra at 5:54 PM on October 9, 2007

How about 'Your Favorite Band Sucks?'
posted by KokuRyu at 6:12 PM on October 9, 2007

Otto
posted by B-squared at 6:18 PM on October 9, 2007

Caddis is a good name.
posted by caddis at 6:46 PM on October 9, 2007

"GTT"

Greener Than Thou
posted by meehawl at 6:47 PM on October 9, 2007

Steve.
posted by spinturtle at 7:24 PM on October 9, 2007

The Rotweiler

Brian

Oreo

Snickers

Prince (or the Car Formerly Known As Prius)
posted by 4ster at 7:34 PM on October 9, 2007

Gertrude
posted by zaphod at 7:52 PM on October 9, 2007

Mitchell
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 8:27 PM on October 9, 2007

Quasmasisi Alpha McBoneswaggle
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 8:31 PM on October 9, 2007

Russ
posted by tamitang at 8:44 PM on October 9, 2007

I've always favored "The Toyota Pious."
posted by rachelpapers at 9:25 PM on October 9, 2007

I was going to protest the Percy suggestion, as it is neither green nor small nor cheeky.

However, if you're in the US, it is both green and small, relatively speaking. Cheeky, sot so much.
posted by kjs4 at 9:53 PM on October 9, 2007

I named my Prius 'Steve,' after Steve Prefontaine, the famous runner also went by 'Pre'. Like Prefontaine, my Prius could just keep on going forever on one tank of gas!
A topical update? How about Haile, after Haile Gebrselassie, who just set a new world record in the marathon? He's black, so it works with the color theme, too ;)
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 10:30 PM on October 9, 2007

Nice tribute but you know Prefontaine died in a car crash?
posted by Cranberry at 11:59 PM on October 9, 2007

Richard. "Runs on freebase and drives hotter than hell"
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:08 AM on October 10, 2007

Artemis
Benito
Chandler
Dorothy
Edsel
Farley
Geronimo
Herbie
Ike
Joe
King Creole
Leo
Major Taylor
Nantucket
Ophelia
Portia
Quentin
Robotron
Selassie
Tintoretto
Ulysses
Vera
Willie
Xerxes
Yossarian
Zeno
posted by box at 9:57 AM on October 10, 2007

A good friend of mine named her Prius Radical Edward because of its mad computer sk1llz.
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:03 AM on October 10, 2007

Zarathustra
Yuengling
Xaviera
Winky
Vlad the Impaler
Upchuck
Tristan Taormino
Sade
Rambo
Quicksilver
Palindrome
Orpheus
Narwhal
Mr. Majestic
Loblolly
Kid Galahad
Jesum Crow
Isidora
Heironymous
Germaine
Fruit
Eek-a-Mouse
Dipstick
Candy Darling
Beyonce
Andy Dick
posted by box at 10:44 AM on October 10, 2007

Thirding Jemima.
posted by nowonmai at 11:11 AM on October 10, 2007