So I see that Buffy is a not so uncommon name, but how did Joss come across it? The only time that I have ever encountered it was in a Graham Greene novel.
So, does anyone know why Joss decided to use it?
Buffy is a nickname for Elizabeth.
Joss chose Buffy because it captured everything the character was supposed to be. It's all about the juxtapostion of Buffy with Vampire Slayer.
Break it down!
There was a character in TMNT Series in the following episode
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0767591/
A little girl named "Buffy" was there :D
And lets not forget incredible 60's folk singer, Buffy St. Marie.
http://xsorbit30.com/users5/megawired/index.php
The Bosom Buddies, Kip and Henry (of the eighties sitcom), called themselves Buffy and Hildegard in their disguises as elderly ladies.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening."
They weren't diguised as elderly, just women.
--
You have many question, Mr Sparkle. I send you premium -- answer question, hundred percent!
That's a new one for me, and Elizabeth is my given name.
I always hated that a name can have so many nicknames: Liz, Lizbeth, Liza, Lisa, Eliza, Elisa, Lizzie, Leese, Ellie, Elle, El, Zabbie, Beth, Bettie, and probably a couple I'm forgetting or unaware of.
And now Buffy, which is quite a stretch - "from a child's mispronunciation of the final syllable." Well, that child needs to be slapped in the mouth.
My name is also Elizabeth and I've gone by Beth, Bethie, Liz, Beth, and I actually was called Buffy when I was little. My brother (2 years older than me) couldn't pronounce "Bethie" so it came out "Buffy."
"I've got a good mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it." - Groucho
Sorry, come to think of it I do not wish a slap in the mouth upon your little brother.
shareThere's this trope that uses the name Buffy because it's a very WASP name, country club, preppy, rich. She's an elite girl.
shareI always thought it was maybe influenced by its slang meaning in the UK (where Joss spent a couple of years). Buff means pretty/attractive, and to be 'in the buff' means to be in the nude so... it's quite a cute name no? Especially for a vampire slayer as someone's pointed out.
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The little girl on Family Affair was named Buffy.
Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respect if they last long enough.
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In the Czech Republic, we say, that rich girls characters often have steriotypical names like Tiffany, Muffy, or Buffy.. that's where I thought it came from.
share<<In the Czech Republic, we say, that rich girls characters often have steriotypical names like Tiffany, Muffy, or Buffy.. that's where I thought it came from.>>
Actually, that's how it is here(in America) too. There are certain names that sound "high end". Buffy's one of them. For guys, it's "Chip", "Chad", "Biff", and "Blain".
I definately thought she was named "Buffy" cause that whole clique she was with in the movie. She looked like a typical rich girl from the Hills, they type who lived to be popular and trendy. The type of girl that all the lesser girls wanted to be and and the guys wanted to be with.
Buff DOES mean attractive too!! so bean guy u were right with ur defination hehe!
shareBuffy is a corruption of Elizabeth. Apparently there is an actress called Buffy Summers and someone called Buffy sung the theme to Soldier Blue.
shareI don't know about "corruption" of Elizabeth, but definitely a nickname. I always figured it was a joke... remember the Preppy Handbook? Buffy (the character) is most definitely NOT preppy.
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Joss Whedon has said that he thought Buffy Summers was the least hero name possible. That's what Buffy was all about taking someone you wouldn't expect to be the hero and making them the hero.
"When I Get Sad, I Just Stop Being Sad And Be Awesome Instead"- How I Met Your Mother
Wow. What an entirely pointless topic. When you think of the name Buffy, your mind immeditaly goes to some blonde bimbo cutting hair while smacking on a piece of gum and gossiping with her gal pals. DOES THIS SOUND LIKE SOMEONE WHO NORMALLY KILLS THE UNDEAD? Joss was going for the whole stereotype-busting here. What better name for that than Buffy? That's where our heroine gets her name.
shareIt isn't really stereotype busting. Buffy was originally a valley-girl stereotype. That is the entire point. She's a valley-girl stereotype who would be killed in the first five minutes of any other horror movie but she kicks butt instead. It is cliche-busting far more than sterotype busting, which is kind of the point. Buffy makes fun of and destroys cliche horror conventions.
sharecliche-busting, stereotype busting, same difference
shareimagine buffy's name would've been julia or something common like that. that would be freaky... lol
"Angel Investigation - we hope you're helpless" - Doyle
Hey, my name is Julia. I never thought of it as common, not really uncommon either, but it's no Ashley, Stephanie, or Jessica. I've only met two other Julia's, one being my great-grandmother and namesake.
Deputy: So, fake US Marshall, fake credit cards. You got anything that's real?
Dean: My boobs...
Your name is very well known...it's a Beatles song for crying out loud haha. I think of the song whenever I see it. I will always think of Buffy Summers when I see that name. Imagine if her name had been Katie or something really common. I call the show "Buffy" when I refer to it, how weird would it be to say, "Oh I love Katie...did you watch Katie last night? Katie ohhh how I love theeeee!!!!" yeah okay the last part is weird regardless.
-- I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been
I think it makes a lot of sense that the character would have an unusual name. She is, after all, an unusual person - even before Merrick shows up, as she admits.
There was a male with this kind of name, believe it or not. Buff Bagwell was a professional wrestler in the late 1990s who always acted like he was the sexiest man alive. He would always claim that "the ladies love Buff's stuff!" I don't know if anyone ever called him "Buffy," though.
"Biff" a "high-end" name, though? Not as far as I'm concerned. To me, "Biff" conjures up a dumb guy who's only into sports and chewing tobacco and whatnot. It also reminds me of one of the sound effects we would see when Batman or Robin punched out one of the bad guys on the TV show!
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The first answer here was correct. Here is a quote from an interview on ign.com:
IGNFF: Where did the name Buffy come from?
WHEDON: It was the name that I could think of that I took the least seriously. There is no way you could hear the name Buffy and think, "This is an important person." To juxtapose that with Vampire Slayer, just felt like that kind of thing – a B movie. But a B movie that had something more going on. That was my dream. The network begged me to change the title. I was like, "You don't understand. It has to be this. This is what it is." To this day, everyone says, "Oh, the title kept it from being taken seriously." I'm like, "Well, *beep* them. It's a B movie, and if you don't love B movies, then I won't let you play in my clubhouse." Now, I'm not an exclusionary person, I don't like to drive people away, but honestly, if people have trouble with that title ...
Read more here:
http://movies.ign.com/articles/425/425492p6.html
Buffy is short for Buffela.
"Why always with the fighting?"
-Dr. John Zoidberg
I'm guessing that Josh used names out of the cult classic of the 60s "Dark Shadows" - he may have been an avid fan of the show.
In Dark Shadows, there was a character that briefly appeared named Buffie Harrington who was a barmaid that wound up being killed by a Jekyll & Hyde type character. And the last name Summers may have been derived as an opposite from Victoria Winters - a governess and main character of the first half of the Dark Shadows series.
I doubt that Joss' choice of the name had ANY connection to last yrs. mention of
"Family Affair"s Buffy. She was played by a child actress who's suicide shocked
Hollywood. Nonetheless, there was another character (a British 'manservant') in
that show. That role's 1st name was GILES and he played a father figure to little
Buffy at times. Nobody else noted here that the late 'Queen Mum's pet name was
also Buffy (from Elizabeth). Faith (rogue slayer) called her rival 'B'. Others
in the tv show used 'Buf'. The best use of that was when Willow asked, "Aren't
you naturally buf, Buf?" In jest, Joss said that the original title was "Rhonda,
the Immortal Waitress". It may have been another 'typical' Diners' hostess name.
Somebody should correct me on any of what I've said here. I'm seeking senility.
Made in America...
by illegal aliens.
The way I saw her name was it fit the typical valley girl stereotype.
"Out.For.A.Walk...Bitch."~Spike