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?
It seemed like such a silly and ridiculous name when the movie first came out, but by the end of seven seasons of the TV show I had gotten so accustomed to hearing it that it no longer sounded strange to my ear. When they made that joke near the end of the show's run where the mystical old woman asks Buffy's name, and Buffy tells her, there is a beat of silence and the woman says, "No, really..." It really reminded me that Buffy is a funny-sounding name.
Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it.
Buffy is a pretty common nickname for preppy girls. I knew one in college who was exactly like the Kristy Swanson character except for the whole vampire thing. Wanted to be a business major, but couldn't handle the math, so switched to "Communications," but was failing remedial algebra. Asked me to tutor her, but "not tonight, because there's a tri-delt thing." Yeah, hon. You can't stay in your sorority if your butt gets kicked out of college.
Buffy was one of the names mentioned in The Preppy Handbook.
I also think it's weird that a nam can have so many nicknames. Don't know if it's an english thing though. My first language is french and i don't seem to be able to recall that many nicknames for one name. Like "Bill" for William always confounded me.
Ironically my name is alexandre and I didn't even know Xander existed until the tv show. Maybe it's english and russian though, I think they also have a lot of names, like "Sasha" for alexandre... what the bleep does that have to do with anything?
At least we know where the name Pike came from..... "Pike's not a name, it's a fish!."
"Xander" is kind of a new and uncommon variation of Alexander. I've seen "Topher" (for Christopher) a few times, even before the actor Topher Grace was well known. There's one that never understood: Guys named "Edmund" in parts of New England are sometimes nicknamed "Bunny."
shareWhen it came to hearing "Xander" for the first time, I immediately thought of Xander Berkeley, a very busy character actor.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0075359/
I recall the "Valley Girl" song and a movie titled "Valley Girl". There were lots of references/jokes about Muffy, Buffy, etc.
Aren't names fascinating?! As a writer, I've been addicted to buying baby name books since the mid-Sixties.
EDIT: Check out all of the Buffy names/nicknames and characters:
http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Buffy
~~MystMoonstruck~~
"Pike" is also another word for a stake, or for a pointed staff like the one used by the legendary Vlad the Impaler (the real-life Count Dracula). So the name works on that level.
It can also be short for "piker," which is a derogatory term for a person from Missouri, particularly the region around Kansas City. But I doubt that's how this movie's "Pike" got the name.
That sounds hilarious. Reminds me of Elizabeth 'Paige' Laurie, the heiress and USC Communications major who paid her roommate to do her work for her. I could see Buffy turning out that way in college if she hadn't become a vampire-slayer and by extension a smarter, more self-dependent person.
It's a shame fictional films and TV don't portray more of these people seeing as there seems to be so many of them and they're always good for a laugh. I'm a feminist but I'd hate to think that feminism was preventing TV show and filmmakers from creating such silly characters to laugh at, because it's not just some men who act like idiots.
cool, i had totally assumed it was just a made up name.
shareAnd there's "Buffy Cameron" in A Death of Innocence, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066976/, one of my favorite Tisha Sterling performances. A real pity this movie isn't available on DVD, and a bit surprising considering that Shelley Winters starred.
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The only Buffy I've come across in real life is a field agent on one of those animal cop shows (in Florida?). Her nickname's Buffy, but her given name is Deirdre. How they got Buffy from that, she's never said.
shareI went to high school with a girl named Buffy in the mid 80's. Smart girl. She never said it was short for anything though.
shareI've never heard it used as a diminutive for Elizabeth, so that surprised me.
The only person I knew who went by that nickname was named Bernadette. I figured it was the sort of easy short name for someone when theirs might sound masculine, such as "Bernie".