“What’s your lad’s name?” asked an OAP at a nearby restaurant table?
“It’s Thor,” replied Victoria Marston-Smith, 46, a food safety manager from Poole, Dorset.
“Oh, that’s ridiculous,” he said. “That can’t possibly be right. It’s silly. Give him a real name.”
It’s something Victoria , married to carpenter Matthew Smith, also 46, and also mum to Lilly-Anne, 11, has heard before.
“It happens at least a couple of times a month,” she said. “But I don’t care. I like that I named him after a Roman God… even though both strangers and teachers he has had are stunned.”
Thor, now seven, arrived via c-section at hospital in Dorset weighing 91b 10oz in July 2015.
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When Victoria was pregnant with her son, she wanted to pay tribute to her Nordic ancestry.
“My family originates from Sweden,” she said.
“My husband, dad Matthew and I are great followers of Nordic mythology. We’d narrowed down the name choice to Odin or Thor.
“Then we set on Odin.”
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Tragically just a few days after her son was born Victoria’s father died.
“We didn't think it right to reveal his name choice and needed a rethink,” she said.
“Odin was linked to death as he is the God of the Afterlife and we didn't think it was appropriate . Thor was our next choice and as my dad loved him and our boy was born with white hair it seemed extra appropriate. That was that.
They immediately assumed we’d named him after Chris Hemsworth’s character in the Avengers, Thor God of Thunder.
“I looked at my son and it just felt right.”
Despite settling on his name, the couple kept their son’s name secret for six weeks the Victoria didn’t think it appropriate due to her dad’s death.
“We didn't tell people his name for a month and a half because we were mourning my dad’s passing. The wider family was heartbroken by his passing.
"We didn’t want our sons birth to be linked to my dad’s passing and decided to give this name announcement a little distance from the funeral. This marked both events in a significant and respectful manner.
“When we announced he was to be called Thor Norman Brian, with his middle names paying tribute to his two grandfathers, there was absolute shock and disbelief.
“People, of course, loved his middle names but were totally shocked by his first name.
“They immediately assumed we’d named him after Chris Hemsworth’s character in the Avengers, Thor God of Thunder.
“I found myself having to explain our family history and ancestry to convince people it wasn’t a joke.”
However despite loving the name Thor Victoria says calling a tiny baby Thor seemed a little odd and so the family nicknamed him Teddy.
“Teddy is a nickname of Theodore,” she said. “In some cultures, Thor is considered a nickname for Theodore.
“But I wanted Thor to embrace his actual name.
“About six months after he started school he announced he was no longer to be called Teddy, he was Thor, and Teddy was banned..
“That’s when I knew we’d chosen the right one for him.”
But some people aren’t impressed.
“Many automatically think I am bonkers or a diehard Avengers fan,” she said. “I am shocked at people’s lack of knowledge of Roman and Norse mythology.
“Thor was the Norse god of thunder, lightning, storms, and strength, and a protector of humans and gods from the chaotic forces of the giants and not just a movie character.
“Elderly people are particularly judgemental when it comes to the name,” she said. “Turns out people have no filter when it comes to criticising a child’s name.
“Other people have said I have made my son a target for bullies or it’s totally stupid.”
According to Victoria many local children were convinced he had made up his name.
“Kids would tell him Thor is not his name,” she said.
“He turns the table and claims their name is made up by them. Logic always stops them in their tracks.,”
“He has a male teacher at the moment who thinks his name is cool. Other teachers asked me if it was his nickname. They’re stunned.”
When Victoria is at the supermarket or park with her son she admits he gets odd and often horrified looks when she calls Thor’s name out.
“People look at me, look at him, look at me and shake their heads,” she said. “But who cares? It’s a conversation starter.”
As for those people who claim no one will take young Thor seriously when he is older his mum thinks otherwise.
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“Thor makes his name work,” she said.
“And if for some reason he chooses to not use it he can rely on his middle names Norman and Brian. They are three great names as far as we are concerned.”
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