They picked the perfect baby name—until a movie changed everything

When it comes to baby names, parents pull inspiration from all sorts of places—family history, beloved books, even favorite meals. But sometimes, a name carries a hidden meaning that only one parent is in on. That’s exactly what happened to TikTok user @viashoe, whose daughter's name has a secret connection to Batman that she didn’t discover until well after the birth.

A casual Thanksgiving reveal

In a now-viral TikTok, @viashoe shared the moment the puzzle pieces fell into place. While spending Thanksgiving with her husband’s family, they decided to watch Batman: The Animated Series—a classic from the '90s that's known for its dark tone and emotionally complex characters. As the show played in the background, someone in the family was entertaining their baby girl when a familiar voice on the screen said, “My wife, Nora…”

"Is this my daughter's name?"

— @viashoe

And that’s when it clicked.

TikTok | @viashoe

Shocked, she turned to her husband and asked, “Is this my daughter’s name?” Everyone burst into laughter, clearly in on the secret that had been hiding in plain sight. Someone even teased, “She is in frozen sleep,” a nod to the heartbreaking storyline of Mr. Freeze’s wife, Nora Fries, who is cryogenically frozen in the series.

The name was hiding in plain sight

In the video’s caption, she explained how the name Nora came about: “So my husband came up with the name Nora right when we found out she was a girl, and I loved the name. He never said where he heard it, just that he thought it was a cool name.”

Given that all his other name suggestions had geeky movie or comic book roots, she assumed Nora was the rare exception. “Because Nora seemed like a 'normal' name, I thought it was different this time,” she added.

Over a year went by before she saw the full picture—right there on screen, with Mr. Freeze and his “beautiful, sweet, frozen wife.” She even noted that her husband’s profile picture on multiple platforms has long been Mr. Freeze. “I should have known,” she joked.

"All future baby names will have a thorough background check!"

— @viashoe

And now, all future baby names will go through what she called a "thorough background check."

The internet is loving this nerdy twist

Turns out, her husband’s fandom runs deep. So deep, in fact, that he accidentally proposed to her on National Batman Day. The internet has been absolutely delighted by his dedication and subtlety.

Commenters quickly chimed in with their own stories of geeky baby names and covert fandom nods.

@ranerdar shared, “I tried to name my son Bruce. My wife said no. Four years later, we had our daughter... Harley.”

@monstj_snake added, “Proposed on National Batman Day, named daughter after a Batman character... just roll with it.”

"Just roll with it."

— @monstj_snake

And @schaeferej revealed, “My son's name is Logan. On a totally unrelated note, the 1990s X-Men animated series was amazing.”

"My son's name is Logan."

— @schaeferej

Others found beauty in the name beyond the fandom. @manal.alsheri60 offered a touching insight: “‘Nora’ is a feminine Arabic name that refers to ‘radiance, illumination, and beauty.’ It is derived from one of the beautiful names of Allah that means ‘Light.’”

Geeky parenting done right

In the end, the mom took the whole thing in stride. She still loves the name Nora and has come to appreciate the sentimental—and slightly nerdy—story behind it. She even joked that with the name Logan in the mix, their family might unintentionally end up with a full animated universe across their kids’ birth certificates.

It’s a reminder that names can carry layers of meaning, both obvious and hidden. And sometimes, a name chosen in the spirit of love—and fandom—can turn out to be more meaningful than you ever imagined.