Ender's Game

The movie Ender's Game is based on a book of the same title. My husband wanted to see it and I tagged along, not knowing I would be entering another small treasure trove of names. Like... did you know the main character's name is Ender?

Ender - His real name is Andrew, but he is called Ender due to his sister's mispronunciation of his given name. While it is more of a nickname in the book/movie, the name Ender in Turkish means "very rare", which is actually very appropriate for this story.

Petra - Petra is a friend of Ender's, and her name is the feminine form of Peter found in many Scandinavian and Central European countries. Petra has also been ranked in the U.S., mostly in the late 1800s and the first half of the 1900s.

Mazer - Mazer is a hero figure in the movie, and it has been said that the author based his name off of the first president of BYU, Karl Maeser. It sounds like razor and could also be seen as a word (a large drinking bowl or goblet), but it is also a surname.

Valentine - Ender's sister is the most important person in his life, and she has a name that is considered both masculine and feminine.

Bonzo - Born Bonito, Bonzo is a member of the Battle School with Ender. According to the book, it is pronounced "bone-so", which takes away from a Gonzo-sounding name.

Alai - Pronounced "ah-lie", the character Alai is a Muslim member of the Battle School, although in my research I have found Alai as a Gaelic name.

Dink - A lot of us may see this as slang for "dual income, no kids", but in the book he is a Dutch member of the Battle School. The name Dink was ranked in the U.S. in 1883 and 1892.

Bernard - Another member of the Battle School, the movie character of Bernard is one who was a jerk at first and then grows to be an ally to Ender. Bernard was a popular name in the early 1900s, but has fallen away as time passed.

I would also like to mention some of the names of the actors who portrayed the characters in the movie: Asa, Harrison, Viola, Aramis, Suraj, Moises, and Khylin are all pretty fantastic in their own right.

What do you think of Ender and his counterparts? Would you use any of them?

Thank you to Wikipedia for the above information, since I didn't read the book.