It's possible that it sounds even worse in other languages. That is, it might sound like bad words, onomatopoeia for bodily functions, or common exclamations (that would lead to lots of false positives).

I think it could have been established as a brand in the US, given Google's scale. Put a lute in the branding, run some funny commercials, and you're done.

EDIT: one thing no amount of branding can fix — the likelihood that people reach for "doh, Bard" (a la Simpsons) when Bard messes up. I could see that becoming a thing.

> unfamiliar, unfriendly, too cerebral

The Witcher is one of Netflix's most watch shows. I'd also imagine that most people in English speaking countries have been exposed to Shakespeare's nickname in high school English classes.

It’s generally a common trope in fantasy and Romanticist literature. It’s also a word that exists in virtually all European languages in a similar form (bard, bardo, barde, бард), although similar but different forms may be a negative.

Yes, but I didn't want to assume that most people read literature. Even if they hadn't, "bard" is definitely out there.

I don't think it's that out there. You'd have to be quite uninformed to have never heard of it. It's no verderer or reeve (medieval positions that most people actually will not have heard of).

I meant "out there" as in a word people are exposed to. Not "out there" as in outside of most people's experience.

I knew what you meant, and I disagree. I don't think the word "bard" is out there in the sense of being a word people are exposed to.

Maybe named for The Bard’s Tale?