British government officials are steering clear of using "Boaty McBoatface" as the name of the next $300 million research vessel.
The poll closed giving the name the lead 124,109 votes,
. The second most popular name was Poppy Mai, named for a 16-month-old girl with an incurable cancer.
Now it’s up to officials with the Natural Environment Research Council to decide on an apt name for the vessel.
"There is a process now for us to review all of the public's choices,"
[ science minister Jo Johnson told BBC Radio 5 Live, Newsweek reported ]
. "Many of them were imaginative; some were more suitable than others."
James Hand, who formerly worked at the BBC, suggested the name and was surprised at how popular it became.
“This is actually nothing to do with me,”
. “I made the suggestion but the storm that’s been created – it’s got legs of its own. I just feel it’s a very British thing, which a lot of people have pointed out.”
In the end, Hand voted for “David Attenborough, a naturalist and broadcaster,
. That name came in fifth with 10,284 votes.
"I think we were clear when launching the competition that we were looking for a name that would be in keeping with the mission,"
[ Johnson told the BBC, according to Newsweek ]
.