# Apocrophyal Strange Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 23, 2004, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664 "2004-09-23T13:15:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/41 "2004-09-23T22:09:58Z")
I once caled MBNA to discuss a problem with my credit card, and I’m fairly certin the womon who I spoke with said her name was **Chlamydia**. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/42 "2004-09-23T22:18:50Z")
Actually one of the killers to talk some people out of is various spellings that sound like [Chlamydia.](http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/stdclam.htm) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/43 "2004-09-23T22:39:08Z")
There was the ancient middle-eastern potentate, Sultan Pepper… ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/44 "2004-09-23T23:13:20Z")
There’s a urological surgeon in Austin named Dick Chopp. He vasectomized one of my friends. ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/45 "2004-09-24T00:24:33Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I’ve also heard of a man named Lear who named his daughter “Crystal Chanda”. > [@TheBloodBorneIdentity](#): > > It was William Lear, the guy who started Learjet (now part of Bombardier). 🆒 And for the record, it’s spelled “Shanda” - no “Crystal”, just “Shanda Lear.” I first heard that in grade school, circa 1970, and I didn’t believe it then. However, I’ve seen it verified many times since – most recently in the [Snopes link](http://www.snopes.com/racial/language/names.htm) provided by **hajario** , above. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/46 "2004-09-24T00:55:52Z")
On one team that I saw in two tournaments a year in high school (which I won’t name), there were three great wrestling names: Michael Huntz, who went by ‘Mike’ on the bracket sheets (leading to endless consternation from frustrated announcers) Matt Campion, pronounced “Champion” Mike Swettmore ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/47 "2004-09-24T03:20:37Z")
I know a Chinese woman who named her twins “Glonous” and “Cultual.” ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/48 "2004-09-24T04:50:08Z")
We have a politician here in NSW who rejoices in the name Richard Face. I’ve personally been to a Dr Killingback. Naturally he was a proctologist. And we have employees in my company called Dick Hacking, Rod Steele and Chuck Flood (FYI “chuck” in Australia means what “barf” means in the US ). ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/49 "2004-09-24T05:37:24Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > We know a woman who is a nurse at a hospital who said that she had to talk a woman out of naming her daughter “Vagina”. Years ago, I took a phone message for a fellow college student from a woman named Vagina. Really blew me away. I had to ask her to spell it just to make sure I hadn’t misheard. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/50 "2004-09-24T07:05:06Z")
I see someone has already mentioned **Michael Hunt**. It seems he’d always show up in class with **Richard Hertz** whenever there was a substitute teacher. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/51 "2004-09-24T07:18:13Z")
When our school bud, “Chuck” Gum, got his driver’s license, he wouldn’t show it to us. We wrestled him for it; his real name on the card was Chou Wing. :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/52 "2004-09-24T11:24:44Z")
I knew a chinese exchange student named **Chon Wang** Ok, not really. I saw it in Shanghai Noon. But it still cracks me up like a 12 year old little girl. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/53 "2004-09-24T11:37:32Z")
And if you’re childish and British, you can enjoy the existence of [Randy Gaylord](http://www.sanjuanislander.com/county/elections-2002/gaylord.html). ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/54 "2004-09-24T11:54:40Z")
Well, you know the Managing Director of the Pfizer plant in Ireland where they make the Viagra is called Willy Power, don’t you? No, of course he isn’t but my boss believed me when I said that to him. For about a minute. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/55 "2004-09-24T16:22:39Z")
In my High School there was a girl who graduated loooong before I attended, but who’s name was still quite real (It was on the class picture from I believe 1980) who’s name was…Anita Dick. Everyone who ever went to my school knew about this one. Also, in my job I have hundreds of applications come across my desk in a day, and there is a man living in Illinois who name is Ulick Sweeney. I swear before you all that I’m telling the truth. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664/56 "2004-09-24T19:55:28Z")
Am I the only person who’s heard of Vaselina and Q-Tippa? Supposedly the twins were named after things on their mother’s night table in the maternity ward. And who wouldn’t want to be named Randy Johnson (Big Unit indeed!), or better yet, Magic Johnson. I used to have a client named Dick Pounder, and I’ve also known people named Randy Sheets and Penny Stamps. But best of all: in the mid-70s I lived near an office buiding that had a sign in front: Seymour Kunz, Gynecologist. I always suspected him of changing his name to that, after choosing his profession. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apocrophyal-strange-names/265664.md?page=2)