# Even sven/ Even seven
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [July 9, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661 "2012-07-09T02:47:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/81 "2012-07-09T20:07:15Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#):
>
> I find it entirely plausible that two people came up with these two similar names. “Even Steven” is a very common phrase and it’s not that odd that two people would come up with a play on that phrase.
Where have either of them said their names were plays on even steven?
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/82 "2012-07-09T20:21:12Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#):
>
> Where have either of them said their names were plays on even steven?
I’m not saying it’s absolutely the case, just that it’s plausible.
But I can play this game too… Have either of them said that they didn’t base their name on that phrase?
Should we outlaw any mention of the [Shia LaBeouf vehicle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Even_Stevens) as well, lest someone thinks we’re actually talking about Even Sven or Even Seven?
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/83 "2012-07-09T20:24:19Z")
> [@Marley23](#):
>
> …but this isn’t some kind of new trend.
One of the first Onion headlines I can recall snorting coffee over was:
> [@](#):
>
> John Heard, John Hurt, William Hurt: why one of them must die
😃
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/84 "2012-07-09T20:25:02Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#):
>
> I find it entirely plausible that two people came up with these two similar names. “Even Steven” is a very common phrase and it’s not that odd that two people would come up with a play on that phrase.
Ironically, there isn’t a user named Even Steven (or at least a well used one). So that means at least two SDMB posters had to chose a username that was too clever by half 🙂
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### Author:  [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/85 "2012-07-09T20:56:21Z")
_What will we do if Even Steven wants to sign up??_
We’ll be like, No, sorry, we already have an Even Sven and an Even Seven. And he’ll be like, what??
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/86 "2012-07-09T20:57:28Z")
And we’ll be all “not Even!”
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### Author:  [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/87 "2012-07-09T20:59:21Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#):
>
> Should we outlaw any mention of the [Shia LaBeouf vehicle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Even_Stevens) as well, lest someone thinks we’re actually talking about Even Sven or Even Seven?
But Transformers doesn’t sound anything like Even Sven.
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### Author:  [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/88 "2012-07-09T21:00:40Z")
> [@Marley23](#):
>
> And we’ll be all “not Even!”
😃
Damn! These name threads are really good!
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/89 "2012-07-09T21:02:13Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#):
>
> But Transformers doesn’t sound anything like Even Sven.
It has a soft T.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/90 "2012-07-09T21:06:57Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#):
>
> I’m having a hard time believing someone sat down at the computer and thought to themselves that even seven was a good handle. It seems pretty obvious to me that it was meant to be confused for even sven.
😕
Seriously? Have you never heard the term “even Steven” before?
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### Author:  [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/91 "2012-07-09T21:09:45Z")
Didn’t you guys see where the guy up there said that we had an Even Steven but he messed up his registration twice? 🤣
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### Author:  [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/92 "2012-07-09T21:16:10Z")
> [@Munch](#):
>
> 😕
>
> Seriously? Have you never heard the term “even Steven” before?
Please. Ren Stevens was my idol growing up. I question the idea that either even sven or even seven are based off that phrase. There’s no joke that’s evident when you think of the usernames in conjunction with the phrase, no obvious witticism rears its head, nothing funny emerges if you say it fast or without thinking. The usernames are clearly based around something that’s relevant to the user but not necessarily in the public consciousness. Even seven is awkward enough to look like it’s a variation of even sven and I don’t know about others but I haven’t noticed even seven doing much besides insulting people and following even sven around. Not the behavior I’d expect of someone with honest intentions.
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### Author:  [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/93 "2012-07-09T21:19:31Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#):
>
> Please. Ren Stevens was my idol growing up. I question the idea that either even sven or even seven are based off that phrase. There’s no joke that’s evident when you think of the usernames in conjunction with the phrase, no obvious witticism rears its head, nothing funny emerges if you say it fast or without thinking. The usernames are clearly based around something that’s relevant to the user but not necessarily in the public consciousness. **Even seven is awkward enough to look like it’s a variation of even sven and I don’t know about others but I haven’t noticed even seven doing much besides insulting people and following even sven around. Not the behavior I’d expect of someone with honest intentions.**
That changes everything.
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### Author:  [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/94 "2012-07-09T21:19:45Z")
Can I change my name to Even Stevia?
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### Author:  [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/95 "2012-07-09T21:54:45Z")
> [@Munch](#):
>
> 😕
>
> Seriously? Have you never heard the term “even Steven” before?
I’ve been thinking **even seven** is a play off the fact that seven is an odd number rather than even. The word “seven” itself also contains an odd number of letters while “even” contains an even number of letters. In other words, it may be intended as a dichotomy, sort of like “dark as day.”
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/96 "2012-07-09T22:10:07Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#):
>
> The usernames are clearly based around something that’s relevant to the user but not necessarily in the public consciousness
You have a very absurd concept of the word “clearly”. There have multiple posters here making the same connection - it’s not a stretch to think that “even Steven” is the source of the names. But whatever- it’s not that difficult to wait for clarification from either poster for a definitive reason.
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/97 "2012-07-09T22:10:25Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#):
>
> Where have either of them said their names were plays on even steven?
😕 They don’t need to. It’s beyond obvious. They’d have to be pretty dense to come up with it on any other basis and _not_ realize immediately it would play that way to nearly everybody.
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#):
>
> Please. Ren Stevens was my idol growing up. I question the idea that either even sven or even seven are based off that phrase. There’s no joke that’s evident when you think of the usernames in conjunction with the phrase, no obvious witticism rears its head, nothing funny emerges if you say it fast or without thinking.
:raps knuckles on **Stickler** ’s head: The reference to “even Steven” _is it_. Plus Sven is a name. Maybe they have something else private going on, that doesn’t matter unless they want to talk about it.
And tell me you don’t think this phrase originated with Ren Stevens.
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### Author:  [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/98 "2012-07-09T22:55:18Z")
Even if even sven was a riff on even steven, that doesn’t even mean that even seven even considered even steven first. They may even have based their name on even sven with no prior knowledge of even steven. However, even sven may not even have intended to riff on even steven and they may even have meant ‘even’ in the sense of including, perhaps unexpectedly, as opposed to ‘even’ as in winding up with the same amount of something when all transactions are complete. Even ‘even’ is subject to interpretation before we even consider sven, seven, or steven.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/99 "2012-07-09T23:05:21Z")
> [@tapu](#):
>
> Don’t mince about. Ban anyone whose name begins with “E.”
Hey, now.
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### Author:  [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/even-sven-even-seven/627661/100 "2012-07-09T23:08:13Z")
“even sven” comes from a high school inside joke (I was a teenager when I registered here.) The origin is pretty dumb- basically it stems from a botched doodle that looked like it said “even sven” and I made up a whole hilarious-to-teenagers backstory for. Even Sven was a viking who hated the French, because I hated French class, you see…
Not very interesting, but not related to “even steven.” The thought never really crossed my mind.
I’m not particularly amused with **seven** rash of contradicting whatever I write, but it is what it is.
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