# Favorite Surnames **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812 "2014-11-16T23:01:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/21 "2014-11-17T14:03:25Z")
Bevilaqua. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/22 "2014-11-17T14:04:50Z")
Lionel Tiger and Robin Fox are the collaborative authors on a number of well-known books on Sociology. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/23 "2014-11-17T14:13:10Z")
There is a family in Virginia named Enroughty, who to this day pronounce it Darby. [http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.enroughty/1.3/mb.ashx](http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.enroughty/1.3/mb.ashx) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/24 "2014-11-17T17:16:46Z")
I wouldn’t like to have it, but back when my region had a Councilor for Industry named Iturriagagoitía, I loved watching national newscasters valiantly pronounce the whole mouthful without butchering it. They always looked kind of scared beforehand and relieved after. My new dentist is a Pérez. I like his lastname cos it’s short and simple, he likes mine because it’s unusual. His father had always been called by his (the father’s) second lastname and at one point even tried to claim that he wasn’t “Mr. Pérez”, only to be informed by his children that “hell yes, Dad, you are - we didn’t get that “Pérez” in our IDs from Grandad without it being part of your name”. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/25 "2014-11-17T17:26:50Z")
I had an ancestor with the last name of ‘Trebilcock.’ ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/26 "2014-11-18T09:57:09Z")
Target, Pilot, Fox, Knight: all cool. Rose and May are particularly cool for women and girls. Basically, common nouns that are cool things in themselves. Those compound nouns that were probably originally Jewish (or at least German) and then translated are also awesome. Handfighter’s a real name, for example, as are Starlighter and Nightwalker, and I’m sure there are others. Colour names fail when it when it comes to Brown. ---
**Author:** ![JuliaSqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@JuliaSqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuliaSqueezer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/27 "2014-11-18T15:22:25Z")
One of the contestants on _Project Runway Allstars_ (currently on Lifetime Network) is named Gunnar Deatherage. Apparently his real name. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/28 "2014-11-18T16:27:43Z")
Hug and Kiss, Attorneys at Law? Wikipedia biographical pages list 16 people surnamed Hug (mostly Swiss) and 20 people named Kiss (mostly Hungarian). Both surnames are fairly common in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/29 "2014-11-18T16:36:43Z")
There was a lieutenant in our Transportation Company whose name was “K. Uski” - the English equivalent would be “D. River”. If I had to choose a new surname, I might pick a name I saw in a mailbox on my paper route: “Sudentalvi” (roughly translates to “Wolf’s Winter”). I did a name search and apparently there’s less than 5 people with that name, so it is probably an invented, modern name somebody took because they didn’t like their proper surname. I still find it cool. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/30 "2014-11-18T16:37:05Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Hug and Kiss, Attorneys at Law? Wikipedia biographical pages list 16 people surnamed Hug (mostly Swiss) and 20 people named Kiss (mostly Hungarian). Both surnames are fairly common in Canada. I’m in Canada and haven’t encountered any Hugs, and I know only one Kiss. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/31 "2014-11-18T18:18:23Z")
A distinguished family whose [graves](http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/items/15971) are in Machynlleth Wales rejoice in the name Vane Tempest. That is very fine. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/32 "2014-11-18T18:53:58Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > At first I thought this was MPSIMS material, but since it’s an opinion type thing I’ll put it in here. > > What last names have you come across or know of that you wish you had? Of course, it’s not really a consequential thing, but once in a while one comes up that really rocks. Most recently, I met a Blue. There’s no name that’s not improved by having Blue following it. John Blue, Rose Blue, Matthew Blue, Jack Blue, Melody Blue . . . Other color names like White also work beautifully. > > I once met a woman whose last name was Valentine. Some people in this world are truly blessed. 😛 > > So, if you could pick, what would you choose? Lavender Blue is pretty cool if I do say so myself. 😛 I knew a rabbi Brazen. Brazen. Now that’s a cool last name. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/33 "2014-11-18T22:40:34Z")
I like the Church guy in the Philippines named Cardinal Sin. Or the Pakistani politician Sheila Dikshit. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/34 "2014-11-18T22:48:19Z")
Until recently I was delivering meals to a Mr. **Bonsignor**. I said ‘good day’ Good Sir! ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/35 "2014-11-18T23:18:27Z")
There used to be a local TV news reporter named Phoebe Chongchua. I don’t know what her name actually means, but in Vietnamese, “Có chồng chưa?” means, “Do you have a husband yet?” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/36 "2014-11-19T02:05:21Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > I like the Church guy in the Philippines named Cardinal Sin. > Or the Pakistani politician Sheila Dikshit. Lots of good Asian names (surnames and given names). Indonesia has Megawati. Thailand has the unfortunate Kit(t)iporn. Phat Ho etc. Some interesting Indian names, I think especially in Parsi families: Engineer, Contractor, etc. Then there’s the old English name, Death (IIRC pronounced Deeth by some). ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/37 "2014-11-19T02:13:31Z")
There are some very strong one and two syllable UK and Irish names which I’ve grown quite fond of. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Then there’s the old English name, Death (IIRC pronounced Deeth by some). Been around for a while now, has it…? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/38 "2014-11-19T03:34:06Z")
Cardinal Sin was a Roman Catholic activist instrumental in overthrowing the Marcos regime. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/39 "2014-11-19T17:00:00Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > A couple years ago there was a military guy giving interviews for something or other. > I can’t remember his rank, or even the service he was in, but his last name was “Slaughtermaster” > > That is beyond awesome. 🙂 I believe you’re referring to the wonderfully named Max Fightmaster. There was also a player on the Chicago Bears for a time named John Stonebreaker. In general, I like craft names: Butcher, Baker, Cooper and such. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812/40 "2014-11-19T17:12:47Z")
> [@GoodOmens](#): > > I believe you’re referring to the wonderfully named Max Fightmaster. > > There was also a player on the Chicago Bears for a time named John Stonebreaker. > > In general, I like craft names: Butcher, Baker, Cooper and such. My mother’s last name is Hunter. I think that’s a slightly better than my grandma’s (dad’s mom’s) maiden name of Blower. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-surnames/704812.md?page=3)