Bevilaqua.
Lionel Tiger and Robin Fox are the collaborative authors on a number of well-known books on Sociology.
There is a family in Virginia named Enroughty, who to this day pronounce it Darby.
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”.
I had an ancestor with the last name of ‘Trebilcock.’
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.
One of the contestants on Project Runway Allstars (currently on Lifetime Network) is named Gunnar Deatherage. Apparently his real name.
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.
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.
I’m in Canada and haven’t encountered any Hugs, and I know only one Kiss.
A distinguished family whose graves are in Machynlleth Wales rejoice in the name Vane Tempest. That is very fine.
Lavender Blue is pretty cool if I do say so myself.
I knew a rabbi Brazen. Brazen. Now that’s a cool last name.
I like the Church guy in the Philippines named Cardinal Sin.
Or the Pakistani politician Sheila Dikshit.
Until recently I was delivering meals to a Mr. Bonsignor. I said ‘good day’ Good Sir!
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?”
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).
There are some very strong one and two syllable UK and Irish names which I’ve grown quite fond of.
Been around for a while now, has it…?
Cardinal Sin was a Roman Catholic activist instrumental in overthrowing the Marcos regime.
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.