# First Names Retired **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 1, 2001, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340 "2001-09-01T21:58:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kawliga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kawliga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kawliga)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/21 "2001-09-02T10:49:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waterj2 \* > \*\* > I can only think of one famous Lyndon. > > \*\* I can think of two: Johnson and Larouche. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/22 "2001-09-02T13:39:12Z")
Arnold When ever I hear that name I can see two men. One Austrian, one Oriental. Signs cost money. ---
**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 2, 2001, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/23 "2001-09-02T13:54:57Z")
Actually, Liberace’s first name was **Wladziu** , or some other name with a similarly bewildering array of semmingly unpronounceable consonants. But, since **Cotton** Mather was mentioned, his father’s name was **Increase** , another first name not commonly used. Cotton was used one other time, though, but not in a long time: \*Cotton Beard, Stymie’s little brother. I can still hear Spanky saying, “I wish Cotton was a monkey. . . All he needs is a tail.”:eek: \*OK, his real name was “Bobby,” and “Cotton” was just his “Gang” name. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/24 "2001-09-02T16:27:24Z")
**Nomar** Garciaparra ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/25 "2001-09-02T16:51:08Z")
Screech, from saved by the Bell Daffy, Duck Sheena, Easton ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/26 "2001-09-02T16:54:56Z")
Newt Gingrich Dino DeLaurentis Harlan Ellison Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown God Shammgod Stalin Colinet ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/27 "2001-09-02T17:17:07Z")
Emmylou, Harris ---
**Author:** ![Poirot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@Poirot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poirot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/28 "2001-09-02T17:29:19Z")
Is there another **Stone** , like the newscaster? ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/29 "2001-09-02T18:03:25Z")
Howlin’. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/30 "2001-09-02T19:57:17Z")
That’s funny. When I think of Adolph, I think of meat tenderizer.(Hey, Uke! I’d never use it, you understand) How about **Geraldo**? Howlin’ Wolf was Chester Arthur Bernett. I believe there are 2-3 current actors with the first name **Stone**. It is always possible one of them will become more famous than Stone Phillips. Back to **Adolph**. If you took a poll in America in 1932 and asked 1000 random persons who “Adolph” was, you would have gotten the reply **Menjou**. A fairly famous Adolph. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/31 "2001-09-02T20:08:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Protesilaus \* > **Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown** What about Mordecai Richler? ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/32 "2001-09-02T20:47:50Z")
Or Morecai T. Endicott, founder of the Navy’s Bureau of Yards and Docks (IIRC)? What, not someone you consider famous? And I think we’d all just prefer to pretend that Lyndon LaRouche never existed. Right? Oh, and one of the members of Pearl Jam is Stone Gossard, so that’s not quite unique. How about Gutzon Borglum, the guy who was responsible for Mt. Rushmore? And Ann-Margaret is unique enough that she doesn’t even need a last name. > [@](#): > > Arnold > > When ever I hear that name I can see two men. One Austrian, one Oriental. Oriental? I don’t think Arnold Palmer is Oriental… Or is there someone else you have in mind? ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/33 "2001-09-02T20:51:02Z")
For Michaelangelo, we have the writer, Michaelangelo Signorile. For Mordecai - there always seems to be one in the Israeli cabinet. I’d nominate Galileo (his last name was a variant, Galilei - apparently that was a relatively common practice in renaissance Italy). Lots of earthmotherwindskyrocksinyourhead names from the 60s-70s qualify, too: River (Phoenix) Soleil (Moon Frye - Punky Brewster(!), now quite lovely - she started as a freshman at NYU when I was in law school. Rep on campus: bright, fun, sweetheart.) Dweezil & Moon (Zappa) Others: Oral (Roberts) Orville (Wright or Redenbacher - either way, it’s retired) Wilbur (Wright or Pig - ditto) Winnie (Mandela or The Pooh) And I can’t avoid it: Monica ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/34 "2001-09-02T20:55:07Z")
And two more: Ima (Hogg - yes, she was a real person, and that was her real name) Yma (Sumac - no, her “real” name isn’t Amy Camus) ---
**Author:** ![toshirodragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e68b1a/32.png) [@toshirodragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toshirodragon)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/35 "2001-09-03T17:34:38Z")
Josiah Josiah Wedgewood revolutionized the porcelain industry in early 19th century England. Just ask an antiques dealer about gennywine Wedgewood porcelain. And ask any person on the street to pronounce it… my son just rolls his eyes and he’s only 5! ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/36 "2001-09-03T22:10:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jaimest \* > **"Adolf" is a common enough name in Germany (with variants like Adolphe in France, Adolfo in Italy, Spain etc.) that Hitler would obliterate it from the list of names. > This search of business listings alone in Germany for “Adolf” came up with over 9,000 listings.** Yes, but as soon as you see the name “Adolf” here in Germany, you know that the person is at least 56 years old and probably much older. It has since been “retired” (except possibly for some strange traditionalist aristocrats who have been using the same names over and over for the past 560 years.) Also, I think most people stuck with that name prefer a nickname like “Adi” or something to avoid the connotation. Otherwise it can be quite a cross to bear. Sidenote: oddly enough, the rate of children being given the name in Germany, at least in one representative study on names given in the city of Kiel, actually _dropped steadily_ from just under 1% to practically nil during Hitler’s years in power. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/37 "2001-09-04T00:03:49Z")
I like **Ferggie** ’s best so far ;). Michaelangelo is also the first name of [Caravaggio](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/caravaggio/) (although Caravaggio wasn’t his real surname) and [Antonioni](http://www.nyfavideo.com/content/cat-ANTONIONI.htm) (one for the cineastes among you). There’s also a bloke called [Elton Welsby](http://www.cmmol.net/sports_commentators.htm), but he’s not exactly famous in England any more. Dolf isn’t Dolph (_sic_) Lundgren’s real first name either, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/38 "2001-09-04T01:51:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waterj2 \* > \*\*How about Elton? I can only think of one. > > Reinhold Messner seems to meet the qualifications at least as much as Adolf Hitler. > > And lastly, Beck seems pretty unique as well. \*\* Isn’t there an Elton Brand that plays basketball? Think he was at Duke? On the old Night Court show they said Reinhold was Dan’s real name. They took it from one of the producers. We discussed \* Into Thin Air \* in Cafe today - one of the climbers given up for dead, then found was named Beck Weathers. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/39 "2001-09-04T02:36:55Z")
What about “old lady names” – **Esther, Agnes, Gertrude, Ethel, Viola, Hildegard, Hortense, Bertha, Millicent, Heddy** and **Edith** among them. It’s not that those names sound “quaint” or “dated,” but that they have a somewhat negative connotation associated with them – an elderly woman with blue hair driving her 1972 Dodge Dart 20 miles an hour below the speed limit, as she weaves her way to St. Paul Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod, of course – and a red hymnal service at that). Old lady names are still quite common among first generation Mexican-American women in southern New Mexico and west Texas, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/40 "2001-09-04T02:39:03Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by samclem \* **That’s funny. When I think of Adolph, I think of meat tenderizer.**? Do you think "truck mudflaps"when you hear **Heil**? 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340.md?page=3)