# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/61 "2001-09-05T05:09:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shirley Ujest \* > **Adlai Stephenson.** His grandfather was also named Adlai Stephenson, and was Grover Cleveland’s vice president. And since I’m mentioning vice presidents, how about: Elbridge Gerry Millard Fillmore Schuyler Colfax Garret A. Hobart Alben W. Barkley Hubert H. Humphrey Spiro T. Agnew ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/62 "2001-09-05T09:46:54Z")
The name “Oscar” took a noise dive in popularity in England after Oscar Wilde’s sodomy trial. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/63 "2001-09-05T10:26:11Z")
I know a man named “Cledith”. I’ve never encountered that name before - has anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/64 "2001-09-05T11:02:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shirley Ujest \* > \*\*Adlai Stephenson. > > Milos Foreman > \*\* Not an unusual name in his native land, the Czech Republic. My Father-in-law is Czech and is called Milos. NB: The final s has a little hook above which means it should be pronounced Milo **sh**. Dunno how to make that appear right though. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/65 "2001-09-05T14:09:28Z")
[“Capability” Brown](http://www.capability-brown.org/) was a nickname, although his real name was Lancelot and you don’t find many of them around any more. The Victorian British often had weird names – I’ll post some when I get around to it. And [Millicent Martin](http://www.hollywood.com/celebs/detail/celeb/193460) used to be famous in Britain in the '60s. Is this how you write Miloš? ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/66 "2001-09-05T14:24:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*Is this how you write Miloš? \*\* That’s the fella. š. I should have thought a bit longer, I could have got it from the Unicode Character Map in Accessories. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/67 "2001-09-05T14:39:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Protesilaus \* > **…Garret A. Hobart…** [Garrett Fitzgerald](http://www.encyclopedia.com/articlesnew/04519.html) is also a well-known name this side of the Atlantic. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/68 "2001-09-05T15:44:53Z")
Went to school with a Garrett and there used to be a guy named Garrett where I worked. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/69 "2001-09-05T17:43:26Z")
I am on speaking (or at least email) terms with people named **Irmgard** , **Neusa** , **Toru** , and **Dubravka** (whose husband is another Miloš–there seem to be a lot of Milošes around here). I had a relative (female) with the middle name **Keziah**. And another named **Nan**. And what **elmwood** called ‘old lady names’: aren’t these merely the fashions of fifty or sixty or a hundred years ago? You don’t get many children named **Vera** in the English-speaking world these days, for example. I would argue that ‘dated’ is precisely the description that fits them: associated with a particular ‘date’, or time period. Twenty or thirty years from now, **Debbi** will be an old-lady name and the kids will be named something new… or possibly **Edith** and **Percival**. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/70 "2001-09-06T12:36:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Southpaw \* > \*\*Then there’s the never popular **Englebert** \*\* Oh, please. Englebert Humperdink took his name from the nineteenth century composer who wrote a lot of works, including Hansel and Gretel. When you order a CD by EH, you have to specify which one. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/71 "2001-09-06T17:20:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Protesilaus \* > > \*\* > > Dino DeLaurentis > > \*\* > > [Dino Ciccarelli](http://www.neutralzonehockey.com/dino.htm) had a long and productive NHL career. \*\* Dino Martin ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/72 "2001-09-06T21:14:44Z")
Myron? I know a girl named “Murray” ---
**Author:** ![Southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@Southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southpaw)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/73 "2001-09-06T22:30:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > \*\*Oh, please. Englebert Humperdink took his name from the nineteenth century composer who wrote a lot of works, including Hansel and Gretel. When you order a CD by EH, you have to specify which one. \*\* I was talking about the composer. I guess I should’ve made myself clear. I always wondered why someone would change their name _to_Englebert. The Singing Englebert’s real name is Arnold George Dorsey. Not so bad. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/74 "2001-09-06T23:59:08Z")
Some peculiar British Victorians: [Decimus Burton](http://www.speel.demon.co.uk/arch/burton.htm), [Isambard Kingdom Brunel](http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/~jarvis/brunelstory/brunel.html), [Florence Nightingale](http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/nitegale.htm) (the first woman called Florence apparently) and [Barnes Wallis](http://freespace.virgin.net/ian.bayley/ARTICLES/wallis/wallis.html) (not a Victorian, but I bet there aren’t many Barneses out there). And more recently, I’m surprised with all the comments about Madonna, that nobody has mentioned baby [Lourdes](http://fln-cen.yazigi.com.br/ramad.htm). Also (slightly sad this because their mother had an unhappy end to her life), Bob Geldof and Paula Yates were at one time famous/notorious for picking even weirder names for their kids than the Zappas: [Fifi Trixibelle Geldof, born 1984 Peaches Geldof, born 1991 Pixie Geldof, born 1994](http://www.groupiecentral.com/gwlpaula.html) and [Heavenly Hirrani Tiger Lily Hutchence, born 1996](http://www.groupiecentral.com/gwlpaula.html), (Paula’s daughter with Michael Hutchence). Maybe people are expecting copycat namings for these poor souls in the near future? Or what about [Chastity Bono](http://www.cnn.com/books/news/9810/14/bono.out.cnn/)? Surely unique in recent times? Also, I know it’s short for Irving, but is anyone else called Ving as in [Ving Rhames](http://mrshowbiz.go.com/celebrities/people/vingrhames/)? ---
**Author:** ![holacat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/eada6e/32.png) [@holacat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holacat)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/75 "2001-09-07T03:18:59Z")
Idi, as in Amin. ---
**Author:** ![muffinman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@muffinman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muffinman)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/76 "2001-09-07T06:50:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > \*\*Isn’t Jeb Bush really Jebidah? If not, then I nominate Jeb for this thread. > \*\* Sorry dude (make that Dude-et) As a Tallahasseean, I can say for a fact that Jeb Bush is actually “John Ellis Bush”, and is known by his ititials, as an acronym. Not to many folks can do that. Far as I know, just Jeb and my girlfriend TAZ. How about Shaquille (how the hell to you spell that? wait a minute: Shack!) O’neal. Or Buzz? (as in Aldrin) Don’t hear that one much, but not sure if it’s his real name. And, BTW, I went to High School with a guy named Wilbur. Went by his middle name Steve though. Slight hijack: My grandmother has 6 sisters… 3 of them are named: Joe, Bobby, and Marion. I get the feeling that (great) Grampa Skipper wanted a boy. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/77 "2001-09-07T07:13:44Z")
My mother is the only female I’ve ever met named Lary. When I was a young kid I thought it was a woman’s name, as it isn’t very popular among men either. ---
**Author:** ![psychogumby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@psychogumby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychogumby)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340/78 "2001-09-07T09:52:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OxyMoron \* > \*\*Oral (Roberts) > \*\* [hijack] Does he have a brother named Anal? [/hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-retired/79340.md?page=3)