# First Names Used to Represent Group X **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 26, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849 "2006-11-26T16:29:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/21 "2006-11-27T04:00:10Z")
[QUOTE=Random] Wednesday Addams (which is meant to be a joke). (I don’t count Heinlein’s Friday.) [/QUOTE] Wednesday Friday Addams. Weren’t she cute? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/22 "2006-11-27T04:28:49Z")
[QUOTE=Random] You’ve lost me with the days of the week names. Can’t think of any other than Tuesday Weld and Wednesday Addams (which is meant to be a joke). (I don’t count Heinlein’s Friday.) [/QUOTE] They aren’t common, but IMDB searches reveal at least one American in Hollywood for each day of the week. Whether those are given or assumed names, I don’t know. An astonishing number of “[Tuesdays](http://www.imdb.com/find?s=nm&q=tuesday)”, incidentally. ---
**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:** [November 27, 2006, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/23 "2006-11-27T04:38:18Z")
_Ian, Nigel_ - very British (from a US perspective, at least). _Gordon_ - generic suburban Canadian guy; someone who drinks Molson, drives a Pontiac, eats ketchup-flavored potato chips, says “eh” a lot, and plays curling. _Bruce, Todd_ - gay man. _Stan_ - in Buffalo, a typical Cheektowaga resident; very Polish, very devoit Catholic, extremely blue-collar, speaks in a strong clipped Polish Buffalonian accent, accomplished bowler, is a volunteer fireman, Bills fanatic, etc. ---
**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:** [November 27, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/24 "2006-11-27T04:42:15Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] _Gordon_ - generic suburban Canadian guy; someone who drinks Molson, drives a Pontiac, eats ketchup-flavored potato chips, says “eh” a lot, and plays curling. [/QUOTE] And if he’s _Gordon McKenzie_, he plays skip. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/25 "2006-11-27T04:47:21Z")
Dieter is German Eurotrash Silvio is Italian Eurotrash Raul is Spanish Eurotrash Rene is French Eurotrash ---
**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:** [November 27, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/26 "2006-11-27T05:46:33Z")
[QUOTE=Shoshana] Shlomo, the Orthodox Jew. [/QUOTE] _Irv_, _Sid_ or _Morty_: Reform or Conservative Jews. _Stella_, _Alfreda_: the female equivalent of _Stan_ in Buffalo. _Randy_: just about every general contractor or good 'ol boy developer I ever met when I was living in Florida. _Shaniqua_: the quintessential urban black woman. _Sunshine_: female offspring of 1960s-era hippies. _Heidi_: Blond German woman, often with ponytails. ---
**Author:** ![aclubs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@aclubs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aclubs)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/27 "2006-11-27T07:33:54Z")
‘Ahmed’ and ‘Abdul’ are common slang (and ignorant) stand-ins for Arabic male names. (Even though ‘Abdul’, IIRC, isn’t a complete name. Means “servant of…”) I’ve heard that ‘Muhammad’ is the most common given name in the world. The most common surname is ‘Chang’, from China. But I don’t know of many 'Muhammad Chang’s running around. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/28 "2006-11-27T08:03:55Z")
[QUOTE=aclubs] I’ve heard that ‘Muhammad’ is the most common given name in the world. The most common surname is ‘Chang’, from China. But I don’t know of many 'Muhammad Chang’s running around. [/QUOTE] Aren’t names traditionally done last name first in Asia though? So you might have more luck looking for Chang Muhammads. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/29 "2006-11-27T08:56:11Z")
Wayne, Darren and Jason are the preferred names of the criminal classes here in Australia. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/30 "2006-11-27T09:05:13Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] Back in the 80’s, I remember the “Truly Tasteless Jokes” books frequently used “Leroy” and “Titus” as generic black American names. [/QUOTE] I had that book, and I’m pretty sure you mean ‘Rufus.’ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/31 "2006-11-27T13:18:57Z")
[QUOTE=kambuckta] Wayne, Darren and Jason are the preferred names of the criminal classes here in Australia. 😃 [/QUOTE] Wayne seems to be a common middle name for murderers in the States. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/32 "2006-11-27T13:47:49Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] I don’t think anybody outside the USA has ever been named “Travis”. However, the generic Australian nickname for an American is “Chuck”. I don’t think anybody outside the USA has ever been called that, either. [/QUOTE] “Vera, Chuck, and Dave.” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/33 "2006-11-27T13:51:49Z")
[QUOTE=sugar and spice] Bridget and Patty, Irish [/QUOTE] Dunno if you mean Irish Irish or American Irish, but I’ve never met an Irish person, male or female, called Patty. Pat, Padraig, Patrick, Pakky or Paddy, but not Patty. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/34 "2006-11-27T15:07:28Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Dunno if you mean Irish Irish or American Irish, but I’ve never met an Irish person, male or female, called Patty. Pat, Padraig, Patrick, Pakky or Paddy, but not Patty. [/QUOTE] I have. She was a good friend in college. Her last name was Berger which she never figure out if her parents realized it before they named her that. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/35 "2006-11-27T19:48:09Z")
“Berger” isn’t an Irish name. German or Scandawegian, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/36 "2006-11-27T19:54:04Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Angus = Scottish. (Although my seasonal neighbour Angus is Canadian.) [/QUOTE] And probably of Scottish background! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/37 "2006-11-27T21:46:51Z")
[QUOTE=Random] An American would probably associate most of these names with a particular subgroup. . . . . Tiffany usually evokes an image of a (white) stripper wannabe that lives in a trailer. [/QUOTE] Thant’s funny, to me Tiffany is associated more with the upper-class WASP types - sort of a female Tad. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/38 "2006-11-27T22:20:06Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Franz and Hans are stereotypical Germans, married to Heidi and Greta. [/QUOTE] Heidi is classically Swiss. Hans and Franz are in fact Austrian and want to pump _CLAP_ you up. And if Wolfgang and Helga move next door, leave the country before sunrise. Your archetypical Canadian is called Gord or perhaps Janet. Joanne is Catholic and from Buffalo. Her ancestry may be Irish, Polish, Italian, German, Lithuanian or any admixture thereof, but she is from Buffalo and she is Catholic. If she’s Greek Orthodox, however, she’s Joann_a_. Just about any female born after 1950 can be Lisa. A genteelly prejudiced relative of mine once claimed Lisa was a “Jewish” sounding name. I reminded her she’d named her own daughter that. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/39 "2006-11-27T22:24:23Z")
[QUOTE=Reloy3] Thant’s funny, to me Tiffany is associated more with the upper-class WASP types - sort of a female Tad. [/QUOTE] Nah, Tiffany is a ditzy teenager. Tad’s companion is Muffy. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849/40 "2006-11-27T23:15:45Z")
You sure you don’t mean Tammi? (dotted with a little heart, natch) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-names-used-to-represent-group-x/381849.md?page=3)