I recently saw a membership list that included the name Wan Ki.
I knew a guy in high school with the last name of Crumpacker.
A number of years back, David Letterman had a running gag about a real-life local politician named Dick Assman.
A woman I worked with married and became Sue Ridge.
Back in the 70s I worked for a guy named Ronald McDonald. He would have been about 20 when the hamburger clown was invented and was 35-ish when I knew him. Nice guy.
Talk about going from having a sorta rhythmic, sorta cool name to total ignominy. “Curse you Corporate America, for you have rendered me a laughing stock!!”
Yep. And variations on ‘shit’ are a reasonably common feature of names from some parts of India. No doubt indians spend their time chortling away at random sounds in western names, in the same way that we giggle at names like Dikshit, Woodshit and the like.
I actually have the honor of working with a Michael Hunt (he goes by Mick, but since he has a northern english accent, that doesn’t really help), and once came across a Jesus R Ponce in an org chart - unless he went into movies, there are at least two of them.
There’s a composer named Thomas Wanker Thomas Wanker - IMDb
Long ago whene I was temping in an office for a major credit card company I ran across several. The first name Nympha springs to mind. I remember the last name, too, but I wouldn’t want to embarass the owner of that name. After all, there might be two or more.
In high school I actually knew a guy named Glasscock. Behind his back several kids called him brittle dick.
I found the following names in the Social Security Death Index:
Margareta Kunt (1915-1999)
Ethel Smellie (1907-2001)
Richard Cock (1917-1973)
Kong Pee (1895-1969)
Joyce Poop (1952-2002)
Richard Balls (1896-1973)
Alberta Titt (1880-1972)
Brenda Ass (1956-1999)
Robert Fairy (1904-1983)
Ronald Queer (1946-1983)
Evelyn Bastard (1908-1986)
Don’t believe me? look for yourself: Ancestry® | Family Tree, Genealogy & Family History Records
My partner worked for a Candy Dessert.
My high school earth science teacher, last name Cain, just had to name his daughter Candy. :rolleyes:
I did a play long, long ago with a guy named Harry Pugh (pronounced PYOO, one syllable).
He hung around with a guy named John Farquahar (FAR kwar) Muckenfuss. (Swear to God.)
Appropos of nothing in particular (except a name, here)…
My brother in law, Rick, and I were sitting around on a Sunday afternoon watching something unimportant on TV when the door bell rang. I answered it and invited two high school kids in who were selling space in their yearbook. They explained that I could buy a little add and in it say Compliments of John Smith or whatever.
So I said I’d buy a $10 ad and one of the gals asked what I wanted to say, I answered, “Well I go with that “Compliments of…” thing.”
“All right,” said one of the girls, “what is your name?”
Without missing a beat (and for reasons I know not why), I replied, “John Farquahar Muckenfuss.” I was absolutely nonchalant.
Both girls gave a sharp intake of breath and held it so as not to laugh., staring intently at me to see if I were kidding. I pretended not to notice.
Although Rick andI had never even discussed the Muckenfuss thing, he was up to the gag. He turned to the girls with a palms up gesture and a little tilt of his head that read “Yeah, that’s his name. People laugh all the time.”
I printed my"name" on the form they presented, gave the girls the $10 and ushered them out the door.
Rick and I then peeked out the window, and there were the girls on the front lawn, bent over and convulsed, finally able to laugh out loud.
I should have bought a copy of the yearbook. Damn.
I wonder if the Farquahar part was inspired by Ambrose Bierce’s Civil War story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”.
My brother has played music for years with a bassist named Ronald McDonald. He goes by Ron, but he doesn’t take lightly to teasing about his name. In fact, he’s quite hostile to anyone who brings it up.
I went to school with Rose Bush, and Anita Drinkwater. No, really!
This isn’t anyone’s name, but I admire the sense of humor of the guy who submitted this name to the phone book people, who listed him as Rection, Hugh G. He was subsequently banned from being listed. I used to have a copy of that phone book, but it’s long gone.
My best mate was called Chris Cross, My mechanic is called Tommy Thankchamps ( for real)
my mothers sister in law was called Ida Down, many names over the years from actual people…Johny Flowers, Semour Teaty, Ray Ling, Eilleen Dover,
But my favorite of all time was by an author who wrote a childrens book called ‘Cats revenge’
His name was Claud Balls
I saw that story dramatized on TV a long time ago. It was extremely touching, but had nothing to do with the John Farquahar Muckenfuss I told you about. Sorry that you think I made it up. The whole post was God’s truth.
I also used to work with a Michael Hunt (poor guy!) but the worst bit was that he was Michael Hunt the Third - yep, grandpa and dad both had the same name, and still inflicted him with it!
Last I heard, he and his wife had a son who was not named Michael…
I told my wife about this thread, and she told me that the woman who interviewed her for her current job had a name that’s a sound effect you don’t want to hear at 5 AM:
Kat Horkin
Then there’s a man, Michael Sass, who used to work at an arms manufacturer in the Springfield Massachusetts area.
When any guy was going to drop into his office, he was rather happy to be asked, “Where are you going?” so he could reply, nonchalantly,“Up Mike’s Sass.”
There’s a woman in Seattle named Nancy Nipples. She has a good sense of humor about her name. She must, since she owns The Creamery, a dairy and egg store at the Pike Place Market.