# Given Names -- What were they thinking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 14, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759 "2012-04-14T14:32:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/21 "2012-04-14T15:56:02Z")
How about Esper for à boy? Derived from Jasper. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/22 "2012-04-14T15:58:20Z")
In high school German class, we had an Italian foreign exchange student. A common name that came up in the dialogues was Knut (pronounced ‘K-noot’). The Italian guy giggled each time the name was mentioned. He said that in Italian it was a vulgar term, but he never said what it meant. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/23 "2012-04-14T16:01:33Z")
My kids went to grade school with a kid named Michael Hunt. I’m sure junior high was… lots of fun. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/24 "2012-04-14T16:09:47Z")
My cousin has a patient called Shakira, I suppose it’s not that out there but it just seems a bit stupid to me. There are also a couple of Pocahontas’ in Dublin. I wonder if their middle names are Dorothy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/25 "2012-04-14T16:25:04Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > My dad worked with Cdr. Darling. In the Navy, I worked with a guy named John Darling. In the military, one often refers to another by last name. Anytime someone would say “Hey, Darling”, he invariably answered “Yes, dear?” The variations for Richard seem endless. I knew a Dick Peters, a Phil Dick, a Dick Lipp…the misery goes on. I had a childhood friend with the last name of Crouch. His parents named him Harry. Are you shitting me? Harry Crouch? Puberty in the locker room was a nightmare for him: Hey, hairy crotch! The trend (which seems to have largely died out) of naming children with as many “Ys” in a name as possible was just. . .stupid. It resulted in abominations like MyKynzie, Alycya, Mykle, and other lyfelong burdyns for kyds. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/26 "2012-04-14T16:26:26Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > My dad had a patient whose name was pronounced (fem-ah-lee), but with the more common spelling of “female”. Apparently Mom didn’t have a name so the the birth cert said female \_\_\_\_\_; when Mom saw it she said, “Ah fem-ah-lee, that’s pretty, that’ll be her name.” :smack: I swear it’s true! I’m pretty sure that is a story from the 1982 remake of the film “Cat People.” ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/27 "2012-04-14T16:46:46Z")
This one was in the paper the other day. My wife and I both had a good laugh over it. Wilford [Molester](http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/apr/09/rapist-murderer-both-eligible-parole-june/) Galloway ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/28 "2012-04-14T16:53:44Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > … The trend (which seems to have largely died out) of naming children with as many “Ys” in a name as possible was just. . .stupid. It resulted in abominations like MyKynzie, Alycya, Mykle, and other lyfelong burdyns for kyds. There’s even Mykelti ([Williamson](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932112/) from _Justified_) > [@](#): > > Mykelti is pronounced like “Michael Tee”. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/29 "2012-04-14T16:57:15Z")
I suppose we may as well mention La-a (pronounced La-dash-a) as an example of non-letters becoming ever more popular in some names’ spellings/pronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/30 "2012-04-14T16:58:03Z")
I have no cite, so don’t ask… but a friend of a friend told my wife about a student named Le-A. When handing out diplomas the principal asked the mother how to pronounce that name (good kid, never met the principal before) : Principal: Is it LEE-ah, Lee, le-AY, what? Mom: (indignant) It’s Le-DASH-ah. The dash don’t be silent! (probably not a true story, but I so hope it is - I repeat it as if it was) ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/31 "2012-04-14T17:01:43Z")
In that case, I anticipate that somewhere in the world is a little boy named: - eel. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/32 "2012-04-14T17:03:48Z")
> [@Nature\_s\_Call](#): > > I have no cite, so don’t ask… but a friend of a friend told my wife about a student named Le-A. > > When handing out diplomas the principal asked the mother how to pronounce that name (good kid, never met the principal before) : > > Principal: Is it LEE-ah, Lee, le-AY, what? > Mom: (indignant) It’s Le-DASH-ah. The dash don’t be silent! > (probably not a true story, but I so hope it is - I repeat it as if it was) * * * # Last edited by Nature’s Call; Today at 11:58 AM. Reason: well played, oh ninja Zeldar! I like your version better; mine’s from memory and unlikely to be a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/33 "2012-04-14T17:04:50Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > In that case, I anticipate that somewhere in the world is a little boy named: > > - eel. Reckon will he be writing some detective stories? ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/34 "2012-04-14T17:08:39Z")
I encountered a young woman whose first name was Shennon. Her middle name was Doah. Apparently, her parents thought Shenandoah was just too long for a first name. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/35 "2012-04-14T17:11:55Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Reckon will he be writing some detective stories? Definitely. Trying to find who murdered his name. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/36 "2012-04-14T17:12:01Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > How about Esper for à boy? Derived from Jasper. As a FFVI fan, I approve of this one name in particular. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/37 "2012-04-14T17:13:28Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I encountered a young woman whose first name was Shennon. Her middle name was Doah. Apparently, her parents thought Shenandoah was just too long for a first name. Couldn’t they have simply spelled it Shen&doah? ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/38 "2012-04-14T17:35:31Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > Couldn’t they have simply spelled it Shen&doah? The ampersand don’t be silent! ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/39 "2012-04-14T17:40:10Z")
[William #stone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Poundstone) Or would that be pronounced William Octothorpestone ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759/40 "2012-04-14T17:40:21Z")
If I have a son, I’m going to name him something traditional. Like &rew or R&y. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/given-names-what-were-they-thinking/618759.md?page=3)