# Help me convince my wife to name our hypothetical son "Lester." **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 26, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150 "2010-09-26T23:08:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/61 "2010-09-27T15:23:09Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > > > Don’t stop with Lester, if you are intent upon raising a serial killer be sure to make his middle name Wayne. > > I think “Lee” is also a common serial killer name…can you work with Lee instead? I mean, there’s always the chance that he WON’T end up building a cage-bed out of human bones. 😃 No, if he wants to raise a serial killer, he can stick with Lester, but make sure the kid’s middle name is Wayne. You all know that Lester Wayne Mudd is just a headline waiting to happen. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/62 "2010-09-27T15:33:32Z")
> [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](#): > > Sterling is probably the best of a bad bunch, but I still wouldn’t use it: no obvious nickname potential. But he’ll be all set for his career in soap operas. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/63 "2010-09-27T15:40:12Z")
Add me to the chorus of “No’s.” As someone else said, I first thought “Lester the Molester” and then thought “Les Nessman.” ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/64 "2010-09-27T16:07:25Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Lester Mudd? Oh, that’s a name with “winner” written all over it. Yeah…my first thought when I saw the OP is that I hope if his real last name is Mudd, his daughter doesn’t run into any old-style Star Trek fans. My very first thought was of Harry Mudd and his wife Stella: “HAAAARRRRCOURT! Harcourt Fenton Mudd!” Another vote against Lester. My first association with that name is a ventriloquist dummy (anyone remember Willie Tyler and Lester?) ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/65 "2010-09-27T20:38:53Z")
Sterling and Stella go together well (I adore the name Stella) and are both ‘star’ names. I actually don’t think Lester is that crazy of a name, it’s just old-fashioned at the moment and has some negative/humorous associations for a lot of people. But I agree with PPs that being widely known as ‘the Molester’ and ‘Lezzie the Lesbian’ would probably be in the future for your little Les. If you know such bad nicknames are such a certain part of your kid’s future, I think it’s wrong to go ahead and give him a difficult name. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/66 "2010-09-27T21:21:58Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > My very first thought was of Harry Mudd and his wife Stella: “HAAAARRRRCOURT! Harcourt Fenton Mudd!” Ha! I had forgotten that his wife was named Stella. (The person dubbed me “Mudd” 20+ years ago was a bona fide Star Trek geek; no coincidence there.) I think I may need to get her some little Stella Mudd kit, now. (Her mom already uses our names interchangeably, to hysterical effect. Maybe it’ll be simpler if we can both be “Mudd.”) “Sterling” is starting to grow on me, but I’m still going to cling to “Lester” as a useful foil against daycare expenses that we can’t possibly budget for within the next year or so. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/67 "2010-09-27T23:11:56Z")
How about Lestat, the tough vampire version of Lester. All the kids love the vampires these days. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/68 "2010-09-27T23:39:21Z")
Listerine Mudd. 😛 Clay Mudd ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/69 "2010-09-27T23:39:35Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > How about Lestat, the tough vampire version of Lester. All the kids love the vampires these days. Lestat? That simpering little emo bitch? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/70 "2010-09-27T23:45:39Z")
Yoname Seymour Mudd (Yoname S. Mudd) ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/71 "2010-09-27T23:51:50Z")
Go for twins: Lester and Hester. Or Lester and Fester. They’ll be so mad at you over the names they’ll never have time to fight with each other. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/72 "2010-09-27T23:57:00Z")
Let’s not forget Chester. And Nestor. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/73 "2010-09-28T00:31:47Z")
“If you want to torment him you could call him Cecil.” - John Candy in _She’s Having A Baby_ ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/74 "2010-09-28T06:00:57Z")
This evening I asked a group consisting of my teen daughters and two of their friends (4 different ethnicities) what they thought of the name Lester for a guy. They all burst out laughing. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/75 "2010-09-28T07:03:10Z")
You can’t name an American kid Alaister or anything like that, he’ll be known as “Alice”. Jeez. Lester = Fester. Festering wound. Yeah, that’ll attract girls. Lester Wiggins?? 😛 (Seriously? :() That unfortunate name does not resonate with success in any capacity. The poor thing. Sounds like he lives with his mother and they walk to church every week, and he wears a white short sleeve shirt and a red bow tie and he carries their bibles. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/76 "2010-09-28T07:44:00Z")
Orion\*\*.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/77 "2010-09-28T11:47:26Z")
i can’t believe this has 2 pages and no one named the most famous star name. lucifer much more macho than lester. lucifer eats humans named lester before the morning star shines. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/78 "2010-09-28T12:37:30Z")
**salinqmind** , he strongly resembled a young-ish Barry Manilow, but I have no idea how popular he was/wasn’t with the ladies. I don’t know what his parents were thinking when they named him, though. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/79 "2010-09-28T12:55:38Z")
So your first child is named (essentially) “Star”, and now you want to name your second child (essentially) “Less Star”…? Who could have a problem with that, other than the kid whose life you’re screwing up from the get go? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150/80 "2010-09-28T13:29:33Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > For all those pile-oners who say that “bullies will tease him”, I’ve got news for you, if a bully wants to tease you, a bully _will_ tease you. I make this argument every time I post to a thread about kid names. Still, I’m another vote against Lester. It’s just a bad idea and at least as far as I’m concerned it’s an ugly name. > [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Sterling and Stella go together well (I adore the name Stella) and are both ‘star’ names. I think I like it. The assonance thing is a little cutesy, but it fits the OP’s criteria and they do go well together. > [@](#): > > I actually don’t think Lester is that crazy of a name, it’s just old-fashioned at the moment Old fashioned names are pretty popular in some circles. Not all old-fashioned names are good. 😛 There’s nothing wrong with the names themselves, but if you look around the SDMB, every time someone solicits baby name ideas you’ll see someone shoot down a creative suggestion with a comment like ‘I don’t understand why people think of names like this when there are so many good dignified names with history like William and Arthur and Henry and…’ the list goes on. There’s nothing wrong with doing something different and avoiding both the grandpa names and the “new” names like Hayden and Cayden and Wayden. But I’d still stay the hell away from Lester. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-convince-my-wife-to-name-our-hypothetical-son-lester/555150.md?page=5)