# "Ike" = Dwight D? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380 "2008-09-13T01:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/1 "2008-09-13T01:55:14Z")
I gotta ask, at the risk of showing my ignorance. Is hurricane Ike, presently beating the shit out of poor Corpus Cristi, named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, an american president? I’m familiar with the method for naming these storms, and they’re not usually named after famous people, but there aren’t that many Ikes, are there? It’s a nickname, AFAIK. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/2 "2008-09-13T01:57:28Z")
The names are chosen from a list in alphabetical order. The list recycles every few years, and they replace names of infamous storms so they aren’t used again. AFAIK the names are not chosen in honor of any person. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/3 "2008-09-13T02:02:08Z")
Ike is a nickname for Isaac. You might not know many Jews, but it seems pretty common around some parts. ---
**Author:** ![Zagalejo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Zagalejo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagalejo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/4 "2008-09-13T02:13:32Z")
There’s also [Ike Turner,](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/arts/music/13turner.html) [Ike Austin,](http://www.nba.com/playerfile/isaac_austin/index.html) [Isaiah “Ikey” Owens,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_%22Ikey%22_Owens) etc. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/5 "2008-09-13T02:22:01Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Ike is a nickname for Isaac. You might not know many Jews, but it seems pretty common around some parts. I’ve known quite a few Isaacs, but never heard one called Ike. A good friend in the navy while stationed in New York was a Jew, and we went to visit his weird family many times. He introduced me to lox and bagels in a wonderful deli. And hot pastrami (wet) sandwiches. Maybe they didn’t use such informal names around company. He and I and an Italian friend of ours who also had family there (Mulberry Street) hung around together a lot. That, the nickname for Isaak, does fit with tradition, though. Why didn’t they name it Isaak, I wonder. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/6 "2008-09-13T02:24:09Z")
> [@Zagalejo](#): > > There’s also [Ike Turner,](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/arts/music/13turner.html) [Ike Austin,](http://www.nba.com/playerfile/isaac_austin/index.html) [Isaiah “Ikey” Owens,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_%22Ikey%22_Owens) etc. Oh, yeah! Ike Turner. I totally forgot. The others I’m not familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/7 "2008-09-13T02:28:11Z")
Hurrican Isaac (or Tropical Storm Isaac, as the case may be) [has been used before](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Isaac) and is [scheduled to be used again in 2012](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_tropical_cyclone_names). ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/8 "2008-09-13T02:58:23Z")
And until not that many years ago, all hurricane names were feminine. When that decision was made there was probably a lot of thought put into it. Then, the powers that be caved into political correctness and gave masculine names an equal chance. Ike should have been Irene, Imelda, or IWishMyNameWasMamie (Eisenhower). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/9 "2008-09-13T03:01:33Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Oh, yeah! Ike Turner. I totally forgot. The others I’m not familiar with. Also [Ike Broflovski](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Broflovski). ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/10 "2008-09-13T03:27:52Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > And until not that many years ago, all hurricane names were feminine. When that decision was made there was probably a lot of thought put into it. No. If they had been named after men, they would have been _him_icanes On a factual note, the list goes boy girl boy girl this year, and girl boy girl boy next year (and every second year). ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/11 "2008-09-13T04:42:23Z")
In the 1890s, meterologist [Isaac Cline](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Cline) argued against building a seawall for Galveston, saying that the idea of a hurricane damaging Galveston was “an absurd delusion.” Supposedly, some bitterly referred to the 1900 Storm as “Isaac’s storm” after it had destroyed the city. I’m sure that this is pure coincidence and that no one at the National Hurricane Center has the poor taste to intentionally put Ike Cline’s name into the rotation. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/12 "2008-09-13T05:05:22Z")
Hurricaine Ike has as much to do with Eisenhower as Hurricaine Hanna had to do with Hannah Montana. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/13 "2008-09-13T11:31:37Z")
And here I was sure it was our own **Ukulele Ike**. 😃 ---
**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 13, 2008, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/14 "2008-09-13T11:56:05Z")
i thought that it was ironic that the list for 2000 had isaac on the list. nothing like poking the history bear. it looks like the history bear has taken the bait with ike on this year’s list. the lists use all versions of name, frances and fran have been used and retired. debbie and debra have been used and retired. now ike will be retired, isaac is still up for 2012. this year will have quite a few retired names. fay will be replaced with another female name beginning with f and ike will be replaced with another male name beginning with i. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/15 "2008-09-13T13:40:17Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Oh, yeah! Ike Turner. I totally forgot. The others I’m not familiar with. Actually his full name was Ike & Tina Turner. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/16 "2008-09-13T14:19:06Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > Hurricaine Ike has as much to do with Eisenhower as Hurricaine Hanna had to do with Hannah Montana. It took you this long to come up with that? 😛 ---
**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:** [September 13, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/17 "2008-09-13T15:26:42Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > The names are chosen from a list in alphabetical order. The list recycles every few years, and they replace names of infamous storms so they aren’t used again. > > AFAIK the names are not chosen in honor of any person. Is retirement of a name a somewhat arbitrary decision, or are there specific rules about when to do it? Who controls the list and makes the decisions anyway? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/18 "2008-09-13T15:49:13Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Is retirement of a name a somewhat arbitrary decision, or are there specific rules about when to do it? Who controls the list and makes the decisions anyway? Is there something deeper (more emotional?) about this naming than I’m aware of? What I mean is, do people take the choosing od the name seriously? If “John” were next in rotation would the democrats or the republicans cry foul? I do remember the “women’s names only” times, and the fuss oner that. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/19 "2008-09-13T15:55:54Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Is there something deeper (more emotional?) about this naming than I’m aware of? > What I mean is, do people take the choosing od the name seriously? > If “John” were next in rotation would the democrats or the republicans cry foul? > I do remember the “women’s names only” times, and the fuss oner that. Not really. I mean, they’re set so far in advance. Now the hullubuloo is about using anglican/non-anglican names. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/20 "2008-09-13T16:01:02Z")
> [@IntelSoldier](#): > > Not really. I mean, they’re set so far in advance. Now the hullubuloo is about using anglican/non-anglican names. That’s what I mean. Why the hullubuloo (trusting your spelling there ;))? Who cares? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380.md?page=2)