Rae is my middle name. It’s in honor of an uncle, a truck driver who died in an accident. I’ve always liked it.
A co-worker had a baby and decided on a name. From her hospital bed, she called into the office and asked how to spell the name she’d decided on. We all consulted and told her she was on her own: If you make up a name, you can spell it any damn way you please. The end result:
Tawndalay.
The baby’s last name:
Boddie.
Yes, folks, Tawny Boddie.
Three people I have known in real life:
Teal Eye
Earlita (named after her daddy, Earl)
Soli
All female.
My friend named his daughter Trinity. First time I ever heard that as a name outside of “The Matrix”.
And now for the really strange part. She was born on December 8, 2004. The day the movie “Blade: Trinity” was released.
I joked with him that they must have had labor induced to make that happen.
I forgot: my dad was drunk when he filled out the birth certificate for my youngest sister, so although she was supposed to be ‘Leah’, she ended up ‘Leha’. Of course, we all called her “Little Lee-haw”. Evil siblings. And at the medical clinic I took my babies to for shots, there was a clerk named Tiger Love. ick.
I also know a woman who had two embryos implanted through IVF. While they were both developing, we called them Kang and Kodos. One of them eventually was aborted, and I never learned which one. The mom, despite my protests, assigned another name after birth.
One of my fomer managers had a daughter, which she named Story.
Then there’s my grandmother’s first and middle names: Mae Bea.
I, personally, know a child named “Cocoa Fudge” with no middle name.* Sadly, he has a brother named “Cosmo”.
I am also related to a person saddled with the unfortunate moniker “Richard Lust”. My sister-in-law was just barely talked out of naming my poor niece “Tinkerbell Elaine”. My sister-in-law now denies the accusation, but we’re all fairly sure that was the pregnancy hormones talking on that one.
*I say child, but the kid has to be in his late-teens, early-20’s now.
Lorelei (Lor-EL-la)-my wonderful 5th grade teacher.
Viola (vye-OL-a)- my grandmother.
Ivory- the most beautiful woman I ever actually knew.
Theada (thee-AY-da, with a hard th)-a guy I went through school with.
Oooh, I knew a Theoda. Lovely lady, tons of class.
My brother’s name is Ori.
Of course, it’s probably more common here than where you live.
I have great-aunts named Celestial and Sophronia. Also know an older lady named Exxa, which I’ve never heard anywhere else.
Oh, duh! And my brother-in-law’s name is Orion! (Which, for some reason, most people mispronounce as or-EE-on.)
We have an Osama at my school. He’s an 8th Grader, which would have made him a 2nd grader on Sept 11.
I had an aunt named Merlyn. She was born just after the turn of the century (the last one, not the most recent).
Yes, I worked with a nurse named Melena. (The name suited her BTW).
My Granddad went by his middle name of Jurd. On some old documents it’s spelled Jord. One of his brothers was named Aud. My Grandmother went by her middle name of Colene (pronounced Colleen). My Dad was named Billy but it got spelled wrong on his birth certificate. He didn’t find out the mistake until he needed a copy of the certificate to join the Air Force. It was very humiliating to find out your name is really spelled “Billie” (the female form of Billy).
I know/know of two guys who are called Raven, but only one is actually named Raven; the other just uses the name. The guy who is really named Raven is blonde, which always seemed funny to me.
I too have known a female named Teal. She was a few grades ahead of me in elementary, so she’s probably 22 now.
Females I have known:
LaRee (luh-REE) and her big sister LaCee.
Fanchon
Amia
Immaculee
The only odd male name I can recall is Billot.
I worked with a woman with two daughters named Ebokneah and Ivoreah (eh-bo-KNEE-uh and eye-voh-REE-uh).
My nephew is named Beck.
My father went to high school with a girl named Eulabelle. They met again at their 50th high school reunion and email each other now and then. You get some odd names like that from the older generations; two of my grandparents, for example, were named Addeline and Lorenz. And that reminds me of a name from a cookbook in the Gallery of Regrettable Food: “Mrs. Leavenworth Wheeler”. Who names their baby “Leavenworth”?
My wife’s friend named her baby girl Avery, which cracks me up because “Avery” was the name of this ornery old coot my grandmother used to play cards with, so I picture him every time I hear her name.
I should add that my father’s parents were about the world’s most UN-creative people in the world when it came to naming their kids. Their four children were John, James, Mary, and Annie.
My wife came up with a couple of lists.
People she knows:
Cayman
Aria
Arwen
Kingston
Jael
Amyah
Mysteria
Shiri
Mordechay
Karin
Sander
Laith
Willow
Lincoln
Karis
Brock
Gage
Sidalee
People she works with:
Odeyo
Fayetta
Iola
Shaniqua
Comissia
Kanayo
Ranice
Shatika
Jerelene
Lamar
Gordana
Bente
Audalene
Wilberta
Lucretia
Loreen
Adenike
Hadah
Netter
Fathiyyah
Deron
Nimelydee
Byena
Delametrius
Talibah
Almira
Ronneisha
Zaniel
Jamay
Mirvine
Sharina
Kiana
Derr
Foday
Comfort
Chineye
Hacinda
Gerson
Tokenbo
WC (name, not initials)
Tasheen
Demoe
Nkechi
Hawa
Kazeem
Miatta
Archtrea
Jammel
Everett
Lynwood (male)
Natking (middle name Cole)
Nyzia
Zahara
Pennewon
Chivonne
Donesha