# Odd Family names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 28, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612 "2005-04-28T20:36:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/1 "2005-04-28T20:36:20Z")
The thread about Hitler made me remember something I read in "THE OLD FARMER’s ALMANAC), a few years ago. It said that in colonial times, there were family names like : Blood, murder, Moregraves, Death, Slaughter, Mummy, etc.). Obviopusly, these names must have been unpopular…so their unluky members changed their surnames. Anyway, if your family was named "murder’ would you keep it? slaughter doesn’t sound too bad…but “death”? How did these odd surnames originate? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/2 "2005-04-28T23:20:05Z")
I knew a lady with the last name “Slaughter”. Nice lady. Scary name. My husband’s father’s original name (before he took his biological father’s name [long story]) was Putz. If my husband’s name would have been Putz, I don’t think I would have taken his name. Yes, I’m that shallow. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/3 "2005-04-28T23:21:02Z")
A friend of mine dated a guy whose last name is “Kill.” Granted, he’s Polish, but it’s still creepy here. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/4 "2005-04-28T23:22:35Z")
There’s a family in my town with the last name “Septic.” Ew. ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/5 "2005-04-28T23:33:54Z")
Fun fact: there are two villages in Gloucestershire, UK named [Upper Slaughter](http://www.cotswolds.info/places/visit-upper-slaughter.htm) and [Lower Slaughter](http://www.cotswolds.info/places/visit-lower-slaughter.htm). They look like peaceful, picturesque little places. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/6 "2005-04-28T23:40:24Z")
There’s a Blood who works here. I’ve always been vaguely disappointed that he’s a civilian, so he can never be promoted to Captain. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/7 "2005-04-28T23:49:02Z")
“Death” is one of the middle names of Dorothy L. Sayers’ detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. His full name is Peter Death Bredon Wimsey. “Death” is pronounced as if it were spelled “Deeth.” ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/8 "2005-04-29T00:55:05Z")
When I worked at the phone company there was a large family in the community whose surname was Turnipseed, and they found _nothing_ amusing about it! There was also a Nancy Preg, who’s listed name in the phone book always gave me a grin when I saw it! (yes, I worked as an operator back when they used paper phone books and the old cord switchboards) ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/9 "2005-04-29T01:01:22Z")
Nmes I encountered when working in tax office once Mr. Pine-Coffin Mr. Darcy D’Eath And Yorkshire, or thereabouts has names like Ramsbotham (think Ramsbottom) Winterbotham I’ve seen the name SMELLIE on a shop - I’m told it is pronounced “smiley” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/10 "2005-04-29T01:09:01Z")
Japan has lots of unusual names - same as any country. In among all the bog standard names you occasionally come across a gem. I was in the same hospital room as a very shy gentle woman named Samejima (shark island) and the other day was served in a cafe by a handsome rugged man with a name badge proclaiming him to be Mr Sakuraniwa (cherry orchard). ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/11 "2005-04-29T01:29:28Z")
I had a nice little laugh when I read in last month’s _Sierra_ magazine that Al Gore had duoed up with someone whose surname was Slaughter on some environmental concern or another. A sentence actually started out “Gore and Slaughter…”. Not a surname by my grandfather’s middle name is very German. It’s Fozdick. And he passed it on to my uncle, too! ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/12 "2005-04-29T01:51:45Z")
A friend of mine in college swore she knew a family whose last name was Orifice. They insisted it was pronounced “Ori-fickey” ---
**Author:** ![Aangelica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Aangelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aangelica)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/13 "2005-04-29T02:03:34Z")
My mother’s maiden name is Lust. Her first name is Angelika. In high school she was therefore known as “Angel Lust”. She married young. Although she’s not as unfortunately named as my cousin Richard Lust. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/14 "2005-04-29T02:20:36Z")
I have ancestors that went by the name of Savage. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/15 "2005-04-29T05:41:42Z")
There are “famous” people in America with the last names Slaughter and Savage. Webster Slaughter played for the Cleveland Browns and Enos Slaughter played for the St. Louis Cardinals. The actor Fred Savage was the star of the show “The Wonoder Years”. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/16 "2005-04-29T06:56:12Z")
Not really grisly, but unusual names where I come from: Plush Peacock Clowater Askew Skeffington Cunningham (“tricky pig”) Bliss Buckminster Skidmore Godolphin Audley (“oddly”!) Bainbridge Shagger Finger Tung Nipps Dick -an old friend of mine had the unfortunate name “Anita” (and I wonder if she was the reason the old joke was started… but there have probably been others before her), however, it was a large family, and there was also regular, non-innuendo names such as Pamela, Katie, Jon, Amanda, Stevie, and then, a cousin, named… Richard. :rolleyes: From people outside of my little community, I’m told the names “Hatt” and “Cook(e)” are odd. They are very common names where I’m from. A girl named Carrie Hatt was teased out west… I couldn’t figure out why until she told me they called her “Carrie-my-Hatt”. Ah. Okay. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/17 "2005-04-29T06:59:21Z")
Just saw on TV a Frenchman by the name of Dieu (God). Is it a burden or a glory to bear such a name ? I can’t imagine all the gibes he must have endured when in school. You know how nasty kids can be. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/18 "2005-04-29T07:30:15Z")
I just remembered the surname of a much beloved substitute teacher from middle school: Stoner. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/19 "2005-04-29T07:36:10Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > “Death” is one of the middle names of Dorothy L. Sayers’ detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. His full name is Peter Death Bredon Wimsey. “Death” is pronounced as if it were spelled “Deeth.” My mom once worked with a Dr. Death, likewise pronounced deeth. Some French-language names: Forget (a Quebec cabinet minister by this name is constantly being reminded in protest chants, “We will not Jérôme-Forget!”), Sansfaçon (“unpretentious”), and the inexplicable Cinq-Mars (“fifth of March”) and Vingt-Trois (“twenty-three”). There’s a cardinal in France called André Vingt-Trois… a joke I heard once is, “Ah yes, I knew his father Jean.” ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612/20 "2005-04-29T08:04:06Z")
Spare a thought for the New Zealand cricketer Bob Cunis and the late MP for Leominster (Herefordshire, England), where I was brought up, Sir Clive Bossom. The latter was once famously described by Winston Churchill as ‘neither one thing nor the other’. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-family-names/301612.md?page=2)