I’m now reading Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris; it’s a biography on Teddy Roosevelt. I’ve come across Teddy’s friend and Attorney General Philander Chase Knox, and I must ask: what’s the deal with his name?
I’m aware that philander is a verb basically meaning “to have many love affairs or to make love without intention of marriage (either due to a current marriage or otherwise)”. Why in the world would his parents name him this? Is there some archaic meaning, or is there a story behind it’s conception? (pardon the pun)