# Seeking origin of odd name **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698 "2004-01-16T01:21:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/1 "2004-01-16T01:21:07Z")
There is a former Houston city councilman and general politician who goes by the name of [Jew Don Boney](http://www.jewdonboney.com/). While I understand it can be good for a politician to have a memorable name, this one causes me amusement and confusion. “Don” is a normal enough name, and “Boney,” while unusual, is not unusual enough to fall under the category of “weird.” However, I have never heard of someone using “Jew” as a name, and am intensely curious as to what the etymology / history of this name is (if indeed it differs from the common meaning of “Jew”), and more importantly, why someone (who, moreover, is not Jewish) would use it as a name. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/2 "2004-01-16T03:41:01Z")
Simple. Your link reveals his full name to be Jew Don Boney **Jr.**. So he obviously got the name from his father! Why his grandparents named his father that remains the unanswered question. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/3 "2004-01-16T03:50:45Z")
Plenty of people have _Christian_ as a first name, and I don’t expect they are all christians. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/4 "2004-01-16T03:52:20Z")
As the page you linked includes his e-mail address, you could ask him. It’s a toss-up whether he’d answer, though. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/5 "2004-01-16T04:03:49Z")
Whereas, every Tom, Dick, and Harry is named **yBeayf**? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/6 "2004-01-16T04:16:00Z")
While I’ve been well aware of Houston’s incarnation of Al Sharpton (no, he’s not really _quite_ as bad as Al, but similar) forever, I don’t know the origin of Jew Don Boney’s first name. The only seemingly potentially fruitful google hit, a website entitled black jew, crashes my browsers when I try to access it. Perhaps you’ll have better luck. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/7 "2004-01-16T13:45:34Z")
> [@](#): > > The only seemingly potentially fruitful google hit, a website entitled black jew, crashes my browsers when I try to access it. I looked at that website, and it appears to link to some sort of browser hijacking thingy (not sure, I’m not running iexplore). I may just wind up emailing him, as **Loopus** suggested. I wouldn’t think it would be the first time he’s been asked. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/8 "2004-01-16T14:07:33Z")
Although I’ve never seen or heard of “Jew” as a name, apparently he’s not the only one: [Origin and Meaning of First Name Jew](http://www.weddingvendors.com/baby-names/meaning/jew/). ---
**Author:** ![xejkh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/22d042/32.png) [@xejkh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xejkh)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-origin-of-odd-name/224698/9 "2004-01-16T14:47:37Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > Although I’ve never seen or heard of “Jew” as a name Yehudi Menuhin (the violinist) had the same first name, too. Ditto for any Jew with the name Yehuda.