# Strange but true names
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 11, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544 "2003-03-11T14:09:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/1 "2003-03-11T14:09:07Z")
My father swears that he went to school with a kid named Franklin Norman Stein (a.k.a. Frank N. Stein) as well as a girl named Mary Christmas.
And I’ve heard (although I don’t know if it’s really true) that George Lear, the founder of Lear Jets, named his daughter Shanda (Shanda Lear, get it?)
I went to law school with a guy named Sam Oramas. I never thought it was particularly strange until I found out that his parents decided to name him palindromically and that his full first name was Samaro.
What are some other strange (or simply unfortunate) names that people have actually heard? I’m not talking about simply bad first names (Moon Unit Zappa, for example), but first **and** last names that when taken as a whole make you do a mental double take.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/2 "2003-03-11T14:20:04Z")
There used to be a stock analyst where I worked called James Joyce. His wife’s first name was Joyce. She must have really loved him. 🙂
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### Author:  [@MissBungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissBungle)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/3 "2003-03-11T14:21:24Z")
I went to school with a girl named Crystal Bright.
\*not sure if it’s truth… but rumor had it her dad was Lester (Less Bright)
I had a high school teacher named Mr. Heavysides.
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### Author:  [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/4 "2003-03-11T14:27:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \*
> \*\*There used to be a stock analyst where I worked called James Joyce. His wife’s first name was Joyce. She must have really loved him. 🙂 \*\*
My friend Tracy married a guy named Steve Tracey. She is now Tracy Tracey. I wiuld have kept my maiden name.
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### Author:  [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/5 "2003-03-11T14:28:27Z")
“would”
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### Author:  [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/6 "2003-03-11T14:32:49Z")
There used to be a lady in our neighborhood whose name was Allie Bolen. In the phone book she would have been listed as “Bolen, Allie” (bowling alley).
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### Author:  [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/7 "2003-03-11T14:37:21Z")
We have a vendor in Taiwan called **Bacon Wang**. **sköt** wants to change his SDMB name to Bacon Wang but they seemingly won’t let him!
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### Author:  [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/8 "2003-03-11T14:39:28Z")
• My optician in Baltimore was Dr. I. Glasser
• My dry-cleaner in Baltimore was T. Hee.
• In high school, our doctor and nurse were Dr. Hertz and Mrs. Paine (their door sign was in the yearbook every year)
• There’s a fellow in New York named Fuk Yu (I _so_ want to date him, just so I can loudly introduce him at parties!)
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### Author:  [@Beech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beech)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/9 "2003-03-11T14:54:35Z")
Check out [www.yournotme.com](http://www.yournotme.com)
Lists: 14 Mary Christmas’s
38 Joyce Joyce’s
1 Tracy Tracey
…& that’s just in little O’ England !!!
(y2k census)
BTW brilliant site, anything like it for any other Countrys???
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### Author:  [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/10 "2003-03-11T15:12:24Z")
I don’t recall what he did (politician?), but I recall seeing an article on a NYer in the 1800s named Preserved Fish.
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### Author:  [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/11 "2003-03-11T15:15:12Z")
At the store where I used to work we had a frequent customer by the name of Holiday High.
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### Author:  [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/12 "2003-03-11T15:21:11Z")
> [@](#):
>
> And I’ve heard (although I don’t know if it’s really true) that George Lear, the founder of Lear Jets, named his daughter Shanda (Shanda Lear, get it?)
I heard that he had two daughters named Crystal Shanda Lear and Gay Cava Lear.
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### Author:  [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/13 "2003-03-11T15:33:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I heard that he had two daughters named Crystal Shanda Lear and Gay Cava Lear.
Well, after doing a littlle research via Google, I now know that it is actually _Bill_ Lear, not George, and that his daughter’s name really is Shanda. There is no “Crystal” or “Cava,” but according to the story:
> [@](#):
>
> [A]fter John was born and the next child came along, they were thinking of a name for the child, and they thought if it’s a girl, it’s going to be ‘Shanda,’ if it’s a boy, it’s going to be ‘Gonda,’ and if they’re not sure, it’s going to be ‘Cava.’
Barry
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### Author:  [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/14 "2003-03-11T15:38:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I went to law school with a guy named Sam Oramas. I never thought it was particularly strange until I found out that his parents decided to name him palindromically and that his full first name was Samaro.
It is not a palindrome. SamOramas backwards is SamAromas. It is close but not it.
A lot of Asian kids have names that sound particularly funny in English along the lines of Fuk Mi, Hung Dong, and such.
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### Author:  [@Jammers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammers)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/15 "2003-03-11T15:38:16Z")
I know a girl called “Aya Littler”.
You have to say it out loud.
Maybe a few times.
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### Author:  [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/16 "2003-03-11T15:41:22Z")
Ione Glascock.
Dodie Swords and her sister’s name was Kirma Swords.
Christine Moss a.k.a Chris Moss
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### Author:  [@swingchick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swingchick)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/17 "2003-03-11T15:42:13Z")
I knew a girl named Dori Book
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### Author:  [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/18 "2003-03-11T15:43:02Z")
Remembered another one - used to work in micrographics - I was doing QC on some microfiche for a credit card co. Put a fiche in a viewer, saw a bill, the account holder’s name:
Princess Beavers
Anyone think she may have done porn?
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### Author:  [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/19 "2003-03-11T15:43:03Z")
An unfortunate kid at my school: Richard Dick
A veterinarian I knew of: P. Nut, not so amusing until he married his wife Hazel.
My own real name is so funny it’d make you chuck, (not really, but you’d probably tee-hee).
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### Author:  [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-but-true-names/160544/20 "2003-03-11T15:45:34Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by dorkusmalorkusmafia \*
> \*\*It is not a palindrome. SamOramas backwards is SamAromas. It is close but not it.
>
> A lot of Asian kids have names that sound particularly funny in English along the lines of Fuk Mi, Hung Dong, and such. \*\*
Not an auspicious way to bring up your 1000 posts.
The detail you missed was Sam was short for Samaro.
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