# That's one funny Mather

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-one-funny-mather/11338>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 20, 1999, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-one-funny-mather/11338 "1999-11-20T20:18:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 1999, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-one-funny-mather/11338/1 "1999-11-20T20:18:00Z")

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Name, that is.

Cotton Mather.

Cotton?

The only other person I’ve ever heard of named “Cotton” was “Stymie’s” little brother on “The Little Rascals.”

And Cotton Mather’s father’s name?

Increase Mather.

Increase?

What was up with those 17th century names?

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**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 1999, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-one-funny-mather/11338/2 "1999-11-20T21:26:00Z")

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I don’t know, but there was a member of Parliament under Cromwell named Praise-God Barebones.

There are also a couple of Puritans in Ben Jonson’s comedies named Zeal-of-the-Land Busy and Tribulation Wholesome. They’re fictional characters, to be sure, but I assume Ben was making fun of a real trend in baby naming. Maybe Puritan parents were in the habit of just opening a Bible and picking a word at random?

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“Don’t take life too serious, son – it ain’t nohow permanent.”

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**Author:** ![lvick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d07c76/32.png) [@lvick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lvick)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 1999, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-one-funny-mather/11338/3 "1999-11-20T22:44:00Z")

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Major Major Major Major,  
'nuff said

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**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 1999, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-one-funny-mather/11338/4 "1999-11-20T22:47:00Z")

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Butrous Butrous Ghali (sp?)

My $.02.

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**Author:** ![Tom\_of\_Finland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@Tom\_of\_Finland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_of_Finland)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 1999, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-one-funny-mather/11338/5 "1999-11-21T01:31:00Z")

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Don’t forget Picabo Street and that one fellow who changed his name to Trout Fishing in America.

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Regards,  
Tom

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**Author:** ![Sylence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Sylence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylence)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 1999, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-one-funny-mather/11338/6 "1999-11-21T03:57:00Z")

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The Puritans had a thing for “virtuous” names. Some examples:

Virtue  
Love (boy’s name!)  
Wrestling  
Patience  
Hope  
Chastity

And so forth.  
– Sylence

* * *

And now, for my next trick, I will talk in spooky half-references.