# The best name ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171 "2012-09-19T14:41:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/41 "2012-09-21T05:04:21Z")
Of course! Not mellifluous, but it scores a solid 10 on the scale of badassery. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/42 "2012-09-21T10:37:54Z")
> [@conway](#): > > [That was Louisa Lim.](http://www.npr.org/2011/12/07/143214875/clean-air-a-luxury-in-beijings-pollution-zone) > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > You’re thinking of the \*triple salchow \*in figure skating. But I can see why you are. Well I’m totally full of NPR fail today. ☹ I feel like Eleanor Beardsley Paris. She’s Like the anti-Sylvia Poggioli. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/43 "2012-09-21T11:08:08Z")
WNYC, also an NPR station: Soterios Johnson. I love the way he says it. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/44 "2012-09-21T12:07:50Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > From Australia we can only manage something a little more [prosaic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROeDUCn8c-8). Awesome. Back when I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby was in trouble in the Bush II administration we had the interesting event of Libby Lewis covering him. So it was Libby Lewis reporting on Lewis Libby. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/45 "2012-09-21T16:06:57Z")
Speaking of Johnson, I can’t help but chuckle every time I hear NPR introduce economist Hugh Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/46 "2012-09-21T16:52:57Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Eleanor Beardsley Paris. I can’t handle her voice; and hearing her slip into French just sounds jarring; as an American, I feel I can say “she has kind of a grating American accent.” Something sharp in the tone, especially compared to the Goddess Poggioli… ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/47 "2012-09-21T17:11:09Z")
I’m a big fan of film composer Dario Marianelli’s name (and his music). Say it out loud. It’s very aesthetically pleasing. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/48 "2012-09-21T17:20:09Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I always liked Psoriasis Hari Nelson’s name, too. I’m kind of a fan of Cloudy O’Sanchez myself. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/49 "2012-09-21T18:09:58Z")
To return to NPR reporters’ names, the most puzzling, to me, is [Michele Norris](http://www.npr.org/people/2100974/michele-norris), an ordinary enough name, except for the fact that she herself, in her beautifully articulated voice, quite distinctly pronounces her own first name as _N_ichelle. (A Star Trek _hommage_ maybe?) I am also surprised no-one has yet mentioned [Mandalit del Barco](http://www.npr.org/people/2100429/mandalit-del-barco). I once heard Ms del Barco tell a story about a woman who wrote in complimenting her on her beautiful name, going on to say that she had named her chihuahua after her. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/50 "2012-09-21T18:14:25Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > To return to NPR reporters’ names, the most puzzling, to me, is [Michele Norris](http://www.npr.org/people/2100974/michele-norris), an ordinary enough name, except for the fact that she herself quite distinctly pronounces her own first name as _N_ichelle. (A Star Trek _hommage_ maybe?) No - she pronounces it as MEE-shell - “MEE-shell Norris” - not sure where you are getting the N. Still frustrating - she sounds nitpicky when, in fact, it is \*her \*name. She should smack her parents. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/51 "2012-09-21T18:15:58Z")
Carl Kassel does an _excellent_ job introducing your host for “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me” - PETER SAGAL!!! (Thank you, Carl!) And they know it, too. There’s a reason that the only prize they offer is Kassel’s voice on your home answering machine - what more could you want? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/52 "2012-09-24T06:17:24Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > No - she pronounces it as MEE-shell - “MEE-shell Norris” - not sure where you are getting the N. Still frustrating - she sounds nitpicky when, in fact, it is \*her \*name. She should smack her parents. I was going to post that I, too, always hear it as “Nichelle”. Turns out this is because she pronounces her name with equal stress on both syllables (unlike 99.9% of the Michelles in the world, who stress the second syllable), and because of what sounds English speakers happen to be accustomed to hearing in certain sound contexts, we (at least some of us) misperceive this as “Nichelle”. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/53 "2012-09-24T06:38:02Z")
Most of the really good NPR names have already been mentioned, but I’ll add Dina [Temple-Raston.](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dina_Temple-Raston) ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/54 "2012-09-24T21:24:30Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Carl Kassel does an _excellent_ job introducing your host for “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me” - PETER SAGAL!!! (Thank you, Carl!) > > And they know it, too. There’s a reason that the only prize they offer is Kassel’s voice on your home answering machine - what more could you want? When the show first began, that’s the only prize they could afford. Now, it’s the prize because, as you say, what more could you want? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/55 "2012-09-24T21:31:20Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > I’ve had a crush on Christiane Amanpour for years. Her last name sounds like three loving pats on my head. My wife’s name is Christiane, though neither of her surnames (both her maiden name and married name) are as mellifluous as Ms. Amanpour’s. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/56 "2012-09-24T21:36:03Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > I’m kind of a fan of Cloudy O’Sanchez myself. I like hearing that name, too, for a different reason – it’s fun to pretend that the [singer from Coheed and Cambria](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Sanchez) is moonlighting as a reporter. ---
**Author:** ![Evin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@Evin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/57 "2012-09-24T22:25:48Z")
I always delighted at the dissonance of former Wake Forest basketball’s Jamaal Levy. [http://www.wakeforestsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/levy\_jamaal00.html](http://www.wakeforestsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/levy_jamaal00.html) ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/58 "2012-09-24T22:39:03Z")
I’m fond of Marvin Erickson’s middle name Wait for it… Actually “Waitforit” is his middle name ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/59 "2012-09-24T22:49:39Z")
In addition to the aforementioned (particularly WOLF BLITZER) Neil Patrick Harris Jean-Luc Picard Michael Clark Duncan Cheri Oteri Ndamukong Suh Mary Lou Retton Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Max Powers ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/60 "2012-09-25T02:03:40Z")
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