# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/101 "2013-05-08T20:37:49Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > [In \*The Atlantic \*online: “Why Do NPR Reporters Have Such Great Names?”](http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/why-do-npr-reporters-have-such-great-names/275493/) Do you suppose they got the idea from us? (I think there was another SDMB thread on NPR names, but I didn’t search for it.) > > ETA. They DID get the idea from here. The article links to this thread. Cool. Cool - they quoted you in The Atlantic! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/102 "2013-05-08T20:57:32Z")
I got a rejection slip from them years ago for a short story I sent… I forgive them now. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/103 "2013-05-08T21:19:14Z")
Heh. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![kcor1953](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kcor1953/32/3221_2.png) [@kcor1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kcor1953)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/104 "2013-05-08T22:09:07Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I can’t handle her [Eleanor Beardsley’s] 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… I remember this post from last year, as the thread has resurfaced I’ll give you another angle on Eleanor Beardsley’s voice–it reminds me of the young careful strong precise women of my youth, who intended to take their place in the world’s affairs and no mistake. A _visual_ reminder of them, for me, is the young woman in the movie Forrest Gump who herds everybody into (or off of, I forget) the bus at the Mall in DC and accidentally herds Gump too. If Beardsley doesn’t resemble that stereotype I will be disappointed. And she has that Beatles-ie name. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/105 "2013-05-09T04:07:28Z")
Voice aside, I’ve always been find of the name of the Danish actor **Mads Mikkelsen**. And then there’s the terrific Swedish girl reportedly with a dragon tattoo – **Noomi Rapace**. And, OMG, you put her in a nice gown with a good hair style, and … [oomph](http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/2668870/noomi-rapace-prometheus-premiere-13/). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/106 "2013-05-09T11:27:57Z")
> [@kcor1953](#): > > I remember this post from last year, as the thread has resurfaced I’ll give you another angle on Eleanor Beardsley’s voice–it reminds me of the young careful strong precise women of my youth, who intended to take their place in the world’s affairs and no mistake. > > A _visual_ reminder of them, for me, is the young woman in the movie Forrest Gump who herds everybody into (or off of, I forget) the bus at the Mall in DC and accidentally herds Gump too. If Beardsley doesn’t resemble that stereotype I will be disappointed. > > And she has that Beatles-ie name. Oh yeah - she definitely sounds like a more-tightly-wound Katharine Hepburn. I don’t recall the character from Gump, but if she looked like a buttoned-down school-marm, I buy it… ---
**Author:** ![Slade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Slade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slade)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/107 "2013-05-09T14:27:58Z")
[Tiny LaVonda.](http://www.phreeque.com/tiny_lavonda.html) ---
**Author:** ![kcor1953](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kcor1953/32/3221_2.png) [@kcor1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kcor1953)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/108 "2013-05-09T16:49:09Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Oh yeah - she definitely sounds like a more-tightly-wound Katharine Hepburn. I don’t recall the character from Gump, but if she looked like a buttoned-down school-marm, I buy it… We-e-e-ell, not 'zackly. The gal in the silver helmet in this, about 1:20 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-\_BS-OZyaX0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_BS-OZyaX0) I’m in love. ---
**Author:** ![wadadlibeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ba0ec/32.png) [@wadadlibeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wadadlibeer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/109 "2016-09-07T01:13:16Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Wow. I had no idea her name was spelled that way…and I had no idea she was that cute! A new NPR crush! I believe this is how their name is spelt diwali sai kowtow ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/110 "2016-09-07T03:43:51Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > [Manly Wade Wellman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_Wade_Wellman) From the sports world: God Shamgod Peerless Price And two from baseball that don’t seem to fit together: Vladimir Guerrero Juan Pierre It strikes me as weird to hear what I associate as a Russian first name with a Hispanic surname. Or a Hispanic first name with a French surname. Someone upthread mentioned Dick Trickle, but I find Dario Franchitti (pronounced “Fran-keety”) kind of melodious. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/111 "2020-12-24T20:38:29Z")
Worth the woefully overdue satanic invocation… In a rushed google search yesterday I ended up with the typo PORK BLOVERTHROW, which, for some totally unwarranted reason, cannot make me stop giggling. If there’s someone out there who actually uses Pork for their nickname, or has such an obscure surname, they deserve a badge. Just saying it feels like puking, or something. If any poor soul actually had such a name, I would doubt very strongly if they were attractive looking. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/112 "2020-12-24T21:00:40Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > I’ve had a crush on Christiane Amanpour for years. My ex adores her because of her name. In fact, he’s always been slightly miffed with her for not being insanely beautiful. “With a name like that, she’s supposed to be absolutely stunning.” A few weeks ago I was listening to Meghna Chakrabarti on NPR doing call-ins, and some old guy called and prefaced his remarks with “I have to tell you, Meghna, you have the most beautiful name I’ve ever heard. It just sounds so lovely ever time I hear it pronounced.” She was gracious and thanked him, but I got the sense she found it a little weird. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171/113 "2020-12-24T21:30:54Z")
I love [Shankar Vendantam’s](https://www.npr.org/people/137765146/shankar-vedantam) name & voice. My local in Chicago, WBEZ, has a few good ones. [Adriana Cordona-Maguigad](https://www.wbez.org/staff/214/adriana-cardona-maguigad) [Esther Yoon-Ji Kang](https://www.wbez.org/staff/176/esther-yoon-ji-kang) [María Inés Zamudio](https://www.wbez.org/staff/194/maria-ines-zamudio) All the NPR name fans may get a kick out of this comedy sketch: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wKXZr6hfR1Q/hqdefault.jpg ""No, really, what's your name?"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKXZr6hfR1Q) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-name-ever/635171.md?page=5)