# Um... didn't all of Western Civilization agree to stop using variations on the name Adolf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 2, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201 "2014-10-02T18:37:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/1 "2014-10-02T18:37:24Z")
A new Mexican restaurant just opened in my little town. It’s called Adolfo’s. Doesn’t seem to be a chain, but Googling tells me there’s one more just a few towns away. So, seems it may be a small independent place that is just starting to try to expand. If the first location has done well enough that they’re now opening a second location, then I guess people really don’t care so much that it’s call Adolfo’s. Still, other than _actual_ Neo-Nazis, I kinda thought all of Western Civilization had agreed to allow that name to fall into extinction. It really surprised me to see that someone had decided to proudly display the name over their place of business. In all honesty, I’ll probably end up going to this place eventually. It’s open 24 hours and this town has very few places open 24 hours. _You know who ELSE was open 24 hours!?!?!?!?!?_ ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/2 "2014-10-02T18:40:44Z")
… you really expect people to stop using every variant of an ancient name that’s got bad connotations in one single person’s case? Calling all Johns and Richards :rolleyes: Oh, and Thomases, Ferdinands, Philips, Elizabeths… ---
**Author:** ![Here\_Comes\_The\_Weed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Here\_Comes\_The\_Weed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Here_Comes_The_Weed)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/3 "2014-10-02T18:53:05Z")
> **[John Wayne Gacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Gacy)** > > John Wayne Gacy (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured, and murdered at least 33 young men and boys in Norwood Park Township, Illinois, near Chicago. He became known as the Killer Clown due to his public performances as "Pogo the Clown" or "Patches the Clown", personas he had devised, prior to the discovery of his crimes. > Gacy committed all of his murders inside his ranch-style house in Norwood Park Township. Typically, he would lur... So if a shop is named “Johns meaty sausages” it couldn’t be named that because of this guy? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/4 "2014-10-02T19:24:06Z")
> [@Here\_Comes\_The\_Weed](#): > > [John Wayne Gacy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Gacy) > > So if a shop is named “Johns meaty sausages” it couldn’t be named that because of this guy? More likely named after John Holmes… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/5 "2014-10-02T20:04:43Z")
Suppose the owner was named after his beloved Abuelo (grandpa) Adolfo? Would that make you feel better? Anyway, Stalin killed at least as many people as Hitler, but nobody’s stopped naming kids “Joe” (or Jose or Giuseppe), have they? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/6 "2014-10-02T20:05:53Z")
And won’t someone think of the meat tenderizer? ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/7 "2014-10-02T20:14:35Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > And won’t someone think of the meat tenderizer? Ninjaed! I was gonna say that! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/8 "2014-10-02T21:01:18Z")
I think more people associate that guy’s last name with his bad deeds than his firstname. Wait, I can’t Godwinize a thread that’s about Hitler by mentioning Hitler, can I? So yeah, I think Hitler is the name more people associate with Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/9 "2014-10-02T22:07:21Z")
I loved his clothing line, and preferred his colognes. [http://adolfo.com/](http://adolfo.com/) I guess it was the Final Solution for all your casualwear needs. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/10 "2014-10-02T22:22:18Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Still, other than _actual_ Neo-Nazis, I kinda thought all of Western Civilization had agreed to allow that name to fall into extinction. What a weird assumption. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/11 "2014-10-02T22:32:39Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > And won’t someone think of the meat tenderizer? I heard a rumour she got fired too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/12 "2014-10-02T22:38:01Z")
> [@Here\_Comes\_The\_Weed](#): > > [John Wayne Gacy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne_Gacy) > > So if a shop is named “Johns meaty sausages” it couldn’t be named that because of this guy? I think the better analogy would be not giving your son the middle name “Wayne.” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/13 "2014-10-02T23:01:43Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > I think more people associate that guy’s last name with his bad deeds than his firstname. > > Wait, I can’t Godwinize a thread that’s about Hitler by mentioning Hitler, can I? So yeah, I think Hitler is the name more people associate with Hitler. Yep. I used to know someone of Jewish faith with the given name Adolph. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/14 "2014-10-02T23:36:58Z")
OP, what \*made \*you assume “all of Western Civilization” had blacklisted the name to begin with? I have a feeling that name in particular had never been popular among Anglophones anyway even before the 30s, so it’s no wonder you’d hardly run into it but it’s not the same as it having been systematically avoided, and you’ll likely only see it in “ethnic” contexts like this one. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/15 "2014-10-02T23:39:42Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Yep. I used to know someone of Jewish faith with the given name Adolph. There was [a rather famous one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpo_Marx), but he changed it to “Arthur” in 1911. (Now that’s forward-thinking.) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/16 "2014-10-03T00:49:02Z")
Or what about lyricist Adolph Green? He was Jewish, wasn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/17 "2014-10-03T01:10:13Z")
Look, I’m not Pitting this place. Just a Mundane Pointless observation based on how surprising it is to me that someone would put that name on his business even if it is his real name. There’s no rule that says your business has to be named after yourself and this is a name that people generally associate with one particular Adolf who happened to be a bit of a dick. I’m sure the many millions of Johns and Joes and Williams are glad that their names are so popular that they can’t be ruined by just one single bad apple. It’s different with Adolf because it was not a particularly common name when Hitler rose to fame, therefore it’s much more likely that the name will be associated with Hitler than it is that Joseph would be associated with Stalin. The entire first page of Google results for “Adolf” is filled almost exclusively with results for Adolf Hitler. The one single exception is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s page for [Adolf Eichmann](http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007412)- hardly a saving grace. [Wiktionary says:](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Adolf) “Adolf had begun to become less common by the start of the 20th century. It saw a brief rise in popularity, beginning in 1933 and ending in 1942. After 1945, it became quite rare. In 2006, only 1 out of 27700 babies was given the name Adolf.” [The U.S. Social Security Administration](http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/) doesn’t list it in the top 1000 most popular names since 1928, and from 1900 to 1928 it stayed in the high 800s to 900s _if_ it cracked the top 1000 at all. (doesn’t seem to be a way to link to the search results page, but you can put any name and number of years in the search fields under the “Popularity of a Name” tab) “All of Western Civilization” was hyperbole, but the disbelief expressed by Dopers in this Thread is purely the old tradition of Dopers being contrary just for the sake of being contrary. There’s not a single one of you who thinks it’s outlandish to suggest that Adolf Hitler is _by far_ the most common association for the name Adolf. If any of you personally know an Adolf it is no more than a fluke (a fluke several times over in **Skywatcher** ’s case since he knows a Jewish Adolf). Last time I heard of anyone named Adolf it was [the child of that New Jersey neo-Nazi](http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Nazi-Dad-Fights-for-His-Childs-Custody-209910241.html) who we had so much fun making fun of on this board. **handsomeharry** provided one example of a company actually using the name and that surprised me just as much as the establishment that inspired the OP. Anybody _truly_ think it is outlandish for me to suggest that most people would directly associate the name with Adolf Hitler? If so, wanna point out to me just how much more popular the name is than I think it is? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/18 "2014-10-03T01:13:08Z")
I think the mustache is more extinct than the name. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/19 "2014-10-03T01:46:36Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > “All of Western Civilization” was hyperbole, but the disbelief expressed by Dopers in this Thread is purely the old tradition of Dopers being contrary just for the sake of being contrary. There’s not a single one of you who thinks it’s outlandish to suggest that Adolf Hitler is _by far_ the most common association for the name Adolf. For Adolf, yes. For Adolfo, no. Dude wasn’t important enough for his firstname to be translated, you see. And apparently you’re confusing the Anglophone US with “all of Western Civilization” and expect Hispanics who may not even be Americans to follow Anglophone US naming conventions - smooth, man. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201/20 "2014-10-03T02:06:04Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > expect Hispanics who may not even be Americans to follow Anglophone US naming conventions Um, no, I am _surprised_ that American business owners whose entire possible pool of customers are Americans, a people who had generally unfavorable opinions of Adolf Hitler’s foreign and domestic policy, wouldn’t make extra super sure that their business would not evoke any remote association with Adolf Hitler. A mundane pointless observation. And you called me out for saying “all of Western Civilization” when I already admitted it was hyperbole. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-didnt-all-of-western-civilization-agree-to-stop-using-variations-on-the-name-adolf/700201.md?page=2)