# Unusual Name of The Week...or Mom, what were you thinking?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 3, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340 "2007-07-03T13:11:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/1 "2007-07-03T13:11:07Z")
We’ve had lots of threads on unusual names, so why not another? This week’s entry…a young lady 20-something- named Tomaine. I can only hope her mom already had a Jermaine and a Charmaine at home and just wanted to continue a theme…but did no one once say, “uh, maybe it sounds too much like (exactly like) ptomaine poisoning?” No one?
So who has run across any new unusual names this week?
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/2 "2007-07-03T13:17:13Z")
Hombre as firstname. It means Man in Spanish - the lastname is Anglo and we work for a Swiss firm, so Og knows where (s?)he’s from and it might even mean something else in whatever-native-language-where-his-family’s-from but dang, that one left me with crossed eyes for a while.
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### Author:  [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/3 "2007-07-03T13:44:11Z")
There was a kid in my high school whose given name was Boeing. Like the aircraft company. And pronounced like the onomatopoeia. He was a very unfortunate child.
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### Author:  [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/4 "2007-07-03T13:46:38Z")
My DD went to school with a pretty little girl named “Melena”…the black, tarry stool passed when there is gastrointestinal bleeding. I **know** her parents did not know this. Yikes.
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### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/5 "2007-07-03T13:48:36Z")
[QUOTE=kittenblue]
We’ve had lots of threads on unusual names, so why not another? This week’s entry…a young lady 20-something- named Tomaine. I can only hope her mom already had a Jermaine and a Charmaine at home and just wanted to continue a theme…but did no one once say, “uh, maybe it sounds too much like (exactly like) ptomaine poisoning?” No one?
[/QUOTE]
At least poor little Romaine has someone to look down on now.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/6 "2007-07-03T13:58:59Z")
[QUOTE=Nava]
Hombre as firstname. It means Man in Spanish - the lastname is Anglo
[/QUOTE]
I thought for a moment you were talking about a person whose name was Hombre Anglo - that would be even funnier.
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/7 "2007-07-03T13:59:42Z")
[QUOTE=Ca3799]
My DD went to school with a pretty little girl named “Melena”…the black, tarry stool passed when there is gastrointestinal bleeding. I **know** her parents did not know this. Yikes.
[/QUOTE]
Oh, you are shittin’ me!
Melena means “mane” in Spanish. You know, as in “lots of hair”.
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### Author:  [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/8 "2007-07-03T14:28:15Z")
I was working in a call center several years ago and got a call from a young lady named D’Marquene (deh-MARK-wuh-NAY) which isn’t all that remarkable, except that, when I asked her to spell it, she did so and then snapped at me, “Just like it sounds, fool!”
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### Author:  [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/9 "2007-07-03T17:13:22Z")
Hi Everyone!
Unusual names??
I remember in my 10th Grade typing class when I just closed my eyes, and pressed every key randomly (as fast as I could), and then I’d try to pronounce the words (or names) that came out.
Adding some vowels here and there (for the sake of pronunciation), and combining it with an actual name (in at least one case) these are some of the names I ended up with:
(1) Izentefsi Yazithixen
[that’s izzen-tef-see yah-zi-thix-en]
(2) Theobold Cowntoldtowntheo
[that’s cown-told-town-theo]
(3) Yehtgeisht Ontobshadigs
[that’s yet-guy-sht on-tob-sha-digs]
(4) Boewobtawnt Ethebadigbagah
[that’s bo-wob-tahnt etha-ba-dig-bah-gah]
(5) scranarexin
[that’s scrana reck-sin]
(6) risplimpt
[that’s rih-s-plimpt]
They’d make for some interesting name changes!
kitemaker-chuck
(Chuck Anderson)
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### Author:  [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/10 "2007-07-03T17:20:05Z")
[QUOTE=kitemaker\_chuck]
Hi Everyone!
Unusual names??
I remember in my 10th Grade typing class when I just closed my eyes, and pressed every key randomly (as fast as I could), and then I’d try to pronounce the words (or names) that came out.
Adding some vowels here and there (for the sake of pronunciation), and combining it with an actual name (in at least one case) these are some of the names I ended up with:
(1) Izentefsi Yazithixen
[that’s izzen-tef-see yah-zi-thix-en]
(2) Theobold Cowntoldtowntheo
[that’s cown-told-town-theo]
(3) Yehtgeisht Ontobshadigs
[that’s yet-guy-sht on-tob-sha-digs]
(4) Boewobtawnt Ethebadigbagah
[that’s bo-wob-tahnt etha-ba-dig-bah-gah]
(5) scranarexin
[that’s scrana reck-sin]
(6) risplimpt
[that’s rih-s-plimpt]
They’d make for some interesting name changes!
kitemaker-chuck
(Chuck Anderson)
[/QUOTE]
Do not be risplimpt!!!
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/11 "2007-07-03T17:46:12Z")
[QUOTE=Nava]
Hombre as firstname. It means Man in Spanish
[/QUOTE]
Well, that’s not really much different from someone with the name of Guy, is it?
Which, of course, brings us 'round to the person with the [Second-Best Name Ever In The History Of Rock 'N Roll](http://www.vinyltap.co.uk/shop/item/642014115937.aspx).
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### Author:  [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/12 "2007-07-03T18:00:21Z")
Last week, I encountered a Jennifer… except that it was spelled “Jeaniffer”. 😕
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### Author:  [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/13 "2007-07-03T18:04:05Z")
A friend of my brother’s was named Barren Earth. He ended up being raised by his grandparents, which was probably for the best.
I always wondered what Lionel Tiger’s parents were thinking, although it’s actually kind of a cool name.
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/14 "2007-07-03T18:09:46Z")
My real name is Maverick and both I and other people generally love it. However, the Top Gun jokes are just settling down after 20 years (although not completely; I predate the file).
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/15 "2007-07-03T18:13:32Z")
All time winner for me is still Dang Dung.
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/16 "2007-07-03T18:15:44Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston]
Well, that’s not really much different from someone with the name of Guy, is it?
[/QUOTE]
Except that Guy was a name long before “guy” was a generic name for people. In between, the guy was something you collected pennies for then burned on the 5th of November – and that guy was named after Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up Parliament (and who may have been one of my ancestors, according to family tradition).
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/17 "2007-07-03T18:24:08Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen]
Last week, I encountered a Jennifer… except that it was spelled “Jeaniffer”. 😕
[/QUOTE]
Oh dear. My inner 13 year old boy just piped up: “Jean Sniffer?! Heh heh heh…”
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### Author:  [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/18 "2007-07-03T18:32:24Z")
[QUOTE=kittenblue]
We’ve had lots of threads on unusual names, so why not another? This week’s entry…a young lady 20-something- named Tomaine. I can only hope her mom already had a Jermaine and a Charmaine at home and just wanted to continue a theme…but did no one once say, “uh, maybe it sounds too much like (exactly like) ptomaine poisoning?” No one?
So who has run across any new unusual names this week?
[/QUOTE]
Maybe it’s short for Le Petomaine… 😃
My weird one happened a long time ago, when I was a wee lad in Arkansas. My mom and my brother and I were shopping at Dillard’s in Little Rock (well, mom was shopping, my bro and I were making trouble, as usual) and the counterperson’s nametag said “Iwilla”. My mom was curious and said “Oh, that’s an unique name…where did it come from?” The lady told her her full name was _I Will Arise And Meet My Father_…Jones or Bradley or something; Iwilla for short.
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### Author:  [@straykat23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straykat23)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/19 "2007-07-03T18:59:44Z")
Here’s a website subtitled “A Primer on Parent Cruelty:”
[Baby’s Named A Bad Bad Thing](http://notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/index.html)
> [@](#):
>
> It’s simple. Some parents are just plain crazy. But few are as crazy as many soon-to- be parents, who, wrapped up in the fear and anticipation, the social status and expectations, go just plain mad. Mad as march hares with swollen ankles and morning sickness.
>
> The following is a catalog of naming questions and suggestions posted on several different baby naming bulletin boards going back as far as early 2001. All entries are left unedited except for length.
>
> As you will see, some parents-to-be have gone so far into the realm of baby-obsession they have lost track of the real, adult world. Their view is so skewed their only concerns are a) making their child “unique” and b) trying to keep the kid from being teased, often with terrible results.
A sample:
"Lucida Grande Zenobia for a girl (plus you can use Zoe, Bea or Zen as nn) & Japheth for a boy (jay fit). "
“The Mocha Lucida Grande Zenobia - now available at Starbucks.” (Author’s reply)
Another partial quote:
"Q: What should I name my kids?
A: I can’t give you the perfect name. I’m much better at cursing the darkness, anyway. But here are a few tips I’ve gleaned from digging around bulletin boards, books, and the tons of e-mails I get from readers:
Generally avoid nouns. You’re asking for trouble.
Do a Google search for your name ideas. If all you get are porn sites, white supremicist groups and pictures of My Little Ponies - it’s a bad name.
Look at lists of the most popular baby names for the last three years. Steer clear of the top 10, and definitely steer clear of any names that suddenly jump from #150 to #25.
No celebrity names. Your kids will immediately hate this celebrity, and be horribly embarassed forever.
If you like a common name, but don’t like how it’s spelled, tough. Either use the usual spelling, or find a new name. Andrywe is NOT a name.
Most Americans are assimilated cultural mutts, without much connection to their ancestry. If you want to reconnect with your heritage, go to the library. Do not name your kid Bronwyn and think you are now in touch with your 1/16 Welsh side."
This is a fun site and is well maintained - new names arrive daily.
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### Author:  [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2007, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-name-of-the-week-or-mom-what-were-you-thinking/410340/20 "2007-07-03T19:03:51Z")
[QUOTE=Ca3799]
My DD went to school with a pretty little girl named “Melena”…the black, tarry stool passed when there is gastrointestinal bleeding. I **know** her parents did not know this. Yikes.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, this is just an unfortunate coincidence. I think Melena is a fairly common name in Spansh-speaking countries, but round here it makes me wince. My sister also had a girl in her Grad school classes with that name.
For me, the top name will always be Maroun Dick. ‘It’s pronounced deek,’ he always insisted, like that mattered. He was a dick too.
-Lil
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