# Weird first or middle names in your family **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622 "2007-07-05T18:13:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/41 "2007-07-06T00:27:39Z")
Added to the above: My great-grandmother’s name at birth was Louisianna Talitha Cumi Cotton. She was one of several Louisian(n)a’s, but the Talitha Cumi was unique and supposedly had to do with her almost dying on the first day of her very very long life (it’s from the Bible and means “Little girl, rise” in Aramaic- Jesus says it to the daughter of Jairus when he raises her from the dead) The name Judieth is probably a corruption of a surname. Some of my ancestors who came from Switzerland to South Carolina ca. 1735 had the surname _von Tschudit_ and their descendants changed it to, among other spellings, Judy and Choody [dropping the _t_ at the end and dropping the _von_ altogether). It continued to appear in the family as a given name, however, with at least one man having the given name Judy and another the given name Choodith, so I’m guessing that Judieth is yet another variation. Tresvant is also a surname that was in the family in the 18th century. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/42 "2007-07-06T01:12:19Z")
[QUOTE=Least Original User Name Ever] A-HA! That’s why! You’re brimming with such Lord of the Rings dork cred because it’s part of who you are. [/QUOTE] **burundi** , both Fridfrod Fridliefson and Fridlief Fridfrodson are from the genealogies contained in the Heimskringla, along with King Gandalf. > **[The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway/Volume 1/Saga 2 -...](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Heimskringla/Halfdan_the_Black_Saga)** ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/43 "2007-07-06T02:30:31Z")
My paternal grandmother’s name was Philomena. She generally went by Phil. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/44 "2007-07-06T02:40:57Z")
My dad’s family all have “normal” names - Bob (x3), Steve, Dan, Cathy… They have married: Paulette Yvonne Lovina Vlado Adena Mary Kahl I knew when my brother met a woman with an interesting name, she’d be the one he’d marry 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/45 "2007-07-06T02:51:36Z")
My brothers and I have animal names for our middle names – but not even English names! ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/46 "2007-07-06T04:06:53Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] My sons middle nme is Hunter. After you know whom. [/QUOTE] Bless you. If I ever have a child, I’m naming them Thompson. Whether boy or girl. ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/47 "2007-07-06T10:08:50Z")
My father’s side boasts a Wannie (not short for anything), an Azuçena and a Junior. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/48 "2007-07-06T10:43:36Z")
Two of my brothers have the middle names ‘Ambrose’ and ‘Zeno’. The one called Zeno was acutely embarassed by it until he was an adult, while I always envied him. Mine is Frederick. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/49 "2007-07-06T11:36:59Z")
Another: Almalaine (female) ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/50 "2007-07-06T11:44:18Z")
We only have sensible names in our family. That’ll be where Cianfa and Elyssia came from. Yes, they’re both mine. And our family? Get your teeth around “Guimaraens”. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/51 "2007-07-06T14:22:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Qadgop the Mercotan** > _ **burundi** , both Fridfrod Fridliefson and Fridlief Fridfrodson are from the genealogies contained in the Heimskringla, along with King Gandalf._ Huh. You learn something new every day. Thanks, **Qadgop**. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/52 "2007-07-06T14:50:18Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] My nephews are named Montana (not all that odd) and Gunner (as in someone who shoots). My brother is an ex-marine that loves to hunt and his wife’s mother makes squirrel every Thanksgiving. They wanted the kids name to reflect the hard, outdoorsy side. [/QUOTE] :rolleyes: Pray they never have a girl. (They’re probably praying the same thing.) Then again, they could call her Minerva, Parris (as in Island), Viscera, Maggot, or good old [Mary Jane](http://www.rleeermey.com/sounds/fmj_mary.wav). ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/53 "2007-07-06T15:07:51Z")
In my family are a DaLee and RaDell (they are sisters) and a Harminy Twila. Yes, spelled like that rather than harmony. We also have some ‘weird’ Icelandic names like (soft j) Jonina, Gudbjorg, Torfi, but that’s mostly my mother’s generation. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/54 "2007-07-06T16:01:42Z")
[QUOTE=Snickers] I’ve got a Bernard (BER-nerd) too! And a: Corny Oate [/QUOTE] Corn and oats, huh? No wheat? I can’t claim any unusual names in my immediate family. I know that, going further back, there are some distant male relatives named things like Cornelius. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/55 "2007-07-06T16:12:00Z")
A great uncle named Columbus (he died in 1910 - alas, I never knew him) Great, great aunt named Dallie (she died in the 1970s at about a million years old) Great, great aunt named Inez Great, great aunt named Matt Great aunt named Beulah who killed herself by drinking Lysol. Drama queen. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/56 "2007-07-06T16:34:39Z")
Regarding the Bernards-pronounced BER-nerd: Bernardsville, NJ is pronounced BER-nerds-ville. I wonder if this was a common alternate pronunciation back in the day, or if it is the way it is pronounced by some other nationality. Oh, and nothing too weird in my family. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/57 "2007-07-06T18:45:08Z")
BER-nerd, IIRC, is the way the name is pronounced in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/58 "2007-07-06T18:54:31Z")
[QUOTE=GingerOfTheNorth] BER-nerd, IIRC, is the way the name is pronounced in the UK. [/QUOTE] Interesting. That side of the family hailed from Kentucky but were immigrants from England and Ireland. There ya have it. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/59 "2007-07-06T19:07:15Z")
Gritine Margarit (sp?) Henriette is my mom’s name. But to be fair, she’s Dutch. Her sibs all have three long names like that, too. One of my cousins is Lonako, after the mountain my aunt and uncle saw out there back door when they were working in Cameroon. Lon is also a Dutch name. ---
**Author:** ![Barrington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Barrington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrington)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2007, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622/60 "2007-07-07T03:38:22Z")
[QUOTE=GingerOfTheNorth] BER-nerd, IIRC, is the way the name is pronounced in the UK. [/QUOTE] Just stepping in here to confirm that. “Ber-NARD” is not used here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-first-or-middle-names-in-your-family/410622.md?page=4)