# Weird, pretentious, or bizarre names... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566 "2014-08-26T16:34:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/281 "2014-09-20T04:25:11Z")
I know a William Kenneth, who has always been called “Wick.” There are a lot of Williams in his family, and each one tries to have his own nickname (they all have different middle names), so all the Bills and Willies were taken up a long time ago. He always knows when a telemarketer has called, because they ask for “Bill.” Informal poll: how many people know a Rebecca, or a Rebekah, and does she go by Becky? I can’t imagine anyone ever calling the first Mrs. De Winter that. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/282 "2014-09-20T05:20:36Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I know a William Kenneth, who has always been called “Wick.” There are a lot of Williams in his family, and each one tries to have his own nickname (they all have different middle names), so all the Bills and Willies were taken up a long time ago. He always knows when a telemarketer has called, because they ask for “Bill.” > > Informal poll: how many people know a Rebecca, or a Rebekah, and does she go by Becky? I can’t imagine anyone ever calling the first Mrs. De Winter that. I know two. One goes by Becky, one doesn’t. The one who goes by Becky is in her mid-fifties, and the one who doesn’t is 20. I wonder if it’s a generational thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/283 "2014-09-20T05:25:28Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Informal poll: how many people know a Rebecca, or a Rebekah, and does she go by Becky? I can’t imagine anyone ever calling the first Mrs. De Winter that. I know a 30 year old Rebecca who goes by Becky and spells it B-e-c-c-i-e because “where does the K come from?”. Great girl. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/284 "2014-09-20T06:55:15Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Informal poll: how many people know a Rebecca, or a Rebekah, and does she go by Becky? I can’t imagine anyone ever calling the first Mrs. De Winter that. My niece Rebekah goes by Bekky. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/285 "2014-09-20T10:52:21Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Informal poll: how many people know a Rebecca, or a Rebekah, and does she go by Becky? I can’t imagine anyone ever calling the first Mrs. De Winter that. I know a couple of Rebecas, but they’re in Spain so no Beckies. I understand they only get problems with the spelling when dealing with the kind of person who’s capable of spelling España with a T. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/286 "2014-09-20T11:34:33Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I know a 30 year old Rebecca who goes by Becky and spells it B-e-c-c-i-e because “where does the K come from?”. Great girl. I know a guy named Stephe, pronounced “Steve,” because, he says, there’s no V in “Stephen.” ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/287 "2014-09-20T14:10:32Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > So, Ciaran is like Kieran? > [@Acsenray](#): > > Sort of. More like “Kyaran” — “Karen” with an extra “y” No - in Ireland, it’s pronounced exactly like ‘Kieran’ (kee-r’n), or occasionally (if there’s an accent, called a fada, on the second a or the o that sometimes replaces it) it’s pronounced Kee-rawn. It’s never ‘Kyaran’. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/288 "2014-09-25T19:01:09Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > How do you pronounce Ily? I’m thinking Eye-lee but I’m not sure. I never heard that one before, but I like it! ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/289 "2014-09-25T20:15:09Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Others assume common nicknames must apply. My dad’s name is Charles - don’t call him Charlie, he doesn’t like it. > > I try to pay attention and call people by the names they tell me, and pronounce them the way they tell me. Even if it’s wrong. And people like me appreciate it. I hate when people assume that you must luuurv the nickname that goes with your name. My given name is Cynthia. There is a short list of people who may call me Cindy. Those include family members and school chums who I’ve known since we were all dorky 4th graders. A couple of college chums call me Cyn. Everyone else calls me Cynthia. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/290 "2014-09-25T20:37:29Z")
When I was forty something, I hung out with a bunch of guys my age. A 24 year old kid thought we were cool and started hanging out with us. We all had nicknames and he wanted one. He constantly talked about wanting a nick, and it quickly became old. One day I claimed to experience a divine inspiration. He was to be nicknamed “Jism”. Naturally, he objected at first. But we made a fuss over him and so he accepted his new nick. Jism it was. People would see him on the street and shout, “Yo, Jism!” and he’d smile and wave. He’s the only “Jism” I’ve ever met. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/291 "2014-09-26T01:14:21Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > … how many people know a Rebecca, or a Rebekah, and does she go by Becky? I can’t imagine anyone ever calling the first Mrs. De Winter that. Probably not. And nobody _ever_ called the second Mrs. DeWinter by her first name… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/292 "2014-09-26T02:52:52Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > How do you pronounce Ily? I’m thinking Eye-lee but I’m not sure. Heh. When you say “Hi, I’m Emily” and people say “Hi Em”, you could say “Oh no, my friends call me Ily”. And pronounce it how you like. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/293 "2014-09-26T05:07:40Z")
I had a friend named Kendra in college, and when she met a guy from Nigeria, he said her name was too difficult for him to remember and “Can I call you Dra?” She was kind of startled, and said “No, you can’t call me Dra,” before she realized it was rude. She told him to call her “Ken.” None of us called her “Ken” really, but occasionally we might call that out if we were trying to catch her or something. Kendra is just two syllables. You never know what name might be hard for a foreigner, though. If it happens to have some syllabification that clashes with the person’s own language, it might be hard. I’m glad I was exposed to a lot of languages when I was a kid. I never had trouble saying people’s names. Yes, I know they speak English in Nigeria, but their pronunciation system is different. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/294 "2014-09-26T05:14:27Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Probably not. And nobody _ever_ called the second Mrs. DeWinter by her first name… It was “unusual and difficult to pronounce.” When I first read _Rebecca_, I couldn’t imagine what it was; now I suspect it was MacKayla, or Briyonna, or Emmuhleigh. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/295 "2014-09-26T09:35:57Z")
When I was young and ignorant, I tried to argue with a kid that his name couldn’t be pronounces “Shawn”, because it was spelled S-e-a-n. That spells “Seen”. I learned better. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/296 "2014-09-26T10:14:41Z")
All the Rebeccas I know go by Bec. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/297 "2014-09-26T18:13:20Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Heh. When you say “Hi, I’m Emily” and people say “Hi Em”, you could say “Oh no, my friends call me Ily”. And pronounce it how you like. Ha. Actually, the “Ily” thing wasn’t related to my own name (I hadn’t even realized it could also be a part of my name,) it was someone’s kid’s name mentioned earlier in the thread, a contraction of **I** **L** ove **Y** ou. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/298 "2014-09-26T19:50:43Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > Ha. Actually, the “Ily” thing wasn’t related to my own name (I hadn’t even realized it could also be a part of my name,) it was someone’s kid’s name mentioned earlier in the thread, a contraction of **I** **L** ove **Y** ou. No, I know – I just thought it was a funny coincidence, **Em-ily**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/299 "2014-09-26T20:22:31Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > It was “unusual and difficult to pronounce.” When I first read _Rebecca_, I couldn’t imagine what it was; now I suspect it was MacKayla, or Briyonna, or Emmuhleigh. It’s Dierdre: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7JxlX6tbeg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7JxlX6tbeg) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/300 "2014-09-26T22:51:46Z")
My SO’s mother has Cordula for first name. No matter how many assurances to the contrary, I’m still pretty sure she’s vampyr, Sookie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566.md?page=16)