# 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:** 18
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/341 "2015-05-15T21:59:43Z")
Meh, I’m not slapping “A-million” in the face, I’m telling a message board I think it’s a stupid name. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/342 "2015-05-15T22:38:15Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > My daughter’s school is full of “unusual” names (including hers) but only because there’s a huge immigrant population and thus there are lots of foreign names. So she’s got friends named Olurinu and Sanjana and Zainab and Eleri and Addien and Serwa and Freya and Amarachi. To be honest, they’re easier to remember than trying to keep all the Olivias straight (she had three in her class one year). > > More on topic: my niece (a self-described redneck) has named her daughters Makenzie and Kalysta (Kenzie and Kaly for short) but since they seem to be turning out fine I don’t mind. Not sure what their teachers think though. Have you tried asking your daughter about the difference between “normal” names and “weird” names? I have a feeling she won’t have any idea what you’re talking about. And nor will most kids of her generation. Great innit. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/343 "2015-05-16T00:21:28Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > Ripley? I don’t believe it. Or maybe I do. > [@Frylock](#): > > The correct response to an unusual name is to take delight in diversity and wonder, happily, about the story behind the name. > > Laughing at a person’s name is childish. Come off it. You’re in a restaurant and the waiteratrix introduces herself as Lasagne, and you wouldn’t laugh? Like hell. I’d be on the floor, and so would everyone else. I’m still laughing from reading that post. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/344 "2015-05-16T00:41:48Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Laughing at a person’s name is childish. Laughter is involuntary, at least some of the time. What is funny is funny. Expecting the entire world to find your kid’s stupid name un-funny is frankly unrealistic. I could leave the house wearing underpants on my head and spend my entire life telling people that my fashion choices are my own, and laughing at me is childish. Or, I could just not wear underpants on my head. That choice is mine, though. When you give your child an obviously silly name, that’s like sending them to school with those underpants glued to their heads. I mean, do you have to? Really? > [@](#): > > My reply to this is that you are correctly pointing out that most people are assholes. But the important question is, are _you_ one of them? By definition, most people will answer “yes”. Q.E.D. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/345 "2015-05-16T03:52:58Z")
Asked and answered I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/346 "2015-05-16T03:54:34Z")
To be clear BTW, since I’m not sure if you were using the general you, my own kids’ names turned out all to be in the top twenty for their respective years… So if you thought I was defending my own meaning decisions, I wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/347 "2015-05-16T03:56:47Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > I don’t believe it. Or maybe I do. > > Come off it. You’re in a restaurant and the waiteratrix introduces herself as Lasagne, and you wouldn’t laugh? Like hell. I’d be on the floor, and so would everyone else. I’m still laughing from reading that post. Of course I wouldn’t laugh… What did I just say in my first post?! ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/348 "2015-05-16T04:15:43Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > To be clear BTW, since I’m not sure if you were using the general you, my own kids’ names turned out all to be in the top twenty for their respective years… So if you thought I was defending my own meaning decisions, I wasn’t. Sorry, yeah: General “you”, if that wasn’t clear. Didn’t mean to sound like I was picking on you in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/349 "2015-05-16T04:23:51Z")
Anyway, I’m just saying: Yeah, maybe I’m childish. Maybe I can be an asshole at times. But if someone names their kid “Snotsocker Pants-On-Head”, maybe I’m still not the one in the most need of some introspection. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2015, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/350 "2015-05-16T07:00:45Z")
I think the real question is: Is mocking stupid names worse than threadshitting? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/351 "2015-05-16T11:23:16Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I think the real question is: Is mocking stupid names worse than threadshitting? This is a topic that really pushes my buttons, I admit. Anyway I’ve said what I have to say. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/352 "2015-05-16T12:57:26Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Of course I wouldn’t laugh… What did I just say in my first post?! I quoted it, so quoting it again would be a tremendous waste of electrons. With no sense of humour, life must be hell. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/353 "2015-05-16T14:42:00Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > This is a topic that really pushes my buttons, I admit. Anyway I’ve said what I have to say. It pushes my buttons too. My parents gave me a name that’s unusual outside Jewish circles, and for some reason makes gentiles go dyslexic (I get called Rivak a lot). I don’t regret it-- albeit, I did try going by Rebecca once, and gave that up because of the number of people who took the liberty of calling me “Becky” without having been invited to do so. I _hate_ Becky. My parents also gave me a middle name that has a sound that doesn’t even exist in English. Another thing I hate is when my parents would try to get gentiles to say the glottal fricative in “Chaya.” For cripes’ sake, just let them say “Haya.” And while we’re at it, you should have spelled it that way. Now, my parents gave me an honest Jewish name. They weren’t trying to be creative or unusual. There were other Rivkahs at my school, and the rabbi at the synagogue we went to when I was little had a daughter about seven years older than me named Rivkah, the result of which was that at shul, I got called Rivkah Chaya by nearly everyone. There’s not really anything to do about my name, and as it is, I don’t correct people who aren’t filling out official forms when they spell it “Rivka,” or something. But my experience tells me that it’s ridiculous and maybe even a little cruel to name your daughter something like “Courtney,” but decide to spell it “Kortnee,” or spell Jennifer “Geniphur.” The last thing a kindergarten teacher wants is a roster with a Brittany, a Bretagne, a Britni, a Britney, and a Bretnee, especially when she also probably has a Brianna, a Briyona, and another Brianna, but pronounced differently from the first one, and she is supposed to remember each one, and which goes with which child, or beware the wrath of the parents. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/354 "2015-05-16T15:57:39Z")
I would never laugh at a kid’s name in earshot of the kid or their friends. But there are some stupid names out there. There’s a difference between an unusual ethnic name, or even a made-up pseudo-ethnic name, and a stupid name. “A-million” is a stupid name. “JerMajesty” is a stupid name. “Pilot Inspektor” is a stupid name. “Moxie Crimefighter” is a stupid name (though “Moxie” by itself is kinda cool, IMO.) If, as a parent, you choose to give your child a stupid name, you have to accept that some people are going to call it what it is. It’s sort of like how you have the right (in the US, at least) to make racist or misogynistic statements, but you don’t have the right for the people around you not to call you an asshat if you do. I make no apology for thinking the names I mentioned above are all stupid names, and reacting appropriately (though in the latter three cases, knowing who gave those names to their kids, I’m laughing far more at the arrogance of the parent than at the poor kid who’s stuck with the name. It’s not their fault). And I gotta admit, some of those kids end up _owning_ those names. Moon Unit and Dweezil Zappa somehow managed to make extremely stupid names cool (even if only for themselves). Maybe the trick, if you’re gonna give your kid a “kre8iv” name, is to give them a normal middle name or a name that can easily be shortened to a normal name, to give the kid a choice about whether they want to be unusual or fit in. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/355 "2015-05-16T21:47:53Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > It pushes my buttons too. My parents gave me a name that’s unusual outside Jewish circles, and for some reason makes gentiles go dyslexic (I get called Rivak a lot). Ethic names are a subset of unusual names, they are unusual because they lack familiarity for the culture group. I don’t particularly laugh at or make fun of ethnic names, and do my best to pronounce them reasonably correct. I will admit that I probably wouldn’t get Chaya right no matter how I try, so you’re gonna get “Haya” or “Chaya” depending on which you tell me you prefer, but you won’t get a glottal fricative. Not because I don’t care to try, but because it’s too awkward. I teach a class that involves numerous kids, so I see a fair sampling of names, including a share of ethnic ones. I do my best to get spellings and pronunciations right, and if they correct me I try to comply, and if I am unsure I ask for clarification. > [@](#): > > I don’t regret it-- albeit, I did try going by Rebecca once, and gave that up because of the number of people who took the liberty of calling me “Becky” without having been invited to do so. I _hate_ Becky. There are a number of names in English that have generic short form nicknames. I assume this is true in other languages - it is for Russian. Unfortunately, people assume if you have one of these long names, you will go by and accept the nickname forms. And conversely, if you are named “Danny”, they will assume that is a nickname and your formal name is actually “Daniel”. I know some folks where this isn’t true. It sucks, and it’s the reason my parents explicitly chose names for me and my siblings that did not have standard expected short forms. Primarily because my dad suffered through it, and my mom might have had some of it as well. > [@](#): > > There’s not really anything to do about my name, and as it is, I don’t correct people who aren’t filling out official forms when they spell it “Rivka,” or something. You have to find your comfort level for effort at correcting other people for screwing up your name. My name has the letter sequence “ei” that can also be spelled “ie”. A number of people aren’t sure or can’t keep it straight or know someone else spelling it the opposite way. I often let it go, occasionally correct it merely for clarity. > [@Infovore](#): > > And I gotta admit, some of those kids end up _owning_ those names. Moon Unit and Dweezil Zappa somehow managed to make extremely stupid names cool (even if only for themselves). Moon Unit did it by dropping the second part, but that still sounds a bit hippy. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/356 "2015-05-16T23:30:31Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > There are a number of names in English that have generic short form nicknames. I assume this is true in other languages - it is for Russian. Unfortunately, people assume if you have one of these long names, you will go by and accept the nickname forms. And conversely, if you are named “Danny”, they will assume that is a nickname and your formal name is actually “Daniel”. I know some folks where this isn’t true. Swedish has standard nicknames for short names that are longer than the original. Now that’s weird. Hans becomes Hasse. Lars becomes Lasse. Karl becomes Kalle. Pär/Per becomes Pelle. You get the idea. The only one I can think of off-hand that shortens it is Torbjörn becoming Tobbe. Oh and as I expect quite a few here are not aware of the pronunciation rules, all those nicknames are two syllables. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/357 "2015-05-19T07:16:13Z")
Would that be a kind of [diminution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutive), like “ly/li” is in English? Amelia becomes Amy Emelia becomes Emily or Emmy Millicent becomes Millie Daniel becomes Danny William becomes Billy Alison becomes Ali > [@](#): > > Diminutives are often used for the purpose of expressing affection (see nickname and hypocoristic). In many languages, the meaning of diminution can be translated “tiny” or “wee”, and diminutives are used frequently when speaking to small children; adult people sometimes use diminutives when they express extreme tenderness and intimacy by behaving and talking like children. (See Apocopation.) In some languages, diminutives are formed in a regular way by adding affixes to nouns and proper names; in English the alteration of meaning is often conveyed through clipping, either alone or combined with an affix.[1] English diminutives tend to be shorter and more colloquial than the basic form of the word; diminutives formed by adding affixes in other languages are often longer, and not necessarily colloquial. > > In many languages, formation of diminutives by adding suffixes is a productive part of the language.[2] All nouns, not just proper nouns can be diminuted. The word “diminutive” is used in a narrower and less vague sense here than when referring to English. The basic meaning of diminution in these languages is “smallness of the object named”; endearment, intimacy, etc. is secondary and dependent on context. For example, the name of one of the last Roman emperors of the western part of the Roman Empire—Romulus Augustus—was diminuted to Romulus Augustulus (little Augustus) to emphasise the contrast between the grandness of the name and political insignificance of its bearer; in this case the connotation of diminution is derogatory, not endearing. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/358 "2015-05-19T09:07:07Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > Have you tried asking your daughter about the difference between “normal” names and “weird” names? I have a feeling she won’t have any idea what you’re talking about. And nor will most kids of her generation. Great innit. She’ll have her own idea of what’s “weird” but it won’t be what I think is weird. Also, with such an ethnically and racially diverse group of classmates (to the point where the white kids are only a quarter of the class) she’s got no issues whatsoever with racial or cultural differences. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/359 "2015-05-19T10:07:45Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Would that be a kind of [diminution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutive), like “ly/li” is in English? > > Amelia becomes Amy > Emelia becomes Emily or Emmy > Millicent becomes Millie > Daniel becomes Danny > William becomes Billy > Alison becomes Ali Maybe (I’m not expert enough to make the call), but the interesting thing is that it makes the names longer, both in letters and syllables. None of your examples do. ETA: According to both the English and Swedish Wikipedia pages it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/360 "2015-05-20T07:46:52Z")
Did you read the paragraph I quoted that explained that English usually truncates, but other languages don’t necessarily truncate? Some add syllables, and it gave an example from Latin. According to [this page](http://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/swedish), those are diminutives. Diminutives aren’t necessarily about making the names shorter, they’re denoting littleness of the appended person, i.e. they’re a kid. [This page](https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090204175333AAs7FGu) states that Swedish is like English in that they append the “ee” sound to the end. > [@](#): > > When it comes to names, it is basically the same in Swedish. John is Johnnie(or y). Peter is “Pelle”. Sven is “Svene”. Erik is “Rikie” and such. Speculating… Hans and Lars have the trailing sound the “s”, so the s is used to make the add on “ee” sound. Why do they drop the letter leading in? It’s a Swedish thing? Similarly, Karl and Per have the last sound formed into an l. I think this may play into the difference in how the “r” is pronounced in other places versus America. In American English (not certain about Britain), the “r” is a bunched tongue r. To make the sound, you scrunch the tip of the tongue back. Other languages pronounce r with the tip pointed toward the alveolar ridge, i.e. the ridge inside the mouth behind the upper teeth. Here’s the thing I have observed: in English, we use the alveolar tap when pronouncing “d” or “t” like in “ladder” or “latter”. Those two sound the same because we shortcut the middle consonants with an alveolar tap - a rapid tap of that ridge with the tongue - instead of fully forming and vocalizing the letter d or t. Other languages use alveolar taps for r or l sounds as well. That’s why, for example, someone pronouncing “Perez” with a Spanish accent says it very differently than I would as a native English speaker. It actually sounds more like “Pelez” or “Petez” to me. (Incidentally, I think this may play a role in why Chinese speakers have trouble distinguishing r and l sounds. Not only does Chinese not have these sounds, but many pronunciations of r with the forward rolled tongue form sound more similar to l, especially when done fast with alveolar taps and such.) Also may be related to the non-rhotic approach to “ar” vowels. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566.md?page=19)