# 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:** 19
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/361 "2015-05-20T14:00:39Z")
Minor issue in that it isn’t an “ee” sound. Beyond that, it is way too much to think about when I’m on holiday. I just found it interesting that names are routinely made longer, which goes against what we have generally in English. I wouldn’t trust that link at all, not only are there misspellings, but also the -is ending is really not pronounced “ese”. So, for example “Godsaker” (nice things) became “Godis”, pronounced go-dis. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/362 "2015-05-20T16:43:35Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Diminutives aren’t necessarily about making the names shorter, they’re denoting littleness of the appended person, i.e. they’re a kid. A kid, or dear to the speaker – Rosa \> Rosita, Madre \> Madrecita… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/363 "2015-05-20T18:31:16Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Swedish has standard nicknames for short names that are longer than the original. Now that’s weird. As **gigi** said, Spanish does the same and those endings can be a diminutive (_bosquecito_: a small _bosque_ or forest) or indicate affection. Same for Catalan, in this case it’s -et(a): my great-grandmother was a Laura. One of her daughters, Laureta, had a Lauriteta… from Montserrat you get Montse, and sometimes you hear a mother yelling for Montseta to come on over this minute. In Basque it’s -cho/i for men (sustitutive, so it doesn’t make the word longer) and -chu for women (additive, again the name gets longer), in Galego the again-additive -ño(a) (which is also the stereotypical ending for lastnames from Galicia). ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/364 "2015-05-21T05:16:06Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I wouldn’t trust that link at all, Well, it’s the only one I could find discussing why those forms are the way they are at all. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/365 "2015-05-21T13:57:05Z")
It’s not just that \*mal \*= “bad” in Romance languages that might steer one away from the name Mal. If you’re English-speaking, you must have an association with _maladjusted, malware, malcontent_…? ---
**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:** [May 21, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/366 "2015-05-21T14:02:27Z")
Some folks who have come through my court recently: Ramnauth Phagoo Latweeta Smyers Darnisha Shoddy Kishawn Cotchery Peola Y. Cage ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/367 "2015-05-21T14:03:43Z")
Gotta throw a few in here. We know a family with a son named Tarzan. Actually, when you get used to it, it’s a rather nice-sounding name. Saw a woman working in a restaurant, who had a nametag that read La Sonya. I thought, _Had your parents never said it outloud??_ Knew a Guatemalan woman who cared for two children named Cassie and Asa. I always wondered if she told her friends, _They named their children Almost and That._ We had a Thai student named Thanapol, but his nickname was Boom. Kinda funny, but okay. Then his younger brother came to visit. He was called Bomb… ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/368 "2015-05-21T17:43:02Z")
I only have one to contribute. In college there was a guy in the dorm room next to me whose first name was Governor. I can only assume that his parents were aspirational; however, so far as I can tell, he has not yet reached that office. ---
**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 21, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/369 "2015-05-21T18:59:51Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > Gotta throw a few in here. We know a family with a son named Tarzan. Actually, when you get used to it, it’s a rather nice-sounding name. > > Saw a woman working in a restaurant, who had a nametag that read La Sonya. I thought, _Had your parents never said it outloud??_ They probably pronounced it with a long O, like in the brand name Sony, and never thought about the other way of pronouncing it. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/370 "2015-05-22T10:49:08Z")
I pronounce the _s_ in “lasagna” voiced. I wouldn’t expect the _S_ in “Sonya” to be voiced. ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/371 "2015-05-23T02:21:22Z")
I have a cousin who named her first born daughter Alexis. Great! BUT insisted she be “nicknamed” Byrdie, with THAT spelling. Unknowingly, people called her Alexis as first meeting her as a newborn, until mom kept insisting they call her by her nickname. Aren’t nicknames supposed to be formed organically and after the person develops some sort of personality befitting the name? ---
**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 24, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/372 "2015-05-24T13:07:21Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I pronounce the _s_ in “lasagna” voiced. I wouldn’t expect the _S_ in “Sonya” to be voiced. Oh, it’s close enough for middle schoolers. ---
**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:** [May 24, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/373 "2015-05-24T13:20:22Z")
I pronounce ‘LaSonya’ and ‘lasagna’ differently enough that I wouldn’t have noticed the resemblance if it wasn’t pointed out here. LaSonya has an s sound and a short o as in ‘hot’, while lasagna has a z sound and a short a as in ‘hat’. Yeah, though, probably close enough for middle school. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/374 "2015-05-24T23:47:50Z")
> [@dada2fish](#): > > Aren’t nicknames supposed to be formed organically and after the person develops some sort of personality befitting the name? Not necessarily. Some are just picked as a flavorful way to ID a kid until they’re old enough to say their long name. Some are picked to distinguish from a parent/grandparent with the same name. I know a family, they named their son “William Robert Seth \_\_\_”, and totally called him “BillyBob”. The plan was that he could then start going by “Seth” when he entered school. I’m not sure it works that way. He’s going to be used to “BillyBob”, and then change what he goes by? Yeah, I suppose kids can totally decide they want to be called something else, just struck me as odd to go in with that plan. Plus, intentionally naming your kid “BillyBob”. ---
**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 25, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/375 "2015-05-25T00:43:50Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > I pronounce ‘LaSonya’ and ‘lasagna’ differently enough that I wouldn’t have noticed the resemblance if it wasn’t pointed out here. LaSonya has an s sound and a short o as in ‘hot’, while lasagna has a z sound and a short a as in ‘hat’. > > Yeah, though, probably close enough for middle school. Oh, she totally got called “Lasagna” in middle school. We called my cousin Cassie “Casserole,” and her real name isn’t nearly as close. Of course, I got “Hi ya, Rivkah!” Grit teeth, don’t look bothered, even if it’s the 300,000th time that day. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/376 "2015-05-25T01:13:10Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Of course, I got “Hi ya, Rivkah!” Grit teeth, don’t look bothered, even if it’s the 300,000th time that day. Aren’t you glad you weren’t named Maya? Hiya, Maya Chaya has a certain ring to it, yes? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/377 "2015-05-26T12:01:27Z")
I used to work at Oklahoma Publishing Company, which publishes The Daily Oklahoman newspaper. The founder’s name was Edward LORD Gaylord. His son was named Edward KING Gaylord. Talk about megalomania! At any rate, I told the strange name to some friends of mine, and one of them blurted out “How about that! My LORD and my KING!” Struck me as funny. Also: Worked with “Precious”, “Promise”, and a primo hot babe named “Happy” who had a sister named “Lucky”. Had a class with a guy whose name was Ardell, spelled “Rdl”. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/378 "2015-05-26T12:06:53Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Not necessarily. Some are just picked as a flavorful way to ID a kid until they’re old enough to say their long name. Some are picked to distinguish from a parent/grandparent with the same name. > > I know a family, they named their son “William Robert Seth \_\_\_”, and totally called him “BillyBob”. The plan was that he could then start going by “Seth” when he entered school. > > I’m not sure it works that way. He’s going to be used to “BillyBob”, and then change what he goes by? Yeah, I suppose kids can totally decide they want to be called something else, just struck me as odd to go in with that plan. Plus, intentionally naming your kid “BillyBob”. I’m surprised that they didnt just name him Seth. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/379 "2015-05-26T16:15:11Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I only have one to contribute. In college there was a guy in the dorm room next to me whose first name was Governor. I can only assume that his parents were aspirational; however, so far as I can tell, he has not yet reached that office. Garrison Keillor, in his Lake Wobegone stories, has a recurring minor character named Senator. His parents hoped he would someday be one. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566/380 "2015-05-31T00:29:37Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > I’m surprised that they didnt just name him Seth. They _really_ wanted to call him Billybob. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-pretentious-or-bizarre-names/696566.md?page=20)