# Weird surnames **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 24, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877 "2014-04-24T17:48:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/21 "2014-04-25T14:34:34Z")
> [@kk\_fusion](#): > > They actually asked me about [Fick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fick's_laws_of_diffusion)’s law in an exam on image processing. You can probably guess what the name means. Not as bad as [Kundt’s tube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundt%27s_tube), which we covered in high school physics. (The **d** is silent, of course.) ---
**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:** [April 25, 2014, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/22 "2014-04-25T14:38:21Z")
> [@Batistuta](#): > > Another Spanish one: one of the Spanish Conquistadores was called ‘Àlvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca’. “Àlvar Núñez Cow’s head” There was also the Finnish president Pehr Evind [Svinhufvud](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pehr_Evind_Svinhufvud) - “Swine’s head”. Or maybe “Boar’s head” - at least that sounds more macho. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/23 "2014-04-25T14:50:21Z")
I typed up a few census records for [Familysearch.com](http://Familysearch.com) and came across some very strange names: Schubmuck Mandelstrom Finchlorvich ffrostbay Dlugolenski Eg Winterfrost Sujehiry Ikanbar Eickemeyer Ruebottom Rah Wilos Jiembo Morten Wacheke Adomarte Zaccagnino Accursu Marnquin Engelbretsen Theeuf hosegood Smy ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/24 "2014-04-25T14:50:27Z")
I used to work with Grant Dumbell. Poor guy. I’ve known two people named Blewett. One was in my freshman dorm in college. His first name was Richard, so of course we all called him Dick. The 2005 NY Yankees featured a Wang, a Johnson, and A-Rod. While only the first could be considered a weird name, in combination they were pretty funny. ---
**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:** [April 25, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/25 "2014-04-25T15:02:26Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > …I’ve known two people named Blewett. One was in my freshman dorm in college. His first name was Richard, so of course we all called him Dick… My grandmother’s maiden name was Blower. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/26 "2014-04-25T15:12:14Z")
I knew a girl with the surname Goodhead. [Billy Twelvetrees](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Twelvetrees) is an English rugby player. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/27 "2014-04-25T15:41:34Z")
I once had an appointment with a Dr. Barfi. About Ng, a guy with this name worked for me for several years. He pronounced it “ing.” ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/28 "2014-04-25T15:44:19Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Isn’t there a Republican called Randy **Baumgardner**? That’s about as funny as it gets as far as I’m concerned. > > There is also an ex-German football international whose surname is Kuntz. “Baum” is German for “tree.” (it’s cognate with English “beam” as in the kind you see in a ceiling) The “gardner” part you can probably figure out. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/29 "2014-04-25T16:00:44Z")
I know some Kinkers, and some Klomps. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/30 "2014-04-25T16:54:20Z")
There is or was a professor at UW named Glasscock. Etymology is fascinating. Americanization can be hilarious. I’m really fond of the Scandinavian combos:) ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/31 "2014-04-25T18:09:36Z")
Gaylord. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/32 "2014-04-25T18:20:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Winterfrost > Ruebottom Band name! ---
**Author:** ![weef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@weef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weef)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/33 "2014-04-25T20:14:03Z")
Doctor at my dermatologist: Dr. Payne ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/34 "2014-04-25T21:18:47Z")
There was a chiropractor around when I was a kid whose shingle read, “Dr. Wrench.” I went to high school with a Kuntz as well. There was a fencing instructor at a local university named Posthumous. ---
**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:** [April 25, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/35 "2014-04-25T22:12:17Z")
I met a guy named Early Livestock once. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/36 "2014-04-25T22:31:48Z")
Lazeroff. Woodfin Holezapple. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/37 "2014-04-26T01:59:58Z")
Doesn’t really compare with most of the ones here, but there’s an artist whose last name is **WalkingStick** - with the unusual capital S with no hyphen and everything. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/38 "2014-04-26T03:57:50Z")
**Schweinsteiger** doesn’t mean “pig mounter.” It means “person from the village of Schweinsteig.” [Source (in German)](http://www.ndr.de/ndr1niedersachsen/programm/nnds894.html) ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/39 "2014-04-26T04:12:11Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > About Ng, a guy with this name worked for me for several years. He pronounced it “ing.” I had a friend by that name in Hong Kong. She tested me by asking me to pronounce it. My home city of Sydney being fairly Asian, I just said “Ng”. Happy to report she was impressed. She said, "Most Westerners say “Ink.” Have had similar conversations with Chinese (Ng) and Vietnamese (Nguyen) over the subsequent years. “We don’t have that sound in English” “Yes, you do. You might not have it at the beginning of words, but you have it. Try “swimmiNG” then take off the “swimmi…” part, and you’ve got it.” So, essentially, try to avoid the urge to stick a vowel in there, as it doesn’t have one. Once you get that, it’s not too hard. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877/40 "2014-04-26T04:13:42Z")
And, as they say, Hong Kong is the only country name you can say without moving your lips or tongue. 😃 Ng is like that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-surnames/686877.md?page=3)