# What given name has the most non-name meanings? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 10, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236 "2007-07-10T17:42:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/1 "2007-07-10T17:42:53Z")
I nominate **Chuck** , which of the top of my head can serve as noun, verb, or adjective meaning: -throw/discard -vomit -a grade of beef -the part of a drill into which you insert a drillbit -the sound made by chickens -a light tap -food And I won’t go into compound words such as chuckwagon, or woodchuck. Can you think of any more versatile commonly used name? ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/2 "2007-07-10T17:50:39Z")
**Bill** (From [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com)) 1. a statement of money owed for goods or services supplied: He paid the hotel bill when he checked out. 2. a piece of paper money worth a specified amount: a ten-dollar bill. 3. Government. a form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature, but not yet enacted or passed and made law. 4. bill of exchange. 5. a written or printed public notice or advertisement. 6. any written paper containing a statement of particulars: a bill of expenditures. 7. Law. a written statement, usually of complaint, presented to a court. 8. Slang. one hundred dollars: The job pays five bills a week. 9. playbill. 10. entertainment scheduled for presentation; program: a good bill at the movies. 11. Obsolete. a. a promissory note. b. a written and sealed document. c. a written, formal petition. –verb (used with object) 12. to charge for by bill; send a bill to: The store will bill me. 13. to enter (charges) in a bill; make a bill or list of: to bill goods. 14. to advertise by bill or public notice: A new actor was billed for this week. 15. to schedule on a program: The management billed the play for two weeks. —Idiom 16. fill the bill, to fulfill the purpose or need well: As a sprightly situation comedy this show fills the bill. And my own: 17. The beak of a bird ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/3 "2007-07-10T17:50:48Z")
I don’t know if I can beat Chuck, but my IRL name comes close: Ginger: A girls name A spice A colour An manner of behaving A hair colour As a visiting German student suggest - A good tasting root ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/4 "2007-07-10T17:58:46Z")
I don’t think it beats “Bill,” but how about Frank? 1 : marked by free, forthright, and sincere expression \ 2 a : unmistakably evident \ b : clinically evident and unmistakable \ 1 a : to mark (a piece of mail) with an official signature or sign indicating the right of the sender to free mailing b : to mail free c : to affix to (mail) a stamp or a marking indicating the payment of postage 2 : to enable to pass or go freely or easily 1 a : the signature of the sender on a piece of franked mail serving in place of a postage stamp b : a mark or stamp on a piece of mail indicating postage paid c : a franked envelope 2 : the privilege of sending mail free of charge 1 : frankfurter “Bob” is probably right up there, too. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/5 "2007-07-10T18:02:14Z")
How about Jack? From [Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions](http://www.answers.com/topic/jack?cat=technology) > [@](#): > > n. > often Jack Informal. A man; a fellow. > > One who does odd or heavy jobs; a laborer. > One who works in a specified manual trade. Often used in combination: a lumberjack; a steeplejack. > Jack A sailor; a tar. > (Abbr. J) Games. A playing card showing the figure of a servant or soldier and ranking below a queen. Also called knave. > Games. > jacks (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A game played with a set of small six-pointed metal pieces and a small ball, the object being to pick up the pieces in various combinations. > One of the metal pieces so used. > Sports. A pin used in some games of bowling. > > A usually portable device for raising heavy objects by means of force applied with a lever, screw, or hydraulic press. > A wooden wedge for cleaving rock. > A device used for turning a spit. > Nautical. > A support or brace, especially the iron crosstree on a topgallant masthead. > A small flag flown at the bow of a ship, usually to indicate nationality. > The male of certain animals, especially the ass. > Any of several food and game fishes of the family Carangidae, found in tropical and temperate seas. > A jackrabbit. > A socket that accepts a plug at one end and attaches to electric circuitry at the other. > Slang. Money. > Applejack. > Slang. A small or worthless amount: You don’t know jack about that. > > v., jacked, jack·ing, jacks. > > v.tr. > To hunt or fish for with a jacklight: hunters illegally jacking deer. > > To move or hoist by or as if by using a jack: jacked the rear of the car to replace the tire. > To raise (something) to a higher level, as in cost: “Foreign producers jacked up the price on some steels by over 100%” (Forbes). > Baseball. To hit (a pitched ball) hard, especially for a home run. > v.intr. > To hunt or fish for quarry by using a jacklight. > > phrasal verb: > jack off Vulgar Slang. > > To masturbate. > > [From the name Jack, from Middle English Jakke, possibly from Old French Jacques, from Late Latin Iacōbus. See Jacob. N., sense 15, short for JACK SHIT.] > > jacker jack’er n. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/6 "2007-07-10T19:49:09Z")
Wow! Apparently I don’t know jack anout names! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/7 "2007-07-10T19:53:23Z")
[QUOTE=Dinsdale] -the sound made by chickens [/QUOTE] That would be cluck. But chuck is an archaic term for a buddy. “Good show, old chuck.” ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/8 "2007-07-10T19:56:14Z")
Chuck Hurley is one unfortunate name to have. ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/9 "2007-07-10T20:07:11Z")
The OED gives 464 definitions of _set_, which is more than any other word. It’s just a shame that nobody called their kids Set. I blame that serpent god in the Conan universe. He ruined the name for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/10 "2007-07-10T20:27:49Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] That would be cluck. [/QUOTE] I’m pretty certain I’ve heard chuck as a less-common synonym for cluck, as well as used to “call” chickens when feeding them. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/11 "2007-07-10T20:31:31Z")
Can we include homonyms to the name? If so, then “Matt.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/12 "2007-07-10T20:32:33Z")
“Bob” might place, but likely not win. I think **Smitty** or **Zoggie** have the top contenders. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/13 "2007-07-10T20:33:47Z")
Let’s not discuss “Dick” ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/14 "2007-07-10T20:34:39Z")
I thought I had a Pat answer to this, but I’m wrong by a factor of two. You can Bill me for it. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/15 "2007-07-10T20:48:55Z")
[QUOTE=Smitty] 3. Government. a form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature, but not yet enacted or passed and made law. [/QUOTE] This annoys me because my party’s critic for LGBT rights is named Bill, so I have to constantly fish for circumlocutions to avoid saying “Bill’s bill” (e.g. “the draft legislation proposed by Mr. Siksay”). ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-given-name-has-the-most-non-name-meanings/411236/16 "2007-07-10T21:56:40Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] Can we include homonyms to the name? If so, then “Matt.” [/QUOTE] If homophones are allowed then I think Rose wins IIRC rose/roes/rows is the homophone with the greatest number of meanings