# Where'd you get your name?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 1, 2001, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775 "2001-02-01T22:20:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@RocknRoll\_Killing\_Machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RocknRoll_Killing_Machine)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/21 "2001-02-02T10:18:54Z")
It’s the last name of the vocalist for the band AFI.
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### Author:  [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/22 "2001-02-02T11:13:10Z")
WAAAAY back in High School, I was competing with a friend for “oddness” in a speech class. I began addressing myself as “Overlord of Earth” to begin each speech (I’m an egotistical fuck). Someone pointed out that I wasn’t the OFFICIAL “Overlord of Earth”, so I changed it to “ **S** elf **P** roclaimed **O** verlord **of** **E** arth”. SPOOFE was born.
A few years later, I was filling out an Internet survey. It asked for “First name”. I put in “SPOOFE”. It then asked for “Middle name” and “Last name”. I spent about five seconds thinking (maybe six seconds), and the name “Bo Diddley” popped into my head randomly. I had heard of the guy, but at that moment, I really just thought it was an odd name (I also misspelled it).
So, SPOOFE Bo Diddly was born, although I’m planning on shortening it to use my standard 'Net handle, JMSPOOFE. (My initials affixed to SPOOFE).
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### Author:  [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/23 "2001-02-02T13:10:11Z")
I mentioned this before…
Back at Univ of MD, a friend of mine and I went to sign up for WAM accounts (computer accounts). I was Spritle and he was ChimChim, both from Speed Racer (roots anime 🙂 ).
I’m tired of being Spritle, though. In fact, I’ve already put in for a name change operation; now I’m just waiting for a donor. I’m gonna change it to something that honors my Scottish heritage.
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### Author:  [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/24 "2001-02-02T13:27:51Z")
I thought Spritle and Chim-chim were **racerx** ’s boobs.
My name’s simple:
I’m a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy…
My name is Scott…
Hence…
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### Author:  [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/25 "2001-02-02T13:35:46Z")
When I was a young, strapping lad, a dwarf named Thorin dropped by with his band of compatriots. They took a gander at me and asked me to journey with them to the land of Danthe. I mentioned to them that I knew not of the Land Danthe, but I would happy to accompany them, provided they could promise food, shelter, and deep back massages from qualified healthcare professionals. Oh, and some beer. And so it was.
We walked endlessly, with those curious dwarves trying in vain to sneak a peek ay my infinite supply of High Society magazines. Since I did not wish to contribute to the delinquency of a dwarf, I hid them - but I did let them play with my whips and chains, and I watched proudly as they scurried about the forest, whipping and chaining the previously benevolent creatures, such as the perfectly evil black squirrel and the horrendously demonic chipmunk.
When we finally reached Danthe, we found it to be a land of great wealth and sin. There were bars and casinos, and everyone was naked, female, gorgeous, and hot to trot. The dwarves and I made camp there for many a fortnight.
One evening, I was in my suite of rooms at one particularly lecherous casino, enjoying the welcome company of not fewer than five of the locals. My dwarf companions suddenly burst into the room prematurely and, noting the variety and plurality of the guests in my suite, proclaimed, “You the man!”
And so it was. I became Dantheman.
🙂
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### Author:  [@Eohippus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eohippus)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/26 "2001-02-02T13:47:59Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by iampunha \*
> \*\*punha is what I called my Paddington bear. For whatever reason, punha has been my main online SN for a while. when I got my new email account, punha was taken, so I used iampunha (I am punha). Ergo, iampunha for the sdmb. \*\*
I always thought your name meant, I AM PUN (ha), as in "I am a pun, (laughs). I figured, what with the othe pun names like Sofa King, etc., it made sense, but whadda I know.
Mine means “Dawn horse”, one of those little dog-sized precursor of Equus, just because I love horsies.
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### Author:  [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/27 "2001-02-02T13:57:13Z")
One bit me.
And on nights when the moon is full, listen for the sound of fluttering wings near your head…
'Cause it won’t be me. Owls fly silently.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/28 "2001-02-02T14:04:50Z")
I’ve explained it before, but in case you dropped in since then —
“Cal Meacham” is the name of the lead character in a series of science fiction stories written in the 1940s and 1950s by Raymond F. Jones. They were eventually collected into a book entitled “This Island Earth”, which was printed once in hardcover, then disappeared until recently. You can now get it in paperback.
About 1955 TIE was made into a big-budget science fiction movie with beefy, deep-voiced Rex Reason playing Cal Meacham. He’s cool. He’s a way-brainy scientist who can fly a jet and beat up bad guys. Lady scientists fall for him. I only WISH I looked and sounded like him.
Unfortunately, when they made the movie they performed a total lobotomy on the book. (“Don’t judge a book by its movie” I once read on a button). They rightly torpedoed it for “MST3K – the Movie”, although they didn’t do it enough. The opening section of the original film, where they reconstruct the Interociter, is true to the letter of the book, but they managed to suck all the life out of it (In the book, they did NOT give Cal the blueprint or the schematic. He had to dope out the structure from catalog descriptions of the parts. And he had to rebuild one of the parts that broke by himself – it really was a test of his capabilities).
So that’s it – I took the name of a scientist-hero who was played by a beefy hunk in the movie. I wouldv’e taken “Clayton Forrester” (the name they slapped on the hero in George Pal’s “War of the Worlds” – Weels never named the hero), but MST3K beat me to it.
Besides, Rex Reason beats Gene Barry any day.
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### Author:  [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/29 "2001-02-02T14:21:55Z")
Astronomy hobbyist here. Phobos is the coolest sounding moon name that also works as a male’s username. A planet’s name would be too pretentious (except for Pluto of course 🙂 ). A star’s name would be too obscure.
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### Author:  [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/30 "2001-02-02T14:53:46Z")
I have another unimaginative one…C.C.C. are my initials.
My first name’s Claudia, if you’d rather call me that! That’s what I use on the FFF as my user name.
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### Author:  [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/31 "2001-02-02T15:09:55Z")
Brace yourself for a fascinatin’ story. . .
On one of Lenny Bruce’s old albums, he does a bit in which a drunk in a bar threatens to give some guy “the old zippo-bang” if he doesn’t stop looking at him.
In college I used to threaten people with “the old zippo-bang” when we were horsing around. (Sort of like Ralph Kramden’s “To the moon, Alice!”) Because of that somebody started calling me Zippo and it sort of stuck.
When I got online in the mid '90s, I used Zippo as my first AOL handle. After awhile I got sick of people asking me about lighters, so I changed it to Zappo.
Told you it was fascinatin’. . .
Regards,
Zappo
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### Author:  [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/32 "2001-02-02T15:11:06Z")
My real name is William, but I go by Bill. I have three neices (Helen, Tatiana, and Rivka) and three nephews (David, Alex, and Ezra). I am their uncle. They call me Uncle Bill. I was ingenious enough to remove the space between the two words, please hold your applause.
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### Author:  [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/33 "2001-02-02T15:21:34Z")
My name comes from the Grateful Dead song.
I also like wolves. The Dire Wolf was found in North America up until about 9000 years ago. Hey, look at me! I’m extinct!
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### Author:  [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/34 "2001-02-02T15:48:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Dire Wolf \*
> \*\*My name comes from the Grateful Dead song.
>
> I also like wolves. The Dire Wolf was found in North America up until about 9000 years ago. Hey, look at me! I’m extinct! \*\*
… long as you’re not 800 pounds of sin! 🙂
Extinct, eh? So’s the band! :: runs ::
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/35 "2001-02-02T15:51:31Z")
Figured I’d follow up **Dire Wolf’s** post with my two cents. (Hey Dire, I’m beggin ya, _please_ don’t murder me!) My name is lifted from the Rhythm Devils, one facet of the Dead family experience. I’ve been studying the _djembe_ at one of Mamady Keita’s schools for a bit, and consider myself blessed by regular dreams centered around my drum. Not that I can translate the soundtrack to my dreams to reality, of course, but they do serve for pleasant mornings. So, mix equal parts Deadhead and percussionist and viola - Rhythmdvl!
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### Author:  [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/36 "2001-02-02T15:57:18Z")
Mine is the title of a Dead Milkmen album.
Perhaps interesting: Name origins that I got wrong:
Dire Wolf: I figured the DW in the Mech Warrior game
iampunha: Here’s true ignorance! I thought this was some obscure reptile. I do not know why I thought this. Perhaps I’ve been hit in the head one too many times.
Name origins I got right (AMAZING):
ChiefScott
TruePisces
Thank you, thank you one and all.
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### Author:  [@Lodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodi)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/37 "2001-02-02T15:58:55Z")
I got mine from the CCR song of the same name.
On another board I frequent the name Lodi was already taken so I added in the dashes and I liked the way it looked so it stuck.
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### Author:  [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/38 "2001-02-02T16:30:15Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Beelzebubba \*
> \*\*Name origins I got right (AMAZING):
>
> TruePisces\*\*
Glad I’m so transparent! 😉
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### Author:  [@racerx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racerx)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/39 "2001-02-02T16:40:09Z")
Like spritle, my name comes from Speed Racer. I used to watch it as a kid, (still watch it) and it was the first anime I was ever exposed to and I rather liked it. Racer X is the mysterious character that often saves Speed’s butt.
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### Author:  [@Bubble\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bubble_Girl)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whered-you-get-your-name/52775/40 "2001-02-02T16:54:22Z")
Mine is just another way of spelling my real name. I bet no one figured that out. 😃
[sub]Yes I know I’m boring.[/sub]
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