In the mid 1980s, my parents knew someone who had a son, and my dad replied, “What did they name him - Justin, Ryan, or Kyle?”
It’s also possible that her name is actually something perfectly ordinary, and “Moxie Crimefighter” is an alias he uses publicly.
Argentinian comic strip Mafalda (which any of you who can read Spanish should go buy out right now, you can get the full compilation of the 10 years or any of the selections) includes a character called Libertad: “Liberty” or “Freedom”.
This pagehas the strips in a random order. The one where Mafalda and Libertadmeet is the fifth, for some reason.
“Hello! Wow, you’re so tiny! What’s your name?”
“Libertad”
Stunned silence.
“Did you think something stupid? Everybody has to come up with some stupid notion when they meet me!”
Speaking from both my and my wife’s personal experience, nothing makes you want to give your kids a “normal” name faster than having an unusual or oddly spelled name yourself. I am yet to meet the kid that wants a unique or difficult to spell name, and the lifetime of reflexive spelling out of your name that ensues for the rest of your life. I have literally watched people mistype my name as I’m spelling it out to them. All you’re doing by torturing phonetics is to make your kids sigh inwardly every time they have to give their name to someone.
My first name is very similar to a very famous person’s last name, which is itself fairly uncommon. I’ve heard 'em all, and I’m well over it.
What do you all think of Madison as a girl’s name?
How about Leslie as a girl’s name?
Both fairly ridiculous, neh?
Which reminds me: Kevin Smith named his daughter Harley Quinn, after the Joker’s girlfriend.
At least it’s not hard to pronounce.
Watching Splash is fairly amusing these days for that joke. It does, however, have the benefit of being a regular spelling of something that is already a name.
While I realize the Onion page is a joke, it’s mainly just East Asians who give their kids standard English names. Indian parents tend to give their kids ethnic Indian names, in my experience.
I had a college roommate (male) whose given name was Kimbrough Leslie. He went by Kim. Until he started getting mail addressed to Miss Kim Leslie. At which point he listed all of his correspondence as Kimbrough At which point he started getting mail addressed to Miss Leslie Kimbrough.
Anybody ever hear of Frank Zappa’s daughter?
Let us not ignore Jason Lee and Beth Riesgraf’s son Pilot Inspektor.
mmm
Which one, Moon Unit or Diva Muffin?
Wasn’t she in Duran Duran?
I know that one. My first name is more common as a last name. And my last name is a common female first name. So I’ve definitely gotten addressed incorrectly occasionally.
The most embarrassing situation was when they actually got it right, and there was a girl with my name reversed, and I just assumed they got mixed up. So I thought I had made the tryouts for a chamber choir, when I hadn’t.
The funniest is when I applied for college and got their scholarship, and wound up being put into a giri’s dorm. Still to this day I wish I would not have said anything and just showed up, just to have the experience. Instead, I told them, but, by the time that happened, all the other dorms were filled and I had to get put up at a hotel. I didn’t have a car, so I had to ride a school van back and forth. It made it hard to schedule things, and I wound up losing some belongings that the hotel staff stole.
Still, none of this to me is such a big deal that I dislike my name. I love my name. And I would give my kids a unique name, too. I would, however, make sure it’s one that can be pronounced easily, and would not pick one that sounds “silly.” I would also let my kid change their name if it ever became an actual problem.
Having read all 175 replies to the OP I must say I’m amazed no one has pointed out that this is most definitely NOT an urban legend.
Jasmine, not only did Frank Zappa name his oldest daughter Moon Unit, he is survived by three other children named Dweezil, Diva and Ahmet.
This. My first name is not unusual in any sense, but it’s certainly not common, either. And there are 3 accepted spellings; each form seems to be as popular as the other two. I can’t tell you how many times, when asked for my name, either in person or over the phone, I’ve said “My first name is FIRSTNAME, F-I-R-S-T-N-A-M-E”. And then invariably I’m asked to spell it again.
At least three of us have pointed out that this is not an urban legend.
Well, since he has the lowest interception % of any QB in NFL history, it doesn’t make it THAT fun.