# Why do Americans have aristocratic names? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651 "2007-05-11T04:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/61 "2007-05-13T08:27:17Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] One thing to keep in mind, though, is that on the Continent the lower ranks of the nobility usually included people whose analogues in Britain would be merely knights or even **‘squires’** and the like. [/QUOTE] Okay, I normally don’t do the “I thought that said…” posts, but this one I have to share. I first read the bolded word as “squares.” Which led to the image of one of the gentry ordering a beatnik/hippie-looking peasant off his land, who says, “Hey, you can’t, like, **own** property, man!” ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/62 "2007-05-13T15:09:41Z")
I remember reading somewhere that in the late 1940’s-early1960’s, African-Americans were always called by their first name, never using the honorific…a “white” Sam Jones was “Mr Jones”, while an African-Am was always called “Sam”. In response, there were many African-Am moms who named their sons “Mister”. How sad. ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/63 "2007-05-13T16:19:53Z")
[QUOTE=LSLGuy] Going back to the sub-topic of Don Trump’s kid Barron, one of the earlier famous “Barrons” in the US was Barron Hilton, the guy who started the hotel compnay & made it real big about 50-75 years ago. Given that Trump is also at least a little in the hotel & corporate empire building business, the connection seems obvious. [/QUOTE] Actually Conrad Hilton founded the chain. Baron was his son. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/64 "2007-05-14T04:04:47Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] There was also a former Miss Black America, Von Gretchen Shepard. She went on to become a member of the Peter Jacques Band. [/QUOTE] Wow, how I could I have forgotten a fellow from my highschool… Von Cletus Moore. _Von Cletus_. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/65 "2007-05-14T14:09:46Z")
[QUOTE=1010011010] Wow, how I could I have forgotten a fellow from my highschool… Von Cletus Moore. _Von Cletus_. [/QUOTE] Wouldn’t that just be an alternative spelling for “Vaughan”? ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/66 "2007-05-14T15:57:45Z")
[QUOTE=1010011010] Wow, how I could I have forgotten a fellow from my highschool… Von Cletus Moore. _Von Cletus_. [/QUOTE] Oh my. I forgot to mention that I’ve always loved the uniqueness of the name Von Gretchen Shepard (so much that it came instantly to mind). Von Cletus, not so much. A little (no, a lot) off track is another unique name that I love for some reason; my female cousin’s name – Johnny Elaine. ---
**Author:** ![m1k3g](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@m1k3g](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/m1k3g)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/67 "2007-05-14T17:59:35Z")
A friend of my wife has the name Mi’Lady, which prompted me to ask whether her husbands name might be ‘Mi’Lord’ ?? Turns out she’s from someplace in South America and it’s not spelled that way - more similar to ‘Melody’ in the American pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![m1k3g](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@m1k3g](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/m1k3g)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/68 "2007-05-14T18:00:58Z")
Also, my 2 sisters go by fairly unusual names - George & Jo. -Georgina & Josephine. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/69 "2007-05-14T18:20:39Z")
I used to date a Serafin who went by Serf—better than Sara, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/70 "2007-05-14T18:58:05Z")
[QUOTE=11811] OTOH, Chyna (sp?) Kantner would have been named “god” if her parents (Paul Kantner and Grace Slick) had not been forbidden the option. [/QUOTE] They could have called her Godfreya. God for short. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/71 "2007-05-14T19:04:45Z")
[QUOTE=phil417] I remember reading somewhere that in the late 1940’s-early1960’s, African-Americans were always called by their first name, never using the honorific..a “white” Sam Jones was “Mr Jones”, while an African-Am was always called “Sam”. In response, there were many African-Am moms who named their sons “Mister”. How sad. [/QUOTE] Which is also a pretty good reason to never refer to a black male as “boy.” I grok the idea behind people naming their children in response to such things. Incidentally, it, for some reason, is a pretty common southern tradition to call black women (or any elder lady, really) Miss Whatever-her-first-name-is. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/72 "2007-05-14T19:50:12Z")
Heck, even not so elderly ladies. I’m “Miss TroubleAgain” to a whole lot of kids and a few adults. Usually the adults do it out of affection, though, rather than a serious form of address. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/73 "2007-05-15T22:21:33Z")
Damn. I just spoke to the Baron in our office who inspired this thread, and … he has no idea why he was called that. His parents won’t tell him. ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651/74 "2007-05-16T18:51:58Z")
There was an actor who did a lot of TV work in the 70s named [Squire Fridell](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0294881/). He was in a show with Tony Roberts called “Rosetti and Ryan” which I think lasted less than a season, but I really liked it. I am remembering that his full name is Squire Franklin Fridell III but I can’t find confirmation of that anywhere, but I can’t imagine I made it up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-have-aristocratic-names/403651.md?page=3)