We've all laughed at the names that have been circulating around for ages.
Everyone's heard of the farmer named Hogg who named his daughters Ima, Ura and Shesa.
I knew someone named Sonny Weathers. His sisters were Stormi and Wendi. I also knew a Don Key and a Ferris Wheeling.
And back in the dark ages of the internet, I invented Harry A.Ness so I could leave comments anonymously in a couple places. Pretty sure Harry still has a Pinterest account, too.
I'll NEVER forget driving past the local gynecology office in Temecula, California. The doctor's name was W.D. Kuntz. (Eric always said the 'W D' stood for 'we do'.) I commented to a friend one afternoon, "Oh my god! I would change my name!"
Her reply?
"Maybe he did."
But this woman ought to be slapped upside the head.
Not only did she name her child Abcde... yep, A-B-C-D-E, she's offended because someone thought it was a funny name. I agree that it's unprofessional of the airline clerk to have taken and published photos of the boarding pass or to have said anything in front of the child or her mother, but I'm willing to bet that many other people have already laughed at that child's name. And will continue to do so until the child changes her name or grows up with Chuck Norris fighting skills and pounds the crap out of anyone who dares laugh in the future.
I was careful about the names I chose for my kids. I didn't want their first names to be after anyone in the family (not that I don't like my family, but I wanted them to be their own person) and I didn't want people to laugh at their names, either.
My friend Kathy Shelton, who lived across the street from me when we were both newlyweds, named her son Steven. Drove her nuts that her brother in law called him "Steve-O".
So when her daughter was born four years later, she wanted a name that no one would turn into a nickname. She named her Amber. Within 10 minutes of bringing her little girl home, Stevie was calling her 'Amberger'.
So what's the funniest name you've ever heard or read?
Who hasn't heard of the Hogg family? I would change my name in a heartbeat as soon as I could. When I worked for a pediatric dentist, we had one family ~ well, actually two women, one currently married to Michael and one previously married to Michael who named all of the boys Michael. I think there were 4 of them. The only difference was their middle names. I thought that was one of the most selfish things I'd ever heard. But I have to say, ABCDE is awful. Poor kid.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to name my first son Jacob, but my ex wouldn't hear of it, thought it was too biblical. So, we named him something then that wasn't common at all, but is all over the place now. When he was 19 he asked me why we gave him such a common name ~ sometimes you just can't win.
Apparently 'Abcde' is pronounced Absiddy.
DeleteWhich is stupid, but not as stupid as it could be. Why the hell didn't she spell it that way? Ugh.
I can't imagine naming all my kids the same name, though. Stupid.
Tell your son he can change his name, he's an adult now. :)
I named my kids Matthew and Alyssa, they go by Matt and Lyssa now, though.
Back in the day when there was a thing for naming girls with real girls' names with "La" added at the beginning (LaWanda, LaToya, etc.), I did see the case of an actual person named LaTrina. I assume her parents just didn't know. I also assume she strangled them after discovering just how dreadful a name they'd saddled her with.
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty awful.
DeleteOnce in awhile I get a child either in my program or one in which I'm guest-teaching and I am stunned at how awful the child's name is. WHY do that to your kid??
Nurse I knew said a woman named her daughter "Placenta" after overhearing the doctor using that word. Said the mother thought it was pretty. The names was changed to something more appropriate after the nurse did some educational conversation.
ReplyDelete::sigh::
DeleteI heard about that woman who named her kid that and then got offended when someone made fun of her. ugh.
ReplyDeleteI used to get called Rapunzel because of my long hair. I got called Mary Had a Little Lamb. And I got called Captain Kirk, because of my last name.
It's like a... national childhood law that people have to make fun of other kids' names.
DeleteMy dad was an elementary teacher. His last name is Dunn. And in the years before caller ID, kids would call our house. He'd answer the phone,they'd say, "Are you Dunn?" When he'd answer in the affirmative, they'd laugh and say, "Then you'd better wipe!!"
Sometimes they didn't wait to laugh,though. They were laughing through the entire call.
Used to be a urologist in our area that did vasectomies. He actually did my dad's. His name? Dr. Stopp. Eventually, he did.
ReplyDeleteYou made me remember one. My grandma's urologist was Dr. Winkleman. Guess it's better than 'Winkieman'. Hahaha.
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