Monday, March 30, 2009

Monday, March 02, 2009

Traditional names are 'dying out'

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/7556228.stm

Published: 2008/08/13 09:39:49 GMT

Some traditional names such as Edna and Norman are in danger of dying out in England and Wales, research suggests.

Gurgle.com studied the most popular names of 1907 with those that have made the grade over the past five years.

In 1907, 1,048 babies were named Gertrude but none were in 2005. Baby Normans declined from 1,991 to two.

Many babies are named after celebrities or given made-up names now, rather than being given relatives' ones, as often happened in the past, Gurgle.com said.

The two Normans named in 2005 were in Shropshire and Tyne and Wear.

GIRLS' NAMES OUT OF FAVOUR

Gertrude
Edna
Ethel
Irene
Ada
Norah
Olive
Richard, which was the most popular name 200 years ago, has also declined.

A total of 4,671 babies were named Richard in 1807, but the number fell to 2,289 in 1907 and 538 in 2005.

However, the researchers for the social networking site did find that names such as Thomas, Jack and William have remained in vogue for 200 years.

The survey also suggests a royal connection has kept names such as Elizabeth, Philip and Charles consistently popular over the past 100 years.

It also found that some names which have lost popularity have been replaced by something similar, with Olivia replacing Olive as a popular name.

BOYS' NAMES OUT OF FAVOUR

Norman
Walter
Percy
Harold
Ernest
Herbert
Clifford
Similarly, Lily has become a modern-day Lilian and Alfred has become Alfie.

Sarah Stone, editor of Gurgle.com, said: "Not so long ago it seems we all knew a Great Uncle Harold or Aunty Irene, but sadly it seems these names could soon be lost forever.

"It is clear that modern parents are increasingly being influenced by fashions and celebrity. However we also need to remember that there are now more choices available."

The Office for National Statistics says the most popular baby names last year were Jack, Thomas and Oliver for boys and Grace, Ruby and Olivia for girls.


© BBC MMIX

'Most unfortunate names' revealed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7909561.stm
Page last updated at 18:04 GMT, Wednesday, 25 February 2009

Imagine growing up as Annette Curtain or Tim Burr
What do you call some of the most unlucky people in Britain?

Justin Case, Barb Dwyer and Stan Still.

It sounds like a bad joke, but a study has revealed that there really are unfortunate people with those names in the UK.

Joining them on the list are Terry Bull, Paige Turner, Mary Christmas and Anna Sasin.

And just imagine having to introduce yourself to a crowd as Doug Hole or Hazel Nutt.

The names were uncovered by researchers from parenting group TheBabyWebsite.com after trawling through online telephone records.

Retired airman Stan Still, 76, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, said his name had been "a blooming millstone around my neck my entire life".

"When I was in the RAF my commanding officer used to shout, 'Stan Still, get a move on' and roll about laughing," he said.

"It got hugely boring after a while."

But 51-year-old Rose Bush, from Coventry, West Midlands, said she loved her name. MORE UNFORTUNATE NAMES
Pearl Button
Jo King
Barry Cade
Carrie Oakey
Priti Manek
Tim Burr

"I always get comments about it but they are always very positive," she said.

Implications

Researchers also scoured phone records in the US and found some unlikely names there too.

Spare a thought for Anna Prentice, Annette Curtain and Bill Board the next time you sign your name.

A string of Americans also have very job-specific names, including Dr Leslie Doctor, Dr Thoulton Surgeon and Les Plack - a dentist in San Francisco.

A spokesman for TheBabyWebsite.com said: "When the parents of some of those people mentioned named their children, many probably didn't even realise the implications at the time.

"Parents really do need to think carefully though when choosing names for their children.

"Their name will be with them for life and what may be quirky and fun for a toddler might be regretted terribly when that person becomes older or even a grandparent perhaps."


Below are a selection of your comments.

I was named Simon Swindells at birth. It caused no end of ridicule throughout my childhood and teens and I changed my first name by deed poll shortly after turning 18 and changed the surname a few years later.

I found it difficult to be taken seriously when meeting people (socially and professionally when applying for jobs etc) as they laughed out loud when hearing the name.
Chrys Hudson Lee, Brighton

My name is the same as the actor who played the third Doctor Who. Growing up wasn't so bad, I used to get called all sorts, but because Doctor Who was seen as "cool" the nicknames were always positive.

But when he moved on and became Worzel Gummidge, the school taunts became crueller. I was constantly asked if I had an Aunt Sally, asked by teachers if I had the stupid head on today etc.

In my 20s, people still recognised the name, and when the actor passed away, I got several phone calls to see if I was still alive.
Jon Pertwee, Sion, Switzerland

This is a common name in Belgium and France but when I was living in UK it was quite weird, because people were always talking about Richard the Third and I had no clue of what they were talking about. I just realised some time later on.

Furthermore in France, one of my colleagues has double nationality (British and French) and his name is Olivier Moron (French origins). Once again in French, no problem at all... but in English
Richard Six, Paris, France (but I'm Belgian)

Mine tops the lot. Think about it.
Jenny Taylor, Kendal

Well, years of ruthless teasing have given way to slightly kinder comments along the lines of "what a great name". I just wish I had a decent answer to the question: "What were your parents thinking?"
Daisy Picking, London

My father, whose name was Albert Hall, had a lot to answer for when he named my brother Jim. Jim took a pounding whenever PE came round at school.

You'd have thought the "Royal" Albert would have been a bit more circumspect in his choice of name for his offspring!
David Hall, Cardross, Scotland

My cousins called their daughter Esther Munday, it has always made me chuckle.
Terry Withington, Hinckley, England

This article has put a big smile on many of my colleagues, friends and client's faces today. You would not believe how many times I have been e-mailed with links to your website.

I personally love my name as it makes people laugh and at least no-one will forget it! I'd never consider it unfortunate, it's just funny.
Jo King, London

My name was Susan Frame. I am a lawyer. I met and married Robert who is a banker. His surname is Mee. Now we are Sue Mee, a lawyer, and Rob Mee, a banker - ironic? I have taken no end of stick for this, believe me.
Susan Mee, Doncaster

My name being Andrew Burke, a lot of letters I get are to A Burke.
Andrew Burke, Aldershot, UK

When I lived near Aberystwyth, 20 years ago, I had a lovely neighbour called Ivy Plant. If she's still alive, or anyone knows of her whereabouts, I'd appreciate an address or any news of her.
John McCullough, Ballymena, Antrim

Unfortunately your name doesn't have to have a double meaning to be found continually amusing to others. However, I have found the benefit in adult life is that it is always noticed and remembered and is therefore a great networking "tool".
Bill Badger, Romford, Essex

A chap who preceded me as student's union president at Imperial in London changed his name to Sidney Harbour-Bridge for a year for charity. After the year he decided to keep it as he found it an asset in business... I'd love to hear if he has the moniker after nearly 20 years!
Chris Davidson, Market Bosworth

Hi, my mum was Hazel Nutt. Her maiden name was Morrison and she married my father, Peter Nutt. I watched her write out a cheque once with the checkout girl grinning, but my mum was definitely hiding a grin too. I think she loved it.
Donald Nutt, Dundee

My name is ok, but I have a 14-year-old niece called Lotte Flack. Luckily for her she lives in Germany so she is blissfully unaware of the implications. So far.
Eliot Flack-Hill, Hove, East Sussex

Doesn't sound bad but when people start chanting merrily, merrily, merrily it becomes tedious. Should have kept my maiden name.
Mary Lee, Pinner, Middlesex

I've always said that if my partner (a Button) and I had a baby girl we'd call her Pearl. With the fringe benefit that I'd get to call myself mother-of-Pearl Button.
Katie, St Albans, Hertfordshire

At the turn of the last century it was common to give girls the names of flowers, hence my Nan and her sisters who were called Ivy, Daisy and Rose. It's a shame their maiden name was Roots. My father, on the other hand, has a sister called June, which goes so well with our family name, don't you think?
Kevin May, Kent

I went to school with a Penny Bunn and my cousin always said she would call her daughter her favourite girl's name, Dawn, until she married a Mr Hobbs.
Delia Wyers, Burton-on-Trent

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Your... name

Here's a list of all the "find your ___ name" things that I've found... WARNING: some of them are kind of offensive (Terrorist name? Come on!) I've filled in the blanks with my own answers, though most of them don't work too well!


  1. ACTION HERO NAME: (first name of a main character in the last movie you watched, last food you ate)
    Lou Toast

  2. BARFLY NAME:(last snack food you ate + your favorite drink)
    Cookie Cranberry

  3. BLUES NAME: (disability + city you were born in + last name of the person on the currency in your pocket)
    Retarded Syracuse Washington

  4. CARTOON NAME (your favorite fruit + add "ie" or "y", and an article of clothing you’re wearing right now)
    Pomegranatey Pajamas

    1. CARTOON VARIATION (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")
      Pomegranate Pajamasie

  5. CRIMINAL NAME: (name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy bar)-- this is the same as the Stripper Name-- do criminals and strippers have similar names?
    Jasmine Mars

  6. DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
    Orange Wombat

    1. DETECTIVE VARIATION: (favorite animal, favorite color)
      Wombat Orange

    2. DETECTIVE VARIATION 2: (favorite animal, name of high school)
      Wombat Cortland
    3. DETECTIVE VARIATION 3: (favorite color, favorite insect)
      Orange Firefly

  7. DRAG QUEEN NAME: (first pet + mother's maiden name)
    Emmett Schoenfeld

  8. EASTERN NAME (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, last letter of your moms middle name)
    Oricaaa

  9. EMO BAND NAME: (first word in the top banner ad above, city of the away team of the last major sporting event you went to/remember)
    This Sky

  10. EXOTIC FOREIGNER ALIAS: (favorite spice + last vacation spot visited)
    Cilantro Penobscot

  11. FASHION DESIGNER NAME: (first word you see on your left + favorite restaurant)
    One Tu y To

  12. GAMER TAG: (a favorite color, a favorite animal)
    Orange Rat

  13. GHETTO NAME: (first 2 or 3 letters of your first name, -Shawn/Quan/Quita/Niqua, last name of whatever President or Prime Minister is on the currency you have in your pocket)
    Noquita Jefferson

  14. GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
    Norizzle

    1. GANGSTA NAME VARIATION: (first 4 letters of real name plus izzle)
      Noraizzle

    2. GANGSTA VARIATION 2:( fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
      Big Dig Oatmeal Raisin

    3. GANGSTA VARIATION 3: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe)
      Big Dig Slippers

    4. GANGASTA VARIATION 4: (favorite beer + favorite car)
      Negra Modelo Fiat

  15. GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
    Black Morrissey

  16. HIPPIE NAME: (what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
    Toast Willow

  17. ICON ALIAS: (something sweet within sight + any liquid in the kitchen)
    Raisin Vodka

  18. IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your last name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms first name)
    Orbclaa

  19. MOB NAME (Dad's name, favorite Italian restaurant)
    Bill Regina

    1. MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your Mum's side, your favorite candy)
      Evelyn Reese

    2. MOVIE STAR VAR 1: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, favorite candy)
      Frances Reese

    3. MOVIE STAR VAR 2: (favorite snack food + grandfather's first name)
      Doritos Sidney

    4. MOVIE STAR VAR 3: (first pet’s name + Favorite teacher’s name)
      Emmett Levine

  20. NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
    Sidney Bill

  21. NATIVE AMERICAN NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
    Orange Wombat

    1. NATIVE AMERICAN VARIATION: (last action you did + favorite animal)
      Typing Wombat

  22. NEWSCASTER NAME (your middle name, moms maiden name)
    Hinman Schoenwald

  23. OPPOSITE SEX NAME: (name of [opposite sex] friend + phone company you use):
    Justin Sprint

    1. OPPOSITE SEX VAR: (name of dad/mom, cell phone company you use)
      Bill Sprint


  24. PORN NAME: (1st pet, a street you grew up on)
    Pequeño Seneca

    1. PORN VARIATION: (first pet and current street name)
      Pequeño Verdun

    2. PORN VARIATION 2: (middle name, father's middle initial, street you grew up on)
      Hinman T. Randall

    3. PORN VARIATION 3: (current pet's name, street you grew up on)
      Morrissey Seneca

  25. RAP or FLY GIRL/GUY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
    No-ch

    1. RAP or FLY GIRL/GUY VAR: (1st Initial of 1st name, 1st 2 or 3 letters of middle name)
      N-hin

  26. ROCK STAR NAME:(current pets name, current street name)
    Jarvis Verdun

    1. ROCK STAR VARIATION (your first pet & current car)
      Pequeño Civic

    2. ROCK STAR VARIATION 2:(friend's middle name, street you grew up on)
      Kerr Randall

    3. ROCK STAR VARIATION 3: (first pet and color of your walls)
      Emmett Off-White

    4. ROCK STAR VARIATION 4: (favorite candy/dessert + favorite musician's last name)
      Rhubarb Pie Adamson

  27. ROCKSTAR TOUR:("The” + Your fave hobby/craft, your fave weather element + the word “Tour”)
    The Onomastics Rain Tour

  28. SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, county where you were born)
    Hinman Onondaga

    1. SOAP OPERA VARIATION:(middle name, city where you were born)
      Hinman Syracuse

    2. SOAP OPERA VARIATION 2:(middle name, and childhood street)
      Hinman Seneca

    3. SOAP OPERA VARIATION 3: (middle name & city where you live)
      Hinman Cambridge

    4. SOAP OPERA VARIATION 4: (middle name + the street you live on)
      Hinman Verdun

    5. SOAP OPERA VARIATION 5: (favorite grandmother’s/grandfather’s name, city where you were born)
      Evelyn Syracuse

  29. SOCIALITE NAME; (silliest childhood nickname + first town where you partied):
    Greeny New Rochelle

  30. SPORTS NICKNAME (Favorite car maker, second favorite animal, and "The")
    The Fiat Hedgehog

  31. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday to your favorite flower)
    Autumn Violet

    1. SPY VARIATION: (middle name and current street name)
      Hinman Verdun

  32. STAR WARS NAME:(the 1st 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
    Burno

    1. STAR WARS VARIATION:(the 1st 2 letters of last name, 1st 4 letters of 1st name)
      Bunora

    2. STAR WARS VARIATION 2: (the 1st 3 letters of last name, 1st 2 letters of 1st name, 1st 3 letters of mom's maiden name)
      Burnosch

    3. STAR WARS VARIATION 3: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom's maiden name and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in)
      Burno Scsyr

    4. STAR WARS VAR 4: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name)
      Bur Ald Mor

    5. STAR WARS VAR 5: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom's maiden name, and first 3 letters of siblings name)
      Burnoschal

    6. STAR WARS VAR 6:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of middlename and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.)
      Burno Hisyr

    7. JEDI NAME: (last name spelled backwards, your mom's first name spelled backward)
      Hcrub Arual

    8. JEDI NAME VARIATION 1: (First syllable of mothers maiden name + first syllable of city born in = Jedi last)
      Schoen Syr

    9. JEDI VARIATION 2:(middle name spelled backwards, mom's maiden name backwards)
      Namnih Dlefneohcs

  33. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume, fav candy)
    Jasmine Candy Corn

  34. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
    The Green Cranberry Juice

    1. SUPERHERO VARIATION: (2nd favorite color, favorite alcoholic drink, optionally add “THE” to the beginning)
      The Green Cuba Libre

    2. SUPERHERO VARIATION 2: ("The", your favorite color, the automobile you drive)
      The Orange Civic

    3. SUPERHERO VARIATION 3: ("The", your favorite color, favorite fruit)
      The Orange Pomegranate

    4. SUPERHERO VARIATION 4: ("The", your favorite color, the car your mom drives)
      The Orange Volvo or the Orange Beetle (stepmom is better)

    5. SUPERHERO VARIATION 5: ("The", your favorite color, the car your dad drives)
      the Orange Golf or The Orange Seville (stepdad is better!)

  35. SUPER HERO TEAM NAME (The mood you are in, number of pets you own, and add the)
    The Sleepy 3

  36. TERRORIST NAME (first name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards)
    Hanor Dlawneohcs

  37. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (your 5th grade teacher’s last name and add a major city that starts with the same letter)
    Carrier Cleveland

  38. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle names)
    Julie Tracy

    1. WITNESS VARIATION: (grandfather and grandmothers first name
      Francis Sidney

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Baby Name Fail!

fail owned pwned pictures
see more pwn and owned pictures

I'm not sure which site this screen shot was from, but I hope it doesn't inspire anyone to name a kid ESPN... at least not a girl. The other baby ESPN's out there seem to all be boys!

From MSNBC:

Parents name baby after ESPN, Joe Montana
But D'Iberville baby isn't alone — 3 were named after network last year

updated 12:05 p.m. ET, Mon., Oct. 9, 2006

BILOXI, Miss. - Leann Real promised her husband, an avid sports fan, that if they ever had a son he'd get to pick the name. ESPN Montana Real was born this week at Biloxi Regional Medical Center.

Rusty Real, of D'Iberville, chose ESPN (pronounced Espen) after the sports network and Montana after football legend Joe Montana.

Baby ESPN isn't alone.

Three others were cited in a 2005 report on tivocommunity.com about the network's 25th anniversary. They are Espn Malachi McCall in Pampa, Texas; Espn Curiel in Corpus Christi, Texas; and Espn Blondeel in Michigan.

"We were the talk of the hospital," Rusty Real said. "The nurses kept asking my wife if she was really going to let her husband name him ESPN. She said, 'Oh, yes.'"

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Ima Hogg Revealed

Whenever anyone is compiling a list of funny names, Ima Hogg usually figures prominently. Here's an article about her from the Irish Times:

Friday, December 19, 2008
An Irishman's Diary

BEAR with me while I return yet again to the subject of funny names. But the fact is that no discussion of this phenomenon would be complete without mentioning the daughter of a famous Texan lawyer and politician, James "Big Jim" Hogg, writes Frank McNally

There could be no doubting Big Jim's delight at the birth of his only female child in 1882. In a letter he wrote: "Our cup of joy is now overflowing! We have a daughter of as fine proportions and of as angelic mien as ever gracious nature [allows]..." Then, for reasons best known to himself, he christened the baby "Ima".

Cynics have suggested that Big Jim, who was running for district attorney at the time (and would later become state governor), may have calculated that subjecting the child to a lifetime of embarrassment was a price worth paying for headlines.

Indeed, years later, it became a running joke (in more ways than one) that whenever Ima and a female friend accompanied him on campaign appearances, he would claim both as daughters, and introduce the second as "Ura". This never happened, according to Ima, who remained admirably loyal to her father throughout her life.

The truth, it seems, is that, amid the distraction of their cup of joy overflowing, it had not occurred to Big Jim or his wife Sarah that there was anything untoward in the name. It was probably chosen in tribute to the child's uncle, who had written an epic poem featuring heroines called "Ima" and "Leila". By the time it occurred to anyone that, from such a short-list, Leila was the better choice, the infant's fate was sealed.

As an adult, she recalled: "My grandfather. . .lived 15 miles from Mineola and news travelled slowly. When he learned of his granddaughter's name he came trotting to town as fast as he could to protest but it was too late. The christening had taken place, and Ima I was to remain."

You would think that going through life as Ima Hogg would be a disadvantage, and to some extent it was. She usually signed herself elliptically as "Miss Hogg", and eventually invented a new middle name, "Imogene". But apart from the endless jokes, her misfortune does not seem to have held her back.

If you must be so saddled, it helps to be well off, and Ima certainly was. She was reared a lady, playing piano from the age of three and going on to study music in New York, Berlin, and Vienna, before returning to found the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Not poor to begin with, the Hoggs then discovered oil on the family farm - a windfall that, by the 1920s, set Ima on a career in philanthropy.

We mentioned in a previous column the sad case of a woman called Ima Mae Queen, named on the register of a US army psychiatric hospital. Well, Ima Hogg had mental problems too. After being treated successfully, she founded a centre for disturbed children, established the Hogg Foundation for Mental Hygiene, and became an activist for many causes, especially education.

By the early 1960s, she was being called the "First Lady of Texas", a title not begrudged her by the woman who officially qualified for it: the wife of governor John Connally.

In 1969, Ima became one of the first female members of the Academy of Texas, along with Lady Bird Johnson (the ex-president's wife) and a woman called Oveta Culp Hobby - a fact that illustrates why having a funny name is not a major handicap in the US south. After a lifetime spent in the service of others, Ima Hogg died in 1975, at the grand old age of 93.

I THANK again the many readers who continue to send their own examples of apt, inapt, or just amusing names. My sympathy goes out to more than one real-life Irish woman called Annette Curtin. But no matter how many times you've been told to pull yourself together, I suspect that's still better than having to call yourself a hog.

Animal names are a recurring theme, even outside Texas. I'm informed that there is at least one Paschal Lambe in Ireland, who must have a hard time every Easter. And Steven Butler, the curator of horticulture at Dublin Zoo, tells me that the people interviewed for his equivalent job in Chester Zoo included a "Pett", a "Bird", a "Wren", a "Mole", and a "Sparrow". The sparrow won.

Thanks to several readers for pointing out the happy fact that Birdwatch Ireland has a staff member called Niall Hatch; and that, better still, he's the development officer.

But back to the pork sector, as it were, and to that apocryphal joke about Big Jim Hogg pretending to have a second daughter called "Ura". You might think such a name could never happen in real life. And you would be wrong.

Old US census records include numerous references to a similar but even less poetic surname, "Pigg". But as if that were not enough to pass on, several proud parents felt the need to add unusual forenames. The birth of one "Della O.U. Pigg" is recorded in Tennessee circa 1873. In 1900, we also find a "Ure O. Pigg" in Oklahoma. And the train of thought reached its logical conclusion in 1928, also in Oklahoma, with the christening of one "Ure Alton Pigg" or "Ure A. Pigg" for short.

We know nothing more about this unfortunate person. It must be presumed that his or her family did not strike oil.

Peruvian Jesus born to Virgin Mary on Christmas

Mon Dec 29, 2008 10:02am EST
LIMA (Reuters)
- Virgin Mary, a 20-year-old Peruvian woman, gave birth to a baby boy on Christmas day and named him Jesus, Peru's state news agency said on Friday.

The baby's father, Adolfo Jorge Huamani, 24, is a carpenter. Religious Peruvians compared him to Joseph the Carpenter in the Bible.

"Two thousand years later the story of Bethlehem is relived," read the headline about the birth in El Comercio, the main newspaper in Peru, a predominantly Catholic country.

The mother, Virgen Maria Huarcaya, delivered the 7.7 pound (3.5 kg) boy, Jesus Emanuel, in the early hours of Christmas at the central maternity hospital in Lima, the capital.

"A few days ago we had decided to name my son after a professional soccer player," the father said. "But thanks to a happy coincidence this is how things ended up."

(Reporting by Terry Wade; Editing by Vicki Allen)