Unusual first names: why?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

This question has been troubling me for a long time - why do so many Americans born in the last 25 years or so have such unusual first names, usually totally made up as well? And why are so many of them quasi-French sounding (Shanette, LaWandelle etc) or Scientologist-sounding (Artron, Skylar)? It's not like these names are 'ethnic' because they never previously existed anywhere. Also, it must be a drag having to spell it out for every single person who asks. I am genuinely very curious about how this trend began and where these Scrabble names come from.

― dave q, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Whatever happened to that couple who wanted to sell their baby's name to a company ?

― nathalie, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

shanette?la wandelle? surely more 80's porno star than french . is there such a thing as non ethnic name? ; ) maybe this quest for original names started in hippy era but I think tv serials and soap operas did bigger damages.

― francesco, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nathalie: nobody bought it due to the obvious risk factor (i.e. what if Adidas Smith was a mal-coordinated lard-arse?), so they ended up calling it Zane.

― Tom, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Did I already ask somewhere on IL* abt the Japanese couple who were stopped by Japlaw fr.calling their child SATAN'S FUZZBALL (or summink like that: and obv not in English: what exactly, does anyone remember?)

Also what is world's most common name?

― mark s, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Adidas Smith would be a wicked name if your middle name was Stan.

― Greg, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah, I'd hate to be cursed with an unusual name. :)

Umm ... you know, on the Shanette and LaWandelle and LaQueesha end, you realize these are mainly part of the general attempt for African- Americans to develop a unique culture? They're right up there with the celebration of Kwanzaa as a semi-invented culture, which, let's face it, makes sense, even if it looks really embarrassing from the outside. Hence so many of those names having Muslim or African overtones: Rasheed, Kenyatta, etc.

I've never met an Artron, so I can't comment on that. The porn-y trend seems to involve people trying to come up with dignified peer- ish sounding names for their kids and failing miserably. I was in a bookstore last month and saw a mother calling after a 4-year-old girl named "Madison," and I was tempted to ask her whether she planned for her daughter to make her living naked.

― Nitsuh, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The most common name is Mohammed; I believe.

― Kris, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That's enough about unusual first names.

― Marcello Carlin, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The number of weird Hollywood women names that popped up in the 80s always intrigued me: Demi, Meryl, Sigourney, Whoopi, Daryl. What's the deal with all that?

― Nick, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Just a hunch, their parents? ;-)

― nathalie, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Let's see. Sigourney is easy; it's a character from The Great Gatsby, obscure auntie of fleeting appearance which the young Susan Weaver appropriated for herself. Daryl Hannah is officially the poshest person of any gender called that (hippy parents). Meryl also posh. Whoopi and Duh-MEE made theirs up.

― suzy, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Demi = short for "soon and inevitably to be an AcaDEMI Award Winner"

― mark s, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And pigs might just fly out of my arse.

― suzy, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My name is unusual and I like it. Although its not quasi-french or scientologist-sounding, its still unusual for a name. It's like having two different coloured eyes, or belonging to an exclusive club. The only bad thing is having people rudely say "what?" when you introduce yourself, but who cares about rude people anyway? I think my name is pretty, and I enjoy signing it.

― rainy, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My name is one of the ten most common baby names in the US, currently. I hate it because I am constantly hearing people call my name, turning around, and realizing that they're yelling at one of the other five or ten people with that name in the hall.

I still favor ordinary names, like Maria, Anna or Rebecca, though I like Celtic mythology names lots.

― Lyra, Monday, 20 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Everyone I meet these days has bizarre names that no one else I ever knew had, Ramon, Adi, Otis (sorry mate), Lola, Maya, MISHY FOR FUCK'S SAKE. I feel really left out and want to change my name to something ridiculous, like Svetlana. When/if I have a child, I'm going to name it Easton.

― Ally, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Thank You Ally. However he may become a Queer Catholic Poet with a taste for art history and men in uniforms. Just warning you :)

― anthony, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Svetlana is common in Eastern Europe, no? I've known two & that's saying something cuz there's bog-all Russians in NZ. This odd-first-name discussion's been in media here lately, mainly cuz the All Blacks now have players named Anton, Xavier, Taine, Reuben, etc & seem to lose more than when team was populated w/ Gary, Bruce, Dave, & Stu.

― AP, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Svetlana is a very common first name in Russia. It was also Stalin's daughter's first name (I'll leave it at that).

Nothing wrong with my first name at all, BTW.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I know that Svetlana's a very common name in Russia, I mean every Russian gymnast at the Olympics is named Svetlana Borginskaya, all 20 of them (fact). But it isn't in the Northeastern US amongst non- Russian-nationals, and that's my point.

― Ally, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Great story along these lines:

Two friends of a friend are walking through a local K-Mart. They see two young girls running around the store, followed by a frantic and weary mother. The two smile and continue their shopping. Suddenly, one friend hears the mother shout, "Labia! Put that down!" He turns to his partner and says, "Oh, PLEASE tell me you heard that." Partner says, "Heard wha- ?" but is rudely interrupted by the mother shouting, "Labia, how many times have I told you not to run around the store? Get over here and watch your sister!"

Fuck gothic high school kids; this little girl is going to go postal immediately following that first sex ed class.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And yet women get away with being called Candida..

― Nick, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

NOT ON MY WATCH, THEY DON'T.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Who says women get away with being called Candida? That's a horrid name, and I was shocked and dismayed when I read my first Pulp liner and realized that SOMEONE IN THE BAND WAS CALLED THAT. I mean, what is wrong with parents?

― Ally, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Am I missing something? When I hear "Candida" all I think of is the toga Roman political candidates wore. (Plain white and not immodest.) Please explain.

― Lyra, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Candida = Thrush = fungal infection (notoriously of the coochie). Candida FAQ .

― Benjamin, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Writing that last bit, I felt somewhat like a resident advisor at a liberal arts college. I shall leave a basket of prophylactics outside my door.

― Benjamin, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wasn't there a Tony Orlando and Dawn song called "Candida"?

Weirdest name I've ever seen -- someone named their kid "Lasagna." Lasagna Jones, was this poor lady's name and she lives somewhere outside Chicago. And no, I'm not making this up.

Another friend swears that he had a co-worker named Ben Dover. I don't believe that one, though, I'm only so gullible.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Wednesday, 22 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

Elle Macpherson has called her new boy Aurelius.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 10 February 2003 01:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Aurelius Macpherson is nothing compared to my kid(s).

If I have a boy, it's either Lamar or Omar.

If I have a girl, it's either Pilar or Ishtar.

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!

― Millar (Millar), Monday, 10 February 2003 02:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Pilar Millar? oh lord

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 10 February 2003 02:48 (twenty-three years ago)

my best friend is called aurelius...

― zemko (bob), Monday, 10 February 2003 02:49 (twenty-three years ago)

oh, really..is?

soz.

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 10 February 2003 02:51 (twenty-three years ago)

i'm not sure what you deserve for that

― zemko (bob), Monday, 10 February 2003 02:57 (twenty-three years ago)

a different first name, perhaps.

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 10 February 2003 02:58 (twenty-three years ago)

LASAGNE JONES! That's brilliant. It's like the Food Network's answer to Osmosis Jones. That's the greatest name in history, fact.

― Ally (mlescaut), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Elle Macpherson has called her new boy Aurelius.

It's a classical Roman name. In college I knew an Aurelia. That said, I would give the kid the unusual name as a middle name.

And I won't believe the Lasagna or Labia stories until I see a birth certificate.

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:04 (twenty-three years ago)

I know it's a classical Roman name, but we do not live in Roman times and the only famous Aurelius then was some mediocre general.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:12 (twenty-three years ago)

'e was a philosopher too

what do think of julius as a name??

― zemko (bob), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Orange Julius!

― Ally (mlescaut), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Sorry to anyone living in Roman times.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:19 (twenty-three years ago)

It's ok, I'm not offended.

― Ally (mlescaut), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:27 (twenty-three years ago)

i know someone who's name is Marco Aurelio.

i like myself the names Tiberius, Lucretius, Pontius, and Lucian.

― Tad (llamasfur), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:30 (twenty-three years ago)

andrzej, boleslaw (bolek), edek, eugeniusz (gienek), franciszek (franek), jacke, jakub (kuba), jan, janek, jerzy, juliusz (julek), karol, kazimierz, ludwik, marian, mieczyslaw (mietek), pawel, roman, ryszard (rysiek), stanislaw (staszek), waclaw (wacek), witold (witek), wladyslaw (wladek), zdislaw (zdzich), zygmunt, adela, alina, basia, danuta, elzbieta, ewa, felicja, halina, jadwiga (jadzia), janina (janka), katarzyna (kasia), marta, olga, wanda (wandzia), zofia (zosia)!

― Tad (llamasfur), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Tad - pick-up a card game called "Cesar and Cleopatra" - not only a blast to play, but you get to read all of these cool names (some real, some not so real).

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:37 (twenty-three years ago)

there is a Benjamin Dover at http://www.bendover.com/

― JS, Monday, 10 February 2003 03:38 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm naming my children Superman and Post-it Note.

― Curtis Stephens, Monday, 10 February 2003 03:40 (twenty-three years ago)

The worst name in the world is Pinkus.

― Ally (mlescaut), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:40 (twenty-three years ago)

I wanna give a kid a creative yet totally not ethnic name. Maverick Cougar Miccio is my current fave. His initials would be roman numeral for 1900! People would undoubtedly think he was smug!

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:42 (twenty-three years ago)

I wouldn't be smug at all; that's not too terribly far from Maverick Cougar Mellencamp.

― Curtis Stephens, Monday, 10 February 2003 03:46 (twenty-three years ago)

My sister's Guinea Pig = MacGregor Yehutie Menhuin.
My only cat = Bela Louganis Lieukin Biondi, who was given to some friends who remaned him "Snowball".

My little brother thanks the heavens he was born male - if female he'd have been "Maggie Mae." Poor kid.

I like the old-fashioned, Puritan-asociated female names, like Rachel and Elsbeth and Abigal and Emily and Sarah and so forth.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:46 (twenty-three years ago)

there was a teacher in my junior high school named Mr. Pincus. Mr. Pincus used to like to pick his nose during class, so the students called him Mr. Mucus.

― Tad (llamasfur), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Yikes! I had a high-school teacher, whose real name I can no longer recall, who was known as "Mister Pick-and-Flick" - everyone fought for seats at the back of the classroom.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 10 February 2003 03:55 (twenty-three years ago)

My friends French teacher is Prof. Poindexter.

― A Nairn (moretap), Monday, 10 February 2003 04:53 (twenty-three years ago)

One of our auditors is named Dove.

― Ally (mlescaut), Monday, 10 February 2003 04:57 (twenty-three years ago)

oh, i just remembered another great name ... a mortgage-broker friend of mine has a client whose name is Wee-Wee Wang.

― Tad (llamasfur), Monday, 10 February 2003 04:59 (twenty-three years ago)

If I have a son, I've always intended to name him Blaze, after a paternal ancestor (he walked across several states barefoot instead of surrendering to the Damn Yankees in return for a pair of shoes). My girlfriend has always intended to name a son Maynard, after a paternal ancestor (he homesteaded the farm she grew up on).

Maynard Blaze such-and-such. Or Blaze Maynard such-and-such.

I promise to make it up to him.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 10 February 2003 05:02 (twenty-three years ago)

(Oh: it's not a matter of Southern Pride or anything. I grew up in the Boston area, so my only opinion about the Confederate flag was "Daisy Duke is wicked hot." I just like the excuse to name a theoretical kid Blaze.)

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 10 February 2003 05:03 (twenty-three years ago)

My non-live-in SO buys his car insurance from a private broker. The man actually changed his legal name to make it more "memorable." The new name he goes by? "Cash Only". Odd.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 10 February 2003 05:10 (twenty-three years ago)

I met a Romanian named Grenguta. It means "branch" in Romanian. She says it's weird even for Romania.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 10 February 2003 06:41 (twenty-three years ago)

there was a guy once that got upset by Yorkshire Bank because of some financial thing, where he felt hed got ripped off, so he changed his name by deed poll to...

Yorkshire Bank PLC Are Fascist Bastards

and went in and made them pay him a check from his account for 1p

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 10 February 2003 06:41 (twenty-three years ago)

and then they changed the name of the bank to Yorkshire Bank PLC Are Fascist Bastards is a Right Twat

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 10 February 2003 07:05 (twenty-three years ago)

nine months pass...

I had a cashier at Kmart named Puree. And a friend of mine went to high school in Missouri with a girl named Clitoria.

― Sarah Pedal (call mr. lee), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

?!!?!!!?

The world made sense before I read this post.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:51 (twenty-two years ago)

It's true!

― Sarah Pedal (call mr. lee), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I hope they called her Tori.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I believe you! But I fear the reaction of Dan upon reading this. He will explode with delight, and then die as a result. Poor boy.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Clitoria Regina would be a great name for a John Waters character.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Was she a plant?

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Or just a female sex cream?

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

"Right Now, achieving female orgasm has never been more promising"

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

"REMEMBER
Woman's genital tissues are extremely sensitive, application of Clitoria Cream will stimulate a vigorous tingle."

Is this good?

― Definitely-not-Bry4n (Bryan), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I think so.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I just want to say that my last post to this thread may be the funniest joke I have ever made.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yes - so it is!

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:05 (twenty-two years ago)

N OTM

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

The guy then changed his name to Yorkshire Bank PLC Are Fascist Bastards is a Right Twat Think They're So Fucking Clever

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:13 (twenty-two years ago)

That joke is like a goose that lays golden eggs.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:23 (twenty-two years ago)

my stepsister's freshman-year college roommate was supposed to be O'Jabberin Zayden Powpack, but Ms. Powpack never showed up so we never figured out how her name reflected her ethnicity.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:31 (twenty-two years ago)

GOOSE KILLA!

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 23:37 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080208/NEWS05/80208042

― Tracer Hand, Sunday, 10 February 2008 20:08 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/781751,020708momcharged.article (murdered kid's name)

― StanM, Sunday, 10 February 2008 20:15 (eighteen years ago)

Carpe Diem Coffee

― Curt1s Stephens, Sunday, 10 February 2008 20:16 (eighteen years ago)

(xxpost) Han Solo's not going to be pleased when he sees the mess Lando's made of the Falcon...

― snoball, Sunday, 10 February 2008 20:18 (eighteen years ago)

― gff, Sunday, 10 February 2008 20:22 (eighteen years ago)

Also not the first time this guy's been in trouble with the law:
http://dayofdefeat.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-63162.html

― snoball, Sunday, 10 February 2008 20:23 (eighteen years ago)

Spelled Calrissian wrong :\

― jim, Sunday, 10 February 2008 20:31 (eighteen years ago)

This is the greatest black person name ever

― gr8080, Sunday, 10 February 2008 20:56 (eighteen years ago)

UGH @ this thread.

― The Brainwasher, Sunday, 10 February 2008 21:06 (eighteen years ago)

I want to call a kid "Hope", but unfortunately I already have a last name of an adjective, not too dissimilar to "Hope". It would just look like a badly translated J-pop song, like naming a kid "Joy Lucky" or something like that.

― JTS, Sunday, 10 February 2008 23:09 (eighteen years ago)

Hope is not an unusual first name.

Surely Demi was in use as a short form of Demetri(a) before Demi Moore?

If not for his name, would this man have made a headline? <a href="http://stuff.co.nz/4373554a12855.html";>Megatron admits importing drugs</a>

― spectra, Monday, 11 February 2008 10:32 (eighteen years ago)

sorry, http://stuff.co.nz/4373554a12855.html

― spectra, Monday, 11 February 2008 10:34 (eighteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.