Comments on: Here’s One For The Books . . .

By: Carol

Carol — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:54:22 +0000

I had an aunt whose last name was Farr. She worked as a police woman years ago when they had to call in regularly. One day she was at a place called The People’s Store. She called in and said “this is Farr at the People’s Store.” The dispatcher sent out the “Farr” truck assuming the People’s Store was in flames.

By: Tina

Tina — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:42:06 +0000

Reader’s Digest had a short article a number of years ago about unusual names. I remember a Major Minor from the armed forces and Cardinal Sin from the Vatican. (This was Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila.)

My last name before I got married was Sergent. My father was in the Army during the Korean War and was discharged with the rank of Sergeant.

Which made him . . . Sergeant Sergent.

By: jel

jel — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:29:16 +0000

HOwDY DEE!

By: cwinwc

cwinwc — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:50:44 +0000

O.K., I’ll throw in another one.
I have a cousin whose last name is “Guy.” He married a girl whose first name is “Gaye.” That’s right, she’s now “Gaye Guy.”

By: Dee Andrews

Dee Andrews — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:08:22 +0000

I have another one for you guys. My niece, who teaches children with speech disabilities, had twin boys she taught.

They had been identified at the hospital as “Boy A” and “Boy B.” So, the mother named them “Boya” and “Boib.”

Go figure . . ..

Dee

By: Greg England

Greg England — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:57:12 +0000

I’m having a blast with this one! Bless LeDashA’s heart.

By: Judy

Judy — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:54:55 +0000

That is TOO funny!

I worked for FDIC, and our region had jurisdiction over the state of Louisiana. One of the girls had to take a message from an examiner who called in. His last name was Hebert. With his Louisiana accent, it was hard for her to understand him, but finally she got it. After having so much trouble getting it to sound right, she didn’t want to ask him how to spell it, so she wrote on her note pad that Mr. “A Bear” had called!!

By: Wendy

Wendy — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:55:46 +0000

My “favourites” are Miles Long and Briar Rose.

A friend did call her son Galileo. He is now known by his middle name (Nicholas). I wonder why… (no, there is no Italian connection in the family – they have a very Anglo Celtic surname!)

By: Patrick Mead

Patrick Mead — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:07:39 +0000

Thomas Sowell, one of the greatest social commentators of our present age, wrote of the damage parents do their children when they give them made up, African American names (Sowell is an African American, by the way). He quotes several studies that show that people with those names earn less, are hired less often, and aren’t treated as seriously as those with mainstream names. This isn’t just an African American issue, of course. Remember all the hippie names given in the 60′s and 70′s? There’s a reason we’ll never have a Supreme Court justice named Dawnstar Moonnut.

By: cwinwc

cwinwc — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:02:51 +0000

Ah, speaks right to my 28 year teaching heart. My best first day of school story would be a student whose name was spelled “Female.”

I resisted the urge as I was calling role to say “Female Smith.” Instead, I said, “Ms. Smith, how do you pronounce your first name?” Her answer was, “fa-mall-e.”

I also had the pleasure of having 3 brothers at various times in my class whose last name was “Bush.”
Their first names were:
Cactus
Briar
Thorn