<p>There was a Florida state senator (now deceased) whose first name was Larcenia. With all the corrupt politicians these days, I’m surprised she got elected in the first place ;).</p>
<p>I’ve always loved the name Button Gwinnett. He was the 2nd signatory on the Declaration of Independence, and Gwinnett County, GA is named for him. I can just imagine his parents looking at their newborn and saying “He’s cute as a Button”.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I love my brother dearly, but I’m sure he doesn’t frequent CC, so I’ll feel safe posting the naming scheme he and his wife used with their son and daughter. </p>
<p>Out of some desire for equal time, they gave their daughter–the first born–his surname, and his son, his wife’s surname. (She kept her surname after marriage.)</p>
<p>So the kids went through school and life with many people not knowing they’re sibs or thinking they’re part of some blended family. </p>
<p>In my case, my wife also kept her surname, and we simply gave each of our kids her surname as their middle name (which my parents did for me), and confusion does not reign. </p>
<p>Having a spouse with a different surname, helps me know if a telemarketer is calling. When they address me by wife’s surname–a person who doesn’t exist–I know they’re about to ask for money or try to sell me something.</p>
<p>latichever, my H and I also have different surnames, and it is indeed a good telemarketing detection device! :)</p>
<p>My S has his father’s last name, with mine as his second middle name, but he doesn’t seem to use it these days, since bureaucracies tend to allow for only one middle name. (It was H’s idea, BTW.)</p>
<p>I have friends who decided that their children’s surname would be determined by the gender of their first child: if female, they would have her name; if male, his. They both have her name. Less confusing, I agree.</p>
<p>Of course, some people think it is confusing that I didn’t take H’s last name. I found it ironic that one person who took me to task over this went by three different surnames during the period that I knew her. Her first husband’s, her own name, and then her second husband’s. And that’s not confusing? Any old friends ever try to find you in the phone book, dear? Argh.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If we were in a Latino society, for example, I wonder if the form would allow for multiple middle names. </p>
<p>One thing I have noticed is that many forms are now asking for your legal first name, and then they have a spot for other names you are known by. The passport application does this. On several college information forms, they ask for your name, and they have a spot where you can put in what people call you.</p>
<p>Both of my sons use–in school, and among friends–shortened variations of their first names. I wasn’t even aware of this until my older son got a phone call asking for someone with his “called by” name. I said there’s no one here by that name, but my kid grabbed the phone and said, “That’s me.” Secret lives they are living.</p>
<p>My mother’s father and brother were both named Alvan. But her father always went by a shortened version of his middle name, and her brother, who had the same first and middle name as their father, always went by Jim. (don’t ask me.) Mom said once when she was a kid, someone called the house and asked for Al, and she replied that there was no one there by that name!</p>
<p>(as an aside, the reason I don’t mention my grandfather and uncle’s middle name is because it is a family name that is also mine, my mom’s, my brother’s, my cousin’s, and few other family members, including my D, who plans to pass it on. It belonged at one time to a couple Revolutionary War heroes we’re related to.)</p>
<p>Another Richard story.
A now retired CEO of a local utility company was named Richard Bunn … he went by Dick. </p>
<p>My mother went to HS with Steele Irons. </p>
<p>She also knew a family in her neighborhood with the last name Webb who named their kids Spider and Cobb</p>
<p>One of my former teachers named his boys Bunker and Hacker. The story I heard was that he was an avid golfer. Just did a search on the family because I thought they must have been nicknames. Nope, those are listed as the legal names.</p>
<p>Just got back from son’s senior awards ceremony. Lots of interesting names! Two of my son’s best friends are Nigerian, who typically receive “descriptive” names. His friends, both boys, are Melody and Precious. And, to their credit, neither has chosen to go by a nickname or a more “American” name. One thing about it, you never forget their names.</p>
<p>I never could figure out which gender belonged to Frances/Francis or Marion/Marian. </p>
<p>A family- Ken and Lynn parents of Kent and Lyndsey (guess what- spellchecker didn’t like my spelling, I don’t remember her real spelling so I’ll leave it as is). I liked that.</p>
<p>Dik**** is a real Indian surname in English alphabet. My preview post function *'d out the second syllable- s…</p>
<p>How about being able to talk about an Indian on the warpath- ethnicity and combining a bit of different long parent names, not a politically incorrect phrase from childhood days.</p>
<p>I was sure to give our child a gender specific, classic name. Decided not to worry about initials. Years ago we had to persuade a couple to give middle names- in India all children and wife get the F/H’s first name for a middle name traditionally and the couple was going to break with that tradition (she kept her maiden name as well). I never changed my cumbersome last name, much less changed my middle name. Thank goodness my parents gave us common first names, although they are now dated- there were plenty of ours around in our days of schooling.</p>
<p>Wish I had written down a newborn’s name back in medical school- inner city child given the whole first line of a hymn.</p>
<p>We grew up in a neighborhood with various long European surnames that weren’t phonetic if you didn’t know the respective languages. Made it harder to learn to spell one’s last name- and my sister told me she learned ours so her friend wouldn’t learn it first. We had “big” and 'Little" Kathy and Debbie among the many girls (before birth control pills were available there were plenty of kids around- I know when BC pills were available, a neighbor stopped at 5 girls).</p>
<p>Had to bring this thread back after reading this article onine -
[Har****</a> and Abass: Worst - and real - baby names - TODAY.com](<a href=“http://www.today.com/moms/what-not-name-your-baby-6C10141004]Har****”>Harshit and Abass: Worst - and real - baby names)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Some examples – Disney, Rosary, Carrion, Har**** and Princeten.</p>
<p>wis75,</p>
<p>Speaking of gender neutral names, we attending a wedding last year…Jessie & Jessie. Not nic names or short for anything, both given names (late 20’s). We knew the young man first so at home when someone says Jessie and it’s not obvious which one we always have to ask “Jessie or Jessie’s Jessie?”, meaning are you talking about Jessie (male) or Jessie’s wife (female).</p>
<p>[Parents</a> name child Dovahkiin, earn a lifetime’s worth of Bethesda games | News | PC Gamer](<a href=“http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/17/parents-name-child-dovahkiin-earn-a-lifetimes-worth-of-bethesda-games/]Parents”>Parents name child Dovahkiin, earn a lifetime's worth of Bethesda games | PC Gamer)</p>
<p>
Frances with an E is female, Francis with an I is male.
Not sure about Marion/Marian, but I do know that Marian is meant to denote “of Mary”, such as Marian College, Marian Sisters, etc. And on the subject of religion, as a Catholic, I kind of like Rosary as a name.</p>
<p>I know a dolphin researcher named Dr. Hugh Finn. Really, what choice did he have??</p>
<p>Nothing strange about “Rosary” (Rosario --Spanish/Italian–isn’t that unusual.)
I have a Chilean/Spanish friend–her name is Roser, her sisters are Montse (from Our Lady of Montserrat) and Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar). There are many Marian names taken from titles of Mary or shrines like Regina, Lourdes, Guadalupe, Carmel, etc.</p>
<p>Marion is usually male. Marian is female.
John Wayne’s real name was Marion Morrison.</p>
<p>Have you ever come across a name that you just irrationally didnt like? I just can’t stand the sound of the names Anfernee and Ivan Nova.</p>
<p>Not sure if this is rational or irrational, but I dislike names that make the parents sound ignorant–long made up names, “creative” spellings," etc. And I dislike trendy copycat names (Kayden, Jayden, Brayden. . .)
And I always wonder why parents give their kids the most popular name of the year. Don’t they check on these things?</p>
<p>We have friends where the father and one of the sons are named Ivan. It’s pronounced ee-VAUGHN not EYE-van. They’re Hungarian so I don’t know if that accounts for the difference. I always liked it.</p>
<p>If I did not know this people I would think someone was pulling my leg. They both work at my doctor’s office. They are from Cuba. When I heard the name spoke in Spanish it sounded like Uzmail and the othe Uznaive. But when I saw it written in their name tag I realized one mas named USMAIL and the other USNAVY. Not making this up.</p>