The name you would legally change...

[Andurbal]

It seems to me that parents used to name their children to honor a relative, or a saint. They named them something that had meaning, and now they name them things like "Apple" which only seems to honor the parent's ego.

In my country (GR) most of the population are Orthodox Christians. When the babies are baptized, only names from the Orthodox Christian tradition are accepted from the priest, otherwise he may not agree to go on with the ceremony (that excludes most ancient Greek names i guess). But anyone is free to try to make him change his mind , and he/she might succeed. The tradition is also to name the first son with the father's father name (i've got my father's father name), but without counting I, II, III and so on, and the first daughter with the father's mother name (i think, cause my older sister has my father's mother name). Of course this is not a rule and many quarrels can take place between the parents, their parents and them, each other's parents, uncles etc...:laugh:

Another name I would want to change is Paris, but I'm not talking about Paris the capital city of France (like in Paris Hilton), but about Paris of Troy, the one who abducted Helen of Troy (we call her "the Beautiful Helen") and so the Trojan war started. But I wouldn't want to change it because it's not nice, but because there's a greek joke we tell to those with that name . I cannot explain it to you though.

[Gilliatt]

I tend to really dislike when people name their children for geographic locations. China, India and Asia spring to mind and it really annoys me to see "Chynna". Misspelling something doesn't make it more "cool".

I agree with you about the misspelling. I used to find that cool when I was 10 years old.

About what Fable said, did you all know that the Romans used to name their daughters with the fathers name. I don't remember how many daughters Julius Cesar had, but if he had three, they would be Julia I, Julia II and Julia III. It gives the impression that they were not important, only numbers.

[Lady Dragonfly]

Other cultures prefer to pass on names of the living to the newborn, so that the name itself becomes a continuing family legacy. Though I've never liked the idea of giving a child an exact copy of a parent's name, so that "Fred II" has a son, "Fred III." That seems self-indulgent, as well as saddling the kid with all sorts of potential conflicts.

Some time ago I met a (black) gentleman whose first name was O. It was not an abbreviation. He was O and that was it. O told me the story behind his unusual name. His grandparents named their son (my friend O's father) O because that was the only letter they could write. However, O Elder did not mind his super-short name at all. He liked it. A lot. Liked it so much that he named his own son O. O Junior has a son of his own as well. Boy's given name is long and elaborate but the shorter version is... O.

[fable]

Some time ago I met a (black) gentleman whose first name was O. It was not an abbreviation. He was O and that was it. O told me the story behind his unusual name. His grandparents named their son (my friend O's father) O because that was the only letter they could write. However, O Elder did not mind his super-short name at all. He liked it. A lot. Liked it so much that he named his own son O. O Junior has a son of his own as well. Boy's given name is long and elaborate but the shorter version is... O.

I wonder if we can conclude that the O came to symbolize "we came from illiterate folk, and look where we are today," or whether it simply was a mark of respect to the dead. Fascinating, in any case.

You remind me that when I was engaged to black woman back in the early 1980s, her middle name, like quite a few other Southern women, was Ann. Better known are the Southern men who, for reasons I've never discovered, were named Robert Joseph or William Joseph--hence, Bobby Jo or Billy Jo. There certainly were less than Northerners who like to poke fun at it assume, but enough to indicate some kind of trend was going on.

And that brings me, in turn, to all those people who were once stuck with the names of military and political heroes, especially Southerners named such things as Joseph Lee, or Harold Johnston--or, to the North, all those kids who were saddled with Sherman as a first name.

[Crenshinibon]

Just curious, what's wrong with Lester? Sure, upon pronunciation it makes me think of some mad surgeon that could have had a place in the Frankenstein story but... yeah... it's not THAT bad...

I remember reading an article about a several couples that named their kids after certain websites.

I'm waiting for a "Game Banshee" and a "Vista" (although the latter one is the new OS which I say will be buggy as hell for the first year or so).

At least they didn't name their child "Yahoo" as the article stated.

Also, remember Planescape: Torment where O is the omnipotent man that is smart enough to increase your wisdom by having you stare into his mouth. XD

[Lady Dragonfly]

@fable

And that brings me, in turn, to all those people who were once stuck with the names of military and political heroes, especially Southerners named such things as Joseph Lee, or Harold Johnston--or, to the North, all those kids who were saddled with Sherman as a first name.

And that reminds me of another great Southern (Virginia/North Carolina) name: Bumpass.

[fable]

And that reminds me of another great Southern (Virginia/North Carolina) name: Bumpass.

Yes, though that's a last name, rather than a first. Good one, though. My wife was friendly when growing up with a less wealthy member of a rich beer-making clan in St. Louis, Missouri. Their name: Griesedieck, pronounced Greasydic!. And anyone who doubts this can go to their website and determine the truth for themselves.

[BlueSky]

And that brings me, in turn, to all those people who were once stuck with the names of military and political heroes, especially Southerners named such things as Joseph Lee, or Harold Johnston--or, to the North, all those kids who were saddled with Sherman as a first name.

If you go back a few generations on my father's side, I hate to admit there are a couple of George Washington XXXX in my family tree.

thank goodness, I didn't get stuck with something like that.

[fable]

If you go back a few generations on my father's side, I hate to admit there are a couple of George Washington XXXX in my family tree.

thank goodness, I didn't get stuck with something like that.

Could have been worse, in any case. They could always have been named Millard Fillmore XXXX. Or Warren Harding XXXX.

Or Ronald Reagan XXXX, and don't you know we'll be seeing a few of those in the future, too.

[BlueSky]

Or Ronald Reagan XXXX, and don't you know we'll be seeing a few of those in the future, too.

Let's hope not.

[Bloodstalker]

Marcel, Clovis, Newgene or anything else ending in Ledbetter

[Jhereg]

I must say though that one name I would change would be Eccentrica Gallumbits .

That positively reeks of Douglas Adams. "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy"? It's been quite a few years since I read it, and I'm not sure, but I'm pretty certain that had something to do with a three-breasted prostitute or something.

[TheAmazingOopah]

There are probably plenty of stupid, ugly names that have their child-abusing origin in my country where they speak that weird, harsh language, but a few English names that come to mind are Eugene, Bo, Tracy and Flu. The first one just tatoos a sign that says Give Me a Wedgie on your back, the second one sounds like a word that is taken out of a spelling book for kids, the third one is just trailer trash, and the fourth one? The fourth one is a frickin' disease for cyring out loud! I also can't see why anyone would give their kid any biblical names, especially Jesus. That either guarantees some frequent after school beatings, or just shows off a lot of parental arrogance, no matter how religious they are. And I think that Mtv has shown us that having celebrity parents gives you a 68,4% chance of wanting to change your name. Oh, and don't call your kid Adolf. Really don't. I don't care that it is legal again, but that name is just forbidden territory, permanently. Except if you really hate kids. Or if you are a nazi.

[kathycf]

That positively reeks of Douglas Adams. "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy"? It's been quite a few years since I read it, and I'm not sure, but I'm pretty certain that had something to do with a three-breasted prostitute or something.

Indeed, you are correct, thus explaining why I would choose to change it if saddled with such a dreadful name.

I haven't read Hitchhiker in years either, but for some reason that name sticks in my memory. :laugh:

[Andurbal]

Indeed, you are correct, thus explaining why I would choose to change it if saddled with such a dreadful name.

I haven't read Hitchhiker in years either, but for some reason that name sticks in my memory. :laugh:

I haven't read Hitchhiker in years either, but for some reason I remembered her when Jhereg described her as a "three-breasted prostitute or something", her name didn't ring a bell in my mind...

[kathycf]

I haven't read Hitchhiker in years either, but for some reason I remembered her when Jhereg described her as a "three-breasted prostitute or something", her name didn't ring a bell in my mind...

So the triple breasted part rang a bell, did it?

[Jhereg]

So the triple breasted part rang a bell, did it?

Don't be too hard on him. In my experience, a lot of men tend to fantasize about breasts bigger than their head, and the more the merrier. Some kind of infantile lactation regression.

In the words of George Carlin, "Men spend the first 9 months of their life trying to get out of the womb, and the rest of their lives trying to get right back in."

[Andurbal]

Don't be too hard on him. In my experience, a lot of men tend to fantasize about breasts bigger than their head, and the more the merrier. Some kind of infantile lactation regression.

In the words of George Carlin, "Men spend the first 9 months of their life trying to get out of the womb, and the rest of their lives trying to get right back in."

This is going way out of the thread's subject. However, I have to point out some hilarious mistakes.
First of all, infantile lactation regression does not apply to me.
Second, you don't know anything about the size of breasts I fantasized.
Third, you seem to confuse the breasts with the womb (though that's a very funny quote )
And finally, I think the idea of her having 3 breasts was even more eccentric than her name...

[Jhereg]

This is going way out of the thread's subject. However, I have to point out some hilarious mistakes.
First of all, infantile lactation regression does not apply to me.
Second, you don't know anything about the size of breasts I fantasized.
Third, you seem to confuse the breasts with the womb (though that's a very funny quote )
And finally, I think the idea of her having 3 breasts was even more eccentric than her name...

Oh, heavens, relax.
Whether or not infantile lactation regression applies to you is not mine to say. I didn't say it applied to you, I said it applied to "a lot of men". Unless you personally are "a lot of men", it does not necessarily apply to you.

I never suggested that I had any idea about whatever mammary glands you might fantasize about. I was just making a general observation.

The quote was very specific. It was intended to illustrate the peculiar fascination that men seem to have with female parts that they were intimately involved with in their infancy. Like breasts.

Finally, "Eccentrica": Eccentric. "Gallubits": Breasts. Hello? "Eccentrica Gallumbits" == "Eccentric Breasts". Like not the rank and file? Like maybe three on one chest.

Put it back in your pants.

[kathycf]

Well, I have never cared for the name Luxwana Troi either, and as far as I know she had the usual number of "parts"...

And that is a as in :laugh: