Unusual Given Names

[Marc]

I used to work with a chap called Sim (Simeon in full). I believe it's not that unusual, but he's the only person I've met so far called that

kid at my primary school with that name but that was back in 1982.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Aldinga (my grandmother's half-brother)

That has to take the cake as an unusual name. The only entry in Wiki for Aldinga is the suburb about 45kms south of the Adelaide CBD.

Aldinga turns up 160,000 entries in Google but they all seem to relate to the suburb.

We have never been able to work out why he was called Aldinga. He was born in Tasmania in the 19th century and the family seems to have had no connection to South Australia at all.

There is a surname Aldinger.

The only way you can get Aldinga as a name in Google is to enter my great-uncle's surname with his first name - Aldinga Figg.

 

[Finn]

I've known only one Erlene in my whole life and never had heard of another.

 

[JustKate]

I have an ancestor whose given name was Colonel. It always makes me think of that character in Catch-22, Major Major. But it was just his first name, sadly.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I have an ancestor whose given name was Colonel. It always makes me think of that character in Catch-22, Major Major. But it was just his first name, sadly.

Was he in the service? I wonder how his COs would have reacted...

 

[Kail]

Before I got on the internet, I thought I was the only one named Kail. Now I know there are others but not many.

 

[Cayla]

I know a girl named Treasure.

 

[Neopeius]

My name is Gideon.

My daughter is named Lorelei.

Those are pretty unusual.

 

[GoldenEraGal]

One of my best pals in College was named Desma. They were twins---Desma and Delphi. I have never since met anyone with those names.

When we were first looking for a home, we met two young real estate people--one was a young Asian immigrant named, I kid you not, Hi. I mean, what do you say to him, "Hi, Hi!" Even worse,his last name, unfortunately, was Ho. Hi Ho. I can't imagine the crap he had to put up with.

There was a kids who was in marching band with me in high school. His name was Dat Ho.

 

[Shatmandu]

I know a man at work whose name is Twe.

It's pronounced like Elmer Fudd saying "Trey," and I've always wanted to ask if his mother had a speech impediment and really meant to name him this.

Joh, nahmed

 

[Gepard]

My friend and co-worker's full name is Lyksander Jorah Prelle-Tworek.

Beat that.

 

[Shatmandu]

My friend and co-worker's full name is Lyksander Jorah Prelle-Tworek.

Beat that.

Sounds like a law firm on Deep Space Nine:

"Call Lyksander, Jorah, and Prelle-Tworek for all your legal needs."

Joe, ipso

 

[JustKate]

I have an ancestor whose given name was Colonel. It always makes me think of that character in Catch-22, Major Major. But it was just his first name, sadly.

Was he in the service? I wonder how his COs would have reacted...

Not as far as I know, but my guess would be "not very well."

 

[Marc]

not quite totally unusual in terms of the names but in the combination.

Had to wonder about the political orientation of a kid at school when his parents named him Karl Mark.

Or some-one else I know who's name was John Thomas.

 

[Mike Farley]

Aldinga (my grandmother's half-brother)

That has to take the cake as an unusual name. The only entry in Wiki for Aldinga is the suburb about 45kms south of the Adelaide CBD.

Aldinga turns up 160,000 entries in Google but they all seem to relate to the suburb.

We have never been able to work out why he was called Aldinga. He was born in Tasmania in the 19th century and the family seems to have had no connection to South Australia at all.

There is a surname Aldinger.

The only way you can get Aldinga as a name in Google is to enter my great-uncle's surname with his first name - Aldinga Figg.

Your great-uncle sounds like a character in a Harry Potter book.

"Aldinga Figg, the only man in Tasmania to stand up to the Death Eaters..."

 

[Miss Chicken]

That has to take the cake as an unusual name. The only entry in Wiki for Aldinga is the suburb about 45kms south of the Adelaide CBD.

Aldinga turns up 160,000 entries in Google but they all seem to relate to the suburb.

We have never been able to work out why he was called Aldinga. He was born in Tasmania in the 19th century and the family seems to have had no connection to South Australia at all.

There is a surname Aldinger.

The only way you can get Aldinga as a name in Google is to enter my great-uncle's surname with his first name - Aldinga Figg.

Your great-uncle sounds like a character in a Harry Potter book.

"Aldinga Figg, the only man in Tasmania to stand up to the Death Eaters..."

On my mother's side I have an ancestor whose name sounds like she came straight out of a Dickens novel - Priscilla Cratchley.

 

[John Clark]

Another that may be common, but I've only met one of. The lass was called Sunshine

 

[NCC-1701-B]

how about someone famous?

Moon Unit Zappa.

Daughter of rock star Frank Zappa.

That name is so cool!

 

[Terengo]

Teaching in NYC I've had so many students with uncommon or unusual names that these days I'm taken by surprise when a kid has a common name like Patrick or Michele. In the past I've met children with names like Ramses (which is also awesome), Muhammadu (that's not a typo, it has an oo at the end), Ohany, Tajinay, Montana, Jiyamalex, Samanesh, etc. And forgive the generalization, but working in the neighborhoods I do I've also met a hefty share of Dreams, Destiny's, Diamonds, Princesses, and so on.

I have also known a Montana (her mother was named Kimber), also a girl named Kinikki and another named Sunshine. When I think of my kids' friends, the list goes on and on: Javion, Min, Bin, Phuong (pronounced Pong), Chiragh, Seraphino, Debanjoli. I guess if you live in a large enough and diverse enough area, the whole idea of "regular" names goes out the window. The best has to be a kid named Azrael, which maybe doesn't sound so odd until you realize Azrael is the Angel of Death in the Kabbala.

 

[captcalhoun]

I had a friend in grade school named Storm. There was also a girl in my 1st grade class named Athena, which is awesome, and another named Ivy, which isn't unusual in itself, but is notable because she was born en route to a downtown Seattle hospital in a traffic jam on I5. I recall my older sister havig a high school friend named Jeffery -- she was a girl. My stylist just had a baby girl and named her Ronin; they call her Ro for short and I think that's lovely. I also have a friend whose son is named Aurelius, which is not all that common and particularly unique for a child who is half Black, half Chinese. My grandfather's name was Diswala, which means "Water from the River," (he's NA).

Teaching in NYC I've had so many students with uncommon or unusual names that these days I'm taken by surprise when a kid has a common name like Patrick or Michele. In the past I've met children with names like Ramses (which is also awesome), Muhammadu (that's not a typo, it has an oo at the end), Ohany, Tajinay, Montana, Jiyamalex, Samanesh, etc. And forgive the generalization, but working in the neighborhoods I do I've also met a hefty share of Dreams, Destiny's, Diamonds, Princesses, and so on.

One of my best friend's is named Wilder.

That's about all I got, though.

Ronin's Japanese for a masterless Samurai...

is Wilder's surname Vaughn?

today, i met a Tabitha.