What Is In A Name?

Some British surnames have been disappearing in recent years and the reason may be that the people have become too embarrassed to hold funny names.

Names like: C*ck, Daft, Death, Smellie, Gotobed, Shufflebottom, Willy, Nutters, Piggs and Jelly have declined seriously in the past century. It is believed that these people have changed their names to something more acceptable. The 2008 population, when compared to that in 1881 shows that the number of C*cks has shrunk by 75%, while the number of people called Balls or Daft has fallen by more than 50%.

However, some things did not change. In 1881 the most common last names were, in order, Smith, Jones, Williams, Brown, and Taylor; those names are still in that order today.

But parents with a very normal last names, can do their offspring a great disfavor when giving their first names and Annette Jones may easily become Annette Kirton (a net curtain) after marriage. Some first names simply don’t sit well with some last names.

Don’t let your child end up with combinations like Anna Sasin (an assassin), Anna Prentice (an apprentice), Barb Dwyer (barbed wire), Carrie Oakey (karaoke), Dee Zaster (disaster), Joe King (joking), Justin Case (just in case), Rick O'Shea (ricochet), Seymour Legg (see more leg), Stan Still (stand still), or Terri Bill (terrible).

The list does not end here. Just think about Doug Hole, Rose Bush, Daisy Picking, Pearl Button, Ray Gunn, Norman Knight, Kimberley Mine, Rosie Peach, Ima Kettle, Hazel Nutt, Dan Druff, Sean Head, Rusty Nails, Woody Bush, and Chris Cross. I’m sure there are many more; too many to list here.

These are all very 'normal' first and last names but as a combination, they just don't work well.

But what is in a name? According to Richard Wiseman, more than what meets the eye. His studies have shown that pupils with 'successful' names get higher marks, and succeed in school, compared with those with 'unsuccessful' names. For instance, Jack, James, Ryan, Elizabeth, and Sophie are ‘successful’ names while Brian, Thomas, George, Tracey, and Ann did not do well in this survey. Sounds like a load of bogus to me.


A grand day to ya all and think before you name your next child.