Unfortunate Names

straycat82 · Post by **straycat82** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:22 pm

My boss just recently hired a new woman at work who's name is Shatan. I tried pronouncing it as it looks but was promptly corrected that it is pronounced "Shi-ton".

Also, we use MSN messenger to communicate in the office and every time she logs in and the little window pops up in the corner of the screen I do a double take since it appears out of the corner of my eye that it says "Satan has just signed in".

THEN... her name came up in conversation and she told us that her name literally means "Satan" or "Devil", etc. in Islamic cultures.

Very sweet girl though.

djm · Post by **djm** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:42 pm

Remember Dagwood Bumstead? I used to think this was a joke name until I drove into a farming neighbourhood where every second name on the mailboxes was "Bumstead". I wonder where the name came from, and what it actually meant.

djm

fel bautista · Post by **fel bautista** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:54 pm

When I was growing up, I'd pass the office of "Dr. J. Slaughter, Dentist" on the way to school. Hated to think what went on in that office.

It was right around the time when Disney had John Slaughter, Texas Ranger on TV, with a very young Tom Tyrone as Mr. Slaughter. An apt name for a Texas Ranger. So the name made an imprint.

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:12 pm

"Did you ever notice Peter O'Toole has a doubly phallic name?" -- Groucho Marx.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:19 pm

I know a guy named Jack Kaufmann, and he pronouces his last name not as "cough mun" but rather "cough man." Heaven knows why!

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:23 pm

djm wrote:I wonder where the name came from, and what it actually meant.

Bum = Baum = "tree" (german)
Stead = house or farm, etc "steading"

My take would be "the farm by the tree" or "from the farm by the tree" as a meaning, but I might be guessing wrongly. There are a lot of false friends in surname interpretation.

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:44 pm

A mailbox down a sideroad near where I used to live in the country advertised the home of Boo and Margaret Whalan. I used to think that if I ever had a bluesharp career, "Boo Whalen" was going to be my handle.

The only one better has got to be twang guitar god "Duane Eddy".

ketida · Post by **ketida** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:46 pm

My sister-in-law was going to name her baby Amanda Lynn.

(I play a mandolin.)

Fortunately, said baby was a boy, not named Amanda Lynn.

mamakash · Post by **mamakash** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:51 pm

When I was a kid, I had a pediatrician named Dr. Needleman. I wonder if people ever steer themselves into careers based on their name. A name like that would also be good for a tatoo artist.

I met Richard Nixon the other day at work. I swiped his credit card and there it was. I teased him, we had a good laugh. But can a person ever live a name like that down?

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:10 pm

The county where I grew up once had a Sheriff named Ketchum.

Here in Lander, we currently have a realtor named Ms. Householder, and a greenhouse owner named Mr. Sprout. No kidding.

Tom

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:24 pm

I've always thought Englebert Humperdinck had an unfortunate name.

straycat82 · Post by **straycat82** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:06 pm

Congratulations wrote:I've always thought Englebert Humperdinck had an unfortunate name.

What's even more unfortunate is that he chose that as his name... it's not the one he was given by his parents.

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:13 pm

straycat82 wrote:
Congratulations wrote:I've always thought Englebert Humperdinck had an unfortunate name.
What's even more unfortunate is that he chose that as his name... it's not the one he was given by his parents.

That's... surprising?

hathair_bláth · Post by **hathair_bláth** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:18 pm

I have a yea-so-many-greats grandfather who's name was Green English. Now my brother has his heart set on calling his poor unfortunate child "Green". He insists he's just carrying on the family name.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:30 pm

I have a nice name, but part of it means something in English, although I do not "see" that myself. My name, in other words, is just my name. I don't attribute the English meaning to it.

If it were "Bumstead," for instance, I would not be thinking of hoboes and behinds. Tree farm, perhaps, but really just Bumstead.

Someone recently attempted to introduce a gentleman to me via email, with the intent that I should hire him. He's not in a good situation anyway, being as he has no experience and not enough training--and there wasn't a job--so you'd think he'd be on his best behavior. You'd think "highly deferential and complimentary," in fact. Sucking up all over, so to speak.

But, no. This dim-bulb pops onto the email and . . . in his first sentence makes a name joke! A name joke that related what he thought my name meant to what he thought his chances of me hiring him were. And laughs at himself. "Hahahahah!!!!"

Essentially, it was "Do you think Ms. Ass-stead will make an ass of herself by hiring me? Hahahahah!"

You have to wonder about some people.