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This could go far in explaining why he dated my sister for so long.

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Clearly you have not been hanging out with the children of hairdressers, darlin. Time to pull your snout out of the bodice ripper.

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I can only hope that her last name isn't Thompson.

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quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Shape Shifter
Whatever the point, I think we can all rest easier knowing that the world will not be limited to just one Dwight Thomas Roth.

(spree: Dwight Thomas Roth Jr. born in toilet, wheelchair-bound mother surprised)

(fringe disclosure: news article, not "click here to purchase" Dwight Thomas Roth Jr.)

Between this and the hogging article I read yeterday in some Cleveland publication, I am starting to believe that Ohio may be a truly creepy place.

http://www.channelcincinnati.com/new...75/detail.html

(spree: see above)

oops

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Jordan is 37th for boys and 46th for girls. That should mean that my son is okay for at least a few years. Hopefully the tide will not turn and cause him to hate me over this. Tyler is 14th on the boys list and not on the girls at all. If all else fails, we use the little fan's middle name. I believe that he can use either name in his professional career in hockey or baseball.

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So Hunter lacks testosterone? Does that make Gatherer an unfeminine name too? Hunter to me smacks of testosterone, though empirically the one I've known was sort of namby-pamby. If I wanted a kid, I think it would be fun to name one Hunter and then raise him as a vegan. Sort of a social commentary. Except that I've already vowed to name my (never to be born) son Keg. And taking the unlikely event even further, that would become a family name, I'm sure.

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Now there is a good reason to have children. "Giving back to the world" "greatest joy of my life" -- all of those reasons are such BS. But naming it Hunter and raising it vegan would be great. Go forth and procreate.

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I look forward to saddling our children with the breadth of their ethnic heritage.

My parents considered Patrick Israel for my brother (and opted for no less obvious an ethnic match), so I hope Rashaka Mao Running Horse Reilly Smythe Jacob Man enjoys bubbling in his scantron.

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Stop worrying TF, he won't hate you. It's still gender-neutral and/or masculine-sounding. "Leslie" would make him hate you.

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I'm absolutely shocked that this name is anywhere near this list. Didn't Chloe go out in the 80's? I thought that once they name you after a cologne that it would stop forever?

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I am proud to say that my favorite girl's name does not appear on the "top 1000" lists at all. In fact, I have never even found it in any name-meaing registry. Odd, because it is an old family name, and there are some rather famous people who have had it, but I guess it is just old-fashioned to still register. And no it is not Theodosia.

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Thank you, and I will stop. Like most everything else I have done in my life (from choosing schools to places to live), I just kinda went with what I liked -- I never knew that there were rankings for so many things.

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"Hunter" brings to mind an effete young boy hanging out in his uncle's leather-and-mahogany library and reading Emily Dickensen while awaiting his parents' return from The Continent.

"Gatherer" brings to mind hippy parents using 'shrooms too close to the birth.

"Keg" brings to mind clocktowers, and rifles, and the attendant legal problems.

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People who name their daughters any name like these may as well buy them thongs and CFM pumps at birth. The only career that matches such names involves collecting your wages $20 a dance.

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When I was growing up (small place), there was this woman Mrs. Smith (loudmouth) who had this son who was called "Hunter Wellington Smith". I'm not sure how we knew his middle name, but I remember my mother and I would run into them frequently at the grocery store and Mrs Smith would always be yelling "Hunner! Hunner! get back here!!" because "Hunner" was always causing shit in the grocery store. Always followed by much hilarity ensuing between my mother and me and several Mrs Smith imitations. So I always think of "Hunner" when I meet a Hunter.

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Great, now you're telling me that the name "Canoe" is passe?

Who will it be
 

Who bids on this one? Kobe or Affleck?

LONDON, Oct. 7 — One of the world’s rarest diamonds — a walnut-sized gem of the purest color — was displayed in London on Tuesday by Sotheby’s auctioneers, who will put the gem up for bid next month in Geneva. THE BRIGHT WHITE cushion-shaped stone is the largest internally flawless diamond of D-color grade — the purest color grade — to ever appear at auction, Sotheby’s said.
The diamond weighs 103.83 carats and is expected to fetch as much as $10 million during the Nov. 20 auction.
The jewel, discovered at South Africa’s Premier Mine, is only the fourth diamond of perfect color and purity weighing over 100 carats to be sold at auction, Sotheby’s said. In May 1995, the Star of the Season sold for a record $16.7 million.
It took diamond cutters 18 months to plan, design and cut the gem, and its shape is reminiscent of many famous and historic diamonds.

linkage here

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And Charlie.

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I heard a radio report that Madison has been in slow ascendancy for girls ever since it was the (human) name of the mermaid in "Splash" (1984). Ironic that it beat out Hannah (#3).

WTF? A boy named "Angel" had better be immortal, 'cause he's gonna get killed in the schoolyard.

So many of the girls' names have a sort of 19th century Yankee quality to them (Emily, Hannah, Emma, Rachel, Chloe, Abigail, Grace, Faith, Amanda) while the boys have a 18th century Puritan/biblical ring (Jacob, Joshua, Joseph, Daniel, Samuel, Benjamin, Nathan, Noah, Caleb, Elijah, Aaron, Isaiah, Luke, Isaac).

I guess the 20th century is passe. Somebody alert PLF.

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I know nothing about nothing, but it is my understanding that Angel is a fairly common Hispanic name.

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Is this to say you know something about everything? If so, please discuss.

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She knows that Chick's rule. And that's good enough for me.

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Which chick's rule? And what is the rule? And how did it become the property of that one chick?

(Inner Timmy escaping in the boredom of confcalls.)

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I guess I hear Hannah, abigail, grace, faith and Rachel as more 16/17th century names. Maybe not - those would probably be more like "What-God-Will" and ... well, Justice.

Hmm. Chastity. Charity. Faith. Justice. Felicity. Grace. Hope. Honor. Joy. Patience. Verity. Deliverance. Interesting how many of the old roundhead names are on current "annoying" lists.

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I would offer to PM with you to discuss Gwinky's underwear and the whole Chick's Rule thing but I will defer to her on it -- I mean, it is her underwear and I should stay out of it.

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Yes it is. That sort of reminds me of a little spat on another board a few years back. Someone was offended that another poster had chosen "Jesus" as their moniker. Said it was offensive and should be banned immediately. Person had never once thought to consider that Jesus is a very common name in other cultures. She was very rapidly educated by maybe 50 people in a four minute window.

Baby names
 

I have long been a baby name obsessive. I've even acted as a baby name consultant for pregnant friends, hoping to steer them away from Top 100 names in favor of names that are more distinctive without being weird. I've thought about trying to actually do this as a business, but the demographic of people who wouldn't be too stupid to appreciate it is vanishingly small (as is the demographic of brides who would hire me as their wedding planner and let me make sure everything's perfectly tasteful).

I've got lots of seriously WASP heritage, Mayflower etc., but never really considered using an old family name--they just sounded stupid with the Scandinavian patronymics both the SFC and I bear. I may end up changing my mind, if I come across one that doesn't sound dumb when paired with the last name.

tm

PS I learned to drive stick on a diesel Rabbit--I had no idea they were that common among teenaged future lawyers.

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Keep in mind that Angel is a very common hispanic name for boys. (And that the hispanic birth rate is several times that of "whites" -- although hispanics can be of any race, yadda yadda.) I don't imagine Angel has much to fear in the barrio playground.


Which reminds me, if Jesus was Jewish, why did he have a Puerto Rican name?**





**This joke brought to you courtesy of our esteemed Mayor Bloomberg!

Demi in Iowa
 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99357,00.html


Ashton took Demi to Iowa where they enjoyed "pork, Hawkeye football and chit chat about children."

Ashton's mom says "What I've found is when you meet many of these so-called celebrities in person, they are really down to earth," Portwood said. "We sat and talked about her kids, and my kids and we had a great time."


So, you can talk about Demi's 15 year old daughter who is a mere ten years younger than your son.

props up to Demi, but I still think she could have done better than Ashton the moron. Who knows, maybe she likes idiots. Of course, he laughs all the way to the bank and I, alas, do not.

Annoying names
 

Article I found on annoying names: the article appears to be offline and I can't figure out how to link, so I've copied the Google cache. It is from The Limited Edition of Oxfordshire. I've actually heard of "Through-Much-Tribulation-We-Enter-The-Kingdom-Of-Heaven" before.

"By Gumm, what a name
Tony Augarde reveals what your surname says about you - and your long-lost ancestors

With a surname like mine, I have more than once been addressed as 'Augarde, our help in ages past'. Most people say this thinking that they are the first to have thought of such a rib-tickling joke, but these puns on personal names have generally been used many times before.

More than 100 years ago, WS Walsh noted the frequency with which Mr Younghusband gets called an old bachelor and Mr Archer is subjected to jests about bows and arrows - although modern Mr Archers are more likely to be linked to Radio 4's everyday story of country folk.

Puns and jokes about people's names have been around for a long time. Early in the 17th century, William Camden noted that the ancient Greeks nicknamed Antiochus Epiphanes (ie Antiochus the famous) Epimanes: that is, the furious.

And the ancient Romans turned Tiberius Nero into Biberius Mero because of his heavy drinking. Of course, some names are funny in themselves.

Most of us have to suppress an involuntary smile when encountering someone with the surname Sidebottom or Goodbody or De'ath - let alone such an unbelievable name as Augarde!

Some people change their names to avoid embarrassment - or simply for simplification.

One can understand why Doris Kappelhoff became Doris Day, Frances Gumm turned into Judy Garland, and Diana Fluck metamorphosed into Diana Dors. Tough-guy John Wayne understandably changed his name from Marion Morrison and the same motive probably accounted for wrestler Shirley Crabtree calling himself Big Daddy.

Because the singer Ernest Evans admired (and even sounded like) Fats Domino, he adopted the imitative stage name of 'Chubby Checker'.

It is recorded that Sergius II was the first pope to change his name when he ascended the papal throne: his original name was less dignified Hogs's-mouth!

In former times, the Puritans christened their children with long-winded Christian names which today sound very strange.

This produced people called the Gift-of-God Stringer, Joy-from-above Brown, God-reward Smart, Kill-sin Pimple and Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith White. When a young woman was asked her baptismal name, she replied: 'Through-much-tribulation-we-enter-the-kingdom-of-Heaven, but for short they call me 'Tribby'.

Modern parents can still embarrass their children by choosing ill-advised first names. Will Posh and Beck's first child be grateful to have been named Brooklyn - apparently from the place where he was conceived?

Pop stars seem particularly prone to choose such dubious names. Bob Geldof and Paula Yates called one of their children Fifi Trixibelle; Frank Zappa's children are Dweezil and Moon Unit; and Keith Richards, of the Rolling Stones, named his daughter Dandelion, which she swiftly changed to Angela.

The Guardian newspaper recently ran a correspondence about businesses run by people with appropriate surnames.

Contributions included estate agents called Doolittle and Dalley or Crook & Blight; solicitors Wright Hassle (in Leamington Spa); and a firm of south London house-cleaners called Carter, Way and Tippett.

A census in Chicago around the year 1913 discovered Peter Oven, the baker, Aaron W. Shadow, a detective, and the toolmaker Andrew Steelhammer.

The contestants at the Sydney Olympics included an American high-jumper named Nathan Leeper and a Ukrainian triple-jumper called Olena Hovorova.

Bob Flowerdew is famous as a gardening expert. And we have all heard of the orchestral conductor Simon Rattle. You can turn this into a game where you try to invent suitable names for businesses or professions.

Many surnames indicate that the owner's forebears carried on a respectable trade: Barber, Carpenter, Cartwright, Dyer, Merchant, Shepherd, Singer, Smith and numerous others.

Your surname can indicate that your ancestors had favourable qualities: Fairchild suggests a handsome child; Sharp means a quick thinker; and Thoroughgood is a very nice person.

On the other hand Cruikshank means someone with crooked legs; Pratt is the surname of a cunning person; and Wild is someone who behaves wildly, or even violently.

Christian names can have equally unexpected meanings. Clara means 'famous'; Margaret means 'a pearl'; Paul means 'small'; George means 'farmer'; and Barbara means 'foreign' or 'strange'.

I have always believed that Anthony means 'priceless', although I'm not sure if priceless here means 'very precious' or 'very absurd'.

***Tony Augarde is the author of The Oxford Guide to Word Games (OUP, £6.99), The Oxford A to Z of Word Games (OUP, £4.99) and Oxford Word Challenge (OUP, £4.99) "

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Now I am waiting for your "Scroll, then post. Scroll, then post." reminder-to-self post.

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So, I did a quick search for "Abigail," and in Magnus' genealogy found 145. A few didn't have birth dates, but the breakdown is as follows:

16th Cent: 6
17th Cent: 77
18th Cent: 49
19th Cent: 0
20th Cent: 1 (my cousin's daughter, born 1998)

And yes, 90% of them lived in Massachusetts.

tm

Demi in Iowa
 

You say that as if Demi were NOT a moron. Are you saying she's smart and I just haven't seen that side of her yet? Or that Ashton is so convincing as a dolt that you think he's as dumb as he acts?
He did manage to get his ass (his model ass) the hell out of Iowa. And granted, maybe he only has a high-school education, but I never heard anyone say.."you know that Demi, she sure had high SAT's."

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I don't find any of those annoying. (Although perhaps the eponymous movie has effectively squelched the desire to name anyone "Deliverance"...[cue banjo music].) Justice is kind of strange, I guess, and Verity somehow reminds me of that Prince chorus-girl (although her name was Vanity if I recall, quite different from Verity...), but those are my personal preferences.

So as I have dissed so many names this afternoon, I shall now give you all an opportunity to sneer at the names I like (only girls' names, because I really only like the "basic" names for boys -- biblical can be substituted for "basic" if otherwise unclear):

Vivian
India*
Honor
Faith
Miriam
Greta
Allegra**
Lily (but for some reason, Lillian, not so much)

[There are many others that I can't think of right now, as I've never had to give the matter much thought.]





*It is unfortunate that there's a Puerto Rican tart/singer named India... but maybe not many people know this, so I'll keep it on the list.

**Again, it is so unfortunate that Donatella Versace has a daughter called this -- because the association ruins what was otherwise a very nice name! (It is perhaps even more unfortunate that I know this fact about Donatella-freakin'-Versace!)

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It's also unfortunate that your kid would be named after an allergy medicine. I might as well name my kid Erisa.

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Actually, this was not a side effect of the "failure to scroll" syndrome. More of a side effect of the OCD (needing to check my messages several times before posting....)


Not that you really care, of course. (Nah, I know you care, fringey!)

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Of course I care! Note my caution about naming your kid after a medication. If that's not showing the love, I don't know what is.

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I did not know that India Arie was a tart, and you might as well call your daughter fexofendine.
http://www.allegra.com/graphics/allegra_logo.gif

edit because fuck fringey beat me to it. But I had graphics.

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Claritin is still available.

I think I'm with nfh on this - once a name is used to brand a product, it is no longer a Good Name.* Stripper names are essentially product names, so strippers may continue to use the many variants of Lexus and Porsche.

* My personal "Seven" was once Heineken Alabama. Fortunately, this and my tatoo idea were never implemented.

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This probably goes without saying, but I had already heard. I might have even declared it so. But, I have been so distracted recently drafting my upcoming Lawtalkers Retirement Announcement Post that I have not really been able to focus on much else.