When I was growing up, I hated my middle name. I’m not sure why – maybe it was how my mother always called me by my full first and middle name when she was angry with me. Regardless, I didn’t like it, and to this day my legal signature consists of my full first name and middle initial.
I’m not sure why I thought of this recently, but it struck me that I actually got lucky. Over the years I’ve met several people who must have absolutely hated their names. I’ve met a Belcher, a Felcher, and one that really sent my imagination spinning: Tim Virgin. (I could just imagine the introductions: “Hi, I’m a Virgin. This is my mother and these are my sisters. They’re Virgins too.”) And for several years in the 90’s Cow Hampshire was represented in Congress by Dick Swett.
So I’m tossing this out for everyone – what was the worst name you’ve ever heard? The only restriction is that it has to be someone you actually met (I shook hands with Congressman Swett once, so that’s my loophole.) And it has to be their given names – no stage names or aliases, please. (So get away from that Simpsons web site that lists all the names Bart’s used to crank-call Moe.)
J.



Comments (29)
No kidding, you can check t... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Aaron's Rantblog | April 27, 2004 6:13 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
No kidding, you can check the 1980 Columbia College freshman classbook and you'll see Suk M. Wang and Michael Schmuck.
I've also known a mohel (the guy who does Jewish circumcisions) whose last name was Shochet (Hebrew for "butcher") and another whose last name was Schmuckler.
Seymour Lipschutz was a colleague of my father's.
A guy at my synagogue has the last name Stuhl.
My stepmom has a cousin with the last name Kuntz.
I know someone whose name is Hyman Gross.
Count your blessings. It could have been worse.
1. Posted by Aaron's Rantblog | April 27, 2004 6:13 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 06:13
2. Posted by michele | April 27, 2004 6:40 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I was in Target the other day and witnessed a woman calling her toddler son Macintosh. I swear to you. Macintosh.
I wanted to smack her.
2. Posted by michele | April 27, 2004 6:40 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 06:40
3. Posted by Jon Henke | April 27, 2004 6:57 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I lived in Montgomery, Alabama for a bit. In that town, there was an insurance agent named Richard. Richard Short. He had business cars, on which he slapped big business wraps with his name in rather large letters.
Inexplicably, he used his nickname: Dick Short.
Now, that's unfortunate advertising.
3. Posted by Jon Henke | April 27, 2004 6:57 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 06:57
4. Posted by Rob A. | April 27, 2004 7:29 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I've never met him, but I'd say if Milton Bradley wasn't a major league baseball player his name wouldn't be funny but tragic.
I also once had paperwork cross my desk with the name Seymour Cox.
4. Posted by Rob A. | April 27, 2004 7:29 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 07:29
5. Posted by Boyd | April 27, 2004 8:03 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Years ago while in the Navy, I worked at a large federal three-letter agency, and as you walked through the halls, all of the doors had little signs next to them, with the name and organization of the "most important" person to be found behind the door (usually they were very large rooms with lots of people, possibly with some individual offices for these "most important" persons).
Well, next door to us was an office where this "most important" person was named "Dick Shaker." Being the stunted adolescents that we were (are?), we giggled over this for months, until one of my shipmates couldn't stand it any longer. One day, he got a strip of paper the appropriate size, and wrote "Official" on it, and placed it in front of Dick's name on that little sign.
The next day there was a new sign: "Dr. Richard Shaker."
5. Posted by Boyd | April 27, 2004 8:03 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 08:03
6. Posted by oceanguy | April 27, 2004 8:25 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Two Navy colleagues... Richard Dick.. yes Dick Dick was a helicopter pilot...and a guy who went by Peter Hunt because his given name was York..
I also had a guy who worked for me, Petty Officer Torrez, who proudly named his first son Clint, Clint Torrez.
What were the parents thinking???
6. Posted by oceanguy | April 27, 2004 8:25 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 08:25
7. Posted by oceanguy | April 27, 2004 8:28 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Oh... the Hippie turned parent who had three sons enrolled at the school my children attend...
Pepsi and Taco Pope and their little brother Apple Joe
7. Posted by oceanguy | April 27, 2004 8:28 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 08:28
8. Posted by Jason | April 27, 2004 8:57 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
And of course there's the Shizen Brothers who appropriately run a septic tank cleaning business in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
8. Posted by Jason | April 27, 2004 8:57 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 08:57
9. Posted by Rodney Dill | April 27, 2004 9:01 AM | Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
An employee, that I have met, in the company I work for:
Lik Kwong
Pronounced just the way it looks
9. Posted by Rodney Dill | April 27, 2004 9:01 AM |
Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 09:01
10. Posted by Steve the Llamabutcher | April 27, 2004 9:01 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Growing up, down the street we too had a Virgin household, with children Richard and Mary (as in first day of class, teacher reading out the roll "Virgin, Mary"). Of course they were Catholic and in the same parish as us, so when they had a caboose all the talk was of the Virgin Birth...
I haven't seen them since High School, but I'm fully expecting either/both of them to show up as Earth First! tofu commandos blowing up an SUV dealership in Alaska or something....
10. Posted by Steve the Llamabutcher | April 27, 2004 9:01 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 09:01
11. Posted by Jim | April 27, 2004 10:39 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Weiner Cadet. And if that isn't bad enough, he had a son. Weiner Cadet Junior.
11. Posted by Jim | April 27, 2004 10:39 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 10:39
12. Posted by mojo | April 27, 2004 11:37 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Well, it's not as bad (or amusing, depending) as Dick Swett, but there was a news anchor in Sacramento named Dick Cable - kinda hard to live up to, I'd imagine...
12. Posted by mojo | April 27, 2004 11:37 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 11:37
13. Posted by Lauren | April 27, 2004 11:38 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
When my sister had her first, there were a set of twins in the nursery whose names sounded like "Or-ahn-gel-o" and "Le-man-gel-o."
They were spelled Orangjelo and Lemonjelo. No shit.
13. Posted by Lauren | April 27, 2004 11:38 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 11:38
14. Posted by candy | April 27, 2004 11:43 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
This is a doctor who works at the hospital I work at:
Pornpater Likkensompbutt
Can you imagine having a doctor with this name? The clinic staff just call him "Doc".
Of course, I can't talk....my married name was Candy Hart!
14. Posted by candy | April 27, 2004 11:43 AM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 11:43
15. Posted by Fritz | April 27, 2004 12:44 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
When my twin brother and I were small, we were called "Freddie" and "Frankie."
When I was about 5, a cranky old relative told me that "Freddie" was a "baby name" and that as soon as I started school, I'd be called "Fritz."
That horrified me. As far as I was concerned, my name was Freddie. I liked that name. Fritz was strange and foreign-sounding. No one on TV was named Fritz except maybe an occasional Nazi with a scar and an eye patch.
In the first grade, the grown ups' conspiracy was launched. My teacher quit calling me Freddie! I was now Fritz. I remember standing up and yelling at my teacher, "My name is FREDDIE!"
I still don't like the name. Some people assume that I am a foreigner. The English alternative, Fred, is associated with Fred Flintstone, Fred Mertz, and other TV geeks.
Several years ago, I met Matt Groening on a few different occasions. Each time, he'd ask, "Fritz, huh? Have you ever seen Fritz the Cat?"
Worst name ever? Fritz.
15. Posted by Fritz | April 27, 2004 12:44 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 12:44
16. Posted by Joe | April 27, 2004 1:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I always like to invoke the name of NASCAR great, Dick Trickle.
I remember Letterman once calling up Richard Smoker.
Lastly, in keeping with the Dick theme, I knew a guy in the Army named Chris Dick or Lieutenant Dick, as he was known to the men. As his career progressed he was promoted and became Captain Dick, a name fit for some type of porno-superhero. But the pinnacle for Chris was when he was promoted again and became known as Major Dick.
16. Posted by Joe | April 27, 2004 1:57 PM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 13:57
17. Posted by LittleA | April 27, 2004 3:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Back in my college days, while working retail, I processed a credit card transaction for one Ying Yang.
17. Posted by LittleA | April 27, 2004 3:01 PM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 15:01
18. Posted by Boyd | April 27, 2004 3:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I almost forgot the tale of one of my shipmates, whose surname was Officer. When he enlisted in the Navy, he was Seaman Officer. Then he got promoted, so he was Petty Officer Officer. He was then accepted into Officer Candidate School (joke was, why are you a Candidate, you're already an Officer!), and when he graduated, he was Ensign Officer. I lost track of him after that, so I'm not sure how far it ended up going.
18. Posted by Boyd | April 27, 2004 3:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 15:57
19. Posted by Larry | April 27, 2004 4:14 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I didn't exactly meet him face to face, but I did crank call his house quite frequently way back when. The guys name was Lipshitz.
Hey if your lip shits, my ass talks!
Not nearly as funny now as it was then.
19. Posted by Larry | April 27, 2004 4:14 PM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 16:14
20. Posted by Lachlan | April 27, 2004 5:37 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
My mom went to school with a woman named Connie Clapsaddle. Dad, on the other hand, had a classmated named Sterling Allpeter.
20. Posted by Lachlan | April 27, 2004 5:37 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 17:37
21. Posted by Rita | April 27, 2004 5:48 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
My daughter had a classmate named Ben Dover. His parents deliberately named him that because they thought it was funny. I always felt sorry for that kid.
21. Posted by Rita | April 27, 2004 5:48 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 17:48
22. Posted by taojam | April 27, 2004 6:34 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
There was a city commissioner in Atlanta about 15 yrs. ago named Dick Hand, whose name would always come up on the evening news. Oh, and I went to high school with a guy named Harold Ball. He made everyone call him...'Harold.'
22. Posted by taojam | April 27, 2004 6:34 PM |
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Posted on April 27, 2004 18:34
23. Posted by cbk | April 27, 2004 6:39 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I had a veterinarian named Lisa Lott-Smelley. She had a practice with her husband, John B. Smelley.
Their office be smelly too!
23. Posted by cbk | April 27, 2004 6:39 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 18:39
24. Posted by CGHill | April 27, 2004 10:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
So I'm sitting in the NCO Club with Sgt. Donald P. Duck, and between us, we're about 5.2 sheets to the wind, and inevitably I pop up with "So what were your parents thinking?"
He gave me the classic oh-Christ-not-this-again look and said, probably for the 23,718th time, "They figured if your last name is Duck, people are gonna call you Donald no matter what."
24. Posted by CGHill | April 27, 2004 10:17 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 27, 2004 22:17
25. Posted by Venomous Kate | April 28, 2004 12:10 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
We had a bunch of Army guys over for dinner not long ago. One's name was Frickenshit... which became even more hilarious when coupled with his rank: "Major Frickenshit."
25. Posted by Venomous Kate | April 28, 2004 12:10 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 28, 2004 00:10
26. Posted by David C | April 28, 2004 4:49 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
When I was at the University of Virginia, the university registrar had a great name for someone in his position.
Now, I'm sure registrars have all sorts of important official duties, but to the average undergrad student, the registrar's office is that place you have to visit when you need to get a copy of your transcript.
And when you did, you'd visit the office of one Roger Printup.
26. Posted by David C | April 28, 2004 4:49 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 28, 2004 16:49
27. Posted by Jeff | May 29, 2004 11:13 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I went to high school with a tall good looking blond, but introverted girl named Crystal Sieman.
27. Posted by Jeff | May 29, 2004 11:13 AM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on May 29, 2004 11:13
28. Posted by Cheryl | June 18, 2004 6:11 PM | Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
My ex husband used to work for a doctor. His name was John Woodcock. Upon his first meeting my ex says, You must be Dr. SplinterDick!" I also had a friend whose name is Mike Whitcomb....was always getting mail to a Mike Shitcomb. And lastly I work for a small company and one of our customers last name is Crapson. How sad is that!?
28. Posted by Cheryl | June 18, 2004 6:11 PM |
Score: -1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on June 18, 2004 18:11
29. Posted by Aaron | October 6, 2004 3:42 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
In college there was a guy named "Robert Roberts" everyone felt sorry for him and called him Ted.
29. Posted by Aaron | October 6, 2004 3:42 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 6, 2004 15:42