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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: MrsLizzy on Monday 19 February 07 21:08 GMT (UK)
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I think I might have found the funniest name: whilst searching the 1841 census for my ancestors the Maltbys, I came across a 20 year old soldier at the St Georges Barracks, St Martin in the Fields, Charing Cross - rejoicing in the name of
John McDead!
Just think if he'd started a brilliantly successful food chain, going for a McD could have been an entirely different experience! ;D ;D ;D
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;D ;D
I've found two recently that made me laugh
Fanny Pantry
Fanny Finger
;D ;D
Betty
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Looks like we're cornering the market, Betty! Goes to show that it's true that Elizabeths do rule the world! ;)
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Hi Mrs Lizzy & Betty
I came across an unusual one recently in a census return in Surrey, if i remember rightly!
This elderly chap aged 70, was just recorded as Duff and nothing else, just the single name, however, whoever transcribed that obviously assumed that he was a member of the family above him on the return and therefore added there surname, so that he became Duff Bone, i kid you not!!! ;D
Regards
David
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Trawling through the Canada census,I found Easter Bonnet
and my favourite, Moses Down..
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One of my wife's cousins married a young lady in the early 70's whom he met in Hong Kong in the late 60's - when I checked the records I could not believe my eyes - her name was
I. THANGKHIEW.
my immediate reaction was - 'shades of Big Hearted Arthur.'
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These ones aren't so much as funny - but unusual in that their surname and place of birth match or are a close match.
John Preston born Preston
John Thomas Howarth born in Haworth, Yks.
The last one being a real tongue twister when explaining to relo's.
Margaret
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My half sister who now lives in Blackpool must be able to attract funny names.
In the late fifties she lived next door to lady whose first name was Olive. Nothing unusual about that of course, until she married Harold Doyle. Think about it!!!!
This same sister was sent to Australia during W.W. 2 to live with an uncle. They had friends whose name was Parret. They had never seen Scotland but were neverthles in love with the country and it's history, especially it's religous history. So, when their first daughter arrived thaty just had to call her Iona.
Another one that needs thinking about.
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They say in the Bible , Moses went to Mount Olive,?
Popeye almost killed him, :o :o :o :o
Pete :) :)
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Not a person's name but a place name. My Irish lot came from Tonduff. One source suggests that the English translation of Tonduff is "Black Backside". Now try explaining that your roots came from there :o
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I only relate this because for once (!!) I had managed to get my husband to accompany me into a graveyard whilst I was checking out ancestors' memorial inscriptions. I was intent on finding the gravestone of Esther Slack and taking some photos. Whilst I was deliberating about exactly what aperture I should use to get the picture that I wanted of Esther's gravestone I could hear loud sniggering going on further up the churchyard. Hubby had found the gravestone of a Fanny Slack. That's men for you.
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I had a very distant rellie called Olive Branch. :o :o
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I did a look-up a few days ago, and found a baptism for...
" Kerrenhappuch Steventon"
Jackie.
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On a related topic, I thought I had seen it all with this genealogy lark until some while ago when I found that someone on the LDS site has been described as an Expiree.
I guess this means they were dead...?
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I have a NELLIE NIMMO, and a TRYPHINA TOWNSEND, and my partner has a POTIPHAR POTTER.
Now they are names to conjure with.
Dave. ::)
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I've always wanted to live in Three Holes so people could say to me "Never mind, maybe one day you can afford a place of your own." Or Six Mile Bottom would be even better. People could say "How appropriate!"
;D ;D ;D
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There's a place in Kent called Pratt's Bottom.
Imagine saying you come from there ;D ;D ;D
Betty
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Betty :o I thought you were making it up but I see it's near Biggin Hill. "Wizzard Prang!!" For those of you who are old enough.... that wot Flying Officer Kite used to say when he missed the runway and landed in Pratt's Bottom. ;D ;D
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My partners gg gm is fanny sweet...hee hee
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My grandfather, so I'm told, was extremely sensitive about his middle name: Percy. He used to beat people up for laughing at it. I must say it's not the most rib-tickling name I've ever heard. What gives me a giggle is terrifically impressive names given to babies: an uncle back in about 1901 was named Percy Dundonald Wade. For some reason when I first came across him in the census I fell about laughing. :D
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I've just transcribed today (for freebmd) - Clarendon Square - his name, not his address :D
Barbara
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looking through the 1881 census i came across one lady whose place of birth was - flowery field, cheshire!
i wonder if was literally ;D ;D ;D
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Perhaps your ancestor's mother was a hippy girl ahead of her time! It reminds me of a scene in a film - all I can remember is the middle aged female character coming across a young couple in the woods in falling snow, where the pregnant wife was lying down in the snow in the throes of labour. She was played by the actress who was Mary Ellen Walton in The Waltons (I miss that!)
On being chided for not staying in the warm and dry so near her time, the mother explained "We didn't want our baby to be born in captivity." So they thought they'd have it in the middle of a snowstorm, just to bolster its chances of survival, obviously! ::)
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For a good read and a list of places not to live, try "The Deeper Meaning of Liff - A dictionary of things there aren't any words for yet", by Douglas Adams & John Lloyd.
Place names, taken down off the signposts and given a new role in life - can't say I'd fancy living in Wormelow Tump.
It sounds like something your kid would be sent home from school for having (a) growing on the side of his neck (b) somewhere in the bottom of his trouser pockets (c) under his fingernails (d) perm any two from three... ;D
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I recently came across a Pastwater JESSUP. :o
I wonder what the origins of his first name were?
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There's a place in Kent called Pratt's Bottom.
Imagine saying you come from there ;D ;D ;D
Betty
You think that's bad? In Dorset we have Scratchy Bottom. And it's not that far from a place called Sandy Balls. Well, I suppose sandy balls could well lead on to a scratchy bottom.... :-*
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I have a John George Tudor Ullock as far as I know they didn't have any children so little !!!!!!!!'s around
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There's a place in Kent called Pratt's Bottom.
Imagine saying you come from there ;D ;D ;D
Betty
You think that's bad? In Dorset we have Scratchy Bottom. And it's not that far from a place called Sandy Balls. Well, I suppose sandy balls could well lead on to a scratchy bottom.... :-*
....along the lines of strange places (and trying to "up" the tone a bit :P) I had friends who lived in a place called Freezy Water - which wasn't the back of beyond, as many quaint places seem to be, but somewhere inside the M25.
P.S. I also worked with someone who lived in (the now famous) Pratt's Bottom!
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One day in the chatroom, a new member of roots was asking for help to find Fanny Bush ;D even though we can't hear each other in the chat room, we all felll about laughing - I was crying, if anybody had seen me they would have thought I had one too many!!!
Was one of the funniest afternoons I have had for a long time ;D :D
Jane
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How about CHRISTMAS LARK, came across that one some time ago but can't find the notebook where I jotted it down so can't tell you where or when. I'll have another rummage through my stack of notes....could take some time you understand!!
I think it's a lovely name but might not go down too well these days at the local comp.
Sue
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Hello all
Whilst searching for the possible maiden name of my husband's great grandmother I came across all sorts of....errrr.... interesting and unusual combinations
I will warn those of you with a delicate disposition to please lookaway now :o
If I tell you her Christian name was Fanny I am sure you can imagine what childish hilarity this has caused!
Fanny Beaver
Fanny Hare and her husband William (probably Willie for short!) 1881
Fanny Hole living in Maidenhead
Fanny Furrow and her husband William 1881 Sheffield
Fanny Mince 1891 Brixton
My friend sent me
Elizabeth Boop and Bethia Boop also known as Betty I should imagine
And my all time favourites
Onesimes and Ebenezer Minge 1861 Norwood ::)
The last one I am unable to type without falling about in hysterics!
Hope they make you laugh too and that you are not all truly offended?
Cheers
Tina ;D
P.S. Thank goodness she turned out to be Fanny Humphrey and none of the above!
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When I am out 'on the road' doing my research, I note unusual or funny names here are a few.
Olive Stuffin [life's too short for etc]
Fanny Burns, Hugh R Dead ,Frederick Frogg, Jupiter Socks, and Isa Creem
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I actually knew someone called Norman Keep !! :D :D
Ellen
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Made in Kent, have you seen the Naughty Names thread
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,88693.msg374244.html#msg374244
Guaranteed to have you in tears of laughter.
Betty
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We always used to think that Bottesford was an unfortunate place to live. But we were only small kids then and we needed to amuse ourselves on the long rail journeys you used to have in the 50's... ;D ;D ;D
Isa Creem, eh? what were his census details? Born Napoli, Italy?
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Thanks Betty, must pass this on to my daughter and my cousin..they will be laughing for days.
I have added some more on there, some of which I thought too rude to add here!
Good Lord my sides are killing me from reading that thread all in one go...it's hysterical. You wouldn't think that there were soooo many unfortunate people out there. ;D
Cheers
Tina
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Tonight you've brought a smile to brighten my evening. I especially laughed at the "sniggering husband...gravestone...Fanny Slack."
My eight year old was horrified at the fact that there's a Fanny on his Dad's side, he asked me if I knew what one was. What do they teach at that school of his?
Having grown up with maiden name of BINI (pronounced BEANY) and being teased relentlessly with any Bean connection you can imagine, I now have an abnormal abhorence of certain names (not anyone elses, just ones I might get lumbered with) My partner's surname is PERCIVAL, needless to say I wont marry him. I'm with the Mrs Lizzy and the hilarity surrounding Percy.
On a "places angle" what about the Villages of Wetwang or Thwing near Driffield East Yorks. I've got a bit of a lisp so Swing would've sounded about the same.LOL. There's also Little Snoring in Norfolk (they haven't met my ex-husband)
Mich ;D
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Just posted on the wrong thread about a Paul Orridge I was at school with (P.Orridge) and a Richard Head in the Royal Engineers.
I said about offering "no prizes for guessing what the latter was known as". Just hope I didn't offend anyone on there as the "Funniest Names..." weren't exactly appropriate. Whoops!
Mich ;D
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I dug out my notes yesterday.
Found while searching the US IGI.
[looking for Van Der Burg]
Little Henry Funderburk, his father Big Henry Funderburk.
Rosie Bumm
Virginia Birdsh*t
Mary Christmas
and a Bugg marrying a Flye
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Many years ago now, a former work colleague of mine had some dealings with the American Embassy in London. He had access to a copy of their internal telephone directory, which apparently rejoiced in the following entries:
Mr. Fahrtberger; Mr. Bumwanger; and Captain Limprick.
Give me Smith or Jones any day...;D
Even more years ago now, we had a teacher at secondary school called Miss Smellie. She had a novel way of getting around it; at the beginning of each new year, as the first-formers filed in and sat down, she would say "Good Morning, girls. My name is Miss Smellie. You may now laugh. God help you if you ever do so again...
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i work on a checkout and recently an elderly lady handed me her credit card to pay for her goods. her name was:
Mrs A Narse
;D ;D ;D
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Oh dear just found another whilst looking for a marriage, 4th quarter 1920
If you had gone through the ridicule of living with a name like
ANNIE SIDEBOTHAM
How could you possibly have let yourself marry
CLARENCE ALLCOCK !
You wouldn't think it possible to swap for something worse...lol
T xx
P.S. Can you imagine the scene in the church when the vicar read out the names...bet there wasn't a dry eye in the house...hysteria all round! :D ;D :D ;D
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I was telling my friend today about all these funny names on here and he was telling me about his own experiences which despite being 40 he only realised 6-months ago.
He has to sign himself in to a place of work and the girls were all giggling saying that they know him as Ram a butt. His name is R.A. Mabutt. Bless!
And the moral of the story is when naming your children look at the possibilities including the various permutations of initials e.g my niece is J.C.B (not too bad in the grand scheme)
Michelle ;D
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whilst in hospital after having my first daughter- many moons ago! - i was sat in the 'smoking room' with all the other new mums discussing our new arrivals names. one lady said, rather grandly, my son's called george henry.
all very well until the nurse came in and called 'mrs lee', and up she stood.
there was a few sniggers as she left the room. ;D ;D
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After some years of teaching, I impressed upon my own children that when choosing names for their own children they should write out any prospective names in full and read them aloud, then write the initials and read them out.
My son and his wife did this, but my daughter got round it by marrying an Indian lad and choosing names the Indian way. I did scrutinise the initials, though.
I was at school with a girl named D. Day, but she was born in 1942!
ps There is a place in Scotland, the name of which I can't mention on here, but it begins and ends with 'T', with two letters between.
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A doctor friend of mine embarassed herself by laughing over the surgery tannoy when she realised she was calling in Pearl Harbour! Even worse the womans husband was Sidney!
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I have to say, I'm delighted to have discovered that I had a Grannie Spankie!
Bill
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A doctor friend of mine embarassed herself by laughing over the surgery tannoy when she realised she was calling in Pearl Harbour! Even worse the womans husband was Sidney!
;D ;D ;D
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My uncle's name was Sidney Bridge! ;D
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That is Sidney H. Bridge, of course ;D ;D ;D
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I was just going to say, actually, you're right, but to make sure I looked him up and he was actually registered as Harold Sidney. A narrow escape, then!
I don't think it had been built when he was born.
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Over the years I've come across Archibald Crump, Daphne Duck and Donald Duck. :)
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Just been looking up some Varty families - guess what some of them are indexed as......... :o
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I found this one today in the Deal registers:
Stribblehill Norwood, son of Stribblehill Norwood and Ann MAY, baptised 22 Dec 1773 ??? ???
Bill
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I have a person in my family tree called "Herbie Treehead" ;D