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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: jbml on Tuesday 26 August 14 13:26 BST (UK)

Title: Names you have come across ...
Post by: jbml on Tuesday 26 August 14 13:26 BST (UK)
Well, we've all got one or two interesting names in our trees ... but what about those you have come across who are NOT your ancestors??

My three favourites so far, in reverse order, are:

3. General Sir Denzil Onslow

2. Solomon Piggott

But out in the lead by a country mile, it absolutely HAS to be:

1. Murfin Blott
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Kay99 on Tuesday 26 August 14 13:32 BST (UK)
I quite like one of mine -  Pease Mudd   ;D
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: 777777 on Tuesday 26 August 14 13:44 BST (UK)
I was in a graveyard as a teenager in Co. Wexford with my parents and grandmother looking for ancestors and relatives when I saw a gravestone that said "Alphonsus McMahon". I giggled and said, "Look, there's someone called Alphonsus McMahon!". Immediately my grandmother's face fell and she said, "I didn't know old Fonzo was dead!". I had of course forgotten that everyone knows everyone else in rural Irish villages. I think I just shouldn't ever speak in future!  :-[

Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Paul Caswell on Tuesday 26 August 14 23:26 BST (UK)
My favorite is Lilly Nellie Gibbins. Apart from the wonderful name it turned out that she died in Chelmsford in 1997 aged 100, just a few years before I moved there. She was the wife of my great granduncle George Speight who made a brush for my mother when she was married. I have the brush now.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: JonathanC on Wednesday 27 August 14 09:01 BST (UK)
I have two women named Fanny Crust (named Fanny on their birth certificate, not used as a shortform of Frances etc.) in my tree.  Always seems to cause some amusement among my American relatives (although I can't think why!):

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fanny%20crust

Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Gillg on Wednesday 27 August 14 10:44 BST (UK)
How about Queenie King?  Admittedly that was her married name and I think Queenie must have been a pet name, as I've not been able to find a matching marriage or death in that name.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Annette7 on Wednesday 27 August 14 10:51 BST (UK)
One that I came across that always stuck in my mind is 'Ethel Thistle'!!

Annette
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: bradburyd on Wednesday 27 August 14 17:28 BST (UK)
I once had an American client called Sundance Wildfire.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: ThrelfallYorky on Wednesday 27 August 14 18:09 BST (UK)
"Nellie Winkle"!!
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: andrewalston on Wednesday 27 August 14 19:44 BST (UK)
Queenie must have been a pet name, as I've not been able to find a matching marriage or death in that name.
Queenie is a quite common pet name derived from Victoria.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: jbml on Wednesday 27 August 14 20:21 BST (UK)
My favorite is Lilly Nellie Gibbins. Apart from the wonderful name it turned out that she died in Chelmsford in 1997 aged 100, just a few years before I moved there. She was the wife of my great granduncle George Speight who made a brush for my mother when she was married. I have the brush now.

That is SUCH a shame.

If only you had moved there while she was still alive (and known it ... perhaps by seeing about her queen's telegram in the local press) you could have taken the brush round to show her that it was still a treasured possession!
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: conahy calling on Wednesday 27 August 14 21:21 BST (UK)
How about Queenie King?  Admittedly that was her married name and I think Queenie must have been a pet name, as I've not been able to find a matching marriage or death in that name.

I once had a teacher "Sr. Aquinas" who had the nickname "Queenie"
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: jbml on Wednesday 27 August 14 22:31 BST (UK)
I have to say, I was a little bit amused when I was in Court 38 RCJ, going though the probate calendars, and I came across the probate records for various people by the name of Elizabeth King. Only, of course, they were listed as King Elizabeth.

Not many places in the Royal Courts of justice you will see references to King Elizabeth  :D :D
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Rudolf H B on Wednesday 27 August 14 22:42 BST (UK)
Bernhard Zwetschkenstiel
from Austria or Hungary, he changed his name into Bernhard Steel (London 1902).

Zwetschkenstiel is the little stick connecting the plum with the tree.
(Prunus domestica ssp. domestica – common plum)

Joseph Needlestitcher
he changed his name into J. Simons (London 1906)

Regards
Rudolf
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Treetotal on Wednesday 27 August 14 23:05 BST (UK)
My two favourites are from my Canadian line...Providence Butt and Thankful Parsons.
Carol
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Rudolf H B on Wednesday 27 August 14 23:25 BST (UK)
A plate in an Austrian village:

Alois Fleischhacker
Anmeldestelle
für Bestattung

Alois Meat Hacker
Registration Office
for Funerals


Fleischhacker is a Austrian word, like Paradeiser (tomato), Fisolen (beans), Kugel (football) ...
In German it is Fleischer, Metzger, but Fleischhacker sounds a little more drastic to German ears.

A lot of Germans with butcher names are now in the dental and orthodontics business ...

Best regards
Rudolf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleischhacker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleischhacker)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Fleishhacker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Fleishhacker)
Fleishhacker Zoo & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleishhacker_Pool (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleishhacker_Pool), San Francisco
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Gillg on Thursday 28 August 14 11:54 BST (UK)
Queenie must have been a pet name, as I've not been able to find a matching marriage or death in that name.
Queenie is a quite common pet name derived from Victoria.

Sounds a bit like "Blackadder"  :D

Gillg
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Vicki Morley on Thursday 28 August 14 15:33 BST (UK)
Somerville Langabeer. He married into my tree but I can't quite remember where without checking. He sounds quite grand but I'm not sure he was!
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Trillian on Thursday 28 August 14 20:06 BST (UK)
I found someone called Reservoir once (first name, female) and often come across a Cinderella or Clementia when looking through traveller families.

My favourite name in my tree is Pharaoh.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: sirsimon on Thursday 28 August 14 20:17 BST (UK)
The most interesting name I came across in my family tree was Love Ingram
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: sharonmx5 on Thursday 28 August 14 21:14 BST (UK)
I once came across an Honor Nunn in baptism registers.  They really didn't think that through too well.

Just this evening been looking at Wills of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk 1620 - 1624 and have come across a beneficiary called Famous Wolfe.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Erato on Thursday 28 August 14 21:18 BST (UK)
One of my favorites, found in passing, was Westminister [sic] Abbey.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: crowsfeet on Thursday 28 August 14 22:02 BST (UK)


One of our female ancesters was named Rare Pearl. Quite lovely I thought.

Crowsfeet
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Trillian on Friday 29 August 14 01:04 BST (UK)
Just come across a Theodocia Winkle, which has a nice ring to it.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: barryd on Friday 29 August 14 04:19 BST (UK)
Pharaoh is of mixed origin on Free BMD (which is updated now) but in 1864 onwards there is a slight dominance in County Durham which is where I have seen the name fairly often.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: 777777 on Friday 29 August 14 07:07 BST (UK)
Just found a Nellie Kelly...
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Sinann on Friday 29 August 14 09:28 BST (UK)
Just found a Nellie Kelly...
Nellie Kelly broke her belly sliding down a lump of jelly.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: ATGoldsmith on Tuesday 02 September 14 23:26 BST (UK)
I've come across a few but the one that I always remember is Christmas Balls !!!
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Sloe Gin on Wednesday 03 September 14 01:46 BST (UK)
Gotthard Dick  :)
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Gillg on Wednesday 03 September 14 09:19 BST (UK)
Came across a Christmas Fairy in the search for family names, but sadly she wasn't one of mine.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Mike in Cumbria on Wednesday 03 September 14 11:15 BST (UK)
Not from genealogy, but I remember a news report about a teacher on the Scilly Isles called Marigold Bush.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Clarkey500 on Thursday 04 September 14 13:41 BST (UK)
Came across a Christmas Fairy in the search for family names, but sadly she wasn't one of mine.

That's a great name! I've heard of the surname Christmas but not the forename.  :)

I've got a few William Willy's and we all know that William can be shortened to Willy!  ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Sloe Gin on Thursday 04 September 14 14:25 BST (UK)
I've heard of the surname Christmas but not the forename. 

There was a well-known Old Bailey judge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Humphreys) called Christmas Humphreys.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: John915 on Saturday 06 September 14 01:44 BST (UK)
Good morning,

I have 3 Fanny's, 2 Philadelphia's, 1 Carralina, 1 Carkett, 1 Rose Henry plus a couple of others I don't recall right at this minute.

But my favourites aren't in my tree but are the doctors who did my vasectomy many years ago. A husband and wife team called Dr's Ball and Ball.

John915
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: healyjfch on Saturday 06 September 14 10:25 BST (UK)
First name Phelim pronounced as Failem

Fursey as a first name

The name Fanny was used as pet name of Anne

Surname Cribbin pronounced as Cribbing
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Sloe Gin on Saturday 06 September 14 14:45 BST (UK)
Not funny but a bit of a mouthful ....
Dulcibella Eugenie.
 
Her mother was Evangeline Emmeline.  And she has a third name beginning with E as well!
I should love to know what the third E is for.  Just curious, as they are distant twigs on the tree.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: queenwillow on Sunday 07 September 14 11:37 BST (UK)
Christmas was a fairly popular name in Wales during the 1800's.
The most well know one was Christmas Evans, who was regarded as one of the greatest preachers in Welsh history. He even has a mention in the Encyclopedia Britannica (11th edition)
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: radstockjeff on Sunday 07 September 14 12:10 BST (UK)
Transcription error  1871 Census  Lawes Nutter  for James Nurse

radstockjeff
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: sharonmx5 on Sunday 07 September 14 16:11 BST (UK)
Good morning,

I have 3 Fanny's, 2 Philadelphia's, 1 Carralina, 1 Carkett, 1 Rose Henry plus a couple of others I don't recall right at this minute.

But my favourites aren't in my tree but are the doctors who did my vasectomy many years ago. A husband and wife team called Dr's Ball and Ball.

John915

Your post reminded me, there was an Indianna in my husband's extended family.  I wonder how common it was to name children after the States in America.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Erato on Sunday 07 September 14 17:47 BST (UK)

Your post reminded me, there was an Indianna in my husband's extended family.  I wonder how common it was to name children after the States in America.

Carolinas must be a dime a dozen.

I've got a Montana in my tree [distantly by marriage].  The same family had a Lakota, also.  I wonder how often Native American names were used - e.g., William Tecumseh Sherman.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: krudachyk on Thursday 11 September 14 19:39 BST (UK)
Was King a popular name?
I came across a King Edward Ursel today.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Stanwix England on Thursday 11 September 14 21:01 BST (UK)
I'm sure this will have been mentioned here before but I came across a Mr and Mrs Squelch the other day.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: confused73 on Thursday 11 September 14 22:06 BST (UK)
I have a Friend Bottle in my family, in fact father and son.
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: dolly dimples on Friday 12 September 14 21:34 BST (UK)
  What about these from early Cornish PRs..
     Paspantia Pawle 1571.
    Johanna Urine 1611.
    Augustinian Trisprisen.1612
     Charity Welcome .
     Loudy Reed.
     Blandina Pellamoanta .
                                 Charming eh?     Dolly
Title: Re: Names you have come across ...
Post by: Erin2012 on Thursday 18 September 14 15:05 BST (UK)
My great grandfather: B.C. Drake (Barber Carpenter Drake).