strange family names

[ThrelfallYorky]

I think I've heard of that chap - indirectly, from a friend, it does sound familiar...

[DavidG02]

Spotted a Ptolomey/Ptolemy in an Irish family tree connected to my DNA. Looking further it could also be Tolmey/Tolmy

I had never thought of it in that light but there is that old conjecture of Egyptians settling in Ireland very early ie BC

[Redroger]

There was a Ptolomy family in Doncaster recently. The name is Greek not Egyptian. The name of the Greeks who replaced the Egyptian pharoahs, and were replaced by the Romans.

[bettyespana]

In my Paternal Ancestors I have one with the middle name of Claudius.

Where I used to live there was an elderly gentleman who had a Off Licence & his name
was Stonewall Jackson.

[carom]

Our local history group transcribed the gravestones in our local churchyard.
My favourite was Neighbour Crump. I checked on freebmd and he was christened Neighbour in about 1850.

[Redroger]

I would imagine that the word "Friend" will appear many times in a Quaker graveyard. I know it is a title to the Quakers, but have known at leat one person named and known as Friend.

[MacGrigor]

My great-great-grandad was named Verdant! This name was never passed down the generations sadly. He gave himself a middle name of Robert, presumably to fit in better 

Other than that, most of mine are fairly common - William and John mainly. Had a couple of Biblical names here and there: Abraham, Jethro, Abel. Austin was a good one, presumably a family name. Burt. Jesse. Ambrose. Some interesting female ones such as Augusta, Avery, Charity, Patience, Virtue, Lily, Thomasine, Diana and Amey among them.

[pinefamily]

I worked with a young engineer whose name was Tem. On enquiring, he told me it was short for Temujin, the birth name of Genghis Khan. Apparently I was the first person that knew the origin of his name.
Off the top of my head the strangest name in my family tree is Ferdinando. Apparently quite popular in the 16th and 17th centuries.

[Maiden Stone]

Off the top of my head the strangest name in my family tree is Ferdinando. Apparently quite popular in the 16th and 17th centuries.

There were several Ferdinandos in a family I'm researching 18th-19thC. They lived in Co. Durham. A granddaughter named her Lancashire-born son Ferdinando after his uncle & godfather. Thomas, William or John were the usual names of these families. It was a Catholic family. I wondered if it was a tribute to King Ferdinand, father of Queen Catherine of Aragon. One of my lines has several girls called Isabella.  I was hoping to find a Ferdinand & Isabella pairing.