What's the oddest name you've found?

[sharonmx5]

Looking through Baptism Registers today I came across one in the year 1800 where the mother's name was Humiliation.   

I'm not sure whether her married name of Cook or her maiden name of Lion went better with it.

[Ayashi]

I get naming your children after virtues but why, of all names, Humiliation?  Unless someone was not that literate and thought it sounded good! I admit if I saw that I'd be tempted to trace Humiliation to see what her siblings were called!

[sharonmx5]

I get naming your children after virtues but why, of all names, Humiliation?  Unless someone was not that literate and thought it sounded good! I admit if I saw that I'd be tempted to trace Humiliation to see what her siblings were called!

It's dreadful isn't it. It was very clear though and written twice as they actually baptised two children. I may give tracing her a go, although it won't be too straightforward as the Church was near to a barracks so the husband may have been a soldier.

[Geordie daughter]

Non-conformists such as the Wesleyans and Methodists tended to choose those sorts of bible based names. Poor Humiliation's parents may have meant to name her "Humility" which has a rather different meaning! Biblical names in general often got mangled by illiterate or poorly educated parents, and it can be a challenge to find them in censuses.

[philipsearching]

Found on familysearch:
Baptism, Felsham, Suffolk 20 April 1800 HAPPY DEADMAN   

All together now: "Isn't it grand, boys, to be bl**dy well dead!"

[a-l]

Thanks for that one Phillip, I'm crying with laughter

[PrawnCocktail]

Venadora Perry...often mistranscribed as VenceDora...I also have a Providence Butt 

Carol

Hate to tell you, Carol, but Vence Dora Perry was my grandfathers cousin - and he (and my father)  always spoke of her as "Vence Dora" (pronounced Ven-cee Dora)

That's not to say it isn't odd, though!

[Geordie daughter]

Just out of curiosity, PrawnCocktail, did your relations ever explain how Vence Dora came by her unusual name? It rather reminds me of a character named Adora Belle Dearheart in Terry Pratchett's book "Going Postal"!

[PrawnCocktail]

Alas, no! I remember hearing the name when I was a child, and liking just the sound of it. But I never thought to ask where they'd got it from!

The Perry's were boatmen on the Weaver Canal, they could have picked it up from anywhere. They went down the Canal, and even over to Liverpool - Vence Dora's dad was in the Victoria Dock in the 1881 Census, so it could have come from anywhere in the world. And he wouldn't have had a clue how to spell it!