Names

[gwalchmai]

One of the few things I liked about Mike Farrell's character in M.A.S.H. was a comment I remember him making: "Well, if it isn't Benjamin Franklin Pierce Hawkeye, named for a president, an Indian, and a stove.." (He was wrong, of course, but the thought was funny.)

On the interwebz I was named after a fictional Mayan prince descended from a Roman centurion, and the author of a novel about him. IRL I got my names from an ordinary guy who became a superhero, and my grandfather's motorcycle.

Who are y'all named after?

[Huaco Kid]

Like the drink.

Only not spelt the same.

[crockett]

 

[railfancwb]

Historically most of my pets have had names selected from road atlases. The ratio has dropped off recently as I’ve been receiving older prenamed ones. 

[railfancwb]

Just now, railfancwb said:

Historically most of my pets have had names selected from road atlases. The ratio has dropped off recently as I’ve been receiving older prenamed ones. 

Oh, my names? Look far enough back there are kings and knaves wearing names I have. 

[Eric]

My middle name was misspelled by my parents. I discovered it about ten years ago, when I did the Ancestry.com thing. My middle name is Donnon, which never made any sense to me. It has no meaning. Then I found almost two dozen relatives, going back centuries, with the first or middle name of Donan. There was an Irish Saint Donan, sometimes spelled Donnán, at the end of the sixth century and start of the seventh. He was known for trying to introduce Christianity to the people of the Scottish Highlands. My people's ancestry comes from that area, so the name makes since.

I asked my father about it after I found out and he looked a little sheepish. Then he blamed my mother for it.

[Batesmotel]

Directly, my material grandfather. But many men have shared my name on both sides of the family going back to the Middle Ages. 

[railfancwb]

Small town rural America. Until gasoline powered vehicles and improved (hard surfaced) roads became common, many people were born, grew up, dated and married and died all within a small area. So a few family last names might over time show up on both sides of a person’s family tree. This would lead to given names also appearing with regularity. Wander through old cemeteries in those areas and notice the names - family and given. Notice how many men outlived several wives, and how many infant graves there are. These are some in rural New Mexico. 

[holyjohnson]

i was just given the same last name as the rest of my Family.

my Christian name is after this guy.

no, not Satan!

[LostinTexas]

3 hours ago, railfancwb said:

Small town rural America. Until gasoline powered vehicles and improved (hard surfaced) roads became common, many people were born, grew up, dated and married and died all within a small area. So a few family last names might over time show up on both sides of a person’s family tree. This would lead to given names also appearing with regularity. Wander through old cemeteries in those areas and notice the names - family and given. Notice how many men outlived several wives, and how many infant graves there are. These are some in rural New Mexico. 

Childbirth is a dangerous thing for humans. Very tough on the ladies. After the first, their body knows more of what to do and how to deal, but it is still a tough paper route. Even today it can be devastating.

A local "Family" cemetery that is near a range we use has a few stones still in tact. Most of the ones that survived are young women of child bearing age, and may infants that correspond with the mothers death. I wish we could have access to the others in the plot, I would imagine it was quite interesting. Of the 50 that are supposed to be in the cemetery, only a handful of stones have survived, mostly from early to middle 1800's.

 

I was named after a guy called Keith. A popular name in the 60's. No real family name reference is easily found on the interwebs. Kind of amazing.

[Maser]

Maser is my real life nickname I've had since I was 5.  My real name is Jason so I guess I'm named after a hockey mask wearing killer. 

[tadbart]

My mom wanted to name me Thaddeus Bartholomew. Fortunately, my dad stepped in and put an end to that nonsense, and named me after himself. But still, it makes for a pretty decent online persona.

 

 

[kerbie18]

I'm named after a lead character from Gone with the Wind.

[DAKA]

Named for an Uncle who died young...