Forum Topic

Unusual and unique first names

Came across some unusual and quirky first names recently - like Hortense, Lembit, Kimberley and Ozil. Imagine being known as Englebert Humperdinck?Are there other unusual and quirky sounding first names? There aren't any one this forum - or are there?

Gerry Tan ● 4770d39 Comments

My mother, Marion, was occasionally called Marilyn by people who didn't know her very well, and took umbrage as she considered it common. I should add that this was a woman from a poor, working-class family. I'd say she came from a Council estate but, in the 30s when she was born, her family could only dream of the council house they got in 1947 with a bathroom and indoor loo.

Susan Kelly ● 4648d

I dunno. But I like the Latin derivation which I think is someone without nobility. Hence sine nobilis = 'snob'. But English is not my mother tongue, so I could be wrong.

Gerry Tan ● 4648d

"As a 'Kimberley', I certainly do not think it is unusual,unfashionable perhaps. I never have to spell it out except for the 'ey' at the end as opposed to just 'y'.Many 'Kims' are in fact 'Kimberleys'.I owe the name to Kim Novak."And she wasn't even a Kimberley but born Marilyn :-)

Nigel Brooks ● 4648d

It's a snob who doesn't care who knows it Gerry and one who has, despite having it pointed out is not going to change.

Keith Iddon ● 4648d

What is an 'unreconstructed' snob please? Is that a good or bad thing to be?

Gerry Tan ● 4648d

She called him 'The Baby' then 'the boy' then I made her say his name! She is an unreconstructed snob so would have liked 'William , James, George....all very nice names but they didn't suit him.

Kim Rugg ● 4648d

Both Kimberley and Ossian are delightful first names, if slightly unusual. I was christened Gerald Anthony Tan in a church in Scotland in the kingdom of Fife, in the early 30s - my birth certificate says so. But I'm known as simple Gerry Tan.However, I have another name - its Tan Kok Seng,(surprise surprise!) But I'm pleased to be called Gerry Tan in Ealing.

Gerry Tan ● 4649d

What did she call him until then -- 'Oy, you!'?

Susan Kelly ● 4649d

As a 'Kimberley', I certainly do not think it is unusual,unfashionable perhaps. I never have to spell it out except for the 'ey' at the end as opposed to just 'y'.Many 'Kims' are in fact 'Kimberleys'.I owe the name to Kim Novak.We named our son Ossian, a translation of Oisin to reflect his Irish heritage. It took my mother 6 years to call him by his name!

Kim Rugg ● 4649d

. . . . that rhymes with . . . .  pucker   

Fred Bray ● 4649d

What about Tucker? Why would anyone in their right mind give an innocent baby a name that rhymes with ...

Susan Kelly ● 4649d

Yes same with Vivien, Vivienne, Vivian & Vyvyan

Viv Ellis ● 4650d

In the UK, the spelling of Lesley/Leslie has indicated if it was a boy or a girl, but I notice lots of female American Leslies.

Susan Kelly ● 4650d

well I am Vivien Lesley Ellis - all three of which can be boy's names too!

Viv Ellis ● 4650d

Bump...we seem to be dredging this up again...must be a slow news day ;-)

Keith Iddon ● 4651d

In 1990 the Conservative members of Ealing Council included Potts, Black and Kettle as well as Green.

Graham Weeks ● 4763d

Olive Green was a stalwart member of my church for many years.

Nigel Brooks ● 4765d

That one sounds more like unintended consequences than deliberate malice aforethought though.  :-)

Tony Colliver ● 4765d

There was an Ivy Root in the village where I grew up.

Sue Rowe ● 4765d

Dung is a common name in central Nigeria where I also found males named Hyacinth and a girl, Cinderella. In London my prize goes to Charles Wesley Singh.

Graham Weeks ● 4767d

It was rumoured (but never confirmed as far as I'm aware) that our RE teacher at Gunnersbury was called Wayne Carr. Surely a parent wouldn't do this !?!?

Bud Richards ● 4767d

There is a name that my brother in law assures me is of a  real person...Ophelia Dickey.

Keith Iddon ● 4767d

Please let's have more quirky names.

Gerry Tan ● 4767d

We had an oxymoron at school.His name was Neil Standing.

Keith Iddon ● 4767d

Not unusual as such, but I did go to school with the 'imaginatively named' Maurice Morris and Philip Phillips.When canvassing for the local elections in Northfields more years ago than I care to remember I encountered a guy whose surname was Comfort-Manwerepoku (pronounced Man-where-e-poke-you)

Nigel Brooks ● 4768d

I once met a lady who worked at the Fullers Brewery in Chiswick - she's a Kiwi and her name is Gowan King.Say the name aloud a couple of times and you can see why this is quite amusing!

Bud Richards ● 4768d

my ex mother in law was called Kobra and the father in law was Jaffar,

Tracey Mehdizadeh ● 4768d

Is your nephew's best pal called Butch?

Gerry Tan ● 4768d

My nephew's middle name is Sundance.

Keith Iddon ● 4768d

As a great fan of the X-files many years ago I wanted to name my son Fox unfortunately my partner and her friends put an end to that idea so it was changed to Jaxon not unusual but different. I do have a friend who named his son Hunter. If I had kept my original idea my son and my friends son could have started a very successful business here in London called Fox Hunter inc.

Tony Maxey ● 4768d

A woman called Merlin - I assume as in the bird rather than the wizard!

David Bourne ● 4768d

Do you know someone called Hmmm! Gerry?

Keith Iddon ● 4769d

In the Stpehn Levitt book 'Freakonomics' which applies advanced economic principals to everyday life the authour discusses how the choice of name can limit a child's life chances.He listed (real, verified) names that had been bestowed on poor little mites in the USA. These included:Vagina (supposedly pronounced Vag- E- Nez)LimoncelloShithead (supposedly pronounced Shee-thead),What chance do they have?

Nigel Brooks ● 4769d

Hmmm!

Gerry Tan ● 4769d

And I thought we Brits were scatological!

Alex Weel ● 4769d

I know 3 people in Thailand called Inporn,Poosheet and Tuwat.

Keith Iddon ● 4770d

In an old job I dealt with quite a few people from Middle East, Africa and Asia. The best name I ever came across was this Malaysian chap called Perfecto Labang. He went under the nickname Bernie, which I always found even more amusing.The South Africans have some brilliant names. I've dealt with the odd Blade, Cobra and - get this - Naughty in my time.

Alex Weel ● 4770d

When I played cricket years ago there was a chap in the team with the surname Butter.His wife was on the verge of giving birth to a child.I suggected that if it happened to be a boy, a good name for him would be Roland...I do know someone whose surname is Bird and they have named their baby daughter Dolly.Lettice is a lovely name I think,old fashioned now I suppose.

Keith Iddon ● 4770d

Kimberlys not unusual, I've known a good few of them. Not unusual names but I worked with a Man called Tracey and at school there was a boy called Carol. Dont think their lives were made any easier with those names.

Marie Shelny ● 4770d