Parents take crazy baby names to the extreme

by Jonathon Morgan (Subscribe to Jonathon Morgan's posts) Nov 19th 2006 11:02AM

Categories: Love & Sex, Pregnancy & Birth

Would you name your child Gandalph? How about Superman?

Before Edan was born, I used to joke that we should name her "I'm not supposed to tell you", or "Jxxhtizial", and tell people that it was just a unique spelling of "Julie". That'd spawn hilarious conversations in which we'd imagine how the theoretical child we were naming would deal with school, meeting new friends, etc.

In truth, Edan's mom never thought that was very funny. I eventually came to my senses.

But according to this article in the Irish Independent, not every parent was so level-headed when it came to the actual name they bestowed upon their offspring. Six babies have been named Gandalph, two have been named Superman, and there's literally thousands of kids named after Britney Spears, Keanu Reeves, Tiger Woods and Kylie Minogue. One ~~unfortunate soul~~ lucky kid has actually been named Harry Potter.

No lies.

Anyone else heard a real wacko baby name lately? Did any of you get creative in paying tribute to your favorite popular star or fictional character when naming the little'un?

PS: As a side ntoe, I'd like to point out that if my parents had only changed the "h" in my name to an "r", I'd be Jonatron instead of Jonathon -- which would've been way cooler.

Source

Comments (39)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Hannah 11-19-2006 @ 11:46AM

I once had to explain to a doula client of mine whose first language wasn't English that "Vagina" (she was pronouncing it Vaj-jih-nah) wasn't a suitable name. She'd seen the word and thought it sounded pretty.

Another client named their child "Hamlet" and yet another called their (caucasian) daughter "Iman".

Hannah 11-19-2006 @ 11:47AM

Oh, forgot one other-- I had acquaintances when I lived in Alaska who named their child "Ruger" (like the gun, not sure how it's spelled.)

Ms Sisyphus 11-19-2006 @ 11:13AM

In high school, I knew a Willow Forest. And a girl who named her daughter Precious Amber Star. Those would have to be the top of my real life crazy list.

Cathy 11-19-2006 @ 1:02PM

After I named my middle child Noah Grey, his uncle started calling him Enola Gay. My youngest child is named after a brand of alcohol, but because I don't drink, I didn't know until it was too late that Evan William would make people think of liquor.

Ethel 11-19-2006 @ 12:41PM

I personally love my cousin's name: Crystal Dawn. Then there is her daughter whose name is Brandy, I think named after her aunt Sherry.

Then there was a classmate of mine whose name is Peachie.

Oh, and these gals are 30+.

Elaine 11-19-2006 @ 12:57PM

I could comment all day... I used to work in theatre.

BUT, my favorite crazy name comes from someone in playgroup. The boy has an unusual first name but his middle name? BadAssPanda. YEP. His middle name is BADASSPANDA.

So not kidding.

Kelly 11-19-2006 @ 1:10PM

I knew a guy with a last name, Dolphin, he and his wife had a son, named him Miami. seriously.
Also, a 10 yr old girl in my stepson's class, parents are off the boat from italy, named their pride and joy, Genitalia Marie. They call her Genny.
I went to high school with girls named: Cherish, Destiny, Trinity, Autumn, Winter, Summer... Oddly enough, no Spring. go figure.

Meghan 11-19-2006 @ 1:23PM

A high school teacher of mine, Mr. Ryzak (pronounced Rye-zack) named his first son Isaac. Isaac Ryzak. That's just cruel.

MamaChristy 11-19-2006 @ 1:31PM

My husband knew Crystal Shanda Lear in high school. I knew Hope Ann Peace in elementary school and Benjamin (went by Ben) Dover in high school. I don't think either of the girls grew up to be stripers and Ben was popular. Still sucks to have a joke for a name, though.

ann adams 11-19-2006 @ 2:12PM

I don't know if it's weird but I think we may have the only Elcie with a "c" instead of an "s". Her parents (my grandson) didn't know how to spell it and also didn't realize they were naming their child after a cow until they heard it from me.

She's been going through life explaining to teachers that she knows how to spell her own name. I've become so used to it that now when I see it spelled correctly it looks wrong.

MamaChristy, Crystal Shanda Lear has to be one of the best I've ever heard. What were they thinking?

Crystal 11-19-2006 @ 3:30PM

My name. My parents named me Crystal Lynn. My last name was Bell. Crystal Bell. They didnt pick up on it right away because as an infant I was referred to as Crystal Lynn. Or just Crystal. It wasnt so bad, I guess. It could have been a lot worse.
I'm married now, so I dont have to deal with it anymore.

Ms. Smith 11-19-2006 @ 4:01PM

I know twins named Candy and Sugar. Their last name is Cane. And I know a girl born on christmas whose parents named her Christmas Noel. But the top spot in the list goes to a resident in my complex who named her dauhter Toilet...to be pronounced twa-lay. I know she was probably thinking about perfume...but how many people are going to tell this poor child she is full of s*&% when she gets older and pisses (ha ha) them off?

ms. smith 11-19-2006 @ 4:01PM

and how could I forget a chic i knew in Baltimore. Her name is Passion Ahtlei Love (passionately love).

AngelaFay 11-19-2006 @ 11:19PM

Wow - lots of oddities out there! And I thought it was interesting that I had a classmate named Candy Graham.

Amy 11-19-2006 @ 8:39PM

I grew up with a girl named Shamrock. People were always accusing her of making it up, but that was really her name.

lara 11-19-2006 @ 8:39PM

When I worked in a furniture store a couple came in to buy a bunk bed for their son. We overheard them refer to the boy as "First" and asked the origin of the unusual nickname. They said it wasn't a nickname; that was his real name. Ok, we all thought, a little odd, but whatever. Then when they decided to purchase, my co-manager started to fill out the paperwork for the parents. You should have seen her attempt to keep a straight face when she heard that their last name was "Borne." They actually named their kid "First Borne."

Phil 11-19-2006 @ 8:39PM

My wife is a nurse and took care of newborn babies named Metallica and Messiah (not from the same family surprisingly).

Chag 11-19-2006 @ 8:40PM

One of the kids in my daughter's gym class was named Voltron. Best name ever!

Niki 11-19-2006 @ 8:40PM

I grew up with a girl named April Showers. She got so tired of going places and hearing "did you bring May Flowers too?"

Judy 11-19-2006 @ 8:40PM

My brother in law named his son Demon (his middle name). Yeah, totally whack. I've also worked with a Star and a Perfection. I went to elementary school with an Apple Joy, Cherry Pie and Jacel Candy (sisters). My husband and I still talk about maybe naming our son (if we have one) Kenshin, after our favourite anime character.

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 20 Comments

How To Submit Photos:
If you'd like your children (any age will do!) featured on ParentDish, upload photos into the ParentDish Flickr Pool. Be sure to read our main Flickr page for more information.