(no subject)

[katallison]

From time to time someone will rant a fine sulphurous rant about the goofy-ass names that people give their babies nowadays (this website often being referenced.) Should you ever feel such a rant coming on, my advice is to go to the Social Security Administration's list of top baby names throughout the decades, go to "Most Popular Names of the 1910's," and go down toward the bottom of the list. I mean, my lord; back in the sedate sane decade of 1910-20, people were naming children things like Exie, Emogene, Ozella, Delfina, Romaine (for girls), or Furman, Garnet, Waldemar, Pershing, Junious, Laurel (for boys). There's a wonderful assortment of non-Anglo names to be found, reflecting the fact that a century ago the US was still very much a nation of recent immigrants. Anyone looking to find unusual names, whether for a child or a character, might do worse than to scan these lists.

I am in general fascinated by the naming of things, and a wonderful website, if you share this interest, is here, one of those glorious weirdness of the web that allows us all to benefit from one person's obsession. Italian Profession Names, Natural Phenomena Named After Frank Zappa, Norway Farm Names, Quilt Block Names, Scottish Given Names of the 13th Century, Naming Your Homeschool, Subway Line Names, all these and a gazillion more.

Comments

[luminosity]

I enjoy names as well. Since I transcribe for hospitals from North Carolina to Hawaii every day, I usually see odd names all the time. The ones that intrigue me lately are the Afro-American baby names that the mothers *make up*. Names like "Q'nider'ph" or "Escofael." I asked a A-A new mom a few weeks ago how she named her baby girl -- "Raqenka D'avio" (she had to spell it for me, obviously) -- and she said that she just made sounds that were beautiful to her and named the baby.

There are also names that make me laugh out loud and names that make me cringe. I hooted with AIM friends the other day with "Playto Socrateez," but my favorite name of all was one I heard about eight years ago-- "Fantasia Spite."