What are parents thinking? I was talking to some other teachers and we were comparing the worst names of students we had taught. Here is my list. What kind of parent would do this to a child?
brothers of course:
Lemonjello: pronounced le-mon-ja-low
Orangejello: pronounced o-ron-ja-low
####onya: pronounced sha-tonya
Abcde: pronounced absody (actually kinda pretty)
#######: pronounced ash-olay
Crybaby: pronounced, well crybaby
Yes, these are legal names spelled the way I have them, written on birth certs.
When new teachers, students, peers, employers see these names, what happens? Is it me, or are these people crazy?
Divine
Spechelle
Booshala
Conan
Dejanay (dejeunier- breakfast in French) Why would you name your child breakfast?
Star Estrella Estrella means star in Spanish, so: Star Star
Siddy - for a girl
K'Wamay
Major Ricky
There was a study done. It was on 20/20 last year. Even when the resumes & job experience were the same, the people with unusual names were passed over for jobs. The parents want their child to stand out so badly, that they go to extremes.
I thought that Storm was one of the worst names I'd come across, but some of those are HORRIBLE! Those poor children
In some countries, you have to have the name you pick checked by a judge... I read story about a father (in Sweden, I think) who wanted to call his child Metallica, and it wasn't allowed
This year I have a Tiara and a Cheyenne. I have also had Shyanne.
The most unusual family set of names were identical twin boys Shane and Shawn and their identical twin girl cousins Shana and Shawna.
I've had an Armonie (you know, Armani), then I've had Armani that was spelled correctly. Mercedes, Lorial (like the makeup), Rone' (Renee), Mr. (yes, the abbr. for mister), Prince, siblings: Darrel, Darell, Darriel (brothers both named darrell, but spelled differently)
Some of the names you all wrote are more than ridiculous.
My weirdest are:
Destiny
Ivoire (Ivory, spelled all weird)
DaShawn
DaJuan
Justice
Devian (pronounced Day Vian)
Dajanae
Africa
Asia
Plus one family where all the boys were Andre: nicknames are different to differentiate between them: Tre, Re, Dre, etc. 6 or 7 of them.
I've had kids with lots of weird names over the years but the weirdest and saddest was a cute little girl with the name Trashay. Sounds like trash with a "long a" sound at the end. To me it's more about parents wanting to be different and getting attention than any consideration for their child and the name they get stuck with.
but! One, I didn't even realize that Neveah was heaven backwards (I have a student with that name...not heavenly.) Two, this student isn't mine, but I love her name -- QueenJazzy. I'm not sure if that's how it's spelled, but I hear it being yelled by her teacher all of the time. I guess it's a little silly, but kind of cool?
Also don't forget Renegade, Precious, Unique, Pretty, Excellence, Beauty, and America (female). Plus 90 forms of D'jon, Dijon, Dejon, De'jon, Dajon, Deejon, Daejon, and on and on.
Oh I do love these names!! Some of the ones I've known or taught...
Gazelle (pronounced Gay zel)
King James
Ace Lord
M'Priss (Yup that would be Empress to you and me)
and living on a Navy base we had a little girl whose father named her Army!
My first year I had a Shaneka, Shameka, Shanese. I've had a ShaQueen. She taught me my first lesson about hair extensions, when they started coming out, and I had to give her a bag to put her hair in. I've had an Ikea, yes just like the store. I've also had a Shaquintra, and a Shanique in the same year. The best by far was, Female pronounced Fa-mall. The mom told the story to everyone that someone else had named her baby because when she look as the sign in the nursery it said Female (then her last name).
I have a Tade' pronounced Today (her sister is Tamora, pronounced tomorrow) I also have a female named Alex whose three brothers are also named Alex. What the heck?
hovenweep, snoops doesn't know everything, although I go there too to verify things.
It's been so long I can't remember the correct spelling, but it was either Orangelo or Orangello. A relative of mine had this child in an elem. school in southern GA. When I visited, I was like you're BS'ing me. But I saw proof when she was grading papers. Even if snoops.com says it's not true, it has been used before. Well, a variation of it was anyway.
I know a child named Shay-Nastee LaShay. I'm sorry, but what were these parents thinking.....oh yeah, they weren't! Who in their right minds names a child Nasty...no matter what spelling is used, it is still pronounced like nasty.
Oh, in 1991, I had a student whose brother's name was Camel Lord. For anyone saying BS, yes, he is on the internet.....his DOC prison record. My student (7th grader) was shot during the middle of the night that year. They both ended up in prison repeatedly when they were older.
Oh my gosh... I honestly can't even believe some of these. I though some of mine were bad, but they don't even compare! My all-time favorite though, is Machiavelli.
I swear, some of these bizarre made-up names just floor me, especially when "i" is pronounced "a" and "e" is pronounced "o" - I generally ask what language that is, and inevitably am told it is ENGLISH, with a glare, as if I am completely stupid.
I'm convinced some of these people just want to humiliate and brand their kids forever. As for the person who thinks these names are part of urban legend: I hereby cordially invite you to visit my school district, which is IN ITSELF an urban legend.
All of the name that I mentioned WERE students of mine. I'm sorry you choose not to believe that. I'm mother was not right in her mind. She saw ghosts in the family pictures.
Thank you yogi! I agree! This thread comes up over and over, and some of the names give me a good chuckle, but others are just from other ethnicities or cultures. I've had so many girls named Asia I don't even flinch. I actually think it's a pretty name. Plus, I think the names "Dawn", "April", "Autumn", etc., probably turned a few heads at one time.... seasons, months, times of day....
Mercedes is actually a very common name in the Spanish-speaking community. It has been a girl's name much longer than it has been a car's name.
I like the name Asia. I used to like the name Allegra, before it became an allergy medication.
I once knew someone who previously had had twin girls named Leukemia and Pneumonia. I doubt they were spelled that way, though. Their mother heard the words in the hospital and thought they were pretty.
Sometimes names that seem "weird" are actually common names in another culture. Welsh is an example that comes to mind. Nobody blinks at Gwyneth (as in Paltrow), but the Welsh spelling is Gwynedd. It is not strange; it is Welsh.
Then of course there is the Foreman family---all named George.
Huh. I gotta say, my daughter's name is in one of these posts. I didn't think it was a name to be made fun of (and no, I didn't name her female). Go figure, to each his own.
And here I thought it was amusing that I have a student (Harley) making fun of another student's name (Dontay). I also have a Taryn this year...odd names. But clearly not as crazy as some of yours!
it is not racist to have an opinion about a name. I have had a whole list of unbelievable names and it IS usually (in MY experience- therefore my opinion) that an truly unusual name does indicate something about the homelife. (Here is my politically correct correction- I have had some wonderful, smart and creative students with unbelievable names)
I am sure some of the above posters can pick apart my above thought and turn it into something racist, but seriously- get a new hobby. If this kind of post offends you, don't read it.
My most interesting name- Kwslyn
I have also had a little girl named Sunshine (and...like my above post explains, I wasn't surprised when I met her parents who were modern day hippies)
I went into snopes and sure enough some of these names are there. However; it doesn't make us racist, and it doesn't mean someone out there didn't name their children the name anyway.
We have several students at my school whose legal first name is baby+mom's first name...why? Because the parents never named their child and baby was what the hospital sent in for the birth certificate.
One of the schools I work at serves the children from the armed forces that live on base. With that said, maybe these won't sound so different butthey did make my ears perk up.... Maverick and Battle. They aren't related, but unique nonetheless.
A lot of the names on these posts aren't so strange to me, because they are ethnic in nature, and some are quite beautiful. Because they are ethnic, there usually has to be a pronunciation lesson. When I taught jr. high, I had a girl named Day'Shawn, and I never could pronounce it to her standards.
Let's talk about some celebrity baby names we've seen recently. Apple, anyone? Didn't one celeb name his kid Optimus Prime?
I met a girl last summer named Jubilation, and we called her Jubee. She was white. Her parents named her after some tv show or something.
To each his own, I say.
The Ruby Payne presenter had something to say about names, but I can't remember what it was. Name trends tend to follow SES, I think is the gist of what she was saying.
I can honestly say that I have never had a student named Femalle but my SIL is a NICU nurse and has to have parents fill out the birth certificates and has actually had a parent fill this out on the paper. She has seen other interesting names as well. It is a cultural thing what you choose to name your child. I know that I have a name that at the time of growing up no one in my class had the same name. It was considered different but pretty. Now it is a semicommon name. I know my dh and I have discussed naming a boy Rod or Rocco (well my dh likes those names I really don't ). If you have never seen their class lists or heard the names being said you can't tell others that they are making this stuff up. I think we all have a lot of better things to do than make up a fake list of student names to post on here for a laugh or two.
I will stay out of the drama of the believers and non-believers!!
I saw my first eye catching name when I subbed the day before spring break for a fifth grade class.....Armpit. The child was Asian/Pacific, and I assume the name was cultural. I am not making fun of it, I didn't think it was funny or weird, just interesting.
I work in an ethnic school so I have seen some interesting names, but mostly I have seen intersting students.....
Not to hijack this thread, but i have a student WHO LOOKS LIKE....Lilo from LILO and STITCH, omg, spitting image! Talk about interesting.
Well remember that Easter is coming soon so the Easter bunny will be out for a few days make sure that they are excused absences
I also didn't know that Dennis Rodman gave up basketball to be a para, I thought he did more unusual things.
I was reading all these names yesterday, thinking that none of my "strange" names were strange enough. Then I get a new student. Her name? Elexesninnia What a mouthful. Thank god she goes by Lexie.
My mom had a student named Lucifer...he went by Luke.Yikes!Their reasoning was that the name Lucifer used to be the Roman god of the morning star, but gosh, it doesn't mean that in modern society!I have had a Justice and a Unique, I kind of think those names are pretty.I wouldn't name my kids that, but ...I have had plenty of Mercedes.My daughter is Natalyn.I hope teachers don't post about her namelol...Rereading,I did have a Maverick!He was a cute little kid, so shy.
It seems to me that once you are used to calling a student by his name, it no longer seems unusual after awhile. Which is why I completely forgot in my previous post that I had a girl named Rainbow my second year of teaching.
I had a student once who's legal name was BabyBoy ________ (<-- last name). When he was old enough, I believe he had his name legally changed. That's the only one I can think of right now.
We've got a Sundance, not in my classroom. That's a bit unusual. And, Avalon (goes by Lonnie).
Another family has a Justice, Archery, Liberty, and Steele. Cool names, really.
I went to a small college with Verry Trusty and Perri Dice. We also had a girl there named Katherine who went by Sugah (yes, that was the spelling). All these girls were very nice people. Wonder where they are today.
I went to high school with a girl named Latrina. It sounds pretty until you drop the A. She was a sweet girl too. Maybe the girls with strange names actually have to be nice to overcome the snickers that they get.
My nephew was adopted and his birth name is Ghengis. But he goes by David. That's a little easier.
My additions aren't really weird names, just cultural....BUT the story that goes with them is hilarious....
When I student taught, my cooperating teacher told me one day that the parent of one of our students came to her and said jonny (name change to protect the guilty) came home after the first day in first grade and said "Mom, you'll never guess who's in my class" ... When she replied "Who?" he said "F**k and Sh*t"....
The real names were "Faruque and Sanchit"
(But they were difficult to say for a first grader)
My favorite student of all time (at least so far) told me today that "it's okay that I didn't get anything I wanted for my (6th) birthday because I might get what I want next year" is named Bellviedere (after vodka). But because I know and love him so much, his name is special to me.
I grew up with Georgia Flowers and I met Bright Star at college. I also know an adult named Spring Lilly. These are their real first and last names.
I also wanted to comment that there are indeed many strange and unusual names out there...so many that the unusual are not even considered unusual anymore. And while many of them may show up on urban legends, that doesn't mean they don't really exist somewhere. To tell someone on a message board that they are lying and that they don't really know a person with that name just because you may have seen it on snopes in the past is just rude. I do in fact know of a "Sha theed" spelled S ##T HEAD.
I also know of a "Sha theed" spelled S ##T HEAD. I don't care what Snopes says either, it is a name of a person I know of, and apparently a few others too.
I have had many names that I thought were unusual over the years, and this year I have another one. Her name is Tesla VanHalen. No kidding. She also knows where her first and middle name came from, and openly says that she doesn't like them. Often, she shortens the VanHalen part to just Halen. Luckily, she can go by Tes, but still.... what were her parents thinking. However, if you knew the background of her parents too, you would understand that they probably were not in their right minds when they named her (if you know what I mean).
Mercedes is a popular name....we even have a teacher with that name.
A lot of these names don't surprise me and I don't think it's racist or judgmental to discuss this topic at all. I think we're looking at not just the name itself but the spelling and pronunciation. When you look at your roster for the first time it can be hard to figure out just how to pronounce the names.
One year was fun...it was the class of the "yshas" A couple Kinneshyas, Stanishas and Tannishas. Also that year I had a Tiara and she really thought she was a princess!
The names in our building currently that bother me are Malachi (always reminds me of Children of the Corn) and Damian (from Omen). Funny how their names "fit" those two though. (shuddering...)
We also have a lot of hispanic names that I just have to have the kiddos tell me how to pronounce on the first day of school.
Now when I was researching names for my own children, I read some actual birth certificate names...these two always stuck in my head: Dial (yes the soap) and Hallowed (first name) Be Thy Name (middle name) Johnson. Don't know if they are urban legends or not, but it was wierd enough for me to remember.
I would guess Axel was after the band, and Oxsana was after the ice skater in the Olympics several years back. She was really good, and semi-famous for a while. Were those children born in the late 80s, early 90s?
Lemonjello and Orangejello is an urban legend (and a rather racist one at that.)
In the book Freakonomics (p.190), you'll find a story about kids named Sh!the@d, Orangejello and Lemonjello. The source is supposedly the host of a radio show. Can there really be this many parents naming their children these names?
but I know them (really, honestly, I'm too brain dead to make them up)
Let's see, I have known not one, but TWO Candy Canes (1 spelled Kandy kane and the other spelled Candy Cain). Both were white.
My hospital roommate when I had my oldest child named her son Spencer Spirit and her mother-in-law's name was Precious Flowers. Actually, my first year teaching I was due to have Spencer Spirit in my homeroom, but he wound up going to a private school. Precious was an African American and Native American mix.
But, my all time craziest name experience was a little girl from my town named Cocaina Marijuana. Yep. Really. Mom had some major issues and the little girl was emotionally disturbed. I wonder if maybe there was some drug use while pregnant? Just a thought. She was white, too.
I did also teach a boy name Ai (pronounce A I).
Last edited by yeahimcrazy; 03-13-2009 at 08:34 AM..
Reason: forgot one
that Sh*thead may be a real name from a different ethnicity and that spelling is not a bad word in that ethnicity? Really. It might be the John or Mary (or Ruslan or Albina) of another country. Just a thought that maybe people AREN'T lying...
While watching TV recently, I've seen an ad for a new medication called Januvia (sp?). I predict that we'll be seeing that name on classroom roll sheets in about 5 years.
Flora was a fairly common name in the mid to late 1880s, at least in the south. My gtgtgt grandmother was named Flora. One of my mom's best friends is also. Not such a common name now.
Some names seem to cycle. Ava is an older name that has become fairly popular again. Until recent years, I only knew of one ancestor and one living relative with that name. Now we have several of them at school. Some of the newer umm creative spellings and names I hope fade out and never come back.
Those are the two oldest urban legend names out there! Come on, people! I heard that one originally when I taught in Peoria in the mid 80s! Same with the ####head (####h-ay-ed).
One of the ARSA racers is named Lemongello. Might be her surname, but it's still part of her name.
Angelo Mozilo is more commonly called Orangelo these days after his downfall.
Shyt Cotton lived in California.
Shyt Itomi also lived in California.
Shyt Guillet lived in Canada.
Then there was John Shyt (yes, real name) from Suffolk and Shyt Richardson of Alabama.
EVERY NAME listed is able to be VERIFIED.....so much for snoops.com's accuracy.
Before anyone else is called a liar on this thread, teachers somewhere in this country taught these people when they were children! For all we know, some of them may have been teachers when they grew up.
How about Orange J. Cheeseman, Orange Church, Orange Dick (yep, also a real name),
A. Orange Dunn, Orange Fields, Rose Jello, Fannie Jello, Tree Jello, Lemon Tea, Lemon Hart, Lemon High, or Ida Lemon Seatt
Orangelo Profisio
Orangelo Neal
Orangelo Ratto
Orangelo Turner
Orangelo Carallo
Orangelo Dapra
Orangelo Patsell
Orangelo Jackson
Orangelo Perkins
Orangelo O Roberts
Others disagreed with those saying they had students with those names in a different manner is all I'll say here (now that I edited it).
There were quite a few names with Sh*t (with an i), but I didn't include them in my prior post because some were quite offensive sounding. They were from federal records.
Oh, it took me all of 10 minutes or less to find those names. I'm assuming some researcher from Snoopes could have done it as easily, if they wanted to be accurate.
Last edited by mom2six; 03-14-2009 at 04:31 PM..
Reason: removed comments to hovenweep
I NEVER cursed, not once! I even added stars to the names with curse words in them, and I never called anyone a name. Come on. Seriously. Why don't I get a fair shake?
PM'd Hovenweep directly to respond to her question.
All the names I posted were from federal or state records, except for a couple of the Shyts. Even those came from public records. I understand the premise that snoops has in saying the urban legends based on the ethnic sound of some of the stories isn't true, but to say they never existed at all isn't accurate. As I said, I found them all rather quickly, so it couldn't have been that they did research to see if the names existed. Possibly, they were trying to verify the specific stories that get retold on the internet. But a simple search of some records quickly shows there have been people with such names.
Last edited by mom2six; 03-14-2009 at 04:28 PM..
Reason: comments to hovenweep directly were sent by PM instead
Hovenweep, I can tell you why. It is because you are calling us liars. I can't believe that you would be so narrow minded to believe that we don't actually know people with these names. Are you seriously that naive to think no one in these wonderful United States would name a kid these names?
You are being very disrespectful. I'm not lying and I'm sure others are not lying about the children they know.
The ironic thing is, this whole tread is far more offensive than anything I said. I guess it makes sense that someone calling a person who claims to have a kids named St*thead in her class a liar would be unacceptable and narrow-minded on a forum devoted to mocking children's names. Is calling a name ridiculous and saying that parents are crazy better than calling someone a liar?
I really do, honestly, feel there is a race issue in those legenary names, and that is why I felt passionate about it. I, myself, am Native American and I have heard too many people mock ethnic names. In fact, someone commented on my screen name which IS a Native American name! It hurts. It also hurts to hear the Orangello and Lemonjello story because in many instances I have heard that story preceded by the claim that the African American mother was too illiterate and uneducated to come up with a normal name. I feel that it is dangerous to perpetuate such things.
I was not meaning anyone any harm, and I somehow became the enemy here because I can't believe a community of teachers believes myths. If it is not a myth, fine. I stand corrected. I don't think my opnions should be deleted. BS is not cursing, and calling people liars is not the worst thing in the world, either. Call me a liar all you want. I would not take away YOUR voice.
P.S. It is not narrow-minded to disagree with people. It is narrow-minded to delete someone's comments. It is also narrow-minded to make fun of children's names.
Last edited by hovenweep; 03-14-2009 at 04:38 PM..
What's really "funny" is the snopes.com article everyone is fighting over didn't even say these names didn't exist.They were saying the stories behind the names didn't exist...that no one is stupid enough to name their kid "female "because they didn't realize"female" meant girl.If people name their kids that it is for another reason.That's all the snopes article said.
I don't think the disagreement was really over snopes or what it says there. I brought that site up because it was quoted more than once to "prove" others were making up knowing anyone with those names.
If you are offended by the post why do you keep posting on it? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I don't believe people are making fun of the names they are simpley stating that they are unusual.
Huh. I gotta say, my daughter's name is in one of these posts. I didn't think it was a name to be made fun of (and no, I didn't name her female). Go figure, to each his own.
ok, now Iʻm just cracking up. My sonʻs name is now listed as well. Can we make it three out of three? Anyone want to make fun of my final childʻs name? I can take it.
Racist? Are you as crazy as these ignoramus parents?
Show me any white kids with these silly a** names!
They need psychiatric help. I've given up on first names and only refer to my high school students as Mr. or Ms. Last Name. ALL of them! Racist problem solved.
> 
03-09-2009, 10:22 AM
I've had an Ikea, yes just like the store. I've also had a Shaquintra, and a Shanique in the same year. The best by far was, Female pronounced Fa-mall. The mom told the story to everyone that someone else had named her baby because when she look as the sign in the nursery it said Female (then her last name).
) came home after the first day in first grade and said "Mom, you'll never guess who's in my class" ... When she replied "Who?" he said "F**k and Sh*t"....
