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There was a contestant on Jeopardy tonight named Caitlion, pronounced Kate-lion. I didn't see the player interview part of the show so I don't know if her named was talked about. I'm sure she has to spell her name often for other people and then it is still misspelled.
I knew of a rock band in the 70's called Ganglion, which is a specific brain neuron. Pronounced "ganglian" The band pronounced their name Gang Lion. I thought Ganglion, pronounced like the brain neuron sounded cooler.
Long ago in work environment there were two foreign nationals who worked in the engineering department. One went by "Wee" the other by "Y.P.". I always thought it would make a funny Abbott and Costello like routine when they are introduced to each other:
"Wee meet Y.P."
"Y.P. meet Wee"
Abbott, " Lou have you met Y.P. and Wee?"
Costello, "Yea, and now I got to go" (to the bathroom)
I was at a retail drug store once in pacific Northwest years ago and the person working had a name tag on which I figured had to be a prank / joke for the day to see how people would react, the name tag was Ichi Balzac.
It reminded me of the announcement for the Nutt Sakich wedding
I know one guy who hates his name and it's unusual. His name is "Kip." He hates it because people often hear it wrong and even misspell it and such. Really gets on his nerves, that so many people can't even handle a three letter word of a name. When he goes for coffee or whatever and they ask for a name for an order, he always says, "Elvis."
Kip? My older brothers had a friend name Kip, I think, when I was a little kid. Maybe it was more common in the parental generation, but some people from those days still named their kids "Kip". Or maybe it was a nickname, but your friend's parents used it as an official first name. I don't think it's terribly unusual or off-putting.
All of the Vietnamese ladies in my Nail Salon give themselves American names like Sally, Nancy, and Sue. I don't see why, their names are not hard to remember.
But Vietnamese names are really hard for Americans to pronounce correctly. For instance, I had a Vietnamese classmate (female) named Ngoc, and it was not pronounced anything like what you might think. None of us could say it right. Even the professor had trouble with it, and this was an upper-level Linguistics class! Given the choice between hearing Ngoc mangled by a bunch of English-speakers, and going by Nancy, I don't blame someone for choosing Nancy.
In case you think I'm making this up, I found a Youtube video of a Vietnamese girl saying "Ngoc" :
I knew Alexander Cockburn, the writer, a little. Pronounced Coburn. Never thought it was that funny.
For a great list of weird names, see John Train's book, Remarkable Names of Real People, and two follow-up books. They're all fully documented; he's a serious scholar. With beautiful satirical drawings by Pierre Le-Tan. Some examples: Katz Meow, Immaculate Conception Finkelstein, Bosco Moo, Vernal Equinox Grossnickel, Concerto Macaroni, Sistine Madonna McClung, Suparporn Poopatanna, Positive Wassermann Jackson. His first article in the Paris Review, on which his books are based, is at https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/...ame-your-baby/
A Scandinavian (through work) named Magnus Magnusson.
This is actually very common in Scandinavian countries, in Iceland for instance, it means his father's name was also Magnus. His sister's last name would be Magnusdottir. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_name
people go on about weird names people give their kids these days, but it has been going on for a long time. In an old cemetery last weekend, I came across a "Blendina".
I have an unusual name.... I used to joke that unless one knew me really well, they could either say it or spell it...... but never both.....
growing up in the 60's, 70's and then on into the 80's and 90's, I CONSTANTLY had to spell it for people...... I got to the point that I just gave up correcting pronunciation of the written name.....
and now, over the last decade or so, I see it becoming way more widespread..... to almost trendy of late.....
who'da thunk it??
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