Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[susannah]

1 minute ago, Annber03 said:

Luckily, I like my name, both first and middle (and last, too). I looked it up once and apparently my first name hit its peak of popularity in the early '70s, about a little over a decade or so before I was born. So by the time I went to school, my name wasn't a super common one - there were a couple other girls who shared it, but that's about it. My sister's first name, on the other hand...

Sara/Sarah was still a very popular name when I was in school, too. I know so many people with that name. 

What is your sister's name? I find this conversation so interesting as I always have been interested in names. When I was a kid I would make long lists of names, with middle names, kind of as collections. Weird, I know.

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I just reversed my first and middle names. So my name is (let's say) Gertrude Laura Smith. I changed it to Laura Smith in school and all my ID reads Laura G. Smith.

But don't you have to put the name that is on your birth certificate on legal documents?

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, susannah said:

What is your sister's name? I find this conversation so interesting as I always have been interested in names. When I was a kid I would make long lists of names, with middle names, kind of as collections. Weird, I know.

My sister's name is Ashley. That was my doing - my mom liked Alyssa, my dad liked Ashley, and I guess I, at the tender age of three, was the deciding vote :p. Funny enough, one of my sister's best friends in school shared both her first and middle name. 

My first name is Angela, though most people I know call me Angie. I remember when I was a kid, I always liked seeing Angela Lansbury on TV as a result, 'cause, hey, a famous person who shared my name :D. And then of course there's Angela Bassett, too... 

[susannah]

12 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

My sister's name is Ashley. That was my doing - my mom liked Alyssa, my dad liked Ashley, and I guess I, at the tender age of three, was the deciding vote :p. Funny enough, one of my sister's best friends in school shared both her first and middle name. 

My first name is Angela, though most people I know call me Angie. I remember when I was a kid, I always liked seeing Angela Lansbury on TV as a result, 'cause, hey, a famous person who shared my name :D. And then of course there's Angela Bassett, too... 

I always thought Ashley was a pretty name, as well as Angela. Both have been pretty popular over the years.

[Prevailing Wind]

30 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

 My grandmas took longer.

Extended family have a hard time with name changes. My cousins never did get the hang of calling my brother "Joe" after he had been "Joey" for so many years.

I had a neighbor whose name was Hesta. Her parents let her two older siblings name her and they had a playmate down the street with that name, so that's what they chose. I told her she should be very happy they weren't big fans of Roy Rogers, or else she might have been named Trigger.  She hated me for that.

In school, I had a friend whose parents were Puerto Rican immigrants. They named her Linda Concepción ("Beautiful Idea" in English). She rarely revealed her middle name because to her, it conjured up images of her parents having sex, conceiving her,

My first job was at a Catholic Women's College where most of the students were named Mary...even the nuns. All the nuns went by their "second" name - Sr. Christopher was really Sr. Mary Christopher, etc.  It always boggled me that they mostly chose male names for their second name. They were Dominicans - it might have been their tradition.

[Annber03]

33 minutes ago, susannah said:

I always thought Ashley was a pretty name, as well as Angela. Both have been pretty popular over the years.

The other thing with the name Ashley is that there's so many variations on how to spell it. Ashleigh (that version's kinda pretty, I do like that one), Ashlee, and so on. 

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

How can you have a non legal name on your license and SS card?

You can use any name you like as long as you're not using it to commit fraud.

My husband is a lawyer. When we first started dating, he told me when his youngest daughter was 8 she decided she didn't like her first name of Julia, and wanted to be called Marie. He told her since he was a lawyer, he could do that for her. The next day when he got home from work, he said he changed her name, and started calling her Marie. After a few days she said she changed her mind, and wanted it changed back to Julia. He told her that was expensive, so she'd have to wait until her next birthday, and she could have that as a present. He said she burst into tears! I looked at him and said - what a mean thing to do! And I married him anyway. 😁

Edited November 20, 2021 by chessiegal

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

My sister's name is Ashley. That was my doing - my mom liked Alyssa, my dad liked Ashley, and I guess I, at the tender age of three, was the deciding vote :p. Funny enough, one of my sister's best friends in school shared both her first and middle name. 

My first name is Angela, though most people I know call me Angie. I remember when I was a kid, I always liked seeing Angela Lansbury on TV as a result, 'cause, hey, a famous person who shared my name :D. And then of course there's Angela Bassett, too... 

[susannah]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Extended family have a hard time with name changes. My cousins never did get the hang of calling my brother "Joe" after he had been "Joey" for so many years.

I had a neighbor whose name was Hesta. Her parents let her two older siblings name her and they had a playmate down the street with that name, so that's what they chose. I told her she should be very happy they weren't big fans of Roy Rogers, or else she might have been named Trigger.  She hated me for that

I have a cousin who was named Keith, after his father. He has always been Keithy to me, even though he is middle aged now! I hear you about letting kids name the new baby. Another cousin, whose last name is also mine, Green, let his 7 year old daughter name her sister Justine Jade. That always boggled my mind. Cruel for Justine to have to live with that name.

[madmax]

8 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

In school, I had a friend whose parents were Puerto Rican immigrants. They named her Linda Concepción ("Beautiful Idea" in English). She rarely revealed her middle name because to her, it conjured up images of her parents having sex, conceiving her,

When I was a senior in high school, our teacher allowed us to choose our Spanish names and I chose Concepción.  He told me I was courting danger with a name like that as a high school senior.  I kept it all year anyway.

6 hours ago, susannah said:

I hear you about letting kids name the new baby. Another cousin, whose last name is also mine, Green, let his 7 year old daughter name her sister Justine Jade. That always boggled my mind. Cruel for Justine to have to live with that name.

My oldest brother was supposed to name me, but he wanted to name me after the Russian male protagonist of a book he had just read, but luckily my parents vetoed Patruska and my name.

[SoMuchTV]

7 hours ago, susannah said:

Another cousin, whose last name is also mine, Green, let his 7 year old daughter name her sister Justine Jade. That always boggled my mind. Cruel for Justine to have to live with that name.

Sorry, but I don’t get why Justine Jade is such a cruel name to live with. Seems like a perfectly fine name to me.  But I say that as someone who has one of those names mentioned earlier as “oh, pity the poor child who was named that” but I’m fine with it. 
 

ETA I see now the last name is Green.  Still, I stand by my opinion.  

Edited November 21, 2021 by SoMuchTV

[ABay]

Speaking of Jessica Fletcher, there's a wonderful moment in an episode of Ghosts (original UK) where Fanny has become a Murder She Wrote fan and the Captain remarks on how convenient it that she's always there when a murder occurs and why aren't the police suspicious.

 

[susannah]

7 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Sorry, but I don’t get why Justine Jade is such a cruel name to live with. Seems like a perfectly fine name to me.  But I say that as someone who has one of those names mentioned earlier as “oh, pity the poor child who was named that” but I’m fine with it. 
 

ETA I see now the last name is Green.  Still, I stand by my opinion.  

You think it would be fun to be named Justine Green? I don't, nor would I like any name that rhymed. Still I guess it's not as bad as the name a friend from high school gave her son. Last name James. First name, James. I have also known a Penny Nichols and Aronda Korner.

7 hours ago, madmax said:

When I was a senior in high school, our teacher allowed us to choose our Spanish names and I chose Concepción.  He told me I was courting danger with a name like that as a high school senior.  I kept it all year anyway.

My oldest brother was supposed to name me, but he wanted to name me after the Russian male protagonist of a book he had just read, but luckily my parents vetoed Patruska and my name.

Wow you dodged a bullet there, with the Russian name!

[Prevailing Wind]

2 hours ago, susannah said:

You think it would be fun to be named Justine Green? I don't, nor would I like any name that rhymed. Still I guess it's not as bad as the name a friend from high school gave her son. Last name James. First name, James. I have also known a Penny Nichols and Aronda Korner.

I've heard that the Lear Jet family have a member named Shanda. Shanda Lear.

Worse than names that rhyme, in my opinion, are ones where the first name ends with the same sound that the last name starts with - Joe Owens, Dick Cavett, Ralph Ferguson - You can't tell where one name ends and the other begins.

[Haleth]

I know two Kelly Greens and a Sandy Shores.  Two of the three are married names and they married him anyway.

[Prevailing Wind]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

I know two Kelly Greens and a Sandy Shores.  Two of the three are married names and they married him anyway.

I worked with a woman whose Mom married into being Rose Bush.

[susannah]

45 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I worked with a woman whose Mom married into being Rose Bush.

I still remember seeing a birth announcement in the paper of Justin Thyme. Of course none of these names compare to the horrible ones some celebs have given to their defenseless children.

[susannah]

3 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I've heard that the Lear Jet family have a member named Shanda. Shanda Lear.

Worse than names that rhyme, in my opinion, are ones where the first name ends with the same sound that the last name starts with - Joe Owens, Dick Cavett, Ralph Ferguson - You can't tell where one name ends and the other begins.

There was a Texas governor in the late 1800s, James Hogg, who named his daughter Ura. True story. I agree about the first name/last name sounds. I have said that I have always liked names, as a hobby, and there are definitely rules to good naming, like your examples, and also not to have the last sound in the first name, even if it's not the ending, be the first sound of the last name. Like Jessie Sutton, etc. It sounds clunky.

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Worse than names that rhyme, in my opinion, are ones where the first name ends with the same sound that the last name starts with - Joe Owens, Dick Cavett, Ralph Ferguson - You can't tell where one name ends and the other begins.

There was an episode of "Frasier" where Niles and Daphne were trying to figure out a name for their kid, and Niles brings up this very point:

Daphne: What about Jack?
Niles: 'fraid not. The first name ends with the same sound that begins the last name. So you either end up running them together, "Jack-rane", or you face the dreaded glottal stop, "Jack Crane", "Jack Crane". It's unpleasant for the throat.
Daphne: This conversation's unpleasant for the throat.

[chessiegal]

You don't have to take your husband's last name when you marry. When I married for the first time, I did. When I got divorced 5 years later, I told my lawyer I wanted to change back to my maiden name. It was not an amicable divorce, and I wanted nothing to remind me of him. My lawyer said fine, just start using your maiden name. So I go to the bank to change my name, and they want to see a court order. Called my lawyer, and she said, you don't need one. Tell them you got married. Sure enough, tell the lie, and they're, oh, isn't that wonderful! No need to show a marriage certificate. When I got married again, I decided to keep my maiden name. From my father to bank employees, I was told that was illegal. Sorry folks. Don't know why bank employees think they are lawyers. I will die with the last name I was born with.
 

[peacheslatour]

4 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I've heard that the Lear Jet family have a member named Shanda. Shanda Lear.

Worse than names that rhyme, in my opinion, are ones where the first name ends with the same sound that the last name starts with - Joe Owens, Dick Cavett, Ralph Ferguson - You can't tell where one name ends and the other begins.

There's a newscaster on CBC with the name Anita Bathe. Why would parents give an innocent baby a name that surely must have been torture all through school?

Edited November 21, 2021 by peacheslatour

[Popples]

32 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

There was an episode of "Frasier" where Niles and Daphne were trying to figure out a name for their kid, and Niles brings up this very point:

Daphne: What about Jack?
Niles: 'fraid not. The first name ends with the same sound that begins the last name. So you either end up running them together, "Jack-rane", or you face the dreaded glottal stop, "Jack Crane", "Jack Crane". It's unpleasant for the throat.
Daphne: This conversation's unpleasant for the throat.

I was about to type this! I always think about that scene when people start bringing up baby names.

My brother named me after one of his friends, who luckily had a gender-neutral name, like "Adrian". Then my parents had the brilliant idea to spell it differently (Adryan) and put up with many years of me complaining how I could never find my name on things like keychains and stuff, all because of one stupid letter.

[susannah]

29 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

There's a newscaster on CBC with the name Anita Bathe. Why would parents give an innocent baby a name that surly must have been torture all through school?

When I was much younger, I was pen pals with a girl in South Africa whose name was Nita Bath. I thought the same thing.

[peacheslatour]

25 minutes ago, Popples said:

I was about to type this! I always think about that scene when people start bringing up baby names.

My brother named me after one of his friends, who luckily had a gender-neutral name, like "Adrian". Then my parents had the brilliant idea to spell it differently (Adryan) and put up with many years of me complaining how I could never find my name on things like keychains and stuff, all because of one stupid letter.

[Annber03]

55 minutes ago, Popples said:

I was about to type this! I always think about that scene when people start bringing up baby names.

My brother named me after one of his friends, who luckily had a gender-neutral name, like "Adrian". Then my parents had the brilliant idea to spell it differently (Adryan) and put up with many years of me complaining how I could never find my name on things like keychains and stuff, all because of one stupid letter.

I also like later on when Niles is on the phone with Daphne and listening to her listing off more ideas for names. At one point he goes, "...okay, now it just sounds like you're reading from the spice rack. ": p. 

I like the name Adrian. I agree with your take on the spelling - I'd prefer to spell it the traditional way, too, yes. 

[SoMuchTV]

On 11/21/2021 at 4:54 AM, susannah said:

You think it would be fun to be named Justine Green? I don't, nor would I like any name that rhymed.

LOL.  I never said (or even considered whether) it would be "fun" to be named Justine Green.  I'll tell you one thing though, I'd rather be named Justine Jade Green than Justeen Jayde Smith. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by SoMuchTV
fixing one of those typos you can't see until the next day

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, susannah said:

I have also known ... Aronda Korner.

That's cruel.  That's like a parody of bad names.

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

You don't have to take your husband's last name when you marry. When I married for the first time, I did. When I got divorced 5 years later, I told my lawyer I wanted to change back to my maiden name. It was not an amicable divorce, and I wanted nothing to remind me of him. My lawyer said fine, just start using your maiden name. So I go to the bank to change my name, and they want to see a court order. Called my lawyer, and she said, you don't need one. Tell them you got married. Sure enough, tell the lie, and they're, oh, isn't that wonderful! No need to show a marriage certificate.

Many years ago, Utne Reader published an article written by a man detailing all he had to go through to change his last name to his wife's upon marriage, where she basically could have checked a box on the marriage certificate and been legally done.

I would never change my name due to marriage (well, I would never get married to begin with, but go with me here); I am [my name] and getting married wouldn't mean I was now someone else.  But any woman choosing to do so because she wants to, not because she think she's supposed to, is obviously no skin off my nose.  It is ridiculous, though, how it's still, in this the year 2021, assumed that if there's going to be a name change upon marriage, it will be the woman changing her last name, to her husband's.  Why not he changes to hers?  They choose something new together and both change?

And then, when a couple with their own last names has kids, the sexist assumptions kick in again; the kids will either have Dad's last name or both last names (hyphenated, with Dad's being last, or maybe Mom's name gets relegated to middle name) and they decide between those options.  Why is the kids having her last name only not just as much under consideration? 

[peacheslatour]

Quote

And then, when a couple with their own last names has kids, the sexist assumptions kick in again; the kids will either have Dad's last name or both last names (hyphenated, with Dad's being last, or maybe Mom's name gets relegated to middle name) and they decide between those options.  Why is the kids having her last name only not just as much under consideration? 

Hyphenated names. I wonder how future generations are going to work it. When Aiden Smith-Jones marries Bella Brown-Johnson. Will their kids be Katniss and Elsa Smith-Brown-Jones-Johnson? And what of their kids?

[susannah]

26 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That's cruel.  That's like a parody of bad names

I agree that it is cruel. She went by Roni though, so that might have made it a bit easier.

[Moose135]

On 11/20/2021 at 12:27 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

All the nuns went by their "second" name - Sr. Christopher was really Sr. Mary Christopher, etc.  It always boggled me that they mostly chose male names for their second name. They were Dominicans - it might have been their tradition.

I suspect they adopted a saint's name when they became nuns, hence all the male names.

I went to college with a guy named Michael Angelo, and he hated being called "Mike". One time, he was paying dues for some club, and the girl collecting money asked his name, since she was new and didn't know him. Before he could answer, I blurted out "Leonardo da Vinci". He gave me a dirty look and told her "Michael Angelo". He ended up having to show her his ID before she would believe him.

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, Moose135 said:

I went to college with a guy named Michael Angelo

LOL.  But why do people do this to their kids?  Folks can make terrible jokes out of innocuous names, and even among the obvious landmines, Michael Angelo isn't on par with Dick Trickle or Moe Lester, but come on, parents - don't make it so easy.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

LOL.  But why do people do this to their kids?  Folks can make terrible jokes out of innocuous names, and even among the obvious landmines, Michael Angelo isn't on par with Dick Trickle or Moe Lester, but come on, parents - don't make it so easy.

My grandma had a neighbor named Dickie Bender. 

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Hyphenated names. I wonder how future generations are going to work it. When Aiden Smith-Jones marries Bella Brown-Johnson. Will their kids be Katniss and Elsa Smith-Brown-Jones-Johnson? And what of their kids?

However they want, but maybe they'll do like is common in many Latin and Hispanic cultures, where folks generally have two last names, often the first surnames of each of their parents, and they keep those names through marriage.  So if Maria Vega Aguilar marries Manuel Lopez Morales, she retains Vega Aguilar as her last names and he retains Lopez Morales as his, and their kids could have Vega Lopez as their last names.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Bastet

[Moose135]

Was it here that someone posted they had a college professor named Lear who named his daughter Chanda?

[scriggle]

I went to high school with a girl named Holly Wood.

Edited November 22, 2021 by scriggle

[madmax]

9 hours ago, Popples said:

My brother named me after one of his friends, who luckily had a gender-neutral name, like "Adrian". Then my parents had the brilliant idea to spell it differently (Adryan) and put up with many years of me complaining how I could never find my name on things like keychains and stuff, all because of one stupid letter.

My SIL gave my nieces all exotic spellings, except for her daughter, Autumn.  And I'm seriously surprised she didn't try Autym.  

My husband used to go to a dentist named Dr. Payne.  

[peacheslatour]

52 minutes ago, madmax said:

My SIL gave my nieces all exotic spellings, except for her daughter, Autumn.  And I'm seriously surprised she didn't try Autym.  

My husband used to go to a dentist named Dr. Payne.  

I went to a wedding once officiated by Pastor Lastor. Of course, Uncle Drunkle was there as well. Not even kidding.

[Prevailing Wind]

36 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I went to a wedding once officiated by Pastor Lastor. Of course, Uncle Drunkle was there as well. Not even kidding.

My Mom's GP was Doctor Proctor.

 

[bankerchick]

17 hours ago, susannah said:

You think it would be fun to be named Justine Green?

Not only that, if she opted to use her middle name instead, she would be Jade Green.

[Moose135]

Years ago, there was a chiropractor practice near me - Doctors Mangel and Knott.

[Gramto6]

OMG Names are such an identifying thing and at the same time most of us have no choice over what we are given. What is wrong with these parents??

[susannah]

4 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Not only that, if she opted to use her middle name instead, she would be Jade Green.

Exactly.

[susannah]

9 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

My grandma had a neighbor named Dickie Bender. 

I recall that I had a teacher in high school whose married name was Crystal Dick. She was an older woman who likely never would have thought of keeping her own name, whatever that was, but choosing to have that name, ever, boggles my mind.

[SoMuchTV]

16 hours ago, madmax said:

My husband used to go to a dentist named Dr. Payne.  

Ooh, I like these.  I was delivered by a Dr. Lovejoy.  My first ophthalmologist was a Dr. Winkler.  I had a longtime dentist, Dr. Legum (pronounced LEGum).  I didn't think anything about it until a friend from out of town saw my appointment reminder and said, "Your dentist is Dr. LeGUM?!"

I vaguely remember hearing that there's been some research that shows people go into professions related to their names at a higher rate than you would statistically expect.

Edited November 22, 2021 by SoMuchTV
Typo

[smittykins]

Several years ago, I went for a consultation for having teeth removed, and the dentist’s name was Dr, Michael Brady.(It took everything I had to keep my mouth shut, but I did.  I figured he got “Here’s the story of a doc named Brady” enough times, and didn’t need to hear it from me.)

I don’t know if she’s still there, but a teller at my bank branch’s legal name was “Skeeter Ann”(named after the singer).  Once I said, “No offense, but I would have changed it as soon as I turned 18.”  She replied “Eh, you get used to it.”

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

Ooh, I like these.  I was delivered by a Dr. Lovejoy.  My first ophthalmologist was a Dr. Winkler.  I had a longtime dentist, Dr. Legum (pronounced LEGum).  I didn't think anything about it until a friend from out of town say my appointment reminder and said, "Your dentist is Dr. LeGUM?!"

I vaguely remember hearing that there's been some research that shows people go into professions related to their names at a higher rate than you would statistically expect.

My OB/GYN was named Dr. Flake and my GP was Dr. Shock.

[Bruinsfan]

3 hours ago, smittykins said:

Several years ago, I went for a consultation for having teeth removed, and the dentist’s name was Dr, Michael Brady.(It took everything I had to keep my mouth shut, but I did.  I figured he got “Here’s the story of a doc named Brady” enough times, and didn’t need to hear it from me.)

Tooth extractions are rough enough without pissing off the orthodontist beforehand!

[CrazyInAlabama]

In the topic of hiding information from your doctor, a friend's husband had a heart transplant about 6 years ago.     Before that he was very ill, but lived at a mile high in altitude.   The 5-6000 ft altitude was bad enough for his heart condition, but a friend of the family had a mountain town condo, and they were allowed to borrow it sometimes.    Yes, when he had medical issues, and was taken to the nearest big ER, he kind of forgot to mention that he had heart failure, wasn't supposed to be at that altitude, and his wife didn't tell them either at first.   After his heart transplant, (I was surprised he passed the screening, because he was a non-compliant patient), he and the wife flaunted the rules any time they felt like it.   I'm surprised at what he didn't tell doctors before and after the transplant, and the way they seem to think that ignoring the rules won't come back to hurt him.   

I'm guessing there are a lot of people who omit medical information.  

[susannah]

47 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

In the topic of hiding information from your doctor, a friend's husband had a heart transplant about 6 years ago.     Before that he was very ill, but lived at a mile high in altitude.   The 5-6000 ft altitude was bad enough for his heart condition, but a friend of the family had a mountain town condo, and they were allowed to borrow it sometimes.    Yes, when he had medical issues, and was taken to the nearest big ER, he kind of forgot to mention that he had heart failure, wasn't supposed to be at that altitude, and his wife didn't tell them either at first.   After his heart transplant, (I was surprised he passed the screening, because he was a non-compliant patient), he and the wife flaunted the rules any time they felt like it.   I'm surprised at what he didn't tell doctors before and after the transplant, and the way they seem to think that ignoring the rules won't come back to hurt him.   

I'm guessing there are a lot of people who omit medical information.  

Probably so, and they are the first to blame the doctors, even suing them, when things go south.

[nokat]

1 minute ago, susannah said:

Probably so, and they are the first to blame the doctors, even suing them, when things go south.

I've watched too many doctor shows, but everyone lies. I never understood why.

 

[nokat]

My Dentist's name is Dr. Pizza.