In his book, Bertha Venation, retired editor Larry Ashmead, who worked at Simon and Schuster and Doubleday, shares his entertaining collection of funny and strange names of real people. A collector of names is called an appellationist (a new word introduced by Bookshelf back in September 2016). Like fellow appellationist, John Train, Ashmead has always been fascinated by names. Below are some interesting names from the chapter entitled, “Did I hear that right? Say these names out loud and blush.” Some of these make you wonder: what were the parents thinking?:
Dick Byter
Anita Dick
Sheila Dikshit
Becky Fuchs
Dick Hartup
Barbara Fatt Heinie
Jay Heiny
Phat Ho
Jason Panty
Janet Woodcock
Phuc Yu
What funny real names have you come across?
Read related posts: What Do You Call A Collector of Names?
Why Do People Collect Things?
Words for Collectors
Words for Collectors 2
Origins of the Beatles Name
How Rock Bands Got Their Names 1
How Rock Bands Got Their Names 2
How Rock Bands Got Their Names 3
How Rock Bands Got Their Names 4
For further reading: Bertha Venation by Larry Ashmead
