h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just came across this while browsing.

I know someone called Christopher Cross. We told his parents it was a mistake before he was christened but they insisted.

F

Christopher Cross was also a singer-songwriter from the 70s and 80s.

I also went to school with a Theresa Green and knew a guy called Andy Frostdick, my step-bro is a Frosdick!
Its a weird world!

Theres also a guy who worked on BtVS called Wankum.... Gotta feel sorry for him really!

David Blaine.


Oh, sorry, I thought it was silly people with real names.



F

In that case...George 'Dubya' Bush.

turvy

Well, I work in the aerospae industry and deal with alot of anoraks all over the world. I have business cards for the following: Mr. Fritzenwanker, Mr Pischedda, Mr. Fux, Mr. Arsalan amongst others. These really are genuine names. It was difficult to keep a straight face when i would have to phone the customer and (speak loudly and clearly because the line was so bad) talk against the sound of suppressd laughter that could be heard all over the open plan office. I would then have to try and hold a sensible conversation with this guy amidst what would (by now have) evolved into belly laughter. You'll be pleased to know that it made me a stronger person. One other genuine name for you, the Program Director of the Montreux Jazz & Rock Festival is/was a guy by the name of Claude Nobs. Kid you not. I met him and still have his business card and it makes me smile to this day.

Lessee... I know several funny names...

There was a band director at my school named Harry Dick. (there's a rumour he married a girl named Anita.)

There was a Douglas Rock Musick at this school. At least his mum followed the rules.

I worked at a pharmacy for awhile. There is a dentist named Dr. Payne in my area.

We also had a young couple bring in a 'scrip for their new born girl. They unfortunately named her "Guana". I had to wonder if she had been a 'he' would they have named him "Guano"?

My mother is a nurse and she's told me about the maternity ward. They often have girls in there named "Female"... they usually pronounce it 'Fimolly'. Seems they see the Birth Certificates and think the doctor's named the child for them. As in Female Jones or Female Smith.
She also said there was one unfortunate girl whose parents thought that VaGEEna (not spelt that way) sounded nice.

I also later attended a class with a Michael Hunt and during our first roll call he told the teacher he preferred to be called Mike.

And of course, anyone from around Houston, Texas should know the great philanthropist and art patron Ima Hogg.

Well now, this has long been an interest of mine.
How long?
Since I went to school with one Lincoln Forrest (Lincoln, if you're reading this, sorry to take the p*ss one more time).
Then I heard of another Theresa Green. There seem to be a lot of them.
Well, said my friend Darren, I went to school with Annette Kirton.
The list grew:
Heather Moore (Changed her name to something else on marrying, since she could never book into a Youth Hostel under this name).
Drew Peacock
Richard Sake (on the MAFF, Cambridge staff phonebook as R Sake)
siblings: Kate and Sidney Pye
Parents can be cruel.

I knew a pair of hippie parents in the 70's who named thier kid Janus. Not surprisingly, he turned out to be a bit neurotic.

I once had a dentist called Dr.De'ath!!!Honest!

My birth name is Teresa & I lost count of the "Trees R Green " jokes., if pushed i would reply haughtily "Not in the Autumn they aren't."

Terri

I went to school with a guy named Steven Austin.

There is an actor named Wayne King Jr. True! I saw his name in the credits of an episode of 'Enterprise'. I laughed and laughed

This is not a person, but there is a wing of Melbourne's St. Vincent's hospital called the Aikenhead wing. (Possibly named after Mother Mary Aikenhead)

the people in my town (and it's small enough that you know 9 out of 10 folks) have lamentable taste in naming their kids. which is how there came to be a pair of twin boys named benson and hedges (they're my dad's patients), and a brother and sister named hydrogen and oxygen. and... believe it or not, there is *also* a local politician whose first name is pancreas.

Dorcus Bliss...

She was a girl in my Jr. High... Very wonderful person, but she must have had some strange parents to name a girl "Dorcus Bliss".


OOOH... And I almost forgot the best one from my school!

Shane Tilly!!!

His mother was fond of Western movies and named her sons after different film cowboys. But surely she must have heard the song...

...Lace, so full of grace!...

Farlander - in Britain there was a medieval St Pancras (hence St Pancras Station in North London). Perhaps they MEANT Pancras but the spelling thing was just to much...

Benson and Hedges? Oy vey.

I know someone called Dickon Head! Poor Guy.

My mom's boss swears that she went to school with a Dick Ball.

there's a doctor in my area named Dr. Rick Butts

And then, of course, there's the immortal american foot baller, Dick Butkiss.

And that, my friends, is the real reason women shouldn't drink while pregnant.

I went on a course and due to my very tight company spending I had to stay with the manager of the store I was to take the course at whose name was Dickin Barnaby...... I thought they were sending me to a gay sauna or something!

A charcter on Hey Arnold (the childrens cartoon) is named Stinky Peterson.

[I realize he dosen't count as a "real" person, but it's the first thing that came to mind]

While not exactly silly names, what about all those people with the same names as famous people. It's one thing if it's coincidental. For instance I know a fellow named Norm Peterson (your mentioning Stinky above made me think of this) like the character on Cheers. Obviously he was born before the show. But I also have a friend that was almost named Adam West after the actor that played Batman on TV. Luckily his parents thought better of it and named him Stuart instead. But to even conciously think about naming someone after someone famous is just so wrong.

I went to school w/ a kid named Herb Sprinkle.

There is also a whole family of Butts that live around here.
[Mr. & Mrs. Butts and family]