Name fashions go in circles to some extent, or rather diminishing spirals, because of the tendency to name kids after their grandparents, so the names popular about 50-60 years ago are always coming back into circulation. I have a friend who is named after her grandmother or great-grandmother, who was one of many girls of her generation to be named after the heroine of E.D.E.N. Southworth's novel Capitola the Madcap (icelandicised, of course). (There, I have made a literary contribution to the discussion).

In Iceland we have a naming law and an official naming committee that has to approve any new names on a case-to-case basis. This might sound controlling, but it is done to protect the language and as long as the name can be inflected according to Icelandic grammar rules, doesn't have any letters or combinations of letters that are not Icelandic, is not likely to cause offense (they turned down both Lúsífer (Lucifer) and Satanía) and is not a male name given to a female or vice versa, it goes through. This does not stop people from giving old embarrassing names to their children, or even new ones that conform to the law, but luckily Icelandic spelling is quite close to the pronunciation, so weird spellings are almost unknown.

My cousin found a way around the law and gave her daughter an uninflectable (?) name with a foreign letter in it. The father of her eldest daughter is a Frenchman and they wanted a French name for her (her paternal grandmother's, I think) so they simply had her christened in France. She is technically a citizen of both countries until she comes of age, so they got away with it. Fortunately her name is classic, and pronounced almost like the Icelandic version, but people goggle when they hear both her names together, because her second name couldn't be more Icelandic and is quite difficult for French speakers.

The child of another cousin of mine has a combination of names that is a tongue-twister full of harsh sounds, which I think was a great disfavour to her, as she is called by both her names and it always sounds like she is being scolded. Apart from those children, the kids in both my maternal and paternal families have normal names, even if some of them have not been able to escape getting fashionable ones.

>Name fashions go in circles to some extent, or rather diminishing spirals, because of the tendency to name kids after their grandparents

True in some cultures more than others. Very true in mine. And some names I am not sure will recycle. The reason why there are four Gladys cousins among my mom's generation is that each of the four families who came to American from the Ukraine named their first daughter after their mother they left behind. Her name wasn't Gladys, it was the yiddish name Glickel, but Gladys was the closest Americanized name they could come up with. It is probably a good thing that none of us three kids had kids, coz I am not sure how we'd tackle using Gladys for a little girl nowadays. (thinking about the grand children of the other three Gladys', none of them are named close to that, tho they might share a Hebrew name)

Netla I didn't know Iceland had that naming law as well; I knew Denmark had it. I am not sure how in the world its enforced - heck you could give a kid an official name and then call him anything you want, right? Not sure how I feel about it. As a child with a last name that was horribly easy to rhyme, I can understand the reason. But I dunno, there are names that have appeared that are actually rather cool and sometimes having a unique name is as good as gold for some.

That being said, I was very happy to marry a man who's last name was a nice, simple English one: till he told me how many ways it kids were able to twist it!

My friend from Toulouse has five first names hyphenated: Marie-Pierre-Joseph-something-something else. She just uses the first two in most cases.

IIRC, Vincent van Gogh had a brother with the same name who died before he was born. He was a bit wierded out by seeing his name on a tombstone when he was growing up.

Naming later babies after deceased siblings seems a bit creepy, to me, but I can sort of understand it. But I grew up knowing a large family who named the last three of their thirteen children after older siblings who were still very much alive. Granted there was twenty-five-years difference between the two Larrys, and over twenty years between the two Margies (not sure about the two Dougs), but it just seems bizarre to me...was it that hard to come up with new names?

A person I know is named 'Trail'. He is the youngest of five children. His parents live on a very large farm/ranch in North Dakota, which is close to, if not on, the site of the first winter camp of The Corp of Discovery, otherwise known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. When his mother was expecting him, a close friend called and said "If this baby is a boy, you must name him 'Trail'." Marlene objected, but allowed the four older siblings to vote on the idea. The voters were three boys and one girl. The girl, Dawn, was out voted. The boys names are Clay, Clark, and Lewis. They agreed with their mother's friend that it would be wonderful to have the kids named so that this sentence was formed: "LEWIS and CLARK left at DAWN on the CLAY TRAIL."
Trail copes with his unusual name very well, and one thing is certain - it's easy to remember the names of all his siblings.

>Naming later babies after deceased siblings seems a bit creepy, to me

Same here. Feels like you want to replace the child you loss, not have another unique human being. But its probably very much a cultural thing. There are some folk who think its creepy that my tradition names after dead relatives. To me its as normal as pie.

Well, on the subject of unusual names, I had a prof whose first name was Beverly. He was a very nice man. And I also know of a lawyer named Lynn. He hates it when people send him mail with a "Dear Ms. ...."

And even MORE unusual names - I have relatives named Minerva, Pythagoras, Romulus, Remus, Erasmus. That being said, these are older relatives so I imagine it was a generational thing. I don't know of too many weird and wonderful names from the younger generation. I guess the older generation's parents had a more classical turn of mind!

You've hit one of my favourite bug-bears. I don't mind unusual names, but I loathe naff ones. And any misspelling of a normal name to make it look cute is, without doubt, naff. I didn't know it was a Utah thing (allegedy) but here in the UK, naff names seem to indicate chavs. (For example - Chelsey , Alyson, Tracee. Actually, in the UK, Chelsea is a naff name however you spell it. Would you call a child Hammersmith?)

I seriously considered changing my name to Martyn when I was about fifteen. I cringe to think of it now. I'm with Chris - if you're young enough to think that misspelling a name is cute, you're too young to have kids.

Remember the fuss about the parents who wanted to name their child 4Real? Some people shouldn't be allowed to have kids.

Another example of names that cross genders are Tracy and Stacy. I've always assumed it was a southern custom (but perhaps not) that Tracy and Stacy are sometimes used as boy names. I used to babysit twin boys named Tracy and Stacy and their mother was from Alabama, and I've known several other southern men named Tracy as well.

My sister was a "Gayle" which I like the spelling of, but I hate this new trend of spelling Abigail, "Abigayle".

Thyrkas - that's a great story. Don't you think stories like that add just a bit of down home personality to the names?

There's a gentleman in my office that has a first name that sounds like a last name and a last name that sounds like a first name. My brain breaks down trying to remember the correct order of his names.

Just read the below article in the paper. Yikes.

Martin, what does 'naff' mean? I sort of get it but wanted to be sure. Ive never heard the term used before.

>He hates it when people send him mail with a "Dear Ms

I have a dear friend named Darryl. She likes it, coz its gotten her interviews and a foot in the door of companies that assumed she was male. It has caused problems and mix ups, and when she first got into her field she was often listed in conferences as 'Mr Darryl Lastname'. She is now a very successful business woman and came close to naming her daughter something uni gender, for the same reason (sort of like the opposite of A Boy Named Sue).

Here is a link that might be useful: Cubs fan names child Wrigley Field

I have a question that I hope doesn't offend, but it's one that I've long been curious about. Why is there a tendency to give unmentionable body parts and libidinous acts human names? Britons especially seem fond of doing this, and woe unto the unlucky person who has that name. I'm thinking about: Fanny, Roger, Wally, a nickname for Richard, and Peter (probably used more by Americans, in this case). Also, why are toilets called Johns?

Cindy, re the Glickel/Gladys connection: That's interesting that a name of Welsh origin was chosen. I guess it was because of both beginning with the sound Gl (though the Welsh seems to have been Gwl, though the w seems superfluous to non-Welsh speakers).

Do you know why the name Ethel was so popular among Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s? Does the name have an actual Jewish origin or is it the closest-sounding equivalent? If it's the latter, what was the original name?

When I was 15 I lobbied for Mom to name my youngest sister Athena Dawn. Athena Aurora would have been better but I figured it was too over the top to have a chance. I'm shamed to say that I had not yet realized that we were all named with the initial hard "k" with which our last name begins. So baby sis was named Kelli.

An amusing thread. I think Venezuela also, like Iceland, has some sort of naming commission. I recall reading about it recently. A popular name for your boy-child in Venezuela is "Superman".
Aim high.

Re names such as Fanny, Dick, Wally etc.

I don't think we in the UK think of these words in a prurient way when used as first names. Peter isn't a 'rude' word and over here a 'Wally' is considered to be something of an idiot and almost never given as a name, Dick is the only one that kids might snigger at.
We don't use the word 'John' for the WC (but we know what it means from all those Cagney and Lacey reruns). In the olden days it was called the jakes maybe from the French Jacques so perhaps there is a connection?
Cindy,naff means in poor taste same as 'chav' is used today and did you know that little girls are not called 'Cindy' over here as it was the name of a UK 'barbie' look alike doll . . . and I don't suppose many US girls are called 'Barbie' although reading the above choices perhaps I shouldn't be surprised if some were.
My daughter (given a simple no-nonsense name) was telling me about an Aussie comedy show she watches. Two chavvy girls arrive at the hospital to visit a new mother and baby and discuss suitable names for the infant. While looking around at all the medical kit on display they decide on the names Catheter or Enema.

Frieda OT but I have been trying to email you via the Garden web site. Our main computer has gone up in smoke and the lapstop had NO list of email addresses . .. let this be a lesson to me!

I think I have told you all before that my husband's great-grandson is named Kamren--deliberately misspelled so it would be "different." Poor little thing, and he's a cutie, too.

My mother knew a family that had ten children and named the last two Niner and Tener. Niner was a girl and changed her spelling to Nina when she was older, but Tener remained Tener until he died.

One of my aunts dated a boy named Sherrill Lynn and called Shady.

And we have all heard about the Texas twins whose last name was Pigg and whose father named them Ima and Ura.

Cindy - yes, as Vee says, naff means "in poor taste". I was trying to think of a synonym myself, and I asked my wife - she came up with "without merit" !

It's a wonderful word - I don't know how people manage without it. It's totally pejorative, but it can be used in an affectionate way too. For example, if you're male, and your wife likes a particularly cringe-worthy romantic comedy or boy-band song, you would not be able to say "I reckon that's in pretty poor taste" without risking your relationship - but you'd probably be able to say "Well, it's a bit naff, isn't it?", to which she might well reply "Well I don't care - I like it!"

(Not that I'm reflecting on my own relationship - good lord, no!)

Dynomutt,
"And I also know of a lawyer named Lynn. He hates it when people send him mail with a "Dear Ms. ...."
I have a friend named Lynn who had great fun posting replies to 'letters to the editor', during the height of the gender equity era. Gosh, I looked forward to the new monthy issue for his posts; what fun!

Regards,
Bob

"And we have all heard about the Texas twins whose last name was Pigg and whose father named them Ima and Ura"

No, that was Hogg, a governor of Texas. Ima didn't have a sister named Ura. There's a Wikipedia article about her.

This has been such a fun thread to read. I used to keep a list of odd names when I worked in insurance customer service years ago, and I wish I still had it. As I recall, there were some doozies on that list. I once worked for a charming gentleman named Bob Roberts, and there was another VIP in the company named Burton Burton. I never did understand the parent's motivation there.

Misspellings drive me crazy, too. I can deal with an oddly spelled name that's off the beaten track, but willful misspellings of common names irk me beyond reason. Every time I see (Atlanta Braves baseball player) Andruw Jones' name, I want to get out my red correcting pen.

All that said, my name can be spelled a variety of ways, none of which people get on the first try. Sherry, Sherri, Sherrie and Cherie are usually guessed before anyone gets to the Sheri spelling. My maiden name was only six letters long, but was still a spelling nightmare due to vowel placement (my husband still can't remember how to spell it correctly) and I was happy to take his easy to spell and pronounce last name when we married. My kids both have pretty ordinary names, though my daughter's can be spelled several ways, too. Our last name is also a common noun, so choosing kid's names that couldn't be twisted into something obnoxious was a challenge.

I wish we had the word "naff" at our disposal here! The closest equivalent we have would, I guess, be the term "ghetto," meaning low-class or trashy. It used to be used strictly in the black community but now is used across many racial, ethnic and economic groups.

Once, when I inadvertently wore an outfit without pockets (and I never carry a purse to school), I had to slip my lunch money in my shoe and so the response from the students was, "Ms. Williams, that is so ghetto!" (Not a single one has any idea of the origin of the word "ghetto," btw.)

As for the names, one activity had the students engage in a "Make a Baby" lab (What was I thinking with middle-schoolers?! - lol) where they flipped two coins and used a chart of pre-determined traits to determine a baby's genetic makeup. They then had a chance to draw their baby. Now, this turned out to be an activity all the students really loved and of course many of them (mostly the girls) wanted to name their babies as well. My favorite was Candee Deserae. My first thought was, "Invest in the stripper pole now." I felt terrible when the girl who named her "baby" that came to me and sighed, "Isn't that just the most beautiful name? I want to name my real daughter that someday." To each his own, I guess.

>Do you know why the name Ethel was so popular among Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s?

That is a very good question, I can't think off hand of a name that would fit. Somewhere I have a book of Yiddish names - lemme see if I can find it and get back to you

In a similar vein, my Great Grandfaterh was Zelig. When his children immigrated they named their sons James, Jerry and even Charles. They all shared the Hebrew name btw (Hebrew names are used at b'nai mitzvahs, weddings, and listed on tombstones. Even children who are not named after anyone in particular are given a Hebrew name linked to another relative)

>(Not a single one has any idea of the origin of the word "ghetto," btw.)

You mean the origin in the US, or the real origin? Ghetto started in Venice, when Jews were forced to live in a part of the city next to the foundry. Ghetto means foundry. The rest of Europe decided that was a good idea....

And I wouldn't worry about the jr hi kids choices, for the same reason I wouldn't worry about how they dress. They do grow up, at least some of them do!

Martin and Veer, thanks for the info on 'naff'. It was different than what I thought (I was thinking more odd). Here I have heard people say 'thats really barrio' which is about the same as saying 'thats really ghetto'.

>did you know that little girls are not called 'Cindy' over here as it was the name of a UK 'barbie' look alike doll

Hee, didn't know that. I was born the year that The Grinch came out, and my parents loved little Cindy Lou Who, and since they wanted to name me after my grandmother (Celia) it was perfect. I always hated the name because to me it sounded too childish, too giddy, too 'blond'. I would have preferred Celia. Now tho I like it because its not that common of a name any more.

Vee, I wasn't trying to be coy with Richard's nickname above. My post disappeared twice when I typed it out, but as soon as I removed it, voila, it submitted. However, I see you posted it -- no problems? I'm afraid to try it.

Hmm, Jacques to jakes to john may be the answer. It's a clue, anyway, that I didn't know.

The first time I knew there was a problem with the name Roger was on one of those boat tours down the Thames. My companion was named Roger, so when I called him to come join me at the rail, a couple of teenage girls started laughing hysterically. When I asked what was so funny, they wouldn't tell me. I asked Roger himself if he had ever had that reaction and he said, yeah, all the time. I didn't know the word could be a verb.

I had a similar experience with the name Ralph, which most Americans pronounce giving full value to the L. Do most Brits say Rayf, the way Ralph Fiennes does? Anyway, I never got a good answer about why Ralph is so giggle-worthy unless it was just the way I pronounced it.

OT: I sent you an email, Vee. I hope you get it.

Frieda -- In So California, where I grew up, some people used Ralph as a verb, as in "He got really sick to his stomach and then he ralphed." I don't know if that's why you got giggles or not. I've known two young people in recent years who got the nickname "Chuck" for similar reasons ... up-chuck. :(

Oh, the innocence of Enid Blyton. Fanny and Dick both turn up in the Famous Five books.

I'm not sure, but I think "ghetto" or "barrio" feel distinctly more insulting than "naff" - and I think "naff" is more general purpose too. Something you might call "naff" could easily not be "ghetto".

For example, the putting of the money in the shoes would probably not be described as naff in this country (though I wouldn't be surprised if our teenagers have an analogous word to "ghetto"!) - but if the teacher's shoes were bright green, worn with pink tights, then the teenagers would almost certainly describe that as naff.

Frieda, I think most of us would say 'Ralf' pronouncing the 'l' although some individuals say Rayf which always sounds slightly affected.
No trouble with the 'Dick' word although 'fag' (as used over here for a cigarette) is sometimes rejected.
Slightly off the names thing and I don't want to offend anyone but is the English expression used as a term of affection old cock or when used to describe a male bird considered very rude in the US?
I read and heard on the BBC that because of American sensibilities we should all use the word rooster but "How are you doing me old rooster sparrow?" just doesn't have the same ring. Nor does the children's rhyme "Who killed Rooster Robin?"
And the ivillage site hasn't rejected any of these words . .. yet.

Frieda no email has arrived from you. Have you checked your 'sent' box?

Vee, that Aussie show is called 'Kath & Kim' and is very funny. The entire show is aimed at poking fun at a certain kind of person, and many of the jokes revolve around mispronunciations. The baby was eventually called 'Epnonee-Rae', I think. They considered Chardonnay (with a hard 'ch' sound *g*)as well as the ones you mentioned. Kath is always talking about 'effluent' people.

I mentioned this thread at another site I go to, and one of the women said a friend had just had a baby and called it Haven. In fact, Haven Bunter Gooley. It's a boy. (Don't know if those of you in other places appreciated the problem with Gooley - it's another of those names Frieda was talking about and being 'hit in the gooleys' is bad news for a man).

Oh, dear. Yohinace?

The Butts family lives down the road from me. Growing up, my best friend had a great-uncle named Dick Cockley; now, only a sadist would saddle a child with with name. A boy in my high school was named Kim which was too bad for him.

Gladys or Gladysz is, or was, a not uncommon Polish surname (she says, hailing from a line of Gladysz's.) I agree that girl names, even classic ones, seem to cycle more than boy names.

It sounds to me as if "naff" means the same as what we in the South would call "tacky."

I went to high school with a guy named Kim. He probably did get some teasing, especially while young, but I don't remember him getting too teased about it. He survived leukemia as a teenager and I guess that is what I remember him for -- his struggle and how he inspired us.

I'm one of those that think people make their names fit their personalities and not the other way around.

In my teenaged years, I hung out with a guy called Kim and a guy called the diminutive name of Richard (D***) but it wasn't teased about or anything. Maybe we were too innocent.

And then in college, I had a friend called Autumn Leaves and a student called Dusty Rhoades.

Parents!!!!

Kath, thanks for the Kath and Kim info. On the 'gooly' subject were you or other RP'ers ever in the scouts, girl guides, cubs, beavers, brownies etc and remember singing Ging Gang Gooly without so much as a snigger passing the lips? Oh innocent days of long ago!
A hundred years since Robert Baden-Powell founded the movement and the clip below comes from a Yorkshire group/pack celebrating sunrise over the moors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ging Gang Gooly

Is it D*** Cheney now? On another board, someone was complaining that spotted d*** is now being labeled "spotted richard."

veer- Wow - I watched the Ging Gang Gooly clip. I have never heard of the song before, but it is very upbeat. It rather reminds me of the University of Minnesota Rouser, with it's phrase " Ski- (pronounced 'sky') U- Mah." I don't think anyone knows what it means, it simply rhymes with "RAH RAH RAH" It is sung with spirit at every U of MN game.

Minnesota, Hats off to thee!
To thy colors, true we shall ever be,
Firm and strong, united are we.
Rah! Rah! Rah! for Ski-U-Mah,
Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah for the U of M.

[Repeat]

Any U of MN alumns out there know what 'Sky-U-Mah' means?

Cindy - I did mean the original meaning of ghetto - they all think it is a modern word associated with American cities. They have no idea of the long history of the word or its Jewish connection. But then again, they have trouble visualizing any history prior to 1980. lol. Actually had one student try to write a one-act play where Ben Franklin demanded that somone get Lincoln on the phone!

Speaking of gender neutral names, I was always getting mail addressed to Mr. Chris at the office. In fact, I remember one big proposal I sent out where the final 4 companies came in to do presentations. Westinghouse showed up with the usual old techie guys and 3 very, very pretty young women who, as far as I could tell, had no real part of the agenda. The look on their faces when I walked in the door and introduced myself was priceless.

Chris - all I can say is I hope Westinghouse didn't get the job!

> they all think it is a modern word associated with American cities

Well, to be fair, most adults think that as well. I knew the ghetto was first applied to Jews only because of my background, and didn't learn about the true meaning until I visited the Venice ghetto. However, I totally agree that young folks have no sense of history for the most part. Sad and frustrating.

Martin, no, for valid technical reasons. I actually found it more funny than irritating.

My (abbreviated) first name is Lee, also neuter gender, but usually considered male spelling. I'm long accustomed to getting mail addressed to Mr. Lee---- or answering phone calls which ask for Mr Lee ... And, of course, I get some VERY interesting emails!

On gender neutral names, anyone out there in the UK remember Kim Philby, the infamous double agent? I wonder if he turned because he got teased at school? ;-)

And on more unusual names, I knew of a girl who was named Apple Newton Smith. I think she had a sister named Rain. (No, I don't think there was a relative named Peach....)

My name, Merri, is unusual enough that it always requires spelling and often gets a nice reaction. And both my grandmothers were named Fannie. But the son of friends was named Huckleberry and another named Green Hickory, named during the 70s. My son, who got my grandfather's name was often reminded what he could have been named! And he named his daughter Liberty.

The worst name I think I've ever seen I found in an early Ruth Rendell novel--Dymphna!

"naff" is somewhere between tacky and cutesy. Putting seasonal outfits on the goose garden sculpture on the front porch would be naff.

In the last couple of years, I have taught a Cierra, a Deja (whose last name rhymed with Vu), a Jevon, two Skylars, one a girl, and one, with an "er", a boy; two Gages and a Sage, all boys; a Meea, a Tory (boy) and Tori (girl), a Destiny and a Lorelai. Taylors, Tylers, Jordans and Morgans of both genders.
My DD is Jillian, often mispelled Julian-for instance, on her letter reminding her she must register for the draft.
Speaking of teenagers naming babies-
Both my children were required in 9th grade to take "Family and Consumer Science" and one of the units was parenting-and they each brought home the "Think-it-Over" baby doll as a required project. They pick up the doll after school and have the "parent wristband" attached-and you can not take the wristband off-it is removed the next morning at school. This doll is programmed to cry at frequent intervals all night, and the student must figure out what the baby wants-rocking, feeding or changing-place the wristband plug in the baby plug, and start doing whatever it takes to make it stop crying-within 3 minutes. This is all recorded on a computer chip in its little plastic head. I repeat, this goes on all night long. Daughter brought hers home, did the project, returned it-no name, no "how cute"...whatever. Do it, get an A, move on. My son went to pick up his baby and was asked by his teacher if his parents would object to a baby that did not match him ethnically-she told me later he stared at her and said "it's a doll. Why would they care?" and off he and baby went to volleyball practice. (There were 4 of the babies at practice that night-apparently it was riotous and non-stop crying!)
He named his J-Qwan and at 2 a.m. the crying woke me up (did I mention that it cries all night long?) I heard him shouting from the bathroom "I'm coming J-Qwan-can't a father even p**?" LOL!
His teacher told me later that she had received a blistering phone call from a father whose daughter had come home with a baby that didn't match her ethnically, so she was told to always ask. For pete sake!

Strange one letter names - my DH's great-grandfather was named "X."

I've always hated being a Rebecca - never went to school with less than four and there were FIVE Rebecca Ann's at my master's graduation, ugh. I even teach one this year, though it's spelled Rebekah Anne. My mother almost named me Winter, and I wish she had.

I have several Hannahs this year, several Nicks, a couple of Callies, and a multitude of Jacobs. Oh, and a few Megans, too.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned (or did I miss it) George Foreman who solved all his naming problems by naming all of his sons GEORGE!!! LOL

The only REALLY off the wall name I had in 30 years of teaching was Phelan Young (pronounced FEELIN', not Fay len) DUH!

As for the various spellings, I have a feeling that with this world of computers and billions of people, the person with the "strange" spelling of a name will be thankful by the end of his/her life that it was unique... there are already horror stories of people with the "same name" spending years and nightmares trying to sort out documents, credit cards, credit ratings, etc. It can take years of heartache in some cases...

As for the "neatest" unique name I remember hearing.. back in the early 80's there was a college basketball player (I think from UAB but I'm not sure of that) whose name was Baskerville Holmes. How Cool!!!!!

Connie's post just reminded me of the Bach family where most of the male members had the first name "Johann" and were only distinguished by their middle names like "Sebastian" and "Christian." It can be quite confusing.

Martin, I've only just got around to reading this thread as I cannot stay long on the net. I thought that you had misprinted 'chav' but later saw that it is like 'naff'. Is this quite recent? I don't recall it when I left the UK in 2003! How is it pronounced?
Regarding Chelsea, it is quite acceptable as a name in Oz but when I phoned to tell my English mother that her latest great-grandchild would have that name, she, a football fan,was horrified at calling a child after a team and screeched sarcastically "Why don't you call her Arsenal?" I replied "What-Nell? I don't think so." Not being a footy fan, obviously! The girl's second name is just "J".... like you said "Parents"!!

I was totally mystified when I heard of JS Bach's 'son' PDQ Bach, until someone told me that is the stage name of Profesor Peter Schikele, composer, conductor and musical humorist.

Hee, I used to listen to him on the radio at my parents house. He is quite funny, as well as quite knowledgable about classical music. I probably learned more listening to him than I did in class.

The world is getting smaller and I think parents should keep this in mind when naming their children. A friend of mine has three grandchildren called Prim, Neo and My by their engineer parents. I think all the names are awful in Swedish but even worse in English. What do you native speakers think of a name like Prim for a boy?