Funny names

[Furienna]

Wow... There seem to be some weird names out there.

I still want to know more about the origins of the last name Usnavi.

[RivkahChaya]

Originally Posted by Furienna

I still want to know more about the origins of the last name Usnavi.

I posted this upwards a bit, but here is is again, re-edited for clarity

Originally Posted by RivkahChaya

There's a show on Broadway now called In The Heights, which has been hugely successful, and is being compared to Fiddler on the Roof and Rent, which has a character "Usnavi," and tells a name origin story. For SPOILER I don't know whether this is

1) a piece of folklore the author is using,

2) a genuine cultural fact incorporated into the play,

3) something true of one person the author knew, and he worked it in,

4) or something he made up completely.

The show opened in 2009, but googling the author's name (Lin-Manuel Miranda) pops up references to his working on stories with the "Usnavi" character, and the name story, back in 2000. We need to know when the "Usnavi" story appeared in inboxes before 2000.

Are there really a lot of Usnavis on Facebook? Are they really people named that, or are they people who are members of an In the Heights fan club, or something?

SPOILER:The first ship his parents saw in New York Harbor when they came to the US said “U.S. Navy.” I think they are supposed to know it is a US Navy ship-- they just name him after the first symbol of the US that they see to express they joy at being here, and give their son a head start on his way to assimilation and prosperity./SPOILER

[Penguin!]

I don't think I have an especially odd or unique name, but it is almost often mispronounced and misspelled. I actually love to see some of the incorrect spellings of my name when I give it verbally.
My name is Lani. Pronounced "lonnie". The pronunciations that I get when people read it don't vary too much. Mostly it's Lannie, or Laynie. It gets fun when people try to spell it. The very best one ever was Lawhney.
My name is so often misspelled or mispronounced that I am speechless when someone gets it right. I feel like I should have little trophies in my purse to give out on the rare occasions when someone will get it right.
When I was in school, I desperately wanted to change my name to Daphne. (I absolutely loved Scooby Doo and had a dog named as such.) Looking back, I'm glad my parents didn't let me change it, but it was pretty rough every time I went to a new school, and there were several, and the teacher would introduce me and I would have to correct her in front of the whole class. She would ask if my name was spelled right on her papers and I would tell her yes but it's not pronounced like it's spelled.
I do tell people that my name is Hawaiian because it is, but I found that out myself. I was actually named after an actress from the 80's TV show Eight is Enough. She died of a drug overdose in 2001.

[Fatman]

Originally Posted by Seaboe Muffinchucker

My emphasis. Ah, the subtle bigotry. Because, of course, only someone with poor grammar would name a child that.

I'm not sure if the person ever spelled the name with a - or not,( seriously or as a joke) but I would say the story actually came about because of a person with that name, exists in that town:

Deputies said Ladashia King, 18, a student at Lake Providence High School, fought with her teacher during school hours.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/2...WS01/102260317

[Assilem Brandywine]

I overheard a customer at work call his son "Loki". Maybe Dad is just well read in Norse mythology (or at least Marvel comics) and thought it was a fitting nickname. The kid did have this expression on his face that seemed to say "As soon as no one's looking, I'm going to do something naughty!"

[Lainie]

I've met a few kids for whom Loki would be an apt nickname.

[overyonder]

I personally know a guy named Thor. He wants to name is first born male son Zeus.

"dash" is very common in French, both my brother and I (we're French Canadians) have hyphenated first names (often 2 saints). Think Pierre-Paul, Jean-Charles, Jean-Sebastien, etc etc. Baptism also adds more name to the pile, but not hyphenated.

Joseph (for boys, Mary for girls) and finally, baby's first name.

Lots of websites and computer systems refuse hyphens and I often have to put both names together to make it work.

O_Y

[Don Enrico]

The son of a friend of mine is officially called Loki (it's in his birth certificate and everything).

When he was a toddler, we joked about giving him a home chemestry set for his sixth birthday - now that he is about to turn seven, he's the tender boy with the long blond hair (long as in: all down his backside) who likes dressing up as a princess or a fairy and takes ballet lessons.

[snopes]

Comment: I am an information architect for the Government of British
Columbia. I am doing some research on the properties of international
names to support some standardization work. I looked up "longest name" in
Google and up came many uncorroborated references to someone named

Kananinoheaokuuhomeopuukaimanaalohilo

who is said to be a Hawaiian "boy" with a long name like many other
Hawaiian children.

As far as I can tell he exists solely as an example of a long Hawaiian
name. Is there really someone with this name?

[snopes]

Comment: Hi, I know that you have tried to determine if the name Le-a is
real ( pronounced ledasha). Now there is a new one that there is a girl's
name ABCDE pronounced absidy. Can you find out if this is a genuine name
or not?

[Dear Babby]

I have met an Abcde, pronounced Absidy.

Also note that Loke (pronounced almost like Loki) is Hawaiian for Rose and can be used as a name.

[snopes]

Comment: In reference to the "Funny Names" article, I work at a public
school and have seen many odd names. I have seen a child named Teflon and
another named Alapacia - both very real and deliberate. Another girl is
named Cort-Knee. Other names are of foreign origin and only become strange
when introduced to an english speaking audience: Mai Pa (My Paw), Way-Way
(pronounced Why Why), Chit, E, Eh and Eddy Poe, (nick name for Edgar Allen
Poe?). I always said that my name is probably some odd or nasty think in
another language/country.

[rogue74656]

I have personally met the following:

Drosophila

Toy

Elodea

"The Hulk" (middle name)

-Rogue

[GaryM]

Originally Posted by overyonder

Lots of websites and computer systems refuse hyphens and I often have to put both names together to make it work.

I hate when I order something online and enter my name as "Gary McSurname" and the system "corrects" it to "Gary Mcsurname". Who are these computer programmers that can't make a system that can cope with people called McDonald or Jean-Baptiste or D'Angelo?