What is the strangest name in your family tree? It’s not just the children of celebrities who end up with strange and bizarre sounding names. As you do your genealogy research, you may have come across some names that made you giggle, or laugh out loud.
The census for the United States is a great source of amusing names. The purpose of the census is to list the total number of people living in the country, and the best way to do that is by taking down people’s names. It seems to me that, due to the vast amount of people that are counted in a census, it makes sense that there will be some humorous names included.
Someone had the unfortunate name of Noble Crapper in Worcester County, MD in 1790. There was also an Earnest Crapper in St. Clair County, MI in 1920. How about the name Turd Gibson? That name was found in Schuykill County, PA in 1920. Iam Smely, a name that is certain to provoke incessant teasing from the other kids in class, was found in Washoe County NV in 1870.
There was a Joy Rider in Bennington, Morrow County, OH in 1930. One hundred years earlier, Constant Chase was found in Boston, Suffolk County, MA in 1830. There really was a Joe Camel in Johnston County NC in 1900. I wonder if his family was in any way involved with the Camel Cigarette company?
Celebrities always make the news when they choose to name their child something unusual. You’ve probably heard of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s daughter Apple. Courteney Cox and David Arquette named their daughter Coco. Bob Geldof and Paula Yates have a daughter named Peaches. It turns out that naming a child after food isn’t something new. A person named Orange Field was found in Miller County, GA in 1930. Almon Nutter was found in Aroostock County, ME in 1900. And there was a Chocolate Maiden in Hale County, AL in 1910, (who was male).
As a former substitute teacher, I have run across several strange and unusual names. I have seen two sisters who were both named Princess. Fortunately, their parent’s gave each girl a different middle name, which is what they went by. However, this means that their drivers licenses are going to read something like “Princess Jane Smith”. I also taught a student named Kia Ford. She had a sister named Caprice. I can only assume that their parent’s really liked cars.
Image by nikoretro on Flickr