It’s All In The Name

“I want the last name Hooker.  Not like T.J. Hooker, but like 4th & K…”

My sister and I have been guffawing all morning, as we’re slowly wading through the 1700-1800 archives, probate records and inventory lists, Wills and Census reports.  You have to wonder if it was sheer boredom or just twisted senses of humor that would drive people to name their kid Nimrodd.

I’ve got a couple of unusual names in my own family history, like D.R.E.A.D. (it’s a long story), Ebenezer and Caldonia, but we ain’t got nothing on those Puritans who enjoyed using names like Truth, Chastity, Honesty, Pleasant, Charity, Merciful, basically any of the top 10 virtues you could think of!  It’s also pretty well known that most surnames evolved in two basic ways: 1) It’s the place your ancestor’s were from or 2) It was their occupation – which leaves me to wonder just how you might end up with the name Dudley Crook? 🙂

Of course, in this day and age, choosing the most outlandish, unusual name for your kids is the thing to do (ahem, Apple, Honor, Zuma, North…need I continue?) But, I have to say that the best name we saw, the one that really did us in, was Branch.  Yep.  Branch Tucker.  No joke.  I wonder if the next kid in line was named Rock or Pebble?

How about you?  Do you have any strange, humorous or downright gobsmacking names in your family tree???  Feel free to share in the comments! We won’t point and laugh… much.