Improbable names in media

[Illvin]

First, let me tell you I am still fairly new to this forum. Second, I've stayed out of anything not rpg-related.

I'm watching the first few minutes of an episode of Journeyman when one name displayed after the intro passes is J.R. Orc.

Anyone else remember seeing either "our" kind of names in media, or just improbable ones?

[rubakhin]

Fun for writers: always watch the end credits of any movie. A good number of the crew (especially the grips for some reason) will have bizarre names for you to cull.

[Illvin]

Um, on watching another episode of Journeyman, I see the surname spelled Orci. Think it's italian actually. Hmm. Tolkien must have researched his creations and their names. Most likely books out there explaining how he did it.

Still, plenty of eye-catching names passing by on the screen when credits roll.

[YPU]

Rip Torn always strikes me as an od name.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Anything where you see one culture's idea about what names people have in another culture always comes up with bizare ones.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Anything where you see one culture's idea about what names people have in another culture always comes up with bizare ones.

Not just other cultures... One of the family names in the Lancashire Witch Trials was "Nutter".

[WalkingTarget]

Hmm. Tolkien must have researched his creations and their names. Most likely books out there explaining how he did it.

Tolkien said himself that he took the word "orc" from Old English (see "orcnēas" found in Beowulf) with similarly old cognates in the French origins of "ogre" and Latin "orcus".

Of course, he also said that he used that particular English word because of its similarity to the Sindarin and Quenya ("orch" and "urko" respectively) words he'd already come up with. Whether this is him talking in-character as a "translator" of Elvish, I'm not sure. It could easily have been the other way around.

On topic: I always found it interesting that the original face of Anakin Skywalker was an actor with the same name as an X-Men villain - Sebastian Shaw (yes, I know the actor was around first, but I didn't note his name in Jedi until after I'd read the Dark Phoenix story).

[YPU]

there is a part of the Netherlands where they speak a particular dialect, including a group of names only common to that part. The dialect is somewhat dieing and hardly anybody is given those names these days so only elderly people still have these names, one of the most common names among elder women there is Zelda.

[Green Bean]

I've always been a fan of Greg Killmaster. :smallbiggrin:

[Xefas]

Rip Torn always strikes me as an od name.

I'm good friends with his...grand...nephew? Something like that. Anyway, I was shocked and awed to find out that "Rip Torn" wasn't a stage name or anything of that sort. Oh, what sadistic parents that poor man must have had.

[WalkingTarget]

I'm good friends with his...grand...nephew? Something like that. Anyway, I was shocked and awed to find out that "Rip Torn" wasn't a stage name or anything of that sort. Oh, what sadistic parents that poor man must have had.

From what I had heard, "Rip" was a traditional family nickname, so he's not the only one to have been called that (I thought his real first name was Elmore or something), so it's probable that he was called that before becoming an actor, but it's still a name he chose to work under (not that there's anything wrong with that).

[....]

Major Major Major Major.

I know he's not real... but what a name!

[steelwire]

Not just other cultures... One of the family names in the Lancashire Witch Trials was "Nutter". stainless steel pipe (http://www.cn-SteelPipe.net) stainless steel wire (http://www.cn-SteelPipe.net) stainless steel strip (http://www.cn-SteelPipe.net)

[Eldan]

There's a professor on our university called Theo Ghoul.

[Tengu]

Philip K. Di*k.

[AslanCross]

There's a villain in a Gundam manga who has a completely ridiculous name, even as Gundam villains go.

Full Frontal.

[Tengu]

Anime characters oftenly have very bizarre names. Millions Knives, anyone?

[Holocron Coder]

Let's see...

I'm friends with a guy named Harry Richard Head. Let that one stew for a bit, there.

My old roommate was Jonathan Masterman Archer.

Then you get my older brother, with a middle named of Joesph. Apparently mom didn't know how to spell Joseph :smallbiggrin:

Not quite "our" names, but unusual nonetheless.

[CrazedGoblin]

more of an unfortunate name id say, Ed balls is a british politician

[factotum]

Hmm. Tolkien must have researched his creations and their names. Most likely books out there explaining how he did it.


The names of the dwarves in The Hobbit were taken from an Icelandic saga...in fact, Gandalf was also the name of a dwarf in it, as I recall. He got other names from the languages he invented. Tolkien was quite clever in that he tried to give characters names that suited where they were from--all the bucolic Hobbits had very daft English-sounding names, as did locations in the Shire; the people of Gondor had much more serious sounding names, as befitted their status.

[Jerthanis]

Philip K. Di*k.

For that matter... Michael Moorecock

[Jorkens]

Not just other cultures... One of the family names in the Lancashire Witch Trials was "Nutter".
As in The Nife And Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch.

I like Slim Pickens as a name. And he's been in some absolutely corking films, too.

Speaking of Michael Moorecock, is Tony Hancock the only person named after four body parts?

[Jorkens]

Oh, and Lord Dunsany's full name was Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany. Thus, he wins.

[puppyavenger]

more of an unfortunate name id say, Ed balls is a british politician

I pity him growing up.

[Hawriel]

One of the naborhood streets in my town is called Hiscock. There is a U.S. senator named Dingle, and a nass care driver named Richard Trickle. The name of a chines costomer I checked out would most likly bring the anger of the monitores on me if I mentioned it. Then there is the show Jonie Loves Chochie, it was very popular in Korie because Chochie in Korien was the word for a male body part.

Edit

changed the name to Richard because the nickname was Xed out.

[Serpentine]

Not so funny, except when put together: In the recent election, in one electorate two gentleman were going "head to head" as it were: ***** (multiple male chickens :smallsigh:) and Woods.

[Lemur]

Um, on watching another episode of Journeyman, I see the surname spelled Orci. Think it's italian actually. Hmm. Tolkien must have researched his creations and their names. Most likely books out there explaining how he did it.

Books? How about the Internet (http://www.sacred-texts.com/ring/index.htm)? Although that site doesn't go into much detail how he did what he did, but rather provides important texts that Tolkien used for inspiration.

[Icewalker]

I don't really remember many.

Although, some Firefly characters are named after figures in the American Civil War. (ie, Jubal Early was actually a southern general. Also, while a rather common name, there was a northern general named Reynolds. John Reynolds.)


Also, nice avatar.

[GolemsVoice]

My favourites are Broccoli, from the numerous Bond movies, Danny Dark and Something Woodburn. If I had a child, I would name it Danny Dark Woodburn.

[Occasional Sage]

Hiro Protagonist is the main character in Snow Crash, by... some author I don't remember currently.

EDIT: Neal Stephenson wrote Snow Crash (http://www.powells.com/biblio/7-9780553380958-2).

[Daze]

I always felt bad for kids with the last name lipschitz...
I undertsand respecting family heritage and all, but it does make for some bad playground days sometimes...

[rubakhin]

The film Henry & June was on the telly last night. An actor was credited as Maurice Escargot. :smallbiggrin:

So I googled it and it turns out it's a stage name of Gary Oldman's. Cool guy.

[Cuddly]

Hollywood-ers make up their own names so they sell better.

[Telonius]

In my time working at a science journal, we've gotten plenty of interesting names. Some of them are just sad. There's some scientist over at the university of Wisconsin named James Crow. Then there was that Korean guy, Dr. Kook In Park. We even got one from a Dr. Dork.

We get them from pop cultural icons, too. I've seen papers from two separate Dr. Frink's. Also, distinguished scientist M. J. Osbourne. (How could you, MJ? How could you?)

Sometimes the names aren't as bad as the context they're in. On one day, I got papers, in rapid succession, from:
Wanke
Foekens
Yang
Johnson

On another day, I got one from Morse, et al; followed by Columbo et al.

We had pop music day, too: papers from Spears, Agiulera, and Moffatt.

Then there's the names that are just downright odd-sounding. Agamemnon Karpousis. Heidi Muckenfuss.

[WalkingTarget]

Well, if we're getting into odd names in general, I was in several computer science courses with a guy whose last name is Null, and another student who graduated my year was named Shiv Shanker (which I understand to be a totally reasonable name for somebody from India, as I think this person was).

[Closet_Skeleton]

Hollywood-ers make up their own names so they sell better.

That's not entirely true, some have their names made up for them.

[Tweekinator]

Well, if we're getting into odd names in general, I was in several computer science courses with a guy whose last name is Null, and another student who graduated my year was named Shiv Shanker (which I understand to be a totally reasonable name for somebody from India, as I think this person was).

Wow, if there was ever a name conducive to bad-assery, or at least stabbing, that would be it.

[Ceska]

Anime characters oftenly have very bizarre names. Millions Knives, anyone?

Isn't that mainly shonen though?

My current favourite is Ulquiorra Schiffer from Bleach. So he's an emo-mime called pisser. Name somehow fits him.

[Tengu]

Isn't that mainly shonen though?


Nah. For example, Vincent Law is a borderline funny name, and if someone calls Ergo Proxy a shonen anime then I'll post that laughing Calvin & Hobbes picture again.

[Arioch]

I remember a radio programme a year or so ago in which resident newsreader (who was trained to pronounce horrible names) was talikg about having to do an interview with an arabian politician called Mr Fachmi.

[Nasrudith]

My own last name is pretty close to a one for a stereotypical thief or evil CEO, sounding similar to greedy. I have even had it mispronounced as that a few times!

[Saithis Bladewing]

Ophelia Bumgardener.

...*Snrk.*

[Pensive Pine]

What strikes me weird is the local newsanchor Ted Koppi, since it sounds like he's a copy of Ted Koppel.

[The Bunny]

Once had a teacher named Mrs. Hooker.
Felt pretty sorry for her.

[Omniplex]

When I took a pottery class in high school the teachers first name was Clay. I'm sure he got a few laughs about that one.
Oh, and the head of security at the school was named James Bondi.

[Baerdog7]

One of the science teachers at my old high school was Mr. Glascock. I also happen to be close friends with Jim Morrison (not that one). Finally, my last name is Lust.

My God, that name has gotten me so many nicknames over the years.