Question of the Week: What's the most unusual name you've found in your family tree?

Question

This question about unusual names was one of our most-visited and answered questions of the past year with 190 answers and 3,266 views!

Patricia Roche said it best:

“This thread tops the list of WikiTree must reads, but due to overload of laughter outbursts, groans, and gasps of horror, I must bookmark and consume in small daily doses.”

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who's celebrating with their families this weekend!

Comments

My cousin, Iberia Eureka. I actually knew her and never thought to ask anyone where that name came from.

---

The most unusual name in my family tree is LOAMMI BYRON BROWN, who is my great granduncle born 22 Feb 1840 Fairport, Muscatine, IA and died 11 June 1912 Aledo, Mercer, IL. Loammi is such a good Bible name, but in my nearly 20 years of researching family, this is the only occurrence I've found.

---

A Quaker ancestor named Benajah Weesner and another named Rezin (Reason). On my husband's side, following the famous (in Texas) Hogg family naming, he has an Ima and Ura Bingham - sisters.

---

I have a great, great, great, great, great, great uncle, christened Oxenbold Speake in the village of Hope Bowdler in Shropshire, England on December 30, 1714. There are no signs of any Oxenbolds prior to this.

Oxenbold's father was Henry and his mother Frances Elizabeth. I believe Oxenbold did have a child of the same name in 1754. I have never run across any other Oxenbolds.

---

My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Lesker Verluna Philpott. My grandfather called her Looney.  I've never ran across either name in my tree and always wondered where they came from.

---

Great grandfather Orion Fagundus and his siblings Parthenia Fagundus and Ameicus Vespucius Fagundus

---

Not so unusual, but funny.
When Deacon Robert Long 1619-1690 married Alice Short 1620-1691.

---

My 4th great-grandfather’s name was Renix Killingsworth. His surname is also occasionally spelled as “Kilensworth” in some records. I love it! I think it sounds like it could be the name of a fictional British character in a novel!  Besides that, my own surname, “Broh” has proven to be very unusual and uncommon. 

---

I actually have quite a few “Philpott” or “Philpot”s in my family tree! I wonder if there’s any relation!

---

Mine must be Zeto Augustus Denton. My great grand father. :)

---

I have a Gorphelea Gardner b.1858. I would love to know if she was named after family but unfortunately, her mother's parents are both brick walls :(

---

I chuckled when I found my gggg grandmother named Diadama Wheeler Dodge.  I thought for sure it was a major typo lol.

---

The Purkeypile family from Tennessee. It was later shortened to Purkey by some of the family members.

---

If any of the Philpotts are from East Tennessee particularly McMinn or Monroe counties then very likely related

---

Hatevil Nutter tops our list of most unusual family names. Born 1603 Warwickshire, England died 1675 Dover, Strafford, Hatevil was a militantly anti Quaker guy.

---

My great great great father. His name was José Francisco Macario Machado Alfonso, but he prefered to be called Macario. In Cuba, this name ir awful!!! One son and some grandsons were called Macario in his honor.

---

My great grandfather is Erastus Walter Kinney, b. 1847.

In the mid 1850s a popular poet was Will Carleton. My grandfather, Will Carleton Kinney, was named for the poet. My father is a Jr. Both were called Carl.

---

Of course, I have a plethora of ancestors who had "names of the day", such as (not sure of the spellings but - ) Hepzihbah; Silence, Ezekiel, Ebenezer, Jedediah, etc, but the one that stands out for me from the past is ZANY.  That was her given name.  But you don't have to go that far back in history for the implementation of strange names.  After all, the hippie generation was not that long ago!  My brother was a devout hippie (still is!) and he has two sons.  One he named after the Greek god of mischief:  PAN, born in 1970.  When the other was due, my brother had gotten "into" long hair music with his cello.  He wanted to name his baby in honor of a classic composer.  So we were bracing for "AMADEUS' or "JOHANN" or "LUDWIG".  Well, he couldn't make up his mind, so he just named the baby MUSIC, who was born in 1972.  Both of the men grew up strong in liking their names, and Muse (as we call him) now has a 22 year old daughter named LYRIC.  Yes, the apple does not fall far from the tree!  :D  AND - I always hated my name, because I was born and raised in the 50s, during the time Debbie Reynolds made all those Tammy movies.  How I wanted to be named Debbie or Tammy!  Now, it's popular. I see all kinds of little girls who share my name.  But I had it first!  teehee!

---

Tremore Coffin is the most unusual but what is really unusual is that my grandmother chose to repeat the name with her sons, by using it as a middle name.

---

Recompence Cary would be at the top of my list.  

 

Linda Marie Cornell Snyder

---

My great grandfather's name was Job and when I tried researching him on Google I got  screen after screen on "blow-jobs".

---

Cora Luella BROWN, the daughter of Richard Gibson Brown (II), married Charles Arthur KINNEY 1899 in Harrison County, IA. Any connection to your ancestors?

---

My Great grandmother's first name was Jailey

---

Beth Golden asked if her ancestor Charles Arthur Kinney of Harrison County, IA in 1899 was related to my ancestor Erastus Walter Kinney. I doubt it because at the time my ancestors were in northern Ohio in the town of Bellevue.

---

So far, the best ones in my family are Astronomies Du Bosc, born in 1515 France, and Stubble Stubbleson, born in 1630 Scotland.

Not in my family, I found Sexsmith Fletcher

---

The most unusual name I have found in my family searches is Bezaleel, and I have actually found it multiple times in a span of just a few short generations.  Between cousins and grandparents and grandsons, it seems that Bezaleel was a common name in the Maxwell line during the 17th & 18th Centuries.

---

Kirby Pinkerton Hickey, known throughout his life by the name:

 "Pink" Hickey.

---

Truth shall prevail 

Comfort

Suretrust

Standwell

Moregifte

No strength

Mercie

Joyful 

Constant

Jehosephat

 

All from the Starr family...lol

 

Also had Desire Gore and Desirah DeWolfe...thought those were cute as well. 

 

Libby

---

Loveday Henwood Fidock is my unusual name pick. She was born abt 1834 in Cornwall, England and died on the 2 Jul 1920 in Maitland NSW.
Loveday is one of my direct 4X Great Grandmothers.

---

My 15 times Great Grandfather's name was Uchtred.

---

Mine is Lycurgus.  [[Champion-1358]]  In a cenus, I also have Liemgus, [[Spinks-411]], but pretty sure it is suppose to be Lycurgus also.as Liemgus is the grandson of Lycurgus.

I really have to concentrate on spelling Lycurgus correctly too.  Although it has gotten a bit easier now.  :)

I looked up the name, Lycurgus, here is what I found:

Meaning of name Lycurgus  

Etymology : Latinized form of (Lykourgos), a Greek name which meant "deed of a wolf" from (lykou) "of a wolf" and (ergon) "deed, work"

So, were his parents readers?  Why did they pick this name? I'd love to know.

How he is related to me:

Paternal grandfather of husband of step-granddaughter of brother-in-law of 4th great aunt.

Whew!  Please do not ask me which aunt.  LOL

---

My favorite names are Fagusto Franceschini, a great-great uncle, and my g-g-grandmother, Angelina Angelucci, which roughly translates: little angel, big angels. They really roll off the tongue.

---

Twin boys named Doy Ray and Coy Fay. Also, my grandmother's baby brother died at 15 months was named Minus Lewis Gadberry.

---

Epaminondas Philo Myers who went by Phil, as would I.

---

I always wondered if my g-g-grandmother was our Cherokee. Jenny Machine was her maiden name, born in Arkansas. I can't help wondering if she was named after the cotton gin which was a machine that separated the seeds from the cotton commonly called a cotton ginny. I've seen her name spelled Ginny as well.

---

"Big Thumb" McCranie.
Louisianna Missouri Barber Yates named her daughter Flarzell.   
Flarzell named her daughters Flonnie, Lonnie, and Flossie.

---

Wow, like that one, Jim!

---

My mothers, fathers, mothers, father was Anglo Puritan Dubose. So he was my GG Grandfather. he had schizophrenia, and he stabbed a pig in the eye with a fork. he was also drafted in WW1 when he was 19.

---

Loveday Henwood Grace Fidock, is my direct ancestor (6 generations) 

---

Loveday who married William Duffy? Which child are you decended from? I'm a descendant of Samuel Silas Dufty

---

Yep, that’s the one. I’m a descendent of her daughter Eva Ann Dufty.

---

Eva Annie Dufty who married William John Compton.

Im familiar with your ancestor having added her to WikiTree.

WikiTree has 2 profiles for her so initiated a merge just now.

Duftie-1 (no sources) and Dufty-78 (mine with sources but still need to add in her spouse.

My Uncle has a few Dufty matches to William Dufty on Ancestry. I think i may have one or two but thier matches are private.

---

I know you wont believe it, but I have a line called (Head).

They named one of their sons. Bigger... ( Bigger Head.)

It's sourced in the Bledsoe Journal

---

I believe it, David!! There are some really wild ones out there. 

Answer 1

Not unusual since it pops up in many places but Järnbröst (Iron Breast or Iron Chest) is a bit unusual. It might actually be a double name as there are some named Bröst (Breast or Chest) and Järn (Iron) is not that uncommon.

Answer 2

There are two ladies whose names I like the best who married Skiff men in New England. They are Molly Holley born 1737 and Polly Patchen born about 1771.

Molly Holley married Joseph Skiff and Polly Patchen married their son, Joseph Skiff.

Answer 3

In the previous list, I gave the name of my 8 x ggaunt - Beaton DOWNE.

How about this one (my 2nd cousin 3 x removed): Grace Winifred Jessica Jane TWEEDALE.  Nothing too strange about that?  How about the fact that she lived through the era of the flappers, and called herself Trilby Tweedale, describing herself in the 1939 Register as a 'mannequin and film actress'?

In fact, Trilby Tweedale features in just about every Connection/Relationship Finder which connects me to somebody.  She's my 'gateway ancestor' LOL

Comments

So sad about Beaten...very cool about the Trilby though!

Answer 4

Hi Julie,

I have more than one ancestor with the first name Eliphalet.

I now know its an old Hebrew Biblical name that made an appearance in Colonial New England, but I can't type it without mis-spelling, a rogue 'n' always creeps in near the end. And I can't read it without chuckling aloud. Is that wrong?

Comments

Hmmm ... well, if it's wrong, then we'll be wrong together. ;-)

---

Me too my 6th Grandfather was named Rev. Eliphalet Wright

Answer 5

I have several ancestors named Philander.

Comments

Really? That’s so funny.  Do you know the etymology of this name?

---

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/philander?s=t

Answer 6

Thankful is the name of one of my ancestors and Pocahontas is the real big one. I was told growing up that we had a relationship with her. After searching for hours, days, weeks, months,. I finally found her. She is not a direct ancestor but i am in direct line to her sister cleopatra

Answer 7

My husband loves to tease me about the names on my tree: Temperence, True, Experience, Patience, Tempest, Faith, Thankful, Amable, Silence, Charity, Prudence, Grace, Onesiphorus (meaning "bringing profit" or "useful"), and Justus.  I like to think their parents had high hopes for them. And then we found one on his tree: Loy L (loyal). His tree is expanding, so we have Charity and others on there now, but I had to rib him a little on LoyL.

I've gotten used to seeing Hezekiah, Eliphalet, Permelia, Mehitabel, Keziah and Dorcus - names you don't see nowadays.

A few I'm not sure what a few of the parents were thinking: Usual, Ransom, Zabiah, Zilpha, Decline, Coy (a male), Cloud, and Freelove.

Comments

What?  No Obedience in that collection of virtues?  :)

---

lol, probably is, I just haven't found her yet ;)  or Chastity...

---

There's a Loyal in my family too, whose middle name was Adolphus.  He named one son Corrington and another Mindwell and one of his brothers named his son Royal ….

---

I have Obedience, lol

And Thankful

---

I found Submit Bird who married Isaac Howe. That would mean she became Submit Howe, more acceptable today. It turns out I was looking at the wrong Isaac Howe.

---

I have twin brothers Coy Ray and Doy Fay somewhere up the line.

Answer 8

I have an ancestor who's name is Revilo Oliver.  His first name is his last name spelled backwards!

Marietta Oliver

Comments

very creative!

---

would love to know the reasoning behind his parents' choice!

---

I came across an Etidorpha Creighton in my family tree.   Wondered about that first name until someone explained she was named for Aphrodite....backwards!

---

That's funny!

---

That's cool, or funny! I could of been Leon Noel.

---

Wow I like that! What made you figure it out, Marietta?

Answer 9

I would have to say I had a laughing fit when I discovered a distant ancestor married someone named "Marmaduke Constable". I thought for sure this would make him easy to trace, but no - apparently Marmaduke Constable was a family name! So many Marmadukes!

I also noted a relative that was French Canadian in heritage that was named "Clothilda", which I found strange since it's a German name. (The Census takers had a horrible time spelling that one.) Also it doesn't really lend itself to good nicknames. "Clot"? "Clotty"?

Comments

We have the same name in Spanish, CLOTILDE.  Usually the nickname is Cloti, and I never thought much of it....  until now! LOL.

Answer 10

Well... one of my ancestors' surnames was recorded as Bleek, but I later found out it was Blech. At least they lived before Mad Magazine got popular.

 

There's a lot of unusual German surnames on my side as well... such as Bodenschatz, Knackwefel, Schickedanz, Hobbiebrunken, Katterhenry and Paczkowski (I know that last one's more Polish or other Eastern European).

Comments

My son was taught English at school by a Mr Paczkowski.  I often wondered how English he was and how he felt able to teach a class of English pupils the English language!

Answer 11

One of the dead ends on my mother's side... a great-great-grandfather with the great, great, grand name "Spotswood Dandridge Lowry."

An epic monicker, to be sure.

Comments

that's a mouthful lol...

---

His parents must have been friends with the Lowrys & Barrett's of James City Co. :)

---

Wow, you would think that one would be easy to spot!  No pun intended, Aaron!

Answer 12

Hatevil Nutter.  An amazing Puritan name.

Comments

delightul!

---

Nice! I've got Hatevil Leighton, and they liked it so much they passed it down through at least 3 generations.

Answer 13

In my tree there is a Skelton Felton. Also Hazel Clapsaddle.

Comments

wonderful names!  I've always loved Hazel (had a 2nd or 3rd cousin with that name) but Clapsaddle is a real jewel!

---

I should add Skelton married Felton!

Answer 14

Peter Pickle and Missouri Henrietta Pickle

Comments

I don't know which is better, to be Peter Pickle of tongue-twister renown, or to be named Missouri!

---

well, it could have been America Pickle ;)

---

Or Dillard Pickle!  (probably be Dill Pickle to his friends and enemies)

Answer 15

I've come across a few that I didn't know, for women:  Anamen, Deidamia, Saphronia, Theodosia, Delphena, Maribah, Philura; for men: Loyal, Royal, Melancthon, Pilgrim, Obedecom.

Comments

I don't think I've seen any of the women's names

---

I have an ancestor named Theodosia as well. Unusual for sure.

---

I have an Amanda Theodosia who went by Dosha, she was the twin of William Theodore Gadberry.

Answer 16

My 2x great-grandfather was named Mahershal Hashbaugh McKinstry (1840-1922).  Always wondered the origins of the name and how he became named that in rural Ohio in 1840.  My grandfather was named Charles Mahershal Wilkins but always went by Charles M - never revealing what the M stood for until my mother needed the info for her marriage license.

In the late 1990s, I came across a mention of the name in David Hackett Fischer's Albion Seed book about naming practices.  Mahershalalhashbaz was the longest name in the Bible.  Apparently, Mahershal was given a variation of the name.

I might also mention that Mahershal was married 3x - his third wife, my 2x great grandmother, was Ohio Rosetta Cohee.  She had a sister named Mary Indiana.

Comments

now that is something!  there's a Missouri above who does justice to your great grandmother and great aunt!

Answer 17

I added a friends tree to WikiTree and his family name on one side is Quiter.  He told me that the poor half of the family pronounced it the way it looks,  While the more affluent side pronounced it Quy-ter with a long vowel i.  I got a kick out of that.

Also have Royed in my tree (first name) and an Adlebert (middle name).  I wish I kept a list of error report/suggestions where it questioned me on spelling of a name.  I've had some doozies.

And while not added to the system, my grandfathers nickname as a child was Algernon Sidney Susan Pluckerface.  Apparently the name of a mischievous character in some childrens  book at the turn of the last century.

Comments

Oh my word! How fun to have those stories though...

My oldest daughter was Jennifer Marie Magpie... for obvious reasons lol. Shortened to Magpie by grandpa.

---

My nickname has always been the initials of my first and middle names, Lee James.  Well, my older sisters discovered the name for green pond scum was algae.  So, it morphed into L.G..  Which then morphed into Algernon.  When I was not bad enough to have my full name used to let me know I had crossed that invisible boundary, Algernon was used to let me know I was quickly approaching it.  LOL

Answer 18

I found a Halpehaed Hoverd on the 1871 census who was the brother of my GG grandmother. It was clearly written but turned out his name was Alfred Hoverd, so not so unusual after all.

Answer 19

That would probably be Youkle, who was my uncle. I was told he was named after the man that lived next door to my grandparents. I've never seen another Youkle in all my researching.

I also have a great grandmother named De Sea and a great- great grandmother named Araminta. Araminta had a sister named Bashannon, another name I've never seen another of.

Answer 20

One of my 6th great grandfathers was called Dionysios. Unfortunately we can't find any clue about where he was from at all.

Comments

His surname sounds like he came from Germany. Big place :-/

---

Dionysios would be a Greek name.   But as D. was also the name of a Greek God, it could have been adapted by a wide range of European parents.

---

It was once popular to use classical Greek and Roman names. Indicated "good breeding" and intelligence.