What is the strangest name you have found in your family tree?

[Carm_88]

The more I research my family tree, the more I get to sit back and thinking about names. As I have stated, there are man that have been there in the beginning and haven't seen an end yet, some should be left to history!

For me personally the strangest names that I have run across, to this point, are: Tryphena for a female and Protus for a male. I know that with time people may look back at my own name and my mother's thankful that they are now a place in history.  But still...Protus! 

[samurai_sarah]

Not from the records, but when asking my grandmother about her family tree: "Dinche".

I noted it down as "Dina, possibly Nadine - need to look up", and grandma went "No, I'm talking about Bache Matzes Dinche!" Yeah, that didn't really help. Now all I knew was that "Dinche" was a woman, and her husband was called "Matthias Bach" (had she been unmarried, she would have been known as say "Schmitts Dinche von de Fels" (family name, name, of [location of home]).

It turned out that "Dinche" is an old-fashioned nickname for "Maria" in my village. Who'd have thought!

[Antipatriarch]

One of the surnames in my tree is "Butt". (Fortunately a collateral relative, not straight up my paternal line--Junior High was hard enough!) My mother and aunts always smirked when we talked about relatives in this section.

[Blahblah]

My favourite is the line of men over about six generations all having Nock as a first or middle name. It was the maiden name of the original Nock’s mother. Very refreshing in amongst all the William/Edward/Thomas of the time.

[clueliss]

I have a Death (who is a brick wall) in Colonial US.  Not sure if that surname is actually Death, De'Ath or D'ath but I do like to joke that there is a Death in the family.  

 

[AprilQuilt]

I have a Rayden and his daughter Sopenah. Always wondered whether she pronounced it like 'opener' or 'subpoena'.

I also am related way back to a branch of the Adams family (I share an ancestor with John Adams), and there are some pretty wacky revolutionary names in the late eighteenth century. Volney was a good one.

[Antipatriarch]

34 minutes ago, AprilQuilt said:

I also am related way back to a branch of the Adams family

Duh duh duh dump! (Click! Click!)

Duh duh duh dump! (Click! Click!)

...oh, sorry! One "d" Adams! Never mind...

[Satan'sFortress]

My hands down favorite so far is Meribah Pickel.  When I discovered it, I must have repeated it 4,000 times. 

 

I also have a Louisa Weed, which is good, but it is no Meribah Pickel.

[AprilQuilt]

2 hours ago, Antipatriarch said:

Duh duh duh dump! (Click! Click!)

Duh duh duh dump! (Click! Click!)

...oh, sorry! One "d" Adams! Never mind...

I sing it every time I look them up.

[JordynDarby5]

My 3 times great-grandmother is named Cinderella. 

[DaisyD]

One set of parents gave a bunch of their kids weird names.

Jehosephat

Comfort

Nostrength (died at birth)

Moregift

Suretrust

Standwell

Truth-shall-prevail

Constant

Beloved

They also named some kids things like William and Judith. This was in the late 1500's to early 1600's. I guess when your last name is Starr you just go for it.

 

[BlondeIdol]

I have someone in my family tree straight up named Experience Perseverance.  Her brother was named Preserved. There's also an Egbertha.

On the other side of the family, we have a Willie Fridge, which I guess isn't as strange as the other names but it sure is fun to say.

Edited November 15, 2017 by BlondeIdol

[clueliss]

@DaisyD sounds like Puritan names.  

[DaisyD]

42 minutes ago, clueliss said:

@DaisyD sounds like Puritan names.  

The family moved from New Romney, Kent to Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1637. Considering that was a Puritan settlement, I'd say you're right.

[AprilQuilt]

I love all these names so much! Puritan names are the best names. Maybe not for actual kids, but they are pretty ace.

It's reminded me that I have some way-backs called Relief and Experience (mother and daughter). Their surname was Moody, I think.

[JordynDarby5]

Its not really a weird name. But its nice when you can tell straight away what side of the American Revolution your family was on. Or at least one branch when you come across an ancestor who named two of his sons George Washington and John Adams. 

[clueliss]

I have found a LOT of George Washington's as well as Thomas Jefferson.  Then regretfully later Andrew Jacksons.  And also Francis Marion's.  The last one is a revolutionary war figure that Mel Gibson's character in the Patriot was somewhat based on.  (and there is a tie in that name that follows down to one of my dad's uncle's middle names and to my dad's middle name so it was interesting to find the source of said middle name).  

[Sobeknofret]

Roxilana. Which, as a name isn't so bad, but why the hell anyone in the late 18th century Vermont would name their child after an Ottoman sultana is a complete mystery to me.

[FloraKitty35]

I have a great-great grandfather and a great uncle whose first name was Harm.  

[TheOneAndOnly]

Several branches of my tree have Littleberry or Greenberry as boy names, either first or middle. Not sure what that's about. 

[raspberrymint]

Orringe (pronounced orange) and Smiley, unrelated men.

Edited August 25, 2019 by raspberrymint
What rhymes with orringe

[LilMissMetaphor]

I've posted this elsewhere, but my fave so far is a family name of Fukkink.  Especially got a giggle when I went on ancestry.ca and found all the generic questions, such as:

"What did your Fukkink ancestors do for a living?"

and

"What is the average Fukkink lifespan?"

[Marmion]

On 8/27/2019 at 9:35 PM, LilMissMetaphor said:

I've posted this elsewhere, but my fave so far is a family name of Fukkink.  Especially got a giggle when I went on ancestry.ca and found all the generic questions, such as:

"What did your Fukkink ancestors do for a living?"

and

"What is the average Fukkink lifespan?"

This is similar to the surnames of some of my Pennsylvania German ancestors . I kid you not , one of them had the maiden name of Feck , alternately Faeg , and the other Fuchs , pronounced with a long U , and in German the "ch" would have been pronounced with the " ka" sound , it means fox in English , which was what it was later Anglicized to .

[Alisamer]

I know this is ancient but posting because I'm going through things again and finding some fun names.

First is my grandmother, Zellaweze. It was her middle name, and she went by Zella. I did not know her name was anything other than Zella until I was an adult.

There's also a Ponina, Leathy Mozella (not related to Zellaweze), Hazeline, Vardrey, Madgeline, Losey, and at least two Levinias. And I traced one part back far enough to get the really odd old celtic and pictish names! I'm sure part of that line is just legend, but hey. They didn't really keep records back then. 

I like the odd names. Much easier to keep up with than the long strings of "John Smith" and the zillions of Sarahs and Marys. 

[clueliss]

I have a grandmother named Erda.  She died long before my parents even met.