How About "Irena Does the Macarena"?

A New Zealand judge has taken extraordinary steps in a custody case involving a child wiith an unusual name.

Family Court judge Rob Murfitt [found] a girl had been named Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.

He ordered the girl, the subject of a custody battle, to be placed in court guardianship so her name could be changed.

A lawyer had reported the nine-year-old was so embarrassed about her name that she had not revealed it to her friends and was otherwise known as "K".

. . .

"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap," the judge said.

Read more in the Sydney Morning Herald.

One More Name . . .

I've just discovered a Kansas City cousin named Dorothy Long Gunn (1916-1998). She would be my mother's first cousin, both of them being granddaughters of James William Long (1866-1945).

Yes, Virginia, You Are a Hamm

I'm not sure I wanted to get into this, but, oh, well . . . . One of the books mentioned on my recent reading list is Bertha Venation by Larry Ashmead, who's spent decades collecting funny names of real people. The post prompted this comment from Thomas MacEntee of Destination: Austin Family, in which he lists quite a few funny names. Just for the heck of it, I decided to try and find some of them . . . . and, 1. There are more "Rosie Cheeks" in America than you'd care to know. 2. Up until 1930, "Charity Cases" were widespread around the country. On the first census of the Depression [1930], there's just one! 3. The 1900 census shows "Della Ware" from coast to coast. 4. Emma Grate came from Germany in 1865 [true!]. 5. Just five "Emma Grants" applied for U.S. passports between 1873 and 1925, while approximately 65 "Emma Grants" entered the United States. One "Emmy Grant" came from Canada in 1931. 6. For decency's sake, I'll just note that the name "Eileen Dover" is way more popular than it ought to be. 7. The 1910 census shows two women in Manhattan who are "Helen Bedd" [a mother and daughter, no less!]. 8. I couldn't find "Ida Slapter," but there are numerous people named "Ida Kister." 9. California and Texas each have six women who are "Robyn Banks." 10. And census records report at least 32 Virginia Hamms! Check out Thomas' s comment for more names.

He Certainly Deserves An Eternal Reward

Chris over at The Genealogue frequently spots and highlights unusual names. Recently, he had these (1, 2, 3). I don't know if he's seen the 1880 census for Clinton County, Iowa.

On that census, there's a nineteen year old grocery clerk, the son of German immigrants. Fredrick and Lisette Lindloff apparently named their son "Through." That by itself would be strange, but it gets better. Professor Murray Heller explains in his 1975 introduction to N.N. Puckett's work, Black Names in America, that the young man's full name was Through Much Trial and Tribulation We Enter the Kingdom of Heaven Lindloff.

Born in 1881, "Through" died on March 11, 1947, and presumably fulfilled his eponymous admonition.