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Les habiles tyrans ne sont jamais punis


Back to the Derwent River! But this is from yesterday, no work today as it was eight week vaccination time and I wouldn't miss it for quids. Of course, my role mainly involved chasing Henry around for two hours as he weaved through throngs of kids named Braydon, Jayden, Rayden, Kayden and even one called River looking for unearned jelly beans. Gold was struck as Ezra was terribly good, and Henry happily snared his reward. After the trip out, I did ponder to myself, "whatever happened to 'Steve' (or 'Mark', 'Dave' or 'Colin')?
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Debbie Courson Smith said…
Mark, Dave, Steve, John will return. That's the great thing about those names, they always come back in style at some point - while the artsy-spelled names fade away.
18 September 2008 at 23:17
smudgeon said…
There are only so many different ways to spell "Madison" before the fun wears off...hopefully.
19 September 2008 at 07:56
USelaine said…
I love names and their meanings/origins. I have about a dozen books of and about them, but now you have only to search the web to find charts of name frequency through the years. Which brings us to the point that all these names originally meant something, in some language, as nouns or adjectives. But if you call someone Joy or Stone today, you are branded a hippie, are you not? Right. Well, then. In my view, River is good. Made up "sounds" like Rayden, not so much.
19 September 2008 at 16:08
Anonymous said…
I can thoroughly recommend Russell Ash "Potty, Fartwell and Knob: Extraordinary but True Names of British People" which I have just finished, and which proves that daft names were never just the preserve of the last 10 years, even though it feels like it from here.

When I was a health visitor in London, I remember visiting a mum with a new baby, doing all the checks and paperwork etc, and then going back to the office (this would have been about 3 1/2 years ago). The following is the true conversation that followed between me and my assistant:

Me: You'll never guess in a million years what they've called their baby.
Assistant: What?
Me: David.
Assistant: *falls off chair in shock*
19 September 2008 at 17:32
Kris McCracken said…
Boise Diva, there was a kiddie in the local paper today with an even worse name: Ze-Jai (think “CJ”). Anglo-Australian kiddie, moronic parents.

Me, good old “Maddysinn” is my favourite. Not a patch on the “Jaxxyn” from a couple of years back though...

USelaine, I am a bit of a keen on names and their history too. “Ezra” has proven an interesting talking point with many people though, I honestly thought that it wasn’t that obscure.

Jackie, I have heard of the book, and will have to check it out. Do you have a favourite name from your time as a health visitor?
22 September 2008 at 15:32
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