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From: amigo2@ihuxq.UUCP (John Hobson)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: What's in a name?
Message-ID: <633@ihuxq.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-Feb-84 14:27:24 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxq.633
Posted: Fri Feb 10 14:27:24 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Feb-84 08:34:21 EST
References: <707@dartvax.UUCP>
Distribution: net.kids,net.women
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 47

Mike Morton says:

>>	I think I like made-up names.  And to avoid children getting
>>	names like "Moon-Unit Zappa" or "God", check out (again)
>>	"The Dispossessed": kids get random, unique names... from a
>>	computer.

I don't like made-up names.  I agree that "Moon-Unit" is a lousy name,
and I feel sorry for the poor kid who was named "god" (the actual
name was spelled with a small "g"), but I once knew a man, from the
hill country of Tennessee whose last name was Darling, and whose
first and middle names were Welcome Baby.  He was built like your
typical NFL (or CFL for those in Canada) linebacker, and he used to
say that he got to be big and strong from being in so many fights
over people laughing at his name.  Most people called him "W. B.",
and he said that on his 21st birthday, he was going to the nearest
courthouse to have his name changed to William Brewster Darling,
William being his Grandfather's name, and Brewster being his
mother's maiden name, and these would allow him to keep the W. B.
initials.

I also once met a U. S. Marine Corps colonel (from Virginia) named
"States Rights Jones, Jr".  My father once knew a man whose given
name was "The Sword Of The Lord And Of Gideon", and his brother
"Through Trials And Tribulations We Enter Into The Kingdom Of
Heaven", generally called "Trib".

If you had a computer spitting out names, how do you program it so
that it doesn't come up with "Xyyxz" or "Fookue"?

I don't know, but I rather like my name "John".  I know that every
Tom, Dick, and Harry is called John [ :-) ], but it is a nice,
reasonable name.  Remember, people, when naming your children, that
the poor little tykes have to make it through the third grade, and
that children in the third grade can be pretty cruel.  I worked hard
to rid myself of an English accent when I started in American
schools, because some of my classmates mocked me, and you don't want
your children blaming you for the yuckky name you laid on them.

For the record, my three children are named Daniel, Joshua, and
Noah.

				John Hobson
				AT&T Bell Labs
				Naperville, IL
				(312) 979-0193
				ihnp4!ihuxq!amigo2