Lots of times, we come across people who go by nicknames that are totally unrelated to their given names. Now we’re not talking about meeting a guy who is tall and thin who goes by the nickname Slim or Stretch. You can see how he got that nickname and you’re not gonna ask him. Here […]
Forum: Meanings, Nicknames
The Sad Story of Katoucha Niane
Katoucha is a very unique names and we really couldn’t find any reliable information on its meaning. French model, Katoucha Niane, is the only person with that name in English and French wikipedia. There have never been 5 people in any given year named Katoucha in the United States.
Tags: Dion vs. The Four Seasons
In the 1960s, Dion DiMucci and the Four Seasons probably contributed more girl name songs to the Top 50 than any other singer or group ever has. Dion seemed to specialize in two-timing heartbreakers. “Runaround Sue” described a girl who cheats on her man: “People, let me put you wise, Sue goes out with other […]
Famous Flips – They’re not all Philips
Flip is often a nickname for Philip or Phillip, but not always. Here are some of the famous people we found that are nicknamed “Flip” but have a different given name. The oldest person we found was Frank Bernard Lafferty, an American Major League baseball player, who made his debut during the 1876 National League […]
Famous John and Johnny Songs
What are the chances that you know a few songs about a John or Johnny? Excellent! John was the No. 1 name in the United States for a long long time. Since it began keeping track of these statistics in 1880, the Social Security Administration shows that it was No. 1 consecutively from 1880 to […]
Remembering Marcel Proust’s Real Name
We are sometimes asked why we don’t put in a particularly famous person when adding a name page to the main name meaning site. Most of the time, the answer is because you already know him (or her). But not always. Sometimes the answer is because that was not his/her given name at birth.
How Shailene Woodley Got Her Name
Cindy Adams of Page Six reports on how Shailene Woodley came by her unusual first name. The 22-year-old Canadian actress says her mother saw a license plate with “Shai” on it and decided to adapt it for her baby’s name.
Only One: Pope Formosus and Other Papal Names Used Only Once
Most people are aware that the popularity of the name Adolf plummeted after World War II. In the wake of the Holocaust, it became synonymous with evil, not just in Germany, but worldwide. There are also Popes’ names that have been avoided because of scandal.
Jolly Jackpot Winner Sonia Christmas
Several Pennsylvania residents cried FIXED recently when the Pennsylvania Lottery announced that the winner of their second chance drawing in the Jolly Jackpot had the highly coincidental name of Sonia Christmas. On the Lottery’s Facebook page, Troy Kasick commented: “Christmas??? Seriously??? I’m guessing the February winner will be Laura Valentine of Hearts Content PA.”
Chopsticks by Arthur de Lulli, the Pseudonym of Euphemia Allen
Euphemia Allen is said to be a girl who, when about 16 years old, registered the musical composition we know as “Chopsticks” under the male name Arthur de Lulli in 1877 as “”The Celebrated Chop Waltz”. Euphemia’s exact birth date is not known so if she was indeed 16 in 1877, she was born in […]
Sippie Wallace: Her Real Name and Other Nicknames
Sippie Wallace was born Beulah Belle Thomas in 1898. Sippie was her childhood nickname. An account in Lone Star & Legends (2001) attributes the nickname to Sippie’s habit of sipping soup through her teeth. Bold Women in Michigan History (2006) says it came about when Sippie’s front teeth were coming in– her family named her […]
Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdóttir
Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir comes from Iceland, but you probably figured that out without being told if you know about the Icelandic patronymic naming system. In Iceland, a child’s last name reflects his or her father’s name (occasionally, the mother — matronymic). So Nanna’s last name means that she is the daughter of Hilmar.