The+Study+of+Names

A Guide to the Principles and Topics
Here are a few excerpts from The Study of Names by Frank Nuessel:

Humorous Personal Names
Robert Rennick (1982) describes himself as "a collector of curious and unusual personal names." In an essay on this topic, Rennick makes the very important point that "too many collectors today seem content to accept, at face value, lists of names acquired as hearsay and make little, if any, effort to verify them". The subject of his article is the famous former governor of Texas, James Stephen Hogg (1851-1906) who allegedly had two daughters whom he named Ima and Ura. In fact, Governor Hogg had only one daughter to whom he did give the name Ima (1882-1975). Many apocryphal tales assign additional children, with names like Hesa and Bea to Hogg, who in these folkloric accounts have Hogg as governor of various states in this country. Rennick debunks most of the fiction attached to this particular case, and at the same time urges collectors of humorous names to note carefully the source of such materials.

With this warning noted, examples of some humorous names from the Louisville Times (Deitel, 1985) are provided. The following is a selected list of **aptonyms**, i.e. people whose names and occupations or situation (e.g., workplace) have a close correspondence. To a certain extent, the existence of this list (which undoubtedly could be duplicated almost anywhere in the United States) seem to correspond to the findings of Murphy (1957), who espouses a view of onomastic determinism.

In another essay on aptonyms, Lucas (1988) enumerated additional aptonyms as below: John Train (1977:52) compiled a collection of unusual names (most of which are documented), which provides the reader with some good entertainement. A few examples of the names that Train collected include Rosebud Rosenbloom and Shanda Lear.
 * **Name ** || **Occupation ** ||
 * Peter Hammer || hardware store clerk ||
 * Nita House || real estate agent ||
 * Dr. Barret Hyman || obstetrician and gynecologist ||
 * Dr. Joseph C. Babey || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">pediatrician ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Thomas Edison || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">General Electric employee ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Ken Lawless || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">police chief ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Fred Couch || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">upholsterer ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Cathy Book || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">bookstore clerk ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Bob Counts || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">accountant ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Leonard Divine || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">rabbi ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Dr. Knapp || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">anesthesiologist ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Lawrence E. Lawhead || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Attorney ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Name ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Occupation ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Dr. Carey Parrett || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Veterinarian ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Jerry Frisk || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Security Guard ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Joe B. Musselman || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Body builder ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">James Splatter || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Painter ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">George Wheeler || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Independent trucker ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Kilroy
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">One of the most famous and ubiquitous pieces of World War II graffiti was the phrase KILROY WAS HERE. In addition to the written words, there was a cartoon-like figure with an oversized nose and a bald head looking over a fence. The mystery of Kilroy's identity was apparently solved...when the widow (Margaret) of one James Kilroy (1902-1962) stated that her late husband was responsible for the famed phrase. In 1946, James Kilroy won a national contest that sought to explain the origin of the phrase. The real Kilroy worked in a shipbuilding yard in Quincy, Massachusetts, where he affixed the phrase and cartoons to all of the ships he inspected as a means of verifying that he was real and at least those ships that were completed in Quincy, Massachusetts, possessed an authentic autograph.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Room (reference required) has also addressed the crucial issue of motivation for name changes and the assumption of a second name. Room's lengthy discussion of the reasons can be synthesized as follows:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">to conceal identity,
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">to deceive,
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">to protect, and
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">to transform one's identity.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Well-known stars have often changed their names for a variety of reasons. The following is a list of male and female name-changing stars whose real names are generally widely known.
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">(1) Male Star ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Pseudonym ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Real name ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Kirk Douglas || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Issur danielovich Demsky (1916-) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Douglas Fairbanks || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Douglas Elton Thomas Ulman (1883-1939) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Rock Hudson || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Roy Sherer (1925-1985) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Jerry Lewis || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Joseph Levitch (1926-) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Dean Martin || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Dino Crocetti (1917-) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">John Wayne || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Marion Morrison (1907-1979 ||
 * ~ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">(2) Female Star ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Judy Garland || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Frances Gumm (1922-1969) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Jean Harlow || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Harlean Carpentier (1911-1937) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Susan Hayward || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Edythe Marriner (1918-1975) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Vivien Leigh || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Vivian Hartley (1913-1967) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Marilyn Monroe || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Norma Jean Baker (1926-1962) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Lilli Palmer || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Mario Lilli Peiser (1914-) ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Elke Sommer || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Elke Schletz (1940-)... ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Palindromes and anagrams
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A palindrome is a word or phrase that is spelled the same way forward and backward. Examples of well-known palindromes that virtually everyone has heard over the years include the following: "Was it a rat I saw?", "Red rum is murder.", and "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama."

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Names that are palindromes
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Anna <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Hannah <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Eve <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Ada <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Lil <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Bob

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Anagram
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">An anagram is a word or phrase that a clever individual can rearrange into another novel phrase by using only the alphabetic inventory of the original. Howard Bergerson (reference needed) cites the following in which the name of England's famed dramatist is transformed to form a related and meaningful expression. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> William Shakespeare (1546-1616)
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">We all make his praise.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">I ask me, has Will a peer.