Strange Names

[Damasta]

There was a girl in a seminar class that I took who had the last name "Distelhorst", which I thought was pretty odd. In fact, she made it onto the News Feed on the BYU home page a year ago.

My favorite, though, was a woman that I met in Mexico. But first, I have to explain how surnames work in Mexico. All Mexicans have two last names. When they are born, their first last name comes from their father and their second last name comes from their mother. Example: baby Anita is born to Pedro Gonzalez Sanchez and Maria Navarro Fernandez. She is now Anita Gonzalez Navarro. When a woman gets married, her husband's last name becomes the first last name and her father's last name becomes the second last name. So Anita Gonzalez Navarro marries Ignacio Mendez de la Rosa. She is now Anita Mendez Gonzalez.

The woman I met had as her married name: Soyla Garza Reina. Now to someone who doesn't know Spanish this looks pretty innocuous. But "Soyla" sounds like "soy la" (which means "I am the"), "Garza" means "heron", and "Reina" means "queen". So her name sounded like "I am the heron queen"!

I also have a friend who went to school with a girl who had as her birth name: Soyla Vaca del Prado ("I am the cow of the meadow"). Now that one's just sad because her parents should've known better. Reminds me of Texas Governor Jim Hogg's unfortunate choice of a name for his daughter.

[habiba]

I went to high school with a Ditz, an Adelot (ate-a-lot), and a Bunfaarder.

[Unit of Energy]

I knew a lady whose maiden name was Batman. Like the superhero. And then she married a man by the name of Jones

[Damasta]

Someone asked about this on the board, so I'm posting again. I remembered that there was a kid in my grade school, two years younger than me, whose name was Rusty Stain.

[Darth Fedora]

There was a James Bondy in my graduating class.

[NerdGirl]

My friend knew of a guy named Abinadi Burns.

[Marduk]

My friend knew of a guy named Abinadi Burns.

ZOMG! (apologies for the internet speak) I know him!!!!