Annoying and Amusing Celebrity Baby Names

[DukeUsul]

Stories like Windsor's always make me wonder. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people who have a friend of a friend who know someone who has a baby names "Sh(letter I)thead" or "LeMon Jelo." Are there really dozens of kids out there named "Sh(letter I)thead" or does everyone who recounts this story know the same person? I'm not trying impugn Windsor here, I'm wondering if her coworker is simply retelling a story that's part of the common folklore. I had to go to snopes to see what they say about it. You can read for yourself.

ETA: some bad words in that link

[brianl]

One I always thought was funny.

Deion Saunder's kids, Deion and Deiondra.

Talk about being stuck on yourself!!

[Windsor]

Stories like Windsor's always make me wonder. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people who have a friend of a friend who know someone who has a baby names "Sh(letter I)thead" or "LeMon Jelo." Are there really dozens of kids out there named "Sh(letter I)thead" or does everyone who recounts this story know the same person? I'm not trying impugn Windsor here, I'm wondering if her coworker is simply retelling a story that's part of the common folklore. I had to go to snopes to see what they say about it. You can read for yourself.

ETA: some bad words in that link

I actually looked in our master database with a query on first name (because I am a skeptical soul) and I have seen with my own two eyes a valid entry properly processed bearing that first name with paid medical claims in our production data (now if it were in the test instance I would be VERY doubtful). The child in question has a much more normal middle name, I can only hope it was mom's idea of a bad joke and the child will be called by his middle name and by 'S. William Smith' the rest of his life (the middle and last names are not william smith...of course).

Had I not seen it myself I would be very doubtful as it is hard for any rational person to understand why a mother would do that.

[BluDevilGal]

Processing applications for the Duke TIP program back in college, I saw a lot of unusual names, but I think the worst had to be a girl with the first name Temptress.

[Windsor]

Just came back from teaching a dog class. I asked one my friends/students who is pediatrician if he had ever had a patient names sh(letter i)thead or similar. Indeed he as...as well as Oops, TedBundy, Hitler, and various profanitites. However...the little darlings don't actual keep these names. He tells me that in Florida (and as far as he knows other states) you have one year from the childs birth to change the birth certificate without court order or charge. 99% of the time the babies with the names have single Moms and there is a question of paternity AND the baby is always a boy. Apparently when Mom is in the hospital everyone is leaning on her to name the child...for whatever reason the childs last name is undetermined (father unknown/unwilling/unfindable). To shut up the masses she picks an off the wall name and that's what is registered. Why not just pick something normal? He thinks it is a combination of a)shock value b) believing that you need a reason to change a birth certificate after the fact and c)rebellion ('you want a name...fine..name this!'). Any truly objectionable name he's ever seen has been changed by the time the baby was one. For some reason no one seems to care what last name a girl ends up with, but for the boys it is a much bigger deal. Sh(letter i)thead Smith might very well end up as Sam Smith or Jacob Jones depending on a how acknowledgement/proof of paternity shakes out.

That at least makes some level of sense to me. I'll try to remember to keep checking our database to see if little Sha-heed gets a new and improved first name (guess I have to keep this job for another year now)

[DukeUsul]

I actually looked in our master database with a query on first name (because I am a skeptical soul) and I have seen with my own two eyes a valid entry properly processed bearing that first name with paid medical claims in our production data (now if it were in the test instance I would be VERY doubtful). The child in question has a much more normal middle name, I can only hope it was mom's idea of a bad joke and the child will be called by his middle name and by 'S. William Smith' the rest of his life (the middle and last names are not william smith...of course).

Had I not seen it myself I would be very doubtful as it is hard for any rational person to understand why a mother would do that.

Wow. Just wow. I've discounted this kind of story every time I've heard it, but now we have confirmed evidence...