There things may or may not be true, but I have always been fascinated with names. Especially unusual or silly names. Remember the Hogg sisters in Texas who were named Ura and Ima? What a thing to do to two lovely young girls! I had a teacher in high school whose friend was named Nancy Ann Seancy....say that three time fast! My husband's great grandmother was saddled with the name of Fanny Buttolph! That always cracks up the young men in our family! Then there is the guy named Jim Shortz! And the lady who lived across the street from us when I was little was Jessie Annabella Rapohannock Mae Wolcott.
Which brings us to the names of my sisters and myself. Our maiden name was Smith and our parents felt it was important to give us unusual first names to distinguish us from the crowd. Of course, as a young person I hated having a name that stood out. I wanted to be a Nancy or Susie so much that my cousins actually began calling me "Nansue". I finally grew into my name but it was a long time coming!
With the name Diantha I don't run into many people with the same name but it does happen. Imagine my chagrin when last year there was a teacher who was plastered all over the news with my exact same name: Diantha Harris. What are the odds! She had publicly and on film castigated one of her female students for voicing her support of John McCain rather than Mr. Obama. So far no one has mistaken me for her but it was an amazing coincidence!
Recently I was emailing back and forth with Lynn from Happy Belly Bakery Blog (www.thehappybellybakery.blogspot.com) which you must check out sometime! It turns out that her Grandmother's name was Diantha Dibble Hubble Humphrey! Now that is a name! Here is what Lynn wrote:
"Ah----unusual names. My mother went to school with an Anna Louise Pinkepank who eventually married a Mr. Gieselman. We've had years of enjoyment from saying "Anna Louise Pinkepank Gieselman" rapidly. Of course, Anna Louise's mother (a widow) remarried and became Mrs. Stringfellow, which is pretty good too. My husband's grandmother shares a room at the nursing home with a lady named Ploma Blaha...
And then a college friend of mine had an Aunt Missouri Bybee, who in turn had a son named Blu(e)ford Bybee. She also had an eormous Aunt Becky who hid under the bed when company came, but that's another story..." (By the way, Lynn, I want to hear that story too!)
What funny names have you heard or do you have in your family?
What a fun post. My sister's name was Nancy and my name is Susan. I love my name, she hated her's and has since changed it legally to Peri Nicole. My boss's daughter had a friend named Crystal Lear. Guess what her middle name is...Shanda. You got it-Crystal Shanda Lear. Supposedly completely true.
ReplyDeletep.s. I also had a great, great Aunt Drucilla.
Oh Susan, what a riot! Crystal Shanda Lear! Oh my! Thanks for adding all this to the mix! xo
ReplyDeleteThat's fascinating..
ReplyDeleteFor Chinese, we believe that names can help determine or affect our future. Thus, we are careful in the name selection part.
And a name like "Diantha" is certainly very unique and beautiful..
~Silver
I gave my children first & middle name combinations: one unusual, one traditional. When they got older, they were able to choose which of the two they preferred.
ReplyDeleteSilver, yes, I've heard this too that names can help determine or affect our future. I'm sure that is true to a point. Having a unique name that felt too big for me growing up was difficult and I would hide socially so I would not have to speak it. I became so shy that my cousin once told me they all thought I was a snob! It's funny now, but as a child I was so painfully shy. No doubt that affected a lot of experiences I had! Thanks for your addition!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I love your blog!
I've heard that from spirit too, that it's about the vibration of the name! :)
ReplyDeleteLaura Rose, thanks for letting me know and for confirming what I have heard!
ReplyDeleteBoth of my kids were given family names. It is nice to honor their great-grandparents and they are proud of too. :O)
ReplyDeleteI actually have heard the name Hardick, and that cracks me up. He lives in India, but over here, he would surely be teased!
ReplyDeleteDiane, how special! And what an honor for the great grandparents! Connecting your children to their ancestors through names is very powerful. Lovely! xo
ReplyDeletemermaid, yikes! That would be a tough name to have over here for sure! Thanks for sharing! xo
ReplyDeleteThose names are really hysterical! I LOVE your name - it is so classy - nobody will remember the one on the news, not to worry! Hubs and I both have families with ordinary names - nothing fun. Altho my mother's was kind of neat - Marie Antoinette Morningstar. I love the Morningstar.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting you read the Akashic records! I know just enough about this to be fascinated - wish you could read mine! You are one of the most interesting people I think I've met in the blogosphere!
suZen, thanks for your kind words! And I love Morningstar too! What an elegant name your mother had! Do you know the movie Marjorie Morningstar? I don't remember it really other than the name...I think Natalie Wood was in it. But I always loved that name.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Records, I would be happy to read for you. I do it by phone and have clients from Macau to Italy and everywhere in between!
Hi Diantha, I had somehow missed this post, and it really speaks to me!
ReplyDeleteMy name "Silke" was not special at all to me (except that I was named for a wonderful aunt, who also left Germany when she was young) - Silke isn't super common, but isn't rare at all in Germany.
But once I moved to the States, I've always felt like I had the most beautiful name, just because people associate it with silk. On the other hand, it's been mispronounced and misspelled in more ways than I can tell you, but somehow that has never bothered me.
I love your name, Diantha! It sounds strong and elegant!
And I'm intrigued at you reading the Akashic Records. I'd love to learn more about that!
Love, Silke
Silke is a beautiful, beautiful name! It does remind me of silk, but with the E on the end it also brings in a feeling to me of the elementals, of the fairies and magic. You are elegant like silk but you also have a side of you that is extremely playful and magical and beyond elegance. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Records, perhaps I will do a post here soon on them!