What's in a name?

[trumanf]

There is a special place in my heart for Miss Maybelline Nabors, and always will be. Miss Maybelline and I have been friends ever since she walked into the Feed and Seed twelve years ago and asked the price of goat fencing. Anyone who looks out for goats wins me over, but Miss Maybelline's warm laugh and easygoing shrug is especially

Comments

[karenlm]

in Forsyth County, NC, March of 1980 a child was born & given the name: Placenta. I know this, because my little brother was in the crib next to her in the nursery & my Mom reported seeing the name on the little card attached to the crib when staring through the window at my slightly premature little brother. My Mom would not make such things up, so it must be true.

[trumanf]

I have absolutely no doubt that the story is true. Names ending in A or O seem to soften whatever the word is and makes it sound harmless to the grantor. Later in the child's life, there will be a clerk at the Vital Records department shaking her head and saying, "You poor thing, of course we'll help you fill out a Change of Name form."

Naturally there is the Urban Legend of Shi-THAY'd as it is pronounced, but in print is spelled Shithead. I'm fairly certain that this name was at least attempted somewhere and cooler heads prevailed - or at least I hope!

[forworse]

The Shi-THAY'd legend is referenced in Freakonomics but I can't remember the source they gave. I worked with someone who said her sister was a substitute teacher at the school where little Shithead was on the register and the substitute had no idea what to say when she was calling the roll that morning.

[niall_]

I'm gasping for breath... Oh, well done Truman.

Plus, it has that inescapable ring of possible truth, considering what real children are named now...