LONDON (Reuters Life!) - The number of people in Britain with surnames like Cockshott, Balls, Death and Shufflebottom -- likely the source of schoolroom laughter -- has declined by up to 75 percent in the last century.
A study found the number of people with the name Cock shrank to 785 last year from 3,211 in 1881, those called Balls fell to 1,299 from 2,904 and the number of Deaths were reduced to 605 from 1,133.
People named Smellie decreased by 70 percent, Dafts by 51 percent, Gotobeds by 42 percent, Shufflebottoms by 40 percent, and Cockshotts by 34 percent, said Richard Webber, visiting professor of geography at King's College, London.
"If you find the (absolute) number goes down, it's either because they changed their names or they emigrated," Webber, author of the study, told Reuters on Wednesday.
He said that in many cases, people probably changed their surnames as they came to be regarded as in bad taste. "It's because the meaning of words can change. Take the name Daft -- that as a term for a stupid is a relatively recent innovation."
This reminds me of my days as a golf caddy. There was a member couple whose names, I swear, were Dick and Anita Kuntz. Here's proof.
Having a body part surname myself -- and not one of the more pleasant parts -- I can empathize with those who choose to change. Me, I've decided to stick it out. And no, that's not a hint.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Balls are shrinking!
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24 comments:
If my last name was Cockshotts, I would totally embrace it. But that's just me.
I once met a "Trish Klitz". Felt bad for her.
I'm really easily amused, though. Even Updyke makes me giggle. I'm sure I'll think of more. Oh, I'll be back.
Was her nickname "Rubber"?
Like Samsmama I too would embrace such a name...
BUT..when working at the City office, I ran across the last name Skaggs....I would hate that name.
"Rubber"...that's bad!
My brother used to call me a skagg when I was little. Hated it!
My youngest son has a girl in his homeroom who's name is (wait for it):
Anita Wang
He is always making jokes and cracking us up, so naturally we didn't believe him. He got his yearbook out and proved us wrong...
that poor girl.
p.s. I'm sure Samsmama's reference to chicklets was from your blog :)
Isn't there some Skaggs country singer. That's just perfect. They're mostly Skaggs, as far as I'm concerned.
Anita Wang. The parents should be punished. Severely.
Boss Skaggs, or something like that. And growing up there was a local drugstore called Skaggs.
And, yes, the chicklet reference originated here.
Bozz Scaggs, you guys. and he's not country as far as i know.
i went to school with a Paige Turner. not dirty, just dumb.
also, Shufflebottom? WTF.
Well if MOFM is going to get all smarty pants, then I'm going to one-up her. It's Boz. :)
Actually, I happen to love the song "Lido Shuffle".
LMAO @ MoFM's not dirty, just dumb.
sorry, didn't have time to google or Wiki it before posting. nyah! :)
years ago, a coworker of mine recorded my name in our company phone directory - you know, "spell the name of the person you're looking for..." - and he named me "Adrianne Weathersby". but he said it in a pompous, british way. you know, like mrs. doubtfire, "Adriannnne Weth-uhhsby." it was really funny at the time. not so much anymore. especially when you can't HEAR me tell the story. ugh.
Damn, how could I forget about Boz Scaggs? I was just talking about Lido Shuffle a couple weeks ago, plus his classic Breakdown Dead Ahead (one of the coolest songs ever!).
Actually, I was thinking about Ricky Skaggs, who is definitely country. And definitely sounds like someone who doesn't bathe. (It's the difference between the "c" and "k" in Scaggs/Skaggs -- "k"s are inherently dirtier.)
Speaking of which, agreed, Harmony: MoFM's not dirty, just dumb is hysterical.
And MoFM: I can appreciate the whol British pomp pronunciation thing. I worked at an small ad agency in NYC that had British male receptionist. It was awesome hearing him say your name when he answered the phone. Hard to describe -- you're right. Trust me that it was cool.
And Samsmama: Thank you for cross-referencing Chicklets. That was a pleasant surprise.
Weth-uhhsby..huh? That's is pretty great!
Once, a dirt truck driver thought my name was Honey Strawberry "Mmm Mmm Mmm sounds good enough to eat" He said. *shudder* Yeah, makes my skin crawl to this day!
Also? What so appealing about honey and strawberries? sicko
Sorry...I meant 'dirty truck driver'
I don't know, I kinda like 'dirt' truck driver.
(Chiming in late here...sorry.) We have Kuntz up here too, but they pronounce it "coonz". I had cousins whose last name was Knutt ("nut"). First names were Hickory and Hazel. Swear to God. (Although I think Hickory was probably a nicname.)
Not that I didn't believe you, Sally, but I just had to look that up. Sure enough, on www.usa-people-search.com, there's a Hazel Knutt in Brooklyn, NY. That's awesome! I'm assuming that's the same one. Are you from NY? I was actually born in Brooklyn.
Uh...no. I'm in Iowa. Always have been. And both Hickory and Hazel are long dead. I just remember them (faintly) from when I was a little kid. But, it's a fairly common name (Knutt) and I'm not surprised there's another Hazel Knutt out there.
We also had some cousins whose last name was Outhouse. Yep....
John Outhouse?
i have a co-worker (and a friend) named Candace. people either misspell her name "Candance", to which she replies, "my name is Candace and i can dance", or they call her Candy and ask her if she's sweet enough to lick.
people are stupid AND gross.
And if she was in France they would misspell it Cancandance.
When did you caddy at the crescent club...I was also a caddy during the kuntz years
No friggin' way! I was there way back in the early 80's. You?
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