Of Names and Lengths

 

Naming a child can be one of the more exciting experiences of being parents. I remember how we struggled to give our children the best names that would suit who they are. We were careful not to give a name that would be a problem when they grow up. I heard somewhere that a child was named Hitler or Judas. I wouldn't want my children or other children , for that matter, to be the laughing stock. So we gave our children a two-name tag (Paulo Joshua and Thea Beatrix).

Back in the Philippines these names, along with two-word names, are common. Here in the US they still stick to the one-word name. My daughter who goes to a public school relates that her classmates and some teachers thought her second name was her middle name. She had to explain that she has four names (first, second, middle and last name).

Then I came across an article written by Baguio journalist Lisa Agoot-Galao who wrote that the Department of Education is asking the parents to "give short, simple names". You can read the article here.

So, I went online to find out who has the longest name; the shortest; the most bizarre, etc. Here's what I found out:

1. The longest first name is from a German immigrant to the USA:

Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvim John Kenneth Loyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor Willian Xerxes Yancy Zeus

The last name is even longer. Here.

2. The shortest : I have not found any entry but I guess no name can be shorter than a one letter identification like - J or K.

3. The most unusual is: Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 Halli. According to the mother it is pronounced as "Albin"

The oddest names I personally came across were from a village in Tarlac, Philippines. He was named after a brand of beer - Red Horse. He had a playmate named Transmitter - after the radio transmitters put up nearby.

So what's in a name?