Unusual Names

I have long been interested in names.  Some names are very unusual and this makes them interesting to me.  My own name is unusual where I live but it's very common in the area where I grew up.  My maiden name is not a common name, neither here, nor where I was born and raised.  I always perk up in interest when I hear of someone with my maiden name.  It doesn't happen often.

Lately, I've seen or heard a couple of names that are unusual to me.  One is the name Picklesimmer.  When I tried to find out something about this name, I only found that there are people of talent who have this name.  I can imagine the very first person of this name canning pickles, probably bread and butter pickles, simmering them in a big vat before getting them into the canning jars.  I wonder.

Another name I heard recently, also tagged to a person of real talent, is the name Turnipseed.  This name, I think, might come from a farmer who propogated Turnips.

And that reminds me of when I was a child and went with my grandmother to a church service in Gary, Indiana.  We were both visiting that city, and that church.  My grandma shook hands with a woman and told her name.  The woman replied, "I'm Mrs. Beanblossom."  I had never before, nor ever since, met anyone with that name.  But there you go, it's another name that brings up a picture of a person involved with garden produce. 

My maiden name probably means son of Haffey or Haffy.  My married name means Sword Smith.  Most people have no idea what either of my names mean. 

I like to know the meanings of names.

Posted by: NJ on 9/29/2005 6:59:54 PM , 3 comments