Ever since i played Dark Souls i’ve been very fond of Gwendolyn (though in the game it’s spelled Gwyndolin, and it’s for an androgynous god but that’s neither here nor there).
Also the most amazing real name i’ve ever seen? General George Washington 3rd. General being the dude’s first name. Saw this on a form when i worked at an insurance place for data entry. I’ve also seen someone with the last name Voltron, which i also found amazing. And the one time i went on a cruise one of the crew was named Elvis and he was cool as all getout.
My dad’s a bit of a genealogist and there’s a point where his detective work just stops, because every single male Welsh ancestor is named Thomas. Many have it listed as their middle and last name, as well – Thomas, son of Thomas, son of Thomas. In everyday life they were probably all Thomas the Fish or Thomas the Shoe or whatever, but all we have are gravestones and birth records, so it’s just a sea of Thomases over there back in the 1800s.
You’re not familiar with Tecumseh? He was part of one of the many Indian Confederacies, which were actually studied by some of the Founding Fathers and influenced the formation of our government. The Western Confederation included the Potawatomi back in the day.
He also did a brilliant move of moving his warriors through an open meadow within view of Ft Detroit, and then having them circle back through the forest, making his numbers appear to be massive. Combined with the British and Canadian troops amassing, the for surrendered with out a fight.
Actually, that’s appropriate. In Welsh, the feminine form of a name is spelt with an “e” (eg. Gwen) and the masculine with a “y” (eg. Gwyn). So changing a feminine name like Gwendolyn to Gwyndolyn does suggest androgyny.
Grew up in Venezuela so beyond some major historical figures in the US some of the other important peoples just didn’t make it into my schooling. I did take US history when i moved here but again, not much was covered as far as leaders from native American peoples. On my own i’ve learned somewhat about Geronimo and some other people that escape my memory for the time being but i do like learning new things Thanks for the sources.
When i was in my last year of high school there was a moment in the hallway where someone called out loud my name and 5-6 people turned around including two teachers.
Yup, I’ve experienced that. Slight difference for me though. I was the only boy Kelly in a classroom of 5 Kellys. In the early 70s, when it was a “girl’s name” (which i was constantly being told, but there I was, just the same).
I teach an 8 year old named Melchizedek - the other kids call him “Melki,” which is actually kind of cute.
I’ll also never forget 2 brothers we had - Hannibal and Benhur
I worked with a woman named Jake. Her name never caused any dissonance for me; I really liked it. She was, by her own proud admission, a bit of a tomboy (also six-foot-one and built for work) but I still have no problem imagining someone resembling Audrey Hepburn carrying the same name.
My mother (Welsh-Irish ancestry) would applaud anyone naming their son Kelly. Your folks were just ahead of the curve.
I used to hang out with a kid named Bogarthian. He asked to be called Bog (rhymes with rogue). I’ve no idea where that name came from, to this day, and he didn’t want to talk about it.
I met a woman named Stephen once. We had something in common about a name we hated in the beginning but came around to liking by the time we were adults.
Thanks for the sources.