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Bad Baby Names
In today’s world, bizarre baby names have become the province of the rich and the famous—yet another way to separate themselves from mere mortals by saddling their offspring with names like Apple, Moon Unit, and Fifi Trixibelle.
However, throughout history, people have chosen to name their children truly terrible things regardless of their wealth and social status, and the authors at Ancestry Publishing, which is part of the largest genealogy company in the world, have the census records to prove it. BAD BABY NAMES (Ancestry Publishing, $9.95) shines a light on thousands of names that have to be seen to be believed. And the best part? All of the names were given to real people, as recorded in surviving documents from years past (going back as early as 1790, when the U.S. census began).
BAD BABY NAMES is part hilarious compendium, part serious genealogical research. For instance, it explains how names that were not funny at the time have become funny to us now—the name “Fanny” was perfectly acceptable in the earlier half of last century, but few would expect the girl with a name like Fanny Large or Fanny Pack to last through middle school today. Sometimes you have to wonder, though, if parents could use old-time standards as an excuse, with universally eye-popping blunders like Ima Pigg (there are over two dozen “Ima” names in the book alone, all paired with deliciously twisted last names).
And the names only get worse. Sometimes they pose a question (Wanna Towell?). Sometimes they count (Four Nickels). Sometimes they threaten (Paul Hell Burnes). Sometimes they seem to confuse children with pets (Good Dog). And sometimes they add insult to injury (Tiny Hooker).
BAD BABY NAMES is more than just a long list of names. It’s a romp through history and psychology through the eyes (or at least the names) of the people who lived it, complete with fun photos, crazy illustrations, and images of the names themselves from real census documents. You would have to be a Major Nutt not to enjoy it.
Bad Baby Names Blog:
www.badbabynames.net
BOOK SPECIFICATIONS
Paperback
Author: Michael Sherrod and Matthew Rayback
Page count: 122
Language: English
Publisher: Ancestry Publishing
Published: 2008
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