So you think we have some crackpot names nowadays? Try looking back in history…. some people were clearly either drinking too much, high on some illegal substances or taking stupid pills when naming their children! Fish Fish …. there are more Fish Fish’s than you could ever imagine in the England and Wales civil registration indexes! Seriously! There is even a FISH FISH FISH (born December quarter 1864 Blackburn Registration District):
One helpful individual has added to the FreeBMD listings that Fish Fish Fish was the son of Alice, a cotton weaver. Alice….? What were you thinking? And Semen Hyman was born in Marylebone in September quarter 1905 – you’ve got to be kidding me!?
The Roll of Natives Recruited in Basutoland in the South African Native Labour Contingents, listed Elephant Nyeli who was awarded a British War Medal (Bronze):
Rather than being ludicrous, other names have more of a positive connotation, including Butterfly Davenport who was an incoming passenger to the United Kingdom in 1929 from Quebec, Canada:
I am guessing that selecting names for children is a challenging task. Do you choose a name which is prominent in the family already? Do you select a completely different name which hasn’t featured in your family before? Culture and heritage sometimes play a part, as well as religion ….
Back in history, when William died in infancy, another child was born and named William. This may have been to continue a family tradition or, some would say, might be a result of a lack of originality. But Fish Fish Fish? I am pretty sure I would choose William over Fish Fish…. or indeed, Elephant!
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