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Thread: Proper name coincidences

  1. #1
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    Cool Proper name coincidences

    Around 12 years ago we moved to a large city approximately 250 miles north (didn't work out; we returned to this city/home 6 months later). Anyway, while looking for a home there, we noticed a cute and cozy house on Britt street.

    A helpful neighbor lady came over, introduced herself. Her name was Roberta.

    Britt is the name of my hometown and Roberta is the name of my best friend there!

    That was cool.

    You?
    I'll tell you in the next life, when we are both cats.
    Don't let your reality checks bounce. ~Me

  2. #2
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    There once was an actor with the same given and family name as my father. The were not closely related; the actor was African-American and my father was not. There are at least two young women with the same given and family names as my daughter who are also student at the school she attends.

    My surname is not "Smith" or "Jones." The US Census claims there are about 35000 people in the US who share my surname, but I still get surprised by matches.
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  3. #3
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    My father once worked with a man who had the same first name as my father. The man's wife's first name was the same as my mother's (unused) first name. Their son's first name was the same as my (unused) first name.

    ETA:

    Our daughter has a cousin, Emily Claire. She also has two friends, sisters, Emily and Claire.
    Last edited by Jim; 2011-Dec-31 at 04:24 AM. Reason: ETA
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  4. #4
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    Graham's father and mine were both named James. My dad's sister's son named his son Dyllan; my mother's maiden name is Dillon. And I once knew a person whose grandmother had shared my first and middle names. It's always grandmothers or great-aunts, though, for my legal name.
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    "Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

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  5. #5
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    My youngest neice has the first/middle names Amelia Rose. We know of two other little girls in the area with this combination of names.
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  6. #6
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    My faire boss's daughter has my daughter's first name and my middle name.
    _____________________________________________
    Gillian

    "Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

    "You can't erase icing."

    "I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

  7. #7
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    I have a very common first name but my last name is, as simple as it it, very uncommon. When I lived on Long Island, the only other people in the phone book with the same last name, were relatives. After moving to Florida, I once got a card in the mail from a family desperately looking for a woman, approximately the same age as me, with the same name but different middle initial, apparently living somewhere in St. Lucie County. The place where I bought my livingroom set has a customer that has the same name as me and lives in the same town, (now Palm Bay). About a week ago, I had a message on my answering machine from a woman looking for a neighbor she used to know, down in Palm Beach, who apparently also has the same name as me, but is approximately 30 years older.

  8. #8
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    My wife's nickname is Kitty. One of my co-worker's nickname is also Kitty.

    One day my co-worker's ex came in to work cruising for an argument/fight. He was really angry about the break-up. I had the sense that he was about to punch someone out, so I was polite but firm when explaining that I could not give out any of Kitty's personal information like her work scheduled. He got a little calmer (no longer threatening people) and left.

    About five minutes later, I realised I had been holding a coffee mug from my wife engraved with the words: "With all of my love, Kitty". No wonder he was so upset.
    Solfe

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    'That was tops! Who's not good at math? I was all, "Four!"' - Finn, Adventure Time.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Solfe View Post
    My wife's nickname is Kitty. One of my co-worker's nickname is also Kitty...

    About five minutes later, I realised I had been holding a coffee mug from my wife engraved with the words: "With all of my love, Kitty". No wonder he was so upset.
    Yikes! That could have been very dangerous for you. I'm glad he didn't presume anything and punch you or something.

  10. #10
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    While out of town on business recently, I went out for drinks. During the course of the evening, I met several people, two of them being nice young ladies named Caitlin and Savannah... which are my new granddaughter's first and middle names.

    The latter half of my USAF career was in health care administration, which included a stint in outpatient records. With more than 44,000 names on the shelves, there were more than a few coincidences. I called one set (the King family) the royal family...the father and sons, anyway. They were (in military fashion) King, Charles; King, James; and the legendary King, Arthur. One married couple had first names of Fred and Wilma. Two brothers were Michael and Andrew Jackson. We also had a John Wayne and Patty Duke. Another famous name belonged to a coworker: Robert E. Lee. As if that wasn't enough, he named his daughter Sarah.
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  11. #11
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    One married couple had first names of Fred and Wilma.
    I can only imagine the razzing they got.

  12. #12
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    Okay, not really a "name coincidence" but PetersCreek triggered my memory.

    We had a family friend - a contemporary of my father - named BB Young. That's it, no other letters, no other names, no periods, just BB. When WWII started, he joined the Army.

    Now, PetersCreek can confirm that the military does not care for anomalies.

    "What's your name?"
    "BB Young."
    "No, your full name."
    "BB Young."

    Well, the clerk couldn't put that in the system, so he entered it as "B. B. Young." With big periods so they'd stand out.

    But that wasn't good enough. And those periods were kinda big.

    So, BB's military records refer to him as "Bo Bo Young."

    (Now ask me about my friend, O. H.)
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  13. #13
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    Just now reading in a different thread reminded me of another:

    In 1999 I checked out 2001: A Space Odyssey at local library. The novel of course (had already seen the film prior).

    The librarian at the desk, who processed the checkout, was named Hal.

    No kidding.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buttercup View Post
    Just now reading in a different thread reminded me of another:

    In 1999 I checked out 2001: A Space Odyssey at local library. The novel of course (had already seen the film prior).

    The librarian at the desk, who processed the checkout, was named Hal.

    No kidding.
    Did he ask you what you were doing?

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by closetgeek View Post
    Did he ask you what you were doing?
    He did tell her "I can't let you do that..."
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    When I worked on the New Haven Line as a Tower Operator, there were three guys who worked with me, Eddie Davis, Eddie Russell and Russell Davis, I thought, one could make a triangle chart with the name on the sides and just pick out which of the three was working that day...I even posted a chart in one of the towers with the "Un-holy Trinity" of Tower Operators on it...most of the guys had never noticed this and thought it was somewhat funny...8 Hours shifts on the midnight trick were somewhat boring, so I often sat there and came up with such things...After the NYT crossword puzzle, there was not much else to do...

    Dale

  17. #17
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    This isn't a coincidence, because the teacher did choose who would be on the team, but it always struck me as funny that the people playing the prosecution witnesses for our team, when I was in mock trials in high school, were David Fox, David Hochenedel, David Vielmutter, and Candace Bryant. (I may be spelling that third David's last name wrong, but I don't want to go looking for my yearbook to be sure.) And I can't think of anyone else in my high school named David, so I guess Mr. Hsu ran out.
    _____________________________________________
    Gillian

    "Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

    "You can't erase icing."

    "I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

  18. #18
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    About 20 years ago, I was awakened by the police, and taken to the station for questioning. My mother was a believer in not giving ordinary names to her children, and I can honestly say I have not met another man with my name. Still, the police had been given my name as someone who bought a keg of beer for an underage party.

    Luckily, I suppose, I had very good alibis for my whole day, and they let me go after about an hour. My neighbor was an officer on the force, and he came by the next day to say that the 'right' guy with my name had been arrested, and actually, looked enough like me that I may not have passed a lineup ID. :surprised

    TJ

  19. #19
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    No coincidental name correspondences around here. I happen to live in the vicinity of....


    ...a funny old bunch, those latter day saints. Rather than picking names from their heritage, or the Bible, the Utah Mormons tend to make them up1.


    This is true! But now, you too can generate your own Mormon name! Be the first on your block! My new name came out as Ernold Dalewin.

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  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim View Post
    So, BB's military records refer to him as "Bo Bo Young."

    (Now ask me about my friend, O. H.)
    Ronly Bonly Jones:
    http://www.snopes.com/racial/language/names.asp

  21. #21
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    My aunty's name is kate middlelton -- same as prince williams wife before marriage.

    Also, for those of you who know the uk tv soap - Eastenders. and remember someone from there called David Wicks, my father's name is David Wicks too.

  22. #22
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    My family is not, so far as I know, related to the lovely actress in the Chase Sapphire commercials, despite sharing the same, not-very-common, surname. At least she's never come to any of the family functions. 8-(
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  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by vonmazur View Post
    When I worked on the New Haven Line as a Tower Operator, there were three guys who worked with me, Eddie Davis, Eddie Russell and Russell Davis...
    Wow, talk about potentially very confusing!

    closetgeek, no Hal didn't say anything to me. Fortunately. Because otherwise I'd have dived behind the desk and found a way to shut him off. ;-p

  24. #24
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    Once upon a time I was in a 3 section rotation with 2 people per shift: Mike & Mike, Dave & Dave, & Rick & Rick. Not really a conincidence as our boss had an odd sense of humor :>

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by vonmazur View Post
    When I worked on the New Haven Line as a Tower Operator, there were three guys who worked with me, Eddie Davis, Eddie Russell and Russell Davis...

    Dale
    Three of my college frat brothers (two from my chapter, and the third from another) were all named "Bob." This is not surprising -- Robert is a common name -- but when they roomed together after graduation, they all took advantage of this to confuse, as much as possible, many phone callers.
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  26. #26
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    At one point in my career, my boss, grandboss and great-grandboss were all named "James." However, they went by "Jimmy," "Jim" and "James" respectively, so I had little confusion.

    Then they ran a "Lester" in there on me . . .

  27. #27
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    In Orlando FL, I drove past a small park. The sign said "PARK LAKE PARK," so I assumed that said park is in a community called Park Lake. Furthermore, I noted that said Park was just a bit of land surrounding a small body of water in its center. This must be the Park Lake Park Lake.

    Or something like that. I should have looked for a parking lot within.

  28. #28
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    I worked for a Goddard contractor for many year with a payroll administrator - whose name appeared on all the paychecks - called Anita Cheche. I'm not sure how it was actually pronounced, but we always referred to her as "I need a check."
    Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

  29. #29
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    Red face

    Quote Originally Posted by ToSeek View Post
    I worked for a Goddard contractor for many year with a payroll administrator - whose name appeared on all the paychecks - called Anita Cheche. I'm not sure how it was actually pronounced, but we always referred to her as "I need a check."
    Lol!!

    A doctor in a hospital I worked at was Dr. Dokter.
    I'll tell you in the next life, when we are both cats.
    Don't let your reality checks bounce. ~Me

  30. 2012-Jan-03, 04:52 PM
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    true, but not funny

  31. #30
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    A friend of me is named Steven King. He claims that he's the one that spells the name correctly. He once, back in the early days of e-mail, got into a message-discussion with a fanboy and finally took pity and admitted he wasn't the writer.

    Fred (never use the F-surname at me!)
    "For shame, gentlemen, pack your evidence a little better against another time."
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