What's in a Name?

With the crazy baby names that are out these days I got to thinking.. Back in the day I had an unusual name.. So did my sister.. Now adays they are considered quite mild..

We were at Hair Boy's HS graduation.. 6 years ago and they were calling off all the names.. some were extrememly lengthy others were so unique and some.. well all vowels or no vowels.. I leaned over to my sister and said.. "Remember when Shaughnessey (me) and Natasha (her) were considered unique?" she giggled..

But it's true, in the ever growing need to have one's child stand out parents are giving their kids ridiculous names. Remember when Zappa was considered odd because of the names he chose for his children? Or Soleil Moon Frye blew our minds? Now a days we would just roll our eyes if even that...

I have four kids and believe it or not their names are not really Hair Boy, PITA Boy, Word Girl and Blond Girl (who is petitioning for a name change to Science Girl).. No three of them have perfectly normal names.. sorta... Their names on paper are normal everyday names although, we call them by abbreviated versions, shortened versions or their middle name.. Blond Girl does have a bit of an unusual name.. no, her name is not apple.. I have a nephew whose name is Miami.. and Word Girl had she been a boy might have been Renegade (yes that is the name we had picked out for her).. I remember laughing at my brother when he named his son and saying "goes to show you what all those years on drugs will do to you" He has lead a troubled life.. but he leaned over to me (who can truly be called a goody goody) and said.. "and what's your excuse 'Renegade' really"

I tease my mother because I look like a Shaughnessey, for the most part I am French and Chickasaw but my natural father's family has a smidgeon of Irish in them and those genes are strong in his family... My sister, Natasha LOOKS like a Natasha.. all gorgeous and mysterious.. sultry.. anyway I tease my mother what would have happened had she named me Natasha and her Shaughnessey? Honestly, we would have gone through life with the wrong names..

Is there a purpose to this blog? nah.. just rambling but there is a blog hop going on that Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy and Tea and Book are participating and it asked what were the most unusual character names that you found in a book? and that got me thinking..

So what unusual names do you know? Who in your family has the most unusual name?

*I am not even going into my last name.. my maiden name had 11 letters in it so my first and last name had 23 letters and my married name is a first name so I have a first name for a last name and a last name for a first name.. oh the joys!!