Strange stray thoughts about Names
Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 5:05PM A stray thought got me thinking - A name is supposed to represent a person, and even though it cannot possibly be an accurate portrayal of that person, a name evokes a lot of emotions/perceptions (e.g., Bush, Osama, etc.). What if the name describes an opposite trait, or is not even wrong. (I apologize, but I had to use my latest favourite phrase somehow - even if it's incorrectly used). Can you think of ironic names?
- a guy named Christian but is not christian, and is [insert opposing religion]
- a girl named Jewel but is not a jewel (eupherism for other, perhaps more appropriate, phrases)
- a person named [Month of Year] (e.g., June) but is not born in that month. "Hi, I'm June. I was born in December"
- a girl named Joy but is not very joyful. "Hi, I'm Joy. Go away".
I suspect last names are the easiest to be "ironic". For example, "smart" as a last name. Think of the possibilities. And of course "carpenter" is also a fairly common last name. "Hi, I'm the carpenter, Mr. Carpenter" or "Hi, I'm the butcher, Mr. Carpenter".
Another observation is related to a well-respected professor named Tan Chew Lim in the School of Computing, NUS. Each part of his name (Tan, Chew, Lim) is a possible surname. My name can also be decomposed similarly.
Update: One addition by wc - Roger Director, the director.
Update 2: Roger Director is a producer, not a director. (Hence the "irony")