Comments on: Embarrassing surnames

By: Gerry

Gerry — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:15:03 +0000

There is a dentist in Joburg central with the name Antoine Fok. Oriental Gentleman.

By: Brioan Cohen

Brioan Cohen — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:16:15 +0000

If you enjoy patronymics why leave out Hoenderdos

By: Owen

Owen — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:12:24 +0000

My friend Robert Sole had a hard time at school whenever he made a mistake in class. (rrs ‘ ole)

By: T Watkins

T Watkins — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:50:52 +0000

My late mother insisted that she knew a family with surname “Down” who named their children “Neil” and “Ida”.
Then of course there is the unfortunate Mr Poephol van der Merwe who was so embarrassed by his name that he had it changed to Poephol Venter.

By: MLH

MLH — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:32:59 +0000

OK. Get clean.
Ours is not that bad, but no one ever manages to spell it correctly and we all get quite bored repeating ourselves, ad nauseum. When my father lived in the UK, he used to leave his dry cleaning under his Christian name ‘Hilton’, just to make life easier.
Can’t imagine why. He was ‘Boet’ to everyone who knew him, including his kids! I suspect this was the only time he ever used the name he was christened.
At school, also in the UK, my brother was known by the last syllable, only ‘Hoff’ and he later married a woman who swore that was despite his surname, the only unattractive thing, she thought, about him.
Years later, when he left some dry cleaning in SA, I was astounded to hear him ask for the clothing for ‘Hilton’.
Then, one day, I was delegated to pick up my son’s laundry. Since I didn’t marry, I’ve been stuck with the name and have passed it on to Junior. Guess what name he’d used? ‘Hilton’, his last of three Christian names…
Men just don’t have the staying power of their women, do they?

By: mminakgomo

mminakgomo — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:57:32 +0000

Indeed lets talk about Saks……

By: Chantel

Chantel — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:25:33 +0000

I went to high school with a young man whose name was Mursedick (pronounced “moerse-dick”)

By: Meleki

Meleki — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:16:28 +0000

I went to school with an Alistair Woodcock and fairly recently stummbled upon correspondence addressed to a Mrs. Dumbfart… N i asked myself all these generations and no-one thought of a name change. Woodcok for instance was a subject of relentless ridicule all the way from Primary School…

By: Stewie

Stewie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:11:33 +0000

Bastard (pronounced Basstid) was a well-known name, including several Michaelhouse boys.

By: L. M

L. M — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:30:31 +0000

Just love the comments!