Unusual surnames.

[RuthTopp]

For some weird reason I have heard two unusual surnames today , Younghusband and Gotobed . Which ( in a light hearted way ) could be used to formulate a sentence -
" Gotobed younghusband !
What unusual ones do you know ?

Cockburn IS pronounced Co-burn

Same. Usually in the same area of one part of the country so must be a relative o mine.

Once knew a Dr Bone which was quite appropriate! Also knew a Flowerdew, which I always thought was a lovely name.

Just looked up my sons surname and it’s even rarer than mine (mine 62 in the world). His is only 29 others.

I appear to be the only person in the world with my first name and surname combination.

Great thread. I love names.

My DD11 announced yesterday that she was going to change her name to Boleyn.... Are there any of them left? I've never met one.

In my first job there was a guy on the books called Mustafa Camel.

I've just stepped in to a Cockburn rabbit hole History of Cockburn

To answer the OP of unusual surnames I went to school with a timid kid called Littlefear, never came across that name ever again.

I once met a Virginia Sithole.
Went to school with a pair of Snowballs.
Had a classmate called Boocock.
University lecturer was Dr De’ath.
My favourite, though, was colleague Mrs Blanchflower.

My friend recently married and became Mrs Turtle!

It's thought that Boleyn was actually Bullen ,but was poshed up. Brontë was actually Prontey , the father changed it to be a] posh and b] not Irish.

Wasn’t there an Amy Turtle in Crossroads way back when?

I know a Mrs Minge.

DH used to work in a call centre. He had an Olive Olive call in once, and someone with exactly his name, which is not a common name, this guy was not interested at all.
But the best one was Mrs Kunt. After DH asked her for her name she prefaced it by apologising and saying that her husband was German.

My grandmother's maiden name was Hunnam which is fairly uncommon.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pollexfen_Bastard

I knew a Mr Barstead. Must be a derivative.

I also knew a Miss Dick who found herself living at an address on Fanny Street poor sod.

If you have an unusual surname, you can use named - Map your surname across the UK (publicprofiler.org) to find where in the UK it's more popular.

Okay, so I'm the only person with my married surname, but searching my maiden name shows that I'm a true Brummie (I'm proud of that!)

I knew of a family called Boleyn - not in the UK however.

Thank you for that link KirstenBlest

I've had a Dr Blood, and knew a Dr Sang socially.

*French for "blood".

That reminds me, I've also known a Mr Blood!

Is this the right time to mention Dr Shatwell the gastro enterologist?

Brontë was actually Prontey , the father changed it to be a] posh and b] not Irish.

Apparently, it was meant to be pronounced (for the literary family, at least) as BRON-tee; but everybody now seems to say BRON-tay.