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Original poster

Unusual surnames.

267 replies

RuthTopp · 04/08/2023 18:11

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 ?

OP posts:
Florissante · 04/08/2023 20:53

TotallyOutingName · 04/08/2023 19:23

https://forebears.io/ is a fun website to see how common names at around the world

What a great site! Thank you for sharing.

Solsticesummer · 04/08/2023 20:54

I knew a miss heffer

Florissante · 04/08/2023 20:54

McDoom.
McCool.

cpphelp · 04/08/2023 20:56

My surname is also the name of a city in England... I still found it strange though when I once met a "Charlotte Portsmouth"

Bernadinetta · 04/08/2023 20:57

I know someone whose surname is Perfect. A lot to live up to! Also went to school with a Boagey… pronounced Bo-ay-gey of course 😉

RandomMess · 04/08/2023 21:00

Neighbours were the Badcocks

College friend Justin Horne -just why!!!

YouLetDougalDoAFuneral · 04/08/2023 21:01

@TotallyOutingName that is amazing!

Apparently there are only 50 with my (married) surname, of which we've named 36

My maiden name has hundreds of thousands so I'm not trying to be quirky!

I knew it was unusual when I was able to nab a gmail address of [email protected] for my daughter

dubyalass · 04/08/2023 21:03

One branch of my family has a surname that describes a physical characteristic that almost everyone on my dad's side has (not Bignose before anyone says it 😁). I have a different surname but there's still some people around with that name. It's another unusual one so we can safely assume we are all related. The earliest mention I can find is late 1600s.

BillyAndTheSillies · 04/08/2023 21:06

That surname site is fab, there's only 29 people with mine apparently and of those I only know myself and MIL - we have the feminine versions of FIL and DH's surname.

MrsMarzetti · 04/08/2023 21:08

PerspiringElizabeth · 04/08/2023 19:00

There was a girl at school with the surname Cockburn which she insisted was pronounced co-burn… don’t blame her!
And a Higginbottom which we had to pronounce -botham apparently.

I like Popadec and Pendergast but not sure how unusual they are!

It is pronounced Coburn.

SoMuchToBits · 04/08/2023 21:08

My maiden surname is very rare. After extensive family tree research I would say there are approximately 90 people alive today (including me) who were born with this surname. Although some of these have changed their surname through marriage, and some others have gained the name through marriage.

Needcoffeeimmediatley · 04/08/2023 21:10

Shagdar !

camtsaywho · 04/08/2023 21:11

My favourite of all time was 'Higginbottom' we ran a guest house in Indonesia and this beautiful girl checked in from the UK.. and her parents for some unfathomable reason had decided to give her a descriptive first name of Rosey...

Then again my own maiden name is Lusher ... can you imagine the joy travelling around the USA with that one ? Lush = drunken slut ... Lusher = even more of a drunken slut ... can even the feminist board blame me for marrying a 'Robert's' and more than gladly taking his name ?

MrsMarzetti · 04/08/2023 21:11

SouthCountryGirl · 04/08/2023 19:34

I seem to remember reading somewhere about a person with the surname Christmas marrying someone with the surname Merry.

Show quote history

I knew a couple that called their Daughter Holly, their surname was Day.

Original poster
RuthTopp · 04/08/2023 21:11

Some great ones in here . A few I'd happy to be , and a few not so much !

OP posts:
SunBarelyHuman · 04/08/2023 21:11

I went to school with a girl who had the surname Topping.

SoMuchToBits · 04/08/2023 21:14

The other interesting thing is that even within my fairly small family, my unusual surname is pronounced in three different ways!

CheeseCakeSunflowers · 04/08/2023 21:15

I know Mr Windmill

RitzyMcFitzy · 04/08/2023 21:16

I know a woman with the surname Ashley.

What makes it unusual is that her first name is also Ashley.

But what makes it fucking BONKERS is that she voluntarily took the name Ashley when she got married.

She chose to be Ashley Ashley.

TheIsaacs · 04/08/2023 21:18

user2468101214 · 04/08/2023 19:14

Most unusual surname I've heard (many years ago) was Pinecoffin

But I also knew a Mr Rainbow growing up (always wanted to marry him for obvious reasons) 😅

These are the two I’ve met locally too! I wonder if we’re in the same location.

I’ve also met the Christmas family and Mrs Sunshine.

MrsJellybee · 04/08/2023 21:19

My maiden name is a different spelling of an already unusual surname. I think we are about to die out.

Threenow · 04/08/2023 21:25

Greygoose - apparently there are only approximately 72 of us in the world!!

Both my DF and I used to get called Blue Duck at school.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 04/08/2023 21:27

I know a Godbehere, and briefly went out with a Bedgood.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 04/08/2023 21:27

I've know a Snowball too.

Akiddleetivy2woodenchu · 04/08/2023 21:28

My family all have unusual surnames which has made tracing the family tree really easy.

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