to ask if you know of any 'urban myths' that are actually true?

[manicinsomniac]

a colleague told me the other day that her husband had been to school with a brother and sister called Everard and Ophelia Dick. I was very dismissive, told her I'd heard that story several times before, that it was an urban myth and possibly on snopes.com.

Luckily I stopped short of saying that the story probably had racist undertones.

But I've just googled them and they're well documented in the same town that her husband is from. So the chances are he's right. I'm very and will have to tell her so in the morning.

I get so used to these name tales being false and offensive that I didn't think there was any way it was going to be true.

Does anybody know if any of the others are true?

Ouch!

There was a Omar Gould in my class at school

My first 'boyfriend' (holding hands stage!) was called Joe. It wasn't until I had known him a while that he confessed that his surname was King. What makes it worse was that his brother was genuinely called Wayne.

What was their mother thinking?!?!

Even at 9yo, my brain was thinking WTF?! Was his mum drunk or something?!

(Apologies if you are reading this, Joe or Wayne. But really, what WAS your mum thinking?!)

One of my DD's teachers was called Miss Bird. She married a Mr Woods. DD and I keep dissolving into childish giggles over it!

I don't get Jenny Taylor

My cousin is called Holly Wood.

And the 'urban myth' about babies being born holding their mum's coil is not an urban myth.

My DS2, my third DC, did exactly that. According to the MW, he was very lucky, as some babies that carry to term when the mum was using a coil for contraception end up with it embedded in their arm, leg, or even their head, and need it surgically removed.

Apparently Jenny Taylor = genitalia.

Coil in baby's hand!??

[googles]

My Dad knew someone whose married name was Annette Curtin. Also, he was at university with a girl called Chris Lea. At the graduation ceremony they read out her full name: Crystal Shande Lea.

I spent the whole of my pg with ds3 wondering if he would come out holding the coil, he didn't and I never did find out where the bloody thing went

My mums singing teaching was called Miss Wayling - always made me smile.

I used to know a guy called Richard Payne

Candida quite well known as a name I thought - the keyboard player with Pulp for one Candida Doyle

All those Randys are good for a snigger.

Especially Randy Bender

I thought that the children named after entire football teams was a myth, in a sort of "no one is that stupid" kind of way. But there seems to be quite a few!

I wonder if they change their names as adults. It really does amaze me that some parents are so thick as to not realise that you are not naming a pet or making some ridiculous statement about yourself when naming your child. Naming your child is a huge responsibility, they have to live with it for the rest of their lives!

Maybe they dont want to be "unique" or "different" or have to spend the rest of their lives explaining that no it isnt spelt G-E-O-R-G-I-A but G-E-E-E-'-A-W-E-J-E-A or something equally fucking ridiculous!

I know a married couple with the surname May-Day (they joined their respective birth surnames). They are also both doctors. So it's Dr May-Day and Dr May-Day. I'm sure they did it as a joke.

I used to know a Peter Ennis.

He was one as well.

you need to introduce him to Dr C P Cock

This is almost certainly a myth, but Diana Dors told the story herself.

Diana Dors's real name is Diana Fluck and she was invited to open a church fete close to where she grew up.

The local vicar was keen to introduce Diana by her real name, but equally anxious to avoid any verbal slip ups :

'Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you our star guest. We all love her, especially as she is our local girl. I therefore feel it right to introduce her by her real name.

?Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the very lovely Miss Diana Clunt.?

Candida is a legitmate, age old female name. I worked with Theresa Green

All those Randys are good for a snigger

My favourite Randy is the US politician Randy Bumgardener

I thought that the children named after entire football teams was a myth, in a sort of "no one is that stupid" kind of way

The footballer Charlie Outway's real name is Anthony Philip David Terry Frank Donald Stanley Gerry Gordon Stephen James Oatway

His parents were big QPR fans and they named him after QPR's 1973 team. When they told his Aunt about this decision she said 'he'll sound a proper Charlie with a name like that' and it stuck.

I am quite sure most urban 'myths' are probably true - but only once. The story gets picked up and passed around, and people claim to 'know' the person it happened to, when in truth they probably know and aquaintance of a person who knows the person, iyswim......and eventually before you know it, the thing that happened in Cornwall in 1998 is still being talked about in Edinburgh as if it was last week.