names

In the Old Testament, names had a lot of meaning. Parents would name their child according to the characteristics they saw in them, many gave name based upon what they felt God would do in their children's lives.

It's interesting the way we choose names now says in the 21st century. A lot of people name their child based upon a previous name in the family, others based on some popular figure that they admire.

When I was a teenager in high school, there was a younger youngster who's last name was (and I would surmise still is) Duck. You guessed it - his parents named him Donald....as in Donald Duck.

Other true names I was recently reading about:

Justin Case, Barb Dwyer and Stan Still.

It sounds like a bad joke, but a study has revealed that there really are unfortunate people with those names in England.

Joining them on the list are Terry Bull, Paige Turner, Mary Christmas and Anna Sasin.

And just imagine having to introduce yourself to a crowd as Doug Hole or Hazel Nutt.

The names were uncovered by researchers from parenting group TheBabyWebsite.com after trawling through online telephone records.

Retired airman Stan Still, 76, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, said his name had been "a blooming millstone around my neck my entire life".

"When I was in the RAF my commanding officer used to shout, 'Stan Still, get a move on' and roll about laughing," he said.

"It got hugely boring after a while."

MORE UNFORTUNATE NAMES

Rose Bush
Pearl Button
Jo King
Barry Cade
Carrie Oakey
Priti Manek
Tim Burr

Spare a thought for Anna Prentice, Annette Curtain and Bill Board the next time you sign your name.

A string of Americans also have very job-specific names, including Dr Leslie Doctor, Dr Thoulton Surgeon and Les Plack - a dentist in San Francisco.

A spokesman for TheBabyWebsite.com said: "When the parents of some of those people mentioned named their children, many probably didn't even realise the implications at the time.

"Parents really do need to think carefully though when choosing names for their children.

"Their name will be with them for life and what may be quirky and fun for a toddler might be regretted terribly when that person becomes older or even a grandparent perhaps."

I'm thankful for one name that sees me through all of life - the name of my best friend. Jesus. Name above all names. King of Kings and Lord of Lords!