For many of us, the names are parents gave us help define our lives. Some parents choose comfortably familiar names for their children, often taken from relatives or cultural influences such as the Bible. However, we all know people with more unusual names. Famous figures in particular seem to like eyebrow-raising names for their children, including Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow (whose daughter is called Apple), Elon Musk and Grimes (whose children are called X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl and Techno Mechanicus) and avant garde musician Frank Zappa (who named his children Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva).
Family history research, however, reveals that weird first names are nothing new. There are plenty of unusual discoveries in historic records that will make you wonder what their parents were thinking. Here are ten of the weirdest names we’ve found…
AGUILLA
Aguilla Wood was baptised on 12 November 1711 in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
APHRODISCIA
An Aphrodiscia Currey was baptised on 9 January 1706 in Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire.
BECHER
Becher Harris appears in a list of Chelsea Pensioners in 1872.
DANGER
Perhaps appropriately, a Lance Corporal Danger Fraser Mackintosh appears among the medal cards for the British Army in the Second World War.
GARDEN
Garden Campbell Gordon Thomson was baptised on 19 December 1863 in Edinburgh.
JANADAB
A Janadab Holden can be found in the 1891 census records, aged 39, living in Blackburn, Lancashire.
MARMARICE
A Marmarice Caramania Barcham was baptised on 28 January 1802 in Yarmouth, Norfolk.
NETTLES
A Nettles Rose Brown married a George William Douce in Caister, Norfolk on 16 December 1917.
PHILENDERER
Philenderer Tabret (a woman) appears in the 1911 census, aged 43, living in West Ham, Essex.
THANKFULL
The marriage of Thankfull Crookenden to Ann Pearson is recorded in Arundel, Sussex on 9 July 1791.
