Top Ten (or More) Funny/Unusual Names in the Family Tree

One of the things that I have enjoyed most since I started taking a deep dive into researching the family tree is all the unusual names that have popped up. Perhaps they were in fashion at the time or had some other significance but here are the top ten funny or unusual names on my family tree!

10. Urania/ Rainy
I love the name Rainy because I associate it with my grandmother of the same name but you have to admit it's a pretty unusual name. My grandmother was born Urania but famously hated that name and was called Rainy instead. I actually suggested giving my upcoming daughter the middle name of Rainy but was shot down by my wife. Luckily, a niece has Rainy as a middle name so it will remain in the family a while longer.

9. Sophronia
Sophronia Tracy was my 1st cousin 5 times removed. It has a Greek origin of "sensible, prude." It also seems to be an old version of Sophie/Sophia.

8. Manzer
Manzer Mc Laughlin was my 2nd cousin 3 times removed (on my father's side). Manzer sounds more like a German WW2 tank than a person's name these days. In fact, it does seem to be a German surname. Perhaps he was named after a distant German relative. The combination of Manzer Mc Laughlin does sound great together, like the makings of a great boxer.

7. Spafford
This one is also a mystery to me. I can't really find anything about this being anything but a surname. It sounds vaguely like an old-timey insult.

6. Jehu
There were a couple De Haven's named Jehu, a father and son, in the 1800s. Jehu is actually pronounced "ye-hu" and is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is he." Nowadays it can be used to describe a reckless cab driver.

5. Alwilda
There were two Alwilda's in the Feero family born around the same time (1849 and 1875) to John and Peter Feero. I haven't been able to find any information on this name but perhaps it's based on Alvida, an Old Norse name meaning "to shine, gleam." Your guess is as good as mine.

4. Eldusta
I have no idea where this name came from. Eldusta (Feero) Snell (1864-1954) was my 3rd great-aunt on my dad's side. This name actually failed my famed "nameberry" test, meaning the popular website with all sorts of bizarre names in its database didn't have any info on it.

3. Halcyon
Halcyon was the middle name of my great aunt Ruby Halcyon Darin (1902-1993). This mysterious choice for a name means "kingfisher bird" in Greek. To me, it seems more like a name for a drug. Of course, the phrase "halcyon days" and the image of utter peace comes to mind.

2. Grissel
Grissel Galloway (1763-?) was my 6th great-grandmother on my father's side. Her name sounds a little poetic with the G-G going on but Grissel nowadays conjures up an image of some tough to eat meat. It's a variation on the Old German name Griselda and means "grey battle." Why would you name your daughter that?

Before we get to number one, here are some honorable mentions that just missed the cut: Mahalia (where Vikings go to die),  Lavinia (former republic of the Soviet Union),  Effie, Izetta, Nettie (the Loche Ness monster?), and John (just kidding).

1. Zopher, Zillah, and Zebulon
Z may be the last letter in the alphabet but these three names that start with Z are the top today! Zopher, Zillah, and Zebulon can all be found on my family tree and perhaps in a ZZ Top cover band.

Zopher Pierce (1849-1919) was my 2nd great-grandfather on my mother's side (he was named after his father!). Here is a link to an article on how he was found dead (bummer). Zopher is apparently a variation of Zophar, a bible name that means "to leap."

Zillah Ford (1734-1801) was my 6th great-grandmother on father's side. Zillah is a version of Zilla, which means "shadow" in Hebrew but all I can imagine is a rapper who is a fan of Godzilla.

Zebulon B. Birmingham was my 2nd cousin, 5 times removed on my father's side. Zebulon B. sounds more like a planet from an Ed Wood movie but as you may already know, it's a bible name that is rarely used today.

I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into weird old names. We may never know how these people got their names but it's still fun to take a look back. Feel free to add your own unusual family names in the comments section.