What's in a Name? by anchor baby

We all have read Shakespeare and some of us remember a few lines from this play or that, but nearly everyone remembers the gist of Romeo and Juliet. They lament of why their names are really the problem in their relationship, one having a name from the wrong side of the tracks.

Jul.  O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father, and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
Rom.  [Aside.]  Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
Jul.  ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself though, not a Montague.
What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O! be some other name:
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes	50
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name;
And for that name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself. Major bummer for those kids. Since I was brought to this country in utero by my parents before they were naturalized I fall under the new term of "anchor baby". They were here legally and my mother was about three months along. Since the passage of the 14th Amendment in 1868 I became a citizen of the USA on my birthday in summer of 1951.     Enough of this B.S. for now. My Icelandic born Grandfather came from a patronymic naming system, whereby the sons and daughters are given a first and often middle name and their last name is the name of their father with "son" or "dottir" added to the end of it. It doesn't always happen this way, but usually. Horses in Iceland are often given a name followed by where they are from, usually a farm name or region. For example,  Thor fra Fitjamyri or Jodis fra Fitjamyri (fra meaning from). When people left or were sent away from Iceland, at least in the old days, they were sometimes given the name of the area they were from. My grandfather was born in Palmholti on the shores of  Eyjafjörður in northern Iceland. Eyjafjörður doesn't translate well into Norwegian or English so the last name was simplified in Norway and Anglicized in the U.S. in order to fit into our American English naming system. Immigrants from many countries have the same issues and spellings and pronunciations change with need or a desire to blend in. Or not. Some want to keep a strong national or ethnic name in order to remember where they came from, to keep alive their cultural roots, or to take on some kind of personal identity. Parents will do some funny things, too. Take Moon Unit Zappa for example. Or Hazel Nut, Doug Graves, Neil Down, Justin Case, Norman Knight, Rose Bush, Rhoda Rage, Penny Whistler, Judy Punch, Chrystal Glass, Brandy Bottle, just to name a few. Then along came the internet, blogs, forums, you name it with writers and commenters. There are clever names, funny names, stupid names, and names I just don't get because I'm not always the sharpest quill on the porcupine. Here are some names of writers and commenters I have run across lately. Some of you may recognize some of them. I won't put links to them as I am just too lazy, but they really are out there, right Pickleope? Here we go! Dan Onymous Insult to Rocks Da Rat Bastid Demon Duck of Doom Nota Reptile Yossarian Lives Churchy LaFemme Your Mom That one Guy Anita Winecooler Oxymoron's Razor Philbert McAdamia Malitia Doubting Thomas David J. Stewarts Penis Smart Alec Your Very Concerned Mother Dizzy Dripping The Cunning Linguist Spuki Kitty Pink Jackboots Anon-e-Moose Saint Gnocchi The Sauceror TheFewTheProudTheMarinara Balzafiar These are so much more than "anonymous", aren't they? So if you are ever tempted to leave an anonymous comment somewhere just remember you can make someone's day by having a little creative fun. On those days when both brain cells are working I might have this ability, too.