Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!
Next week's topic is: Top Ten Villains, Criminals and Degenerates. To see a list of future topics through January go here.
Have you ever been somewhere and a name gets called for whatever reason and you just cringe and you think, "What the heck were their parents thinking? Did the drugs not wear off when the name was picked or are they just cruel sadists who wanted their child to endure relentess torture for being named Sally Mangina, Dick Swett, or Coco Crisp." I've seen celebrities naming their children the most absurd names as well. Apple? What kind of a name is Apple? So I decided to embark on the challenge of coming up with the most unfortunate names in literature.
1. Katniss from The Hunger Games
-- I'm sorry but all I can think of is Catnip.2. Bucky Wunderlick from Don DeLillo's Great Jones Street
-- I haven't read this but it is on my TBR list but really? I understand he's supposed to be a rockstar but that's like social suicide right there.3. Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of The Rings
-- I don't even know where to begin with this one. LOTR really had some horrible names in general lol4. Mustapha Mond from Brave New World
-- I always say this name really funny...remember the part in the Lion King where the hyenas are saying the name Mufasa over and over again. Don't remember? Well, here you go! That's pretty much how I say it except I say MUSTAAAPHA.5. Peeta from The Hunger Games
-- What a hideous name. I always think of pita bread..which is kind of hilarious since his family was a bunch of breadmakers.6. Encyclopedia Brown
-- Loved this series but how horrible to be named after a big ol' book full of facts and information..especially when you are clever. I mean, the boys in my group of friends call another one of our friends Wiki because he thinks he knows everything. lol.7. Pussy Galore from Goldfinger
by Ian Fleming -- Need I say anything? And I'm totally not making this up.8. Sookie Stackhouse
from Dead Until Dark and all the rest of the books in the series-- This name just makes me cringe. Icky.9. Stargirl Caraway from Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli -- Loved Stargirl but what a crazy name!10. Beezus from Beezus and Ramona/Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary -- What a horrrrible name! Seriously. I can't help but think of Beavis and Butthead when I hear the name Beezus.
I totally remember Encyclopedia Brown! I was obsessed with those books when I was younger. And definitely agree with the weird name! Beezus and Pussy Galore are the weirdest names ever, great list :)
ReplyDeleteI have to add Lyme from Mockingjay. I know she was a minor character, but all I could think about were ticks!
ReplyDeleteKatie-- I just died laughing at Pussy Galore. How horrible!
ReplyDeleteSoftdrink-- Ah, that's another good one! LOL!
Haha, Mustapha made me laugh so hard, that's great. :D
ReplyDeleteMan, Katniss didn't make my list, but it's definitely not the easiest to get used to. Now Peeta - he totally makes my list, because that's ust...I couldn't get used to it. I think his name being bread-related is the point (the way Rue and Thresh are named after common activities in their district, and Katniss and Prim are named after flowers, since their mom is an herbalist, etc), but it really doesn't make it any better. Yuck.
Also, lol at Pussy Galore. I seriously thought they made that up ust for the movie. Nice.
So true! A lot of funny names! I obsessively read (and LOVED) Encyclopedia Brown! So much! But, at least in his defense, his real name is Leroy, but no one other than his parents ever calls him that. ;)
ReplyDeleteI said the same thing about Beezus when I saw that name!!! Lol. I said to my roommate, "Who would name their kid Beezus?" It's crazy!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL some good picks there! Totally agree with Peeta and Beezus and yes, LOTR totally is chock full of unfortunate names :D
ReplyDeleteI had Katniss and Beezus on my list :) From Charlaine Harris's Series I Had Bill.
ReplyDeletePUSSY GALORE???? For serious? Oh wow.....
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah Peeta is pretty much a horrible name. Makes me think of the bread everytime. Who would really name their son after bread even if they were bakers?
Beezus is actually a nickname; her real name is Beatrice, but her kid sister Ramona called her Beezus as a toddler and it stuck.
ReplyDeleteThey had a sister with an even odder name, I think...a little baby sister.
I hear a lot of strange names in my school library. I had one boy whose mom named him Read. Yes, Read, because Mom loved to.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's not really so bad, is it? ;->
There was a child in our area named Satin (last name Sheets--no lie). It would be totally cool if her mom was named Pussy Galore. Don't you wonder how that got past the movie censors? I think Ursula Andress played the role in the movie version. Sexist much?
ReplyDeleteYou stumped me this week...all I could think of was Sookie Stackhouse...really??? I live in the deep deep South and don't know a soul named Sookie! I almost didn't read these books bc of the name. Glad I got over it :):)
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten Pussy Galore...on purpose :p
ReplyDeleteGreat list! You had a bunch that I didn't think of, but I DID have a couple Ian Fleming ones on mine...
ReplyDeleteI'm not participating this week because I can only think of one terrible name off the top of my head (though I know I've come across many more): Albus Severus from the Harry Potter series. Is there any worse gift a parent/writer can give her child?!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a list. I think Pussy Galore is one of the most unfortunate character names ever, but Octopussy is a close second.
ReplyDeleteI almost put Sookie on my list. I haven't read Ramona and Beezus, but the first time I heard that name, I thought it was ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteKatniss is on my list as well. Such a bad name!
ReplyDeleteHaha! I love this Top Ten!
ReplyDelete#4 is hilarious! And I totally think of the Lion King, too.
#5 I think of Peter Griffin from Family Guy. When Lois pronounces his name it sounds like "Peeta," which makes me giggle.
#8 I thought I was the only one who cringed at the name Sookie! Gah! Terrible.
Also, although I love the series, the names in the Harry Potter books are just... imaginative, to say the least. I mean, the name "Hermione" says it all - when I was younger (before the movies came out), I used to pronounce her name "her-moyn." How was I supposed to know that the 'E' isn't silent?! Ha!
Great list, especially good old Pussy. However, y'know Mustapha/Mustafa is a really common Arabic name and it actually means 'chosen one.' Anyway, keep em coming! Great job!
ReplyDeleteAh, but Stargirl chose her own name! :) She can always change it if she wants to or if she feels like it doesn't fit her.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree about Peeta and Katniss by the way. I disliked most of the names in this series.
Beezus, yes! I always found that one strange. Don't forget it is a nickname for Beatrice.
ReplyDeleteHere's my top 10. Thanks :)
Great list! Pussy Galore, I mean really?! Is that even necessary?! Haha. Fun top 10 again this week!
ReplyDeleteI've just realised that there are several of my followers who I haven't yet met or haven't visited for such a long time that I thought I'd stop by and say hello. A great idea, my favourite (?) on this list would have to be Pussy Galore - miaow.
ReplyDeleteGreat List. I think in the 2010 movie "Cats and Dogs" there was a Kitty Galore. Not as bad though
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely some terrible names out there!!
ReplyDeleteHehe, that was fun! It was my first Top Ten and I look forward to more - Soooooookuh!!!
ReplyDelete-Linds
I agree with you on Peeta. I kept thinking of pita bread, too.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I read Peeta I always thought of those Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing books when Fudge called his brother "Peetah"
ReplyDeleteAnastasia- actually Hermione is a common(ish) British name. I believe there is an English actress with that name...
ReplyDeleteHave you read Graceling? I burst out laughing in the middle of the library at the "Po. My name is Po." line XD I just can't stop thinking of the telly-tubby.
ReplyDeleteI hated the names of the women in the Bonds books/movies. In fact, I can't stomach a Bonds movie. Do you think that's a coincidence?
ReplyDeleteMy son reminded me of the 23 most unfortunate names in literature: Dave McCave. From "Too Many Daves" in Dr. Seuss's THE SNEETCHES AND OTHER STORIES:
ReplyDelete"Have I ever told you about Mrs. McCave, who had 23 children and named them all Dave?"
Of course, from the author's point of view they aren't bad -- no story without that name. But for the characters, that would really be unfortunate.
I'm so glad I came upon this meme, it's great!
ReplyDeletehaha, great list. Bilbo Baggins and Mustafa Mond didn't make it to my list, but I agree, they are hilarious. Encyclopoedia sounds the worst.