Here's a headline we can all appreciate: "Name shame causes Cock shrinkage but Wang is on the rise."
Normally, a story like that never tops its opening lines, but there are a few glorious quips in here...
A comparison of the 2008 population - using data from a variety of
sources - with the first census in 1881 shows that the number of Cocks
has shrunk by 75 per cent, while the number of people called Balls... has fallen by more than 50 per cent.
David Hey, author of
Family Names and Family History, said that ridiculous names were often
more harmless than they appeared. "'Bottom' names were from farms at
the bottom of a valley. In the Middle Ages `daft' meant meek. It was a
perfectly acceptable name."
So, wangs are on the rise, cocks are shrinking, and balls are hanging at the lower end. Makes sense, sorta.
From the comment section of the Australian, which becomes a word association game featuring places and names of the bathroom-humor variety:
-Being
a Hater, I was always teased as a child. Moving to Australia meant I
had to call myself Oswald instead of Ozzie for obvious reasons. People
still wind me up a bit - but I think it's made me a stronger person.
-Heard of a guy named Bill Stinks, who got teased and laughed at all his
young life until he learned in high school that he could change his
name by deed poll once he turned 21 years of age. After another 8 years
of humilation Bill turned up at the deed poll office right on opening
to change his name. He is now called Robert.
-My Grandmother's surname was Winterbottom which got her the nickname 'Frosty Bum.' I'm glad I didn't inherit that surname.
Our parents had a friend called Becky Butts. Our first reaction upon learning this: "And we thought we hated high school."
-Were you aware that in the middle of the
last century there were two law firms in Britain that were named
respectively 'Glass, Cock and Balls" and "Phibbs and Lyes".
No, but we have retained their services from time to time.
-Try the place names in Britain: I once worked at Braintree, and I once drove past Crinkley Bottom on the way to Cockshoot.
Via the Australian.
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