Kids with hypenated names, maybe. And widows with no kids or married daughters who changed their names? And there's made up, and made up -- I know someone whose last name is only shared by her family, because her great-grandfather or whoever shortened their Italian last name when he came over.

Yeah, I'm sure those are all a part of it. It seems like such a huge number, but I guess it's really not.

There's what, 300 million in the US? So it's more than one percent, but still a small percentage.

Thinking about the "kids with hypenated names" category, I went to high school with at least one of those who was an only child, so most probably the only person with that last name. I should google her and see what happens.

Huh! She apparently owns a club in Seattle. Fascinating!

Could be some single aliens? Like ita, whose last name is so uncommon.

Dana, I should thank you for initially raving about QI on this thread. That totally encouraged me to check it out and I LOVE IT.

New episodes! Series 5!

I wish I could check it out; it sounds highly entertaining. And enlightening.

There are many episodes on YouTube, including the new ones.

According to Stephen Fry, the first Native American that the Pilgrims met when they landed in 1620-whatever spoke fluent English, having crossed the Atlantic six times. He asked them for beer.

Isn't that Squanto? I read his story in Bill Bryson's Made in America--he had a fascinating, if tragic, life.

IIRC (from the same source), some other explorers arrived somewhere on the New World (I want to say the Pacific NW) and were greeted by cries of "Son of a pitch!" from the natives, who had picked up the phrase from British navvies and assumed it was a common greeting.

Oh, and I'm writing this from Mom's computer--I drove out here to NJ yesterday and today. If anyone else is planning on taking the PA Turnpike, word of warning--there's a lot of cops on that road today.

Isn't that Squanto? I read his story in Bill Bryson's Made in America--he had a fascinating, if tragic, life.

I think so, assuming he's the guy who went back and forth to England several times, including almost being sold as a slave in Spain.

New episodes! Series 5!

I've seen up to episode seven, I think (Mein Handy!), but I'm waiting to watch the rest until Bob gets back into town. We watch them on the laptop before going to sleep some nights.

Yup, that's the one! The Pilgrims were lucky to have him help them out, since he could have blamed all Europeans for the fact that his entire village was wiped out by smallpox while he was held captive in Spain and stuck in England for several years.