There are a zillion baby names I would never name my own kid, but I love the various regional and cultural traditions. Like, there's a notoriously wacky streak in Mormon names (there's a whole web site about it: [link] and Southern women are often named either their mother's or grandmother's surname as a first name (I have met a Mercer), or given their mother's first name and called by their middle name (Carol Faulkner called Faulkner), and I love the creativity of many African-American names (my kids went to school with a Tyquavious and a Montavious.)

What does the -vious ending mean?

Southern women are often named either their mother's or grandmother's surname as a first name

My dad dated a Southern girl named Brown in college. It was her mother's maiden name.

I know a family (Southern, white, middle-class) with boys named Fear (after a Puritan ancestor), Caedmon, Gunnar, and Owen. I always sort of pity poor Owen in that mix.

I myself have a Puritan ancestor (female) named Experience. Which strikes me as very funny to name a baby, since she obviously had none!

I have no idea what -avious means, but it clearly sounded really cool to a whole swatch of parents.

I'm changing my name to Thomasavious.

eta: Although tommyrotavious flows nicely off the tongue....

One of my favorite name encountered was Srinivaas Bophana. So pretty just floating off the tongue. Of course, his nickname was Spaz, so that kinda ruined it.

I've probably mentioned this, but my DH went to college with a woman named Lasagna. She was a twin, and I'm blanking on her sister's name (it was not unusual).

How long ago was this? Maybe she was the person who invented Lasagna!

I knew a Brame in law school. He went by his middle name, Perry.