Lemonjello and Female: Debunking the Myth of Baby Names

Everyone has heard of someone who knew a second cousin's best friend's wife who worked at a hospital where a baby was named Female (pronounced fa-MAL-lay). But did it ever really happen?

What about the famous e-mail story of the twins named Lemonjello and Orangejello because their mother craved Jell-O in the hospital? Was it true or just urban legend?

While they are certainly interesting and sometimes racially provocative stories, these are nothing more than urban legend. The stories were just that- stories.

So how did this come about? Here are the facts about the myth:

Fact #1- Some of these stories are born out of racism.

Female's mother, in most versions of the story, is a poor, African-American mother who unwittingly thinks her child has been named by the nurses after reading her identification bracelet.

Eczema is the name of a little girl whose African-American grandmother thought it was a beautiful name. She calls her Exy for short.

Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Nosmo King (no smoking), Vagina, Syphilis, Enamel, et cetera are other names given to the unfortunate offspring of either poor indigents or African-Americans. Sometimes the players are white Southerners, sometimes foreign nationals but the implication is clear: they are ignorant. These stories, like rumors, were passed along to make others feel better about themselves, their station in life, and their education.

Fact #2- Some of these stories are born out of regionalism.

I know you have heard that Southerners are not known for a high IQ. Midwesterners speak funny. New Englanders only like their chowder and fish. New Yorkers are busy and rude. Californians have strange ideas about saving the earth. Texans all wear big belt buckles and talk with a twang. The list goes on and on... No matter where you live in the United States, there is regionalism. It doesn't always have to be a bad thing. Out of it is born our loyalties toward sport teams. But sometimes it is a bad thing, especially when stories lump one group of people together and label them with unflattering and untrue statements.

As I mentioned previously, white Southerners sometimes star in the ignorant baby naming stories. Sometimes it's narrowed down to certain areas of the country. But however it is presented, the inference remains the same: they are ignorant.

Fact #3- Some of the names are real...now.

I know some of you are champing at the bit to tell me of who you have met with those names. I know! There are some that do have these strange names...now. What matters is that these were stories first and actual names second. I do not know why it's so funny to give your child these names after hearing the story but there are some who do want to turn an urban legend into truth. And there are some who truly do not know the meaning of the name.

Here are some that are reported to be truth:

Ima Hogg- She was real! She was the daughter of Governor Hogg of Texas.

Nosmo King- This was not an instance of ignorance. This was H. Vernon Watson's stage name.

Mark Lemongello- He was a pitcher for the Houston Astros.

Shanda Lear- She was the heiress to the Lear Jet fortune.

Ronly Bonly Jones- R. B. Jones only used initials for his first and middle names. When filling out paycheck forms he had to give more than one initial. So he filled out the forms: R (only) B (only) Jones. And his check was made out to Ronly Bonly Jones. (Readers Digest, 1958.)

Thomas Crapper- Though vastly over-exaggerated as the inventor of the flushing toliet, he was a real 19^th century plumbing engineer.

Espn- There have been at least two people reported to have this name. It is pronounced Espen.

Trout Fishing in America- Again, this is not an instance of parental ignorance but a man who thought it would be fun to change his name to his favorite book title.

As a teacher, I did come across many unusual names but none quite to this level of legend. What all this boils down to seems to be a case of which came first: the chicken or the egg? You will find that most of these were stories first, designed in some way to degrade a certain people group, and used as actual names later.

Sources:
Laura Wattenburg of The Baby Name Wizard
Snopes.com