Do you think that some first names are really strange?

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Let's see. There was Dick Van Dyke (real). There was Dick Tracy (fictional). Here's another: Dick Clark. There are others that don't come to mind right away.

Nobody thinks those names are offensive.
 
Dick is perfectly acceptable! Tarheel is not! :cool:
 
Well, here's a simple question to all for everyone: does an Englishman or an American English or American people not know this or that definition for the word "dick" in well-known dictionaries? Do you still think that this word can be used as a suitable male name (even if it is said to be a nickname for the male name "Richard")? What a cultural perspective is it? Is it a logical or a nice choice to use an obscene/vulgar word as a first name? I am unable to find out the logic or decision behind the name "Dick". Could any of you bring a logical explanation?
Of course we're aware of the alternative definition of the word "dick". However, using Richard as a first name, and using the diminutive "Dick" came long before the more vulgar connotation. The 125 people who called their baby Richard in 2021 in the UK are clearly perfectly happy with it. No one actually names their child Dick. It's a diminutive that might or might not end up being used.
The name "April", being rather innocent as compared to the one above, may not perhaps be too much strange at all. However, it may be considered to be somewhat unusual to some extent. because calling a lady with after a calendar month name is exotic, although I know it has some historical roots and background.
There is nothing exotic or unusual about naming your child April. You seem to be implying that there is just one use of the word "April". There's not - there are at least two - the name of the fourth month of the year AND a person's name.
(There are similar female names to "April" in Turkish: language: "Eylül" (meaning the month September in English) and "Bahar" (meaning the season Spring).)
Well, there you go. Other languages do it too.
I will stop here by giving a last example - a very common Swedish male name "Björn" which means the animal bear in English. Would any of you like to be called by the synonym of "Bear" in your native language? The synonym of "bear" in Turkish language is not used as a male name because it is pejorative but the Turkish synonym for "lion" is used as a male name to some extent.
Björn doesn't just mean "bear" in English. It means it in Swedish too! It's clear, therefore, that Swedish people are very happy to name their baby after that animal.
The total result is that most people on Earth can't stop thinking about the actual meaning of the first names, isn't it?
No.

Please note my corrections and comments above. I don't know what you mean by "What a cultural perspective is it?"
 
Turkish may be different, but in English names don't really mean anything. For example my name is Peter. Whenever someone tells me that Peter means rock, I make a mental note to avoid conversations with that person in future. They are either a bore or an idiot or both.
 
Well, a simple question to all: Does an Englishman or an American not know this or that definition for the word "dick" in well-known dictionaries? Do you still think that this word can be used as a suitable male name (even if it is said to be a nickname for the male name "Richard")? What a cultural perspective is it? Is it a logical or a nice choice to use an obscene/vulgar word as a first name? I am unable to find out the logic or decision behind the name "Dick". Could any of you bring a logical explanation?

No. Context will tell you when it's being used as an insult. Richard Noggin jokes, aside, only a young kid or teenager is going to find it amusing. Rod (short for Rodney) can also be used as a slang term for a penis, but again nobody normally associates the name with the slang.

I'm admittedly immature, but I'm more likely to laugh at foreign names that accidentally sound like English genitalia slang than commonly used English nicknames that can carry a double entendre. A name like Mr. Wang - now that's funny!

A number of years ago there was a prominent US Senator by name of Bob Dole who at one point campaigned for the US Presidency. When that happened, his name started appearing in news reports across the world, where his last name caused some consternation in Arabic language news sources because it sounded similar to Arabic slang for male genitalia.

The name "April" being rather innocent as compared to the one above may not perhaps be too much strange at all. However it may be considered to be somewhat unusual to some extent. Because calling a lady with a calendar month name is exotic though I know it has some historical roots and background.

There's nothing exotic or unusual about this. April, May, and June in particular are so commonly used that most people probably don't even make the connection to the month, at least at first.

I will stop here giving a last example, a very common Swedish male name "Björn" which means the animal bear in English. Would any of you like to be called by the synonym of "Bear" in your native language? The synonym of "bear" in Turkish language is not used as a male name because it is pejorative but Turkish synonym for "lion" is used as a male name to some extent. The total result is that most people on Earth can't stop thinking the actual meaning of the first names, isn't it?
It's not common, but not unheard of - you may have heard of Bear Grylls? Edit: Admittedly it's a nickname, but one he uses professionally.

Some fairly common animal names for boys are Drake, Colt, Finch, Jay and Buck. The name Leo comes from the Latin word for lion. Lark, Raven, Kitty, Sable, Dove, and Birdie are some female names taken from animals. Robin is used for both male and female names - surely you've heard of the late great comedic genius Robin Williams?

Again, I don't think most native English speaker would even think twice about most of these.
 
Since we've had a long Dick discussion, it might be time to bring in Fanny.
 
Good idea @jutfrank.

In AmE, fanny means buttocks. But (correct me if I'm wrong here) in BrE fanny means female genitalia.
 
Bear Bryant comes to mind. (Former Alabama football coach.)
 
Bear Bryant comes to mind. (Former Alabama football coach.)
Let's not forget Bear Hunter. ( A Shoshone chief of the Great Basin in the 1860s.)
 
In AmE, fanny means buttocks. But (correct me if I'm wrong here) in BrE fanny means female genitalia.
If an American refers to her fanny pack, she can cause a raised eyebrow in the UK.
 
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If an American refers to her fanny pack, she can cause a raised eyebrow in the UK.
And vice versa - when I told an American we call them "a bum bag", she asked why I'd want to use a bag that was connected to a homeless person. The list of AmE v BrE terminology is endless.
 
And vice versa - when I told an American we call them "a bum bag", she asked why I'd want to use a bag that was connected to a homeless person. The list of AmE v BrE terminology is endless.
Vive la différence!
 
I've noticed Britishers are generally much more aware of AE expressions than the other way round.

Not really surprising I guess considering the reach of Hollywood and American media.

But many Americans seem so surprised when they hear something they aren't used to. What's THAT?
 
I've noticed Britishers are generally much more aware of AE expressions than the other way round.

Absolutely right. Many British people (myself included) are now exposed to a huge amount of American English, much more from online platforms such as YouTube and social media sites than from TV and cinema, I think, especially as far as young people are concerned.

Although this cultural transmission is two-way, there's a far heavier flow from West to East, which it seems to me is heading us towards a synthesis with a distinctly American flavour. Some of this comes from wilful resistance. For example, it's significantly harder for a British author to find a US publisher than for a US author to find a British one—Americans prefer reading books written by Americans.
 
...Americans prefer reading books written by Americans.

An alternative explanation is simply the the book publishing business is more competitive in America than elsewhere, and therefore American book publishers spend more on sales promotion than do publishers in other countries.
 
Hasn't J.K.Rowling sold a lot of books here?
 
I've noticed Britishers
Please don't use that term. It's "British people", "the British" or "British English speakers".
 
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Does anyone know why some African American people in the US give their girls names starting with La- (like Latifah, Lashonda)?
 
Someone started it and it caught on? That's how most naming trends occur.
 
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