Author Topic: The Mystery of Southern Names (Read 5720 times)

El Tejon · « **on:** October 17, 2007, 08:39:39 AM »

My name is Kirk. I have come to accept Banjos addressing me as "Kirt" which may or may not be an actual Southern name (do not know as the University of South Carolina professor never called me back). I understand that they have never seen such a noble name in print and even if they do see it in print they only know "Kurt"s or "Curt"s from down home so my name is corrupted into "Kirt".

Today I received another variant of my name, from Virginia--"Kiile". I am again at a loss.

Is this an acutal Southern name? Do you pronounce it as "Kirk"? Is the double "i" pronounced as an "r" in some Scot dialect that you people have in the hills? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Help a Yankee understand. Dialect Police=> police

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #1 on:** October 17, 2007, 08:52:18 AM »

Assimilation does not require understanding.

Brad

El Tejon · « **Reply #2 on:** October 17, 2007, 09:07:32 AM »

My secretary thinks that it is someone attempting to spell "Kyle".

Do you have "K-i-l-e"s down there?

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #3 on:** October 17, 2007, 09:13:45 AM »

Not that I know of, but there's a new agent at the brokerage down the street who spells her name "Kaaren."

Brad

Waitone · « **Reply #4 on:** October 17, 2007, 09:19:39 AM »

No, Kirk is not a southron name. Bo or Bubba is a southron name. Kirk appears to be something dragged in from the outside. Don't blame it on our Scots ancestors. Lots of Scots settle hear 'bouts but we also have a few other other nationalities. Fer'nstance, SC was originally settled by French Huguenots followed by a boat load of Scots. NC has New Scotland town within a 9 iron of Ablemarle county and both are within one hour of Mecklenburg county. Eastern NC is just eat up with Englanders.

Now as to your problem, we down here have a hard time asking questions and drinking Sprite. Best we can do is axe questions and drink Skrite. Kirk is not even on our linguistic radar.

El Tejon · « **Reply #5 on:** October 17, 2007, 09:34:18 AM »

Kirk is not a Southern name but "Kirt", "Kiile" or "Kile" obviously are Southern.

None of y'all, a little Southern lingo, have experience with these names? shocked

mfree · « **Reply #6 on:** October 17, 2007, 09:53:06 AM »

"a little southern"

May as well say " A little european".

My smoky mountainisms are not the same Southern as someone from the blue ridge mountains, nor are they the same as those from the carolina bottoms, everglades, Louisiana bayou, cumberland plateau, mississippi river valley, Georgia, Alabama, etc. etc. etc.

Bo ~ Beau ~ Beauregard. Bubba is an 1860's corruption of "brother". Kirk.... Kirkegaard or Kirkja (old norse "Church")? Curt Curtis "Courteous" French root, Kurt is short for Conrad in German....

Kyle: "From a Scottish surname which was derived from Gaelic caol meaning "narrows, channel, strait"."

Probably 90% of your "southern" names will be English, Irish, or Scottish, with a little native content, and the remaining 10% will be bayou French depending on how far southwest you go. The Germans hold press in northern Kentucky and Indiana.

Tallpine · « **Reply #7 on:** October 17, 2007, 11:35:09 AM »

My great-grandfather born in Kentucky was James K. ****** and went by the nickname of "Kurt" or "Curt", FWIW. Not too surprising since every generation of my family had a John and a James and a William, etc... rolleyes

(John some of James son of John son of James ...) Kurt reportedly disappeared while on a horse trading expedition of some sort or other. undecided

Just FYI for anyone who does or doesn't care, the Gaelic caol is pronounced like the english "cool". How that got to be Kyle, I don't know. OTOH, names like Kilxxxxx are supposed to be based on cill (meaning cell) referring to a monastery or religious group.

I am unaware of any double eyes ( ii ) in Scots Gaelic. When combined with L or N, the letter I (and/or E) adds a Y sound, as in gille (GEEL-yay).

280plus · « **Reply #8 on:** October 17, 2007, 01:37:59 PM »

Ok, now I'm totally confused, what the hell is your name again? laugh

MechAg94 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 17, 2007, 05:38:12 PM »

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. might disagree that "Kirt" is a Southern name. He was from Indianapolis. German ancestry according to Wiki. You need to get out more and meet people with different names. Cheesy

Do damnyankees always want to blame everything on Southerners?

I am trying to think of any famous people named Kirk, but I am drawing a blank.

MechAg94 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 17, 2007, 05:43:19 PM »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk
According to this, Kirk is Scottish.

I have never heard of "Kiile" myself, but I have known a few people names Kyle. The football stadium at Texas A&M is known as Kyle Field, but that was the guy's last name.

Antibubba · « **Reply #11 on:** October 17, 2007, 08:07:30 PM »

Can't help you on the Kirk thing, but here's one that I've puzzled over:

We've a lot of British descendants and there are a lot of British names floating around on our kids. So why don't we see any American kids named "Nigel"? It seems like a pretty cool name, and it would be a lot less cruel than, say, Kal-El.

Any American Nigels out there?

Bogie · « **Reply #12 on:** October 17, 2007, 08:33:04 PM »

Tejmonster, the _real_ question here is....

Whatcher middle name? Kirk-Bob just wouldn't sound right.

Sincerely,

Charles Terhune Bogardus
Southern

Laurent du Var · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2007, 08:37:22 PM »

Wasn't the captain of the starship enterprise
called Kirk ?

And I think before he became captain he was a jew from Canada ?
("Beam me up, Scottie..")

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #14 on:** October 17, 2007, 09:01:53 PM »

You want southern names? I once met a girl named Rebel.

Kirk, this ain't no southern thing. Curt is a much more common name (short for Curtis), so it's not surprising that people hear that, instead. My name is Josh, but people always call me John or Justin, or some other more popular J name, until they get it down.

As for Kile, Kiile and Kaaren, I don't think that's Southern, either. Parents all over the country are just no longer satisfied with common spellings for common names, any more. So, they name their kids Serrah and Tommis and Reeta. Aren't they just so cute? rolleyes

The one that especially annoys me is Jaime for the female spawn of ignorant gringos. There are at least two actresses sporting that moniker now.* It's a MAN'S NAME, you moe-rons! The Spanish equivalent of James, I believe. Then there is the current crisis of Mackenzie as a little girl's name. That one just makes no sense at all.

OK, I'm done. Thank you.

*OK, they probably changed their names to beat the SAG rules about duplicate names for actors.

mtnbkr · « **Reply #15 on:** October 18, 2007, 02:11:14 AM »

I wanted to name my firstborn Cletus or Clem, but my wife wouldn't let me. rolleyes

Chris

El Tejon · « **Reply #16 on:** October 18, 2007, 03:20:31 AM »

Kurt is not "Kirt". Do you think these people just cannot spell and believe "K-i-r-t" is the correct spelling of "Kurt" while my name is "Kirk"?

I could accept that as these people are not widely read or educated. However, where the heck does "Kiile" comes from? shocked

MechAg94 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 18, 2007, 04:24:13 AM »

Quote from: Antibubba on October 17, 2007, 07:07:30 PM

Can't help you on the Kirk thing, but here's one that I've puzzled over:

We've a lot of British descendants and there are a lot of British names floating around on our kids. So why don't we see any American kids named "Nigel"? It seems like a pretty cool name, and it would be a lot less cruel than, say, Kal-El.

Any American Nigels out there?

After Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap, why would anyone want to burden their kid with being named Nigel? They could never live up to the example. Cheesy

MechAg94 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 18, 2007, 04:28:21 AM »

Hell, you mentioned people "addressing" you so I figured they were just saying that. I should have read closer. I am not sure if I have ever seen Kirt printed like that; cirtainly not Kiile. That is just weird.

Of course, my first name is William and I have to spell that for people sometimes.

Bogie · « **Reply #19 on:** October 18, 2007, 04:50:19 AM »

Back home the 'lectric compny got screwed up, and was sending bills to the "Beauregardus" residence...

Tallpine · « **Reply #20 on:** October 18, 2007, 06:04:16 AM »

Quote

am trying to think of any famous people named Kirk, but I am drawing a blank.

Kirk Douglas rolleyes

JohnBT · « **Reply #21 on:** October 18, 2007, 10:24:48 AM »

But his real name was Issur Danielovitch Demsky.

JohnBoyT

P.S. - My daddy lived farther back in the mountains than the Waltons. He spent a day loading peaches with Earl Hamner when they were teenagers. My daddy lived so far back in the mountains that they had to walk toward town to go hunting.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #22 on:** October 18, 2007, 12:15:48 PM »

Quote

"Kirt", "Kiile" or "Kile" obviously are Southern.

Why do you think so?

Bob F. · « **Reply #23 on:** October 18, 2007, 01:23:09 PM »

I'm originally from just above the Mason-Dixon line (Y'all familiar with that, right). However, for the last 40+ yrs, I've lived in the South, sorta. Now that we're clear on that, allow me to continue. As previously stated folks nowaday are making up names from no discernable origin, Also, they're coming up with some very creative ways to spell once-common names.

Now, as if that weren't bad enough, there are folks hereabouts who can't spell their own names, much less anyone elses. One night at work I was taking a kid's info, he was about 10 or so, don't recall his name but it wasn't real common but then not all that odd. To be sure I had it correct I spelled it back to him. "Hey, Dad, he got it right" Dad: "He's the first one". Me (without thinking, as usual): "I'm not from here." Dad: "We're not either."

Digressing even more, I've noticed that in this area what you're named is pretty much what you're stuck with. EG: I'm from up North, named Robert but generally known as Bob. Hereabouts, I'd still be Robert, after all, that's what Momma named me. Lots of Bobbys, Jimmies, Joeys, Dawns, Gypsies, etc here, and by God, that's what Momma named 'em! Additionally, middle names are commonly used, as in Bobby Jim, or April Dawn. Double middle names are becoming more common.

So, back to topic: El Tejon: If they get half the letters in your name right, count your blessings!

Stay safe.
Bob

Tallpine · « **Reply #24 on:** October 18, 2007, 04:47:22 PM »

Quote

Additionally, middle names are commonly used, as in Bobby Jim, or April Dawn. Double middle names are becoming more common.

So "April May June" is a plausible name ? grin

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Author Topic: The Mystery of Southern Names (Read 5720 times)