JSngry Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 As some of you might know, I am currently working for "a major mortgage company", as the game show contestants of yore would have put it. We service the entire United States, and as a result, we see many "unusual" names, some of which are not really unusual, just unfamiliar (ie - non-Western) and with unintentional humorous implications when spoken in English. But last night, I came across a payment coupon from a gentleman in NYC w/the first name of "Semen". Thinking that this might be a typo on the part of the coupon vendor, I asked to see the accompanying check, and sure enough, this guys first name was Semen. More than that I cannot and will not reveal due to customer and company confidentiality issues. I will say, though, that the man had a rather common "Jewish" last name, so I ask in all seriousness - is "Semen" a traditional Hebraic first name used in other cultures than that of the West, or did this guy's parents just have a really warped sense of humor? Again, this is a totally serious inquiry. I know that the usual suspects (of which I'm often a part, I admit) will take this and run with it, but I really would appreciate a straight answer from somebody. Please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMX Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 The last name wasn't Cumstein was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Hey JSngry--I can't explain the name "Semen," but here's a funny anecdote along similar lines: My Mom works at a Junior High, and a girl came to her school from Pakistan whose name (though the spelling was not the same as English) was pronounced "Prick Shit." The parents and girl took quite a bit of convincing before she would choose a new American moniker... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 He must be Russian. Semen [or Semyon] is the Russian equivalent of Simon. I knew a Russian kid in college whose last name was Yurin. A perfectly normal Russian name, but I'd change it if I were him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Thank you, Dmitry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Another guy I knew had a name Feliks Fuks [pronounced Fooks, or so he wished]. I wouldn't have believed the spelling if he hadn't showed me his driver licence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 I knew a Russian kid in college whose last name was Yurin. A perfectly normal Russian name, but I'd change it if I were him. I like Noj's story better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Hey JSngry--I can't explain the name "Semen," but here's a funny anecdote along similar lines: My Mom works at a Junior High, and a girl came to her school from Pakistan whose name (though the spelling was not the same as English) was pronounced "Prick Shit." The parents and girl took quite a bit of convincing before she would choose a new American moniker... Now is this really true? I mean, did they have to draw a picture of a penis and a steaming pile of turd to convince the family that it would be best for the girl to change her name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTMX Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Went to high school with a kid named Yoo Suk Kim, brother of Won Sok. If you're in Singapore, stop by and visit Professor Chew Shit Fun and chew the fat, shoot the shit, whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 I've worked with several people named Phuc. The current one goes by "Michael" for some reason... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Went to high school with a kid named Yoo Suk Kim, brother of Won Sok. If you're in Singapore, stop by and visit Professor Chew Shit Fun and chew the fat, shoot the shit, whatever. Ah! Someone told me about this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 And I thought life wasn't easy for a boy named Sue... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrome Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 ... as long as were on the topic, Detroit Tiger fans will long remember Rusty Kuntz, a member of the 1984 World Champs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 I worked at a lumberyard as a teen & loved paging one of the sales guys - 'Harry Sachs needed in the caulking isle'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Hey JSngry--I can't explain the name "Semen," but here's a funny anecdote along similar lines: My Mom works at a Junior High, and a girl came to her school from Pakistan whose name (though the spelling was not the same as English) was pronounced "Prick Shit."Â The parents and girl took quite a bit of convincing before she would choose a new American moniker... Now is this really true? I mean, did they have to draw a picture of a penis and a steaming pile of turd to convince the family that it would be best for the girl to change her name? Though I am not sure of the details of the discussion, evidently she liked her name--and the pronunciation was not exactly the same save the "-shit" IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Burke Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 ... as long as were on the topic, Detroit Tiger fans will long remember Rusty Kuntz, a member of the 1984 World Champs! Royals fans too. We had a heydey collecting his cards back then. Here's another one for your consideration, I went to junior high with a kid--no joke--named Jason Wacknov. Poor guy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maren Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 Among my college friends were a group of three guys who shared an apartment and answered their phone with their last names (like a law firm): Hyman, Love and Falik. Yup, pronounced "phallic." I kid you not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesbed Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 But last night, I came across a payment coupon from a gentleman in NYC w/the first name of "Semen". No pun intended? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny E Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 There is a board member here with the last name of Seman...I will not reveal who. Care to step forward Mr. Seman? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tapscott Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 There was a fellow in the town where I grew up whose first name was "Seaman." I knew another guy a few years ago who had the same first name with the same spelling. I'm wondering, Jim, if this is the true spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 But last night, I came across a payment coupon from a gentleman in NYC w/the first name of "Semen". No pun intended? Man, I'm getting slow in my old age... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swinging Swede Posted June 18, 2004 Report Share Posted June 18, 2004 There is a strong Russian chess grandmaster named Semen Dvoirys. Wasn’t England’s goalkeeper (football) until recently named David Seaman? This works both ways, btw, since English names can be funny in other languages too. For example, [brad] Pitt is not a recommended name in Swedish-speaking areas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILLYQ Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 My sister once worked for an insurance company and came across a customer by the name of Austalia Shitts. A name that is also a sentence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connoisseur series500 Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 I actually know a Russian in Toledo whose first name is Semen. I don't think it is uncommon at all in Russian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig23 Posted June 19, 2004 Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 I once worked at a university. One instructor's name was Cockshott, another Hyman. Eternally immature, those of us in the office would state, "Cockshott the Hyman. The Hyman lost." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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