What's in a name

[SolitaryCyclist]

An article in the BBC regarding the name Benedict.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21425112

[aely]

My youngest nephew is a Benedict.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'm pretty sure that the few Bens I know (including my youngest nephew) are either Benjamin or just Ben. The author may be right about the name being indelibly associated with Benedict Arnold in the US (something like "Guy" in the UK, I suppose). Interesting that he attended a "Junior High School" in Hull. I thought that term was strictly American.

 

The Pope is retiring? Good heavens, I didn't know they could. I'm glad he had the courage to make that decision -- I'd hate to think of being stuck in the public eye when I'm his age. As you may have guessed by my amazement, I don't routinely watch or read the news (it's all so sensationalized these days, and there's hardly any of it that I could do much about), but somehow I seem to find out about the important / interesting bits anyway.

[Shangas]

Last time I had a look, Benedict had eggs in it.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh, right -- there's another Benedict for Mr. Milne's list! (Though I see now that the BBC web site has put an Eggs Benedict sidebar next to his article.)

 

 

I've been compiling a mental list of American men named Guy. If Benedict Milne's hypothesis (that baby boys do not tend to be named after traitors) is correct, then the name should be more popular here in the US than in the UK (just as Benedict seems to be marginally more popular in the UK than here). So far, I've come up with Guy Lombardo^* (old-time band leader, famous for his live New Year's Evebroadcasts) and Guy Williams (who played the father on Lost in Space). Can anyone offer a British example more recent than the infamous Mr. Fawkes?

 

Of course, Guy Williams' real name was Armand Catalano -- but then again, Mr. Cumberbatch is the only native-born Benedict in Milne's list, and I don't think this really matters. After all, someone choosing a stage name (or nom de Vatican) will hardly opt for anything they consider tainted.

 

 

^* OK, if you want the absolute truth, Mr. Lombardo was born in Canada, not the US -- but his parents actually named him Gaetano. He became famous very young in New York, which may have been when he shortened his name to "Guy.")

[Undead Medic]

Can anyone offer a British example more recent than the infamous Mr. Fawkes?

 

 

Guy Ritchie? (Sherlock Holmes connection right there!)

 

Guy Siner? (He was born in New York, but grew up in the UK, so may not count as British )

[Carol the Dabbler]

So maybe there isn't much difference -- the name is rare in both countries, but not unknown in either. Fawkes became famous in 1605, just before British colonization began to get a foothold in North America, so the name was off to a poor start over here.

 

Perhaps "Guy" is finally starting to make a comeback, after only a few hundred years. And thanks to the Pope and Mr. Cumberbatch, "Benedict" may experience a renaissance as well.

 

P.S.: Just "got" the name of Dumbledore's phoenix. (Can't put anything over on me -- not for any longer than, oh, say, ten years, anyhow!)

[aely]

There's also Guy Chambers (who wrote a lot of stuff for Robbie Williams and is English) and Guy Berryman of Coldplay (who is Scottish). I can't recall coming across that many 'Guys' in my life - I've known more Benedicts and Dominics than Guys, but that's probably as I was brought up RC.

[Selena]

"Benedict" certainly is a somewhat rare name, but a female form of the name - Benedicte/Benedikte - is not uncommon in my country.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I've never heard that name before, but I like it!  It's pronounced with four syllables, right?  I've never heard of any feminine form of Benedict over here, though.

 

[Selena]

I've never heard that name before, but I like it!  It's pronounced with four syllables, right?  I've never heard of any feminine form of Benedict over here, though.

Yes, it is pronounced with four syllables.

 

Have you not? That is strange, considering the religious roots of the name.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Maybe the feminine forms never caught on here in the States for the same reason as Benedict.  But that's just a guess.

[Selena]

Sounds probable. Come to think of it, one of our princesses is named "Benedikte", which may explain the name's popularity in my country.

[Carol the Dabbler]

And there are probably a lot of young Dianas in English-speaking countries.

 

By the way, I like your new avatar!

 

[Selena]

Yes, that is probably true.

 

Thank you very much.

[Ruthyone]

Benedict TImothy Carlton Cumberbatch

 

Cumberbatch was born on 19 July 1976 at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in Hammersmith, London, to actors Timothy Carlton (real name Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch) and Wanda Ventham. He grew up in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. His great-grandfather, Henry Arnold Cumberbatch CMG, was the consul general of Queen Victoria in Turkey. His grandfather, Henry Carlton Cumberbatch, was a decorated submarine officer of both World Wars and a prominent figure of London high society.^[8]