by Anura Guruge
on December 15, 2021
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I am intrigued by names — all names. That is why I wrote ‘Popes and the Tale of their Names‘. Anytime I see a name, that is either new to I or looks unusual, I like to think about it & if I have time look into its meaning & provenance.
I saw this name, on a sign, outside a medical facility. It immediately caught my eye.
My first thought was as to what it must have been like to be a teenage boy with that name. I could just imagine amusing scenarios. I wondered how many times he might have got slapped in the face by indignant young girls who thought he was pulling their legs. “What? Your name is ‘Hung’? You are a ….“
Well, he obviously overcame all hurdles to become a doctor. Good for him.
Yes, I had an inkling that it might be a Chinese/Oriental name … along the lines of Wong & Wang. When I looked it up I discovered I was on the right track. Mainly Vietnamese — & it means ‘hero’. That makes sense. I could make a joke here, but I will refrain.
I just wanted to share this name with you.
A few weeks ago, I met a mother & daughter whose last name was ‘Dollar’. Yep, just like in dollar. We, of course, talked. The mother was telling me that she still gets people who ask her to spell the name. That kind of makes sense. People might just want to make sure that it has the same spelling. The funny thing is that ‘dollar’ does not have anything to do with people whose last name is ‘Dollar’. Dollar is a corruption of ‘Thaler‘!
