Weird names

When I worked at the Humanities Publication Center at BYU, one of my co-workers started a Funny Names List. Whenever anyone came across a particularly punny or unpronouncable name, they'd add it to the list. It became a little bit of a competition to see who could find the best names; the winner got bragging rights and staff admiration, of course.

I've missed that list since I started grad school, because all of my teachers would qualify for the list. Maybe you have to have an unusual last name to pass the secret screening process to become an online faculty member, or maybe they just use pen names to protect their identities. (Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if that were true.)

Because, seriously, some of these last names look like keyboard malfunctions:

• Makhanlall
• DiSabato
• Schiffman
• Guttman
• Parbst
• Brodsky

At least they all have perfectly normal first names, like Mark, John, and Jane.