I was sat at my hotel bar in deepest Vermont the other day watching some televised baseball when the name of the coach of the Kansas City Royals team flashed on the screen. I nearly fell off my stool and then laughed uncontrollably for what felt like minutes. The name was “Rusty Kuntz” and the surname was even emblazoned on the back of his shirt. You honestly couldn’t make this up and if you find this hard to believe just Google his name.

This unintentional humour over people’s names seems to happen a lot in the US and the logical explanation is that many of the names are from immigrants in whose country of origin the names are fine but when spoken or spelt in English are often anything but. For example, I read of an athlete of Chinese origin called Kim Yoo Suk. I wonder if the crowds chant her name at athletics events?

Then there was the US lawyer, again of Chinese extraction called Susan Yoo. I hope she specialises in litigation since who wouldn’t want to be represented by a lawyer called Sue Yoo! I also read of a judge called Willie Stroker and that must get a few laughs in the courtroom too.

Closer to home I remember an estate agent in South Manchester called Richard Head. Would you really want to place your house on the market with somebody called Dick Head? Possibly not.

Parents need to think carefully before they name their children since a carelessly chosen name or a failure to connect the Christian name to the surname can lead to a life of constant embarrassment and ridicule which brings us back to poor old Rusty. What a life he must have had. Just imagine the school roll call each morning “Smith, Jones, Brown…………………….Kuntz” or the looks he must get when checking in at a hotel or producing his id. He must go through a thousand agonies every week of his life. Poor K….!