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Languages around the world are as beautifully diverse as the people who speak them, and along with that comes a wealth of different names with lovely sounds and deep meanings. The flipside of that, however, is that some of those names can sound quite funny in other languages.

It’s that potential for humor that the Weird Names and Yoo Names Facebook pages capitalize on. On these pages, the admins share screenshots of people with (usually non-English) names that might sound funny in English. The screenshots are often accompanied by comments from other users who help frame the name as a pun.

On the one hand, many of the screenshots look like innocent fun. On the other, some people may not feel comfortable having their names laughed at. What do you think?

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Kobe (she)
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder how many people in Asian- or Arab-speaking countries are like : lmao our normal names. They be like : wtf name their kid David Smit or Jennifer Miller - or whatever. In Europe, we are already making fun of all the impossible American names that just throw in extra z / y and bonus for any aditional leigh. K@iyleighhlynnleigh and so...

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For most of these weird name puns, the key is something called a homophone. A homophone is a word that has the same sound as another word but can have different meanings or even spellings. Similarly, a homogram is a word that has the same spelling as another word but can have a different sound and meaning.

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There are plenty of homophones within the English language already, so once you step outside its boundaries, the possibilities are nearly endless.

But even within the English language, there are quite a few name-related homophones that can, depending on the situation, provide fertile ground for name puns:

  • Doug // dug
  • Phil // fill
  • Rob // rob
  • Neil // kneel

Can you think of any others?

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One question does remain, however - do puns like this count as cyberbullying?

It may depend on the person involved. Some people can play along with jokes like these while others may feel uncomfortable when strangers online make jokes about their name. In the worst-case scenario, cyberbullying can make its victims more likely to hurt themselves.

If you ever decide to make fun of somebody’s name online, make sure you guys are on the same page about having a laugh!

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Corvus
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can imagine the look on his face every time he receives such a message.

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Angry Unicorn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My dad used to say that when me and my sister were arguing, "But in the end, it doesn't even matter."

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The Original Bruno
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait, she used to be May Man Chizz? Oof.. That's reminds me of Robin Hood: Men in Tights. ("You changed your name TO Madam Latrine?")

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SheamusFanFrom1987
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can't make up your mind, mind, mind, mind ,mind. Please don't waste my time, time, time, time, time.

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Leonard Hamers
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How can this be the same guy as Amin Yahouse (3 posts above)? Are these all made up?

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Tara Moov
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are adults harassing this poor child over how her name sounds in English?

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Stardust she/her
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Based on my low knowledge in French, I translated to name to “do you”. I’m unable to translate the first word the sender sent but the last 2 words are “with me”

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Marcos Valencia
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are this people writing jokes to people based on their names? Really? How do they dare? How do they feel entitled to do that? Sorry, but this sort of disrespectful, childish behaviour is new to me.

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