Saturday, March 31, 2007

If Mary April married Claude Fool, she would be ... Mary April Fool!

I can't resist the temptation to do this ... you all understand, right? You've even come to expect it, right? I'm a Geneaholic - I really can't help it. Let's get it over with --

There is no person named "April Fool" in any US Census - trust me, I looked.

However, there are some people named FOOL or synonyms for FOOL, to wit - in the 1920 census there are:

1) 45 people with the surname FOOL
2) 3,757 people with the surname JESTER
3) 1,651 people with the surname MESS
4) 252 with the surname BOOB
5) 33 with the surname CLOWN
6) 101 people with the surname DUPE
7) 13 people with the surname CHUMP
8) 8 people with the surname BUFFOON
9) 9 people with the surname COMIC
10) 22 people with the surname JOKER
11) 95 people with the surname SUCKER
12) 1,301 people with the surname TRICK
13) 162 people with the surname FUN
14) 203 people with the surname FUNNY
15) 502 people with the surname APRIL
16) 220 people with the given name APRIL

Now for combinations of given and surnames:

Claud and Grace FOOL resided in Pocahontas County IA
Mary APRIL resided in Fairfield County CT
Booth JESTER resided in Johnston County OK
Nanny BOOB resided in Climax GA
Randall BOOB resided in Union County PA
Frank STUPID resided in New York County NY
Mary COMIC resided in Crooks County OR
Ernest DUPE resided in St. Martin Parish LA
DUPE Clodfelter resided in Davidson County NC
CHUMP Dennis resided in Butts County GA
William and Violette CHUMP resided in Shelby County TN
James and Mary BUFFOON resided in Worcester County MA
Arthur and Ednamae JOKER resided in Allen County IN
Wolf and Lottie SUCKER resided in Philadelphia County PA

I always wonder why people with surnames like these don't change their names to something more "acceptable" - either legally or unofficially. Of course, some of these words did not have the connotation that they have today.

Should I submit this to the Carnival of April Fool's Genealogy??? Do I dare expose my addiction? I did!

3 comments:

Becky Wiseman said...

Go for it Randy, though you've already exposed yourself as a geneaholic!

Miriam Robbins said...

I have an 18th-great-grandmother, born c. 1355 in what is now the Province of Friesland, the Netherlands, whose name was Fueck FOCKEMA.

Erin said...

I always thought the name Dorcas was funny. I remember as a kid saying someone was a dorkus.