Don't You Hate It When...? Quiz | Names

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Don't you hate it when they think you're a girl when you're really a boy or vice versa? Which of the following names is NOT normally used for both boys and girls in English?

Answer: Susan

Although Johnny Cash sang about "A Boy Named Sue", the name Susan is really used almost exclusively for girls. All of the other names can be used for either boys or girls, so you shouldn't jump to conclusions about a person's gender when you see these names.

2. Don't you hate it when they make you change your name for foreign language class just so you "get into the atmosphere" of the language more? Which of the following boy's names might be a foreign pseudonym for a boy named "James"?

Answer: Giacomo

"Giacomo" is the Italian equivalent of "James". The other names given do not correspond to "James" at all, though they are names that can be given to males, in English and/or other languages.

3. Don't you hate it when they make you change your name for foreign language class just so you "get into the atmosphere" of the language more? Which of the following girls' names might be a foreign pseudonym for a girl named "Jennifer"?

Answer: Genevieve

"Genevieve" is the French equivalent of "Jennifer". The other options are all foreign words, but only "Jeanette" is a name that can be given to a female, in English and/or other languages. "Jengibre" means "ginger" (the spice) in Spanish and "Jacaronda" is a type of tree.

4. Don't you hate it when someone has a totally invented and oxymoronic name? Which of the following unusual names might be a girl's name meaning "cowardly mighty battle maid"?

Answer: Timoratilda

While the name "Tilda" and it's variants "Matilda", "Mathilde", etc. do mean "mighty battle maid", only "Timora" conveys the meaning of "fearful" or "timorous" and would achieve the contradictory meaning we are looking for here. "Emma" means "whole" or "universal", "Victoria" means "triumphant" and "Ruth" means "friend".

5. Don't you hate it when someone has a totally invented and oxymoronic name? Which of the following unusual names could be a boy's name meaning "elegant slob"?

Answer: Allenloder

The name "Llewellyn," which is a first name for males in Wales but has more commonly been a last name in other places, has actually started to become popular as a first name for both boys and girls. It means "shining star" and "lion-like", which would not fit the contradictory meaning we are looking for here.

"Masashikenneth" is an invented name combining the Japanese name for "elegant man" with the German name for "born of fire".

"Glennallen" is a combination of "Glen", meaning "clean" and "Allen" meaning "noble" or "elegant", which is the opposite of the meaning we are looking for here.

Only "Allenloder" would achieve the contradictory name we seek, as "Allen" means "noble" or "elegant" and "Loder" is a German term for "sloppy worker" and also sounds like the Spanish word "lodo", which means "mud".

6. Don't you hate it when they think you're a girl and you're not, or vice versa? True or false: the name "Andrea" is used for males in Italian.

Answer: True

Though in English and Spanish "Andrea" is a common girl's name, it is used for boys in Italian. One famous Italian "Andrea" is opera singer Andrea Bocelli.

7. Don't you hate it when a person's name doesn't fit them at all? Which of the following names would NOT be appropriate for a very tall male?

Answer: Abban

The name "Abban" comes from Gaelic, and means "little abbot". It would not be a fitting name for a tall male. The other choices all refer to tall or large things, "Goliath" was a giant of the Philistines from biblical stories, "Trevor" comes from English and Welsh and means "large settlement", and "Grant", from Gaelic, means "tall".

8. Don't you hate it when a person's name doesn't fit them at all? Which of the following names would NOT be appropriate for a very tall female?

Answer: Anima

"Anima" comes from Sanskrit and is a girl's name meaning "infinite smallness". It would be appropriate for a short or petite girl. The other names all refer to tall people or things. "Temira", which comes from Hebrew, means tall. "Juno" is of Latin origin and means "Queen of Heaven".

The goddess Juno is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Hera and has come to mean a tall and curvaceous woman. "Maeve" is of Gaelic origin, and means "intoxicating", though it is a variant of "Meadhbh", a pre-Christian Celtic Goddess, who was described as tall and fair, carrying an iron sword.

9. Don't you hate it when they think you're a boy when you're really a girl or vice versa? Unfortunately, not all names used for one gender in one language are all used for the same gender in other languages. Which of these names is NOT commonly used for OPPOSITE genders in French and English?

Answer: Adrienne and Adriane

What looks like a boy's name in French often looks like a girl's in English (or the other way around).

"Patrice" is a boy's name in French (equivalent to "Patrick"), whereas "Patrice" is a girl's name in English (equivalent to "Patricia").

"Honore" is a boy's name in French, while the less common "Honor" is a name for girls in English. One famous "Honor" is actress Honor Blackman.

"Jean" is a boy's name in French, equivalent to "John" in English, whereas "Jean" is a girl's name in English. The equivalent girl's name in French would be "Jeanne".

Both "Adrienne" and "Adriane", on the other hand, are names for girls, the first being French and the second being one of the many varieties of spellings for the girl's name in English. The equivalent boy's name is "Adrian" in both languages (though I have met some girls named "Adrian" in English).

10. Don't you hate it when they think you're a girl and you're not, or vice versa? True or false: the name "Antaine" is used for females in Ireland.

Answer: False

"Antaine", and its less-common variant "Antain", are Gaelic equivalents of "Anthony", which may mean "invaluable". Both names are used for males and not females in Ireland.

Source: Author shuehorn

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Don't You Hate It When...? Trivia Quiz

Don't you hate it when you go through the trouble to explain a name, how to say it, spell it or what it means, and then they get it wrong anyway! Look at these often misunderstood or otherwise confusing names to see how many you know.

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