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Posted: 26-09-2013 23:48 Post subject: Namesakes Game

Namesakes on Google Image.

There are hundreds of people who share my name. They are welcome to it. Welcome to it, especially, are those whose heads are not white! Three out of the top eight. Perhaps that confirms the idea that the name refers to Anglo-Saxon wys ie wisdom not colour! I derived that gem from a dubious Victorian book of Northern names but I like it and keep it.

I am somewhat shocked by the number of my namesakes who are represented by mug-shots, with or without numbers. Are we more or less likely to end up inside? Just a quirk of freedom of information?

You do not need to reveal your real name to participate in this thread, which merely asks for responses to what you saw when you Googled and looked into your own mirror people. Smile

Posted: 27-09-2013 00:47 Post subject:

When I Googled images using my name, I got 5 separate namesakes' mug shots, 1 map illustrating the distribution of 54 namesakes (myself included) in the USA, and 2 'in memorial' photos of namesakes _before_ the first specimen of my own photo appeared.

Posted: 27-09-2013 08:12 Post subject:

We had a similar thread years ago, but I can't find it now.

I encountered my first namesake long before Google was invented, when I was at school in the late 50s. [Date corrected] There was a boy with the same name as me, but two years older. That was first and second names, and surname, all the same! Quite a remarkable coincidence, given that my surname is not all that common anyway.

When Google did come along, I sometimes put in my own name to see what turned up. I got a shock one day when I found an Obituary with my name on it! Shocked

Sadly it was that of my namesake from school, who'd died in a motorcycle accident, about ten years ago now.

The school had an old boys association, and one time I made contact with them (about some old school photos, I think). The person who replied said he'd got a shock when he saw my name - he had a been a friend of my namesake, and thought he was getting a message from beyond the grave...! He hadn't known his friend had a namesake in school, because back then boys two years apart had very little to do with each other.

Recently I've been using Duck Duck Go in preference to Google - it's fast and surprisingly relevent most of the time - so time for a new experiment - I may be some time...

[Types name in Duck Duck Go...]

Posted: 27-09-2013 08:25 Post subject:

I've just tried it and come across my long-lost Twitter account! Brilliant! Very Happy

It is now reactivated and ready for action.

Posted: 27-09-2013 09:26 Post subject:

So, who am I?

1. According to 192.com, I'm one of just eleven people with my first and last names. 8 of those have the wrong middle initial. Only one has all three names correct - but it's not me!

The one with the correct middle initial did refer to me, but at an old address! It also shows another occupant who in fact was the previous occupant!

2. You can view a LinkedIn professional profile under my name - but it's not me! (What is LinkedIn anyway?)

3. I'm the vice President of a Medical Centre in a major US city - not!

4. I'm a Tax Preparer in California - not!

5. I'm on a list of UK Company Directors, and so is my brother, which is nice!

6. I'm Vice President of yet another US company - not!

7. Someone on Google+ has my name.

8. At last, a hit! Yes, I have got photos on fotoLibra! Cool

9. An interesting one: born with my name, but he now works as a session musician under another name. (I think I found him in previous searches, when he was still using his real name.) There's a photo of him, which is definitely not me!

10. ****** School old boys has me listed - but only because the email they have for me no longer works! (My old computer died, and that was years ago. I'm re-registering now...)

I've ignored repeats, and names which consist of just my second name plus surname. Likewise, I've ignored results which are just random conjuctions on a page of personal names and placenames.

My namesake doesn't turn up there - is he so soon forgotten? I expect he's still on the school website somewhere - I'll check when I get my new password.

Posted: 27-09-2013 10:20 Post subject:

Posted: 27-09-2013 11:37 Post subject:

I seem to be all alone with my name as I have a fairly unusual first name with an even rarer spelling variation. My last name is also not very common - and also features an unusual spelling variation. Thank you, dear parents. I cannot tell you how sick I am of spelling it over the phone. Rolling Eyes

Anyway, there seem to be two blokes with similar names - one with an almost identical first name - only minus one "e" in the middle.

There's another one with the exact same first name - but the last name features two "f"s at the end where I have only one.

The first picture on google image search is somewhat bizarre - a bloke on a jet ski with a bible psalm superimposed. Posted by someone with the same last name but a completely different first name. Whatever.

Posted: 27-09-2013 15:39 Post subject:

My name will become apparent in time. I have one of 'those' names that, 2-barrelled is common, but with my middle designation becomes an authorly nomenclature. I aim to exploit it to the full. It will become apparent in time (if my evil plan comes to fruition, or whatever her name is). Laughing

Posted: 27-09-2013 16:08 Post subject:

Not surprisingly, since I share a name with a famous author, the first few hundred Google images are almost all of his face, with a few book-covers thrown in for good measure. It's a name shared, no doubt, with many thousands worldwide, but the rest of us don't get a look-in!

Posted: 27-09-2013 16:58 Post subject:

There's someone with the same name as me at my doctor's, which means when I go there they almost always have his file instead of mine, so I get asked questions like "I see you've been back in hospital in the last few weeks?" when I haven't. I've never seen him, but apparently he looks like me too. Doppelganger!

Posted: 27-09-2013 21:30 Post subject:

#1 is a mugshot.

#2 is my actual picture from my work website! Surprised

#3-#6 are fairly unremarkable, the only curious thing is that they all have my first and second name as their middle and second name, so I share a first name with none of them.

#7-#8 also unremarkable, but have come up because my surname is also a place and the pics are tagged with that place.

Posted: 27-09-2013 22:09 Post subject:

Around 30 years ago, my (then-) wife and I were lounging in our living room one morning, reading the big Sunday edition of the newspaper. Suddenly, the missus said, "Is there something you need to tell me?", and held up a page from the 'Society' section she'd been reading.

It was a local wedding announcement, and the groom's name matched mine (including the same middle initial).

Embarassed

Posted: 27-09-2013 22:28 Post subject: