I was born in 1954 and given the name Lanson, which wasn’t cool growing up with and isn’t cool now. Cannot find it in any name listing.

It’s not made up. It was my fathers cousins name. I’ve only seen it twice, once on a champagne bottle and once on an automatic door mat. I do alot of genealogy research. Bad names go back a long way. Here’s one I found, really, and it’s a girls name. Honest, I’m not making this up. Ready? Mahershallalhashbaz Gorton !!!!

Don’t put this on your site because some idiotic parent will probably think it’s cool!!!

Thanks for listening……my new and improved name..Lance

Oh, but Ms. Gorton’s not the only Mahershallalhashbaz out there.

Actor Mahershalalhashbaz Ali (note slightly different spelling) appeared on the TV show “Crossing Jordan.” And yep, it’s his birthname (although he changed his last name from Gilmore) and is often credited as simply M. Ali.

Like many very long, very odd names, it’s biblical (Isaiah 8:1-3). Mahershalalhashbaz is Isaiah’s son by “the prophetess.” God ORDERS him to give the kid this name.

So yes, it’s a boy’s name.