What's in the Name?

Rommel Pacheco

One of my many projects which I shall never complete is a history of Latin America as reflected in first names. The famous Mexican writer Josè Vasconcelos, about whom I have written, was accused of being pro-Axis in World War II. The same may be said of the parents of this also.ran diver about whom Alejo Orvañanos reports: "Today, in the diving finals, a Mexican competitor came in 10th. His name?: Rommel Pacheco.  Rommel might have done better in the Beach Volleyball, at least that is played on sand". Here are the final scores:

1. Bo Peng (CHN)            787.38
2. Alexandre Despatie (CAN) 755.97
3. Dmitri Sautin (RUS)      753.27
4. Feng Wang (CHN)          750.72
5. Fernando Platas (MEX)    704.25
6. Troy Dumais (USA)        701.46
7. Alexander Dobroskok(RUS) 697.29
8. Ken Terauchi (JPN)       690.00
9. Cesar Castro (BRA)       662.97
10. Rommel Pacheco (MEX)     642.69
11. Dmytro Lysenko (UKR)     629.64
12. Robert Newbery (AUS)     620.34
Note also the Brazilian names Cesar, a first name similar to Napoleon and also common in Latin America.  No wonder Latin American history is studded with military dictatorships. And what about the American Troy Dumais? Not a winning name.

Randy Black reports: "Rommel Pacheco is one of Mexico’s greatest young athletes. From Merida in the Yucatan, the 18-year-old athlete has a proven record of achievement in international competition over the past four years. Rommel seems to be a fairly popular name across Latin America. I seem to recall that the national stadium in Panama is named Rommel Fernandez Stadium".  RH: One more proof of where some Latin American sympathies lay in World War II.

Christopher Jones writes: "And you mentioned the name Siegfried as a Wagnerian name that Jews used.  In fact, I suspect the use of Siegfried had more to do with their desire to integrate into Victorian/Wilheminisch society than a Jewish fascination with the Germanic Sagen.  Speaking of German names, it is now time for an authentic Jewish joke from the Nazi period.
 
After the 1935 Nuremburg Racial laws, it was Verboten for German Jews to change their names into more Aryan sounding ones.  Nevertheless an intrepid Jewish fellow finds the right civil servant (Beamter) responsible for this.  He harangues endlessly the Beamter that he simply MUST change his name and that he cannot go on living with his name in its present form.  finally, just to get rid of this Jewish pest, the Beamter takes off his pince nez and snarls:
 
Ok well what is this awful name of yours that you want to change?
 
ADOLF STINKFUS (stinky feet for non German speaking Waisers) he answers.
 
The Beamter is aghast. He starts to think and talk to himself. "Now that really is bad."  He turns to the Jew and says that yes, maybe in this one special case, with a name like that maybe he can arrange it.  And he finally asks: "And what do you want to change it to?"
 
"Yitzak Stinkfus."