The Unusual History of An Unusual Name
If your name is simple, like Bill or Mary Lou, you may not really understand what it’s like to live with a name like “Phares Glyn.”
So, putting worry about being self-centered aside, I’ve decided to tell you my experiences with my name, and a recent revealing discovery I’ve made.
What Was My Mother Thinking?
I’m not surprised that my mother Ruby was looking for a creative, non-standard name for me.
After all, she had named my three older sisters Twila Ray (who died as an infant), Wanda Louise, and Dolora Jane.
I’m guessing that my father Ray, an accommodating man, agreed with pretty much any name my mother chose.
Well, why not Phares Glyn? My grandmother’s maiden name was “Phares.”
And a good family friend’s name was “Glyn.”
So my mother told Doc Marvel, who came in a horse and buggy to deliver me, that her baby would be called “Phares Glyn.”
Doc Marvel — a man of insight — tried to mount a protest, saying that the name sounded too much like “Paris Green,” a popular insecticide and ingredient in green paint.
But even though she did not like the color green, Ruby was not to be deterred, and so it was.
A Little About My Name
One source said “Phares” is ranked 69,890th on the list of most used names. Only 219 people have had it in the last 100 years.
The source also said “Phares” meant “lighthouse” or ”beacon” and gave the following description: “Persons with the name ‘Phares’ are seekers of wisdom and possess the abilities that will assist them in being a great teacher in any field.”
I thought this sounded pretty good, but their health analysis said, “Those named Phares are overly fond of heavy foods such as meat, potatoes, breads, and pastries…” So I decided not to look any further.
Also, you can buy your name on the website Namepedia. But it wouldn’t let me create an account or give me the cost.
However, when a=1¢, b=2¢, and z= 26¢, “Phares” is worth 67¢. What a letdown! A name not even worth a buck.
How Did/Do People React To My Name?
For a short time, I thought the kids at my one room country school called me “Fairy Foot” because I was such a fast runner, but I soon figured out a more likely reason.
When our family drew “Ike” from a bowl to get a missing middle name for my dad, he decided give the nickname to me. I was surprised it caught on so quickly.
And I recall the time in high school when I entered a basketball tournament game and the announcer said, ”Phares O’Daffer. That’s right folks, Phares O’Daffer.”
Later, when I had my first opportunity to write a mathematics textbook, the editor at Addison Wesley publishing company asked me (with a little bit of embarrassment) if they could list me on the book as P.G. O’Daffer. This even though my three co-authors on the book were to be listed with their first names and middle initial.
And, of course, there were many questions about my name throughout my life, such as “Is your name Egyptian, like ‘Pharaoh’”?
And there was the letter I received, addressed to “Mrs. Pharesa O’Doffer,” and our befuddled lady friend who introduced my wife Harriet and I at a party as “Harris and Phariet O’Daffer.”
Finally, I must report the results of an informal poll I have taken of the reactions to my name. In general, women seem to like my name.
But if men knew my nickname, they leaned toward calling me “Ike.”
A Redeeming Discovery
It has been interesting looking back at the different reactions to my name.
But even though living with the moniker “Phares” has been a little weird at times, I’ve never thought it caused me much of a problem.
But there’s no doubt that on occasion it was hard to explain my name in a way that made it feel legitimate, and I was never sure what people thought of it.
But recently, this has all changed. All because of a Peanuts Cartoon!
When a good friend of mine handed me the following cartoon and I read the 5th frame, I wasn’t sure Linus was reciting the real Biblical “begats,” or just making his own ‘begats” up. (Click on the cartoon to make larger. Click the back arrow of your browser to return to the post.)
But a look at Matthew, Chapter 1, Verse 3 in the King James Version of the Bible cleared it all up.
“Phares” is a Biblical Name!
The Bottom Line
Sure, the New International Version of the Bible uses “Perez” instead of “Phares” in the begats, but one of these is just a derivation of the other.
It’s also true that my mother, to my recollection, never told me that she had seen “Phares” in the Bible.
But given her interest in the Bible, I would guess that, if asked, she would have said, “Of course I saw it. You don’t think I would give you a non-Biblical name, do you?”
So, no more hesitation when someone asks me “Where in the heck did your name come from?
I just pull my miniature King James Bible out of my pocket, show them Matthew 1-3, and confidently say, “Phares is a Biblical name! Don’t you know that Judas begat Phares, and Phares begat Esram?”