Once upon a time, a Chicago couple “quarreled over naming the baby until they landed in a divorce court.”
The year was 1914, and Mrs. Eleanor Nesfield wanted to name her baby girl Dodo. She’d discovered the name in a book — likely either Dodo: A Detail of the Day (1893) or Dodo’s Daughter (1913), both by E. F. Benson.
Eleanor’s husband, Mr. Edward Nesfield, “violently objected.” He didn’t like that Dodo was the name of an extinct bird. (Apparently he didn’t mind that it’s also a synonym for “simpleton”…?)
Judge Sullivan suggested that the couple name the baby Dorothy. “This name would comprise all the letters in “Dodo” and not hamper the child with the prehistoric bird’s terrific atmosphere.”
The baby’s mother “reluctantly consented” and the couple “left the courtroom arm in arm.”
And they lived happily ever after. The End.
Source: “Judge Named the Baby.” Toledo Blade 17 Dec. 1914: 6.
UPDATE: Here’s another post you might like: Couple Divorces Over Baby Girl’s Name.