The unusual name Tekulve was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in the late 1970s:
- 1981: unlisted
- 1980: unlisted
- 1979: 5 baby boys named Tekulve [debut]
- 1978: unlisted
- 1977: unlisted
Where did it come from?
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Kent Tekulve (pronounced tuh-KULL-vee), noted for his submarine-style pitches.
He played in 1,050 professional baseball games from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, and most of them were with the Pirates. In October of 1979, he helped the Pirates fight back from a 3-game deficit to win the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
The origin of the surname Tekulve isn’t known for sure, but it’s likely to be a variant of the North German topographic name Tehülwe, meaning “at the swamp hole” (denoting a person who lived near such terrain).
What are your thoughts on Tekulve as a baby name?
Sources:
- 30 Quirkiest Pitching Deliveries in MLB History
- Hanks, Patrick. (Ed.) Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Kent Tekulve – Wikipedia
Tekulve is actually a habitational name for someone from a farm called Kulve or Kulverhuisje in Woold Gelderland.