What’s in a name? I bet the former UKIP leader knows. His name was Richard Braine.

Someone put a Tweet up the other day about a young Gaelic player in Cork.

Some visitors in the crowd watching this underage game noticed that home fans kept referring to the lad as “Chilli.”

And so, when the game ended, some visitors asked how he got a nickname like that.

“He’s Con Kearney’s son,” came the answer.

Con Kearney. Of course.

Across the Irish Sea, a rugby coach has just stepped back from his role in Wasps Rugby Club. His name?

Dai Young.

Really. He surname is Young and his parents Christened him Dai.

I had a colleague from Belfast who swore he knew a girl there who was called Tamara Knight.

“What are you doing tomorrow night Tamara Knight?”

There are many such names around.

The one that’s always trotted out is Annette Curtin.

I never knew one.

But I recently heard someone say that “Nilly” really is a surname. I checked it out. It is.

But is one of the family called Willy?

I am assured (by researching on the internet which means I’m not actually assured at all) that there are people out there called Stan Still, Rose Bush, Justin Case, Paige Turner, Tim Burr and Helen Back.

I could find no evidence of a Pete Moss, Tom Catt or Sue Mee.  And Hugh Jarse was only a Benny Hill character.

Mind you, a recently resigned UKIP leader was called Richard Braine. That’s absolutely true. And I’m presuming it’s his birthname not a nickname

Me?

I’m ok with Paddy Murray.

I’m just glad our family name isn’t Field.

(And today I came across a name I had forgotten, the American songwriter…

…Rob Graves.)