I’ve decided to start a keeping a note of interesting names as I come across them. First names, for the most part, though spectacular surnames may also earn a place in my collection.

Two to begin with: Michael Gilleland (“antediluvian, bibliomaniac, and curmudgeon”) at Laudator Temporis Acti reminds us that one of the signatories of the US Declaration of Independence gloried in the name of Button Gwinnet. And ever since I heard him being interviewed on the radio a few weeks back, I’ve had a soft spot for deaf activist Tomato Lichy. His assertion that deafness is not a disability is, um, unusual, but his name is Tomato and that’s good enough for me.