Is this the strangest name ever? Ohio dentist Dr Gay Hitler causes a stir online
Dr Gay Ludwig Hitler practiced dentistry in Circleville for 40 years. (Reddit)
A late dentist who was called Dr Gay Hitler has caused a stir on social media, with many commenting that they can’t believe his name was real.
Dr Gay Ludwig Hitler, who died in 1948 aged 66, following an illness of nearly three years, was a widely-known dentist who practiced in Circleville, Ohio, according to newspaper archives.
The dentist was born on 13 January 1882 to his parents George Washington Hitler, 36, and his mother, Ida May Lutz, 25. He married a Belle Long in 1905, who he had four children with.
Dr Gay Hitler’s unique name garnered attention on Reddit, with a post highlighting it to thousands of interactions.
One person commented under the post: “Can we just take a moment to appreciate and bask in the fact that there once lived a man called “Dr. Gay Hitler?”
“Dr. Gay Hitler would be a hell of a username,” another comment read.
Someone else commented that the family were taunted by people in their town over their last name, which became infamous following the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in Germany in 1933, with the Nazi leader and fascist dictator leading the nation during the Second World War until his suicide in 1945.
Despite this, the family chose to keep their name.
Is Gay a real name and what is its history?
The history of the gender-neutral name “Gay” dates back to the 12th Century. It is thought to have been an nickname of names Gaynell, Gaynor, Gaylen, Gabriel and Gaylord.
Over the years many notable people have shared the forename Gay, including Irish presenter and broadcaster Gay Byrne, who was born in 1934 and died in 2019. His name was abbreviated from Gabriel.
American writer and journalist Gay Talese, who wrote “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” (1966), was named so as a derivation from his grandfather’s name, Gaetano.
The name means “merry,” happy,” and “joyful”, which, according to TheBump.com, makes it “a fitting choice for a new parent seeking a fun-loving name for their bundle of joy”.
According to the pregnancy and parenting website, the popularity of the name has drastically from 1979 to 1982.
The name currently ranks at 2194th place on TheBump’s baby boy popularity names, while it ranks at 1792nd for girl names.
