Embarrassing family names such as 'Balls' and 'Smellie' have gone into sharp decline over the past century, according to an analysis of census data by experts.
Surnames with rude or unfortunate connotations including 'Shufflebottom' and 'Daft' have fallen by as much as 75 per cent, a comparison of census and other information spanning 120 years has shown.
A comparison of the 2008 population – using data from a variety of sources – with the first census in 1881 shows the number of Britons called Balls or Daft has fallen by more than 50 per cent as owners change their names to avoid ridicule.
The research, reported in The Times, also found that the top nine surnames – Smith, Jones, Williams, Brown, Taylor, Davies, Wilson, Evans and Thomas – are still in the exactly the same order of popularity today as they were in 1881.
I can remember at school having a friend called Bill Posting. This was always a source of amusement to us when we saw a sign saying
'BILL POSTING PROHIBITED'.
I know there used to be jokes about 'Robin Banks' although I never knew anyone with that name.
However my all-time favourite has to be......Teresa Green!!!!
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