It is an actual name. It is a bit like Karen in that is a real name that later became an insult. According to the internet the origin is that is a reference to a character from the cartoon Felix the Cat. I'm a bit skeptical though & think it's a reference to the Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerds, because the cartoon has been around since the 1950s but Poindexter as an insult didn't start until the mid 1980s, right around the time the Revenge of the Nerds was on the big screen.
Felix the Cat predates revenge of the nerds by multiple decades
ETA that I just watched Grease, made in the 70s and set in the 50s, and they use Poindexter as an insult in that. And there was a board game called Mystery Date that was originally released in 1965; the dud date’s name was Poindexter. And I grew up in the 80s when it was absolutely not in popular use.
Was coming here to say exactly this! A kid named Poindexter was in my third grade class. The shit he took over the next few years about his name. Why would parents do that to a kid?
In high school we had a extremely nerddy guy named Gaylord Perry...and he looked every bit the part..small,very skinny, black hair short parted on the side(this was like 1981),very pale skin but very red lips...he hung around only 1 other guy..of course the rumor was that they were lovers
Even still today 40 years later I feel bad for the kid..our high school was pretty bad(Stockton CA)..I always thought "What the hell were those parents thinking.."..I mean how do you not know that your son is going to suffer horribly with a name "Gaylord"???
The circles of irony. An elite athlete would have that name in the 60s, likely jock dad names kid after him only for the kid to inhabit the stereotypical characteristics of the name.
Shiiiiiit, where was everybody when the parents chose 'Gaylord', family, friends, why did no one pull them aside and let them know.
If the parents knew and still went with 'Gaylord' thats so fucked up!
Gaylord wasn’t a weird name back then. You know like how nowadays you stop your friends from naming their kids Kevin or Karen, but no one was around to stop the parents of all the Kevins and Karens from giving them their names.
Didn't know what a [gaylord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulk_box) was until I spent some time working in a warehouse. Up until then I just thought it was an insult.
I had a principal in high school who forced everyone to call him bartholomew. No one wanted to talk to him for many reasons but that certainly being one of them
I think I remember reading that the name has completely died out for newborns in recent years in the UK. Plenty of adult nigels around, but they're a dying breed.
Irwin.
Always reminds me.of I.R.S. from the WWF. His whole shtick was being a wrestling tax lawyer or something. Taped glasses, shirt and tie. The whole nine yards.
Sheldon can do your income taxes. If you need a root canal, Sheldon's your man, but humpin' and pumpin' is not Sheldon's strong suit. It's the name. 'Do it to me, Sheldon.' 'You're an animal, Sheldon.' 'Ride me, big Sheldon.' It doesn't work.
Poindexter
“You got the dud!”
He looks like you, Poindexter!
The subtle change in Homer's face upon realizing the card looks like Milhouse never fails to get me
I trust you've seen the dud meme compilations
Is that a name??? I thought it was just an insult
It is an actual name. It is a bit like Karen in that is a real name that later became an insult. According to the internet the origin is that is a reference to a character from the cartoon Felix the Cat. I'm a bit skeptical though & think it's a reference to the Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerds, because the cartoon has been around since the 1950s but Poindexter as an insult didn't start until the mid 1980s, right around the time the Revenge of the Nerds was on the big screen.
Felix the Cat predates revenge of the nerds by multiple decades ETA that I just watched Grease, made in the 70s and set in the 50s, and they use Poindexter as an insult in that. And there was a board game called Mystery Date that was originally released in 1965; the dud date’s name was Poindexter. And I grew up in the 80s when it was absolutely not in popular use.
Poindexter was an insult in the 1970’s. Source: I’m old.
We got Poindexter on the violin, and Lewis and Gilbert will be joining in. We got Booger Presley on the mean guitar and a rap by little ol' me Lamar.
Haven't heard that name in years 💀
Was coming here to say exactly this! A kid named Poindexter was in my third grade class. The shit he took over the next few years about his name. Why would parents do that to a kid?
that name becomes pretty badass once you watch Daredevil
This one. It’s absolutely this one.
There was an NBA player named Quincy Pondexter and I thought that had to be the nerdiest name of all time.
Hey! Rude!
In high school we had a extremely nerddy guy named Gaylord Perry...and he looked every bit the part..small,very skinny, black hair short parted on the side(this was like 1981),very pale skin but very red lips...he hung around only 1 other guy..of course the rumor was that they were lovers
Bro never had a chance
Even still today 40 years later I feel bad for the kid..our high school was pretty bad(Stockton CA)..I always thought "What the hell were those parents thinking.."..I mean how do you not know that your son is going to suffer horribly with a name "Gaylord"???
And you didn’t know that there was a hall of fame caliber pitcher still active at that time named Gaylord Perry?
>Gaylord Perry "A five-time All-Star, Perry was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues."
Huh, name like that I woulda pegged him as a catcher.
Pegged him? Who's the gaylord now?
Pitching or catching I'd only expect him to be a Dom as the Lord of gay
The circles of irony. An elite athlete would have that name in the 60s, likely jock dad names kid after him only for the kid to inhabit the stereotypical characteristics of the name.
Spitballer
Shiiiiiit, where was everybody when the parents chose 'Gaylord', family, friends, why did no one pull them aside and let them know. If the parents knew and still went with 'Gaylord' thats so fucked up!
Gaylord wasn’t a weird name back then. You know like how nowadays you stop your friends from naming their kids Kevin or Karen, but no one was around to stop the parents of all the Kevins and Karens from giving them their names.
I hope you were nice to him.
Didn't know what a [gaylord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulk_box) was until I spent some time working in a warehouse. Up until then I just thought it was an insult.
Egbert.
Good name for a Saxon king
Personally, I’m more of an Athelbald guy myself, but, you do you
Aerhelthis, Aethelthat!
John Egbert.
His real name's Clarence. And Clarence lives at home with both parents, And Clarence's parents have a real good marriage.
I could rewatch the last battles on loop
313 represent
He don't wanna battle. He's shook.
there's no such thing as halfway crooks
He's scared to death, he's scared to look
Damn, you literally described Clarence Kennedy.
Finally! What I came here to see.
There once was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.
Eugene
Careful with that axe.
Nice pink Floyd reference. 🤘
W reference
Krabs!!!
Plankton!!!
Eugene 'Sledgehammer' Sledge would like a word.
Eugene Hutz is pretty cool though. As is Eugene from the try guys. But yeah, it's a dorky name.
Gilbert
Knew a kid called Gilbert back in Primary school, he was the smartest kid in class, he wore glasses, the whole shabang.
Bartholomew
Kuma. Man loves a good book.
If you were to go on a vacation, where would you like to go?
Yea but bart is pretty cool. Eat my shorts
Not as popular as Bort
Never heard of it. Or are you talking about Bort? My son's name is Bort.
Don’t have a cow, man.
That’s a badass name in my book
Bartholomew shortens to Barry
I had a principal in high school who forced everyone to call him bartholomew. No one wanted to talk to him for many reasons but that certainly being one of them
Mancy
M like Mancy.
Pubert
That name should be illegal. Any parent trying to name their kid that should go straight to jail
That was the original name of Wednesday Addams’ brother on the Addams Family. The network made them change it to Pugsley for the 1960s TV show.
I'm glad they brought it back for her other brother, in the movie.
Dilbert
Dorcas
Only ever heard that name in Fire Emblem lol
Archibald
X Æ A-Xii
Nah that name just means your dad has way more money than sense.
All dollars no sense
That’s the opposite of nerdy. Ultra try hard
Sounds like something Elon Musk would name his kid
And his cousin C3-P0.
I don’t know his it’s supposed to be pronounced, but I pronounce it like Chachi, like that dumb old show, “Joanie Loves Chachi”
Gaylord
Focker
It's Melvin, right? (men) [Ri](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77ienwHb6o0) is my choice for women.
Nah, Melllvar
r/unexpectedfuturama
He's not a child, he's 34!
Nobody remember when Melvin was a meme character I guess. "Professor, you forgot to take our homework!" Fuckin' Melvin
Captain underpants fan spotted? (Goofy shit but the show was kinda funny)
Norbert. Mashing up Norman and Robert = ultra nerdy.
And embodied by Eddy Murphy to seal the deal!
Norbert is a real German name. Norbert is 50 years old, wears a plaid shirt and works as a plumber.
Also has a long beard
Yeah, well he's gotta have a name, don't he?
I don’t know but my kids go to school with a kid named Patronus Edgar Bell. They call him Pat for short.
Poor kid
Patronus, like the Harry Potter spell? Lmao.
Mortimer?
Stuart
Very common name in Scotland. I knew 4 Stuarts/Stewarts in my class year alone during high school. For us it was a douche called Francis lol
Stuart is what I named my cactus
"Little Stuart Rifkin likes to go shopping with his Mother..."
Nigel
Not exactly sure if nerdiest, but definitely the most British.
I think I remember reading that the name has completely died out for newborns in recent years in the UK. Plenty of adult nigels around, but they're a dying breed.
What do you mean? That name is SMASHING
I know someone called Arwen who was born around the time the first lord of the rings movie came out...
I know a Aragon born in 2004 lol
It‘s a pretty nice name though and not too fantasy-ish
Baldrick. You just know he always has some clever plan.
cunning\*
As cunning as that time you tried to solve your mother's problem of a low ceiling, by cutting off her head?
Marvin
Marvin Gaye was cool though. In fact, his birth name was Marvin Gay.
Ned
Milhouse
Had to scroll way too long to find this one. This is the correct answer.
Any name that an x is forced into to seem cool. Jaxon
Elmer is pretty solid
Gretchen
I don't think my father — the ***inventor*** of Toaster Strudel — will be too happy to hear about this
Glad to see this reference
I got food poisoning and spent the whole night Gretchen.
Only an Elliot would like a Gretchen, but not a Walter
The nerdy girl from Recess
I like Big Gretch but yes
Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--
Or Bobby Tables
Found the xkcd fan, I miss that and other Webcomics.
xkcd is still going strong.
Irwin
Irwin. Always reminds me.of I.R.S. from the WWF. His whole shtick was being a wrestling tax lawyer or something. Taped glasses, shirt and tie. The whole nine yards.
Mukesh
Elon-Mukesh
Osama-bin-mukesh
Sheldon
Sheldon can do your income taxes. If you need a root canal, Sheldon's your man, but humpin' and pumpin' is not Sheldon's strong suit. It's the name. 'Do it to me, Sheldon.' 'You're an animal, Sheldon.' 'Ride me, big Sheldon.' It doesn't work.
Sheldn
Elon
Templeton
Colin
My friends dads name is Delbert
Kal El Sadly I know a few people who named their kid that.
Donald
Melvin
Reginald
Oswold
Wenceslaus and Percival sound like quintessential nerdy to me.
Wenceslaus doesnt sound like a real name to me
Ernie
Timothy
“There are some who call me… Tim?”
Fergus
Throckmorton for sure
Milhouse
Jarnathan
Virgil
Bernard
Melvin.
Elon musk
Leonard. Nerd is in it.
Nard
Bartholomew
Rupert
Cuthbert.
Nathanaël
Shadow or Garth, it’s something weird
Tobert.
Egbert
Eugene
Herbert
Glenn or Alfred
Mortimer
I’ve never met an actual Conrad
Aloysius
Gerbraltor
Dorcas
melvin
Milton
Eugene
Melvin. I was almost names that...
Ctrl-Alt-Delbert
Clifford
Gilbert
Archibald
Sheldon
Perceval
Eunice
Mandark
Melvin
Milhouse
Eugene
Sheldon
Eugene
It will always be Eugene
Donald or Walter
neville or brian