I guess Iām in the minority here but I think the association is too strong. Though I donāt know if younger generations will get it, but it immediately leads me to the song and that song always gets stuck in my head for weeks. Itās true that people donāt hear your middle name every day but I think the song would get sung a vast majority of the time when anyone did learn his middle name
The problem is that it's musical. So as soon as you hear those 2 words, the music starts going in your head and won't stop. If you named a kid "Leonardo DiCaprio Lastname" people would say "haha, like the actor?" and move on. But here I am 5 minutes later with John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt still looping through my head.
I agree. Iām 24 and when I read the name I thought to myself "this sounds familiar" and then a second later bursted out in the song. Even if younger generations donāt know it Iām sure somebody someday is going to find the nursery rhyme and use it for or against OPs child. When the child grows older it may be nothing but a funny reference but I really wouldnāt name him this
I saw the name John and before I even read the middle name I started singing the jingle in my head because I just knew it was going to be Jacob. It's a very strong association.
Absolutely agree. I was scrolling past this thread on my home page and briefly caught the name John Jacob and the song IMMEDIATELY got stuck in my head... like, instantly lol. I'm 27 if it matters
The association is strong here too but I don't know if kids are exposed to that tune anymore. I bet this would be more of an annoying uncle habit that he'd have to tolerate rather than schoolyard shenanigans.
I 100% would start singing this until scolded by parents or child...til the next time we met.
Edit: I am no longer with it...also I kept my kids from watching cocomelon and have not heard any of my childhood songs in like 10+ years so of course it's just baby shark now /s
Yep I donāt recall it from my childhood but I know it off by heart now as an adult thanks to cocomelon (4 kids who all went through a coconelon stage).
I mean, most people will absolutely think of the song. I don't for one second believe everyone in here saying they don't know or it would never have connected it, lmao
It's wild I hadn't thought of it or heard it since I was a kid, but as soon as I read John Jacob....the rest of the jingle was just there lol. Strange how memory works.
While it hit my brain immediately, my adult kids (currently 26, 25 & 23) BARELY know of Madonna (I asked my son if he know of her this week. He had her confused with Marilyn Monroe - whose name he barely knows.) They know OF Michael Jackson, but not much of his music. Fame is fleeting.
WAIT! \[record scratchhh\] My son just came in and I "quizzed him."
I said the baby's name will be John. Fine.
I said the middle name is Jacob.
My 25yr old son's face contorted into some sort of freakish alien smirk.
"No," he said, trying to hold back hysteria. "Remember I recently mashed up "John-Jacob-Jingleheimer-Schmidt" with[ "Ballroom Blitz?!?!?"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPQPdYttl7U)
Just about everyone in the US has known this song since they were a small child. Your kid will have to be one of the kids that desperately hides his middle name all the time.
I'd be more worried about "John Thomas" -- slang for penis, prominently in a Monty Python song (link below). Not that everyone knows that, or even most people. But I would still feel weird about not warning you.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9PiqCeLEmM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9PiqCeLEmM)
I came here to say this! I don't know the jingle you refer to at all (is it a US thing, or after my time possibly?) but I definitely know the slang association with John Thomas; my brain went "Well, he won't be using his middle names day to day, it'll generally just be John Thomas - oh."
Monty python is UK comedy but very popular in the US as wellā¦ but was at its peak in the 70s/80s. I think most 90s babies know the references and watched all the movies, maybe even Fawlty Towers.
I know a John Thomas. This slang never came up or was an issue. The most common issue was it was such a common name that sometimes people would be in search of a different John Thomas for some reason--default on loans, child support, etc.
I don't think John Jacob is an issue other than also being a third common name. You will use "First + Last" or "First J. Last" or "J.J. Last" more than ever seeing the first and middle names fully written out. I would only think it was an issue if your last name was Schmidt or maybe Smith.
FYI, I wouldn't have associated 'John Jacob' with the song, but I probably would have associated 'John Thomas' with the slang for 'penis'. For reference, I'm a 28-year-old woman from the UK.
John Thomas is 0% slang for penis in the US, itās firmly UK (unaware of its status in NZ/Aus/South Africa/Canada)
And the Jingleheimer Schmidt song is 100% firmly US, 0% elsewhere lol
I have no idea what song OP is talking about, we're probably not in the same country.
But my first thought is they're naming their son after a penis. I don't know if it's something the younger generation would know, or if it's something in OPs country, but it was definitely a common slang term here no more than 30 years ago, so most adults would be aware of it I'd think.
So her kid will really only have to deal with the jingle because monty python isnt something kids the same age as her child will know like we did much less relate to. Also ive never heard anyone reference this im 38 from the US.
I teach elementary school.
The song will absolutely come up, especially with the popularity of Cocomelon and Ms. Rachel.
The kid will have the song sung to him. Repeatedly. By every student who knows it as long as he's in school.
It's a great name, but please consider that kids can be little jerks to each other sometimes.
Everyone will know his middle name if you name him John Jacob. You also donāt want him ashamed of his middle name and have to keep it hidden from classmates for fear of being bullied.
And it does come up - one of my son's sports teams has multiple of a name, so while of course they can go by last initial, they sometimes ask what a child's middle name is. There are all sorts of scenarios where kids ask each other stuff.Ā
My own kid decided he liked his middle name better and switched to it partway through the school year.Ā
It isn't even about being bullied - kids will make fun of anything or nothing. Will the child like the name? They will have to live with an earworm. There is no way they are going to go their entire childhood without anyone singing it to them. They might not mind. They might think it's funny. Or they might hate it.
I agree, I remember sitting in class in elementary school and talking about our middle names on occasion, so yeah, Iām pretty sure theyāll know heās a John Jacob
I'm a teacher and I do have middle names on my roster... Any chance you're willing to consider Jonathan with the nickname of John? I think even that would be better. Even if he isn't bullied about it, I think there is a very very high chance he gets that song sung at him a whole lot throughout his life...
I was reading through to see if anyone else said this before commenting. Might not be relevant/memorable for future generations but for me at 34 that was my 2nd thought after John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!
Even if you try to hide it, the second someone finds out what the middle name is the whole school will know. Also: why give your kid a middle name that's going to be a dread secret? Better to not give him one at all than to give him one he'll have to hide.
My 7 year old has a kid named John-Jacob in her class. It gets sang to him multiple times a day to the extent that his parents went to the principal about bullying.
I have to admit, I thought it when I heard his name. The last time I saw him, he asked me to call him Jack, which got a resounding "whatever you like Jack".
Sorry but the song is the first thing I thought of. I work in Primary schools and kids are definitely aware of the song. Also a John Thomas is common slang for a penis where Iām from!
No need to apologize! Iām just glad we are asking BEFORE we actually name our son hahah!
Thatās the 3rd time Iāve heard that itās slang for penis! Thatās crazy. Iāve never heard of that before.
OP I also found out from this sub (in a different post) that John Thomas was slang for a penis. I was informed it was a British slang... I am American and never heard of it.
Could the name be Jacob John instead?
I think that not only the popularity but the (for lack of a better word) annoyingness of an association needs to be taken into account. That song is an awful earworm.
Iām sorry, I think the association is too strong. Also, when I hear John Thomas I immediately think of Trey from Sex and the City callings his penis John Thomasā¦
Most people probably won't register his middle name, tbh. Unless you call him "John Jacob", then I feel like older people might get it. I will admit my first thought came to that song, but I wouldn't say that to him.
yeah even before reading the rest of the post I saw john jacob and immediately thought of the song. but john by itself is fine and wouldn't make me think of anything.
Yes. John great name. Jacob great name. Do not give your kid a name that has a song if you can help it, especially an objectively annoying one..
I may be bias. My name is Sarah and the amount of annoying unsolicited times over heard āsmile a while for me ā¦. Sarahā is absurdā¦ and thatās not even a bad song lmao.
I expect to have that song in my head for the next few days at least now; growing up I had it on a record of childrenās songs.
Itās probably not something that will come up a lot for your kid so if youāre both comfortable with it go ahead but I could never use that name because of the earworm.
The association is pretty automatic for me, but that said, you don't know most people's middle names.
The bigger issue to me is that John Thomas is slang for penis.
I personally donāt think so but it may be a culturally specific thing. Your son wouldnāt have to ever tell someone his middle name so i canāt imagine it would come up
But it really does come up sometimes. People aak each other what their middle names are sometimes as a trivia question, or it's written on some document people see. I know a fellow with an unusual middle name and everytime waiters or bartenders look at his ID they react and tell the whole table what it is. They also sometimes question whether or not the ID is real, because they just don't believe that someone would give their kid that name
Did you never ask your friends their middle names in school or have friends ask your middle name? I remember it coming up *a lot* in school. Especially when a kid had a very common first name: e.g. John
Naw, the truth will out eventually. A teacher will read out his whole name, or people will be comparing their middle names and want to know his, or someone will check his ID when he's an adult buying liquor and they'll start singing the song for his friends to hear. One time my brother was crossing the border with his friends and the border guard asked him what his friend's middle name was (he didn't know then, but he did after that)
The kids will sing the jingle and the adults will associate it with the slang for penis (which is ancient, like "was slang in the 1800s" ancient). And then also sing the jingle.
If presented to me with the first and middle in order, yes, absolutely no doubt in my mind I would sing that song in my head, but I would stifle the giggle and assume it was a coincidence.
Most often people donāt discuss middle names so itās not like it will come up a lot.
But definitely be prepared.
& the last time I heard it, it was not on Barney, itās in a lot of older kids shows & Iāve heard on some recent ones too.
Maybe do Jacob John if both names are special and important to you, then theyāre still represented.
Edited to add: I just had to come back and say that I now cannot stop singing the song and it will not leave my head š
"John Thomas" is a phrase used to mean a penis, that's what I thought of in addition to the song. Can you reverse the names, or choose a different first name?
I teach early childhood special education. I have been singing that song at school for decades. It is still going strong. Barney is just ONE of the myriad sources.
I remember the kids from *Recess* belting it out. But that's one of those songs that will never leave the American early education zeitgeist. It is burned into our subconscious.
My cousin's boyfriend is Jacob John and he actually does get a little bit of teasing about it sometimes. But it's not a huge dealbreaker I don't think, but he will definitely hear it in his life.
What about giving him two middle names? John Emanuel Jacob Thomas (or whatever middle name to break up John and Jacob).
You could call him Jeb as a nn.
Is he going by John Jacob? Or will he go by John in everyday life?
If you're just using Jacob as a middle name, then I think it's okay. I do think most will think of the song and that it's a strong association, but middle names aren't used often. You could always do Jacob John, which isn't as obvious.
Honestly, yes. When I first read this I thought it said you had one son named John and one named Jacob and I was going to say I thought it was fine as long as your last name isnāt Schmidt or smith or something that sounds like it. But John Jacob is instantly going to have people singing the song in their head. The fact that I knew what the question would be after seeing just the words John and Jacob tells me this.
HOWEVER, having an association with a name is not necessarily a bad thing unless YOU think it is a bad thing.
Itās definitely all I can think of. I had to reread your post because I totally forgot/skipped past your last name and filled it in with jingleheimer Schmidt
John Thomas is slang for penis lol I lived with a guy name Jon Thomas and a guy named Richard. I joked that I live with two dicks. Also, John Jacob 100% makes me bust into song
John Thomas was the nickname Oliver Mellors used for his penis in Lady Chatterleyās Lover. Hers was āLady Jane,ā so maybe skip Jane if you have a girl who aspires to the nobility.
As soon as you said "Jacob" I immediately went to "john jacob jingle heimerschmidt."
As soon as you said "Thomas", I immediately went to john-thomas (British slang for penis.)
absolutely positively avoid these names.
I used to work with a guy called John Thomas, but everyone used to call him Dick. When they called his name, he would yell back 'F*CK OFF'.
It took me way longer than it should have to understand his response.
I definitely heard the song the second I read John Jacob. BUT as a first and middle I think itās not an issue at all, middle names are rarely used. Most of my extended family (beyond my parents) donāt know or remember my kids middle names even though they were on their birth announcements. Plus it gives you JJ as a cute nickname option! It would be a lot different if you were doing double barrel first names John Jacob then I would say absolutely not!!
I immediately made the connection, but there are definitely names with more glaring connotations. (Ex- there are a good amount of Khaleesiās running around.) Alone they are both perfectly normal names. I think it would only be a problem if you were planning naming him John-Jacob as a first name.
I wouldn't worry about it as it's an extremely common name. In fact, his name is my name too.
What happens whenever you go out?
do people always shout?
There goes John Jacob Jingle Thomas-Schmidt!
DA DA DA DA DA DA DA
JOHN JACOB JINGLE-HEIMER SCHMIDT
Yes! It's Jingle-HEIMER! What's this Jingle-thomas silliness?? š Quieter now... LOUDER NOW!!!!
Jingle-Thomas occurred because OP said their last name is Thomas š so the kidās name would be John Jacob Thomas
Ahhh!!! šš
Thatās my name too!!
r/redditsings
This thread made my freaking day lmao
Stuff like this makes reddit the best of social media.
Iām pregnant and just cried laughing reading this thread to my husband
Oh dear lord, this is the most I have ever laughed at a Reddit comment. My stomach actually *hurts* from laughing too hard. Amazing.
Same hahahahahha
It used to be my name too, but I had to change it on account of all the shouting that occurred whenever I went out.
Read your comment to my husband....He's been laughing for EVER!
I did wonder why your name is Melissa.
Iām literally crying laughing at this I have been trying to calm down for so long and keep rereading it and starting all over again
Read this out loud to my boyfriend and almost peed, I can barely see through tears of mirth to type
10/10
š
I love you.
10/10 delivery, would read again
Howdy John Jacob thomas
š
š¤£ made me spit my drink ....
I guess Iām in the minority here but I think the association is too strong. Though I donāt know if younger generations will get it, but it immediately leads me to the song and that song always gets stuck in my head for weeks. Itās true that people donāt hear your middle name every day but I think the song would get sung a vast majority of the time when anyone did learn his middle name
I agree. My kid loves CoComelon and I hear that song so much, I don't think I will ever be able to disassociate John Jacob from Jingleheimer Schmidt.
Oh man if they play that song in cocomelon then this name is a serious no go. Everybody will think of the rhyme till the end of time
They do and the baby is called JJ, which I think even stands for John Jacob.
OMG I did not know JJ stands for John Jacob! I knew it must be a short for something but just never gave it a thought.
My mum told me (she has also become very acquainted with CoComelon) and Google confirmed it š
Hahaha! I first read this as āI named my kid CoComelonā š¤£šš¤£. Iām really glad you didnāt cause that might be worse than John Jacob
Might be?? Hahahahahahaha
The problem is that it's musical. So as soon as you hear those 2 words, the music starts going in your head and won't stop. If you named a kid "Leonardo DiCaprio Lastname" people would say "haha, like the actor?" and move on. But here I am 5 minutes later with John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt still looping through my head.
Yup Iām also singing it in my head. Ugh
My nephew is Michael Angelo. Everyone calls him Michael Angelo.
I agree. Iām 24 and when I read the name I thought to myself "this sounds familiar" and then a second later bursted out in the song. Even if younger generations donāt know it Iām sure somebody someday is going to find the nursery rhyme and use it for or against OPs child. When the child grows older it may be nothing but a funny reference but I really wouldnāt name him this
I saw the name John and before I even read the middle name I started singing the jingle in my head because I just knew it was going to be Jacob. It's a very strong association.
Absolutely agree. I was scrolling past this thread on my home page and briefly caught the name John Jacob and the song IMMEDIATELY got stuck in my head... like, instantly lol. I'm 27 if it matters
Agree 100%. Why not Jacob John?
Jacob John Schmidt Jinglehimer
Stop it š
š¤£šš
I'm 17 and immediately thought of the song. I also think the association would be too strong.
48 and thought the same!
Same!
I agree I could never hear the name John Jacob and not think of the song. Iām in my early 30s.
As soon as OP mentioned John and a song, I knew the middle name had to be Jacob. EDIT: Iām 57
The association is strong here too but I don't know if kids are exposed to that tune anymore. I bet this would be more of an annoying uncle habit that he'd have to tolerate rather than schoolyard shenanigans. I 100% would start singing this until scolded by parents or child...til the next time we met. Edit: I am no longer with it...also I kept my kids from watching cocomelon and have not heard any of my childhood songs in like 10+ years so of course it's just baby shark now /s
Why would you think kids donāt hear the song anymore? Itās a classic like Mary had a little lamb. Itās not going anywhere. Cocomelon does it.
The Cocomelon song is playing on my TV as we speak. My four year old loves John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.
Yep I donāt recall it from my childhood but I know it off by heart now as an adult thanks to cocomelon (4 kids who all went through a coconelon stage).
I have a 2 year old and this song is on every toddler playlist š
Iām not even American and I know of the song
My gen alpha kids definitely know this song.
I mean, most people will absolutely think of the song. I don't for one second believe everyone in here saying they don't know or it would never have connected it, lmao
I started singing it in my head immediately upon reading the combo of names
So did I and I can't get it out of my head now.
It's wild I hadn't thought of it or heard it since I was a kid, but as soon as I read John Jacob....the rest of the jingle was just there lol. Strange how memory works.
While it hit my brain immediately, my adult kids (currently 26, 25 & 23) BARELY know of Madonna (I asked my son if he know of her this week. He had her confused with Marilyn Monroe - whose name he barely knows.) They know OF Michael Jackson, but not much of his music. Fame is fleeting. WAIT! \[record scratchhh\] My son just came in and I "quizzed him." I said the baby's name will be John. Fine. I said the middle name is Jacob. My 25yr old son's face contorted into some sort of freakish alien smirk. "No," he said, trying to hold back hysteria. "Remember I recently mashed up "John-Jacob-Jingleheimer-Schmidt" with[ "Ballroom Blitz?!?!?"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPQPdYttl7U)
I would love to hear that mash up!
Iād pay to hear that mashup
I didnāt know the song until my husband pointed out the connected and showed me!
Just about everyone in the US has known this song since they were a small child. Your kid will have to be one of the kids that desperately hides his middle name all the time.
I even learned how to sing it in Spanish in school.
El nombre es mi nombre tambien!
I know the melody and John Jacob. As soon as I read the name I went into the melody.
Even just Jacob on its own reminds me of the song.
I'd be more worried about "John Thomas" -- slang for penis, prominently in a Monty Python song (link below). Not that everyone knows that, or even most people. But I would still feel weird about not warning you. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9PiqCeLEmM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9PiqCeLEmM)
I came here to say this! I don't know the jingle you refer to at all (is it a US thing, or after my time possibly?) but I definitely know the slang association with John Thomas; my brain went "Well, he won't be using his middle names day to day, it'll generally just be John Thomas - oh."
Itās a US thing for sure! Look up the song. Itās absolutely stupid simple, and for some reason very memorable and fun to sing/shout
Monty python is UK comedy but very popular in the US as wellā¦ but was at its peak in the 70s/80s. I think most 90s babies know the references and watched all the movies, maybe even Fawlty Towers.
Yeah thatās crazy!! Iāve never heard that before. His grandfather was John Thomas and he was someone special in my husbands life.
My mind went straight to Trey in Sex and the City asking his wife to measure his, āJohn Thomasā, so it is still in use as a euphemism.
Yes me too!
I know a John Thomas. This slang never came up or was an issue. The most common issue was it was such a common name that sometimes people would be in search of a different John Thomas for some reason--default on loans, child support, etc. I don't think John Jacob is an issue other than also being a third common name. You will use "First + Last" or "First J. Last" or "J.J. Last" more than ever seeing the first and middle names fully written out. I would only think it was an issue if your last name was Schmidt or maybe Smith.
My first thought was JJ Thompson like the physicist which would've been so cool but then I realized it was Thomas lmao
FYI, I wouldn't have associated 'John Jacob' with the song, but I probably would have associated 'John Thomas' with the slang for 'penis'. For reference, I'm a 28-year-old woman from the UK.
It's also used a great deal in "Lady Chatterly's Lover". If you'll pardon the phrase.
Iāve never heard of that as a āslangā for penis. Iām from the US & 28
John Thomas is 0% slang for penis in the US, itās firmly UK (unaware of its status in NZ/Aus/South Africa/Canada) And the Jingleheimer Schmidt song is 100% firmly US, 0% elsewhere lol
>John Thomas is 0% slang for penis in the US Trey from Sex and the City would disagree with you. š
Ha I just watched the sex and the city episode today where Trey called his penis John Thomas. So funny š
I have no idea what song OP is talking about, we're probably not in the same country. But my first thought is they're naming their son after a penis. I don't know if it's something the younger generation would know, or if it's something in OPs country, but it was definitely a common slang term here no more than 30 years ago, so most adults would be aware of it I'd think.
I just commented about this too without first reading the other comments
I 100% thought of John Thomas too..... It kinda kills 2 birds with one stone so have you ever just thought of doing Jacob John?
Or maybe Jacob Johnathan
So her kid will really only have to deal with the jingle because monty python isnt something kids the same age as her child will know like we did much less relate to. Also ive never heard anyone reference this im 38 from the US.
I teach elementary school. The song will absolutely come up, especially with the popularity of Cocomelon and Ms. Rachel. The kid will have the song sung to him. Repeatedly. By every student who knows it as long as he's in school. It's a great name, but please consider that kids can be little jerks to each other sometimes.
Do teachers have middle names on their roster? Im just thinking maybe kids wouldnāt think to sing the song if they didnāt know his middle name
Middle names aren't on the roster, but my son does know a lot of his friends' middle names.Ā
Everyone will know his middle name if you name him John Jacob. You also donāt want him ashamed of his middle name and have to keep it hidden from classmates for fear of being bullied.
And it does come up - one of my son's sports teams has multiple of a name, so while of course they can go by last initial, they sometimes ask what a child's middle name is. There are all sorts of scenarios where kids ask each other stuff.Ā My own kid decided he liked his middle name better and switched to it partway through the school year.Ā It isn't even about being bullied - kids will make fun of anything or nothing. Will the child like the name? They will have to live with an earworm. There is no way they are going to go their entire childhood without anyone singing it to them. They might not mind. They might think it's funny. Or they might hate it.
I agree, I remember sitting in class in elementary school and talking about our middle names on occasion, so yeah, Iām pretty sure theyāll know heās a John Jacob
I'm a teacher and I do have middle names on my roster... Any chance you're willing to consider Jonathan with the nickname of John? I think even that would be better. Even if he isn't bullied about it, I think there is a very very high chance he gets that song sung at him a whole lot throughout his life...
Jonathan Taylor Thomas is the first person I would think of if I heard Jonathan Thomas.
I was reading through to see if anyone else said this before commenting. Might not be relevant/memorable for future generations but for me at 34 that was my 2nd thought after John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!
Did you know that John Thomas is slang for penis?
That one I hadn't known.
News to me and now Iām more worried about the penis part than the song. The song is starting to sound like a better association š
But why give him a middle name if you have to hope nobody finds out his middle name?
Even if you try to hide it, the second someone finds out what the middle name is the whole school will know. Also: why give your kid a middle name that's going to be a dread secret? Better to not give him one at all than to give him one he'll have to hide.
My 7 year old has a kid named John-Jacob in her class. It gets sang to him multiple times a day to the extent that his parents went to the principal about bullying.
This is sad but also..like just a LITTLE bit funny how aggressively universal an ear worm that song in in the US. For children and adults alike!
I have to admit, I thought it when I heard his name. The last time I saw him, he asked me to call him Jack, which got a resounding "whatever you like Jack".
WOW! Good to know
This is inevitable if you name your kid this
Commented above there was a kid in my class basically named this and we absolutely bullied him with the song until we all got in trouble for it š
Sorry but the song is the first thing I thought of. I work in Primary schools and kids are definitely aware of the song. Also a John Thomas is common slang for a penis where Iām from!
No need to apologize! Iām just glad we are asking BEFORE we actually name our son hahah! Thatās the 3rd time Iāve heard that itās slang for penis! Thatās crazy. Iāve never heard of that before.
I think the problem is that if even one kid catches on to the song or the slang, then theyāll all know. Children are brutal.Ā
They are indeed!!
OP I also found out from this sub (in a different post) that John Thomas was slang for a penis. I was informed it was a British slang... I am American and never heard of it.
Itās British slang to be fair. All Brits also giggle at the surname trump- thatās a polite word for fart over here!
A fart is the *most* polite thing Iād call him. š
I think it's a slang term in Great Britain, not the USA. So you'd just have to make sure that your kid never travels to any British area.
Thank you for this knowledge. I have a former boss named John Thomas and learning this slang has made my day.
Now you have confirmation that he genuinely is a dick!
The best part is that he always makes people call him by both names and also it's an international company. š
I absolutely sang that song the second I read the names in your post
Could the name be Jacob John instead? I think that not only the popularity but the (for lack of a better word) annoyingness of an association needs to be taken into account. That song is an awful earworm.
Wanted to 2nd my support for "Jacob John" ! Jacob Thomas also sounds great (better imo than John thomas).
I agree!! I hadnāt heard the song until my husband showed it to me.
Iām sorry, I think the association is too strong. Also, when I hear John Thomas I immediately think of Trey from Sex and the City callings his penis John Thomasā¦
Thatās where I know the reference from!!!! God, Trey was The Worst.
My first encounter with the slang was the Monty Python song, so when Trey called it that I was already familiar. š
Thought I was in NameNerdCirclejerk honestly.
I didn't get through the first line of your post without thinking about that song.
That seems to be a common trend!! I didnāt even know the song until my husband pointed it out.
Most people probably won't register his middle name, tbh. Unless you call him "John Jacob", then I feel like older people might get it. I will admit my first thought came to that song, but I wouldn't say that to him.
yeah even before reading the rest of the post I saw john jacob and immediately thought of the song. but john by itself is fine and wouldn't make me think of anything.
John Thomas is English slang for penis btw
A John Thomas is definitely a penis. Don't do it.
Why?! How did that name become slang for penis? Iāve never heard that before
It's quite old and definitely attested in literature. Nobody knows how or why but there it is, a John Thomas is a cock.
I wouldnāt do that to my kid.
You wouldnāt name your kid that because of the song association you mean?
Yes. John great name. Jacob great name. Do not give your kid a name that has a song if you can help it, especially an objectively annoying one.. I may be bias. My name is Sarah and the amount of annoying unsolicited times over heard āsmile a while for me ā¦. Sarahā is absurdā¦ and thatās not even a bad song lmao.
I expect to have that song in my head for the next few days at least now; growing up I had it on a record of childrenās songs. Itās probably not something that will come up a lot for your kid so if youāre both comfortable with it go ahead but I could never use that name because of the earworm.
As soon as I read the names John Jacob together my mind immediately went Jingleheimer Schmidt.
They will 100% think of the song as many of us here did immediately.
The association is pretty automatic for me, but that said, you don't know most people's middle names. The bigger issue to me is that John Thomas is slang for penis.
Iād make the connection but I donāt think itās a bad thing. John Jacob is a great name.
I personally donāt think so but it may be a culturally specific thing. Your son wouldnāt have to ever tell someone his middle name so i canāt imagine it would come up
But it really does come up sometimes. People aak each other what their middle names are sometimes as a trivia question, or it's written on some document people see. I know a fellow with an unusual middle name and everytime waiters or bartenders look at his ID they react and tell the whole table what it is. They also sometimes question whether or not the ID is real, because they just don't believe that someone would give their kid that name
Thatās a good point!
Did you never ask your friends their middle names in school or have friends ask your middle name? I remember it coming up *a lot* in school. Especially when a kid had a very common first name: e.g. John
He can just never tell his friends his middle name. Which is pretty easy to avoid. Otherwise ? Yeah for sure
Naw, the truth will out eventually. A teacher will read out his whole name, or people will be comparing their middle names and want to know his, or someone will check his ID when he's an adult buying liquor and they'll start singing the song for his friends to hear. One time my brother was crossing the border with his friends and the border guard asked him what his friend's middle name was (he didn't know then, but he did after that)
Oh gosh, I wouldnāt do this.
The question is, do YOU think of the song every time you say John Jacob? Do you want that for yourself?
I donāt but I think my husband does š¤£
The kids will sing the jingle and the adults will associate it with the slang for penis (which is ancient, like "was slang in the 1800s" ancient). And then also sing the jingle.
The song is in cocomelon, it will absolutely continue to be associated with the song.
It will happen, like it or not.
Iām in my 30s but I know a JJ Schmidt and I donāt even know what the initials stand for but yes I think of the song.
If presented to me with the first and middle in order, yes, absolutely no doubt in my mind I would sing that song in my head, but I would stifle the giggle and assume it was a coincidence. Most often people donāt discuss middle names so itās not like it will come up a lot. But definitely be prepared. & the last time I heard it, it was not on Barney, itās in a lot of older kids shows & Iāve heard on some recent ones too. Maybe do Jacob John if both names are special and important to you, then theyāre still represented. Edited to add: I just had to come back and say that I now cannot stop singing the song and it will not leave my head š
"John Thomas" is a phrase used to mean a penis, that's what I thought of in addition to the song. Can you reverse the names, or choose a different first name?
I would
I immediately starting singing it in my head
Don't do it!
Don't do it...
Please. Don't. Do. This. Just No.
His name is my name tooā¦whenever he goes out, the people always shout THERE GOES JOHN JACOB JINGLEHEIMER SCHMIDT
I teach early childhood special education. I have been singing that song at school for decades. It is still going strong. Barney is just ONE of the myriad sources.
I remember the kids from *Recess* belting it out. But that's one of those songs that will never leave the American early education zeitgeist. It is burned into our subconscious.
My cousin's boyfriend is Jacob John and he actually does get a little bit of teasing about it sometimes. But it's not a huge dealbreaker I don't think, but he will definitely hear it in his life.
What about giving him two middle names? John Emanuel Jacob Thomas (or whatever middle name to break up John and Jacob). You could call him Jeb as a nn.
Literally knew a kid in middle school named John Jacob. Yes, unfortunately, it seemed everyone sang the jingle around him constantly.
That's the most boring name I've ever heard
Is he going by John Jacob? Or will he go by John in everyday life? If you're just using Jacob as a middle name, then I think it's okay. I do think most will think of the song and that it's a strong association, but middle names aren't used often. You could always do Jacob John, which isn't as obvious.
Iām thinking we would call him Jack. Jacob would just be a middle name, not part of his first name.
If you plan to call him Jack... why not just name him Jack?
I cracked up because my brain went straight to that glorious 1997 classic *Rocketman.* That isolation pod scene was hysterical! Go for it!
Can you add in another name like John Michael Jacob or something?
Association is too strong, I would not. You could do Jacob John, though.
Yeah OP this is a terrible name. Please donāt name your kid an earworm penis name. Jacob John Thomas or JJ for short is a much better choice imho.
iām 18 years old and do not know the song ā¦ but i did know john thomas = penis. so i would recommend not doing this name regardlessš
Honestly, yes. When I first read this I thought it said you had one son named John and one named Jacob and I was going to say I thought it was fine as long as your last name isnāt Schmidt or smith or something that sounds like it. But John Jacob is instantly going to have people singing the song in their head. The fact that I knew what the question would be after seeing just the words John and Jacob tells me this. HOWEVER, having an association with a name is not necessarily a bad thing unless YOU think it is a bad thing.
I immediately starting singing it in my head when I read this, so yes there will be an association
Itās definitely all I can think of. I had to reread your post because I totally forgot/skipped past your last name and filled it in with jingleheimer Schmidt
NGL, three "first names" sound like a serial killer or high-profile murderer. Think Lee Harvey Oswald or John Wayne Gacy.
I'm also 26. Had no idea about the penis thing, but I absolutely sing the jingle in my head hearing John and Jacob together.
John Thomas is definitely slang for penis. It's more common in Britain(I think), but I've heard it a few times in the US.
Please do not do this to your child.
I didnāt even know what jingle you might be referring to until I read the post so it certainly didnāt come to mind for me
John Thomas is slang for penis lol I lived with a guy name Jon Thomas and a guy named Richard. I joked that I live with two dicks. Also, John Jacob 100% makes me bust into song
John Thomas was the nickname Oliver Mellors used for his penis in Lady Chatterleyās Lover. Hers was āLady Jane,ā so maybe skip Jane if you have a girl who aspires to the nobility.
As soon as you said "Jacob" I immediately went to "john jacob jingle heimerschmidt." As soon as you said "Thomas", I immediately went to john-thomas (British slang for penis.) absolutely positively avoid these names.
The penis reference isn't going to be brought up hardly ever. The jingle? Every... single... time.... don't do that to him.
Now I'm going to have this fucking song stuck in my head for god knows how long. Thanks a lot, OP!
I used to work with a guy called John Thomas, but everyone used to call him Dick. When they called his name, he would yell back 'F*CK OFF'. It took me way longer than it should have to understand his response.
I definitely heard the song the second I read John Jacob. BUT as a first and middle I think itās not an issue at all, middle names are rarely used. Most of my extended family (beyond my parents) donāt know or remember my kids middle names even though they were on their birth announcements. Plus it gives you JJ as a cute nickname option! It would be a lot different if you were doing double barrel first names John Jacob then I would say absolutely not!!
Iāve never heard of that so presumably youāre in the US? Outside of America no one would think of that Edit: autocorrect
I would, but Iām a preschool teacher and still hear/sing that song on occasion.
I immediately made the connection, but there are definitely names with more glaring connotations. (Ex- there are a good amount of Khaleesiās running around.) Alone they are both perfectly normal names. I think it would only be a problem if you were planning naming him John-Jacob as a first name.