The funniest thing ever in the NYT

Thanks to formerly exotically named Mimosa for sending me this item from the NY Times.

Hugo, "Fidel Jr. " Chavez, wants to enact a law whereby he limits the astounding naming capabilities of his fellow Venezuelans, who apparently take the cake when it comes to inventing the most involuntarily hilarious names for their children. To wit:

So long, Hengelberth, Maolenin, Kerbert Krishnamerk, Githanjaly, Yornaichel, Nixon and Yurbiladyberth. The prolifically inventive world of Venezuelan baby names may be coming to an end.

If electoral officials here get their way, a bill introduced last week would prohibit Venezuelan parents from bestowing those names — and many, many others — on their children.

What a bunch of killjoys. Listen to this:

The children in the Vargas family have names like Kleiderman Jesús, Yureimi Klaymar, Yusneidi Alicia, Yusmary Shuain, Kleiderson Klarth and Yusmery Sailing..

I can't stop laughing. I will attempt some etymologies:

Yornaichel I'm sure is in honor of George Michael, formerly of WHAM.
Kleiderman Jesús, which is my second favorite after his brother Kleiderson Klarth, may very well be indebted to the genius of piano muzak, Richard Clayderman. Whereas Hengelberth, probably derives from Engelbert Humperdinck, the lounge singer.
Yurdiladyberth? I have no idea.

Whimsical names can also be found in other Latin American countries. Honduras has first names like Ronald Reagan, Transfiguración and Compañía Holandesa (Dutch Company), according to the newspaper El Heraldo. In Panama, local news media this year reported name-change efforts by an Esthewoldo, a Kairovan and a Max Donald.

But Venezuela’s naming tradition rivals or exceeds that of its neighbors, many people here say. Some first names in Venezuela include Haynhect, Olmelibey, Yan Karll and Udemixon, according to a list compiled by the novelist Roberto Echeto.

Other names here easily roll off the tongue in English, like Kennedy or John Wayne, or in Russian, like Pavel or Ilich, reflecting influences from the cold war era.

“The children of my cousins are named Keiserlin, Jeiserlin, Keifel, Yurubi, Arol Kiling,” said Leidy Marrero, 29, a budget analyst.

Arol Kiling?

Some parents exercise that right more liberally than others.

Software searches of the voter registry find more than 60 people of voting age with the first name Hitler, including Hitler Adonys Rodríguez Crespo; eight Hochiminhs, among them Hochiminh Jesús Delgado Sierra; and six Eisenhowers, including Dwight Eisenhower Rojas Barboza.

I don't know about Hitler (and the parents of the poor little Hitlers, what scumbags!), but you gotta admit that Hitler Adonys has a certain charm to it.