The Name Imogen Is A Mistake

[@NameExplain]

We need just $110 more to hit our goal on Patreon support if you can! x www.patreon.com/nameexplain

[@thorthewolf8801]

Your hair cant be described as "hair", its a full blown mane

[@corgieapple6062]

@@thorthewolf8801 I can back that

[@xavieralvarado8411]

A teacher told me in grade school that Hitlers name is a misspelling that he was born with one surname (cant remember) and when he came of age to change his name he wanted to take his step fathers name and misspelled it on the documents... not 100%sure tho

[@blakelv]

the name imogen feels like a fever dream to me... i’ve heard it a handful of times but have NEVER met one in real life

[@CheLanguages]

I know an Imogen, I am going to enjoy pointing this out to her.

[@TheloyalArcanine]

I guess you're...Imogening it 😜

[@milliethedog2474]

My ex GF mum name was Imogen

[@Jessie_Helms]

I’ve never heard of imogen, only Emmie-Jean and Emma-Jean

[@roff000]

@@TheloyalArcanine did you just.....

[@HitakinoKage]

I used to know a guy named Iran. The reason his name was Iran was because when the doctor asked what his mother wanted to name him, his mother's accent was so thick that the doctor misheard 'Ihram' as 'Iran' and that's what wound up on the birth certificate.

[@hieratics]

In Brazil Iran is a normal name for a guy

[@hannahk1306]

In the UK your birth registration is usually filled out by a family member (typically the father). So this kind of mistake would be quite rare. You do get odd spellings sometimes though

[@andyisdead]

@@hieratics no it's not

[@hieratics]

@@andyisdead é sim, só não é tão comum. Mas ninguém vai fazer caso por isso 🙄

[@ArgentavisMagnificens]

@@hieratics normal é uma palavra muito forte, mas já vi um cara chamado Irã

[@scottkemp1]

Explain why I can't have amazing hair like yours

[@BOABModels]

You pronounce Cymbeline correctly, Patrick. I appeared in a production of the play in 2010 as Guiderius (Innogen's oldest brother) and our director acknowledged the naming error. She was Innogen in our version.

[@BOABModels]

@Gary Allen another actor who looked vaguely like my brother. The director wanted me to read it like a poem - which I did. Fear no more the heat of the sun etc etc.

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

I was adopted when I was 12, but I swear to god, my birth name was "Ingrio Bello Babel Smith." I would love for you to crack the case of that name for me.

[@danadnauseam]

My grandfather's name was a mistake. His parents intended to call him Nathan, but the doctor who completed the birth certificate misheard and wrote Leighton. The error wasn't discovered until his mid-20s, when his military pay during World War II was delayed. He continued to use Leighton as his formal name but went by Nat the rest of his life. My cousin named his son Leighton in his memory, but he is always called Nathan.

[@joeyscerbo7776]

Ha! I love that story!

[@dianeridley9804]

What a fantastic story! It does, however, underscore that birthparents should be the ONLY persons allowed to complete the birth certificate.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

I'm trying to figure out in that dialect those names sound close enough to confuse them.

[@danadnauseam]

@@HappyBeezerStudios The IPA representations are .

[@talideon]

Yup. In modern Irish, the word for "daughter" is "iníon", which comes from Middle Irish "inghean", which comes from Old Irish "ingen" where it meant "daughter young woman, girl", reconstructed in Proto-Celtic as "*enigenā". Interestingly, it's likely cognate with "indigenous".

[@talideon]

Also, this is where the "ní" in Irish women's surnames comes from.

[@ftumschk]

I can see where the Welsh "geneth" (girl) came from now. In case anyone's wondering, BTW, I think the resemblance to the name Gwyneth/Gweneth is coincidental.

[@Immylda]

I can't believe you've done this 😂

[@terraformmars7668]

@tyla LMAO I LITERALLY DIED-

[@rodrigogirao8344]

Brazilian writer/cartoonist Millôr Fernandes was a curious case of that. He was named Milton until age 17, when he examined his birth certificate, and found the notary's wonky handwriting made it look like that original word. Amused, he fully adopted it.

[@CieJe.Alexander]

Or, Oprah Winfrey. One of the most famous modern day naming mix-ups, to produce an entirely new name. She was meant to be named for the Biblical Orpah. *My spellchecker just tried to 'correct' Orpah, to Oprah as I was about to hit send ➡! Lol 😂

[@maggpiprime954]

I like "Imogen" better than "Innogen." It sounds more romantic/poetic.

[@funwithimogen]

Thank you 😩✋🏻

[@Cotif11]

Phonetically it's a fucking disgrace and should have been aborted in the womb. The M and N fight one another to guide the pronunciation of the word and end up chopping the word up awkwardly, Innogen is much more comfortable to say

[@wscottwatson]

My father in law told me that he once had a pupil called Iocent. He eventually learned that she was originally called Hyacinth but, when she came over from the Caribbean with her parents, the immigration official didn't bother to listen to her parents and made the name up!

[@void________]

That immigration official likely works at Starbucks now.

[@audrey-zd5dm]

Wtf..😂😂

[@kanyekubrick5391]

Everyone named Imogen: 😕

[@acidducks9476]

so nobody?

[@CieJe.Alexander]

My grandmother's middle name was Emogene*. (*pronounced Emma-Jean) Her two best friends in school, (1930's-40's) were named; Imogene (pronounced Eye-ma-Jean), and Irmagene* (pronounced Er-ma-Jean) *_Irmagene_ later dropped the Irma, and just went by the Gene portion (but oddly enough, spelled it "Jean")

[@emogen2614]

@@acidducks9476 my names Imogen🥲

[@big_slurp4603]

@@acidducks9476 moron

[@acidducks9476]

@@big_slurp4603 get mad

[@davidwebb3407]

Something similar happened to my brother. He was supposed to be Duane, but it was misspelled Duanne on his birth certificate.

[@davidwebb3407]

@Gary Allen No, just the usual pronunciation. My mother favors simple names. That's how I got David and my other brother John.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@davidwebb3407 What is the "usual" pronunciation? I've only seen it used as a family name before but have no idea how to pronounce it.

[@davidwebb3407]

@@HappyBeezerStudios We pronounce it pretty much like Dwayne, except the D part is stretched out a bit so it becomes two syllables.

[@marmac83]

Mt Keira in Australia has the ei spelling, and is pronounced the same as Keira Knightly. Perhaps her parents got het name from the mountain in Australia...

[@imminentpenguin9184]

When I was a kid I couldn't get my head around this name. I was convinced it was spelled and pronounced Igomen and it took years for me to realise I was wrong. I liked it and called at least one character Igomen in stories I wrote in class 😂

[@immi9785]

As someone named imogen, me and my parents had a good laugh at this

[@justmitz9520]

In Jamaica, I just noticed, there's a version of this name that old ladies will have. It's pronounced EYE-mo-gene

[@fduranthesee]

I’ve never heard of “Imogen” or anyone named “Imogen”, but, the name sounds cool. It sounds like an abbreviation of “Imagination Generator,” which in itself sounds cool.

[@florenccias]

well now u met me so u do know someone called imogen 👍

[@michaelturner2806]

Unrelated but similar seeming is the name Imajin, one of the mascot characters for the giant multimedia extravaganza Yume Kōjō. He might be a little more familiar as the main character in the Nintendo tie-in game Doki Doki Panic. (He was replaced with Mario in US SMB2 / Super Mario USA.) Rather than being a daughter, his name was patterned after the English word 'imagine'. GTV Japan here on youtube has a wonderful documentary about Yume Kōjō, a big event that was part tech expo and part Mardis Gras, that seems practically unknown outside Japan other than the inspiration for a Mario video game.

[@aaronodonoghue1791]

I've met only one Imogen in my life, but I'd heard of the name long before meeting her

[@jetwaffle1116]

This reminds me of a story my mum told me a while ago. So she works in a nursery school, and a parent she knew just was coming in to drop off her older child, a few weeks after she had given birth to a second. My mum, naturally enough, asked, “what’s she called” and the woman responds “Yvonne”. However, it wasn’t pronounced Yvonne; it was pronounced, “Ye-vo-nee”. My mum almost broke inside, because that kid is now gonna have to deal with being *constantly* misnamed for years and years!

[@catharinavonk]

Jesus.

[@johnnessuno6515]

Hayzoos

[@Ettibridget]

You know different countries have different pronunciations, right? That's more or less how it would be said in my country.

[@HalfEye79]

@@Ettibridget There are also names in different countries with a similar to same pronounciation but very different spelling. In school I had a classmate from Croatia named Kristijan, which is very similar pronounced like the german version Christian.

[@jetwaffle1116]

@@Ettibridget really? We’re from Northern Ireland and I so was the parent (not even from an immigrant family I believe), and I’ve only heard it as “Ee-Vonn”. Out of interest, where are you from where they say it differently?

[@QlueDuPlessis]

I felt like you were channeling Simon Whistler for a moment there.

[@zugabdu1]

Imogen is a name like Briony, Tamsin, or Nigel - one of those very British sounding names to Americans. The only American I have ever encountered with this name was a fictional character in the story "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" that I read in third grade and it was spelled "Imogene" with an extra "e" at the end.

[@bossfan49]

There was an American comedic actress in the '50s-'80s named Imogene Coca. ..pronounce with a long E sound. She changed the spelling of her birth name- Emogeane. Other British names you rarely if ever see in the US (besides Nigel) Simon, Rhys, Oliver, Arthur, Archie, Freddie....

[@HunterAllan]

"Its wildly popular in the UK but not particularly popular in the US." Me an American: I have literally never heard of this name before watching this video...

[@f.michaelbremer-cruz2708]

Thanks for sharing this. There was once a rather famous American Comic Actor, named Imogene Coca (November 18, 1908 - June 2, 2001). She was just delightfully talented in every role she played, a beloved household name in the US during the last half of the 20th Century. She was a pioneer in 1950's TV, even having her own show in 1954. While those were well before my time, she kept working regularly, being quite the character actor. She was so memorable that I smile thinking about how often she made me laugh. Her comedy was timeless, IMHO. I remember her best for playing "Aunt Jenny" on the Brady Bunch and from then on, she was quite memorable in every role she played. Her birth name was Emogeane Coca, which is probably one of the most unique variations for "Innogen" that's still known of today. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imogene_Coca

[@bossfan49]

When I was young I would watch all the old tv show reruns with my Dad. Honeymooners, etc.. I remember her from the Sid Caesar show. Then she turned up in one of my favorite movies as "Aunt Edna" in Vacation. I see she changed the spelling from Emogeane.

[@wolfeysugar9024]

A whole video just about my name, amazing

[@Sydney-Casket-Base]

name explain: imogen is not a popular name in america! me, an american: can confirm. ive literally never heard of this name before.

[@tiagomnlmnl]

"mmmmmwatchasaaaayyyy~" -imogen poots, probably

[@zazaza903]

*Imogen's parents* : dear Imogen you are our mistake and your name is mistake. *Imogen*: 😢

[@funwithimogen]

My name is a mistake-

[@grafinvonhohenembs]

Wow! You're a real person! Where have I been? O_O Great video as usual! I've definitely never met an Imogen. I was shocked to see how popular it still is in the UK. I had always thought that that has gone out of fashion ages ago and was only still found in literature. I do like it though; even if it is a typo. XP

[@baronvg]

Anyone who’s watched all the episodes of The Wonder Years knows very well the Kevin Arnold/Amold scene 🤣

[@kencube86]

My uncle name was a mistake. His birth name was Yin-Wai Chan. My grandfather used to just call him Wai. He migrated to Macau from Cambodia in the 70s with his parents. The immigration office who issue identify card asked what his name is, my grandfather said his name is Wai, Saikou. Saikou means the youngest son, but the officer didn't know, just thought this is his name. Thus my uncle name becomes Saikou Wai.

[@WhoaThereMama]

This American has never met an Imogen! I didn't realize it was so popular across the pond

[@lillyjames1985]

Hahaha yah my name is imogen, but I go by Lilly because everyone in the south pronounces my name wrong .

[@kaloarepo288]

There was a famous musical conductor called Imogen Holst -she was the daughter of the great English composer Gustav Holst -composer of the famous "Planets Suite" which contains the famous "Jupiter the bringer of jollity" theme better known as the tune for the anthem "My country."

[@HalfEye79]

The name Imogen never crossed my path.

[@iamdougie4774]

It has now

[@DezMarivette]

Imogen sounds prettier than Innogen to me. But yes I’ve only come across that name as the artist Imogen Heap or fictional characters. Never met one in person. Chalk it up to American!

[@imogenlenore]

Come to Australia you can meet some super cool people called Imogen, like me. Plus I am so glad my name is not Innogen how gross would that be?

[@iamdougie4774]

My sister is called imogen

[@imogenrippeth2506]

An Imogen here

[@LuthaisRonso]

Oprah's name is misspelled. She was named after the biblical figure Orpah, but no one knew how to pronounce or spell it either.

[@JL-ti3us]

Keep the video game section; just do nordic names and you have skyrim characters for every single one

[@firstnamlastnam2141]

Imogen sounds like a late 90s/early 2000s computer graphics company. It's already a mix of Image and Generation with a random O in the middle to combine them.

[@dianeridley9804]

I thought it was "Imogene". Imogen seems to name a physiochemical substance, like kerogen.

[@dark.faedream]

I like this name now that I've heard how it's pronounced! I'd only ever read it before and I thought it was pronounced "I-moe-gen" instead of "Imo-gen", the way the syllables are stressed sounds a lot better to me with the actual pronunciation lol

[@CieJe.Alexander]

Was my Grandmother's middle name but pronounced like Emma-Jean.

[@WUStLBear82]

At least in the US, there is a variant spelling also thought to be of Irish origin, Emogene. I have a 92-year-old aunt in Pennsylvania with this name. Today it sounds a bit Victorian, like Ermina or Clarabelle, also the names of elderly relatives.

[@EnigmaticLucas]

Kinda like how the word “sneeze” exists because people misread “fneeze” as “ſneeze”

[@servantofaeie1569]

wait really? holy fhit

[@EnigmaticLucas]

@@servantofaeie1569 Yep

[@calum5975]

@@EnigmaticLucas That's possibly not true. It's a common evolution in English for 'f' to become 's', seen in words like Snore (which use to be fnore), and possibly it naturally evolved from F to S. There's no evidence pointing to why the spelling changed from an F to S, but its not certain that it was confused for a long S.

[@EnigmaticLucas]

@@calum5975 Is it possible that /fn/ shifted to /sn/ *because* of spelling? Spelling pronunciation is a thing, it’s why most Brits pronounce “herb” with /h/ and why some Americans (including myself) pronounce “often” with /t/.

[@calum5975]

@@EnigmaticLucas that's certainly possible, yet it's also a common phonetic shift aside from spelling, so knowing if the spelling caused the phonetic shift or if they occured simultaneously but independently is difficult.

[@douglasphillips5870]

The closest I could think of someone named Imogen was Imogene Coca which is a variant spelling of a misspelled name.

[@DragonLandlord]

My name is Anna and occasionally I run the n's together when I sign things, so sometimes it's an m or 3 n's.

[@Mattteus]

Oprah’s name is from a misspelling of Orpah.

[@ndv135]

I have never heard Imogen before in my life! I had no idea it was even a name, no less number 45 for girls names in the UK. From Canada by the way. So, not a name really either. I don't even think it's not just popular, I wouldn't even say it's really a name in Canada and the US.

[@ScottJB]

It's a name in the US. I've met probably 5 Immogens here.

[@iamdougie4774]

My sister is called imogen we live in England

[@CheLanguages]

I have been enjoying AD History recently.

[@mavisusername]

How did they find out that it was an error tho?

[@SylviaRustyFae]

Spkin of spellin mistakes on folks birth certificates; that reminds me of Emmma. Also known as Emma with Three Ms. A nerdfighter who wrote in to Dear John & Hank to ask for their advice on whether or not she shud change her name to its incorrect spelling of Emmma that was on her birth certificate or try to go thru the process of changin her birth certificate to fix the typo. There was nvr a followup so no clue which spellin she uses, but every Emma that writes in makes a point of clarifying with two Ms nowadays xD

[@mkeller18]

About 20 years ago husband bought GLITTER GLUE from an import store but it was labeled as GUTTER GLUE. It's a standing joke in our house whenever we talk about glue.

[@CoopBurrito]

Another video game character with the name Imogen is Imogen Royce from the recent Hitman 3. There are lots of video game characters with interesting and rare but real names. :3

[@RavenFilms]

I know I’ve heard the name Imogen in passing in maybe middle school, but I had no idea it was a name still in use. When I saw you chose that name I was surprised you picked and “extinct” name. Shows how many people I’ve heard of with that name. (I’m from the US)

[@imogenlenore]

Oh no maybe I am extinct haha. I am Australian and I know myself and have met about 4 other Imogens in my life, so it must be more popular here.

[@Tulpen23]

In the US we can have the name Emma Jean, and Imogen always sounded like a rush to say that name to me.

[@reset_failed5987]

My name is actually Imagin!! My mom took inspiration from the movie down to you and just changed the spelling a lil bit!!!

[@JaredtheRabbit]

Patrick: The Name Imogen Was A Mistake Me: Mmmm, whatcha say/

[@kugul1683]

Lol I've never noticed Patrick's beard was ginger before

[@1ukzje]

With that hair mans gonna join Ancient Aliens

[@theyellowlightsaber3193]

I thought Imogen was derived from image, infact I coulve sworn I read that under a name meaning, didnt realise it had all this other stuff attached

[@snardfluk]

You didn’t mention variations on the name, like Imogene. A famous comedienne in the early days of American television was Imogene Coca.

[@CieJe.Alexander]

Although, the great Ms. Coca's was pronounced [Eye·Ma·Jean/I'm a Gene]

[@snardfluk]

@@CieJe.Alexander Not true. I was around when she starred with Sid Caesar and her name was “Imma-Jean”.

[@CieJe.Alexander]

@@snardfluk You are absolutely correct. It was actually pronounced both ways. In earlier years, her contemporaries (perhaps, her more intimate friends? idk) used Imma. As the years went on, others seemed to lean more, and more, toward using, the I'm-a, variation for some reason. I never truly understood that gradual change.

[@TommyCrosby]

I'm not saying it was Shakespeare, but it was Shakespeare...

[@MrGreensweightHist]

Jimi Hendrix changed the spelling of his name from the normal Jimmy to Jimi at the suggestion of the bass player from the Animals. My parents named me after Hendrix.

[@Alice-sh1qy]

i remember in elementary school i was playing webkinz (the site) and I named one of my webkinz Imogen and my classmate got mad at me because one of her webkinz was also named Imogen

[@Angelicdudles]

Alright: one of my friends is called Imogen, I know two other girls in my school called Imogen, I knew around 3 other Imogen’s in my childhood, and my younger sister is called Imogen.

[@kevinmartin7760]

There was also Imogene Coca (born Emogeane) who was a US TV star in the 1950's on Syd Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" and because of her I always thought the name had Spanish roots.

[@bossfan49]

"Aunt Edna" in Vacation!!

[@auroramartell]

Jessica is actually the Anglicanized version of the Biblical name Iscah (the sister of Lot in the Old Testament)...

[@imogen5141]

I randomly searched my name on here and this video came up.

[@rubysu9265]

I think Jax would be a cool name to learn about!

[@LetsTakeWalk]

Mmm, Watchu say?

[@ThumbsandfingersRequired]

i think your hair is so fluffy and cute

[@Jamiered18]

You move your hands like a professor

[@EmelyPhan]

There is an Imogen from Carnival Row

[@katybateman8331]

I live in the US. I named my new kitten Imogen bc I think it's a beautiful name & Imogen Church is my favorite narrator EVER! Her voice is perfect! And bc it's such an undervalued name here in the States. Thanks for your fun explanation of the name!

[@CadetGriffin]

Uncharted plots of name land for Patreon saints to claim: - Cricket: an insect, a sport and a cellphone service - Tom: a common given name, a word for cat and a type of drum - Kappa: a Greek letter, a Twitch emote and a creature from Japanese folklore - Dendy: a Russian NES clone, an Australian cinema company and a cartoon character

[@CieJe.Alexander]

*Tom cat = 🚹🐈/male cat Similar to Jack🚹/Jenny🚺 for many animals. I.e. horses, donkeys, mules, etc.

[@User-uj7nz]

Your Patreon skipped my youtube ad/sponsor block extensions! Well done sir...that will be auto skipped soon.

[@AllstarCheerleadingForever]

Oh..... My name is totally not Imogen... 😥 No... I'm not crying....

[@anakinskywalker6666]

Imogen Poots looks a LOT like Kaitlin Bennett

[@Jessie_Helms]

You say that, but then you meet Brastoin and his sister breanghtleigh and change your mind.

[@meetaverma8372]

I wish my name was a mistake, but I have an awful name, that isn't a mistake

[@kugul1683]

What's its origin?

[@JontyLevine]

In handwritten text, 'Cliff Road' starts to look an awful lot like 'Cuff Road'. I almost made that mistake when I worked in data entry.

[@joemedley195]

In the U.S. there was an actress named Imogene Coca in the early 1950s. She was on Sid Caesar’s show, which you might not know unless you’re heard of his writing staff: Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, and Larry Gelbart.

[@joemedley195]

Larry Gelbart brought MASH to television.

[@grainfrizz]

Heap This is the comment you're looking for. You're welcome.

[@Koji-Alistair]

It's weird that your hair and beard are different colors

[@CheLanguages]

hahahaa

[@LuinTathren]

Actually, it's quite common. There are plenty of KZbin videos that explain this phenomenon.

[@katiearbuckle9017]

That's probably because they never made us read Cymbaline as Students in US School's when they covered Shakespeare. I am not even sure if the Drama or AP English classes covered it either. But yeah, that's probably why you see less Imogen's in the US. Actually I am aware of an "American" Ophelia. She was a fellow Katie (Dead Name) and got it changed to "Ophelia." And that Ophelia sells fish-less Sushi. It was an interesting interaction cause when she asked me my name for the order she was like " There is just too many Katie's."

[@lexfacitregem]

Let me just say one thing: The mistake with 'Imogen Poots' ISN'T Imogen. I'll just leave it at that!

[@bossfan49]

(snicker)

[@timmmahhhh]

Don't know of any famous people named Imogen but Imogene Coca was a famous American actress. In fact when I typed Imogen the spell correcter wanted to add the E.

[@bossfan49]

There's currently two English celebrities named Imogen, one a musician (Heap) and one an actor (Poots).

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

Tne reference to Shakespeare's handwriting is surely a solid source evidencing that he was real, that it wasn't someone else writing it.

[@renlawson5676]

I have a great aunt named Imogene, it's actually a name I was think of to give to one of my and my husband's future daughters

[@dianeridley9804]

Imogene is the name to which I am accustomed.

[@MaySwenon]

My grandmother was also Imogene.

[@Schinshikss]

Alright, you have pursuaded me on naming my son Dord, if I have one.

[@Emperor_Oshron]

another "modern" name invention which might have been a typo--can't remember off the top of my head--is "Cedric"; it originally comes from Walter Scott's _Ivanhoe_ and was historically spelled as "Cerdic"

[@Breaxslayyyx]

I can't belive this mentioned my name in this video

[@blueagle-di6is]

My name is Ben Dover

[@cassandrathomas6015]

My middle name is Imogen -_-

[@teenyweenykiwi]

Oprah was supposed to be named Orpah but whoever wrote her birth certificate switched the letters around.

[@ZipplyZane]

With Orpah being a name from the Bible.

[@LangThoughts]

IIRC, the same thing happened to Oprah. She was going to be given the Biblical name Orpah, but it was misspelled on her birth certificate.

[@moritamikamikara3879]

There's something cursed about that.

[@DJMattEmpathy]

My friend's daughter is called Imogen, Immi for short. So should it be Innnni for short?

[@lemuria336]

I have never heard this name at all.

[@mahfuzkabirpulak1154]

Who's the girl in thumbnail?

[@whatthefridge1o1]

My dad is named Craig Scott, but was supposed to be called Scott Craig My Grandad got confused when reading the form, my Grandma was PISSED