Twenty babies born in Britain are called Adolf

At least 20 babies born in Britain since the war have been given the first name Adolf, according to official birth records. The most recent was registered in 2005, family tree organisation Findmypast.co.uk said. The name Adolf was not unheard of before the war with around 320 being registered in England and Wales between 1837 and the outbreak of World War II.

But not surprisingly, it was less of a popular choice after that and not just in Britain. The Adolf references were not the only surprise unearthed by the website, which has indexed 100 million records going back to 1837.



It discovered a cult in Lancashire in the 19th century for families with the surname Fish giving newborn babies the Christian name Fish. There are ten babies registered with the name Fish Fish, all born in Lancashire between 1840 and 1883 and one born in Blackburn in 1864 called Fish Fish Fish. There were also six Dick Turpins born in the 1800s and five Ringos in the 1960s.

Football also supplies some unusual names being called out during the register in British schools over the years, the study found. Following Brazil's brilliant 1970 World Cup win, at least eight football mad dads called their newborn sons Pele. After his 'Hand of God' incident in 1986, four Maradonas were registered in England and Wales that same year - though possibly not by England supporters.