People who have the last name Frankenstein face a life of perpetual bad jokes and surprised expressions. Sharing a name with the iconic monster of fiction means constantly explaining yourself.
In real
life, many Frankensteins are good humored about it.
Forrest Frankenstein, 49, of Harrison, Ohiowho used to work in the construction industry. He says his name has been a reliable source of amusement — like the time when he was pulled over and the police officer looked at his driver’s license and asked: “Forrest Frankenstein? How the hell did you get a name like that?”
He replied:
“Look at the ID; I’m junior. I got it from my father.”
Frankenstein’s
two daughters — Desarae, 21; and Tristen, 23 — hated their name when they were younger.
Kids can be
brutal when picking on other kids, but they don’t dare make fun of their
teacher, at least to their face, said Jeff Frankenstein of Beaver, Pa. He is a
music teacher and band director at New Brighton Middle School, where he said
kids are surprised at first, but then they get used to having Mr. Frankenstein
as their teacher.
As an
introduction to the class, he simply says with a straight face, “Hi, I’m Mr.
Frankenstein.” No explanation or elaboration.
“I try to
be as normal with it as possible because I want to set a good tone for the
year,” said Jeff Frankenstein, 37.
When he was
a kid, Jeff Frankenstein got teased a lot by kids who called him a monster. But
he soon grew to adore his name.
“I’m very
thick-skinned; it really takes a lot to bother me,” he says.
He and his
wife — Hillary, also a music teacher — have always embraced the humor of their
name. At their 2008 wedding reception, the new Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein made their grand entrance
to the song “Frankenstein” by the Edgar Winter Group.
After the
wedding, they got T-shirts that said “Frankenstein” and “Bride of
Frankenstein.”
The couple
met in college at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, where most of Jeff
Frankenstein’s friends called him Frankie; his girlfriend, though, just called
him Jeff. She happily dropped her maiden name of Williams and changed her last
name when they got married.
Hillary and
Jeff Frankenstein — who have two kids, Hannah, 7, and Isaac, 4 — have
Frankenstein paraphernalia around the house, including a sign in the kitchen
with a picture of the monster and even a personalized Frankenstein doormat.
Daniel
Frankenstein of New York City enjoys joking around with people about his name.
The co-founder and partner of the venture fund Janvest Capital Partners
introduces himself as “Daniel Frankenstein, like the monster.” He ran for
student government in college at the University of California at Berkeley with
the slogan “Vote Frankenstein. He’s not a monster.” It turned out to be a
winning slogan.
When he was
a kid, his family got a lot of “Is this the house of Frankenstein?” calls
around Halloween.
Before his
first day of kindergarten, his father sat him down and said, “Listen, tomorrow
starts the rest of your life when people are going to give you crap for your
name. Never let anybody laugh at you; laugh with them.” George Frankenstein
gave young Daniel some lines he could use as comebacks. If someone said he had
a funny name, he could reply with, “What’s wrong with Daniel?”
Now his
name is a business asset because nobody ever forgets Daniel Frankenstein, even months
after meeting him — though it can be awkward because he doesn’t always remember
everyone who remembers him.
But not all
Frankensteins have a lifelong appreciation for their name. Childhood was rough
for Guy Frankenstein, 54, who got bullied for both his first and last name.
Kids would imitate the stiff Frankenstein walk and asked if the bolts in his
head needed tightening.
“You’re
looking rather green today,” kids used to say.
“When I was
younger, it was a pain,” said Guy Frankenstein, who met Forrest Frankenstein
two years ago through their daughters on Facebook and thinks they might be
distant cousins.
But these
days Guy Frankenstein’s kids — Jacob, 26; Johanna, 25; Makenna, 21; Tristen,
19; and Alivia, 13 — don’t get teased about their name, he thinks probably
because Frankenstein as a character isn’t as popular as it once was.
Shelley’s book introduced him in 1818, and the movie “Frankenstein” starring Boris Karloff came out in 1931. The TV show “The Munsters,” featuring Herman Munster as a Frankenstein-like character, ran in the 1960s, and the comedy “Young Frankenstein” — a favorite of the real Frankensteins — came out in 1974.
From The Washington Post (edited)
