names of misscriptive origin (was: RE: A question and introduction

Philip Newton:
> On 11 Jun 02, at 9:15, Steg Belsky wrote:
>
> > Btw, supposedly Oprah Winfrey was supposed to be named after the figure
> > Orpah in the Scroll of Ruth, but her father couldn't spell.  Or something
> > like that.
>
> And Condoleezza Rice was named after the Italian musical term "con
> dolcezza" ("with sweetness"), but her parents couldn't spell. Or so I
> heard. (Her name always reminds me of "condolences" when I hear it on
> the news.)
It seems slightly suspicious to me that the supposed analphabetes
are African American, though given that most anglophones can't spell
and African Americans turn into conlangers when it comes to the
naming of children, I suppose it could be true. But the one
example of a name of misscriptive origin that comes to my mind
was perpetrated by one of the very best users English has ever
had, Sir Walter Scott, for I believe -- and on this point I admit
I have neglected to check any online sources for confirmation --
that the name Cedric, made popular by _Ivanhoe_, was a misreading
of the name Cerdic.

--And.

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