DAFT names are not just the prerogative of the famous. A couple whose baby was born during the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations have called him Union Jack.

As if to compound the folly, his father said: "Hopefully he will live up to his name and maybe he will get a job as a footman at the palace."

Now there's ambition.

Last week I said celebrities were notorious for picking weird and wonderful names for their offspring. Mind you, some well known people have strange names without trying. They were simply inherited.

Benedict Cumberbatch, for instance, has a name not exactly designed to be up in lights but he does make a rather splendid Sherlock Holmes. Or how about the delightful British actress Imogen Poots? She looks nothing like a Poots. And what is the origin of Harry Potter star Rupert Grint’s name? Apparently, it's medieval and is thought to be a variant of Grinter, who was the official in charge of a granary.

The royal nanny was Tiggy Legge-Bourke, for goodness sake, which made her sound like a character from a Carry On film. And then there was Alistair Darling. Can you imagine Cabinet meetings at Number 10 with Tony Blair saying: "How are you today, Darling?"

The strangeness of names can sneak up on the unwary. I mean, anyone with the surname Parts should never join the army where he would become Private Parts. Certain family names need special care. Mr and Mrs Cart would be best not choosing Orson as first name for their son. They can also be confusing. My chum Ian insists that Tolstoy is a book written by Warren Peace.

Some of the funniest names are totally fictitious. Back in the 1960s, the Laugh-In TV comedy show, had a segment about names.

"If Queen Elizabeth married Steve McQueen she'd be Queen McQueen," they said.

Get the idea?

If Tuesday Weld married Fredric March's grandson, she'd be Tuesday March the Third.

If Sondra Locke married Elliott Ness, then divorced him to marry Herman Munster, she'd become Sondra Locke Ness Munster.

If Whoopie Goldberg married Peter Cushing, she'd be Whoopie Cushing.

Finally, if harpsichordist Wanda Landowska married Howard Hughes, divorced him and married Henry Kissinger, she'd be Wanda Hughes Kissinger now.

Do you have a silly name? Answers to the usual address.