Talk:2393: Presidential Middle Names

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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I wonder where Hussein comes in in the official rankings. Orion205 (talk) 04:16, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

Gamaliel sounds like an Elvish name...108.162.216.128 05:03, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

No, it's a highwayman. 162.158.155.24 10:54, 3 December 2020 (UTC)
I would assume his parents were thinking about someone a bit nicer. Perhaps Raban Gamaliel, a famous Jewish sage, major contributor to the Talmud and Christian saint (in some churches). Shamino (talk) 13:57, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

For the record, this was his paternal grandmother's maiden name. RAGBRAIvet (talk) 09:18, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

My understanding of the title text is that Hayes was previously in 3rd position, but has been demoted to 4th and no longer appears in the top 3, not that he is at the bottom of the list.141.101.99.243 09:39, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

The title text literally says "The bottom of the list". How can you read that as not meaning "the bottom of the list"??? 141.101.69.153 10:44, 3 December 2020 (UTC)
Though I don't read it as this, you could take it as two separate statements:
"The bottom of the list remains unchanged." <- there has been no shuffling at the 'worst' end.
"Poor Rutherford Birchard Hayes." <- alas! For he has been shuffled out of the top three!
Looking at the entire list of middle names with an arbitrary eye for 'Prettiness', I would definitely put "Birchard" in the bottom half, probably bottom handful, possibly indeed the bottom slot. But then I'd do much the same for "Fitzgerald" too. (That's on a 'prettiest' scale that is pleasant/ugly, not a decorative/plain axis, just so you know. And does contain subjectivities like Werty22's interpretation of "Delano".) 162.158.158.155 14:27, 3 December 2020 (UTC)
The list also literally only includes the top three, so my initial interpretation of the title text was that Hayes was previously in the 2nd position but is now off the list... perhaps due to a re-evaluation of the 'prettiness' of "Birchard". This would leave the bottom of the list (i.e. No. 3) unchanged.

I think someone needs to do a survey; maybe run a bracket or something, to see if public opinion matches Randall's list. Angel (talk) 11:33, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

Anyone anything meaningful to add? I think we can remove the incomplete-tag, no? Elektrizikekswerk (talk) 12:21, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

I just wanted to say that Delano in Spanish sounds like "del ano" which means "from the anus". Not sure that was intended, but it's pretty funny. Werty22 (talk) 13:00, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

Does anyone else think Randall's jumping the gun a bit? I mean, I acknowledge that President-Elect Biden becoming President next month is by far more likely than any other scenario, but it still feels wrong to assume it's going to happen. (Also, I believe "Quincy", "Ulysses", and "Baines" should round out the current top five.) Mathmannix (talk) 13:55, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

I figured it was important to add Harry Truman, since he does in fact have a middle name, even though it is only one letter long. Easwaran (talk) 18:23, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

That probably makes his the coolest, even if it's not the prettiest. Shamino (talk) 18:30, 3 December 2020 (UTC)