What is a redneck? According to the sometimes suspect world of online reference material, the word has two possible origins. Some claim the name comes from Scottish Presbyterians who wore red scarves to show their break from the Anglican church, and who later settled in the U.S. South. Others claim the “redneck” name has more, shall we say, earthy beginnings. It was applied derisively to those poor folk who, through working outside, became sunburned on the neck. Whatever the origin, the term now has a life of its own, carrying with it a number of stereotypes and distinct traits.
In the political realm, the term “redneck” is often used by city dwellers who scoff at the more conservative tendencies of their rural counterparts: according to many urbanites, it is “redneck” voters who are to blame when a government shifts to the right of the political spectrum. In the cultural realm, “redneck” is more often a source of humor. Witness the comedy of Jeff Foxworthy or those recently revitalized redneck icons, the Dukes of Hazzard (who are pictured prominently in the Wikipedia definition of “redneck”). For rednecks themselves, the term is a source of pride, a moniker that indicates a counterculture hero who is not afraid to buck current trends.
If you believe the stereotypes, the hallmarks of redneck culture include country music, pickup trucks and a general lack of sophistication. Another defining characteristic is the redneck name.
The southern name is a kindred spirit of the redneck name, but the latter possesses a certain color and unique tone that separates it from the former. Names like Beau and Wade are more “southern” than “redneck”. To be truly redneck, a name has to sound best when spoken in a southern drawl. It also needs to evoke the straw hat and overalls crowd that inhabited the set of 1970s TV show Hee Haw or the trucker-hat-wearing, beer-belly-endowed set that one might find at a NASCAR race or monster truck rally.
Not sure what constitutes a redneck name? Here are a few examples: Billy Bob, Cletus, Horace, Elrod, and Eustice. Some of these names, like Cletus, Horace and Elrod, have legitimate pedigrees, with origins in Latin and Greek. Others, like Eustice, have no traceable lineage and seem to have been pulled from thin air by inventive parents.
That thin air is the source of many an interesting name. For women, we have Jazlean, Amaleen, Lindieanne and Faylene. For men, there is Bodean, Delmont, Cooter and the truly bizarre Bucephelus. Rubyjane and Shelbylyn are prime examples of compound names with a redneck flair.
A personal favorite of mine comes from the Tom Waits song Chocolate Jesus. In this song, Zerelda Lee is the name of a candy store owner. I always thought “Zerelda” was a kind of kooky, only-in-the-South name, but I was wrong. Its origin is Teutonic, and it means “armored battle maiden”. The name was, appropriately, borne by two historically significant women who likely faced their fair share of fights: Christian temperance leader Zerelda Wallace and Zerelda Elizabeth Cole, mother of the infamous Frank and Jesse James.