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Ploughman is really unfortunate, it sounds like a sex act.

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I don't know anyone whose name has been translated unfortunately but I know several people who have chosen very bizarre English names after immigrating. Nobert comes to mind. That isn't a typo, his English name is Nobert.

No translating problems, but my student Briceida has been called Bricidia while people read her name for the past seven years. While speaking they can say it, it's reading it off a piece of paper that's the problem. She's been here for most of her life, people, learn her name already.

Eh, nothing funky. My grandfather and his brother, my great-uncle, immigrated from Austria-Hungary (what is now probably either the Czech Republic or Slovakia) with their parents when they were children. My great-uncle's name was Jakub, pronounced YAH-kuwp. Once in America, at some point, he decided to go by Jack. I always heard him referred to as Uncle Jack. When my father finally told me at some point that his actual name was Jakub, I said I didn't know why he didn't go by James, as Jacob and James come from the same source. Now I wonder why he didn't just go by Jacob. Either one makes more sense than Jack.

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My grandfather had it easier, he was named Josef after his father. He changed the spelling to Joseph and went by Joe.