O for Olaf, P for Pilaf
It was once thought that it should have been D for dastardly, dashing and duplicitous.
It was also once thought that O for Olaf might actually be one and the same as Count Olaf of Lemony Snicket fame.
Let that be no longer thought. At all.
O does not necessarily stand for Olaf. It’s just that O often stands for Olaf. In this case it actually does. Maybe.
The family name, Gordonjensen, came about because of a misunderstanding with immigration, or at least an incompetent government official, who may or may not have been with immigration. When Gordon Jensen, newly arrived from Norway, was asked his name, he remained silent until someone behind him who understood more English than he did said in Norwegian, “Name?”
“Oh, Gordon Jensen,” was his reply.
The government official wrote, O. Gordonjensen.
“What does the O stand for?” asked the official.
The newly christened Gordonjensen and his more comprehending friend behind him discussed the matter. They knew from their experience in Norway that all government officials were fools.
“O often stands for Olaf,” they told the bureaucrat.
– W.P. Kinsella, Box Socials
