Calling all Kyles

May 12, 2023 5:04 PM

[NYT gift link] “In the United States, [the name] Kyle has never been exceedingly popular… Nevertheless, as some Kyles will tell you, Kyle is not just a name. It’s a lifestyle.” KyleFair comes to Kyle, Texas next weekend.

The Fair promo includes subtitles for “non-natives”.

The goal is to beat the world record for the largest meeting of people with the same first name, set in 2017, when 2,325 men called Ivan gathered in a town in Bosnia.

Activities will include things like yelling “Kyle!” to see how many people turn around.

posted by bendy (35 comments total)

Let me know whenever Jenfest happens, I'm still waiting on that one.

- Signed, Every Jennifer Ever
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:29 PM on May 12, 2023 [12 favorites]

Let me know whenever Jenfest happens, I'm still waiting on that one.

Jen Faire, surely?
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 5:46 PM on May 12, 2023 [44 favorites]

We used to play this game at tech conferences. One person would yell "Matt!" and the other person would yell "Zach!" and see who got more people to turn around.
posted by phooky at 5:53 PM on May 12, 2023 [20 favorites]

Hahahah. Reminds me of how one friend used to claim that he had tons of guys named Shrini (spelling is totally guessed at) when he worked in the tech industry. I have never encountered one of these guys, perhaps they run rampant in SoCal for all I know?
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:06 PM on May 12, 2023

Kyle Kinane on being Kyle.
posted by myopicman at 6:19 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm pretty sure there were more than 2,325 other Jims in my fourth grade class in 1979.
posted by bondcliff at 6:24 PM on May 12, 2023 [13 favorites]

The guy who named himself “Wombat” in my tenth-grade class was a James. You had options.
posted by bendy at 6:27 PM on May 12, 2023 [6 favorites]

Herbivorous, crepuscular
Cuddly, but muscular
posted by bondcliff at 6:38 PM on May 12, 2023 [9 favorites]

When I was about 16, a friend started dating a girl named Kyle who lived in another town. I never met her, but I was absolutely certain that she must be the coolest person ever based solely on her name. I still tend to assume, reflexively, that anyone named Kyle is cool.
posted by carmicha at 7:00 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Used to know a guy whose version of the game was to call out a single syllable in a busy kitchen or bar or other loud place, something vague but with an O in the middle, so that every Tom, Todd, Bob, Don, Rob, etc. would turn.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 7:04 PM on May 12, 2023 [6 favorites]

The first known Kyle of my life was Kyle Rote , who played for the New York (football) Giants. Had a pro-footballing brother too, named Tobin. Yʻknow, I ʻm guessing that if you were to yell "Tobin !!!" into any crowded area, no matter how densely populated, only he or his brother Kyle (if theyʻre still alive) would turn around.
posted by Droll Lord at 7:10 PM on May 12, 2023

The guy who named himself “Wombat” in my tenth-grade class was a James. You had options.

Herbivorous, crepuscular
Cuddly, but muscular

Square poops
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:16 PM on May 12, 2023 [4 favorites]

I have a hazy memory from when I was a young child of telling my mom I wished she had named me Kyle, because it sounded like "Kyo" as in "Coyote", as in "Wile E". Which for some reason I thought would be super neat.

Hey, I was 6...
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:22 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Activities will include things like yelling “Kyle!” to see how many people turn around.

Followed by someone yelling "Rittenhouse!" or so I should hope?
posted by y2karl at 7:31 PM on May 12, 2023 [2 favorites]

The only other person I've met with my first name spelled it differently, so was from an entirely different language background to achieve the same spoken syllables. We were not named the same.

I did used to watch television shows that were entirely inappropriate for my age just because the people on them had my name, however.
posted by hippybear at 7:33 PM on May 12, 2023

Previously on MetaFilter: The Josh Fight

So many puns!
posted by mochapickle at 7:37 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]

Paging user #87643 to the thread. User #87643, please report to this thread.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:44 PM on May 12, 2023 [9 favorites]

Square poops

My god have you MET Barfield?
posted by bendy at 7:59 PM on May 12, 2023

My original title for this post was “Paging We had a deal, Kyle”
posted by bendy at 8:03 PM on May 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

"We had a deal, Kyle"—this is always how that username is read aloud inside my brain.
posted by not_on_display at 11:59 PM on May 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

I first thought of the "dog" in despicable me.
posted by boilermonster at 12:27 AM on May 13, 2023

Kyle’s Song by moe.

One of my favorite lines from the lyrics:
“Kyle got hurt pretty bad.
I guess he earned his victim badge.
He′s an eagle scout with broken bones.
Eating Percosets and ice cream cones.“
posted by terrapin at 4:37 AM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Not KyleKon?
posted by genpfault at 7:50 AM on May 13, 2023

Square poops

Only in Flatland. Out here they’re cubic. Poobic?
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:45 AM on May 13, 2023

Square poops

Only in Flatland.

Nope! Nope! Nope!

Only in Australia.

See also wombats

Once again proving Oz is truly Oz
posted by y2karl at 9:00 AM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Square poops

Only in Flatland. Out here they’re cubic.

I realized my error post-edit window. But ehh, close enough for a silly joke...
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:07 AM on May 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

There's a Lois Club here in town -- just for women named Lois. My Grandma Lois is part of it, but the Lois I worked with once said she'd heard of it but wasn't interested in joining.

I, on the other hand, am named Derek, which seems to have become a name of distain on television and in movies in recent years. Never an outright villain, but always looked down upon. There's a Zocdoc commercial where the first line is "Uh, not him, his name's Derek." I do smile when it comes on, though, because until recently there weren't a lot of Dereks around.

Edit: added a link to Lois Club which appears to be more far reaching than I thought
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:38 AM on May 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Kyle says you can't sit here.
posted by kyrademon at 12:29 PM on May 13, 2023

"Kyle is not just a name. It’s a lifestyle."

"Lifestyle"? More like LifesKyle, amirite?
posted by ApplAuD at 12:38 PM on May 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Drones, skateboards, and explosives are all prohibited, so I don’t know how many Kyles they’ll actually be able to attract.
posted by kyleg at 2:49 PM on May 13, 2023 [3 favorites]

KyleKon is a different celebration, it’s mentioned in TFA.
posted by bendy at 5:22 PM on May 13, 2023

I misread the Events section, and got interested in the Margarita Juggling...
It would be interesting, though.
posted by MtDewd at 5:45 PM on May 13, 2023

"Contestants must drink anything they spill."
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:41 PM on May 13, 2023

None of the musical acts are Kyle’s so… meh?
posted by billsaysthis at 5:16 PM on May 14, 2023

"Katie Conf is an inclusive conference [that] accepts speakers whose name is derived from the root Katherine and starts with either a "C" or a "K"". Unfortunately it isn't real:

KatieConf is a parody. ... However, all the people featured in the KatieConf lineup are real. There are so many fantastic female technical presenters who just happened to be called Katie, or a variation thereupon. All the organisers listed have put in countless hours into organising and running usergroups, conferences, meetups, podcasts and more

If you are looking for speakers for your conference, why not ask one of the wonderful people featured here? They are all listed with their Twitter accounts, and a link to some of their prior talks.

Do you really need another conference lineup of all men? Or as many female speakers as speakers called Steve?

posted by autopilot at 4:15 AM on May 15, 2023