the name Beauboeuf.

What is called for here is an expert in 'onomastics', or 'onomatology'.

Cabeza de Vaca (head of cow) is another quirky name in the same bovine category.

All I can find is that the name seems to be associated with Haiti, and Normandy before that.

Probably the best-known "head of cow" in history is Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who was shipwrecked in 1528 off what is now Galveston Island. His surname was given to an ancestor to commemorate that ancestor's leaving the head of a cow at a crossroads to mark the way for Spaniards fighting to expel the Moors from Spain.

Cabeza de Vaca, treasurer of the 1528 expedition and one of only a handful of survivors, wrote an account of the shipwreck and subsequent years spent on the American continent. That account, published in Spain in 1541, formed the basis for a joint Mexican-Spanish film released in 1991 and only now available on DVD. Here is the trailer from the film: Cabeza de Vaca.

There are a couple of well-known contemporary Cabeza de Vaca in Mexico; one of them was a student leader in the 60's and was famously arrested and tortured by the military after the infamous Tlatelolco massacre of 1968. The other one is a candidate for senate.

Vaca (without the head) is a somewhat common surname. I have a friend who is a Vaca, his nickname since Middle School is "Moo" (Muu in Spanish).

There are a couple of well-known contemporary Cabeza de Vaca in Mexico

I apologize for my ignorance, and I thank you for mentioning them. As to the surname Vaca: I laughed when I read about "Moo."

No apologies necessary NA, never thought for a minute you were ignorant. I agree with you that Álvar Núñez C de V is the best-known "head of cow" in history.

no real connection , but the chermans have a name that translates as 'sweatfoot'.

"the chermans have a name that translates as 'sweatfoot'. "

Yes, "Swheisskopf"

And do you have any idea how much they paid for that "w"?