# Elvis as a first name **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556 "2013-10-29T15:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/21 "2013-10-30T08:44:31Z")
No,the singer is _Madonna_, which is her actual given name.The mother of Jesus is _the Madonna_ which is a title, not a name. There’s a difference. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/22 "2013-10-30T10:45:46Z")
Cher! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/23 "2013-10-30T12:50:34Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Also a teenage mutant ninja warrior. Yes, but the TMNTs named after the original Leo, MA etc., same as there are thousands of Michelangelos whose parents happened to like art. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/24 "2013-10-30T13:33:53Z")
Ringo ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/25 "2013-10-30T13:58:42Z")
I was thinking of names that are so tied to that one figure that giving a new baby one of them would be laughable or the act of a truly obsessed fan. My own name is double-barrelled Biblical, for example, and I don’t think Matthew, Mark, Moses etc. count. So from the modern era we have Elvis, Cher, Ringo (which is a nickname), Oprah, and arguably Madonna - arguably because of the overlap with the long-standing religious tradition from which Ms. Ciccone got her name in the first place. From antiquity we have Dante, Leonardo, the almost-overlooked Jesus (very rarely used outside Hispanic culture) and a few lesser Renaissance artists. I would guess Saddam and Osama are common in Arabic culture and not going to be found in general western names regardless of their current taint. Most of the ephemeral pop culture names will be unremarkable when kids named them are adults. (Mrs. B. has a slightly unusual first name that came from a famous actress; only people over 40 ever even think to ask if it was an influence. In her era, just the first name was enough for a headline or story, but now it’s receded back into the general pool of names.) So, yeah, there aren’t many “Elvis” names out there. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/26 "2013-10-30T14:14:59Z")
There was also a \*Cheers \*episode where Carla, due to a long standing family tradition, had to name her son Benito. You don’t meet many of those these days. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/27 "2013-10-30T14:21:48Z")
The name of the first chairman of the Jewish community in Nuremberg, Germany, after 1945 was Adolf Hamburger. He was a Holocaust survivor and one of the few German Jews who chose to stay in Germany after the Holocaust. Regarding his infamous first name, Adolf Hamburger used to remark that he wouldn’t be bullied by Hitler into giving up his natural name. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/28 "2013-10-30T16:52:32Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > There was also a \*Cheers \*episode where Carla, due to a long standing family tradition, had to name her son Benito. You don’t meet many of those these days. Coincidentally, she also had a son named Elvis. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/29 "2013-10-30T17:29:10Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > Regarding his infamous first name, Adolf Hamburger used to remark that he wouldn’t be bullied by Hitler into giving up his natural name. During WWII, a German immigrant appeared before a judge seeking to change his name. “Very well,” the judge said, “What’s your name now?” “Adolf Hitler,” the little man replied. The judge was taken aback. “I can certainly see why you want to change it.What would you like to change it to?” “Allen Hitler.” ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/30 "2013-10-30T17:46:03Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > The name of the first chairman of the Jewish community in Nuremberg, Germany, after 1945 was Adolf Hamburger. He was a Holocaust survivor and one of the few German Jews who chose to stay in Germany after the Holocaust. > > Regarding his infamous first name, Adolf Hamburger used to remark that he wouldn’t be bullied by Hitler into giving up his natural name. My grandfather, an Orthodox Jew, was named Adolf. He kept that name all his life, even after he immigrated to Canada after the Holocaust. ---
**Author:** ![sidecar\_jon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@sidecar\_jon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidecar_jon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/31 "2013-10-30T19:46:53Z")
I found the grave of a Sister Elvis in a local grave yard attached to a seminary collage…i presume a nun. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/32 "2013-10-30T20:08:54Z")
There are “groups” of names which include Elvis: Elvis/Alvis for men. Elva/Alva for women plus variant spellings. I am related to 3 people with first names in this group (all predating Elvis Presley) and regularly encounter a fourth. While these folk are all Southern in origin, I am not sure if the name itself is particularly Southern. But Southerners are sometimes keen on preserving family names. There is a particular name (first, middle, last) in our family that dates back to the 1700s. Almost certainly anyone you meet with even the first two names is either part of our family or the family of slaves (!) once owned by an ancestor. So it wouldn’t matter so much what names were in use in Tupelo. The family tradition is more important. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/33 "2013-10-30T20:26:28Z")
I read somewhere that Wendy was a name made up by J.M.Barrie. I recall a family with surname “Adolph”. I suppose part of the issue is that some names also go out of style. “Archie” comes to mind. How many people call their kid “Archibald” nowadays? Brigham? Bozo is a common name (or was?) in Yugoslavia. I actually know of a Bozo, who pre-dates the TV show. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/34 "2013-10-31T01:56:57Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > My grandfather, an Orthodox Jew, was named Adolf. He kept that name all his life, even after he immigrated to Canada after the Holocaust. My father changed his to Randolph when he came over after the war. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/35 "2013-10-31T02:17:00Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I read somewhere that Wendy was a name made up by J.M.Barrie. The Straight Dope on Wendy. > **[Was the name Wendy invented for the book "Peter Pan"?](https://www.straightdope.com/21343192/was-the-name-wendy-invented-for-the-book-peter-pan)** > > A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/36 "2013-10-31T02:44:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I heard once of an interview with an American soldier in WWII who bore the name “Hitler”. The reporter asked him if he’d ever considered changing his name. “Hell no, let that sonofabitch change his!”. There was a New Wave band in the 1980s called Elvis Hitler. The singer looked a bit like Elvis, and had a Hitler mustache. 😛 When I was in college, my car insurance agent (who, incidentally, was black) was named Elvis, but he went by E. This was in the early 1990s, and I’d say he was about 30 years old at the time. I wonder if the Presley family would have become so legendary had it been Elvis who died at birth and not his twin brother, Jesse. Nice name, but it doesn’t have the uniqueness that “Elvis” does. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/37 "2013-10-31T02:47:12Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I read somewhere that Wendy was a name made up by J.M.Barrie. > > I recall a family with surname “Adolph”. > > I suppose part of the issue is that some names also go out of style. “Archie” comes to mind. How many people call their kid “Archibald” nowadays? Brigham? Bozo is a common name (or was?) in Yugoslavia. I actually know of a Bozo, who pre-dates the TV show. If someone’s named Brigham, chances are they’re Mormon, and I heard of a man named Bozo in a town where I used to live, but he too was born in Yugoslavia (not sure exactly where). How about Ozzy or Liza? ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/38 "2013-10-31T10:15:29Z")
I teach high school and I see a lot of here names ha are just a little out of date coming back in through immigrants. I have an Elva right now–she’s 14, and I think Brazilian in origin. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/39 "2013-10-31T10:41:54Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > I read somewhere that Wendy was a name made up by J.M.Barrie. A more recent example is Madison. It’s now a well-known name (it was the second most popular name for baby girls in the US in 2001). But it was virtually unknown as recently as thirty years ago. Then the movie _Splash_ was released. Daryl Hannah’s character was a mermaid who became human and needed a name. She saw a sign for Madison Avenue and named herself from that. Tom Hanks had a line in the movie about how Madison isn’t a name, which sounds archaic now. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556/40 "2013-10-31T14:17:07Z")
And an earlier example is Vanessa, which was invented 300 years ago by Jonathan Swift. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elvis-as-a-first-name/672556.md?page=3)