# Famous people with names that sound like pseudonyms but aren't **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190 "2011-08-26T16:07:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/1 "2011-08-26T16:07:59Z")
Inspired by the “rock & roll pseudonyms” thread. It was mentioned there that “Prince” was not in fact a pseudonym. I mentioned one other – Thelonious Monk. So who else has a name that you think must be fake but it really is the name they were born with? I’ll list a couple others: [Gurf Morlix](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurf_Morlix) (at least I can’t find anything saying it’s not his real name) [Blossom Dearie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blossom_Dearie) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/2 "2011-08-26T16:14:41Z")
Wolf Blitzer- about whom they said on _Wayne’s World_ “he obviously just made that name up for the war”. Texas socialite/acting first lady [for her father]/philanthropist [Ima Hogg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ima_Hogg); not only was it her real name but it was her birth name. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/3 "2011-08-26T16:31:02Z")
Madonna is another famous example of this. > [@cjepson](#): > > I mentioned one other – Thelonious Monk. Full name Thelonious _Sphere_ Monk. Thelonious is a very uncommon name, but his parents didn’t make it up. Sphere is kind of a jaw-dropper. In any case it’s a fantastic name. > [@](#): > > [Gurf Morlix](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurf_Morlix) (at least I can’t find anything saying it’s not his real name) The best part is that he’s a guitar player. Or, after reading his bio, that’s one of the things he does. I have a Lucinda Williams CD that features “more licks.” Gurf, on the other hand, sounds like a Muppet name. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/4 "2011-08-26T16:35:28Z")
Chord Overstreet from GLEE. His father’s a musician and named several of his kids after musical terms. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/5 "2011-08-26T16:35:51Z")
I have a friend, who, well, calling him “famous” is pushing it, but he was the guitarist for the reasonably well-known 90s goth band Switchblade Symphony, and has been involved in a number of other projects. His name is George Earth, which I’d assumed was a made-up rock name, but is, apparently, his real birth certificate name. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/6 "2011-08-26T16:44:08Z")
Author Harry Turtledove. He actually started writing under a pen name – Eric G. Iverson – because his publisher thought no one would believe his real name. Joan of Arc. Most people think that “of Arc” was some sort of title (like Leonardo da Vinci), but it’s an English translation of her actual family name in French: “d’Arc.” ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/7 "2011-08-26T16:48:34Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Author Harry Turtledove. He actually started writing under a pen name – Eric G. Iverson – because his publisher thought no one would believe his real name. > > Joan of Arc. Most people think that “of Arc” was some sort of title (like Leonardo da Vinci), but it’s an English translation of her actual family name in French: “d’Arc.” I wouldn’t call _da Vinci_ a title at all. It just indicates where he was from: the town of Vinci. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/8 "2011-08-26T16:50:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Full name Thelonious _Sphere_ Monk. Thelonious is a very uncommon name, but his parents didn’t make it up. Sphere is kind of a jaw-dropper. In any case it’s a fantastic name. ISTR reading that he gave himself the middle name “Sphere” as a reflection of the fact that he was not square. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/9 "2011-08-26T16:57:25Z")
I’ve long felt this way about [Magnus ver Magnusson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magn%C3%BAs_Ver_Magn%C3%BAsson). Seriously, how bad ass of a name is that for and Icelandic strongman? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/10 "2011-08-26T17:14:33Z")
[Picabo (pronounced “Peek-a-boo”) Street](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picabo_Street) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/11 "2011-08-26T17:18:51Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > ISTR reading that he gave himself the middle name “Sphere” as a reflection of the fact that he was not square. Heh. I hadn’t heard that, but it makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/12 "2011-08-26T17:28:47Z")
Madonna. Plaxico Burress Local NYC weatherman Storm Fields. Son of local NYC weatherman Frank Fields. . ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/13 "2011-08-26T17:32:46Z")
Chip Z’Nuff from the shitty hair metal band Enuff Z’Nuff, although the apostrophe was added just for effect; he’s not a dark elf. > [@cjepson](#): > > Inspired by the “rock & roll pseudonyms” thread. It was mentioned there that “Prince” was not in fact a pseudonym. Prince is _sort of_ a pseudonym: it was his father’s (also a musician) stage name, and his mother liked it so much they named Prince that too. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/14 "2011-08-26T17:36:17Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Chip Z’Nuff from the shitty hair metal band Enuff Z’Nuff, although the apostrophe was added just for effect; he’s not a dark elf. > > Prince is _sort of_ a pseudonym: it was his father’s (also a musician) stage name, and his mother liked it so much they named Prince that too. Which means it’s not _his_ – the younger Prince’s – pseudonym. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/15 "2011-08-26T17:37:02Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Local NYC weatherman Storm Fields. Son of local NYC weatherman Frank Fields. That’s actually Field, not Fields. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/16 "2011-08-26T17:38:28Z")
Chris Rock. And his grandfather Allen was the Reverend Rock, which is a great show business name. Albert Brooks would fall into this category, if he hadn’t changed his birth name to avoid confusion. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/17 "2011-08-26T17:43:09Z")
No mention of Armand Hammer? Or his great-grandson Armie Hammer? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/18 "2011-08-26T18:11:59Z")
There was a Isreali tennis player: Anna Smashnova. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/19 "2011-08-26T18:24:15Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Chip Z’Nuff from the shitty hair metal band Enuff Z’Nuff, although the apostrophe was added just for effect; he’s not a dark elf. Similarly, Mark Slaughter of his eponymous band. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/20 "2011-08-26T18:31:16Z")
The guy who plays Silas Adams on _Deadwood_ is named Titus Welliver. For real. If his character on Deadwood was Titus Welliver I’d have rolled my eyes at how obviously fakey-fake 19th century it was. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190.md?page=2)