# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/21 "2011-08-26T18:34:55Z")
Dick Trickle? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/22 "2011-08-26T19:00:36Z")
Hugh Jackman. The first time I read it, I wondered why Entertainment Weekly was printing a crank call. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/23 "2011-08-26T19:09:00Z")
Isaac Asimov had to assure many times that his name was indeed Isaac Asimov and that it wasn’t a pseudonym ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/24 "2011-08-26T19:10:11Z")
> [@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. Can I just say how much I love the idea of a dark elf named Chip? It makes so much sense, too. If you were doing a D&D-as-college parody, the dark elves would totally be the preppy kids. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/25 "2011-08-26T19:10:18Z")
“_Billy West_… what a stupid phony made-up 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, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/26 "2011-08-26T19:11:37Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Hugh Jackman. The first time I read it, I wondered why Entertainment Weekly was printing a crank call. Even worse in that respect: [Dick Hyman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Hyman), who’s a musician, not a porn star. ---
**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, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/27 "2011-08-26T19:15:18Z")
I had to go look this up to verify: [Peter O’Toole](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000564/bio). I have assumed for most of my adult life that that was a pseudonym. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/28 "2011-08-26T19:18:45Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > 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. Whoa. I’ll bet it’s been a while since he hasn’t been referred to as his role on **Lost** instead. To the OP, baseball players Milton Bradley, and my 12 year-old self just informed me I must include Rusty Kuntz. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/29 "2011-08-26T19:24:18Z")
Mike Hunt, former Green Bay Packer linebacker. ---
**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, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/30 "2011-08-26T19:27:22Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Milton Bradley Whose entrance to a game would invariably prompt me to announce either “He got game” or “He came to play.” ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/31 "2011-08-26T19:31:54Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Whose entrance to a game would invariably prompt me to announce either “He got game” or “He came to play.” And whose exit one inning later would invariably prompt me to shout lines from “Punch Out” or “Mortal Combat.” 🙂 ---
**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, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/32 "2011-08-26T19:33:21Z")
Dick Van Dyke. If he had a dollar for every possible joke about his name he’d be the richest man in show biz. I’ve known people named Mike Hunt and Dick Screws over the years. The latter was from a family of lawyers, one of whom was given first billing when he made partner in a firm because no other combo worked (i.e. Screws Jones Smith isn’t perfect but Jones Smith Screws is worse and Jones Screws Smith is worst of all). ---
**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, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/33 "2011-08-26T20:03:51Z")
I guess I could also mention Gordon Lightfoot. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/34 "2011-08-26T20:09:10Z")
I had a professor in college who wrote an episode of NYPD blue, so I’ll consider him famous enough for this thread. His name was Rift Fournier. Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/35 "2011-08-26T20:13:27Z")
Two magicians on the recent Penn and Teller show Fool us had the surnames of Young and Strange, and named their act accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/36 "2011-08-26T20:15:15Z")
Kirby Puckett Zoilo Versalles ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/37 "2011-08-26T20:18:21Z")
Southern California weatherman Dallas Raines. I saw an interview with him a few years ago in which he confirmed that, yes, that really is his real name. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/38 "2011-08-26T20:24:04Z")
Former New York Met Howard Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/39 "2011-08-26T20:28:00Z")
Local weatherman Larry Sprinkle. Local traffic reporter Trip Harder. ---
**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:** [August 26, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190/40 "2011-08-26T20:37:21Z")
I watched the movie _Larry Crowne_ recently and there is an actress named Gugu Mbatha-Raw in it. And I was thinking, “Where the hell did she come up with a name like that?” Turns out she found it on her birth certificate. Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw is her real name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-with-names-that-sound-like-pseudonyms-but-arent/594190.md?page=3)