Fictional characters: in my family there was an Uncle Henry married to an Auntie Em, and they had a niece called Dorothea (close enough!)
I have a great uncle by marriage called Jack Frost.
Real namesakes: There was a professor at the University of Delaware when I was there in the mid 80s called James Dean…the professor taught mediaeval literature.
Not names, but a doppelganger, if you’ll indulge me – because he’s still there, and it drives him bonkers, shan’t mention names or places, but I was at a uni for a year in the States, and a new professor, from Oxford, could have been identical twins with Michael Palin. And it drove him just up the wall as people really did believe that he was Michael Palin, sometimes to the point of tears, especially as he himself was a bit larger than life, and really did seem like a Monty Python character come to life when he was excited or in good humour.
I worked as a counsellor at a Dance Camp for children, and was tickled pink to meet one of the kid’s fathers on Parent Night. His name was Marshall Elliott.
Oooh–I think I actually know who you’re talking about. The funny thing is, the real Michael Palin attended Oxford, and I saw him there when he came back to do a book signing.
The only name I have seen that gave me a doubletake in my work back in this country was an alum named Linda Evangelista. Who would have thought there would have been two of them around?
In the Book The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy, the security guard who first notices that something’s fishy with that van over there is named Bill Clinton. It’s particularly interesting because I think the book was written sometime in the 80s - long before Bill’s presidency, at any case.
Always wondered if the ex-president knew that, or if Tom didn’t like a certain up-and-coming southern politician.
But then, Tom blew up my Vikings in that book too, so there you go.
Two of my daughters are named Scarlett and Scout after the very famous characters of literature.
The “dorm dad” at my college (lo these many years ago) was Richard Grayson. Somehow a giant poster of the Boy Wonder appeared on his door one night.
NoCoolSpouseName has a friend who works in the police department. She has been quite successful, and was promoted to detective. Then she married some guy named “Holmes.” It’s a bit difficult on the job to introduce yourself as Detective Holmes.
If you’re thinking Minneapolis, Minnesota, we may be thinking the same thing, know what I mean, nudge nudge…say no more.
PS Just as an aside, this professor really is terribly generous; he used to take us poor grad students out for meals, and work the bill in such away that we always came away with more change than we’d contributed to the meal…
I remember seeing something on TV about a man named Harry Potter who was a school principal. He said that sometimes people don’t believe him, and I think the kids at the school tease him (as much as they can, knowing that he can suspend them, of course) but he seemed to be taking it very well, not bitter or anything.
My brother hangs out with a kid named Kal-El. I think that’s his middle name, but he uses in day-to-day life. His dad’s a comic artist, so it’s intentional, of course.
