# Historical Figures Largely Known By Just One Name **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 20, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614 "2012-11-20T14:20:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/1 "2012-11-20T14:20:46Z")
Some people so completely own their first name or last name that their other name is more or less unused when describing them. For instance: **Napoleon** (Bonaparte) (Mohandas Karamchand) **Gandhi** Naturally, some other names make it pretty easy to guess who you’re talking about, but they’re not quite one-namers. If I say Lincoln you’ll probably think of the 16th President of the United States, but he’s still generally know as “Abraham Lincoln,” not just “Lincoln.” Who’re other good one-namers? (Note: Monarchs are cheating.) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/2 "2012-11-20T14:30:44Z")
Hah… I get to Godwinize the thread on the second post! Hitler comes to mind as a single-named historical entity, as do Stalin, Lenin and Mao. Something about totalitarians apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/3 "2012-11-20T14:32:16Z")
Churchill. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/4 "2012-11-20T14:34:45Z")
Ataturk. Patton. Ike. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/5 "2012-11-20T14:42:10Z")
Dante (Aligheri). Galileo (Galilei). ---
**Author:** ![Mnemnosyne](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mnemnosyne/32/3347_2.png) [@Mnemnosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mnemnosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/6 "2012-11-20T14:43:46Z")
Galileo, Einstein, Copernicus. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/7 "2012-11-20T14:44:35Z")
Moses, Abraham, Noah, Jesus, Elijah, Mohammad…is this cheating too? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/8 "2012-11-20T14:46:29Z")
Rembrandt Michalengelo Picasso ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/9 "2012-11-20T14:50:24Z")
Casanova ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/10 "2012-11-20T14:50:38Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Hitler comes to mind as a single-named historical entity, as do Stalin, Lenin and Mao. I love John Lenin! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/11 "2012-11-20T14:50:52Z")
\*\*Talleyrand Savonarola Saladin Caesar\*\* (Julius, of course, the default when you use that name) \*\*Charlemagne Barbarossa Temuchin Gilgamesh\*\* (yes, there really was one) \*\*Plato Socrates Stalin Lenin \*\* ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/12 "2012-11-20T14:52:07Z")
Occam Fibonacci Pythagoras Aristotle Socrates Plato Caesar ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/13 "2012-11-20T14:58:14Z")
Homer Belisarius Shakespeare Caligula ---
**Author:** ![solosam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@solosam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solosam)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/14 "2012-11-20T15:00:39Z")
Vlad Tepes is usually called by a single name. Hint: It’s not “Vlad” or “Tepes.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/15 "2012-11-20T15:03:22Z")
\*\*Solon Sulla Voltaire Darius Xerxes Cleopatra \*\*(Yes, I know that there were other rulers with nthese names. But as used in Western Culture, if not modified, there’s no doubt who you mean) **Cher** ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/16 "2012-11-20T15:03:28Z")
Bjork ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/17 "2012-11-20T15:03:53Z")
Most composers. Mozart Beethoven Handel Mendelssohn Schubert Schumann Wagner Mahler Berlioz, etc. In fact, even when there is ambiguity, we still tend to use the last name only. Bach could refer to Wilhelm Friedrich, Carl Phillip Emmanuel or Johann Christian Bach, but it is usually assumed that Johann Sebastian Bach is the one who is meant. Haydn could be Michael Haydn, but usually refers to his more famous brother, Joseph Haydn. Johann Strauss II and Richard Strauss are often referred to by their last names only, leaving the title of the work and the context to help you sort out which one is meant. ‘Blue Danube’, ‘Die Fledermaus’ - that’s Johann. ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’, ‘Salome’, ‘Four Last Songs’ - that’s Richard. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/18 "2012-11-20T15:04:41Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Naturally, some other names make it pretty easy to guess who you’re talking about, but they’re not quite one-namers. If I say Lincoln you’ll probably think of the 16th President of the United States, but he’s still generally know as “Abraham Lincoln,” not just “Lincoln.” In many places, as just Lincoln. I’d bet money that many people outside of the US would answer “name of the guy who was president of the US during their Civil War?” with just the lastname. Plato, which has been mentioned several times, is actually a nickname. Most ancient Greek philosophers are known by a single name, as are most prominent Roman figures. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/19 "2012-11-20T15:10:58Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > In many places, as just Lincoln. I’d bet money that many people outside of the US would answer “name of the guy who was president of the US during their Civil War?” with just the lastname. > > Plato, which has been mentioned several times, is actually a nickname. Most ancient Greek philosophers are known by a single name, as are most prominent Roman figures. Of course – most of those single nsames aren’t the person’s real name in many of these cases, but a pseudonym, or nickname, or the name imposed on them by foreigners. “Stalin” is “Man of Steel”. “Lenin” is a pseudonym. “Saladin” is a foreign corruption of the real name, as is Darius, the originsal of which is the more authentic-psounding _Daryavahush_. And your point is…? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/20 "2012-11-20T15:16:54Z")
Cicero. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614.md?page=2)