# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/41 "2012-11-20T19:43:16Z")
Larry, Moe and Curly ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/42 "2012-11-20T19:46:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > **Napoleon** (Bonaparte)… > > (Note: Monarchs are cheating.) Aren’t you cheating? The fact that he ruled as Napoleon I is the main reason he is remembered simply as ‘Napoleon’. (As opposed to simply as ‘Bonaparte’.) ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/43 "2012-11-20T19:49:29Z")
Perhaps not a hijack, but who would be the earliest that would only be known by **two** names? Marc Anthony is the first I could think of. ---
**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, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/44 "2012-11-20T20:12:22Z")
Plrenty of Romans had a multiplicity of names. We just often use only one._Gaius Marius_ preceded Marcus Antonius by decades. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/45 "2012-11-20T20:19:04Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > (Kevin) **Cthulhu** (Jeff) **Vader**? ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/46 "2012-11-20T21:40:34Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Plrenty of Romans had a multiplicity of names. We just often use only one._Gaius Marius_ preceded Marcus Antonius by decades. Pharaoh Ameny Qemau preceded both of them by almost 2,000 years, so he’s probably got to be one of the earliest we know about. ---
**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, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/47 "2012-11-20T22:55:56Z")
Cher Prince Sting ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/48 "2012-11-20T22:57:12Z")
Iman Buddha Godzilla Merlin ---
**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, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/49 "2012-11-20T23:01:34Z")
I believe, to some extent, some of us are getting confused between people who are known by one name and those recognised by one name. Patton may always be recognised by his surname but but to a lot of us will be more known as George Patton. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/50 "2012-11-20T23:01:35Z")
Is (Reginald) Jeeves acceptable? ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/51 "2012-11-20T23:02:13Z")
Confucius. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614/52 "2012-11-21T11:14:32Z")
[Avicenna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avicenna) [Averoes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Averroes) [Alhacen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhacen) [Geber](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C4%81bir_ibn_Hayy%C4%81n) [Rhazes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhazes) None of these were their real names, and none of them would have answered to them. Nevertheless, these are how they are all usually known to Europeans. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-figures-largely-known-by-just-one-name/641614.md?page=2)