# Know anybody named after famous people? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2016, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522 "2016-03-10T03:57:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/41 "2016-03-10T18:15:03Z")
I joked with my wife that if our child was a boy I wanted to name him Zdeno after the hockey player, Zdeno Chara. Fortunately, we’re having a girl. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/42 "2016-03-10T18:38:19Z")
My cousins played pro football. Gus Frerotte and Mitch Frerotte. Mitch died very young in 2008. These were close family members when I was younger but not so much during the adult years. Had a cousin who was married to a West Va senator John Boettner. He was running for state attorney general in the1980s but became involved in a bit of scandal and was disbarred. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/43 "2016-03-10T19:46:50Z")
Being from a Catholic family, we’re all pretty much named after saints…but I don’t think that counts for purposes of this inquiry. I have a friend named Terri Ann who was named after a racehorse. Her mother had sent her father down to the courthouse to apply for the baby’s birth certificate. He stopped at the track to have some congratulatory drinks with his buddies on the birth of his new daughter. Afterwards, at the courthouse, he forgot the name his wife had given him to register for the baby. The only name he could think of was the name of the horse who had won the last race - Terri Ann. In his mind, that seemed an ok name for a little girl, so that’s what he put on the application. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/44 "2016-03-10T20:57:04Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > I met a guy yesterday whose daughter is named Freya. That’d be weird if she was Thor’s daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/45 "2016-03-10T21:05:05Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > I met a guy yesterday whose daughter is named Freya. > [@Ethilrist](#): > > That’d be weird if she was Thor’s daughter. His name is Nicholas. I used to work with a guy whose son is named Thor. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/46 "2016-03-10T21:34:19Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > I know someone with at least two famous namesakes, one of whom (during acquaintance’s birth year) recorded an album live at the Apollo, the other of whom ran for 1863 yards. I actually knew the latter was Jimmy Brown without looking it up. 1963 I think. So I assume the live album was recorded by James Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/47 "2016-03-10T22:01:26Z")
I just realized I answered the wrong question. Thought it said do you know any famous people. I am obviously not running on all cylinders today. Just disregard my non sequitur/bizarre thread response… ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/48 "2016-03-10T22:17:37Z")
I had a student named Apollo Neil, who was born on the day of Armstrong’s “one small step”. ---
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/49 "2016-03-11T00:16:48Z")
I recently saw a new vet the last time I took my cats in. I didn’t think anything of it when he introduced himself as Dr. Dickens, but when I checked out the bill listed him as Charles Dickens. Which I think is pretty unkind to do to a child, but he could easily be an actual descendant, in which case I’ll allow it. (Also my dentist is Dr. Bill Gates, but is probably older than famous Bill Gates) ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/50 "2016-03-11T00:27:41Z")
My middle name was named after Sean connery ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/51 "2016-03-11T00:45:43Z")
Closest I get is that my niece is named after a fictional character. (My grandfather’s first two names were Henry James, though I never knew the man (he died before I was born), and I don’t know whether he was named after Henry James, or if it was a coincidence. He went by James (or Jim), FTR.) ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/52 "2016-03-11T01:20:03Z")
I have a friend whose granddaughter is named Eliot after TS. I love it. ---
**Author:** ![Potestas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/53 "2016-03-11T01:21:34Z")
I know someone named Ivana Humpalot and I had a few classes in college with a guy by the name of Harry Bum. Not exactly famous but still memorable! ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/54 "2016-03-11T01:23:35Z")
One coworker admits to being named after Latoya Jackson. Another claims that his first and middle name being George Washington is just a coincidence; its an old family tradition. Personally I got enough different stories from my parents about my name that I’ll believe just about anything. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/55 "2016-03-11T01:25:06Z")
A kid who last name was Capone so his parents named him after Al Capone . ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/56 "2016-03-11T02:19:47Z")
I know a Lois Lane. mmm ---
**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:** [March 11, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/57 "2016-03-11T02:26:09Z")
The lady who sits behind me at work is named Ann Marie. Apparently her mother was a big [That Girl](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060034/?ref_=nv_sr_1) fan. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/58 "2016-03-11T18:04:01Z")
My first name is a popular actress of 1961 … my parents had _issues_ deciding what to name me - neither maternal nor paternal grandmothers names really pleased my Mom, and so my Dad suggested the name, and they decided they could live with it, and it wasn’t going to cause me issues with the kids my age range [for sake of argument, my maternal grandmother might have had a name like Gertrude or something that would have been seen as ridiculous to the kids of the age I am having been Amish, and my paternal grandmother was named Isabelle, which also would have been seen as odd.] I think my first name was actually in like the top 100 popular girls names of the time. At least I didn’t end up as one of the ubiquitous Mary/Katherine/Susans of the day. I think every year there were at least 5 Mary, 3 or 4 Katherines and at least 3 Susans in my brother’s school [I went to a series of private schools with small populations, my brother went to public school except for 2 years of military school.] ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/59 "2016-03-12T01:40:24Z")
I know a kid named James Bond. Good kid and a great athlete, so the name can’t be TOO awful a burden. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522/60 "2016-03-12T02:17:39Z")
When I was in college in the early 1990s, I had a classmate who got married, and decided to change her name after all, because what were the chances that nobody would remember Cindy Crawford in 5 or 10 years? You don’t hear much about her nowadays, but I think it’s because she stepped out of the spotlight to raise her kids and do charity work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-anybody-named-after-famous-people/748522.md?page=4)