# Most Famous Person With Your Family Name **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604 "2010-11-23T01:14:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/101 "2010-11-24T17:40:23Z")
I don’t know of anyone famous who spells their name the same way my family does, but there’s a Canadian singer by the same name spelled differently. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/102 "2010-11-24T18:02:00Z")
A hot shot designer. It’s where my nickname originates. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/103 "2010-11-24T18:21:20Z")
My last name is the most common or in the top 3 most common in the world depending on where you get the answer from so I don’t think anonymity will be risked by giving it here. Does PF Chang count? ---
**Author:** ![Owlett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e95f7d/32.png) [@Owlett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Owlett)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/104 "2010-11-24T18:25:18Z")
According to Google, the most famous people with my surname are Wolverine from Marvel Comics and a professional rugby player in New Zealand. Both were news to me. No one even remotely famous shares my wife’s surname, just a handful of people around Cincinnati, Ohio, and another handful in some village in Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/105 "2010-11-24T18:51:13Z")
Another one with a very unusual last name. There is a large branch (possibly related) with the same name in Southern California and Utah. I suppose it’s nice that the name survives through them, because I’m the last one in our branch. No-one famous, although one of them has written some gaming software, and if you work in that market you might recognize his name. That man’s father was married for a time (60’s and 70’s I think) to a woman who was somewhere in line to succeed to the British throne, related to the then queen mother, I think. Another one was a bandleader in Victoria BC, maybe a century ago. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/106 "2010-11-24T19:40:07Z")
Eddie Murphy, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/107 "2010-11-24T20:14:44Z")
Maiden name: Too many to count (aka the bane of having a very common surname), but off the top of my head? A Hollywood husband/wife team, an old-time singer, and a gun manufacturer. Married name: A ladies accessories manufacturer. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/108 "2010-11-24T20:19:01Z")
My (real) last name is fairly uncommon in the States. There was a coordinator of some stripe (can’t remember if it was offensive or defensive) in the NFL with my last name. I’m shocked we’re not related, as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/109 "2010-11-24T20:31:48Z")
I’m going to guess that in my case, it would be Michael Steinhardt, the philanthropist. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/110 "2010-11-24T21:14:00Z")
My name is so ridiculously common that there are many famous people who share my surname. My full name i share with a man who made a deal with the devil at the crossroads. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/111 "2010-11-24T22:09:49Z")
Prior to the rise of the cartoon family mentioned upthread, a Harvard psychologist. Prior to him, a silk manufacturer (who is the only one of the three I’m actually related to.) ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/112 "2010-11-24T22:38:26Z")
Probably [Richard Warren Sears](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Warren_Sears). I think he beats out [Claudius Wistar Sears](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius_Wistar_Sears) by a goodly amount. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/113 "2010-11-24T22:40:04Z")
Elizabeth Barrett Browning. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/114 "2010-11-25T07:59:17Z")
My surname is a very common English surname so there’s lots to choose from. The most famous currently living? Probably Ted and Tina. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/115 "2010-11-25T08:05:53Z")
Shoot. I had to Google. Probably a governor of New Mexico, and a bunch of authors I’ve never heard of. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/116 "2010-11-25T08:55:24Z")
A rock star often cited as the greatest thing ever to come out of Canada. Also a religious leader with rather a lot of descendants, although I am not one. And a famous Hollywood actress rumored to have had an unmarried baby with a very famous actor of the time. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/117 "2010-11-25T09:20:53Z")
Judging from google, despite mine being a fairly common name, not much. An economic professor who shares my first initial and thus has lots of his mail sent to my gmail account. As does seemingly everyone on earth with my first initial and last name. There is someone who is well known as a “go to guy” for quotes in certain types of news stories, he doesn’t turn up too high in searching on the last name only because most of his career predates the internet I guess. No relation to either. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/118 "2010-11-25T09:49:26Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > And a famous Hollywood actress rumored to have had an unmarried baby with a very famous actor of the time. I don’t think babies are supposed to be married, yanow :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/119 "2010-11-25T09:54:44Z")
That’s an easy one for me. It would have to be Chuck Norris ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/120 "2010-11-25T11:34:47Z")
- Björn (born 1978), Swedish biathlete - Bob (born 1937), American basketball player and executive - Bryan (born 1945), an English musician - Catherine (singer) (born 1953), French singer - Danny (born 1966), son of Bob, American basketball player and executive - David (actor) (born 1951), Canadian-born actor - David (poet), American poet and translator - James gay Canadian priest - Jules (1832–1893), a French statesman - Lou American Football coach - Luc (born 1951), French philosopher - Orris S. (1823-1875), American general and politician - Otis (born 1982), son of Bryan, fox hunting activist - Pasqual comic book artist - Simon (born 1988), Scottish footballer - Thomas W. (1827–1896), an American politician - Tim (born 1975), motorcycle racer [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604.md?page=7)