# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/141 "2010-12-02T04:08:40Z")
Probably either: Richard, fitness guru Gene, heavy-metal rock star Man, I really hope that one of my kids gets incredibly famous for something or other. This is not looking good … ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/142 "2010-12-02T05:05:55Z")
Historically? Clara Barton. Famous as a nurse, abolitionist, suffragette and as the founder of the American Red Cross. Currently? Joe Barton, politician. Or Mischa Barton, actress. Or maybe Joey Barton, English footballer and violent thug. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/143 "2010-12-02T08:23:24Z")
Another rare name. Googling around, I’ve found a long-dead priest/author/editor who shares the name, and a living cardiologist who has published a lot of research papers. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/144 "2010-12-02T11:53:16Z")
Well there is that tart from the emerald isle, a bunch of Texans for no good reason and a college prof or two… I think the tart is the most famous. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/145 "2010-12-03T01:18:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > There was a Hungarian scientist who appeared on a postage stamp in the 19th century. A botanist, I think. My uncle, who has done a lot of research into out family tree, believes we are related even though the particular branch of the family with our surname comes from the St. Gallen area of Switzerland, traced back to 1690. Just thought of one more. I don’t know if you could call him “famous,” but there is a judge in Texas, possibly retured now, with not only my family’s last name, but also the first name of my uncle in California. This judge seems to be rather high profile, making it in the news frequently. That could come from trying criminal cases in a major metropolitan area. He is no relation to us, however. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/146 "2010-12-03T01:34:19Z")
There’s a now deceased actor with my last name. His most famous character is now being played by someone else who is making a lot more money. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/147 "2010-12-03T03:50:55Z")
OK… there’s the one with the last name who signed the Declaration of Independence, the one who was in FDR’s cabinet, the one who played a Musketeer, the one who played Hannibal Lechter… none of whom are even remotely related ( although I Really like the phrase “Inter Primus”; that and its Heraldry came very close to appearing on my shoulder blade) ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/148 "2010-12-05T02:15:01Z")
Gee, they range from NFL football players to actors to lawyers to multimedia artists to scientists to makers of specialized emergency vehicles. Any guesses? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/149 "2010-12-05T02:48:17Z")
A director of action films. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/150 "2010-12-05T02:51:32Z")
The 35th President of the United States, and his family. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/151 "2010-12-05T23:12:57Z")
My last name is Jones. I wouldn’t even know where to start. We could have an entire thread on who the most famous Jones is. ---
**Author:** ![jrbor76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9e8a1a/32.png) [@jrbor76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrbor76)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/152 "2010-12-06T22:41:36Z")
A former US Congressman from Philadelphia. ---
**Author:** ![\_mostly\_Harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/9d8465/32.png) [@\_mostly\_Harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_mostly_Harmless)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/153 "2010-12-07T07:08:34Z")
The Attorney General of the United States during the Taft Administration. Also Dr. Seuss wrote about us. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/154 "2010-12-08T01:04:25Z")
There’s the [Sutter family](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_family), one of the big NHL dynasties. And of course, there’s [John Sutter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Sutter) of Sutter’s Mill, and the 1849 Gold Rush. And no, as far as I know, there’s no relation. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/155 "2010-12-08T01:31:12Z")
I have the 3rd most common last name in the english speaking world. The wiki disambiguation page containing my first and last name contains 11 different people of varying degrees of fame, including 2 NFL players, and the drummer for a moderately well known band. The page for just the last name contains over a hundred names. Whom to choose, whom to choose… ---
**Author:** ![skylar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@skylar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skylar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/156 "2010-12-08T02:05:45Z")
Apparently my surname is the 10th most common in the US, but the only celebrities who come to mind are Arsenio Hall, or Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates (not my generation, but I come from a family of musicians). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/157 "2010-12-08T15:16:16Z")
> [@\_mostly\_Harmless](#): > > The Attorney General of the United States during the Taft Administration. Cool. I’m from the same Howard family as Taft and his decendants. My mother and one of my brothers had the middle name Howard. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/158 "2010-12-08T15:42:49Z")
Sergio Leone ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/159 "2010-12-08T15:49:46Z")
A blonde bombshell from the 50s and 60s. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604/160 "2010-12-08T16:21:29Z")
Sadly, I guess it’s Ted. My maiden name was much cooler - a famous aviatrix. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-person-with-your-family-name/561604.md?page=9)