# (Semi) Well-known people who share unusual names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839 "2010-12-30T16:47:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/21 "2010-12-30T21:15:56Z")
There have been two Major League Baseball players named [Steve](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ontivst01.shtml) [Ontiveros](http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ontivst02.shtml). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/22 "2010-12-30T21:29:10Z")
Brett Butler, actress/comedienne Brett Butler, former Dodgers outfielder ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/23 "2010-12-31T01:38:50Z")
In track and field there are two Mark Wetmores which causes some confusion. [Mark Wetmore](http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=115033) of the University of Colorado is one of the top college track and field and cross country coaches in the US. [Mark Wetmore](http://www.athleticsmanagers.com/member-managers/mark-wetmore.html) is one of the top track and field managers in the world. A lot of casual track and field fans get confused because they are unaware that there are two guys in the sport with the same name. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/24 "2010-12-31T01:48:36Z")
It’s not an unusual name, but… Two of the most popular British bands of the Eighties had drummers with the same name: Queen and Duran Duran both had drummers named Roger Taylor. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/25 "2010-12-31T01:50:30Z")
there were two george bush’s that were both presidents within relatively close spans of each other. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/26 "2010-12-31T01:54:10Z")
Not exactly the same name, but Mark Wahlberg the actor and Mark Walberg from Antiques Roadshow. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/27 "2010-12-31T02:21:14Z")
Seriously, I think 90% of these posts have not included “unusual” names that are the same. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/28 "2010-12-31T02:38:29Z")
Ken Griffey Sr., baseball player Ken Griffey Jr., baseball player What do I win? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/29 "2010-12-31T03:08:37Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Not exactly the same name, but Mark Wahlberg the actor and Mark Walberg from Antiques Roadshow. Wow, I did not know until this moment that it _wasn’t_ Mark “y Mark” Wahlberg hosting _Antiques Roadshow_. Another case of the two names being the same except for the letter “h” is the late RAF officer [Peter Townsend](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Townsend_%28RAF_officer%29) and rock musician [Peter Townshend](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Townshend). The military Townsend is perhaps best known for his ill-fated romance with Princess Margaret in the 1950s. When Princess Margaret died back in 2002 I did see some incorrect reports that she’d been romantically linked to The Who’s Pete Townshend. But musician Townshend was born in 1945 and so would have been in primary school at the time the princess was dating military Townsend. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/30 "2010-12-31T03:08:56Z")
Not exactly the same, but it confused me in the past (despite the generational & other obvious differences): British comic actor [Peter Sellers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sellers) [b. 1925] and American theater director [Peter Sellars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sellars) [b. 1957]. And I still have difficulty remembering how to spell them, but a pneumonic device just occurred to me: the English one is spelled with an “e,” and the American one with an “a”. Not bad, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/31 "2010-12-31T04:26:27Z")
Christopher Priest, Brit. SF writer Christopher Priest, Am. comic book writer For more mundane names, here are a few: Ian Stewart, founding member of the Rolling Stones Ian Stewart, front man for skinhead hate-rock band Skrewdriver Larry King, retired talk show host Larry L. King, author of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Larry King, former husband of Billie Jean King Will Smith, actor/rapper Willi Smith, fashion designer ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/32 "2010-12-31T04:38:39Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > And I still have difficulty remembering how to spell them, but a pneumonic device just occurred to me: the English one is spelled with an “e,” and the American one with an “a”. Unless you are referring to a device relating to the respiratory disease pneumonia, I think you mean to say mnemonic device. Believe me, you are not the first person to make this mistake. Even the US Army Survival Manual does it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/33 "2010-12-31T04:47:53Z")
I get excited when I see [Christopher Lloyd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Lloyd)’s name come up in TV credits, only to realise it’s that other [Christopher Lloyd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Lloyd_(screenwriter)). ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/34 "2010-12-31T05:10:50Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Seriously, I think 90% of these posts have not included “unusual” names that are the same. > > 😕 But if we held out for “really really obscure names”, we wouldn’t have a thread. But these ARE names more unique than “Bob Johnson”, and I did get some of these mixed up before. I appreciate getting these straightened out. I got all excited that Christopher Priest was writing Real Books after penning some of the best dialogues ever in the comic _Quantum & Woody_. And moments ago, I had my elation dampened. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/35 "2010-12-31T05:34:57Z")
Paul Simon, musician Paul Simon, Senator ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/36 "2010-12-31T05:35:23Z")
Paul Simon singer/songwriter Paul Simon senator ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/37 "2010-12-31T05:39:13Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Will Smith, actor/rapper > Willi Smith, fashion designer And Will Smith, New Orleans Saints defensive end. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/38 "2010-12-31T06:02:25Z")
Back in the late 90s, a US Navy chief petty officer named Timothy McVeigh was in the news for a bit when he sued the Navy over the DADT policy. A few years earlier, of course, there was a rather more notorious Timothy McVeigh in the news. And, in the oddly popular category of British rock musicians, there’s Mick Jones of the Clash and Mick Jones of Foreigner. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/39 "2010-12-31T06:15:08Z")
[Brian May](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_may), guitarist for Queen and PhD in astrophysics [Brian May](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May_%28composer%29), Australian film composer, most notably for _Mad Max_ and _The Road Warrior_ ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2010, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839/40 "2010-12-31T07:35:15Z")
[Tony Hawks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hawks), British comedian constantly pestered by kids who assume him to be [Tony Hawk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hawk), skateboarder. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-well-known-people-who-share-unusual-names/565839.md?page=3)