# Three name people **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310 "2020-01-31T20:48:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/41 "2020-02-01T00:16:51Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Do initials count when they are always used? Like Michael J. Fox? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > J isn’t even his real middle initial. His middle name is Andrew. But it’s his professional name. And since it doesn’t stand for anything, J. is his complete middle name. I say it counts. Likewise Harry H. Corbett. He was an actor known in England. Probably not well known elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/42 "2020-02-01T01:25:30Z")
Edgar Rice Burroughs Lyndon Baines Johnson Alexander Graham Bell Elizabeth Barrett Browning Francis Ford Coppola Mary Stuart Masterson Edward James Olmos Harry Dean Stanton ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/43 "2020-02-01T01:28:38Z")
Mary Chapin Carpenter (And about gazillion Miss Americas, and lots of country music Stars) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/44 "2020-02-01T01:48:54Z")
[Rachel Lee Cook](https://youtube.com/watch?v=dAHoxaphbEs) Billy Ray Cyrus John Michael Montgomery David Allan Coe ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/45 "2020-02-01T01:58:35Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > So? Perhaps the OP intended to include nicknames (which would broaden the field considerably). OK, we’ll throw out those that are nicknames. There’s actually two in the OP list that are nicknames, by the way. And some of the suggestions are not people who are mainly known by their full name. Lyndon Johnson, for example. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/46 "2020-02-01T02:21:34Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Saved by the Bell, among other shows and films) > > Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) > > And the kids from the Home Improvement sitcom: > > Zachery Ty Bryan > Jonathan Taylor Thomas > Taran Noah Smith For some reason, a lot of kids on TV shows go by three names. It may be a SAG/AFTRA issue. However, Bryan now goes by just Zach Bryan - at least, he did when he was in the 2005 ESPN movie about the 1951 West Point football team cheating scandal (they didn’t cheat on the field; they cheated in classes to make sure they would remain eligible). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/47 "2020-02-01T02:46:11Z")
[Joe Don Looney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Don_Looney) [Lee Roy Selmon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Roy_Selmon) June Carter Cash Ho Chi Minh [Jo Anne Worley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Anne_Worley) William Howard Taft Dick Van Dyke [Harry Von Zell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_von_Zell) [Charles Evans Hughes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Evans_Hughes) Grover Cleveland Alexander (nowadays, his nickname of “Pete” is often used, but that originated after he had been billed with his full name) [John Montgomery Ward](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Montgomery_Ward) Cordelia Titcomb Smith – Put together a very successful anthology of SF stories. Robert Todd Lincoln ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/48 "2020-02-01T03:09:36Z")
Alice Roosevelt Longworth Henry Ward Beecher James McNeill Whistler Edward Everett Hale John Singer Sargent ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/49 "2020-02-01T04:02:23Z")
Mary Kay Place John Howard Payne (songwriter, “Be it Ever so Humble, There’s No Place Like Home”) Nacio Herb Brown (“Singin’ in the Rain”) John Cameron Swayze (network news anchor) John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, not the naval officer) ---
**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:** [February 1, 2020, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/50 "2020-02-01T05:05:24Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > [Joe Don Looney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Don_Looney) > [Lee Roy Selmon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Roy_Selmon) > June Carter Cash > Ho Chi Minh > [Jo Anne Worley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Anne_Worley) > William Howard Taft > Dick Van Dyke > [Harry Von Zell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_von_Zell) > [Charles Evans Hughes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Evans_Hughes) > Grover Cleveland Alexander (nowadays, his nickname of “Pete” is often used, but that originated after he had been billed with his full name) > [John Montgomery Ward](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Montgomery_Ward) > Cordelia Titcomb Smith – Put together a very successful anthology of SF stories. > Robert Todd Lincoln Is “Van” considered a middle name? If so, then Dick Van Patten would also qualify. ---
**Author:** ![TheNewDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TheNewDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNewDude)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/51 "2020-02-01T05:13:17Z")
Anthony Michael Hall Metta World Peace ---
**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:** [February 1, 2020, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/52 "2020-02-01T05:25:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Is “Van” considered a middle name? If so, then Dick Van Patten would also qualify. No, it’s a common prefix for Dutch and Belgian surnames. Dick Van Dyke is Richard Wayne Van Dyke, and Dick Van Patten is Richard Vincent Van Patten. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/53 "2020-02-01T05:26:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Is “Van” considered a middle name? If so, then Dick Van Patten would also qualify. Not usually. Van and von are generally part of the surname. They mean “of” or “from” in Dutch and German. It’s the exact same thing as de/di in Romance languages. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2020, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/54 "2020-02-01T05:56:55Z")
Richard Dean Anderson Coretta Scott King And, several football players named Billy (something) (something): [Billy Joe DuPree](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DuprBi00.htm) [Billy Joe Tolliver](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TollBi00.htm) [Billy Joe Hobert](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TollBi00.htm) Billy Ray Smith ([father](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitBi23.htm) and [son](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitBi22.htm)) ---
**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:** [February 1, 2020, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/55 "2020-02-01T06:16:19Z")
Three different men, all of whom had ownership stakes in the Washington Redskins at some point: George Preston Marshall Edward Bennett Williams Jack Kent Cook And, Williams’ name reminded me of actor Edward Everett Horton. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/56 "2020-02-01T07:12:09Z")
[John Wesley Hardin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Hardin) (gunslinger) [John Wesley Powell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Powell)(explorer of the Grand Canyon) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/57 "2020-02-01T07:17:14Z")
[Mopsy Strange Kennedy](https://www.bostonmagazine.com/best-of-boston-archive/1976/mopsy-strange-kennedys/) (writer) Based on the dearth of hits when I Googled her, I gather she’s not especially well known. But boy, once that name gets in your head, it never leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/58 "2020-02-01T07:18:30Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > OK, we’ll throw out those that are nicknames. There’s actually two in the OP list that are nicknames, by the way. Personally, I would allow nicknames that are based on real names (William December “Billy Dee” Williams Jr.) but not those that are just made up (“Sugar” Ray Charles Leonard), but it’s your thread. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/59 "2020-02-01T07:27:47Z")
Percy Bysshe Shelley Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley Thomas Love Peacock Dante Gabriel Rossetti ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310/60 "2020-02-01T07:38:56Z")
William Butler Yeats Samuel Taylor Coleridge Edna St. Vincent Millay (St. Vincent being a single name) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-name-people/847310.md?page=4)