Props to the OP for a really interesting question. The answer must come down to opinion of notability, I’d think. I’ve heard of John C. Calhoun – sorry that a notorious slaver is the earliest named so far (1777). Does William L. Pierce (whom I’ve never heard of) take the prize due to being born in 1740, or is he not notable enough?
It seems like “notable to whom” is highly relevant, making the answer very subjective. For that reason, and penalizing certain contestants for assholism, I think I’ll stick with Susan B. Anthony for now. Fun topic.
Weeeellll… since it really is subjective, I don’t think of the 11th president by that form of his name, myself. Though he himself is possibly more well known than Susan B. Anthony? Not sure of that either. It’s really an impossible question, food for thought.
As for the signers of the Dec of Ind, it is not enough that they signed that way, we have to call them that way when we speak or write of them. I wish Vlad T. Impaler was legit.
Roger B. Taney (b. 1777) is probably the best answer so far, and I can’t beat it. Some other early adopters who haven’t been mentioned yet include:
Stephen F. Austin b. 1793
Matthew C. Perry b. 1794
William H. Seward b. 1801
John Quincy Adams (1767) is sometimes but not usually called John Q. Adams
John James Audubon (1785) is sometimes but not usually called John J. Audubon.
Sorta. As far as I can make out, the future poet was christened George Gordon, with the surname Byron, which was also the style of the hereditary barony that he inherited at the age of ten from a great-uncle.
But the “Gordon” was his mother’s maiden name, which his father later adopted as a surname as a condition of inheritance rights, so AIUI the poet sometimes called himself “George Byron Gordon”, or just treated “Gordon” as his surname and “Byron” as the name of his baron’s title.
So, it’s complicated. Many people definitely did have multiple baptismal names at that time, but sometimes they treated them as a kind of nomenclatural menu selection from which they could customize the name they preferred, rather than as a predetermined official label.
Nopes, AFAIK. Bach himself drew up a whole genealogical list (facsimiles here), completed by his son CPEB, and there’s no such thing as a middle initial in it (though a leading “Johannes” is sometimes abbreviated “Joh.”).
Middle initials have never been a custom in Germany, the only person I know who uses one is the TV host and presenter Johannes B. Kerner. In his case, the B stands for Baptist, so not even for a name, but a designation for which saint Kerner was baptized after.
