# Why do we call Galileo by his first name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649 "2016-12-14T01:12:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/21 "2016-12-14T10:59:03Z")
Good point! It would be weird to live in the USV. …although I wouldn’t mind being in the USV **I** this week – we’re about to dip down to the negative twenties Fahrenheit here in Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/22 "2016-12-14T13:38:20Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I think you might have meant to say “Elizabeth Windsor”. “Regina” is a title, not a family name. It’s also incorrect to call her “Elizabeth Windsor.” Windsor (or, rather, Mountbatten-Windsor) is the name of her house, not her last name. It’s one of those distinctions that only has a difference to the most vaunted and inbred of humans, but it’s the case nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/23 "2016-12-14T14:28:21Z")
> [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](#): > > It’s also incorrect to call her “Elizabeth Windsor.” Windsor (or, rather, Mountbatten-Windsor) is the name of her house, not her last name. It’s one of those distinctions that only has a difference to the most vaunted and inbred of humans, but it’s the case nonetheless. Elizabeth is Windsor (the last of that house). Philip and all their children and descendants are Mountbatten-Windsor. Or so Unca Cecil led us to believe. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/24 "2016-12-14T14:48:55Z")
There needs to be an in-Dope name for the thing when a Doper asks a question that, it turns out, _they already asked on the Dope years before_. I’ve seen it enough that it should have its own name. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/25 "2016-12-14T14:54:48Z")
> [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](#): > > It’s also incorrect to call her “Elizabeth Windsor.” Windsor (or, rather, Mountbatten-Windsor) is the name of her house, not her last name. It’s one of those distinctions that only has a difference to the most vaunted and inbred of humans, but it’s the case nonetheless. It’s not incorrect. George IV [renamed his house Windsor and took Windsor as the family’s surname in 1917](http://bmsf.org.uk/the-house-of-windsor-1917/) due to rising anti-German sentiment. Prior to that he was George IV of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and the family had no surname. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/26 "2016-12-14T15:01:23Z")
Galileo’s name also lent itself to one of the greatest puns of history. Although I can’t agree with the sentiment behind it, I have to admire the craftsmanship of the wordplay: His detractors within the Church paraphrased Acts 1:11 to him, “Viri galilei, quid statis aspicientes in caelum?”, or “Man Galilei, why do you stand staring up into the heavens?”. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/27 "2016-12-14T15:15:06Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > When we talk about the great early astronomers, we refer to Brahe, Copernicus and Newton, not Tycho, Nicholas and Isaac. But we _do_ call Tycho Brahe “[Tycho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_Brahe)”. Just like we call Gallileo Gallilei “Gallileo”. And do you not realize you’re referring to a particular time when last names were a new concept that most people didn’t have? I notice you didn’t ask this question about Archimedes or Ptolemy, nor about Einstein or Hawking. The fact that your question pertains only to a particular time period is informative. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/28 "2016-12-14T15:49:50Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > There needs to be an in-Dope name for the thing when a Doper asks a question that, it turns out, _they already asked on the Dope years before_. I’ve seen it enough that it should have its own name. Didn’t you suggest that in another thread? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/29 "2016-12-14T16:06:45Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > There needs to be an in-Dope name for the thing when a Doper asks a question that, it turns out, _they already asked on the Dope years before_. I’ve seen it enough that it should have its own name. Threadnesia? Although perhaps too generic. I still want a name or law for when a poster crashes into a thread saying “I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned XYZ” and XYZ has already been mentioned, often multiple times, in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/30 "2016-12-14T16:30:32Z")
Well, well, well - learn something new every 13 years! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/31 "2016-12-14T17:26:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Threadnesia? Although perhaps too generic. I still want a name or law for when a poster crashes into a thread saying “I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned XYZ” and XYZ has already been mentioned, often multiple times, in the thread. We need a library of these terms. Including one where someone remarks “You’re all wrong and terrible to say XYZ”, when nobody at all has said XYZ. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/32 "2016-12-14T18:20:17Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > There needs to be an in-Dope name for the thing when a Doper asks a question that, it turns out, _they already asked on the Dope years before_. I’ve seen it enough that it should have its own name. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Threadnesia? Although perhaps too generic. I still want a name or law for when a poster crashes into a thread saying “I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned XYZ” and XYZ has already been mentioned, often multiple times, in the thread. > [@Mangetout](#): > > We need a library of these terms. Including one where someone remarks “You’re all wrong and terrible to say XYZ”, when nobody at all has said XYZ. I suggest “Pipernesia” for asking the same question years later. 😃 The second problem is “TLDRitis” pronounced “TILD-err-Ite-iss”. They read the OP, or sometimes just the OP’s title, maybe cursorily scan a bit of the replies, then start pounding out a reply. My personal flavor of this to carefully read page 1, not notice there’s a page 2, then reply picking up on the ideas of the last post of page 1. Oops. :o The third problem is called “I can’t (or won’t) read carefully and am unfit to be a Doper”. Y’all will have to work on the short form. I already shot my bolt on the first two. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/33 "2016-12-14T18:53:51Z")
We already have a name for that third one: It’s a strawman. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/34 "2016-12-14T18:57:25Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > There needs to be an in-Dope name for the thing when a Doper asks a question that, it turns out, _they already asked on the Dope years before_. I’ve seen it enough that it should have its own name. Threadja vu. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/35 "2016-12-14T19:16:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I suggest “Pipernesia” for asking the same question years later. 😃 Oh great! Now I know how **Gaudere** must feel… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/36 "2016-12-14T19:58:46Z")
It’s better than being **Briston** ized. 🙂 Besides, threadja vu is a better idea than mine and will probably take hold. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/37 "2016-12-14T20:08:22Z")
You’re right : “threadja vu” is far superior and descriptive. I strongly encourage the Teeming Millions to adopt it immediately! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/38 "2016-12-14T20:42:41Z")
I dunno, I like **Northernesia**. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649/39 "2016-12-14T20:48:28Z")
But, but … The Mounties always get their man. No forgetting allowed up there in the Great White North. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-galileo-by-his-first-name/774649.md?page=1)