mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
Michael J. Fox’s middle name is Andrew. He needed to use a middle initial, because an actor named Michael Fox already had a Screen Actors Guild card. But he was afraid, as a Canadian, Michael A. Fox would be mocked (Michael “Eh?” Fox).
Ulysses S. Grant was born Hyram Ulysses Grant, but the Congressman who’d nominated him for admission to West Point mistakenly used the name Ulysses S. Grant, which stuck.
Here are the full names of other initial-using people.
• John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
• Clive Staples Lewis
• William Frank Buckley, Jr.
• Hunter Stockton Thompson
• George Gordon Battle Liddy
• Presidents include James Knox Polk, Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Chester Alan Arthur, Warren Gamaliel Harding and Richard Milhous Nixon
• George Campbell Scott
• Elwyn Brooks White
•Eedward Eestlin Ccummings
• Philip Kindred Dick
• Homer Jay Simpson
• Booker Taliaferro Washington
• Alan Whitney Brown (A. Whitney Brown joked that, one day, he hoped to be THE Whitney Brown)
• Howard Kevin Stern (not the Sirius radio host, Anna Nicole’s lawyer)
• Patrick Jake O’Rourke
• Mary Jane Blige
• Joanne Kathleen Rowling (or maybe not)
Now you know. And if you know of others, fill up the comments.
You forgot Maynard G. Krebs - G for Walter.
posted by John on 3-6-2007 at 1:48 pm
Thomas Stearns Eliot.
posted by Jen on 3-6-2007 at 2:23 pm
George Raymond Richard Martin (Fantasy writer George R.R. Martin)
Irve Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Jr. (Often called “I. Lewis ‘Scooter’”)
Fahrid Murray Abraham (who knew?)
John Ross Ewing, Jr., played by Larry Hagman
Henry Ross Perot
David Samuel Cohen - Simpsons and Futurama writer credited as David X. Cohen for SAG reasons a la Michael J. Fox.
posted by Griner on 3-6-2007 at 2:27 pm
And don’t forget James Cash Penney.
posted by Sandy on 3-6-2007 at 3:06 pm
Jo Rowling doesn’t actually have a middle name, but was told by publishers that boys wouldn’t pick up a book written by a female author. She was told to go by her initials in order as a disguise (Bronte sisters, anyone?). Kathleen is her grandmother’s name. She really just borrowed it for the initial.
posted by Xander on 3-6-2007 at 3:28 pm
and there’s James Tiberius Kirk of Star Trek fame and, according to Christopher Moore anyway, the “H” in Jesus H Christ stands for “Hallowed” (”it’s a family thing”)
posted by sarah k on 3-6-2007 at 3:34 pm
It was my understanding that, after extensive argument about whether Truman’s middle name would be Solomon or Shippe, his parents opted for the simple “S.” So there’s no “official” middle name at all, just the initial.
You could, however, accurately say that the S *stands for* Solomon or Shippe, depending on which side of the family you ask.
posted by Katrina on 3-6-2007 at 3:35 pm
alan alexander milne of winnie the pooh fame.
edward morgan forster of a room with a view and a passage to india fame.
posted by Abbas Halai on 3-6-2007 at 3:51 pm
I think you meant:
edward estlin cummings
And the “H” in Jesus H. Christ stands for “Hallmark”, because God cared enough to send the very best.
posted by WizardBoy on 3-6-2007 at 4:14 pm
I don’t want to pick nits, but Richard M. Nixon’s middle name is Milhous (not Millhouse)
posted by Mike on 3-6-2007 at 4:21 pm
Sometimes people are lack of patronymic names. In some Slavonic countries is prevailing patronymic, this tradition springs from ancient times.
posted by Antilos on 3-6-2007 at 5:53 pm
I thought the ‘I’ in I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Jr. was for Inmate.
posted by n2y2 on 3-6-2007 at 5:53 pm
Thomas Stearns Eliot
posted by Kricket on 3-6-2007 at 7:12 pm
Speaking of Homer J. Simpson, I love the fact that important characters from Matt Groening shows like “The Simpsons” and “Futurama” have J as their middle initial. We have Homer, we have Bart, we have Philip J. Fry…
And it’s all an homage to Jay Ward, mastermind behind such amazingness like George of the Jungle and Rocky and Bullwinkle. Even Jay Ward himself wasn’t above giving his own characters his first initial (which I suppose is also his name): Rocket J. Squirrel.
Love it.
posted by Drew on 3-6-2007 at 7:16 pm
Orenthal James Simpson.
posted by Miss Cellania on 3-6-2007 at 10:55 pm
> alan alexander milne of winnie the pooh fame.
Pooh is Edward T. Bear.
The T does not stand for “The” as some have asserted, but for “Theodore”.
Since Teddy is a nickname both for Edward and for Theodore, Pooh could be called Teddy Teddy Bear.
posted by Paul Ding on 3-7-2007 at 3:11 am
You still have too many “L”s in Milhous.
posted by Betsy on 3-7-2007 at 9:35 am
Polly Jean Harvey
Howard Phillips Lovecraft
posted by Kasee on 3-7-2007 at 9:42 am
L. Ron Hubbard is Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, founder of Dianetics and Scientology.
Though a household name, I have not met many people who have actually read his work. Interestingly, I heard a story on NPR last week about a study of a new therapy for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It discussed a form of “exposure therapy” in which the subject recounts narrative incidents over and over until their emotional effect is reduced.
“TUESDAY, Feb 27, 2007; 5:00 PM…. (HealthDay News) — A type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) therapy that involves recounting a traumatic event until emotions diminish is more effective for female military veterans than a more commonly used treatment is, new research shows.”
New therapy? This was described as a therapy by Ron Hubbard in 1952. Please read Dianetics, Modern Science of Mental Health. You will find many other novel and useful ideas that were far ahead of their time.
I am happy to see our vets beginning to receive some effective counseling in the form of narrative therapies, rather than the VERY HARMFUL drug therapies that are all too common today.
posted by Don J. on 3-7-2007 at 11:22 am
Shame on you for capitalizing e. e. cummings name.
posted by beauregaardhooligan on 3-7-2007 at 11:34 am
Thanks for posting that Mark! I was about to leave a comment, that Richard Milhous Nixon’s middle name only has one ‘L’, it was his mother’s maiden name, and it just happens to be mine! (I’m a distant relative)
posted by TMilhous on 3-7-2007 at 1:11 pm
W. C. Fields = William Claude Dukenfield
posted by Jason! on 3-7-2007 at 1:23 pm
Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard = Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard. In later life he dropped off the hyphen between Toutant and Beauregard and even the Pierre. He signed his name G. T. Beauregard.
posted by John on 3-7-2007 at 1:32 pm
I couldn’t think of anymore, but my coworker gave me these two:
William H. Macy = William Hall Macy
J.B. Hunt = Jonny Bryan Hunt
posted by Jason! on 3-7-2007 at 2:25 pm
k.d. lang is: Katherine Dawn Lang
posted by Trent on 3-7-2007 at 2:36 pm
I read recently somewhere in an interview where the interviewer asked F. Murray Abraham about his “initial.” According to this article, Abraham said it didn’t stand for anything, he just wanted to “punch up” his real name, Murray Abraham, and chose the “F.”
posted by Michael on 3-7-2007 at 3:12 pm
WHAT ABOUT “FRED T. SANFORD”. ANYONE KNOW ALL OF THE POSSIBLE MIDDLE NAMES FOR HIM……T FOR TANNED, TANILIZING, TERRIFIC,,,,,ETC…..
posted by JOHN BROWN on 3-7-2007 at 4:10 pm
Julius Caesar. His middle name WAS Julius. Full name was really Gaius Julius Caesar.
posted by michael housefield on 3-7-2007 at 4:30 pm
Clive Staples Lewis rarely ever went by that name or C.S ofr that matter. From his childhood to his death he was known by those who knew him as Jack.
posted by Jarred Hanson on 3-7-2007 at 4:34 pm
And shame on you for forgetting the apostrophe (possessive) in e.e. cummings’ name! :-)
posted by Beverly on 3-7-2007 at 5:25 pm
John, buddy! Learn to not type in all caps!
posted by Shiro on 3-7-2007 at 7:01 pm
Apologies to beauregaardhooligan and Beverly. I’ll hang my head.
For your pointed proofreading, why don’t you drop some e.e. knowledge on us? Tell me something fascinating I don’t know, besides all the things you’ve already told me.
posted by Jason on 3-7-2007 at 9:59 pm
Susan Eloise Hinton, another author using her initials so the boys will read their works.
posted by audrey on 3-8-2007 at 11:22 am
J.R.R. Tolkien: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
posted by LeftieLady on 3-8-2007 at 12:52 pm
Howard Phillips Lovecraft
posted by Nat on 3-9-2007 at 8:10 am
Alex K. Rich = Alexander Kenneth Rich
posted by Joe on 3-9-2007 at 10:13 am
The name of the president’s brother, Jeb, is actually an acronym for John Ellis Bush.
posted by Allison on 3-12-2007 at 6:52 pm
Sir James Matthew Barrie, also known as J.M. Barrie, wrote “Peter Pan.”
posted by Oey on 3-12-2007 at 6:56 pm
Jason, I think Beverly was actually scolding me!
Thanks, to *both* of you.
posted by beauregaardhooligan on 6-13-2007 at 10:38 pm
Since you mentioned Homer Jay Simpson, one mustn’t forget Donald Fauntleroy Duck.
posted by Kay on 9-3-2007 at 11:18 am
“And shame on you for forgetting the apostrophe (possessive) in e.e. cummings’ name! :-)”
At the risk of being pedantic, this should be written “e. e. cummings’s name”. The fact that his name ends with an “s” is irrelevant. It’s a common error!
posted by Dan on 9-19-2007 at 6:32 am