Celebrities with last names as first names
When is last first? Well, take a surname and use it as a given name and you’ve effectively named yourself back to front! Indeed, quite a few celebrities have forenames that are more associated with family names. But how many do you know, and what’s the meaning behind their names?
Click through and take a look at the stars with first names that are also last names.
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Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift was named after singer-songwriter James Taylor. The biblical meaning of Taylor translates to “clothed with salvation,” and the name can also mean “eternal beauty.” She has Scottish and German heritage, though the word Taylor itself is an English occupational name for a tailor.
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Harrison Ford
Of German origin and meaning “house ruler,” the name Harrison can also mean in Old English “son of Harry.” Actor Harrison Ford has popularized Harrison as a given name.
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Morgan Freeman
The name Morgan is of Welsh origin and means “white sea.” It works both as a boy’s name and a girl’s name, and is used either as a given name or a surname.
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Ryan Reynolds
Several Ryans have worked in Hollywood, for example Robert Ryan and Ryan O’Neal. Now there’s Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds (pictured). Canadian by birth, Ryan Reynolds has a given name that is primarily a gender-neutral name of Irish origin that means “descendant of the king.” It derives from the Gaelic name O’Riain, which means “son of Rían.”
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Lewis Hamilton
Generally a surname in the English language, Lewis has several independent origins but is most commonly associated with Wales. British Formula One race ace Lewis Hamilton was born in England to a father of Grenadian descent and a white mother.
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Russell Crowe
Russell is a male given name that originated from the same surname. It’s essentially a name of nickname origin meaning “red-haired one.” Of Anglo-Norman descent, it spread to England, Scotland, and Wales in early times. New Zealand-born Russell Crowe’s ancestry includes English, Irish, and Scottish. His paternal grandfather was Welsh.
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Elton John
Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, the singer chose to name himself Elton John after saxophonist Elton Dean and vocalist Long John Baldry. Elton is both a surname and a male given name, and is of Anglo-Saxon origin.
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Clark Gable (1901–1960)
An English language surname, Clark is rarely used as a given name. Clark is in fact actor Clark Gable’s middle name. His first name is Michael. As a child, however, he was almost always called by his adopted first name.
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Montgomery Clift (1920–1966)
One of Hollywood’s finest method actors, Edward Montgomery Clift chose to use his middle name as his first name. Besides loose English and Scottish associations, Montgomery is a name that originated in the Normandy region of France.
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Heath Ledger (1979–2008)
Heath is an Anglo-Saxon name, derived from the Old English word haeth. It’s primarily a male surname—those designated with the name were often people that dwelled on or near a heath. Australian actor Heath Ledger had English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
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Anderson Cooper
Anderson means “son of Anders or Andrew.” It’s generally used as a surname. But not with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
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Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
Dylan as a first name is owed greatly to the Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas. He became widely popular in his lifetime, but his was a brief fling with fame. He died prematurely in New York City from pneumonia aged 39.
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Lennox Lewis
Former professional boxer and three-time world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was given the name Lennox by his doctor, who said he “looked like a Lennox.” No one is quite sure why, least of all his mom. But it was after the physician noted the newborn’s size—Lennox entered the world at an impressive 4.8 kg (10 lb 10 oz).
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Brooke Shields
Primarily a gender-neutral surname of English origin that means “small stream,” Brooke is far more commonly written as Brooks for boys. Of English, German, Scotch-Irish, Welsh, and Italian descent, she came to prominence in ‘The Blue Lagoon’ (1980) and ‘Endless Love’ (1981).
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Warren Beatty
Originally an English surname, Warren also has French Norman roots. It’s derived from the Old French warenne (a warren, or game preserve). Warren Beatty uses his middle name, Warren, rather than his given name, which is Henry.
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Spencer Tracy (1900–1967)
From its origin as a surname, the name Spencer has been given to both males and females, but has been popular for boys since the 19th century. Actor Spencer Tracy’s father was of Irish Catholic descent.
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Forest Whitaker
The name Forest is a boy’s name of French origin meaning “woodsman” or “woods.” The Forest variation of Forrest, used by Hollywood actor Forest Whitaker, nudges the meaning more toward the woods and away from the woodsman. Interestingly, the actor’s mother had Akan ancestry from Ghana and Ivory Coast, while his father was of Igbo descent, from Nigeria.
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Kirk Douglas (1916–2020)
Kirk is a Scottish word meaning “church.” Issur Danielovitch, better known as actor Kirk Douglas, grew up as Izzy Demsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas long before his career in Hollywood. Kirk is traditionally a surname transferred to forename use.
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Conrad Hilton, Sr. (1887–1979)
Conrad Hilton, Sr. was the founder of the Hilton hotel chain. He is the great grandfather of heiress and socialite Paris Hilton. The name Conrad is of German origin, meaning “brave counsel.” It’s a given name and a surname.
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Curtis Mayfield (1942–1999)
One of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music, Curtis Mayfield isn’t the only musician of color to go by Curtis. Rapper 50 Cent was born Curtis James Jackson III.
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Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (1883–1939)
A common surname of Scottish origin, Douglas was the given name of Douglas Fairbanks, one of the greatest actors of Hollywood’s silent era. Fairbanks’ original surname was Ullman, but he chose to change it early on in his movie career.
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Dudley Moore (1935–2002)
English actor, comedian, and musician Dudley Moore’s given name is a habitational name from the town of Dudley in the West Midlands of Great Britain. It is in fact a male given name as well as a surname, albeit these days fairly obscure. It served Dudley Moore well though. After achieving fame in Hollywood with the smash hit movie ’10’ (1979), the diminutive actor was christened as “Cuddly Dudley.”
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Wilson Pickett (1941–2006)
Known for a string of evergreen hits including ‘In the Midnight Hour,’ singer-songwriter Wilson Pickett had a given name that is English and Scottish in origin and a common surname in the English-speaking world.
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Milton Berle (1908–2002)
Born Mendel Berlinger, comedian, actor, and entertainer Milton Berle chose a given name that derives from an English surname, itself a name meaning “mill town” in Old English.
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Sterling Hayden (1916–1986)
Long used as a English surname, Sterling is a boy’s name meaning “of the highest quality.” American actor Sterling Hayden, whose films include Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Killing’ (1956), was christened Sterling Relyea Walter but was renamed Sterling Walter Hayden after being adopted as child.
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Franco Nero
Distinguished Italian film and television actor Franco Nero was born Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero. He chose to shorten his given name to that of Franco, which is actually a common surname in Italy.
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Mackenzie Crook
Well known to British television audiences as Gareth Keenan in ‘The Office’ and Andy Stone in the ‘Detectorists,’ Mackenzie Crook has enjoyed international exposure too as hapless buccaneer Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
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Preston Tucker (1903–1956)
Preston Tucker was an automobile entrepreneur whose work on the Tucker 48 sedan (pictured with Tucker in the driver’s seat) was immortalized in the 1988 movie ‘Tucker: The Man and his Dream.’ Preston is an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning “priest town.”
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Kingsley Amis (1922–1995)
Distinguished English novelist and poet Kingsley Amis had a traditional surname as a given name. Kingsley is Anglo-Saxon in origin and means “king’s meadow.”
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30/30 SLIDES
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