PRINTHi, my name is...
Lifestyles of mid-Missouri’s famously named
Maggie Searcy
May 20, 2009 | 12:00 p.m. CST
Imagine being constantly compared to beauty queen Vanessa Williams, comic book character Charlie Brown or plastic surgery VIP Michael Jackson. Even having the name Michael Bolton as an adult can ruin your reputation at the office. How much do you love your name? One day someone might taint it by becoming obnoxiously famous.
Charles “Charlie” Brown
He doesn’t have a dog named Snoopy or a standard outfit of a yellow and black zig zag shirt. Charles Brown’s parents might have realized what they were bestowing on their son when they named him, but it was more important to them that Charles received the title of his dear granddad.
“Yeah, you know, a lot of people say something, and it doesn’t bother me; that’s fine,” says Brown of his recognizable tag. “It’s a conversation starter, an ice breaker.”
Brown recalls going to a restaurant in the ’60s with his fellow famously named friend Tom Jones. At the restaurant, the waitresses were skeptical of the two men. “A couple of the waitresses asked who those two guys were because we impressed them,” says Brown while laughing. “And it took a lot of talking to them and convincing that those were our real names.” Good thing one believed him because that waitress later became Brown’s wife.
Courtney Cox
She won’t clean your house, report on the local serial killer, or be your cutthroat doctor at Sacred Heart Hospital, but you might catch Courtney Cox wandering the MU campus. Although her name is spelled differently than that of the Friends star, Cox doesn’t mind the constant references to the show. And she does have a Chandler in her life. “I have a little sister named Chandler; it is just a huge coincidence,” Cox says. “But everyone thinks my parents are huge Friends fanatics.”
Cox is grateful to the actress for the fame references. “One time in elementary school we were supposed to write a letter to a famous person, and I wrote to her saying that we had the same name,” says Cox. “But she didn’t respond.”
Michael Jackson
Mike Jackson shares a name with one of the biggest stars in music, and that is exactly why the coordinator of operations for MU volleyball chooses to not go by his full title. “I actually love the name Michael,” Jackson says. “But I tell people my name is Mike Jackson even though I hate the name Mike, just to avoid the snickers and giggles.”
The King of Pop does induce quite a few snickers, given that his name pops up in rumors about sexual abuse and dangling babies over the side of a balcony. “The good part about it is that no one ever forgets your name; that’s for sure,” Jackson says.
“I am halfway embarrassed to say that I kind of wanted to dress like him and carry his tradition,” Jackson says. “But I was pretty young.”
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson’s friends love to tell everyone that they know her — what they fail to mention is that their friend is a junior at MU, not the headline-grabbing pop star.
Although the tabloids do not write features about this student’s weight, acting career or love life, Simpson still reaps some benefits from the popularity of the singer. “When I was younger, one of the first jobs I ever applied for was at Abercrombie, and they said to me when I got there that they were going to hire me just because of my name,” Simpson says.
She laughs at the coincidence, but it is not always pleasant to share a name with the ditzy singer who thought that buffalo wings were actually made of buffalo. “I hate it when people think I’m stupid,” Simpson says. “People ask me all of the time if it’s chicken or if it’s tuna.”
James Taylor
James Taylor doesn’t realize how sweet it is to have the same name as the famous folk singer because he isn’t familiar with his work. “It’s probably just out of spite, but I’ve never heard a James Taylor song,” Taylor says. “I think it would be kind of funny if I ended up liking him.”
Although the musician’s popularity peaked in the ’70s, Taylor’s parents had no idea they were naming 21-year-old Taylor after a famous musician.
But the younger J.T. has a positive outlook on the situation. “In hindsight I think I was really fortunate to not get a name like Charles Manson or Albert Fisher,” Taylor says.
Vanessa Williams
Every little girl dreams of becoming the next Miss America. Vanessa Williams went to school the day after the pageant in 1983 only to find out that the new owner of that crown had stolen her name. “I hadn’t watched when she won the pageant, so I didn’t even know who she was,” Williams says. “They called me out at a school assembly.” Public humiliation at a young age? That is what having a famous name can do to you. Especially when nude pictures surface of the person who shares your identity.
Vanessa Lynn Williams even shares her middle name with the Grammy, Emmy and Tony award-nominated celebrity. “It’s just a huge coincidence,” Williams says. A huge coincidence that the UMKC graduate student enjoys. “I don’t mind; it helps people remember you. Most people just laugh.”
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