Alliterative Names

Ever noticed that all four of HBO's 'Girls' characters - Jessa Johansson, Marnie Michaels,
Hannah Horvath and Shoshanna Shapiro - all have alliterative names?

Alliterative names - first/middle/last names starting with the same letter/sound – is a subject that many people have strong feelings about. Some people love them, some hate them with a passion.

For those that hate them, there really only seems to be one argument against them. They are just too cutesy and "matchy-matchy". They just make it too hard to take a person seriously. These people actively avoid giving this type of name to their children.

Others love them for almost the same reason they are hated - because they are cute and snazzy sounding. This makes them fun, easier to remember and hence more memorable.

Being more memorable makes them perfect for celebrities, superheroes, wrestlers and fictional characters. J.K. Rowlings world of 'Harry Potter' is full of alliterative names. Just look at examples such as Luna Lovegood, Severus Snape, Dudley Dursley and Minerva McGonagall. And have you ever paid much attention to the founders of the four houses at Hogwarts? All four of them have alliterative names. HBO show 'Girls' is another example that may have slipped most peoples notice. All four of the lead characters also have alliterative names.

Popular comic book author Stan Lee is another writer with a preference for alliterative names, mainly as a way to help him remember the names of his own characters (such as Peter Parker, Bruce Banner etc). He wrote about so many that he sometimes had trouble keeping track of all them. They also work well when paired with a descriptor - hence we have Green Goblin, Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four. Other creators also use this to great effect. Think Big Bird, Pink Panther and Mickey Mouse. Would Mickey be as memorable if he were named Harvey Mouse? Probably not.

The memorable factor is also why many celebrities use alliterative names. We may think that they choose this, and some deliberately do, but many more are actually given alliterative names. Does this make it easier for them to reach stardom? Who knows. But some are plainly happy with their alliterative names, as some alliterative celebrities (Sylvester Stallone, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Spielberg) have continued the tradition with their own children.

And why not? One of my husbands' friends has an alliterative name, and he loves it. When his first child was born last year, their number one rule was that they also had to be given an alliterative name. He felt it was lucky and had served him well. I found it a little surprising when I first heard this, but I guess I hadn't really thought about it myself.

When I thought about it some more, I realised that both my husband and one of my brothers actually have alliterative names, and my other brother likes to go by a nickname that is also alliterative. In their cases it's not deliberate. So I guess there is something behind the thought that alliterative names are often just naturally catchy and attractive sounding. Some would argue that certain letters work better than others for these types of names. But whatever you think of them, I can almost guarantee that there are plenty of them out there that you never even noticed.

What do you think - catchy and cool, only OK in some cases, or just not to your taste? And if you're still undecided, here are some lists of just some of the many examples you may or may not have already noticed in the world around you to get you thinking.


Famous "Stage" Names

Adam Ant		Joan Jett		Robert Reed
Alan Alda		Loretta Lynn		Roy Rogers
Anouk Aimee		Lucy Lawless		Simone Signoret
Claudia Cardinale		Malcolm McDowell		Sissy Spacek
Coco Chanel		Amanda “Mandy” Moore		Susan Sarandon
Cyd Charisse		Marilyn Monroe		Suzanne Somers
Erik Estrada		Marisa Miller		(Richard) William “Wil” Wheaton
Greta Garbo		Priscilla Presley		(Thomas) Woodrow Wilson
Hulk Hogan		(Charles) Robert Redford

Famous Faces

Alfie Allen		Janis Joplin		Nick Nolte
Amy Adams		January Jones		Parker Posey
Armand Assante		Jesse James		Piper Perabo
Asia Argento		Karolina Kurkova		Rebecca Romijn
Benjamin Bratt		Kevin Kline		Rob Reiner
Brigitte Bardot		Kim, Kourtney & Khloe Kardashian		Robert Rodriguez
Charisma Carpenter		Kris Kristofferson		Ron Rifkin
Charles “Charlie” Chaplin		Laura Linney		Ronald Reagan
Chris Columbus		Leona Louise Lewis		Ryan Rodney Reynolds
Colbie Caillat		Lindsay Lohan		Sarah Silverman
Courtney Cox		Logan Lerman		Scott Speedman
Daniel Day-Lewis		Lucy Liu		Sharon Stone
Danny DeVito		Matthew Morrison		Steven Seagal
Emilio Estevez		Maureen McCormick		Steven Spielberg
Farrah Fawcett		Melissa McCarthy		Steven Soderberg
Holly Hunter		Michael McMillian		Sylvester Stallone
Howard Hughes		Michelle Monaghan		William Wallace
Janet Jackson		Mike Myers		William Windsor

Famous Offspring

Archibald & Abel Arnett		Hannah & Harper Hader
Bear Blu Jarecki		Harper Harris
Benjamin Brady		Hayley Hasselhoff
Billie Beatrice & Georgia Geraldine Dane		Henry Hornsby
Bingham Bellamy		Jesse Johnson
Brooklyn Beckham		Liberty Lawrence
Buddy Bear Oliver		Maggie McGraw
Camden Cutler		Memphis Mosberg
Caroline Couric Monahan		Mitchell Murphy
Cayden Costner		Mosley Manning
Connor Cruise		Racer, Rebel & Rocket Rodriguez
Dallas Durst		Rocco & Rafael Ritchie
Dylan Douglas		Ryder Robinson
Exton Elias Downey		Sage, Seargeoh, Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet Stallone
Fiona Facinelli		Sasha & Sawyer Spielberg
Grace Gummer		Taj Tyler
Greer Grammer		Tennessee Toth

Fictional Figures

Artie Abrams		Helga Hufflepuff		Pepper Potts
Bastian Balthasar Bux		Honor Harrington		Peter Pan
Betty Boop		Horatio Hornblower		Peter Parker
Bilbo Baggins		Huckleberry Hound		Peter Petrelli
Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe		J. Jonah Jameson		Pink Panther
Bobby Brady		Jane & Judy Jetson		Reed Richards
Bruce Banner		Jessa Johansson		Ricky Ricardo
Bugs Bunny		Junie Jones		Roger Rabbit
Carl Conrad Coreander		Kathleen Kelly		Rowena Ravenclaw
Charlie Chan		King Kong		Salazar Slytherin
Cordelia Chase		Lex Luthor		Sansa Stark
Daffy Duck		Locke Lamora		Scott Summers
Donald Duck		Lois Lane		Severus Snape
Elizabeth Elliot		Luna Lovegood		Seymour Skinner
Fleur Forsyte		Mae Mobley		Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield
Franky Fitzgerald		Marnie Michaels		Shoshanna Shapiro
Fred Flintstone		Marty McFly		Steffan Salvatore
Gabriel Gray		Michael Myers		Strawberry Shortcake
Gil Grissom		Mickey & Minnie Mouse		Sue Sylvester
Godric Gryffindor		Ned Nickerson		Tom Tucker
Hank Hill		Olive Oyl		Tricia Takanawa
Hannah Horvath		Peppa Pig		Willy Wonka