Shakespeare famously wrote, "What's in a name?" Apparently, a whole lot! From A-list actors to chart-topping musicians, we've scoured the celebrity world for the wildest middle name picks. Here are our favorites...
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton Wykeham Fiennes
Behind every great villain lies a great name - and Ralph Fiennes is no exception! We may know him as the infamous Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter franchise, but the actor's real name is just as fascinating.
His middle names - yes, plural - are named after his ancestors in the family. The esteemed British actor has honored his ancestors by carrying their names alongside his own. While it may be a bit of a mouthful during his annual checkups, Ralph can take comfort in the fact that he's not alone in tackling this minor inconvenience...
Joseph Alberic Twisleton Wykeham Fiennes
Looks like talent runs in the family! Ralph Fiennes' younger brother, Joseph, has also made a name for himself in Hollywood. Known for his roles in feature films like Shakespeare in Love and Elizabeth, Joseph Fiennes has proven to be an extremely talented actor. Just like his older brother, he also has a mouthful of a name.
All hail Joseph Alberic Twisleton Wykeham Fiennes, the man with a name so epic it could belong to a king! Yes, you read that right - Joseph's full name is not for the faint of heart. He also has a twin brother, but his twin doesn't have as exciting of a name. It's too bad! This could have been a family affair.
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin
The Home Alone actor decided to take matters into his own hands - well, more like the hands of his fans. Culkin asked his fans to vote on a new middle name because he was bored with his own. The options included Kieran, Shark Week, Publicity Stunt, and more. What choice ended up being the winner?
None other than Macaulay Culkin with over 60,000 votes. Culkin changed his name to the winner, so now the actor's full legal name is Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin. Try saying that five times fast! His previous middle name was Carson, which also has a nice ring to it - though perhaps not as unique...
Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell
Billie Eilish has been using part of her middle name as her surname ever since she stepped onto the music scene. Fans have always been curious about the story behind her full name, though. O'Connell is her last name, but the Ocean Eyes singer has three middle names - Eilish Pirate Baird.
She explained everything to BBC in 2017, "Pretty weird, right? Pirate was going to be my middle name but then my uncle had a problem with it because pirates are bad. Then Baird is my mother's name." We're still unsure what Pirate has to do with anything else, but we're here for it.
Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland
We may need "24" hours to write this actor's full name down. Kiefer Sutherland is best known for his role as Jack Bauer in the hit series 24. Fans may not be familiar with the fact that his parents gave him five different middle names. Wondering why? Well, so is Sutherland!
He told The Guardian, "We've never gotten a straight answer from our father as to why he was so generous. I've always joked that he must have been in real debt and told people: 'If you feed us on Tuesday, I'll name my son after you,' and then extended the offer to my sister."
Richard Tiffany Gere
Richard Gere's middle name is reminiscent of a "pretty woman." The Runaway Bride actor's full name is Richard Tiffany Gere. It may seem mysterious, but the actual explanation is clear-cut. His mother's maiden name was Tiffany, which she passed down to her son.
The news is so surprising that it was even put into the comedy series Schitt's Creek. In an episode, David, played by Dan Levy, asks his sister Alexis, played by Annie Murphy, if she knew that Richard Gere's middle name was Tiffany. What other celebrities have interesting middle names? Keep reading to find out.
Quincy Delight Jones
One of the most prominent musical figures in recent history, Quincy Jones, has had a career that is simply delightful. For over 70 years, the jazz musician has been performing and enriching the world with his talents. He has 80 Grammy nominations and 28 Grammy wins - just a humble brag.
Fans have been enjoying his music for decades, but most of them don't know his middle name! His parents named him Quincy Delight Jones. It may seem a little out of the box compared to the typical Steve or Larry, but it is the same name that Jones' father had because the musician is a junior.
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson
Over the years, Mel Gibson has established himself as a sought-after actor and director. He produced, directed, and starred in the historical epic Braveheart. Everything isn't sunshine and rainbows for the Academy Award winner, who has had issues with the press and his public image.
One part is more strange than everything else, though, and that is the actor's middle name. Gibson's first middle name, Columcille, is named after an Irish saint, and the actor holds Irish citizenship due to his mother. While we don't know why Gerard is also part of his name, we like how it sounds together.
Elton Hercules John
Elton John chose his full name entirely. When he was only 20 years old, John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, legally changed his name. His new name was inspired by two of his former bandmates. One was saxophonist Elton Dean, and the other was vocalist Long John Baldry. From that, he got Elton John. But where did Hercules come in?
The Yellow Brick Road singer got inspired by a character in the British sitcom Steptoe and Son for his middle name Hercules. Hercules was a horse on the show! We couldn't imagine his name being anything other than Elton Hercules John. The name completely suits the Rocket Man singer.
Elizabeth Stamatina Fey
Everyone in the world knows her as Tina Fey, but Fey's actual name is quite different than what she uses in the movies. The Saturday Night Live alum has been making audiences laugh for years now, and it was all under a pen name! We can hardly believe it. Tina is stemmed from her middle name Stamatina.
Her mother's Greek heritage inspired the name, which means stop in Greek. In an interview with The Quad, the Mean Girls writer said, "My first name is Elizabeth, but I've always gone by Tina even in, you know, from elementary school on." This middle name is fit for an epic!
Hugh John Mungo Grant
There's something "about this boy" that has made fans go absolutely bananas. When one fan discovered that Hugh Grant's middle name was Mungo, she shared the news on Twitter. @socialistdogmom tweeted, "Melting down at the discovery that hugh grant's middle name is mungo. humongo grant."
Her tweet continued, "someone held a tiny newborn infant in their arms and said this is my baby, humongo grant." She wasn't entirely correct though, since she forgot the "John" in Grant's middle name. The actor has yet to explain the reasoning behind his name, but it does roll off the tongue quite nicely.
Kate Garry Hudson
Kate Hudson grew up in the spotlight, being the daughter of actress Goldie Hawn and singer Bill Hudson. She has been in the tabloids ever since she was young. Hudson also has a successful acting career of her own. Despite having grown up in the public eye, there's something most fans don't know about her!
Kate's middle name is Garry. While it may seem like an odd choice at first - why would a girl be called Garry? The reason behind the name is heartbreaking. Before Kate was born, Hawn's uncle passed away. To honor his memory, she gave her daughter his name.
Eldrick Tont Woods
Legendary golf player Tiger Woods is the GOAT. He went professional by the time he was 20 and has dominated the game of golf ever since. He was such a major player in the sport that he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Yet, not many fans knew the origins of his name, particularly his middle name.
He was named Eldrick because the name started with an E and ended with a K. The E was in honor of his father, Earl, and the K was in recognition of his mother, Kultida. Woods' middle name is a traditional Thai name. Who knew?! We can't wait to see what other celebrities have unusual middle names.
Ben Géza Affleck
Not many knew about actor Ben Affleck's middle name, but when internet sleuths saw it on his wedding certificate to Jennifer Lopez, they couldn't help but wonder where this name came from! In fact, Affleck explained it all in an interview in 2015 with the WGA. He said he was bullied for his middle name when he was a kid.
He said that his mother "told me that Géza was a friend of hers who died right around the time I was born, who was a Holocaust survivor in Hungary and the most exceptional person she knew." He continued, "That name has never been short of a tremendous honor to me since that day." What an inspirational story.
Matt Paige Damon
It turns out that best friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have more than just Boston, acting, and baseball in common. They both have unusual middle names. The duo wrote the Academy Award-winning film Good Will Hunting together, and their friendship has been a staple of Hollywood ever since.
Just like his BFF, Damon's middle name is not the average name to use, especially for a boy. Paige is commonly used as a girl's name, but it is Damon's middle name. His middle name comes from his mother. Her full name is Nancy Carlsson-Paige, so she gave her son part of her last name as his middle name.
Uma Karuna Thurman
Uma Thurman has been in countless movies and has worked as a model ever since she was 15 years old. The Kill Bill actress has made a name for herself as one of the most beautiful women in the world. Yet, there was a time in her childhood when she was teased about her looks and name, particularly her middle name Karuna.
Karuna means compassion or kindness in Sanskrit. Her father was a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies, so he probably had a heavy influence when deciding his daughter's name. Uma is also a Hindu goddess of beauty and light. While they may not be the most conventional names in America, they are beautiful.
Courteney Bass Cox
This is the one where we find out Courteney's middle name. Courteney Cox became an international star as the clean freak Monica Geller on Friends. Everyone in the world knows her face and name, yet there was something that was always elusive - the star's middle name! She doesn't have the traditional Mary or Beth.
Her middle name is Bass! We KNOW! It may seem like a strange middle name for a girl, but it makes complete sense. Courteney's mom's maiden name was Bass. So, her mother gave her daughter her last name as a middle name. Another fun fact - Courteney's mom is also named Courteney.
Drew Allison Carey
Comedian Drew Carey has been gracing television for decades now. He is the current host of the iconic game show The Price is Right. His self-titled sitcom The Drew Carey Show and acting as host of the improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway? earned him national recognition.
Carey's middle name isn't the norm; it is Allison, and there's no explanation for why his parents decided on that. His middle name became the punchline to many jokes on Whose Line Is It Anyway? This was bound to happen on a television show that was all about improv comedy.
James Kimberley Corden
James Corden is another comedian with a middle name that is not so typical. Born to Margaret and Malcolm Corden, James was another son who carried on a grand family tradition- he was given the middle name Kimberley. Corden wasn't too proud about the name when he was growing up.
The Brit told Heat magazine, "For ages I pretended it was Karl, but my sister was going out with one of my mates and told him, then he told the whole school. It wasn't great." As time has passed, we're sure that Corden can now appreciate this tradition handed down for generations.
Hilary Erhard Duff
Hilary Duff is better known to most as Lizzie McGuire. The former Disney Channel star has evolved into something much more. She has designed fashion lines, written books, and currently stars in How I Met Your Father. Even though she has been gracing our televisions ever since we can remember, we were shocked by her middle name.
Duff's middle name is Erhard, which is most commonly used as a boy's name. Erhard means strong resolve and comes from German origins. Her father, Robert Duff, also has the same middle name. This revelation means that Hilary Duff is a middle name repeater!
Nicolas Kim Cage
Nicolas Cage's middle name is really a "national treasure." Although there is no explanation for why his middle name is Kim, he loved it enough to keep it as part of his name. That's right, Nicolas Cage wasn't born with that name. He was born Nicolas Kim Coppola, and yes, he is part of the Coppola family.
When he was filming Fast Times at Ridgemont High, he decided to drop Coppola. He told Wired that he chose Cage because "It’s a combination of Luke Cage from Marvel comics, who was a character I liked, also named Power Man, and John Cage, the avant-garde composer." We have to admit- we dig Nicolas Kim Cage.
Jennifer Shrader Lawrence
We only knew a few things about Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence. She has two older brothers, Ben and Blaine, she graduated high school two years early with a 3.9 GPA, and she auditioned to be Bella Swan in Twilight. That's a lot of surprising facts, and that's not all...
She also has an unusual middle name. Her parents gave her Shrader as part of her full name. While the actress has never explained why her parents gave her this name, we think it works well with J.Law's personality. It's fun, unique, and not super-expected.
Chris Whitelaw Pine
Chris Pine has done everything. He has traveled across the galaxy as Captain Kirk in Star Trek and went to summer camp as Eric in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. Yet, he was keeping something from everyone this whole time - his middle name!
His actor dad and psychotherapist mom gave him the middle name Whitelaw. Pine has never discussed why his parents bestowed this incredibly unique name to him. We can most likely assume it's a family name, or maybe his parents just thought it was cool!
Ciara Princess Harris
Acclaimed singer Ciara usually goes by her first name. She has the Cher and Beyonce effect. Except the Like a Boy singer actually has a unique middle name. Her parents named her Ciara Princess. It is fitting for a superstar like Ciara to have a royal middle name.
Ciara loved her middle name so much that she gave it to her daughter. When Ciara's first child with quarterback Russell Wilson was born, she posted the following caption on Instagram, "Dear Sienna Princess Wilson, No matter how big the wave, we will always be your calm in the storm." Like mother, like daughter.
Zachary Knight Galifianakis
Just like Ciara's royal middle name, Zach Galifianakis has a middle name also built for royalty. His parents named him Zach Knight. We're not sure why they decided on this, but we like it! It is suiting for this hilarious actor and a lot easier to pronounce than his last name.
His last name is so difficult to pronounce that The Hangover actor admitted that he doesn't really know how to say it on Conan O'Brien's television show. When O'Brien asked him if he has trouble with it, Galifianakis responded, "I have trouble with it." At least his middle name is easier to pronounce!
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
Most people know the British singer by her first name Adele, but she has a long full name. Her complete name is Adele Laurie Blue Adkins. We never even knew her last name, let alone the fact she has two middle names! The Chasing Pavements singer has never revealed the meaning behind her names.
Although her two middle names are beautiful, Adele only goes by her first name. The star was destined for success. When she was only 20, she released her first album. Since then, she has become a global sensation everyone knows on a first-name basis. Except, we vote we should use her middle names more!
Kevin Norwood Bacon
Get ready to get your feet loose once you hear about this unusual middle name. Kevin Bacon's full name is Kevin Norwood Bacon. We already loved his first and last name, but now the whole thing is our latest obsession. The Footloose actor shares his middle name with someone very special to him.
His father, Edmund Bacon, also had the middle name, Norwood. Although Bacon's father passed away, he gets to keep the memory of his dad alive through his own name. How sweet is that! His father was also famous. He was an architect nicknamed "The Father of Modern Philadelphia." Edmund even appeared on the cover of Time.
Alicia Augello Cook
Although most people are familiar with her stage name, Alicia Keys also has a unique middle name. Her parents named her Alicia Augello Cook when she was born. The Augello comes from her mother's last name, like many other celebrities on this list. However, the performer decided she needed something else for the stage.
After some deliberation, Alicia came up with the stage name Alicia Keys. She told Newsweek that the name is because "It's like the piano keys. And it can open so many doors." The Girl on Fire singer almost went with "Wild" until her mom said it sounded like she was a stripper. That was a close call!
Daniel Wroughton Craig
The name's Bond, James Bond. Even though Daniel Craig ended his time as the iconic spy 007, there is still one big mystery to solve. The meaning of his middle name! Luckily, the answers are closer than they appear. Daniel Craig's middle name is Wroughton, and it turns out he's not the only Craig to have the name.
His father also had Wroughton as part of his full name, Timothy John Wroughton Craig. The name's origins begin with Craig's great-great-grandmother, Grace Matilda Wroughton. We wonder if the Glass Onions actor passed down the name to either of his two daughters.
Stephen Tyrone Colbert
Stephen Colbert is another celebrity with an unusual middle name. Tyrone is an Irish name that means from the land of the yew tree. It is not a commonly used name, so how did his parents pick out this name for him? Like most things in life, it all comes down to family.
Colbert said about his heritage and his parents' middle name choice, "The McCrorys were O’Neills way back, and the story was that one of the O’Neills had been the Earl of Tyrone, and so they named me Tyrone after him." That is quite the family history for this late-night host.