Seeing Double

As a person who bears the name of several famous people (a Black Panther leader, a big league baseball pitcher, and a World War II general) I am always on the lookout for when it happens to other people.

I mean, there are only so many names, ya know?  Yes, there are thousands of people whose parents named them Dick Johnson or Peter Little or Rod Long out of some offputting sense of humor. There are so many Jim Smiths in the world that there is the Jim Smith Society for them to get together at what must be the most confusing convention in the world.

I'm fairly certain there is only one Reince Preibus, unless there's a Reince, Jr, running around.

The U.S. Census Bureau, which probably employs a lot of people named John Jones, says there are more than 150,000 last names and at least 5,100 first names in common use in America.

I'll tell you how I got to thinking about this. The other day I heard that middling 1969 instrumental hit "Groovy Grubworm" by Harlow Wilcox and turned to my well-worn Wikipedia to see if guitarist Harlow was any kin to radio announcer Harlow Wilcox, who was famous on the "Fibber McGee And Melania" show in the 1940s.

I mean, "Fibber McGee and Molly." Sorry. It was a typo. I have the greatest typos.

Even though "Harlow" and "Wilcox" are not really common names, it's a bit unusual that the musician and the narrator were not related at all and yet had the same name.

How about the two Albert Einsteins?  Sure, there's the theoretical physicist genius, and the one we know as Albert Brooks!

Two Roger Taylors? Both are drummers! One for Queen, and one for Duran Duran, the band that also had a guy named Andy Taylor, who was NOT the sheriff of Mayberry!

There was Randy Jackson, former bassist who was best known for claiming singers were "pitchy" on "American Idol," and there was Randy Jackson, second youngest of the Jackson 5ive!

Actor Michael Keaton was born Michael Douglas, but he changed it so we wouldn't confuse him with Michael Douglas, the actor with the prognathous jaw who was also not Mike Douglas the TV host who was born Michael Dowd.

Spike Jones was an American bandleader who did crazy parodies of popular songs and was also regarded as something of a jackass. Spike Jonze (the pride of Rockville MD, born Adam Spiegel) was the co-creator of the beloved "Jackass" TV and movie franchise.

But please remember, no matter what your name, there can be only one YOU! I checked!