Are you a Mickey Mouse fan?
If so, you may already know that the animator who first sketched Mickey Mouse for Walt Disney had the unusual name “Ub Iwerks.”
Where did it come from?
Ub was born Ubbe Ert Iwwerks in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1901. His father, Eert Ubbe Iwwerks, had emigrated from East Frisia (in northwest Germany) in 1869.
He later cut Ubbe down to Ubb, then to Ub, and shortened Iwwerks to Iwerks.
How did Ub pronounce his name? Good question. According to a nephew, “like the letters U and B.” According to a granddaughter, though, “the correct pronunciation rhymed with hub.”
Walt Disney mentioned Ub’s unusual name in a letter to his wife, Lilly, written in 1929: “Everyone praises Ubb’s artwork and jokes at his funny name. The oddness of Ubb’s name is an asset — it makes people look twice when they see it.”
Source: Ub Iwerks – Disney Legends