Baby name story: Mikado

The Mikado

From mid-1885 until the end of 1886, English actor James Danvers appeared in the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company’s touring production of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Mikado.

During that period — specifically, in early 1886 — he and his wife welcomed a baby boy in Liverpool.

What did they name him?

William Mikado Danvers.

That baby grew up to become comedic entertainer Billy Danvers. He appeared in music hall and variety shows from the age of four until the year he died (1964).

The Japanese word mikado, pronounced mih-KAH-doh, was formerly used as a title for the emperor of Japan. (These days, the preferred term is tenno.)

Sources: James Danvers – The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, Willie Mikado Danvers – FamilySearch, Don Ross and ‘Thanks for the Memory’ – Voices of Variety, Tenno – Japanese title – Britannica

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