Baby Name: Yusuf

I find it interesting that some people are given forenames that exactly match their surnames. A few historically significant examples include:

• Abraham Abraham (1843-1911), American businessman
• Ahmed Ahmed (b. 1970) Egyptian-American comedian.
• Asher Asher (1837-1889), Scottish Jewish doctor
• Benjamin Benjamin (1834-1905), Australian businessman
• Bol M. Bol (b. 1999), basketball player
• David David (1764-1824), Canadian fur trader
• Eastwood Eastwood, politician
• Emery Emery II (b. 1963), American comedian
• Evans Evans (b. 1936), American actress
• Faiz A. Faiz (1911-1984), Pakistani poet
• Gibran K. Gibran (1883–1931), better known as writer Kahlil Gibran
• Griffith Griffith (1823-1889) founder of Penryn, CA
• Griffith J. Griffith (1850-1919) American industrialist
• Hamilton Hamilton (1847-1928), painter
• Henry Henry (1846-1908), Irish Catholic bishop
• Ivan Ivan (b. 1945), Alaska politician
• Ivan Ivan (b. 2002), Czech hockey player
  • In October of 2024, he became the “first player in NHL history with the same first and last name.”
• James James (1833-1902), composer of the Welsh national anthem
• Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927), English writer
• Khaled M. Khaled (b. 1975), a.k.a. DJ Khaled
• Martin Martin (1660-1718), Scottish writer
• Morris W. Morris (1845-1906), Jamaican-American stage actor
• Morgan Morgan (1688-1766), West Virginia settler
• Nyambi Nyambi Jr. (b. 1979), actor
• Rees D. Rees, Colorado politician
• Roger Roger (1911-1995), French composer
• Santorio Santorio (1561-1636), Italian physician
• Sassoon D. Sassoon (1832–1867), British businessman
• Sirhan Sirhan (b. 1944), assassinated Robert Kennedy
• Solomon J. Solomon (1860-1927), British painter
• Thomas Thomas (1804-1877), Welsh clergyman
• Thomas Thomas (1917-1998), Indian cardio-thoracic surgeon
• Thomas Thomas (1880-1911), boxing champion
• Thomas L. Thomas (1911-1983), Welsh-American baritone
• Upton A. Upton, politician
• Ward W. Ward (1875-1932), American architect
• Warren S. Warren (b. 1955), chemistry professor
• Yusuf S. Yusuf (1901-1949), Iraqi communist activists

(Ford Madox Ford and Horst P. Horst don’t count. They were born Ford Hermann Hueffer and Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann.)

There are also many forename/surname sets out there that are partially reduplicated, such as:

• Alastair McAllister, Australian harpsichord builder
• Aleksandr Aleksandrov, Soviet cosmonaut
• Anders Andersen, Norwegian politician
• Antonis Antoniadis, Greek soccer player

• Bottolf Bottolfson, politician
• Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian diplomat

• Chamsulvara Chamsulvarayev, Russian wrestler
• Chris Christenson (1875-1943), American figure skater
• Christopher Christie, 55th governor of New Jersey
• Clara Clairmont

• Damiano Damiani, Italian film director
• David Davidson, Canadian baseball player
• Donagh MacDonagh, Irish writer
• Donald MacDonald, Canadian politician
• Dru Drury, British entomologist

• Edward Edwards, British naval officer
• Edward I. Edwards, American politician
• Erland Erlandson, Danish explorer
• Evan Evans, American judge
• Evan Evans, composer (son of Jazz pianist Bill Evans)

• Filip Filipovic (several people)
• Fiodar Fiodarau, Soviet physicist
• Friðrik Friðriksson, Icelandic film director

• Galileo Galilei
• Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov
• Georgios Georgiadis (several people)
• Gerald FitzGerald, Irish rebel
• Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish actress
• Geoffrey Jefferson, British neurologist
• Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Romanian politician
• Gillis MacGil (1928-2013), American fashion model
• Glen Glenn (1907-1960), Canadian-American sound engineer
• Guccio Gucci, Italian fashion designer

• Hans Hansen, Danish painter
• Henning Henningson (1879-1958), American engineer
• Hugh Hughes, Welsh civil engineer

• Isaac Isaacs, Australian politician

• James Fitzjames, British naval officer (part of the doomed Franklin expedition)
• Jens Jenssen
• Jóhann Jóhannsson
• John Johns
• John Johnson
• John H. Johnson, the publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines
• John S. Johnston, maritime photographer
• John Pierce St. John, the 8th governor of Kansas

• Konstantinos Konstantinou
• Kristoffer Kristofferson

• Lars Larsen
• Leffert Lefferts, American businessman
• Leonard Leo, American legal activist
• Llewelyn Lewellin (1798–1878), Welsh cleric

• Ontje Ontjes, politician
• Ottiero Ottieri, Italian sociologist
• Owen Owens (b. 1821), Welsh ship captain

• Patrick Kilpatrick (b. 1949), American actor
• Percival “Perce” Pearce (b. 1899), American film producer
• Peter Peterson
• Philip Phillips, American singer
• Philip Phillips, American lawyer

• Rasmus Rasmussen, Faroese activist
• Richard Rich, English politician
• Richard W. Richards, Australian teacher/explorer
• Richard N. Richards, American astronaut
• Robert Roberts
• Robin Robinson

• Selig J. Seligman, Hollywood producer
• Simone Simon, French actress
• Stephanos Stephanopoulos
• Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson
• Swen Swenson

• Thomas Thompson, New Zealand politician
• Thomas W. Thompson, American politician
• Thor Thors (1903-1965), Icelandic ambassador to the U.S. (who appeared on U.S. TV in 1955)
• Tommy Thompson

• William Carlos Williams, poet and physician
• William December Williams Jr., American actor (better known as Billy Dee Williams)
• William Williams, Connecticut politician (signer of the Declaration of Independence)
• William Williams (1875-1968), Welsh poet
• William Williamson
• William Williamson

Have you ever met someone whose first name and last name were identical (or nearly so)? Do you like these sorts of names?

P.S. The name Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan (which belonged to a guy who served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior for a few weeks in 1850) is as close to a double double as I’ve ever seen!

Image: Adapted from Two Variable Oystercatchers standing close to each other (public domain)

[Last update: October 2024]