How Many of You

There are 329,525,658 people in the United States of America. The US Census Bureau statistics tell us that there are at least 151,671 different last names and 5,163 different first names in common use in the United States. Some names are more common than others. For instance, there are 47,647 people named John Smith in the United States. Here is an interesting site that allows you to input your name and see if there are any others who share the same name. LINK Happy Hunting!

What's in a Name, Entertainers

Here are some interesting real names of entertainers. Some are real tongue twisters.
Woody Allen - Allen Konigsberg
Jennifer Aniston - Jennifer Anastassakis
Cher - Cherilyn Sarkisian
Vin Diesel = Mark Vincent
Tom Cruise - Thomas Mapother IV
Hulk Hogan - Terry Jene Bollea
Jean-Claude Van Damme - Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg
Gene Autry - Orvon Grover Autry
Ben Kingsley - Krishna Banji
Wynonna Judd = Christina Ciminella
Elle MacPherson - Eleanor Gow
Walter Matthau - Walter Matuschanskayasky
Demi Moore - Demetria Gene Guynes
Bono (U2) = Paul Hewson
Joan Rivers - Joan Sandra Molinsky
Meg Ryan -  Margaret Mary Alice Emily Hyra
Christian Slater - Christian Michael Leonard Hawkins

What's in a Name

Here are a few you might remember and a few you probably never knew.

Birth Name	Stage Name
Harry Lillis Crosby	Bing Crosby
Mendel Berlinger	Milton Berle
Joseph Gottlieb	Joey Bishop
Emanuel Goldenberg	Edward G Robinson
Laszlo Loewenstein	Peter Lorre
Camille Javal	Brigitte Bardot
Carlos Irwin Estevez	Charlie Sheen
John Charles Carter	Charlton Heston
Demetria Gene Guynes	Demi Moore
Erich Weiss	Harry Houdini
Jerome Silberman	Gene Wilder
Marion Morrison	John Wayne
Norma Baker	Marilyn Monroe
Margaret Hyra	Meg Ryan
Columcille Gibson	Mel Gibson
Maurice Micklewhite	Michael Caine
Nicolas Coppola	Nicolas Cage
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV	Tom Cruise
Allen Konigsberg	Woody Allen

Names vs. Income

Not surprisingly, a study conducted in Sweden showed that African, Asian, or Slavic immigrants who changed their name to be more neutral or Swedish sounding increased their earnings the year after their name was changed. The researchers believe that employers (unconsciously or not) sort out names of job applicants, based on their past experiences and perception of stereotypes of nationalities. A year after name changes, earnings rose and average of 141%. Don't you ever wonder who pays for these studies and why? Maybe it is for the infinitely curious folks that read about them.