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Quiz about The Names the Same
Quiz about The Names the Same

The Name's the Same Trivia Quiz


There are plenty of famous people who share a surname without being related. I'll give you clues to four people in each question and you need to identify their common surname.

A multiple-choice quiz by EnglishJedi. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
EnglishJedi
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
365,563
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
956
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 208 (2/10), Guest 139 (8/10), Guest 90 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. What surname is shared by the first African-American quarterback to win the Superbowl, the swimmer who subsequently enjoyed a 20-year acting career in Hollywood, the baritone singer who 50 years later is the only remaining original member still singing with The Temptations, and the tennis player who reached the final of the US Open at her first attempt, in 1997? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which surname is shared by the English historian who became best-known for his television lectures in the post-war years, the Australian actor who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", the winner of the memorable 1985 World Snooker Championships, the U.S. President whose daughter was once married to the Confederate leader Jefferson Davis? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What surname is shared by the last 20th-Century British Prime Minister with the given first name of James, the original lead guitarist of The Beach Boys who died in 1998, the author of "A Clockwork Orange" (his real last name) and the oldest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What surname is shared by a Hall of Fame basketball star who played his entire NBA career in San Antonio, the Romanian-born actor who played Moses' adversary, Dathan, in "The Ten Commandments", the first female President of Ireland and the world boxing champion who was born Walker Smith Jr.? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which surname is shared by a founder member of prog-rock group 'Yes', an actress who first appeared in the TV role for which she is best known in 1993, a sci-fi/science fantasy novelist who won seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards, and the first baseball manager to win the World Series with teams from both the National and American Leagues? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which surname is shared by a man who won the baseball World Series title as both a player and a manager, a member of 'The Rat Pack', an English singer/songwriter born in Exeter in 1977 and an actor/comedian/writer who was awarded an Honorary Oscar in 2013? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which surname is shared by a general at the Battle of New Orleans who went onto become U.S. President, a two-time Oscar-winning actress, a rapper known by the stage name "Ice Cube" and one of the greatest coaches in NBA history? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What surname is shared by the musician who founded and led the group Earth, Wind & Fire, the last surviving member of the main cast of "The Golden Girls", the NFL Hall of Famer nicknamed "The Minister of Defense" and the writer whose books for children include "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little"? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which surname is shared by the first non-European or American to win the Tour de France, the third wife of the singer/songwriter (her stage name) who was married to the "King of the Cowboys" for half a century, the 19th-century novelist who wrote under the name George Eliot and the mother of Harry Potter? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What surname is shared by the Secretary of State who negotiated America's border with Canada and the annexation of Florida before he became President, one of three legends of Arsenal F.C. honored with statues outside the new Emirates stadium, a humorist who wrote a BBC radio comedy that turned into a best-selling five-book 'trilogy' and a member of one of the most successful all-women pop bands of all time. Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Dec 20 2024 : Guest 208: 2/10
Dec 09 2024 : Guest 139: 8/10
Dec 07 2024 : Guest 90: 9/10
Dec 03 2024 : Guest 78: 5/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What surname is shared by the first African-American quarterback to win the Superbowl, the swimmer who subsequently enjoyed a 20-year acting career in Hollywood, the baritone singer who 50 years later is the only remaining original member still singing with The Temptations, and the tennis player who reached the final of the US Open at her first attempt, in 1997?

Answer: Williams

Douglas Lee "Doug" Williams, born in Zachary, Louisiana in 1955, led the Washington Redskins to a 42-10 rout of John Elway's Broncos in Superbowl XXII and was named MVP.
Esther Jane Williams, born in Inglewood, California in 1921, was due to represent the USA in the pool at the canceled 1940 Olympics. She instead began a film career spanning more than 30 movies including "Million Dollar Mermaid" and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly.
Born Otis Miles jr in Texarkana, Texas in 1941, Otis Williams is known as "Big Daddy". He was a founder member of the Motown group The Temptations when they formed in 1958 and was still active with the group more than 55 years later.
Venus Ebony Starr Williams, born in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in 1980, lost in straight sets to the number one seed Martina Hingis at Flushing Meadow in 1997. She reached the semi-finals in each of the following two years and then won the tournament in both 2000 and 2001. Between 2000 and 2009 she also reached the Women's Singles Final at Wimbledon eight times, winning five titles.
2. Which surname is shared by the English historian who became best-known for his television lectures in the post-war years, the Australian actor who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", the winner of the memorable 1985 World Snooker Championships, the U.S. President whose daughter was once married to the Confederate leader Jefferson Davis?

Answer: Taylor

Born Alan John Percivale Taylor in Birkdale, Lancashire in 1908, Britain's first "television historian" was known simply as A.J.P. Taylor.
Rodney Sturt "Rod" Taylor, born in Lidcombe, New South Wales in 1930, also starred in the 1960 film adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine".
Dennis Taylor, born in Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1949, defeated hot favorite Steve Davis on the final black to win the most dramatic final in the history of the World Snooker Championships. Taylor is also known for his sense of humor and his over-sized spectacles.
Zachary Taylor, born in Barboursville, Virginia in 1784, was the 12th President of the United States. Nicknamed "Old Rough and Ready", the former U.S. Army major general who became a national hero during the American-Mexican war of 1846 became President in March 1849 but died in office some fifteen months later. One of his five daughters, Sarah Know Taylor, married Jefferson Davis in 1835 but died of malaria at the age of 21 later that same year.
3. What surname is shared by the last 20th-Century British Prime Minister with the given first name of James, the original lead guitarist of The Beach Boys who died in 1998, the author of "A Clockwork Orange" (his real last name) and the oldest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team?

Answer: Wilson

James Harold Wilson, later Baron Wilson of Rievaulx KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC, was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in 1916. He won four general elections and served as British PM from 1964-70 and again from 1974-76. The real first name of James Callaghan, who succeeded Wilson in office, was Leonard.
Carl Dean Wilson, born in Hawthorne, California in 1946, was the younger brother of Dennis and Brian Wilson and the cousin of the fourth founding member of The Beach Boys, Mike Love. He sang lead vocals on "Good Vibrations".
John Anthony Burgess Wilson, who wrote under the pen name Anthony Burgess, was born in Manchester in 1917. His dystopian novella, "A Clockwork Orange" was published in 1962 and was adapted for cinema in 1971 in a classic Stanley Kubrick film.
Ramon "Ray" Wilson, born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire in 1934 was the oldest member (at 32) of England's 1966 World Cup winning team. Wilson had won his first international cap in 1960 and the World Cup final was the 51st of his 63 appearances for his country.
4. What surname is shared by a Hall of Fame basketball star who played his entire NBA career in San Antonio, the Romanian-born actor who played Moses' adversary, Dathan, in "The Ten Commandments", the first female President of Ireland and the world boxing champion who was born Walker Smith Jr.?

Answer: Robinson

David Maurice Robinson, born in Key West, Florida in 1965 was nicknamed "The Admiral". Selected by the Spurs as the first pick overall in the 1987 draft, he was the first Navy alumni to play in the NBA.
Born Emanuel Goldenberg in Bucharest, Romania in 1893, Edward G. Robinson was posthumously awarded an Honorary Oscar shortly after his death in 1973.
Born Mary Therese Winifred Bourke in Ballina, County Mayo in 1944, Mary Robinson represented the University of Dublin constituency in the Irish Senate from 1969 until 1989 and became the country's President in 1990.
Born Walker Smith Jr. in Ailey, Georgia in 1921, Sugar Ray Robinson is often called the best 'pound for pound' boxer of all time. After returning an 85-0 record as an amateur, Robinson finished his professional career with 128 wins from 131 bouts.
5. Which surname is shared by a founder member of prog-rock group 'Yes', an actress who first appeared in the TV role for which she is best known in 1993, a sci-fi/science fantasy novelist who won seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards, and the first baseball manager to win the World Series with teams from both the National and American Leagues?

Answer: Anderson

John Roy 'Jon' Anderson, born in Accrington, Lancashire in 1944, was the original vocalist with 'Yes' when they were formed in 1968. Other original members were Chris Squire on bass, guitarist Peter Banks, drummer Bill Bruford and keyboard player Tony Kaye. Steve Howe replaced Banks on guitar in 1970, Keyboard icon Rick Wakeman joined in 1971, and Alan White became the band's stickman in 1973.
Gillian Leigh Anderson, born in Chicago, Illinois in 1968, appeared as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in all but four of the 202 episodes of "The X-Files" between 1993 and 2002.
Poul William Anderson, born in Bristol, Pennsylvania in 1926, first won the Hugo Award for the Best Novella in 1972 for "The Queen of Air and Darkness". His 1981 short story "The Saturn Game" earned him both a Hugo and a Nebula Award.
George Lee Anderson, born in Bridgewater, South Dakota in 1934 and known to everyone as 'Sparky', led the National League's Cincinnati Reds to back-to-back championships in the mid-1970s. In 1984, he managed the AL's Detroit Tigers to the title. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Both the Reds and the Tigers retired his number, number 10 in Cincinnati and number 11 in Detroit.
6. Which surname is shared by a man who won the baseball World Series title as both a player and a manager, a member of 'The Rat Pack', an English singer/songwriter born in Exeter in 1977 and an actor/comedian/writer who was awarded an Honorary Oscar in 2013?

Answer: Martin

Alfred Manuel 'Billy' Martin Jr, born in Berkeley, California in 1928, played the first seven years of his 11-year major league career with the New York Yankees, winning four World Series titles, in 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1956. He later managed the Yankees a remarkable five times, leading them to the title in 1977 with victory over the Dodgers.
Born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio in 1917, Dean Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool".
Christopher Anthony John Martin, born in Exeter in 1977, is the vocalist/guitarist and a founder member of Coldplay. One of the most successful groups of the 2000s, Coldplay were formed in London in 1998.
Stephen Glenn Martin, born in Waco, Texas in 1945, finished sixth in a 2004 poll to determine the greatest stand-up comedian of all time. Since writing the 1979 film "The Jerk", in which he also starred, Martin has been writer and/or executive producer for many of the films in which he also appeared.
7. Which surname is shared by a general at the Battle of New Orleans who went onto become U.S. President, a two-time Oscar-winning actress, a rapper known by the stage name "Ice Cube" and one of the greatest coaches in NBA history?

Answer: Jackson

Nicknamed "Old Hickory", Andrew Jackson was born in the Carolinas border area in 1767. After a distinguished army career he became the 7th U.S. President, serving from 1829 until 1837.
Glenda May Jackson CBE, born in Birkenhead, Cheshire in 1936, won Best Actress Oscars for "Women in Love" in 1970 and for "A Touch of Class" in 1973. She first became the Member of Parliament for Hampstead and Highgate in 1992 and was re-elected in 2010 when the constituency was renamed Hampstead and Kilburn.
O'Shea Jackson, born in Los Angeles, California in 1969, is an actor, director, writer and producer as well as a rap singer performing under the name Ice Cube.
Philip Douglas Jackson, born in Deer Lodge, Montana in 1945, was drafted by the NY Knicks with the 17th pick of the 1967 NBA draft. A 14-year playing career with the Knicks (with whom he won two titles) and Nets was followed by a coaching career with the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers. He won six championships in his ten years with the Bulls and a further five in two stints as Lakers' boss.
8. What surname is shared by the musician who founded and led the group Earth, Wind & Fire, the last surviving member of the main cast of "The Golden Girls", the NFL Hall of Famer nicknamed "The Minister of Defense" and the writer whose books for children include "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little"?

Answer: White

Maurice White, born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1941, founded Earth, Wind & Fire who spanned the musical genres of R&B, soul, jazz, pop, rock, funk, disco and gospel. He was also the band's principal songwriter and record producer. His younger brothers, Fred and Verdine White, have also been members of the group.
Betty Marion White, born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1922, was a regular on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in the 1970s and played Rose in "The Golden Girls". The death of Rue McClanahan in 2010 left White as the last survivor from the show.
Reginald Howard 'Reggie' White, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1961, played for the Eagles, Packers and Panthers in a 16-year NFL career that saw him record 198.5 sacks, second only to Bruce Smith's 200 at the time of White's retirement in 2000. Thirteen times a Pro-Bowl selection, White was a member of the Packers team that defeated the patriots in Superbowl XXXI.
Elwyn Brooks White, usually known just as E.B. White, was born in Mount Vernon, New York in 1899. "Charlotte's Web" was first published in 1952, but remains as popular 50 years on -- it was voted the top children's novel in a 2012 poll.
9. Which surname is shared by the first non-European or American to win the Tour de France, the third wife of the singer/songwriter (her stage name) who was married to the "King of the Cowboys" for half a century, the 19th-century novelist who wrote under the name George Eliot and the mother of Harry Potter?

Answer: Evans

Cadel Lee Evans, born in Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia in 1977, won in 2011 to become the first Australian winner of 'Le Tour'. At the age of 34, he was also one of the oldest winners. With both Floyd Landis and Lance Armstrong both having their victories annulled, Evans is only the second non-European winner after America's Greg LeMond.
Born Lucille Wood Smith in Uvalde, Texas in 1912, her name was changed to Frances Octavia Smith in infancy. She took the stage name Dale Evans in the early 1930s. First married at the age of 15, her marriage to Roy Rogers in 1947 was her fourth and his third, but is was to last until his death in 1998.
Mary Anne Evans, born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire in 1819, wrote under the pseudonym George Eliot. A leading writer of the Victorian era, her novels include the classics "The Mill on the Floss", "Silas Marner" and "Middlemarch".
Lily Evans (later Lily Potter) was born in 1960.
10. What surname is shared by the Secretary of State who negotiated America's border with Canada and the annexation of Florida before he became President, one of three legends of Arsenal F.C. honored with statues outside the new Emirates stadium, a humorist who wrote a BBC radio comedy that turned into a best-selling five-book 'trilogy' and a member of one of the most successful all-women pop bands of all time.

Answer: Adams

John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay (now Quincy MA) in 1767. He held numerous positions before becoming Secretary of State under James Monroe. He then succeeded Monroe to become the 6th President, serving from 1825 until 1829.
Tony Alexander Adams MBE, born in Romford, Essex in 1966, played more than 500 times in a 20-year Arsenal career during which time he won four League titles, three FA Cups, two Football League Cups and a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He also made 66 appearances for England. He was honored with a statue outside the club's new ground in 2011 along with Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman.
Douglas Noel Adams, born in Cambridge, England in 1952, began writing "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in 1978 as a radio comedy sketch. By the time of his death in 2001, the books had sold more than 15 million copies.
Victoria Caroline Adams, born in Harlow, Essex in 1974, became famous first as "Posh Spice" from The Spice Girls and then as Mrs David Beckham. She enjoyed a moderately successful music career after the Spice Girls, but it as a fashion and style icon that she is now best known.
Source: Author EnglishJedi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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