FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

What's In A Name? Trivia Quiz

Don't worry, this is not about name analysis! It's about initials, names of detectives, a pen name and some more. Warning: British golden age writers are well represented!

A multiple-choice quiz by blackbirdtoo. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
blackbirdtoo

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
87,305

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
565

Last 3 plays: Guest 92 (4/10), 1995Tarpon (10/10), Guest 77 (6/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Dorothy L. Sayers insisted on the L. What does it stand for? Hint

Leigh

Lily

Laura

Louise

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Gilbert K. Chesterton created Father Brown. His middle name is Hint

Keith

Kyle

Kenneth

Kurt

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. P. D. James has even two initials to guess at. What do you think? Hint

Penelope Deirdre

Patricia Daniels

Phyllis Dorothy

Phoebe Diana

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Do you know Agatha Christie's maiden name? Hint

Christie

Miller

Mallowan

Westmacott

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Ngaio Marsh, creator of Roderick Alleyn, has another Christian name: Hint

Helen

Ruth

Anne

Edith

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Dr. John H. Watson - what would Sherlock Holmes have been without him? And what, according to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is Dr. Watson's middle name? Hint

Hamish

Hector

Harold

it is never revealed

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Lord Peter Wimsey, Dorothy L. Sayers' aristocratic sleuth, had of course more than one Christian names. Two more, in fact:

Answer: (Initials are D. B.)

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. John D., Marianne and Ross are mystery writers and share the last name:

Answer: (You may think of food)

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. True or false: Evan Hunter is the pen name of Ed McBain.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Which of the following detectives does not exist (so far)? Hint

Lane Montana

Kat Colorado

Declan Maine

Alex Delaware

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Most Recent Scores

Oct 30 2024 : Guest 92: 4/10
Oct 17 2024 : 1995Tarpon: 10/10
Oct 15 2024 : Guest 77: 6/10
Oct 09 2024 : Guest 2: 5/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Dorothy L. Sayers insisted on the L. What does it stand for?

Answer: Leigh

Leigh was her mother's maiden name.

2. Gilbert K. Chesterton created Father Brown. His middle name is

Answer: Keith

Chesterton's impressive body of works includes poems, short stories, novels, plays, non-fiction books and essays.

3. P. D. James has even two initials to guess at. What do you think?

Answer: Phyllis Dorothy

Patricia Daniels sounds familiar, too? Daniels is the middle name of Patricia Cornwell, creator of Kay Scarpetta.

4. Do you know Agatha Christie's maiden name?

Answer: Miller

Her first husband was Archibald Christie; later she married Sir Max Mallowan. Mary Westmacott was a pen name.

5. Ngaio Marsh, creator of Roderick Alleyn, has another Christian name:

Answer: Edith

Ngaio is Maori and means "Reflections on the water".

6. Dr. John H. Watson - what would Sherlock Holmes have been without him? And what, according to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is Dr. Watson's middle name?

Answer: it is never revealed

Dorothy L. Sayers wrote a wonderful essay about this ("Dr. Watson's Middle Name", published in "Unpopular Opinions", a collection of essays by Sayers) and concluded that it must have been Hamish since one of Dr. Watson's wives called him James instead of John, and Hamish is the Scottish form of James. Nevertheless, Conan Doyle never reveals any more information than his initial.

7. Lord Peter Wimsey, Dorothy L. Sayers' aristocratic sleuth, had of course more than one Christian names. Two more, in fact:

Answer: Death Bredon

According to Lord Peter himself ("Murder Must Advertise") some people pronounce the name Death to rhyme with Keith, but he does not. At least he spares his first, who is called Bredon.

8. John D., Marianne and Ross are mystery writers and share the last name:

Answer: MacDonald

Ross MacDonald created Lew Archer, John D.'s sleuth is Travis McGee, and Marianne gave us Dido Hoare.

9. True or false: Evan Hunter is the pen name of Ed McBain.

Answer: False

It is the other way round- McBain is the pen name of Evan Hunter. He was born as Salvatore Lombino but changed his name legally to Evan Hunter (thanks to mnbates for telling me about the Lombino identity). Several book are dedicated to his wife, Dragica Dimitrijevic-Hunter.

10. Which of the following detectives does not exist (so far)?

Answer: Declan Maine

Kat Colorado (by Karen Kijewski) lives in California, as does Alex Delaware (by Jonathan Kellerman), while Lane Montana (by Kay Hooper) can be found in Georgia. Alex Delaware came the longest way, so to speak.

Source: Author blackbirdtoo

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bullymom before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.