Mononymity 2 - Known by One Name Quiz

Answer: Jean-Baptiste Poquelin

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673), known as Molière, was a French comic actor and dramatist whose works included "Tartuffe" (1664) and "Le Misanthrope" (1666). It is believed he changed his name to protect his family from embarrassment as acting was not considered a respectable profession at that time.

Answer: Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (12-41 AD), known as Caligula, was emperor of Rome from 37 AD until his assassination in 41 AD. As a small child, he accompanied his family on his father's military campaigns and his parents dressed him in a miniature military uniform, including boots. Hence, his father's soldiers gave him the nickname Caligula (meaning "little boot").

Answer: Gabriele Susanne Kerner

Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 1960), known as Nena, is a German singer-songwriter. In 1983 she had an international hit with "99 Luftballons" (translation: "99 Balloons"), recorded in German. Later that year, she re-recorded it in English as "99 Red Balloons".

She acquired her nickname as child while on holiday in Spain with her parents. Nena is derived from the Spanish word niña meaning "girl".

Answer: Charles John Huffam Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) wrote under the pen-name of Boz in his early career as a journalist and whilst he was writing "Pickwick Papers" (his first novel). Dickens chose the name Boz, a family nickname, as he felt it was memorable and it was derived from one of his favorite characters, Moses, from Oliver Goldsmith's "The Vicar of Wakefield".

In Dicken's family, Moses became Boses which became Boz.

Answer: Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin

Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 1961) is an Irish singer and musician. In English, her name translates as Enya Patricia Brennan, so her professional name of Enya is the merely the Anglicised or phonetic spelling of her real first name.

Answer: Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (1870-1924), known as Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary leader and writer. He was the founder of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1912, the leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution, the head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1922 and of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1924. He adopted the pseudonym Lenin for political reasons.

Answer: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner (born 1951) is an English musician, well known for his work with the band, The Police. He was their principal songwriter, lead singer, and bass guitarist from 1977 to 1984. He went solo in 1985. In his younger days, prior to his time with The Police, he acquired the nickname Sting because of his habit of wearing a yellow and black jumper which allegedly reminded his colleagues of a bee or wasp.

Answer: Georges Prosper Rémi

Georges Prosper Rémi (1907-1983), known as Hergé, was a Belgian artist and cartoonist. His professional name, Hergé, is the French pronunciation of his initials (GR) in reverse - RG. Hergé is best known for his creation of the character, Tintin, in 1929. "The Adventures of Tintin" is still a very popular comic book series.

Answer: Stacy Ann Ferguson

Stacy Ann Ferguson (born 1975), is an American singer and songwriter known professionally as Fergie and best known for her work with the group, The Black Eyed Peas. She has also done a considerable amount of acting work in movies and on television, but has not achieved significant fame in this area compared with her musical career.

Her professional name is derived from her surname, Ferguson.

Answer: Cassandra Peterson

Cassandra Peterson (born 1951) is an American actress who has had a long career in movies and television, commencing with an uncredited part as a dancer in the James Bond movie, "Diamonds are Forever" (1971), before finding fame as Elvira, hostess of "Fright Night", a weekly horror movie presentation on American television in the 1980s. Consequently, she became much better known as Elvira than her real name.