Three Names

Today, February 27th, is the birthday of the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose works were required reading for those of us of my generation or earlier ... I can still recite portions of his famous poem "Paul Revere's Ride."

But Mr Longfellow's birthday got me to thinking about something else: why do so many poets seem to have three names? Consider that in addition to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, we also celebrate:

Edwin Arlington Robinson; 

Edna St. Vincent Millay;

Edgar Lee Masters;

James Whitcomb Riley;

Ralph Waldo Emerson; and,

James Weldon Johnson

Howcumzit?, as my father would have asked, that so many poets seem to have three names? After all, most Americans commonly use only two, although we tend to have three - first, middle, and family.

As I think about it, though, there are some other well-known people in other fields who are known by three names ...

Former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is one, as is businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post. 

Empty-headed Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, sometimes referred to in the media as "Marjorie Three Names," is another. 

Former President Barack Obama is often referred to by his detractors as Barack Hussein Obama, as if stressing his middle name somehow connects him to the hated "other" of Islamic terrorism.

Three names. Why? Any ideas?

Have a good day, no matter how many names you use. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo (one name only)