People known by the definite article
November 2, 2022 11:17 AM Subscribe
The U2 post on the blue got me thinking: The Edge, The Rock and The Public Universal Friend are all people known primarily, or close to it, by names beginning with the definite article. What others are out there? I'm looking for non-fictional, known individuals. I'm excluding titles (the King), fictional characters (the Joker), placeholders for unknown people (the Zodiac Killer), or epithets following the name (Andre the Giant).
The Donald, although he is known by a lot of names.
posted by madcaptenor at 11:25 AM on November 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by madcaptenor at 11:25 AM on November 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
I’m sad that I know this, but The Situation, of Jersey Shore fame.
posted by kevinbelt at 11:36 AM on November 2, 2022 [17 favorites]
posted by kevinbelt at 11:36 AM on November 2, 2022 [17 favorites]
The Weekend. Fuk that kids awesome.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:41 AM on November 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:41 AM on November 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Lots of freak show characters were given names that started with The - most notably "The Elephant Man" (Josesph Merrick)
Le Corbusier if want to include French language people.
posted by rongorongo at 11:42 AM on November 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
Le Corbusier if want to include French language people.
posted by rongorongo at 11:42 AM on November 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, at least briefly.
posted by Mchelly at 11:43 AM on November 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 11:43 AM on November 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Businesswoman and former supermodel Elle Macpherson was known as "The Body."
posted by erst at 11:43 AM on November 2, 2022
posted by erst at 11:43 AM on November 2, 2022
Do nicknames count? For example, Elvis was nicknamed "The King" but that wasn't really used quite the same way his name would be (I think). (I also realize you excluded "the King" but I think you meant when it is used to refer to an actual monarch.)
posted by likedoomsday at 11:45 AM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by likedoomsday at 11:45 AM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The Vivienne from Rupaul’s Drag Race UK and RPDR All Stars Season 7.
posted by oxisos at 11:47 AM on November 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by oxisos at 11:47 AM on November 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Infosec expert and pundit "the grugq."
posted by humbug at 11:51 AM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by humbug at 11:51 AM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Big Bopper
posted by jozxyqk at 11:55 AM on November 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by jozxyqk at 11:55 AM on November 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
The Amazing Jonathon
The Unknown Comic
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:02 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Unknown Comic
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:02 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Sports is full of these, if that counts.
The Fridge (William Perry)
The Mailman (Karl Malone)
and so on.
posted by jquinby at 12:03 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Fridge (William Perry)
The Mailman (Karl Malone)
and so on.
posted by jquinby at 12:03 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Jesse "The Body" Ventura.
posted by praemunire at 12:06 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 12:06 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Unabomber?
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:37 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:37 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Venerable Bede.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:53 PM on November 2, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:53 PM on November 2, 2022 [11 favorites]
OP said they're looking for people known "primarily" by this construction, so Wayne Gretzky (The Great One) or Bruce Springsteen (The Boss) wouldn't qualify because, as widely known as those nicknames might be, neither man is "primarily" known that way.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 12:55 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 12:55 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Although you exclude fictional individuals, I would note that the main character of The Big Lebowski, The Dude, derives his moniker from Jeff Dowd, who is widely known as The Dude. Certainly Dowd has a lower profile than his fictional counterpart, but he has seemingly been known by this name for most of his life.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:04 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:04 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
A lot more people refer to this guy as The Pope than call him Pope Francis, and that number in turns surely dwarfs the number of people who know him as Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:23 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:23 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
They're not as famous as The Game or The Weeknd, but The D.O.C. and The Last Emperor are also rappers.
posted by box at 1:24 PM on November 2, 2022
posted by box at 1:24 PM on November 2, 2022
Duke Ellington was sometimes referred to as The Duke.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:27 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:27 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
El Sol de México (Luis Miguel)
The Face (Jean Shrimpton)
The Back (Vikki Dugan)
"The Great White Hope" (James J. Jeffries)
The Man of a Thousand Faces (Lon Chaney)
The Mother of Peace (Hak Ja Han Moon)
The Laughing Philosopher aka The Mocker (Democritus)
The Fresh Prince (Will Smith)
The Vamp (Theda Bara)
The Great Peacemaker
The Mother of Nations (Jigonhsasee / Jikonhsaseh / Jikonsase / “She Who Lives at the War-Road”)
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:45 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Face (Jean Shrimpton)
The Back (Vikki Dugan)
"The Great White Hope" (James J. Jeffries)
The Man of a Thousand Faces (Lon Chaney)
The Mother of Peace (Hak Ja Han Moon)
The Laughing Philosopher aka The Mocker (Democritus)
The Fresh Prince (Will Smith)
The Vamp (Theda Bara)
The Great Peacemaker
The Mother of Nations (Jigonhsasee / Jikonhsaseh / Jikonsase / “She Who Lives at the War-Road”)
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:45 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Babe, or the Bambino? (For Babe Ruth)
posted by synecdoche at 1:49 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by synecdoche at 1:49 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Weeknd is spelt without the last e and he is awesome! Also in music, The Notorious B.I.G, The-Dream, The Pharcyde.
posted by ellieBOA at 1:53 PM on November 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by ellieBOA at 1:53 PM on November 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
Megan Thee Stallion
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:18 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:18 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Legendary Hawaiian waterman Duke Kahanamoku was (and is) known as "The Duke".
posted by LadyOscar at 2:30 PM on November 2, 2022
posted by LadyOscar at 2:30 PM on November 2, 2022
The Big Unit - Randy Johnson from the Seattle Mariners
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:34 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:34 PM on November 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
There was a tradition among Scottish and Irish clan chiefs of referring to the head of a clan as "The [clan name]", e.g. "The Magennis" for the head of the Magennis (Mac Aonghusa).
posted by brianogilvie at 3:44 PM on November 2, 2022
posted by brianogilvie at 3:44 PM on November 2, 2022
There was a tradition among Scottish and Irish clan chiefs
In that vein, there was the self-dubbed The O’Rahilly
posted by scorbet at 4:24 PM on November 2, 2022
In that vein, there was the self-dubbed The O’Rahilly
posted by scorbet at 4:24 PM on November 2, 2022
Response by poster: Thank you for the answers so far!
The best answers so far have been Le Corbusier, The Game, The Vivienne, the grugq, and El Greco, because they all seem to be primarily referred to by those names.
Rough test: if they have a Wikipedia page, is their definite-article name the one that's generally used to refer to them in the text?
posted by automatronic at 5:39 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
The best answers so far have been Le Corbusier, The Game, The Vivienne, the grugq, and El Greco, because they all seem to be primarily referred to by those names.
Rough test: if they have a Wikipedia page, is their definite-article name the one that's generally used to refer to them in the text?
posted by automatronic at 5:39 PM on November 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Maybe not what the average person thinks of him as, but there is only one Der Führer.
posted by Stuka at 5:55 PM on November 2, 2022
posted by Stuka at 5:55 PM on November 2, 2022
Best answer: 'The Prophet' is at least as well-used by both Muslims and non-Muslims, for Muhammad, as his name. And the Quran has many, many names for him, many of them beginning with a definite article.
'The Buddha' for Siddartha Gautama.
'The Preacher' (Kohelet,Quoheleth) is the attributed and self-described author of Ecclesiastes.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:58 PM on November 2, 2022
'The Buddha' for Siddartha Gautama.
'The Preacher' (Kohelet,Quoheleth) is the attributed and self-described author of Ecclesiastes.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 5:58 PM on November 2, 2022
Famous Irish and Scottish examples include the Master of Elibank, the O'Conor Don and the Knight of Glin, who are all given the definite article in their respective Wikipedia entries.
There's also the Green Knight (yes, he really does exist), though he doesn't use his title, and Irish clan titles aren't really official any more since the Irish government stopped recognising them in 2003.
The Royal Family's website refers to 'The Queen' and 'The King' with a capital T, as though the 'The' is part of their official title, but there doesn't seem to be any basis for this, and some people think it's a bit vulgar.
posted by verstegan at 9:16 PM on November 2, 2022
There's also the Green Knight (yes, he really does exist), though he doesn't use his title, and Irish clan titles aren't really official any more since the Irish government stopped recognising them in 2003.
The Royal Family's website refers to 'The Queen' and 'The King' with a capital T, as though the 'The' is part of their official title, but there doesn't seem to be any basis for this, and some people think it's a bit vulgar.
posted by verstegan at 9:16 PM on November 2, 2022
In the NBA, Allen Iverson was known by his nickname: The Answer.
Paul Pierce tried to glom on a bit, but The Question was dumb, and quickly forgotten.
posted by Ghidorah at 2:47 AM on November 3, 2022
Paul Pierce tried to glom on a bit, but The Question was dumb, and quickly forgotten.
posted by Ghidorah at 2:47 AM on November 3, 2022
El Chapo
posted by transient at 6:21 AM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by transient at 6:21 AM on November 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
This one's not a person, but "in 1878, the Ohio legislature recognized an expanded scope for the university by changing its name to "The Ohio State University". The definite article "the" is part of Ohio State's legal name; since at least the 1990s, Ohio State alumni, especially NFL players, have emphasized the "the" when referring to their school."
I took that from the school's Wikipedia article, which hilariously omits the "The" from the page title.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:25 AM on November 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
I took that from the school's Wikipedia article, which hilariously omits the "The" from the page title.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:25 AM on November 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
Best answer: La Veneno, Spain's most loved trans singer, actress, and sex worker.
posted by loup at 10:52 AM on November 3, 2022
posted by loup at 10:52 AM on November 3, 2022
Le Pétomane, the famed French flatulist.
posted by hanov3r at 12:04 PM on November 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by hanov3r at 12:04 PM on November 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
I used to tease my counterpart at OSU about not changing their web site to tosu.edu.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:51 PM on November 3, 2022
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:51 PM on November 3, 2022
For a time, there was The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (that’s how it was written on video titles, etc.).
posted by saltykitten at 8:34 AM on November 4, 2022
posted by saltykitten at 8:34 AM on November 4, 2022
The Big Bopper.
ETA I see now that both of these were listed upthread. I didn’t see them when I was scrolling down!
posted by saltykitten at 8:36 AM on November 4, 2022
ETA I see now that both of these were listed upthread. I didn’t see them when I was scrolling down!
posted by saltykitten at 8:36 AM on November 4, 2022
From the Netherlands:
De Dominee (The Pastor) - Klaas Bruinsma, head of the largest drug syndicate in the Netherlands.
De Neus (The Nose) - Willem Holleeder, another criminal, known for his kidnapping of Freddy Heineken and his chauffeur.
De Witte Reus (The White Giant) - Wil Hartog, motorcycle racer.
I'm not sure if they were primarily known by their nickname, but those were commonly used.
posted by Stoneshop at 4:21 AM on November 5, 2022
De Dominee (The Pastor) - Klaas Bruinsma, head of the largest drug syndicate in the Netherlands.
De Neus (The Nose) - Willem Holleeder, another criminal, known for his kidnapping of Freddy Heineken and his chauffeur.
De Witte Reus (The White Giant) - Wil Hartog, motorcycle racer.
I'm not sure if they were primarily known by their nickname, but those were commonly used.
posted by Stoneshop at 4:21 AM on November 5, 2022
Not sure if I qualify as a known individual, buuuuut...
posted by TheCoug at 10:09 PM on November 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by TheCoug at 10:09 PM on November 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Some professional wrestlers have already been noted above, but lucha libre legend El Santo was exclusively known by that name for decades, as luchadors typically hide their identities from everyone.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:44 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:44 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
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