I want to find out about individuals who go by one name (no last name).?

Question

Like Madonna or Cher..I want to know the name s of the people who go by one name. Or do not carry last name. I am interested in the ways of naming --of an individual in a culture.

Answer 1

The use of family names are not universal among all cultures. In particular, Icelanders, Tibetans and Japanese often do not use a family name — well-known people lacking a family name include Suharto and Sukarno.



Also, many royal families do not use family names. In many cultures, both Eastern and Western, few families had surnames prior to the period 15th-19th century. During these times, often only aristocratic families had family names.

Answer 2

I liked Jing's answer for the cultural aspect of one named individuals.



As for celebrities, I think it has more to do with ego. They are just sooooo well known that they only need one name. Prince took it a step further by going by a symbol instead of the one name that he used to go by.



Also, sometimes it's thrust upon them, like Shaq and Britney. So it's not just because they have a unique name.