11 Unexpected Things Named After Celebrities

An eponym can be a person after whom something is called, and we probably use eponyms all the time without knowing. The words zipper, sandwich, and cardigan are all named after different real people. From animals to planets, having something called after you is extremely cool.

We at Bright Side gathered 11 unusual things whose names were inspired by iconic celebrities.

1. The “Tom Cruise Law”

Back in 2005, when Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise had their first baby on the way, the actor decided to buy an ultrasound machine. The couple wanted to see the development of their child. And although their intentions were good there were some concerns regarding the safety of them using it. So in 2006, the California government created “The Tom Cruise Law,” which prohibited the distribution of said machine to non-licensed practitioners.

2. Lady Gaga — Kaikaia gaga

Seems like Lady Gaga has inspired Brendan Morris, a Ph.D. student in entomology, to name this new treehopper species after her. According to Brendan, the treehopper is the perfect animal to be named after Gaga, since they have these crazy horns and wacky fashion sense.

3. James Dean and Uma Thurman songs

The Rebel Without A Cause star James Dean and Pulp Fiction’s icon Uma Thurman have something in common. Besides both being blonde beauties, they have songs made about them. The rock band Eagles wrote a song, called “James Dean” about James’s rebel and iconic persona. And Uma was the inspiration for Fall Out Boys’ song called after her. The song makes a reference to her character in Pulp Fiction with the line “She wants to dance like Uma Thurman.”

4. Mick Jagger — Jaggermeryx naida

The anthropologist Dr. Ellen Miller had to choose between The Rolling Stones vocalist Mick Jagger and Angelina Jolie to name a prehistoric creature. And if you’re wondering why between them, it’s because of their big lips. The winner was Mick Jagger, and the name of the creature Jaggermeryx Naida translates to “Jagger’s water nymph.”

5. Avril Lavigne’s special pizza

There’s a pizza place called La Pizzeria in Napanee, Canada, the hometown of the singer Avril Lavigne. The owner and manager of the restaurant, Bill Kosmopoulos, said that Lavigne used to eat there a lot before she was famous. So as a tribute to her they named her favorite pizza when she was in high school “Avril Lavigne’s Special pizza.”

6. Liverpool John Lennon Airport

The Liverpool John Lennon Airport is located in Liverpool, England. The place used to be called Speke airport, but was rebranded in 2002 after the memory of songwriter John Lennon. Not only the name was changed but also the logo, which is a cute illustration of the artist’s face. The airport features a sculpture of John, which was unveiled by Yoko Ono 20 years ago.

7. Stephen Colbert — Aptostichus stephencolberti

The writer and host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert, asked his scientist audience to name a spider after him. In one of his monologues Colbert said he got jealous of his friend, musician Neal Young, when a spider was named after him. So biologist Jason Bond decided to make Stephen’s dreams come true and gave his name to the spider species Aptostichus stephencolberti.

8. Hermès Kelly bag

It is said that Grace Kelly, princess of Monaco, was photographed holding the Hermès bag covering her stomach to hide her pregnancy at the time. The legend got very popular and that caused the rename of the bag to “The Kelly.”

9. Elvis Presley — “17059 Elvis”

The king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, is looking at us from the sky. Amateur astronomer, John Broughton, discovered in 1999 the asteroid 17059 Elvis. It might be a coincidence that the singer had an album called Prince from another planet, but now we know the name is not far from the truth.

10. Andrew Garfield — Pritha garfield

Andrew Garfield may not be Spider-Man in real life, but he certainly is a spider. There is a new species of venomous spider, the Pritha garfield, which was called after the actor. Except the spider is not as handsome as Andrew.

11. Beyoncé — Scaptia beyonceae

The new species of horsefly Scaptia beyonceae was named after Beyoncé. One of the most important characteristics the insect has is a “glamorous golden” lower abdomen. And the hit song “Bootylicious” that Beyoncé recorded with the group Destiny’s Child, inspired scientist and researcher Bryan Lessard to name the species after the famous pop diva.

Which one impressed you the most? If you had the opportunity to name something after yourself, what would it be? Tell us in the comments.