Friday, May 1, 2026

(Semi) Famous Andersons

It’s a pretty common name, you can take it from me. It used to be in the top 10 (number 9, if I remember correctly), but a recent influx of Rodriguezes, Martinezes, et al. have crowded it out.

At the same time, though, there simply are no famous Andersons. No presidents or vice presidents. No Nobel Prize winners. No major business types. No great sports figures.

How obscure are they? Well, a search of the Interwebs gives me only about 15 I’ve ever heard of. Here they are, in increasing order of “fame”:


Louie Anderson – fat, baby-faced comedic has-been


Bill Anderson – C&W singer from way back when country wasn’t cool


Yes, Bil is a guy


Gary Anderson – chubby South African football player (if you can call a placekicker a football player)


John Anderson – obscure 3rd party presidential candidate from 50 years ago

With charming wife Keke


Pamela Anderson – blonde bimbo with sex tape history

With fellow sex-tape star, ex Tommy Lee


Loni Anderson – blonde bimbo who married male bimbo Burt Reynolds


Gillian Anderson – WASPy actress famous for a TV show that combined the paranormal with “the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States”


Laurie Anderson – avant-garde musical & artistic weirdo


Ian Anderson – balding flutist (yes, flutist!) for the obscure & strangely-named band Jethro Tull


Paul Thomas Anderson – director of a bunch of movies I’ve never seen


Sparky Anderson – baseball manager & Hall of Famer who was once confused with my dad


Marian Anderson – African-American signer who was once confused with my mom (Marion Anderson)


Wes Anderson – director of a bunch of movies I’ve seen, but that didn’t make much sense


Sherwood Anderson – author of Winesburg, Ohio, which everyone had to read in high school



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