Flavorwire

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title.” We get you, Juliet — names are just names, and what we’re called is irrelevant to our true, inner essence. But does this famous Shakespearean notion prevent modern TV writers from weaving a character’s so-called “embarrassing” middle name into a comedy’s occasional plot line? Of course not! When it comes to sitcom middle names, the weirder, the better. Iphigenia? Miervaldis? Leakey? Sure, why not! Let’s play a name game — click through to enjoy some of television’s silliest and most unexpected middle names, then hit the comments to let us know of any others that you’ve found noteworthy.

Elizabeth “Miervaldis” Lemon, 30 Rock

Unsure how to pronounce Liz Lemon’s middle name? Here, watch this a few times and give it a whirl. According to Tina Fey, the name was inspired by 30 Rock staffer Katie Miervaldis of Latvian descent. Fey explains, “We don’t quite know what Liz Lemon is, but Latvian seemed to make sense.” If that’s the case, we need to find us some Latvian friends. Honorable mention: Our beloved Kenneth “Ellen” Parcell.