It was today in 2001 that the artist/mogul known at the time as Puffy or Puff Daddy declared in an interview that he would now be referred to as P. Diddy. Over the weekend I read that Lindsay Lohan has decided to drop the "Lohan" and is now officially just Lindsay. As in, Cher, Madonna, Prince... and Lindsay. Whatever you think of the former Lindsay Lohan, it will probably work. When you hear the name Lindsay, she's probably the first person that pops into your head. So who in Manitoba, if anyone, could get by with just a first name. Let's examine...

Sam. It could work.

Gary. Wouldn't work. Two former premiers with the first name Gary means that Mr. Filmon and Mr. Doer would cancel each other out, especially since they both still make the news. Plus, Gary Bachman from Century 21 Real Estate has more signs up than the other have had in years, so he would be in the mix as well.

Teemu. There's literally only one.

Milt. Same thing. I remember someone in my junior high had a dad named Milt, but he caught a grand total of zero touchdown passes for the Bombers. He did work at CN though, and he was very nice.

Gail. Gail Asper is pretty famous. She might be able to pull off a first name only, however that would mean ditching the last name, which is more recognizable than almost any first name... including even...

Izzy. A decade ago, there was only one Izzy. If the name Izzy came up, everyone knew who you were talking about. But by first securing and then excelling at a job in the NFL with the Bears, Izzy Idonije has become a household name.  

Duff. There is only one Duff. 

Burton. You know who that is.

Clara. I think of Hughes. I think most people probably would.

Cindy. Close. I can name several people I know named Cindy, but I think of Klassen first when I see or hear her name.

Gord. There might be too many Gords to have someone pull off being known simply as Gord. Le Clerc and Steeves cancel each other out. Then there is Sinclair; Bell has his own high school; Tumilson was a fine goaltender and is a super nice guy. There is no straight up Gord.

Jennifer. Too many to have just one. Jones would be the favourite if it came right down to it, but not even one of the best curling teams of all-time has won as many championships as Jennifer Botterill. Add Jennifer Howard to the mix, and there are officially too many well known Jennifers for there to be one with a first name only.

Other possible and probable contenders... Hartley, Nellie, Sterling, Maralee, Loreena, Monty, Leo (maybe not. Mol, Lewis, and Ledohowski are all big names), Bif, Nia, Winnie, Guy, and Anna.