How John Wayne Got His Name (And The Duke Nickname)

With a name like John Wayne, it might seem as though it was only a matter of time before the man became a screen legend. But as most will no doubt know, this was not the actor's original name. The Duke spoke about his given name in a 1969 BBC film, "John Wayne and his Films," where he revealed that the John Wayne moniker came from studio execs. "My right name is Marion Michael Morrison," he said, "and the studio decided that it was not American enough for a boy who was going to play Breckenridge Coleman in 'The Big Trail,' back in 1929. So, the studio heads were put together and they came up with the name John Wayne." 

"The Big Trail" (which was largely doomed by cutting-edge camera tech and the great depression) was Wayne's first starring role. After appearing in small background parts in the late-20s, Wayne was cast by director Raoul Walsh in his epic Western. According to documentarian Richard Schickel, who featured Walsh in his series "The Men Who Made the Movies," it was actually the director who gave Wayne his stage name. In an interview with True West, Schickel recalled how Walsh and director John Ford both felt a sense of ownership over launching the young star's career. "[Walsh] was very proud of, as he feels — I think it was a source of contention between he and Ford [laughs] — that he sort of found John Wayne," he said. "Raoul believed that he gave Wayne his name. He said he was reading a book about the American revolutionary general 'Mad' Anthony Wayne; he thought Wayne would be a good name for Marion Morrison. That's how the name came about."

That doesn't quite match up with Wayne's own recollection, but it seems at the very least his stage name came from people within the industry, whether it was Walsh, studio execs, or a combination of both. Neither, however, could claim credit for Wayne's famous nickname: Duke.

The year before John Wayne landed his first starring role in "The Big Trail" — which you've likely never seen — he featured in James Tingling's musical comedy "Words and Music." Wayne played Pete Donahue, one of two college students who compete for the affections of Lois Moran's Mary Brown, and was credited for the first and only time as "Duke Morrison." The year before he was given his John Wayne moniker, then, he also briefly used his lifelong nickname as a screen name. But where did "Duke" come from?

John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Iowa in 1907, and grew up there before his family moved to California in 1914. It was in the Golden State that he would get his lifelong nickname. In 1916, the Morrison family moved to Glendale just North of Los Angeles, along with their dog: Duke. The Airedale terrier became a young Marion's best friend, and frequently accompanied him on his walks to school, during which they would pass the local firehouse. The firefighters got to know Duke and started referring to Marion himself by the same name. Wayne spoke about this genesis in "John Wayne and his Films," saying:

"Long before I had the name John Wayne I was going to school in Glendale and I had a dog named Duke. The dog would follow me as far as a fire station on the way to school in the morning and wait at the fire station for me to return in the evening, and the firemen all knew the dog's name but they didn't know mine. So, they called the dog 'Big Duke' and me 'Little Duke.'"

Wayne remained Duke ever since, retaining the nickname right up until his death in 1979. As huge a star as he became, and as complicated as his legacy is today, this small piece of his childhood remained a constant throughout his life — a small reminder of his surprisingly humble origins.