Yes you guessed it, their names are all registered trade
marks.
Using your personal name as a trade mark
Just like any other type of business name, mark or logo, if your
personal name is distinctive and capable of identifying your goods
or services from those of your competitors, then it can potentially
be registered as a trade mark. Your name may not be distinctive per
se but it is possible for it to acquire distinctiveness over time
because of your continued use of it in relation to your goods or
services. What you need to show is that consumers associate YOUR
name with YOUR goods and services.
Does this mean that I can prevent anybody else from using my
name?
No. A trade mark is only registered against particular
categories of goods and services and only gives you protection in
the course of trade.
So, for example, if I registered Josh Little against legal
services and you called your new baby boy Josh Little, I could not
then deprive the bundle of joy his name. However I could, in
theory, prevent other Josh Littles trading as lawyers under their
name.
Now, that's an idea……