Paul Anka's Real Name: Paul Albert Anka

Quick answer: Paul Anka's documented full name is Paul Albert Anka. Encyclopaedia Britannica records that form and gives his birth date as July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia also gives Paul (Albert) Anka, born in Ottawa on July 30, 1941 (Encyclopaedia Britannica; The Canadian Encyclopedia).

Real name and early life

Britannica lists Paul Albert Anka and says he was born to Lebanese and Syrian parents who had immigrated to Canada and ran an Ottawa restaurant; the Canadian Encyclopedia describes him as of Syrian descent. He taught himself guitar and piano and, as a teenager, formed a vocal group called the Bobbysoxers (the Canadian Encyclopedia spells the name Bobby Soxers) that performed locally. The Canadian Encyclopedia adds early radio and amateur-show work from age 10, brief formal study of piano and theory, and a 1957 trip to New York that led to a contract with ABC-Paramount.

Career highlights

His original song "Diana" became a major hit; Britannica says it eventually sold more than 20 million copies. A string of late-1950s and early-1960s singles followed, including "Lonely Boy," "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," and "Puppy Love." He acted in teen-oriented films and played a U.S. Army Ranger in The Longest Day (1962), for which he also wrote theme music that, the Canadian Encyclopedia notes, was nominated for an Academy Award. As pop tastes shifted, he moved toward nightclubs and later Las Vegas. He wrote the lyrics to "My Way," set to the French melody "Comme d'habitude," for Frank Sinatra, and wrote "She's a Lady" for Tom Jones. He also composed the theme for The Tonight Show during Johnny Carson's tenure. In 1974 he returned to the charts with Odia Coates on "(You're) Having My Baby." Later albums included the Spanish-language Amigos (1996) and Rock Swings (2005). The Canadian Encyclopedia records his induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian and American songwriters' halls of fame, and the Order of Canada, and that France named him a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; it also notes that he became a U.S. citizen in 1990. The National Film Board documentary Lonely Boy (1962) covered his rise as a teen idol.

Name notes for searchers

Paul Albert Anka is the documented full name; he has been known professionally as Paul Anka. Searchers looking for the singer of "Diana" or "Lonely Boy," or for the lyricist of "My Way," are usually aiming at the same person.