What is Dr. Seuss's real name?

Dr. Seuss’s real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904, and became one of the most influential American children’s authors, illustrators, and cartoonists of the 20th century. He wrote more than 60 books, most of them under the name Dr. Seuss.

He adopted “Seuss” while studying at Dartmouth College after a disciplinary incident involving alcohol led administrators to remove him from extracurricular activities. “Dr.” was added partly because his father had hoped he would become a doctor. Geisel later studied at Lincoln College, Oxford, but left without earning a degree.

A common spelling mistake is “Theodore” with an extra “e.” His birth name was officially Theodor Seuss Geisel. Another frequent mix-up concerns pronunciation: Geisel used an anglicized pronunciation of “Seuss” that rhymed with “voice,” although the German pronunciation of his surname is different.

His pen name became so famous that many readers know the author only as Dr. Seuss, even though the name on his birth record was Theodor Seuss Geisel.