Everyone in the world knew his name simply as Elvis. He was so wildly famous that he did not even need a last name!
Yet, a tiny mystery was hiding inside his name his entire life. If you look at his official government papers, his middle name is written with just one “A” as Aron. But if you visit his peaceful grave at Graceland, his name is carved into stone with two “As” as Aaron. This missing letter was not just a simple spelling mistake. It was a heartfelt family secret that followed the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll from his very first day on Earth all the way to his grave.
To understand where this mystery started, we have to travel back to a tiny two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. On that cold winter morning, Elvis’s mother gave birth to twin boys. Tragically, Elvis’s identical twin brother was born sleeping and never woke up. The heartbroken parents named the twin Jesse Garon and named their surviving baby Elvis Aron. They specifically picked the spelling Aron with one “A” so that the middle names of the twin brothers would rhyme like a matching pair!
Elvis Aaron Presley Elvis’ middle name, is it Aron or Aaron
For most of his life, Elvis’s name stayed spelled with just one “A.” His official birth certificate said Elvis Aron Presley. When he grew up and joined the U.S. Army, the government recorded his name as Private Elvis Aron Presley on all of his official military papers. Elvis did not use a fake stage name because his real name was already special.
But as Elvis got older, he began reading his Bible more often. He noticed that the famous helper of Moses in the Bible spelled his name Aaron with two “As,” and Elvis decided he liked that traditional spelling much better.
When Elvis tragically died in 1977, his grieving father, Vernon, had to make a very tough choice. Vernon had to decide how his famous son’s name would be forever carved into the grave. Knowing that Elvis had later preferred the biblical spelling, Vernon lovingly chose to carve Elvis Aaron Presley into the stone. He wanted to honor his son’s final wishes, even though it was different from the spelling on his birth certificate.
When fans spotted that extra “A” on his grave, wild rumors started to take place. Some fans even convinced themselves Elvis faked his death and left behind a secret code! But the truth is much sweeter than any wild theory. The single “A” in Aron tied him to the twin brother he lost at birth, while the double “A” in Aaron connected him to the faith he cherished.