‘I Love Lucy’: What Was Lucy Ricardo’s Maiden Name?

I Love Lucy remains the most iconic television series of all time, and Lucy and Ricky Ricardo are among the most easily recognizable sitcom couple. When the series opened in the 1950s, Lucy and Ricky were already married, just like the actors who played them. Still, Lucy’s past was revisited on occasion. In fact, the feisty redhead’s maiden name was mentioned multiple times in the series. Before marrying Ricky, Lucy Ricardo was known as Lucille Esmerelda McGillicuddy. 

When was Lucy Ricardo’s Maiden name mentioned? 

Fans first met Lucy as Lucy Ricardo in 1951. By the end of season one, they learned Lucy Ricardo’s maiden name. In the season one episode, aptly named “The Marriage License,” Lucy freaks out when she notices that Ricardo is misspelled as Bacardi. Lucy, fearing the marriage isn’t legal, sets out to rectify the problem. The episode is the first time fans learn that Lucy Ricardo’s full maiden name was Lucille Esmerelda McGillicuddy. 

A little bit of the actors real lives seeped into the episode, too. Lucille McGillicuddy hailed from Jamestown, NY, a town in Western New York. The town is the same town where actor, Lucille Ball, was born. While McGillicuddy is generally thought of as an Irish last name, Ball only claimed a bit of Irish heritage. She was mostly English. Ball’s background isn’t the only one to get a nod in the episode, though. In “The Marriage License,” the misspelling of Bacardi has a connection to Desi Arnaz, the actor who played Ricky Ricardo. According to IMDb, Arnaz’s grandfather helped found Bacardi Rum. 

Lucy’s maiden name, McGillicuddy, was mentioned many more times during the show’s run. Lucy was fond of using her maiden name when getting into trouble or trying to break into show business. If you listen closely, you may catch her saying the name at a rapid speed. Lucy’s mother also appeared on the show and was known to viewers as Mrs. McGillicuddy. 

Was Ethel Mertz’s maiden name ever mentioned in ‘I Love Lucy’? 

Lucy Ricardo’s maiden name wasn’t the only one mentioned during the run of I Love Lucy. Ethel Mertz’s maiden name was shared, too. Lucy’s best friend and landlord was happy to share information about her life before she met the Ricardos. 

Over the course of the series, I Love Lucy fans learned that Ethel Mertz was born Ethel Porter, and her father owned a sweets shop in Albuquerque where he and his wife raised Ethel. Ethel met Fred Mertz, and the couple eloped. They worked in vaudeville productions together before leaving the entertainment world behind and settling in New York City. Ethel’s family is never seen. She and Fred had no children. Fred’s background is a bit of a mystery, though.