Rob Lowe's New Name

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/02/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

What's in a name? A funny middle name, that's what. PEOPLE reports that Rob Lowe's character on the Emmy-winning NBC hit "The West Wing," Sam Seaborn, is about to get a middle name: Norman. The need for one arose when Lowe's wardrobe on the show was in the midst of a redesign, and the costumer wanted to come up with a look that included crisp, buttoned-shirts -- with a monogram. Only no one knew what the middle initial should be. Enter Norman, which, the show's coexecutive producer and writer, Aaron Sorkin, told PEOPLE, "just seemed like a good comedy middle name for Sam." And for all you real-life Normans out there, please send your complaints to Sorkin, not to PEOPLE.com.