LaMarr

Lamarr is a surname that gained prominence largely through the film star Hedy Lamarr. Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in 1914 in Vienna, she adopted the stage name Hedy Lamarr for her acting career in Europe and the United States. Lamarr became one of the most famous actresses of the Golden Age of cinema, noted for films such as Ecstasy (1933) and Samson and Delilah (1949). In addition to acting, she contributed to science and technology by co-inventing a radio communication system that used frequency-hopping spread spectrum to deter signal jamming. She and composer George Antheil were awarded U.S. patent 2,292,387 in 1942 for the "Secret Communication System." Although the invention did not see practical wartime use, it is recognized as an important step in the development of modern wireless technologies, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

In contemporary times, Lamarr is chiefly encountered as a surname associated with Hedy Lamarr; the name Lamarr remains relatively uncommon as a standard family name outside references to her life.