| 100% | RIPTORN | 7 | Entertainer whose last name is the past tense of a synonym of his first name |
| 49% | ALDA | 4 | Actor whose last name is a 41-Down of his first name, after a D is changed to an N |
| 47% | KRIS | 4 | Singer whose first name is the first four letters of his last name |
| 46% | KELLYMARIETRAN | 14 | "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" actress whose first name is a shade of green: 3 wds. |
| 44% | EBWHITE | 7 | Author whose last name's first letter, followed by the two initials that precede his last name, form a word in one of his most famous titles |
| 44% | OLIVERREED | 10 | Actor whose first name is the title of a Best Picture he co-starred in, and whose last name is that film's director |
| 43% | DEGAS | 5 | Painter Edgar whose last name is one letter away from being an anagram of his first name |
| 43% | JACKSPARROW | 11 | Rakish captain in "Pirates of the Caribbean" whose last name is a kind of bird: 2 wds. |
| 42% | LADO | 4 | Director Aldo whose first name is an anagram of his last name |
| 41% | ELISABETHMOSS | 13 | "The Handmaid's Tale" actress whose last name is a shade of green: 2 wds. |
| 41% | TWEEZERS | 8 | Tool whose name is a rock band if you remove the first and last letters |
| 41% | AUGUSTWILSON | 12 | "Fences" Tony-winning playwright whose first name is a month of the year (2 wds.) |
| 41% | JANUARYJONES | 12 | "Mad Men" Emmy nominee whose first name is a month of the year (2 wds.) |
| 41% | ALEXVANHALEN | 12 | Rock drummer whose last name is the same as his band |
| 41% | MYSTERYNOVELISTS | 16 | Their last names are the first names of three puzzle answers |
| 40% | SENECACRANE | 11 | Head Gamemaker in "The Hunger Games" whose last name is a kind of bird: 2 wds. |
| 40% | WHITNEYHOUSTON | 14 | "Saving All My Love for You" singer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame whose last name is a city in Texas (2 wds.) |
| 40% | PORT | 4 | Wine whose name is the first half of its country of origin |
| 40% | NSYNC | 5 | Band with the song "Bye Bye Bye" whose name is an acronym of the last letters of the members' first names |
| 40% | KITHARINGTON | 12 | "Game of Thrones" actor whose first name is also the term for a baby fox: 2 wds. |
| 40% | MARTINLAWRENCE | 14 | Stand-up comedian and star of a 1990s Fox sitcom, whose title was his first name: 2 wds. |
| 39% | SCROD | 5 | Fish whose name sounds like the past tense of 46-Across? |
| 39% | JUNECARTERCASH | 14 | "Ring of Fire" songwriter and five-time Grammy winner whose first name is a month of the year (2 wds.) |
| 39% | GRANTGUSTIN | 11 | "The Flash" star whose first name is a presidential last name: 2 wds. |
| 39% | FIONAAPPLE | 10 | "Criminal" singer whose last name is a shade of green: 2 wds. |
| 39% | EMU | 3 | Bird whose name is also the initials of a school in Ypsilanti |
| 38% | EVEL | 4 | First name of the role George Hamilton played in a 1971 movie where he stated "I am the last gladiator in the new Rome" |
| 38% | LIU | 3 | Actress Lucy whose last name sounds like the start of her first name |
| 38% | ADAMDRIVER | 10 | "Ferrari" actor whose last name is a synonym for a chauffeur: 2 wds. |
| 38% | BILLYJOEL | 9 | "My Life" singer whose last name is a common first name: 2 wds. |