History Main / AnAlienNamedBob

Contrast LawOfAlienNames. This is common in characters who were RaisedByHumans. See also CallASmeerpARabbit.

* ''Anime/{{Daimos}}'' has the Baam, a race of {{Winged Humanoid}}s. Though their culture has parallels to Greece, Rome, Egypt and Hinduism, the Baam themselves have Western-style names like Erika, Richter, Leon, Raiza, Kaya, Cindy and Margarete.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': {{Justified}} when it happens because most of the "aliens" are actually TransplantedHumans, and two of the actual nonhuman species passed themselves off as ancient pagan gods (the Asgard as the Norse gods, the Goa'uld as mainly the Greco-Roman and Egyptian pantheons). Special mention to Jonas Quinn, a human from Langara who replaces Daniel Jackson on SG-1 for season 6: his name has been joked about for sounding less alien to American ears than that of his actor Creator/CorinNemec.

* The titular character of ''Film/{{Paul}}'' is an alien.

* One recurring character on ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' is a Saurian named Linus. Since his language is unpronounceable for humans, this would presumably apply to his real name.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Downplayed for Deanna Troi, who is [[HalfHumanHybrid half-Betazoid]], and Alexander Rozhenko, who is three-quarters Klingon and was raised by his half-human, half-Klingon mother and human grandparents more than his fully-Klingon father.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Downplayed. The series features two alien hybrids, one of whom has the last name Torres (but the alien first name B'Elanna) and the second of whom has the completely human name Naomi Wildman. Late in the series, B'Elanna has a quarter-alien daughter, and while it's unknown what her first name will end up being[[note]]Though in the alternate future, it's Miral[[/note]], she has her father's surname, Paris.

* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' has a hostile, [[{{Lilliputians}} action-figure sized]] alien warlord who identifies himself as "He who is known as Barry."

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'': The leader of the Space Pirate is a draconian alien named "Ridley". While not exactly a common name, it's still a real name of English origin. Made all the more jarring considering that the protagonist of the same series is named "Samus" which sounds far more alien despite her being human.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', William and Gillian are shapeshifters whose species is called Uryuom.

Aliens usually have names like [[WesternAnimation/SpaceChimps Zartog]] or [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Zod]]. This is when aliens have names like Bob or Alice. May overlap with TranslationConvention if the audience hears the alien saying an earthly name, but the human characters don't. This is a subtrope of SpecialPersonNormalName. Will sometimes cross over with SomeCallMeTim or MyNaymeIs. Can cross over with AerithAndBob if most of the other aliens have strange names and just a few have normal names. Contrast LawOfAlienNames. This is common in characters who were RaisedByHumans. See also CallASmeerpARabbit.

-->'''Robin''': My whole life, I've been dying to meet a sapient, spacefaring alien up close, and you're telling me your name is ALAN?
-->'''Al-An''': Is it not sufficient?

* ''VideoGame/Metroid'': The leader of the Space Pirate is a draconian alien named "Ridley". While not exactly a common name, it's still a real name of English origin. Made all the more jarring considering that the protagonist of the same series is named "Samus" which sounds far more alien despite her being human.

* The ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' does this with various of the Ultramen, where despite being set in the distant galaxy known as Nebula M-78, have several of their members having Earthling names. Such as [[Series/ReturnOfUltraman Jack]], [[Series/UltramanLeo Leo]], or [[Series/UltramanMax Max]]. Series/UltramanTaro and his son, Series/UltramanTaiga, both have common Japanese names.