History Main / AnAlienNamedBob

'''Elvis''': Well, Joanna, I'm Protector 1, but you can call me: Elvis!"
* ''VideoGame/StarOcean''is full of this. On backwater planets that have no connection to the rest of the galaxy you'll meet aliens with names like Clair, Roger, Sarah and Celine. The fifth game has Fiore, which is Italian for flower. The third game has Nel which is one one l short of the name Nell.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?", (John) Zoidberg's crush is a lobster-like alien like him, but her name is Edna. Also, a hermit crab-like alien named Vinny briefly features. Another spisose has a Neptunian woman called Heather.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?", (John) Zoidberg's crush is a lobster-like alien like him, but her name is Edna. Also, a hermit crab-like alien named Vinny briefly features.

* One of the Peace Yeerks in ''Fanfic/{{Daemorphing}}'' is known only as Helen.

* ''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.

* One of the two main characters of ''Literature/AlienInASmallTown'' is a [[StarfishAliens Starfish Alien]] with an unpronounceable name, who goes by "Paul Dwightson" on Earth. The name isn't arbitrary. He's the son of Ambassador Dwight (one of the first members of Paul's race to contact Earth people. Ironically, Dwight is ''female,'' but by the time the humans realized this, the name had stuck.). He took his first name from the [[Literature/TheBible Apostle Paul]], for reasons that don't become apparent till halfway through the book.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Downplayed for Deanna Troi, who is [[HalfHumanHybrid only half alien]], and Alexander Rozhenko, who is three-quarters alien.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Home}}'':

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Subnautica}} Subnautica: Below Zero]]'', [[LampshadeHanging expressed]] by Robin in-game when she meets one of the ancient alien [[{{Precursors}} Precursor]] Architects.
-->'''Robin''': My whole life, I've been dying to meet a sapient, spacefaring alien up close, and you're telling me your name is [[spoiler:ALAN]]?
-->'''[[spoiler:Al-An]]''': Is it insufficient?

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?", Zoidberg's crush is a lobster-like alien like him, but her name is Edna. Also, a hermit crab-like alien named Vinny briefly features.

* The alien ComicBook/MartianManhunter's name is J'onn J'onzz, which just happens to be pronounced like "John Jones".

* 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]]. Zig-zagged with Series/UltramanTaro and his son, Series/UltramanTaiga, both of them having common Japanese names due to the shows being Japanese productions, but rare in the west.

* As a RunningGag, at least half the aliens in the SpaceOpera comic ''{{Comicbook/Nexus}}'' have perfectly normal-sounding human names like Tyrone, Sinclaire, Jil, etc. Dave of Thune's son Fred changed his name to Judah after converting to Judaism.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':

* Discussed in ''FanFic/WhatTomorrowBrings''. [[HalfHumanHybrid Tobias]] introduces himself as Elfangor's son, and Tom thinks that "Tobias" is [[EntertaininglyWrong an oddly human name for an alien Andalite.]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Justified for Superman himself. He's an alien, and while his original name was Kal-El, he got renamed Clark by his [[InterspeciesAdoption adoptive parents]]. He's also sometimes called "Kal" by close friends, which can at least pass for a fairly normal human nickname.

-->'''Joanna Dark''': I'm Agent Dark, or Joanna if you'd prefer.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Justified for Superman himself. He's an alien, and while his original name was Kal-El, he got renamed Clark by his [[InterspeciesAdoption adoptive parents]].

* ''Film/MenInBlack'': Many of the aliens the agents encounter in the field have plain sounding names like Frank or Bob. This even includes a gigantic, subway-dwelling, omnivorous worm called Jeff. Presumably these are all assumed names, and they would make sense for those aliens living as humans. No explanation for the giant worm, though.

-->'''Jake:''' He's kidding, right? He said his name is Jeremy?

* ''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.

* ''VideoGame/{{Awesomenauts}}'' runs the gamut, with some aliens named things like Derpl Zork or Qi'Tara, but others named Penny, Rocco, Leon, Vinnie, ect.

* ''Website/{{Snopes}}'': This [[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/glurgia-on-my-mind/ joke response to a claim]] features aliens named "Judy" and "Katherine".[[/folder]]

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.

* One "U.S. Acres" segment of ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'', "The Well Dweller," features a tiny blue alien named...Al. It's promptly [[LampshadeHanging]] when Orson remarks that most aliens have odd names, and the creature simply shrugs and says that ''his'' name is just plain Al.

* {{Literature/Animorphs}}:

[[folder:TV - Live-Action]]
* The series Series/{{ALF}} has Gordon Shumway, who is the titular alien of the series. He actually prefers it if people call him ALF though.