History Main / ThemeInitials

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Max Bialystock in ''TheProducers'' shares initials with writer/director MelBrooks. [[YourMileageMayVary Whether this is coincidental or not is up for debate.]] It's also worth noting that two other male characters have last names ending in 'B': Leo Bloom and Roger De Bris. Possibly three if you count Lorenzo St. Du Bois(L.S.D.).

* Max Bialystock in ''TheProducers'' shares initials with writer/director Mel Brooks. [[YourMileageMayVary Whether this is coincidental or not is up for debate.]] It's also worth noting that two other male characters have last names ending in 'B': Leo Bloom and Roger De Bris. Possibly three if you count Lorenzo St. Du Bois(L.S.D.).

* On ''{{Angel}}'', Wolfram and Hart employs lawyers Lindsey [=MacDonald=], Lilah Morgan, Lee Mercer, and Linwood Murrow. Given a certain other [[{{Lucifer}} L.M.]], this also counts as DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything.

* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', all the characters' Pesterchum handles (save John's ([=ectoBiologist=]), although it fit ([=ghostyTrickster=]) before he encountered the trolls) contain the letters G C T A, the letters that make up DNA. Additionally, the Exiles all have several names, but are referred to by the same initials each time for convenience' sake (for example, the Warweary Villein later becomes the Wayward Vagabond and later the [[spoiler:Wasteland Vindicator]]. Also, the comic makes heavy use of a [[ChessMotifs chess metaphor]], so when a royal-looking exile shows up with the initials W.Q. there's very little doubt what her original name was.)

* On the opposite end of DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything from the ''{{Angel}}'' example, ''{{Hellblazer}}'''s John Constantine has many relatives and ancestors who share the initials [[JesusChrist J.C.]]

* ''{{ARIA}}'' provides a partial example: virtually every character has a name starting with A, but their last names vary.

* In ''SchlockMercenary'', someone goes to a lot of effort to name every ship in his fleet with the initials "P.D." [[spoiler:[[TheUntwist It's Petey]].]]

[[caption-width:360:Next, Superman will watch a Lindsay Lohan movie, write a love letter, become a limited liability, read ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'', and visit [[AtopTheFourthWall Linkara.]][[hottip:*:Get it? Because he's Lewis Lovhaug! ... OK, I'm done.]]]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* On ''{{Angel}}'', Wolfram and Hart employs lawyers Lindsey [=MacDonald=], Lilah Morgan, Lee Mercer, and Linwood Murrow. Given a certain other [[{{Lucifer}} L.M.]], this also counts as DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything.
* Captain John Sheridan and Commander Jeffrey Sinclair of ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'', written by [[JMichaelStraczynski Joe Straczynski]].
* On ''{{Charmed}},'' the Halliwell family tradition is to give every girl a name starting with a P: grandmother Penny, mother Patty, sisters Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. Even though Paige is a long-lost sister, her mother still asked her foster parents to give her a name beginning with a P.
* After considerable pestering by Hawkeye, B.J. Hunnicutt of ''M.A.S.H.'' eventually revealed why his military file lists only his initials, not his first or middle name: [[spoiler: his parents, Bea and Jay, ''literally'' named him "B.J."]].

* ''{{Superman}}'' has a bunch of characters with the initials L.L., most of whom are love interests. A list may be found [[http://superman.wikia.com/wiki/LL here]]. You can imagine what the slashers think of [[HoYay Lex Luthor]]. This was apparently entirely unintended at first, until someone pointed out the theme in Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor, and they just ran with it.

* In ''{{The Years of Rice and Salt}}'' by Kim Stanley Robinson, characters who are reincarnations of each other have the same initial (most have OnlyOneName).

* Organizations rather than people: in ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents, the Baudelaire orphans encounter a number of organizations with the initials V.F.D. Also, several people have the initials J.S., such as Jerome Squalor, Justice Strauss, and [[spoiler:Jacques Snicket]].

* ''HarryPotter'': The future children of [[spoiler: Ron and Hermione are named Rose and Hugo]].

* The R.E.M. song "It's the End of the World As We Know It" has this line:

* Several games for the NintendoDS have "DS" as their initials, such as ''[[{{Castlevania}} Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow]]'', ''[[NintendoWars Advance Wars: Dual Strike]]'', and ''[[ShinMegamiTensei Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor]]''.

[[AC:{{Anime}}]]
* ''{{ARIA}}'' provides a partial example: virtually every character has a name starting with A, but their last names vary.
* In ''KamichamaKarin'', seven of the main characters have the initials K.K., mainly as a result of the rampant AlphabeticalThemeNaming in the show.
* Sort-of: ''GasMaskGirl'''s MaskPower characters have an XYX theme: there's Gas Mask Girl (of course), Helmet Driver's High, and as-yet the unnamed DMD [[WildMassGuessing (Death Mask Dame/Doll/Darling?)]].
* A volume of the ''TheKindaichiCaseFiles'' had victims being targeted because the only concrete information the killer had to his true target were the initials S.K.

* PowerpuffGirls names all begin with B, even those of one shot "guest" powerpuffs (Bullet, Bunny)

* Former U.S. Presisdent [[LyndonJohnson Lyndon Baines Johnson]] apparently extended the LBJ initials to his wife (nicknamed "Lady Bird"), daughters (Luci Baines and Lynda Bird), and even some of his ''dogs'' (Leader Blair Jame of Edlen and Little Beagle Johnson).

* The Kardasian/Jenner family: Kris Kardashian and her daughters Kim, Khloe, Kourtney... their brother's name is [[OddNameOut Robert]], [[DeadGuyJr after his dad]]. Their stepfather is Olympian Bruce Jenner (seriously) and his sons are named Burt, Brandon, and Brody. Their sister is Casey, and everyone's half-sisters are Kylie and Kendall (phew!).

A subtrope of ThemeNaming. SisterTrope to LetterMotif. See also AlphabeticalThemeNaming and AddedAlliterativeAppeal.

* Sort-of: ''GasMaskGirl''[='s=] MaskPower characters have an XYX theme: there's Gas Mask Girl (of course), Helmet Driver's High, and as-yet the unnamed DMD [[WildMassGuessing (Death Mask Dame/Doll/Darling?)]].

* RobertAHeinlein's ''Time Enough For Love'' has Lazarus Long and his clone sister-daughters Lorelei Lee and Lapis Lazuli.

* A major clue in PeterStraub's novel ''GhostStory''.

** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] when the sisters start having kids themselves, though; Piper's two sons are Wyatt and Chris.

* In ''The Years of Rice and Salt'' by Kim Stanley Robinson, characters who are reincarnations of each other have the same initial (most have OnlyOneName).

* On {{Charmed}}, the Halliwell family tradition is to give every girl a name starting with a P: grandmother Penny, mother Patty, sisters Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. Even though Paige is a long-lost sister, her mother still asked her foster parents to give her a name beginning with a P.

** For that matter, NATO designation of Soviet materiel. Fighter plane codenames all start with an F (Flanker, Foxbat, Fulcrum, Fishbed...), helicopters with an H (Hind, Hip, Havoc, Halo...) while strategic bombers all start with a B (Blinder, Bear, Backfire...). Air-to-air missiles all start with an A (Archer, Apex, Acrid...), air-to-ground all start with a K (Kingfish, Kelt, Kickback...), and SAMs all start with a G (Gainful, Gecko, Gaskin). Oddly enough, submarine codenames break the theme - most are called after letters in the radio alphabet (Tango, Charlie, Foxtrot etc...).

In which several characters from the same work share a set of initials. Usually it signals something they have in common. The characters themselves may or may not notice.

* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', all the characters' Pesterchum handles (save John's ([=ectoBiologist=]), although it fit ([=ghostyTrickster=]) before he encountered the trolls) contain the letters G C T A, the letters that make up DNA. Additionally, the Exiles all have several names, but are referred to by the same initials each time for convenience' sake (for example, the Warweary Villein later becomes the Wayward Vagabond and later the [[spoiler:Wasteland Vindicator]]. Also, the comic makes heavy use of a chess metaphor, so when a royal-looking exile shows up with the initials W.Q. there's very little doubt what her original name was.)

* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', all the characters' Pesterchum handles (save John's ([=ectoBiologist=]), although it fit ([=ghostyTrickster=]) before he encountered the trolls) contain the letters G C T A, the letters that make up DNA. Additionally, the Exiles all have several names, but are referred to by the same initials each time for convenience' sake (for example, the Warweary Villein later becomes the Wayward Vagabond. Also, the comic makes heavy use of a chess metaphor, so when a royal-looking exile shows up with the initials W.Q. there's very little doubt what her original name was.)

* Sort-of: ''GasMaskGirl''[='s=] MaskPower characters have an XYX theme: there's Gas Mask Girl (of course), Helmet Rider's High, and as-yet the unnamed DMD [[WildMassGuessing (Death Mask Dame?)]].

* Robert Rodriguez' children Rocket, Racer, Rebel, Rogue, and [[OddNameOut Rhiannon.]]

* Former U.S. Presisdent [[LyndonJohnson Lyndon Baines Johnson]] apparently extended the LBJ initials to his wife (nicknamed "Lady Bird"), daughters (Luci Baines and Lynda Bird), and even one of his ''dogs'' (Leader Blair Jame of Edlen).
** Didn't he have a dog named "Little Beagle Johnson"?

[[caption-width:360:Next, Superman will watch a Lindsay Lohan movie, write a love letter, become a limited liability, and read ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies''.]]

* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', all the characters' Pesterchum handles (save John's ([=ectoBiologist=]), although it fit ([=ghostlyTrickster=]) before he encountered the trolls) contain the letters G C T A, the letters that make up DNA. Additionally, the Exiles all have several names, but are referred to by the same initials each time for convenience' sake (for example, the Warweary Villein later becomes the Wayward Vagabond. Also, the comic makes heavy use of a chess metaphor, so when a royal-looking exile shows up with the initials W.Q. there's very little doubt what her original name was.)

* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', all the characters' Pesterchum handles (save John's ([=ectoBiologist=]), although it fit ([=ghostlyTrickster=]) before he encountered the trolls) contain the letters G C T A, the letters that make up DNA. Additionally, the Exiles all have several names, but are referred to by the same initials each time for convenience' sake (for example, the Warweary Villein later becomes the Wandering Vagabond. Also, the comic makes heavy use of a chess metaphor, so when a royal-looking exile shows up with the initials W.Q. there's very little doubt what her original name was.)

* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', all the characters' Pesterchum handles (save John's ([=ectoBiologist=]), although it fit ([=ghostlyTrickster=]) before he encountered the trolls) contain the letters G C T A, the letters that make up DNA.