History MeaningfulName / Film

* MK from ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' is named after William Joyce's daughter, Mary Katherine, who died back in 2010 around the age MK is.
** A ronin is a samurai without a lord to serve. [[spoiler:Fittingly, Ronin goes through most of ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' without a queen to command him]].

* The central character in ''{{Clerks}}'' has the unusual first name of Dante. Work, and life in general by extension, [[DivineComedy is hell for him]].

** WordOfGod has it that before Scar received his scar and his subsequent name change, his name was Taka which means "trash". If my parents named me this, I would be a bit put off as well.

** Her daughter Vitani, who was originally going to be Shetani, meaning "demon" or "devil". Someone worried about UnfortunateImplications so they changed it to something that sounded similar but [[ForeignSoundingGibberish didn't mean anything]].
*** Vitani comes from "vita", which means "war".

* ''Film/TheMachinist'' is a dark and creepy movie. The main character's name is Trevor Reznik, which subtly invokes both [[NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] (who records dark and creepy music) and Darryl Revok (a character in [[Film/{{Scanners}} a different dark and creepy movie]]). In fact, the actor who played Revok, Michael Ironside, is in ''The Machinist''. He plays another machinist. "Reznik" also means "butcher" in several slavic languages.

** Raven Darkholme/Mystique. [[spoiler: When de-powered in ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'', she's seen with RavenHairIvorySkin.]]

** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': Emma Frost has a frosty temperament, as her surname suggests.
** ''Film/TheWolverine'': Viper's alias as Yashida's doctor is "Green," and she frequently wears green clothing. "Viper" also alludes to [[spoiler:the classic fable "TheFarmerAndTheViper", which perfectly describes Logan's relationship with [[UngratefulBastard her master]].]]
** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': In RealLife, En Sabah Nur means "The morning light" (he represents the dawn of mutantkind), but the comics translate it as "The first one."

* Pig the Cat from ''WesternAnimation/{{Home}}'' is named because his tail is curled like an actual pig, not to mention his eating habits.

* A couple in ''Film/Parallels'':
** Ronan is a fighter without a purpose. A ronin is a warrior without a lord.

** Janis Ian shares her name with the singer of "At Seventeen," a song about discovering that the "pretty girls" get the love. The real Janis Ian is a lesbian, and was the musical guest on the first episode of SaturdayNightLive, the show screenwriter Tina Fey first became famous for.
*** As an aside, Tina Fey later sang a bit of "At Seventeen" in an episode of ThirtyRock.

* All four characters of ''Film/ExMachina'' get meaningful (plot-relevant) names. [[spoiler:Caleb has multiple possible meanings in Hebrew - from "dog", which fits how he is almost Nathan's "pet" to "as if it understands" which fits how he apparently understands Ava's "emotions", to "a basket or a cage with contents" which mirrors his subject Ava's caged status and his own state at the end of the movie. Nathan means "gift" and is often short for "Nathaniel" or "gift of God", which is fitting for a man gifted with the talent to create artificial intelligence. Ava is a variant of "Eva" or "Eve", meaning "life" - and the whole question is whether or not Ava is "alive" in the sense of having a conscience...and then there's Kyoko, whose name has several possible meanings, one of which is "mirror child", which is fitting for an android who reflects her creator's taste in women.]]

** [[spoiler:Cypher, meaning zero and also a type of encryption, i.e. enigma, or a secret. His most famous quote is when he tells Agent Smith, "After 9 years, you know what I have learned? Ignorance is bliss.", which also hints at his desire that the secret of the Matrix had never been revealed to him and that he wants to go back into it. There's also the fact that his "real" last name is [[RonaldReagan Reagan]] - he wants to forget his past and become an actor!]].

* ''Film/StonehearstAsylum'': "Mickey Finn", which is period slang for "slipping a mickey". [[spoiler: Of course this is what the character with this name did to the real staff, and almost does to Newgate]].

** Stinger Apini is part bee.

** "Manolo" is a common nickname for "Manuel"[[note]]A bit like "Jack" being a common nickname for "John" in English.[[/note]], an also common Spanish male name which etymological origin means "God is with Us". It alludes to how La Muerte and Xibalba were involved in Manolo, (and by extension, the lives of his family and friends), because the two Gods made a bet that involved him.

** Wolverine's real name is James ''Howl''ett.
** Professor X's middle name and surname form the name of a saint, so they hint at the character's "saintly" personality.

** ''Film/TheWolverine'':
*** Viper's alias as Yashida's doctor is "Green," and she frequently wears green clothing.
*** The name "Viper" is also meaningful. [[spoiler:It alludes to the classic fable "TheFarmerAndTheViper", which perfectly describes Logan's relationship with [[UngratefulBastard her master]].]]

* In ''Film/YouCantCheatAnHonestMan'', Creator/WCFields plays a shady carnival operator named "Larsen E. ['larceny'] Whipsnade". This would later inspire ''ComicStrip/TheWizardOfId'' to create an homage to Fields, "Larsen E. Pettifogger".

** Viper from ''Film/TheWolverine''.
*** Her alias as Yashida's doctor is ''Green'', and she wears green clothing as Viper.
*** The name "Viper" is also meaningful. [[spoiler:It alludes to the classic fable "TheFarmerAndTheViper", which perfectly describes Logan's relationship with [[UngratefulBastard her master]]. ]]

* The police chief from ''AceVentura: Pet Detective'' is called Lois Einhorn ("one-horn" = unicorn). If you've seen the film you can't help but notice the irony.

* ''AndYouThoughtYourParentsWereWeird'': The robot is named Newman because he'll be a "new man" when they get his artificial intelligence working. It turns out to have a double meaning when the robot is used to allow Matt to come back from the grave and interact with his family again.