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1[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/WildeLife https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oscar_wilde.png]]]]
2
3->''"My name is Fear Kubrick. I am in no way related to the movie director."''
4-->-- '''Fear Kubrick''', ''Literature/CubeXCursedXCurious''
5
6A common form of naming characters: giving them the partial or modified name of real-life celebrities or historical figure. May overlap with ShoutOutThemeNaming if repeated across a group.
7
8One way would be giving the group a set of names which, when combined, form the name of a famous person. An advanced version gives a person the same first name as a famous person and has their last name included as a middle name. Another variation is to give a group of characters the first names of a well-known group, such as a group of friends named Music/{{John|Lennon}}, Music/{{Paul|McCartney}}, Music/{{George|Harrison}}, and [[Music/RingoStarr Richard/Ringo]], after Music/TheBeatles.
9
10If characters are named after things like [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/NotoriousKillers famous killers]] or NamesToRunAwayFrom/{{conquerors}}, it overlaps with NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast.
11
12Compare ShoutOutThemeNaming, FamousNamedForeigner (when foreign characters are named after famous people from their countries just because the creators didn't research the relevant naming conventions), CharacterNameAlias (when the name in question isn't actually the character's real name but a fake one that they're using after a real or fictional famous person) and UnusualPopCultureName (when they're named for a famous ''character'', often embarrassingly). Contrast NearAndDearBabyNaming. If the character hates their given name (for example an atheist given an overly religious name) then they may invoke DoNotCallMePaul. When the famous person a character is named for is ''their own actor,'' it's TheDanza.
13
14Not to be confused with NamedLikeMyName, HistoricalDomainCharacter, or BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy.
15
16Because [[TruthInTelevision this trope is so prevalent]], it would be [[Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease inappropriate to include any real-life instances on this page]].
17
18----
19!!Examples:
20[[index]]
21* [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous/AnimeAndManga Anime & Manga]]
22[[/index]]
23[[foldercontrol]]
24
25[[folder:Asian Animation]]
26* ''Animation/BreadBarbershop'''s main character is known as Bread Pitt, a pun on Creator/BradPitt. Weirdly enough, since Brad Pitt isn't known for being a hairdresser like Bread Pitt is.
27* In ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', Lord Bao (also known as Master Paopao), an HonorableElephant who holds court trials, is named after Bao Qing Tien, a famous Chinese politician who lived during the Song Dynasty and is revered nowadays as a Chinese symbol of justice.
28[[/folder]]
29
30[[folder:Comic Books]]
31* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'':
32** Scrooge [=McDuck=] was named after Ebenezer Scrooge from ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''.
33** Gladstone Gander has a cousin and rival called Disraeli Duck. This is a reference to the archrivals of UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain's politics: UsefulNotes/WilliamGladstone and UsefulNotes/BenjaminDisraeli.
34* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', many relations to the main characters are named after historical figures: members of the Brotherhood of Guardians are named after peaceful revolutionaries and/or physicists/philosophers, same as their fire-ant compatriots (Rembrandt, Sojourner, Hawking, Archimedes, etc.), while Tails' father and uncle are named Amadeus and Merlin, respectively.
35* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'':
36** The main characters are named after famous [[http://xkcd.com/197/ Italian artists]] from the Renaissance. In the '80s cartoon, they were briefly joined by a foursome of mutant frogs, who were all named after historical conquerors and warlords (UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun, UsefulNotes/RasputinTheMadMonk, and UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte; Shredder named them, claiming he wanted to imitate Splinter and name them after historical figures [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad that he himself idolized.]]).
37** One of the [[TeenageMutantSamuraiWombats many spoofs and rip-offs]] of ''TMNT'' back in the day had a set of rabbits named [[Creator/TexAvery Avery,]] [[Creator/ChuckJones Jones,]] [[Creator/BobClampett Clampett,]] and [[Creator/FrizFreleng Freleng.]]
38** In the 3rd Annual issue of ''[=ALF=]'', Gordon relates how he met the New Age Melmutant Abstract Turtles: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Calder Calder]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian Mondrian]], [[Creator/PabloPicasso Picasso]], and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock Pollock]]. Each turtle's weapon's ability was related to their namesake's most well-known art style (boomerangs that hang villains from mobiles, a t-square that creates abstract geometric walls, a paintbrush that turns villains into cubist creatures, and a bucket of paint that... splatters villains, respectively).
39** ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' had a pretty obvious TakeThat with the ''[[ShowWithinAShow Immature Radioactive Samurai Slugs]]'' who were also named after artists - Picasso, Warhol, Rockwell, and [[OddNameOut Grandma Moses]].
40** Another spoof of TMNT was ''ComicBook/AdolescentRadioactiveBlackBeltHamsters'', named Clint ([[Creator/ClintEastwood Eastwood]]), Chuck ([[Creator/ChuckNorris Norris]]), Bruce ([[Creator/BruceLee Lee]]), and Jackie ([[Creator/JackieChan Chan]]).
41* The names of the genetically engineered dogs in ''ComicBook/{{Kingdom}}'' by Creator/DanAbnett and Creator/RichardElson are celebrity names with canine puns. The protagonist is named Gene the Hackman (Creator/GeneHackman), and there's also Will Feral (Creator/WillFerrell), Dingo Star (Music/RingoStarr), Rex Horizon (Rex Harrison), Holly the Hunter (Creator/HollyHunter), and Clara Bow (Creator/ClaraBow).
42* Amadeus Cho, of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules'', is named after Mozart. His sister Maddy's full name? Madame Curie Cho. His archenemy is Pythagoras Dupree.
43* Stephen Stills of ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'' is named after the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Stills folk singer]] of the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. There's also a character named "Young Neil", an obvious reversal on Neil Young's name. Less obviously, there’s Clash at Demon Head’s drummer Lynette Guycott, named after the drummer of the band Plumtree; one of their singles named Scott Pilgrim himself.
44* Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/{{Promethea}}'' features a female cop named Creator/LucilleBall in the supporting cast. She frequently has to say, "No relation" and remind people that she has NoSenseOfHumor.
45* [[ComicBook/BuckyBarnes James Buchanan Barnes]], formerly ComicBook/CaptainAmerica's sidekick Bucky, is named after US President UsefulNotes/JamesBuchanan. This is somewhat strange, considering how unpopular Buchanan was during his presidency, but whatever.[[note]]Joe Simon originally named him "Bucky" for his friend Bucky Pierson. As characterization marched on he needed a full name to justify the nickname and, probably a fan of irony, the writer at the time named Captain America's sidekick for the worst President the country had known 'til then.[[/note]]
46* James Jesse, the first [[ComicBook/TheFlash Trickster]], invoked StevenUlyssesPerhero when he decided to commit robberies like his "reverse namesake" UsefulNotes/JesseJames. In-universe, this was definitely not intentional on his parents' part; a later retcon had it that his father was an Italian immigrant who'd Anglicized their names while unaware of the potential implications.
47* Accidentally created (inverted?) in a story printed both in ''Action Comics'' #1 and ''Superman'' #1, where Superman has to solve the murder of [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy Jack Kennedy]].
48* In the Reboot ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperheroes'', the Orando royal family (Sensor's family) are the [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor House of Wynzorr]]. The current monarch is [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily King Charlz and his son's name is Prince Willum]].
49* ComicBook/{{Batman}}:
50** Both Batman (Bruce Wayne) and the Golden Age superheroine Miss Victory (Joan Wayne) were named after "Mad" Anthony Wayne, a hero of the [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American War of Independence]].
51** Happens in-universe with ComicBook/TheJoker's pet hyenas (or ComicBook/HarleyQuinn's, depending on the continuity), Bud and Lou, named after comedy legends [[Creator/AbbottAndCostello Bud Abbott and Lou Costello]]. It also stands to reason that Harley's daughter by the Joker, Lucy Quinzell, is most likely named after Creator/LucilleBall.
52** The villain Mr. Zsazs, created by Alan Grant, and Denny O'Neil's RetCon that ComicBook/TheQuestion's real name is Charles Szasz, are both references to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Szasz Thomas Szasz]]. Since both characters are explorations of the "differently sane", Szasz's theories are relevant to both of them.
53* ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'': Professor Barabas is named after the biblical thief the people of Judea wanted to be spared of a death sentence, instead of Jesus Christ.
54* ''ComicStrip/{{Nero}}'': The titular character is named after Roman Emperor UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}. Another character, Clo-Clo, is named after the affectionate nickname of French singer Claude-François.
55* ''ComicBook/DeKiekeboes'':
56** Bibi Pralin Gaga is named after Ugandan dictator UsefulNotes/IdiAmin.
57** Alanis is named after Music/AlanisMorissette.
58** Elody Melody is named after Flemish teen pop star Sylvie Melody.
59* ''ComicBook/InspectorCanardo'': Rasputin the main villain is named after ''UsefulNotes/RasputinTheMadMonk''.
60* ''ComicBook/{{Urbanus}}'': Urbanus, just like the comedian he is based on, is named after several medieval popes. His dog Nabuko Donosor is named after Babylonian king Nebukadnezzar II.
61* ''ComicBook/Agent327'': Olga Lawina is named after Dutch singer Olga L'''o'''wina.
62* In ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'', GalacticConqueror Manga Khan's series of robotic servants (L-Ron, Hein-9, and K-Dikk) are all named after science fiction writers (Creator/LRonHubbard, Creator/RobertAHeinlein, and Creator/PhilipKDick, respectively). The OddNameOut is the most recent model, J-Lo, who is named after Music/JenniferLopez.
63* Julius and Augustus Furst, the patriarchs of the First Family in ''ComicBook/AstroCity'', are both named after Roman emperors who had months named after them.
64* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
65** The IneffectualSympatheticVillain the White Rabbit is supposedly the widow of a man named Lewis Dodson, continuing the ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' theme with a reference to Creator/LewisCarroll[=/=]Charles Dodgson.
66* Creator/PeterDavid was friends with the late Creator/MiguelFerrer and named the lead character of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2099'', Miguel O'Hara, after him.
67* [[spoiler: Scott and Barda’s baby]] Jacob in ''ComicBook/MisterMiracle2017'' is named after Creator/JackKirby.
68* Virgil Ovid Hawkins, aka ComicBook/{{Static}}, is a twofer. His first and last name are from real-life African American lawyer [[https://www.law.ufl.edu/areas-of-study/experiential-learning/clinics/virgil-d-hawkins-story Virgil D. Hawkins]]. His middle name is a reference to the Roman poet [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid Ovid]].
69* While multiple previous works have hinted at it, ''ComicBook/TransformersBeastWars2021'' establishes that the Predacon Dinobot took his name after the legendary Autobot warriors.
70* In ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueElite'', Manchester Black's sister is Music/VeraLynn Black.
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Comic Strips]]
74* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', named after 16th-century theologian John Calvin and 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes. In a similar vein, Calvin's teacher, Mrs. Wormwood, [[ShoutOutThemeNaming is named after]] a character in C. S. Lewis's ''Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters''. It's unlikely the principal Mr. Spittle is another literary reference.
75* The newspaper comic strip ''Ink Pen'' parodied ''Calvin and Hobbes'', with a duo of a boy and his stuffed lion called "Luther and Locke" (after Martin Luther and John Locke).
76* ''ComicStrip/{{Foxtrot}}'' once had a parody strip coincidentally also named "Luther and Locke."
77* ''ComicStrip/MallardFillmore'': Mallard's friend, Dave, named his son after Rush Limbaugh. [[http://i.imgur.com/RcgKm9p.jpg It's what led to his wife divorcing him.]] The title character is himself named after UsefulNotes/{{M|illard Fillmore}}'''[[UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore i]]'''[[UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore llard Fillmore]], the 13th president of the United States.
78* ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'': Bluto is named ''Brutus'' in the comic strips, after the adoptive son of UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar.
79[[/folder]]
80
81[[folder:Fan Works]]
82* ''Fanfic/DanganronpaMementoMori'': Ultimate KendoTeamCaptain Masao Mifune, with mannerisms befitting an old-fashioned samurai, shares his surname with famous {{Jidaigeki}} actor Creator/ToshiroMifune.
83* ''Fanfic/DanganronpaKommSusserTod'': Sasuke Akechi has the same surname of UsefulNotes/AkechiMitsuhide, infamous for his betrayal of UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga. [[spoiler:Sasuke himself turns out to be a traitor, as he is [[BigBad the mastermind of the Killing Game]].]]
84* ''Fanfic/DanganronpaParadiseLost'': SmarmyHost Takeshi Tashiro is named after both Creator/TakeshiKitano and Masashi Tashiro, two controversial Japanese television personalities.
85* ''Fanfic/{{Eleutherophobia}}'': Cassie's full name is Cassandra Day, a homage to Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
86* ''Fanfic/KoihimeMusouTalesOfTheArmoredWarGods'': All of the Riders seen are named after Japanese warlords.
87* ''[[Fanfic/TwiceUponAnAge All This Sh*t is Twice as Weird]]'': Cullen does this in-universe with the pets he acquires as the story unfolds. When he selects one of the Fereldan horses for his own, he names him Ferdinand (after Brother Ferdinand Genitivi, his favorite author); later, when Leliana gives him one of her messenger crows for his exclusive use, he names her Brona (after [[CrystalDragonJesus Andraste]]'s mother).
88* All over the place in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/23128741 Gonjiki Yasha – Meiji Onmyōji Tales]]''. The fic is studded with ShoutOut to late-modern Japanese literature, and thus characters that are not the protagonists get name alterations that reference writers and poets of the era; there are ''Ozaki'' Momiji, ''Yosano'' Tadayoshi, ''Izumi'' Hōōka, ''Tanizaki'' En, etc.
89* The main character of the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''Fanfic/HopToIt'' is named after her mother's favourite actor, Creator/JaclynSmith from ''Series/CharliesAngels''. Since no one over 40 will let her forget it, she chooses to go by Jack instead.
90* ''VideoGame/KanColle'' Fan works that make the girls separate from their armaments instead of being personifications have this trope built in by nature.
91* ''Series/Merlin2008'' / ''Literature/HarryPotter'' crossovers may have Merlin claim he was only named after the famous wizard, who is a real historical figure in the Wizarding World, to hide who he really is. Particularly humorous since Merlin's name is used in a number of {{Unusual Euphemism}}s in ''Harry Potter'' canon.
92* ''Fanfic/MyRidonculousRace'': OriginalCharacter Sam's full name is [[Creator/SamuelVincent Samuel Vicente]] [[Creator/TonySampson Antonio Sampson]] [[Creator/MattHill Matthew Hill.]] Incidentally the author has mentioned he imagines Sam's voice as that of Samuel Vincent.
93* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Alexis Lois "Lexi" Luthor is named after her grandparents, ComicBook/LexLuthor and ComicBook/LoisLane.
94* ''Fanfic/OversaturatedWorld'': Turns out that Rainbow Dash is named after one of the descendents of the legendary King Glitterhoof.
95* ''Fanfic/PastSins'': Nyx is by Twilight named after someone from her bedtime stories, who lived more than a millenium ago.
96* In ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'', some {{Original Character}}s who were part of the Edo Tensei army were named after Japanese historical figures. One is an Iwa kunoichi named Sayu Tokimune, whose clan's surname is taken from a general and samurai named Hojo Tokimune from the 13th century (known for pushing Mongolian forces back during their invasion of Japan), and another is Akashi Sutoku, a Plasma Release user and old enemy of the Uchiha and Senju clans, named after a 12th-century emperor.
97* ''Fanfic/TheKingNobodyWanted'':
98** Tytos Clegane is named after Tytos Lannister, the lord who raised his father to a landed knight.
99** Aerys Chelsted was named after the late king due to his father Qarlton's sycophancy. Due to the original Aerys' insanity and tyranny, he views it as an EmbarrassingFirstName and prefers to go by "Rys".
100** An unusually high proportion of the Most Devout bear Targaryen names, including multiple Baelors. One is even named after a dragon, Balerion. He notes that this is a common habit on his home isle, Dragonstone, and that he has an aunt named Syrax.
101** In the backstory, Lord Harwyn Bracken was named after Harwyn Hoare.
102* ''Fanfic/GuysBeingDudes'': Seeing as he's established as a Music/FallingInReverse fan, Arlo's Charizard, Ronnie, is probably named after Ronnie Radke.
103* ''Fanfic/ShadowsOverMeridian'': The Mogriff [[MookLieutenant leader]] Windblade is named after a great Mogriff hero who led the defense of their home nest-fortress centuries ago when the Queens of Meridian ordered them to be forced out and was one of those who [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificed their lives to give their children time to escape]].
104* Much like their [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 canon counterparts]], the turtles in ''Fanfic/HamatoClanKunoichi'' are all named after artists from the Renaissance. [[GenderFlip Being women in this version]], [[AdaptationNameChange their names were changed]] to "the overshadowed women of the Renaissance; Sofonisba, Elisabetta, Lavinia, and Artemisia."
105[[/folder]]
106
107[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
108* Among the novelty shaped rubber bands that make up the cast of ''WesternAnimation/BandsOnTheRun'' are an airplane named Amelia, after UsefulNotes/AmeliaEarhart, and a lightbulb named Edison, after UsefulNotes/ThomasEdison.
109* Francesco Bernoulli, the Italian racecar from ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', is named after Dutch/Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli, who came up with the law of conservation of fluid dynamics.
110* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' being very loosely based on Creator/HansChristianAndersen's ''Literature/TheSnowQueen'' features four characters, named in order; Hans, Kristoff, Anna, and Sven.
111* In the 2012 adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lorax|2012}}'', the two main kids in the present day are named Ted and Audrey, respectively named after Ted "Creator/DrSeuss" Geisel and his wife.
112* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', Louis the jazz-playing alligator is named after Music/LouisArmstrong. He even references the jazz legend in the song "When We're Human."
113* ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'': Archimedes the owl is named after UsefulNotes/{{Archimedes}}.
114* ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats'': Lafayette and Napoleon are named after the UsefulNotes/MarquisDeLafayette and Napoleon Bonaparte.
115* ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'': The character Medusa is named after the Greek mythological creature and her crocodiles Nero and Brutus after UsefulNotes/{{Nero}} and Brutus, Caesar's adoptive son.
116* ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'': Bartok the bat was named after Hungarian composer Music/BelaBartok.
117[[/folder]]
118
119[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
120* ''Film/FiftyFour'': Steve's younger sisters Grace and Kelly were named after Creator/GraceKelly.
121* The title character of ''Film/{{Amelie}}'' is named after actress Creator/EmilyWatson, who was originally intended to play her.
122* In ''Film/Angel1984'', Kit Carson took his stage name from the famous frontiersman. His original name is mentioned briefly by the lawyer for his estate who is trying to move Kit into a nursing home, but Kit no longer answers to it.
123* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'':
124** Doc and Clara Brown's sons, of ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'' and [[WesternAnimation/BackToTheFuture the animated series]], are called Jules and Verne after [[Creator/JulesVerne their favorite author]].
125** Doc has dogs named after famous scientists. In 1985, his dog's called Einstein; in 1955, his dog's called Copernicus.
126* In the 1934 film ''Film/TheBlackCat'', newlyweds Peter and Joan Alison intend to spend their honeymoon in the Hungarian spa town of Gömbös, “the pearl of the Carpathian Mountains”. There is no such place, however [[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyula_Gömbös Gyula Gömbös de Jáfka]] was the Hungarian prime minister from 1932-36. This gives a whole new meaning to the line “[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piešťany Pistyan]] used to be all right 10, 15 years ago, but now...Gömbös is the place.”
127* The names of characters in ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' include, among others of this type, Hedley Lamarr (Creator/HedyLamarr) and Olson Johnson ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olsen_and_Johnson Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson]]). A RunningGag has Hedley correcting anyone who calls him Hedy, to which one person says, "What are you worried about? [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall This is 1874, you'll be able to sue her]]!"
128* The heroine of the 2021 {{wuxia}}, ''Film/TheBloodyBladeOfKingLanling'', is Duan Mu-Lan, named after another [[Literature/TheBalladOfMulan famous Mulan]].
129* In the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen fourth]] installment of the ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles,'' there would have been a fifth turtle joining called [[Creator/JackKirby Kirby]].
130* The Gates family, from the ''Film/NationalTreasure''' movies. The protagonist is Benjamin Franklin Gates. His father is Patrick Henry Gates, ''his'' father was named John Adams Gates... it's apparently a family tradition.
131* The film ''Film/DoctorStrangelove'' features a psychotic, genocidal military commander named [[UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper Jack D. Ripper]].
132* Similarly, Creator/CillianMurphy's villainous character in ''Film/RedEye'' is named "Jackson Rippner".
133* The ''Franchise/FinalDestination'' franchise started with all the surnames in the first movie being derived from horror directors, and all the sequels have at least one of those. Examples include Alex [[Film/Dracula1931 Browning]], Kimberly [[Creator/RogerCorman Corman]], Lewis [[Creator/GeorgeRomero Romero]], Nick [[Film/TheReturnOfTheLivingDead O'Bannon]] and Candace [[Creator/TobeHooper Hooper]].
134* ''Film/TheFly1986'' borrowed the surname from a UsefulNotes/FormulaOne driver for its protagonist (an IronicName, given the character suffers from motion sickness), and in [[Film/TheFlyII the sequel]] his son outright has the guy's full name: Martin Brundle. In addition, {{Tritagonist}} Stathis Borans's ''first'' name references Lou Stathis, a ''Magazine/HeavyMetal'' editor who was a fan of the work of this film's writer/director, Creator/DavidCronenberg.
135* ''Film/{{Grease}}'':
136** Rydell High School is named after '50s/'60s teen idol Bobby Rydell.
137** Sandy Olsson shares her surname with Creator/AnnMargret, who was born Ann-Margret Olsson. In the original stage version, she has the Polish-American surname "Dumbrowski," but the film gives her a meaningful AdaptationalNameChange. Fittingly, Ann-Margret and Bobby Rydell (the school's namesake) had played love interests in ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie.''
138* ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' has a Veronica and a Betty, which you might think is a coincidence until you notice their equally significant last names - Sawyer and Finn respectively.
139* ''Film/HouseShark'': [[TheProtagonist Frank Roosevelt]] is named like [[UsefulNotes/FranklinDelanoRoosevelt [=FDR=]]].
140* ''Film/ShanghaiNoon'':
141** Jackie Chan plays "Chon Wang", misheard by Owen Wilson's character as "John Wayne". {{Lampshaded}} when O'Bannon declares "That's a terrible cowboy name!".
142** It is later revealed that the real name of Roy O'Bannon is "Wyatt Earp".
143** The villainous sheriff is called "Nathan Van Cleef", named after actor Creator/LeeVanCleef, a character actor of many westerns.
144* In ''Film/CoolRunnings'', one of the characters' names is Creator/YulBrynner, which elicits a chuckle from one of his teammates.
145* In ''Film/{{Shortbus}}'', Severin is deeply ashamed of her real name, and can only write it down on two slips of paper at Sophia's request. Her first name is Jennifer. Her last name? [[spoiler:Aniston.]]
146* Since Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda considered ''Film/EasyRider'' to be a modern-day Western, the protagonists are Wyatt (Earp) and Billy (the Kid)
147* In ''Film/OfficeSpace'' the main character Peter's best friend is named Music/MichaelBolton, like the famous singer. In-universe it's an aversion, since he wasn't named after the singer (Michael mentions he was in his early teens when the singer became famous). The name is just a coincidence. He also hates the singer, and refuses to be called "Mike" because "Why should I change? He's the one who sucks."
148* ''Film/MeanGirls'' features Janis Ian, named after the eponymous singer (who was lesbian, something the character is accused of being), whose song "At Seventeen" is even on the soundtrack.
149* In ''Film/MinorityReport'', the three oracles are named [[Creator/AgathaChristie Agatha]], [[Creator/ArthurConanDoyle Arthur]], and [[Creator/DashiellHammett Dashiell]], after the mystery novelists.
150* Dizzy Gillespie Harrison, the hapless protagonist of ''Film/TheNewGuy.''
151* In ''Literature/TheLastSong'', the main character Ronnie (played by Music/MileyCyrus) is named after Miley's grandfather, Senator Ron Cyrus.
152* ''Film/ForrestGump'' was named in-universe after the Civil War general and UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan founder Nathan Bedford Forrest. He states that his mother chose the name as a reminder of the stupidity of humanity.
153* In-universe, Caesar from the ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' franchise chose his name after the Roman Caesars. In ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'', he's even named as the father of his 'owner' starts quoting ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar''.
154* ''Film/TheDistinguishedGentleman'': InUniverse, UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson Johnson's mother named him such because she hoped that he would become important. Instead, he becomes a ConMan, but she still loves him. Then he discovers that he [[OneSteveLimit shares part of his name with Jeff Johnson]], a recently deceased Congressman, and runs for office under that name.
155* In ''Film/TheFactsInTheCaseOfMisterHollow'' Johnny Hollow, the eponymous photographer who sent the campsite photo that's the subject of the film, is named after the [[Music/JohnnyHollow electronica group]] whose song "Alchemy" provides the film's soundtrack. (Its co-director, Vincent Marcone, is a member.) The short was initially conceived as a music video before developing into a more fully plotted short film.
156* ''Film/ManOfTheYear'': Two of Tom Dobbs' assistants are named [[Creator/AllisonJanney Allison and Janie.]]
157* ''Film/SilenceOfTheLambs'': Serial killer Creator/BuffaloBill.
158* ''Film/DeathHunt'': Sundog (Carl Weathers) reveals that his real name is George Washington Lincoln Brown, which he hates being called.
159* The title character of ''Film/LtRobinCrusoeUSN'' is named for [[Literature/RobinsonCrusoe that other Crusoe]], as his father dreamed of a life at sea. He laments why he wasn't named [[UsefulNotes/HarryTruman Harry]] or [[UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower Ike]].
160* ''{{Film/Clueless}}'': Cher, and her best friend Dionne, were both, in Cher's words, "named after great singers of the past who now do infomercials."
161* ''{{Film/Scarface|1983}}'': The lead character, Tony Montana, was named by the film's writer, Creator/OliverStone, after his favorite athlete, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.
162* ''Film/{{Darlin}}'': A girl names her pet mouse after Creator/JenniferLawrence.
163* ''Film/AboutScout'': Sam assumes Scout was named after the protagonist of ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'', but in fact, she and her sister Lulu were named after Creator/DemiMoore's daughters.
164* Bogie from ''Film/AngelAngelDownWeGo'' was unsurprisingly named after Creator/HumphreyBogart.
165* ''Film/TroubleWithTheCurve'' has Mickey, who is [[TomboyishName a girl]] named after Mickey Mantle.
166* The hero of ''Film/PlanetTerror'' is named Wray, aka El Rey (Spanish for "The King"). This could be a reference to Music/ElvisPresley (who was also called "The King"), but it's almost certainly a reference to another famous L. Wray, the rockabilly legend Music/LinkWray.
167* ''Film/CynaraPoetryInMotion'': Byron, though she's French, happens to be a poet with the same name that [[Creator/LordByron a famous]] English one had decades before.
168* ''Film/TheFaculty'': The chemistry teacher played by Jon Stewart is named Creator/EdwardFurlong.
169[[/folder]]
170
171[[folder:Literature]]
172* Literature/{{Kydd}} was named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine Thomas Paine]], whom his parents met before he was born, though they would later come to disapprove of his radical ideas.
173* ''Literature/OlgaDiesDreaming'': Olga's parents, activists who had belonged to the Young Lords, named her after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_Viscal_Garriga Olga Viscal Garriga]], advocate for Puerto Rican independence. Olga’s mother, a radicalized activist herself, looks down on her daughter for not living up to her namesake's ideals.
174* ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'': Tons and tons of characters. A few examples: the main characters are named Baudelaire; their banker is named [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe Poe]].
175* In-story in ''Film/TheEnglishPatient'': the thief David Caravaggio. He [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this, mentioning Caravaggio's painting [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_with_the_Head_of_Goliath_(Caravaggio) David with the Head of Goliath]].
176* Napoleon, from ''Literature/AnimalFarm'' by Creator/GeorgeOrwell.
177* Practically everyone from ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'' (how that fits in a historyphobe society, [[FridgeLogic you ask]]), such as Bernard Marx (Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw and Creator/KarlMarx), Benito Hoover (UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini and UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover) and Darwin Bonaparte (UsefulNotes/CharlesDarwin and UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte).
178* In the sci-fi novel ''Literature/TheGreenFuturesOfTycho'' by Creator/WilliamSleator, the eponymous main character's parents have named their children after Tycho Brahe, an astronomer; Tamara Karsavina, a ballet dancer; Ludwig van Beethoven, a composer and Leonardo da Vinci, an inventor and artist. They hoped the names would inspire them to aspire to careers associated with them.
179* ''Literature/TheEschatonSeries'': The [[ANaziByAnyOtherName ReMastered]] in ''Iron Sunrise'' seem to be named after notable far-right philosophers. Or people with similar viewpoints; one of them calls herself [[Film/JamesBond Blofeld]]!
180* The real name of one of the protagonists in ''Literature/TheMysteriousBenedictSociety'' is UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington; lampshaded by an other protagonist as soon as she finds out.
181* ''Literature/WelcomeToWonderland'': [[TheProtagonist P.T. Wilkie's]] full name is Phineas Taylor Wilkie. He was named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum P.T. Barnum]].
182* A Victorian novelist was sued and lost because one character in her work, who had a connection to theater, had the same name as a man who had some connection to the theater. Shortly thereafter the serial went on with all the names changed. To things like "Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw" and "Creator/HGWells" -- all of whom were connected with the theater and had given permission as a protest against the ruling.
183* Nods to famous folk in-universe are frequent in the ''Literature/{{Deryni}}'' works. Of course, among famous people, it's also as much to do with family and/or friendship as fame.
184** Haldane royalty tends to reuse the names of certain illustrious predecessors. Since princes get four names in addition to the surname, there's plenty of opportunities for this. Among the popular candidates for reuse are Cinhil (first Haldane king of the Restoration), Blaine (also used by the Festils), Donal (Brion's father's first name, King Brion and King Cinhil's second), Nygel/Nigel, Aidan (second Haldane in the seventh century, also Cinhil's grandfather, the only survivor of his family's massacre during the Festillic Invasion) and Alroy (Cinhil's father and Cinhil's eldest surviving son).
185** Morgan's first two children. His daughter is named Briony after the late King Brion Haldane, and his son is named Kelric (a combination of King '''Kel'''son and Morgan's own first name Ala'''ric''').
186** Kelson's heir, born in the year 1130 (according to the ''Codex''), is christened Javan Uthyr Richard Urien Haldane; the prince's first name is that of the ill-fated King Javan Haldane, King Cinhil's second surviving son (and the protagonist of ''King Javan's Year''), and his third name honours Kelson's great uncle and Araxie's father, Prince Richard Haldane Duke of Carthmoor.
187* Members of the Ghost Brigades in John Scalzi's ''Literature/OldMansWar'' universe are named after famous historical figures, mostly scientists (e.g. Jared Dirac and Jane Sagan).
188* ''Literature/EndersGame'': When Ender Wiggin's dad gets a name, it turns out that (1) Wiggin isn't his actual name, but rather Wieczorek, and (2) his full name is Jan Paweł Wieczorek, which became John Paul Wiggin when Anglicized, and yes, that's John Paul as in [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope John Paul II]], who was canonized in this timeline ([[LifeImitatesArt as happens in 2014 in real life]]). Something of a subversion in that he is this both in-universe and out of universe (John Paul II was, of course, Polish).
189* Literature/TheDresdenFiles:
190** The main character, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini Harry]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Blackstone,_Sr Blackstone]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Copperfield_%28illusionist%29 Copperfield]] Dresden, was so named by his stage magician father.
191** ''Literature/SummerKnight'' involves the murder of the eponymous knight, [[Creator/JRRTolkien Ronald Reuel]].
192* In the Literature/ThursdayNext series, people do this deliberately; it's a world where literature is SeriousBusiness, so people name themselves after somebody famous, most often a classic English writer. After a court case where the entire jury was made up of Christopher Marlowes, a law was enacted to affix a number to the names of people who did this.
193* In Creator/KurtVonnegut's novel ''Hocus Pocus'', the narrator is named after prominent American Socialist UsefulNotes/EugeneDebs, one of Vonnegut's heroes.
194* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', people from the Capitol are often named after Ancient Roman historical figures: Cinna, Caesar (Flickerman), Seneca (Crane), Coriolanus (Snow), Claudius (Templesmith), etc.
195* ''Literature/Timeline191'' by Creator/HarryTurtledove:
196** The slave characters in the alternative history series ''Literature/Timeline191'' all bear famous classical names from the past (Scipio, Xerxes, Aristotle, Bathsheba) echoing the real-life tendency to do this in the American South during slave-owning times.
197** Jefferson Davis Pinkard, one of many point-of-view characters, was named for the Confederate president (in that universe, the first of an eventual [[spoiler: thirteen]]).
198* The narrator of the pornographic novel ''The Oxford Girl'' has the PreppyName Presley Abbott, which can, with some wordplay, be refashioned into a ShoutOut to [[spoiler:Elvis Costello]]. Considering the author's obvious erudition, and the rarity of Presley as a first name, this was probably deliberate.
199* In ''Literature/TheMazeRunner'', the Gladers' names are [[spoiler:not their real names, but names based on scientists and inventors and such that were planted in their memories]].
200** Thomas is named after Thomas Edison.
201** Newt is named after Sir Isaac Newton.
202** Gally is named after Galileo Galilei.
203** Alby is named after Albert Einstein.
204** Chuck is named after Charles Darwin.
205** Teresa is named after Mother Teresa.
206* In Creator/EstherFriesner's ''Literature/MajykByAccident'' series, the local village idiots are named [[Creator/LawrenceWattEvans Lorrenz, Wot, and Evvon]].
207* In Creator/RobertNewtonPeck's young-adult series ''Literature/{{Soup}}'', the girl on whom Rob has a crush is named [[Creator/MarilynMonroe Norma Jean]] (Bissell, not Mortenson). The eponymous Soup's legal name is Luther Wesley Vinson, after Martin Luther and John Wesley.
208* In the children's book ''Black and Blue Magic'' Harry Houdini Marco's father, a magician, named his son after Creator/HarryHoudini hoping he'd follow in his footsteps.
209* Creator/RobertAHeinlein likes this trope:
210** Lazarus Long, the protagonist of ''Literature/MethuselahsChildren'' and ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'' was born Woodrow Wilson Smith and named for U.S. president UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson.
211** Andy Libby, Lazarus' side-kick in ''Literature/MethuselahsChildren'' had UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson Libby as a full name.
212** Twins Tom and Pat Bartlett, from ''Literature/TimeForTheStars'', have the full names of Creator/ThomasPaine Creator/LeonardoDaVinci Bartlett and Patrick Henry Michelangelo Bartlett.
213** Daniel Boone Davis, the protagonist of ''Literature/TheDoorIntoSummer''.
214** Johann Sebastian Bach Smith of ''Literature/IWillFearNoEvil''.
215* Parodied in the ''Literature/AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn'' - minor character [[OverlyLongName Thomas Franklin Benjamin Jefferson Elexander Phelps]] is this, combined with MyNaymeIs.
216* In ''Literature/InTheYearOfTheBoarAndJackieRobinson''; the main character is grade-school-aged, emigrating to America from China, and has to pick herself an American name; she picks Creator/ShirleyTemple Wong.
217* In SA Swann's ''Literature/{{Hostile Takeover|Swann}}'' series virtually everything on or relating to [[LibertariansInSpace Bakunin]], from the star Kropotkin that it orbits down to the Friedman Hotel on Lenin Avenue in Proudhon City is named after some anarchist, minarchist, socialist and/or anti-statist philosopher or theorist.
218* ''Literature/TheUltraViolets'' has Albert Feinstein, mathlete.
219* The fae boy from ''Literature/AnEncounterAndAnOffer'' is [[MeaningfulRename renamed]] [[Myth/KingArthur Arthur]], after being put under Sir Kay's care. Ironically, he has no idea why.
220* In ''Literature/ApeAndEssence'', Alfred Poole was named after Creator/AlfredLordTennyson because his mother liked ''In Memoriam''. It suits his own fondness for English poetry.
221* In ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', Buffalo Bill is named after Creator/BuffaloBill. In ''Literature/HannibalRising'', Hannibal's widowed aunt Lady Murasaki is named after [[Creator/MurasakiShikibu the world's first novelist]].
222* Pangur from ''Literature/TheTygrineCat'' is a black cat named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangur_B%C3%A1n Pangur Bán]], the subject of a 9th-century Irish poem.
223* ''Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles'': Luxa's mother Judith, Judith's twin brother Hamnet and their sister Susannah are named after Creator/WilliamShakespeare's children. Some of the mice are named after famous mathematicians.
224* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', the dwarfs who invented the printing press in ''Literature/TheTruth'' are all named after printers (many of whom also gave their names to fonts in real life).
225* In ''Literature/ChildOfTheOwl'', Casey was named after a baseball player that won several games at the time of her birth. Her friend is named Tallulah, after Creator/TallulahBankhead, her (Tallulah's) aunt's favorite actress.
226%% * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has too many to count.
227* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Several characters are named after the Heralds, ten divine servants of the Almighty empowered to lead humanity against the end of the world. Among the main characters, Kaladin is clearly named after Kalak, Herald of the Willshapers, while Shallan is named after Shalash of the Lightweavers (which, coincidentally, is the Order of the Knights Radiant that Shallan belongs to). It's also not uncommon to see minor background characters clearly named after the other Heralds.
228* In ''Literature/StarTrekPrey'', the Circle of Jilaan's illusion ships are all named after {{Stage Magician}}s: Cross's is the ''Blackstone'', Ardra's is the ''Houdini'' and Jilaan's own ship was the ''Zamloch''.
229* Used in-universe in ''Literature/TerraIgnota''. It's often assumed that Mycroft is named after Mycroft MASON, the founder of the Mason Hive. The truth is that they are both named after [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Mycroft Holmes]].
230* In ''The Lion's Cavalcade'', a sequel to ''Literature/TheButterflyBallAndTheGrasshoppersFeast'' by Alan Aldridge and Harry Willock, the hippo ballerina is named [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Pavlova Pavlovna]] Majesté [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronislava_Nijinska Nijinska]].
231* ''Literature/{{Domina}}'':
232** In-universe, many people have names related to their warlords, who themselves named after either [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming real gods and goddesses]] [[ShoutOutThemeNaming or fictional gods and goddesses]]. In particular, Dracul is such an important part of the vampire culture that many vampires choose names like "Drake" and "Drakela" when they become vampires.
233** The Atlantean cities are named after Greek philosophers, the Dagonite towns are named after writers, and the Rahab wrecks are named after emperors.
234* ''Literature/FamilySkeletonMysteries'': Georgia's full name is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_O%27Keeffe Georgia O'Keeffe]] Thackery.
235* Franny's teacher in the ''Literature/FrannyKStein'' book series is named Ms. Shelly. Her surname is likely a reference to Mary Shelley, the author of ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}''.
236* Creator/FlanneryOConnor's "A Few Good Men" features a character named John Wesley. Given the religious themes of the story, it's quite obvious that the character is named after the English theologian who led the Methodist movement in the 18th Century.
237* Will Cardiel from ''Literature/IfIFallIfIDie'' is named after the skateboarder John Cardiel.
238* Beelzebub in ''Literature/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'' is ''not'' the famous one. She just gets her name from the original Beelzebub, and living up to that name causes her no end of stress. (In narration, [[ReincarnateInAnotherWorld Azusa]] compares this to Earth cultures naming their daughters Maria.)
239* ''Literature/ChocoholicMysteries'': In ''Puppy Puzzle'', Aubrey Andrews Armstrong named his dog Montezuma (or Monte for short), a chocolate Labrador, after the famed Aztec emperor and chocolate drinker of the same name.
240* ''Literature/OneCoolFriend'': The species of penguin Elliot encounters is the Magellanic penguin. He names the one he takes home Magellan. Elliot's father named his tortoise Captain Cook.
241* Kabir from ''Literature/BornBehindBars'' is the product of a MalignedMixedMarriage between a Muslim and a Hindu, so he was named after a saint recognized by both religions.
242* Elphaba, the name given to the [[Literature/TheWizardOfOz future Wicked Witch of the West]] in ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'', comes from the initials of ''Oz'' creator L. Frank Baum.
243* Hip Barrows from ''Literature/MoreThanHuman'' was named after Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, by his doctor father.
244* ''Literature/HomerPrice'': Homer himself, who's named after Creator/{{Homer}}, a historical figure and famous poet from ancient Greece.
245* In ''Literature/TheSecretLifeOfKittyGranger'', the Nazi sympathizer Henry Lowell's daughter Diana is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Mitford Diana Mitford]]. Mitford's husband was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Mosley Oswald Mosley]], who in the story is an old friend of Richard Smythe, Diana's godfather and another extremist.
246* ''Literature/JaineAustenMysteries'': The detective working the case in ''Murder Gets a Makeover'' is named [[Creator/DenzelWashington Denzel G. Washington]]. While Jaine doesn't actually ''ask'' if he was named after the actor, she does say "Loved you in ''Film/TrainingDay''" when she first meets him at the crime scene. He does not look amused by this.
247* Hank from ''Literature/TheHalfLifeOfPlanets'' was named after Music/HenryRollins, and chose his nickname after Music/HankWilliams.
248* ''Literature/IJedi'': Corran attends the [[Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy Jedi Praxeum]] under the name "Kieran Halcyon", after a historical Jedi Knight that Luke found in recovered records who was possibly a distant ancestor. The holocron of Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas recognizes the name--Master Baas apparently knew the real one--causing "Kieran" to have to explain to Tionne that [[MetaphoricallyTrue he was named after the historical Kieran]].
249* ''Literature/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'': King Satan reveals that Satan is a pretty common name for demons in Enta Isla, like how Humans on Earth use the name "Smith" or "Jones". The original Satan that started the trend and had led the Demons in the distant past is a figure that is ShroudedInMyth.
250* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': The original patriarch of the Arelius family, the man who would go on to become [[GrimReaper Ozriel, the Eighth Judge of the Abidan Court]], was named "Ozmanthus Tiberian Mereithan Arelius." Variants of these names are speckled throughout the series; the most recent Arelius Monarch was named Tiberian, an old Arelius woman in a side story is named Ozmantha, and of course the main Arelius character is named Eithan. [[spoiler:This is how Ozriel was able to disguise himself using his ''real name'']].
251-->'''Ozriel:''' Always hated it. [[OverlyLongName Such a mouthful]]. [[spoiler:My mother called me Eithan]].
252* In the ''Literature/FrankEinstein'' series, the main character is a kid scientist named after both Frankenstein and Albert Einstein. His best friends are Watson and Janegoodall. His archenemy is T. Edison. And he has an Uncle Al (Einstein).
253* In the ''Literature/ShadowChildren'' series, the Garner children are [[Literature/TheFourGospels Matthew, Mark and Luke]]; it's also mentioned that their mother wishes she would have had a fourth son to name John.
254[[/folder]]
255
256[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
257* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Nymeria is named after a warrior queen of legend.
258* Multiple characters in ''Series/{{Lost}}'' are named after philosophers. There's John Locke [[spoiler:(who for some time goes by another philosopher, Jeremy Bentham)]], Danielle Rousseau, Desmond David Hume, and Mikhail Bakunin, among others.
259** Locke's father is named Anthony Cooper, after Lord Shaftesbury, patron of John Locke the philosopher.
260** Also, Daniel Faraday and [[spoiler:Eloise Hawking]] are both named after physicists, which becomes important when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Hawking is Faraday's mother]].
261** [[Creator/CSLewis Charlotte Staples Lewis]].
262* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': Mac's full name is [[spoiler:[[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Ronald McDonald]]]]. His father [[KickTheDog intentionally named him this as a joke]].
263* ''Series/{{Manimal}}'': Creator/MelodyAnderson's character, Brooke Mackenzie, was named after two child actresses, Creator/BrookeShields and Creator/MackenziePhillips.
264* In ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy's sons are named Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon, and John -- all of which happen to be the names of the RealLife Mercury Program astronauts.
265** In real life, Virgil Ivan Grissom was better known to the public as "Gus".
266* The three male leads in the UK detective drama ''Series/NewTricks'' are Jack Halford, Brian "Memory" Lane, and Gerry Standing. The writer is a supporter of West Bromich Albion football (soccer) team, and Halford Lane Standing is the oldest stand at their grounds.
267* On a similar theme to the above, an episode of ''Series/{{Taggart}}'' had all the characters, bar the main detectives, named after the players of a Scottish Football (soccer) cup winning team who the writer supported. The reference went over of the heads of English, Northern Irish, and Welsh viewers, but not of older Scottish viewers, who spotted it instantly.
268* The TV show based on ''Series/ManiacMansion'' has three kids named Ike, Tina, and Turner.
269* Some of the Tenctonese on ''Series/AlienNation'' are named after famous people, usually dead ones like Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, and Betsy Ross.
270* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Sam and Dean's {{Character Name Alias}}es
271** Their real last name, Winchester, is part of a firearms theme in the show as a reference to Oliver Winchester of repeating-rifle fame. Though they're not so much "named after" as actually descended from the family of Oliver and Sarah Winchester, with plotlines showing that the family has been hunting for at least as long as the name has been associated with the signature firearm.
272*** It might be better to say it's a reference to Oliver's daughter-in-law Sarah Winchester, making it not only a firearms reference but a [[TitleDrop supernatural]] one: Sarah believed she had to appease the spirits of victims of Winchester rifles by continuing construction on her home, and the "Winchester Mystery House" remains a paranormal landmark.
273** There is a demon named Alistair and a demon named Crowley. This refers to Aleister Crowley, an early 20th-century British occultist.
274*** One or both of them may be the actual [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy man behind the myth]] of the famed occultist, Crowley especially is shown as being fond of showing up in human guise and making his bargains without any pretense that he's anything other than a supernatural creature... just to make sure the bargainers have no room to loophole their way out of damnation.
275* The dying president on the Geena Davis show ''Series/CommanderInChief'' was named Teddy Roosevelt Bridges.
276* Lampshaded (of course) in the naval expedition sketch from episode 32 of ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': "Why does the senior personnel all bear the names of Hollywood film stars of the forties and female ones at that?"
277* ''Series/GavinAndStacey'' has a subtle one that eventually gets {{lampshaded}}; the two central families are [[TortureCellar the Wests]] and [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate the Shipmans]], while the latter's neighbours are [[JackTheRipoff the Sutcliffes]].[[note]]For any non-UK tropers who haven't worked it out from the {{Pot Hole}}s, these were all serial killers.[[/note]] [[AerithAndBob The other main characters are called Smith and Jenkins]].
278* Parodied in an episode of ''Series/TheDailyShow'' discussing the White House gate-crashing incident where the "Senior Correspondent" turns out to be a random crasher calling himself "Edward R. Brokaw-Amanpour"
279* Jefferson Davis Hogg of ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard''. [[note]]Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America during the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar[[/note]]
280** And his brother Abraham Lincoln Hogg, the "white sheep" of the family.
281* The Sheriff of ''Series/TwinPeaks'' is Harry S. Truman. FBI Agent Cooper says that he should remember it, this time.
282** Agent Cooper himself is named after the very mysterious [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper D.B. Cooper]]
283* Creator/BenjaminFranklin Chang on ''{{Series/Community}}''.
284* Ryan Howard of ''Series/{{The Office|US}}''. The writers swear that the name, shared by the All-Star first baseman of the Philadelphia Phillies, is a coincidence, but consider that the American adaptation was in development in 2004, the same year Howard, a big-time prospect since he was drafted, played for the Phillies Triple-A affiliate in Scranton, which is where the show is set.
285* Franklin Mumford on ''Series/MyWifeAndKids'', although you really can't tell until you learn he has a sister named Aretha.
286* Syd Barrett on ''Series/Legion2017'' is named after Roger "Syd" Barrett of Music/PinkFloyd.
287* Music/AliceCooper from ''Series/{{Riverdale}}''. She goes by her maiden name Smith after [[spoiler:her husband's arrest]].
288* Liam Gallagher from ''Series/ShamelessUK'' shares his name with the singer of Music/{{Oasis}}, something clearly intentional as he is also from Manchester. Jokes are made on the subject on several occasions.
289* Alfred Bester from ''Series/BabylonFive''. At first the name was just a ShoutOut, but then the ExpandedUniverse revealed he was also named after the author in-universe.
290** John Sheridan shares a very unusual last name UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar general Philip Sheridan, but it is later made explicit that John is a direct male-line descendant of Philip's.
291* ''Series/TheXFiles'':
292** One of The Lone Gunmen is John Fitzgerald Byers, as he was born on the day JFK died.
293** Scully's name is taken from [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Los Angeles Dodgers]] broadcaster Vin Scully (in "Irresistible" a character even says "I don't remember his name, but she was Scully, like that UsefulNotes/{{baseball}} announcer.")
294** John Doggett comes from Vin's partner Jerry Doggett.
295* ''Franchise/CSIVerse'': The franchise likes this.
296** ''Series/{{CSI}}'':
297*** Grissom was last-named after Gus Grissom, the Mercury astronaut, courtesy of his actor Creator/WilliamPetersen.
298*** Grissom makes a joke of this once, naming his beetles from a crime scene "John, Paul, George, and Ringo".
299*** Apparently, 'Diebenkorn' Russell was named after a famous artist. It's still no wonder he prefers 'D.B.'.
300** ''Series/CSIMiami'': Horatio Caine, named after Horatio Alger.
301** ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' played with it. Mac Taylor was last-named after [[Film/ForrestGump Lt. Dan Taylor]] by Creator/GarySinise.
302* ''Series/DueSouth'': [[Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire Stanley (Ray) and Stella Kowalski]].
303** Wilson Welsh and his brother Harding were named after the two American presidents with those last names. (Woodrow Wilson and Warren G Harding)
304** [[CanineCompanion Diefenbaker]] after the Canadian prime minister (in-universe).
305** And of course, Fraser's senior inspector, Margaret "Meg" Thatcher.
306* Bernard Black from ''Series/BlackBooks'' got his middle name (Ludwig) from Beethoven. (Discussed in-universe.)
307* In the ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'' episode "Caregiver", Creator/StephenKing guest stars as a "cleaner" named Bachman. "Richard Bachman" was an alias King used to publish stories early in his career.
308** Another episode has two minor characters named Luther and Vandross.
309* Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner from ''Series/CriminalMinds'' is, quite possibly, named after a real [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._Hotchner Aaron Hotchner]], who also just happened to be a lawyer before finding his true calling, which isn't too far off from Hotch's- the real Hotchner became a biographer, famously penning one for Ernest Hemingway meaning, in real life, Hotch is just as much a profiler as the one on TV is (only that the real one doesn't use it to catch criminals).
310* ''Series/{{MASH}}'' had a double with Hawkeye. His full name is Benjamin Franklin Pierce, so he's named after both a Founding Father (Benjamin Franklin) and a U.S. President (Franklin Pierce).
311** Though never revealed in the series, {{Fanon}} gives Colonel Sherman T. Potter the middle name "Tecumseh", which would make Potter named after Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman.
312* Josiah "Jed" Bartlet in ''Series/TheWestWing'' says he was named after his ancestor Josiah Bartlett (despite the spelling difference), who was a real-life signer of the Declaration of Independence.
313* Oliver Wendell Douglas from ''Series/GreenAcres'' is named after 19th-century supreme court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
314* ''Series/OrphanBlack'' names several characters and places after scientists famous for championing evolution.
315* Similar to ''Series/AlienNation'', the Zabronians in ''Series/TheNeighbors'' name themselves after famous athletes in an attempt to blend in. Thus the community leader is Larry Bird, his wife is Jackie Joyner-Kershee, and their sons are Reggie Jackson and Dick Butkus. (Notice that none of them share a surname, a concept that is apparently too foreign for them.)
316* The two main characters of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', Sheldon and Leonard, are named after a famous TV producer named Sheldon Leonard. Their last names are Cooper and Hofstadter, respectively, which they share, aptly enough, with famous physicists: Leon N. Cooper and Robert Hofstadter (whose son Douglas is best known for writing ''Literature/GodelEscherBachAnEternalGoldenBraid''). Leonard's middle name is Leakey, after the famous archaeologist Louis Leakey and his anthropologist wife Mary.
317** PlayedForLaughs in ''Series/YoungSheldon'', when it’s revealed that Sheldon and Amy’s firstborn son is named Leonard, but he’s named after Creator/LeonardNimoy, not Sheldon’s best friend Leonard Hofstadter.
318* In the ''Franchise/StargateVerse'', about half of Earth's starships are named for historical figures (the others are figures from [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming Greek mythology]] not known to be Goa'uld). The Russian-crewed ''Korolev'' was named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Korolyov one of the lead engineers of the Soviet space program]], and the Chinese-crewed ''Sun Tzu'' was named after Creator/SunTzu. The fourth American-crewed 304 was supposed to be USS ''Phoenix'', but was renamed ''George S. Hammond'' after the first CO of Stargate Command, who [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim had recently died]].
319* British series ''Series/{{Skins}}'' had a character named Naomi Campbell, no relation to the famous singer, and very much not played for laughs as the show is set in the British equivalent of High School. The mocking is merciless.
320* ''Series/SamsonEnGert'': Samson is named after the biblical character, because of his long hair.
321* ''Series/FCDeKampioenen'': Carmen's dog Nero is named after ''ComicStrip/{{Nero}}''.
322* In ''Series/{{Andromeda}},'' Nietzscheans tend to have names that are mashups of famous people, like "Tyr Anasazi" and "Charlemagne Bolivar".
323* ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'': Abraham Ford (UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln and UsefulNotes/GeraldFord; alternate interpretation: [[{{Foreshadowing}} Abraham was shot in Ford's Theater]]).[[note]]Interestingly, there's also the actor Andrew Lincoln, which is a stage name; however, he's British, so it's probably not derived from Presidents.[[/note]]
324* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Season 3 introduced the sea goddess Ursula. Season 4 introduced the mermaid turned sea witch named for her, who serves as an antagonist for part of its second arc.
325* ''Series/TotalRecall2070'': Detective David Hume takes his name from perhaps the most famous philosopher of the Scottish Enlightenment after Adam Smith.
326* Exaggerated on ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' with Gloria Estefan, the penguin Miss Piggy adopted from a vacation in Argentina. The latter claims it was the only Spanish name she could think of at the time she named the penguin.
327* Shuttlecraft in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' are generally named after famous scientists or explorers, most famously the ''Galileo'', which had a [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] episode named after it.
328** In ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Creator/GeneRoddenberry named Jean-Luc Picard after the early 20th-century space scientists Jean-Felix and Auguste Piccard.
329* In ''Series/{{Timeless}},'' when the team goes to different points in time, they call themselves by the names of famous people from the future.
330* It's common for characters in ''Series/AngieTribeca'' to be named after rock musicians - for example, [[Music/TheJGeilsBand Jay Geils]] and [[Music/TheAlanParsonsProject Alan Parsons]].
331* Early Series/MetalHeroes shows had a tendency to name their protagonists after film personalities:
332** [[Series/SpaceSheriffShaider Shaider]] after American actor Roy Scheider
333** [[Series/SpaceSheriffGavan Gavan]] after French actor Creator/JeanGabin
334** [[Series/JikuuSenshiSpielban Spielban]], after American filmmaker Creator/StevenSpielberg
335** One of the names considered for [[Series/KyojuuTokusouJuspion Juspion]], in an early stage of pre-production, was [[Creator/RobertDeNiro Deniro]]. Unfortunately, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen it wasn't carried to the show]].
336** In ''[[Series/TokusouRoboJanperson Janperson]]'', supporting character Gun Gibson was named after Creator/MelGibson, apparently. This [[AvertedTrope doesn't apply to]] the protagonist, however, whose name [[SomethingPerson comes from him wearing a jumper]].
337* ''Series/{{Reba}}'': Van and Cheyenne Montgomery have a daughter named "{{Creator/Elizabeth|Montgomery}}". Pointed out in the episode when Brock's mother comes to visit.
338* ''Series/{{Taken}}'': In "Acid Tests", Amelia Henderson tells her future husband Jesse Keys that she was named after UsefulNotes/AmeliaEarhart.
339* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'':
340** In "Dark Matters", the U.N.S. ''Slayton'' and the U.N.S. ''Gagarin'' are named after the Mercury Seven astronaut Deke Slayton and the Soviet cosmonaut UsefulNotes/YuriGagarin, the first person in space.
341** In "Phobos Rising", it is mentioned that the Free Alliance had a base on a celestial body called Sagan V, which was named after the astrophysicist Carl Sagan.
342* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "The Star", the survey ship ''Magellan'' is named after the 16th Century explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
343* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E4Dragonfire "Dragonfire"]], many of the guest characters are named after famous figures of academic film criticism and theory. Plus Kane and Ace's real name [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Dorothy]].
344* In ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'' episode “Community Spirit”, the eponymous Vicar is informed by her friend Alice that her second cousin is called Reg Dwight and is therefore invited to a fete the Vicar is organizing. On arriving, he reveals that it’s not the first time he’s been mistaken for Elton John.
345* In ''Series/SupahNinjas'', one minor character is named [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Katara]].
346* ''Series/RedDwarf'': Arnold '''Judas''' Rimmer, named after Judas Iscariot. In-Universe, it’s explained that he got the middle name because his mother was a member of the Church of Judas, which believed Judas switched places with Jesus and was the one crucified, and named him that in Judas’ honor.
347* ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'': Twice with Richard Castle. His birth name, Richard Rodgers, was a blatant reference by his Broadway actress mother to [[Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein the famous musical theater composer]]. When he legally changed his name to something more befitting a writer, he took the middle name "Edgar" from Creator/EdgarAllanPoe.
348** The episode "Target" has Beckett and Castle questioning a man named Creator/BramStoker. As he grumpily explains after Castle [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore remarks on how young he looks]], the author is a distant relative and his English scholar parents thought it would be cute. He does not agree with them on that.
349* ''Series/MimpiMetropolitan'': Prima Irama is named after Indonesian celebrities Barry Prima and Rhoma Irama. In-universe, Prima says that he is named as such a prayer that he will become famous too.
350* ''Series/BabesInTheWood'': Caralyn was intended to be named for Creator/MarilynMonroe, but the vicar had a headache the day they named her, leading to her unique name.
351* Anneta from ''Series/EisaiToTairiMou'' named her son Miltiades, after the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miltiades general]] at the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marathon Battle of Marathon]].
352-->'''Vlasses''': Tell me about your son. What's his name?\
353'''Anneta''': Miltiades.
354-->'''Vlasses''': After your father?
355-->'''Anneta''': After the general at Marathon.
356* Invoked on ''Series/{{Empire}}''. One of Cookie's friends from prison is nicknamed Poundcake. Her real name? Sara Lee.
357* The titular character in ''Series/MurphyBrown'' was named after Creator/EddieMurphy and Music/JamesBrown.
358* ''Series/{{Trigonometry}}'': Kieran and Gemma's cat's name is David Bowie.
359[[/folder]]
360
361[[folder:Music]]
362* "[[Music/TheBeatles Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine.]]"
363* Members of Music/MarilynManson used to be named after sex symbol + serial killer - the namesake singer himself is Creator/MarilynMonroe + UsefulNotes/CharlesManson. The [[RevolvingDoorBand longest-lasting otherwise]] was Twiggy Ramirez. Ginger Fish has left the band and is now a part of Music/RobZombie's band, but ousted (and deceased) cofounder Daisy Berkowitz returned to his stage name in a solo album.
364** The soundtrack album to ''Film/DeadManOnCampus'' included Twiggy Ramirez collaborating with [[{{Creator/Twiggy}} his namesake]] on a CoverVersion of [[Music/DustySpringfield "I Only Want To Be With You"]], seemingly just for the gag of crediting the song to Twiggy & Twiggy.
365* Music/TheRamones member Elvis Ramone (Music/{{Blondie|Band}} drummer Clem Burke) was named after Music/ElvisPresley.
366** The Ramones themselves were named after Paul Ramone, a pseudonym used by Music/PaulMcCartney in his youth years when leaving a hotel when Music/TheBeatles were the Silver Beetles.
367* Music/ElvisCostello (Declan [=McManus=]) took his StageName after Music/ElvisPresley.
368* A Brazilian singer used to be MC Beyoncé homaging [[Music/{{Beyonce}} one of her favorite singers]]. Ever since she changed managers and the previous one still held the rights to the StageName, she goes by birth name Ludmilla.
369[[/folder]]
370
371[[folder:Podcasts]]
372* Belle from ''Podcast/PokemonAdventuresInTheMillennium'' names almost all of hers after historical figures, usually criminals. The OddNameOut is Klondike, who's named after the geographical region.
373** In addition, Belle and her partner-turned-rival Starr are named for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Starr Belle Starr]], following the same naming conventions as Jessie and James and Butch and Cassidy from the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]].
374[[/folder]]
375
376[[folder:ProWrestling]]
377* Though known by a variety of ring names over his long career, Wrestling/SidEudy is arguably most famous as Sid Vicious, having named himself after the [[Music/SidVicious Sex Pistols bassist of the same name.]]
378* Phil Lafon, best known to '90s WWF fans as one-half of the tag team Furnas and Lafon, once wrestled as Dan Kroffat, a tribute to a 1970s Canadian wrestler of the same name.
379* Before he became the electrifying People's Champion and still later one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, aka "The Rock", was a boring, goody-two-shoes babyface called Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father's ring name (Wrestling/RockyJohnson) and his grandfather's ring name (Peter Maivia).
380* Would you believe one of WWF's most notorious jobbers of the '80s and '90s was once (probably unintentionally) named after one of its biggest stars of the same era? While he usually wrestled (and counted lights) under his real name, Wrestling/BarryHorowitz briefly wrestled as Jack Hart, no relation to the [[Wrestling/BretHart Excellence of Execution]] himself.
381* Joe Hennig first wrestled in WWE under the name Michael [=McGillicutty=] but gave himself a MeaningfulRename to become Wrestling/CurtisAxel - both after his father Wrestling/CurtHennig and his grandfather Larry Hennig, whose RedBaron was 'The Axe'.
382* Wrestling/{{Naomi|Wrestler}}'s ring name was apparently named after supermodel Naomi Campbell.
383* When Kevin Steen finally made it to WWE, he took the name Wrestling/KevinOwens as a tribute to Wrestling/OwenHart.[[note]]It's actually a reference to his son, Owen Steen, who is named after Owen Hart, but close enough [[/note]]
384* Valet Missy Hyatt's real last name is Hiatt, but [[MyNaymeIs changed the spelling]] so they could claim she was an heiress to the Hyatt (of Hyatt Hotels fame) family.
385* Wrestling/TripleH gets his name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, partially from William Randolph Hearst and Leona Helmsley.
386* Wrestling/DarbyAllin is named after two famous punk rockers: [[Music/TheGerms Darby Crash]] and Music/GGAllin.
387* Averted with Wrestling/{{Sting}}. He originally went by "Flash" Borden and later "The Stinger", but announcers kept referring to him as "Sting" and he just went with it. Steve Borden actually owns the trademark to the name "Sting" despite [[Music/{{Sting}} the singer]] using it first, and the singer has to pay the wrestler to use the name (though it's a very small sum).
388* Wrestling/{{Christian}} originally went by "Christian Cage", after Creator/ChristianSlater and Creator/NicolasCage.
389* Wrestling/SuperstarBillyGraham named himself after famous Baptist minister Billy Graham.
390[[/folder]]
391
392[[folder:Radio]]
393* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'':
394** The vortisaur that becomes the TARDIS TeamPet in the audio drama ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho016StormWarning Storm Warning]]'' is named Ramsay, after the Prime Minister in Charley's time, UsefulNotes/RamsayMacDonald. In ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoNEDAS1E6NoMoreLies No More Lies]]'', the Doctor names another vortisaur Margaret, but [[UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher doesn't say why]].
395** The Big Finish audio drama "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho039BangBangABoom Bang-Bang-A-Boom!]]" has a parody of Victor Bergman from ''Series/Space1999'' called Ivor Fassbinder. The name is presumably a reference to Creator/RainerWernerFassbinder, by analogy with Ingmar Bergman.
396[[/folder]]
397
398[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
399* In one of the supplementary sourcebooks for the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' (specifically, ''Champions of Valor''), an organization of good-aligned monsters and talking beasts called the Fangshields is stated to be led by a [[OurCentaursAreDifferent wemic]] [[CatFolk paladin of Nobanion]] named Kul Kulann. As in [[Myth/CelticMythology Cú Chulainn]]. In one sense quite fitting, since Cú Chulainn's warp-spasm made him into quite the savage beast and he was an incredible warrior, but in another sense rather odd considering this is a lawful good, honorable fighter who would be completely against berserker raging in combat. (Also the name means "''Hound'' of Culann"...)
400* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Imperial Guard commander Kubrik Chenkov doesn't really share [[Creator/StanleyKubrick his namesake's]] passion for filmmaking, he's a FrontlineGeneral who does not tolerate disobedience, to the point where it's said he's summarily executed more of his men than he's shot enemies.
401[[/folder]]
402
403[[folder:Theater]]
404* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._P._Morgan J. Pierpont]] Finch, protagonist of ''Theatre/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying''.
405* ''Theatre/{{RUR}}'' features an in-universe case of this, with two robots named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Marius Marius]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulla Sulla]]. When one of the characters asks why they named a female robot after a Roman general, the manager simply says "We thought that Marius and Sulla were lovers."
406* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Wren Christopher Wren]], aspiring architect from ''Theatre/TheMousetrap''.
407* In ''Theatre/SundayInTheParkWithGeorge'', the modern-day artist George is named after his secret great-grandfather, the painter [[Art/ASundayAfternoonOnTheIslandOfLaGrandeJatte Georges Seurat]]. To [[GenerationXerox add to the similarities]], the actor who plays George in Act 2 [[SignificantDoubleCasting also plays his great-grandfather in Act 1]].
408[[/folder]]
409
410[[folder:Video Games]]
411* Speaking of theoretical demons, the online game ''VideoGame/AceOnline'' threw a reference to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace%27s_demon Laplace's demon,]] by the item called "Soul of Laplace". The item is used to upgrade Legendary Weapons, which is in turn created by merging a weapon with Gematria Scripture, referring to it as "being possessed by demonic souls."
412* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'' has the two dodo pilots Orville and Wilbur, who are named after UsefulNotes/TheWrightBrothers.
413* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': The [[ShipLevel Walter Raleigh]] that's owned by the [[TheMafia Factio Pugni]] is named after the real-life explorer and courtier of UsefulNotes/ElizabethI.
414* Tony Delvecchio of ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'' is named after wrestling announcer Tony Schiavone. Marky Dubois, from the same series, is named after Marky Ramone, a member of Music/TheRamones. The developers were [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally]] going to give Marky the full name, but then decided against it.
415* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'':
416** The EdibleThemeNaming of Soysauce, Vinegar, and Mayonnaise were turned into Ozzie ([[Music/OzzyOsbourne Osbourne]], although he's ''[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Ozzy]]''), Flea (of Music/RedHotChiliPeppers) and Slash (of Music/GunsNRoses). This raised issues with [[VideoGame/ChronoCross the sequel]], which introduced a ''new'' character named Slash, while containing the old ones as an OptionalBoss, so the new character was renamed Nikki (presumably after Music/MotleyCrue's Nikki Sixx).
417** Also, the Gurus in the English version are named after [[Literature/TheBible the Three Wise Men]].
418** Both ''Trigger'' and ''Cross'' contain characters named after famed Persian emperors (Cyrus and Dario respectively, seemingly named after Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great), both of them serving as DeathByOriginStory big brother figures to two separate characters named Glenn.
419* ''VideoGame/ConwaysGameOfLife'' features constellations named [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven]], [[Music/FryderykChopin Chopin]], [[Music/JohannSebastianBach Bach]], [[Music/RobertSchumann Schumann]], [[Music/IgorStravinsky Stravinsky]], [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]], and [[Music/BelaBartok Bartok]].
420* Creator/{{Isaac|Asimov}} [[Creator/ArthurCClarke Clarke]] from ''Franchise/DeadSpace'' -- which was mocked by WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation. Also Creator/{{Poul|Anderson}} and Creator/{{Octavia|Butler}} Clarke, [[Creator/CharlesStross Stross]], [[Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin Diana Le Guin]], [[Film/{{Alien}} Dallas]], and [[Film/{{Aliens}} Vasquez]] throughout the series.
421* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'':
422** The main protagonist Dante shares his name with the author and main character of ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', Dante Alighieri.
423** Vergil is a recognized alternate spelling of Virgil, Dante's guide in ''Inferno'' and ''Purgatorio'', and a poet Dante greatly admired.
424** Trish, Dante's sidekick and possible love interest, is named after Beatrice Portinari, a woman whom Dante Alighieri was enamored with.
425** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'' has Lucia who is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy Lucia of Syracuse]] or Saint Lucy as she was also known. While Saint Lucy did appear as a character in the Divine Comedy to aid Dante, she was also a real-life person who was a Christian martyr during the Diocletianic Persecution. This is reflected in Lucia's character when during the game's climax, she insists on sacrificing herself to close the portal to the Demon World viewing herself as expendable but is stopped as Dante doesn't view her that way. Since Saint Lucy also happens to be the Patron Saint of The Blind, Lucia references this by having one of her eyes covered at all times.
426** Nero, the main protagonist of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' and ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', is named after the Roman emperor Nero. As the real-life Nero persecuted Christians, ''[=DMC=]'''s Nero is also opposed to a religious group though in this Nero's case, the religious group he is dealing with [[CorruptChurch is far from innocent]].
427* In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'', the twin bears of Razor Ridge are named Benny and Bjorn, after Music/{{ABBA}} songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.
428* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'', there are two characters named Howard and Nester, after the ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' comic characters (one of which is already a comic version of "Game Master" Howard Phillips, making him a double reference).
429* In ''[[VideoGame/EscapeVelocity EV Nova]]'', the Kania system and its SpaceStation Port Kane, as well as the Kane Band (Earth's equatorial docking ring), are named for Omata Kane, the physicist who developed FasterThanLightTravel in the setting.
430* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
431** Colonel Sanders in ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' takes his name from the UsefulNotes/KentuckyFriedChicken founder and mascot.
432** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'':
433*** Samuel Cooke, the founder of the Powder Gangers, is named after Sam Cooke, the singer of "Chain Gang".
434*** Ulysses named himself after UsefulNotes/UlyssesSGrant, the general who, in his words, turned two flags into one.
435** A possible companion in ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' is John Hancock, a ghoul who, after an inspirational chem trip that landed him in the post-apocalyptic shell of the Old State House, appropriated both the name and the [[IconicOutfit clothes]] of the ''historical'' John Hancock.
436--->'''Hancock:''' John Hancock, first American hoodlum and defender of the People.
437* A bit of a goofy inversion in the Camelot arc of ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''. When the good guys travel to a village in Iran, they meet a local archer by the name of Arash who's been protecting the people there. The townsfolk note that Arash is the name of a legendary archer who saved all of Persia, so it's a very common name (if oddly fitting in this case). Of course, it turns out that the guy in question ''is'' the mythical Arash, plucked out of time to save his people once again. Since he recognized this trope, he didn't feel the need to bother with an alias.
438* ''VideoGame/FortuneSummoners'': Marina, as she relates what her parents told her:
439--> They told me my name was inspired by some big, famous magician from the past.
440* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'':
441** Many characters in the series are named after Western bands or musicians, including ([[ShoutOut/GuiltyGear but not limited to]]) A.B.A (Music/{{ABBA}}), Axl Low ([[Music/GunsNRoses Axl Rose]]), Chipp Zanuff ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enuff_Z%27nuff Chip Z'nuff]]), Johnny ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Winter Johnny Winter]]), Ky Kiske ([[Music/{{Helloween}} Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske]]), Music/{{Slayer}}, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testament_(band) Testament]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venom_(band) Venom]], and Zappa (Music/FrankZappa). The protagonist Sol Badguy (real name: Frederick Bulsara) is named after the singer Farrokh Bulsara (better known as Music/FreddieMercury), whose only '''sol'''o album was named ''Mr. '''Bad Guy'''''.
442** Some characters are also named after famous fictional characters, like [[Franchise/{{Zatoichi}} Zato-1]], his symbiote Eddie ([[Music/IronMaiden Eddie the Head]]), and Myth/{{Faust}}.
443* In ''VideoGame/DotHackGU Redemption'', the AIDA-infected weapon wielded by Taihaku is called Maxwell. This is a reference to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon Maxwell's Demon theory.]] The game self-confirms the reference by naming the identical-looking sword Haseo obtains after defeating Taihaku as Szilard (mistranslated as Silad), the person that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Szilard solved]] (or at least offered an explanation to) Maxwell's Demon.
444* ''VideoGame/{{Hiveswap}}'' has a host of these, including Nihkee Moolah (after women's wrestler [[Wrestling/TheFabulousMoolah Fabulous Moolah]]), Mallek Adalov (after Creator/RamiMalek and Ada Lovelace), and Barzum and Baizli Soleil (after Barnum and Bailey and, slightly less relevantly, Creator/CirqueDuSoleil).
445* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' has Linnell the Booze Giant, named for John Linnell of Music/TheyMightBeGiants. There's also a town called Flangeburgh, a play on the name of John Flansburgh, another member of TMBG.
446* In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVI'', the leader of the royal guard in the Green Isles is named Captain Saladin, after the medieval Muslim leader known for fighting the Crusaders.
447* The eponymous character from ''VideoGame/{{Koudelka}}'' is named after the Czech photographer Josef Koudelka.
448* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
449** How many real-life Zeldas can you think of? WordOfGod states that the eponymous princess is indeed named for Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, wife of Creator/FScottFitzgerald. In turn, Creator/RobinWilliams named his daughter after the princess, as mention in the Real Life section below. and again in turn, the quirky Sheikah scientist Robbie encountered in ''Breath of the Wild'' appears to be named after him.
450** Also the recurring enemies known as Poes, likely named after the famous Creator/EdgarAllanPoe. Another possible source of the name, however, is the Chinese philosophy of "hun" and "po", similar to yin and yang. "Hun" is the part of the soul that strives for heaven and is associated with life, and "po" is the part of the soul that stays with the corpse and is associated with death. Further, the Poe sisters are named Amy, Beth, Joelle, and Meg after the sisters from ''Literature/LittleWomen''.
451** In-universe example with the Link from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', who is not a descendant/reincarnation of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword the original Link]] like all the rest. He's simply a regular boy who was born in an age where naming your son after [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the legendary Hero of Time]] is most likely a fairly common occurrence. [[OneSteveLimit Not that he ever meets anyone else with that name.]]
452** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' features another in-universe example. All four Divine Beasts are named after characters from their associated races who were allies of the player in past ''Zelda'' games and are honored as legendary heroes in the histories of their respective races by the point in the timeline when the game takes place. Urbosa remarks that Vah Naboris was named in honor of the legendary Gerudo Sage Nabooru. According to a Zora monument, Vah Ruta is named after The Sage Princess Ruto. Vah Rudania and Vah Medoh are never specifically stated in the game to be named after Darunia and Medli respectively, but Rudania is an anagram of Darunia and Medoh is too similar to Medli to be a coincidence.
453* In ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry7LoveForSail'', all of the girls have names that reference female Hollywood stars, such as [[Creator/DrewBarrymore Drew Baringmore]] and [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Jamie Lee Coitus]].
454* ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet'' has [[Creator/LeonardoDaVinci Larry Da Vinci]], [[Creator/MarlonBrando Marlon Random]] and [[UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton Newton]].
455* In the Old West chapter of ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', several of the townspeople are named after famous cowboy actors: Creator/{{Clint|Eastwood}}, Creator/{{Gene|Kelly}} and Creator/{{John|Wayne}}. Annie is likely named after Annie Oakley.
456* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', Systems Alliance carriers are named for great leaders, artists, and intellectuals in human history. One mentioned by name is SSV ''Einstein''.
457* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
458** From the [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic original series]], there's Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert Wily, named after UsefulNotes/ThomasEdison and UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein, respectively. The former might be questionable, but the latter does have some resemblance to his namesake (the EinsteinHair).
459** In [[DubNameChange the English version]] of ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'', all eight Maverick bosses have names derived from the rock band Music/GunsNRoses. Grizzly Slash (Slash), Axle the Red (Axl Rose), Squid Adler (Steven Adler), Dark Dizzy (Dizzy Reed), and the list goes on. The Skiver is the only OddNameOut, though it might be a reference to Michael "High in the Sky" Monroe, who recorded a song with GNR. ''[[CompilationRerelease Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2]]'' would change the names back to those of the original Japanese release, or at least something close (such as The Skiver, originally Spiral Pegacion, being rechristened Spiral Pegasus).
460** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero's'' BigBad Dr. Weil is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil Ray Kurzweil,]] an author on several books about {{transhuman}}ism and technological singularity, things that Weil is a master of.
461* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
462** Creator/HideoKojima often steals the names of his favourite directors, with both a [[Creator/GeorgeMiller Miller]] and an [[Creator/RolandEmmerich Emmerich]] appearing in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''.
463** In ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2|SonsOfLiberty}}'', Solidus Snake's Presidential alias, George Sears, appears to be both a reference to UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush (both are 43rd US Presidents) and to Isaac Sears, the leader of the historical Sons of Liberty.
464* In the fourth world of ''VideoGame/MysticArk'', there are several [=NPCs=] scattered about that are named after famous inventors and musicians such as Edison, Einstein, Ludwig, and Picasso.
465* In ''VideoGame/PerfectDarkZero'', Chandra Sekhar (her last name isn't given in-game) is likely named after Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, a famous astrophysicist.
466* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', all of the Confidant [=NPCs=] (except for Caroline, Justine, and Igor, who retain the ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' theme naming of other Velvet Room attendants in the ''Persona'' series), along with a few party members, are named after real-world historical Japanese figures. Tying into the game's themes of rebellion and the goal of the protagonists, most of the namesakes combated Japanese societal norms in some way.
467* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
468** Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are named after Creator/BruceLee and Creator/JackieChan. As a double bonus, their Japanese names, Sawamular and Ebiwalar, are based on Japanese martial arts stars [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadashi_Sawamura Tadashi Sawamura]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroyuki_Ebihara Hiroyuki Ebihara]]. The French name for Hitmonchan is derived from Creator/MikeTyson's last name, while Korea named it Hongsoomon, after Korean boxer Hong Soo-hwan.
469** Similarly, the Japanese names for Abra, Kadabra and Alakazam are based on famous magicians and psychics: Casey (after Edgar Cayce, a clairvoyant), Yungerer (after magician Uri Geller), and Foodin (after magician Creator/HarryHoudini). This actually led into trouble when Creator/{{Nintendo}} got sued by Geller himself because the latter alleged that Kadabra appropriated his name and image. Geller would eventually apologize and renounce the lawsuit 20 years later, on November 28, 2020.
470** Other Pokémon are named after historical rulers: Kangaskhan is a tough kangaroo-reptile-ish Pokémon named after UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, and Empoleon shares its name in all languages (and its height!) with UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte. The fossil Pokémon Archeops might be named after the pharaoh Cheops of the Great Pyramids fame.
471** The Nimbasa Gym in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' does this with the three trainers you face before the leaders; they are named Nikola, Fleming and Ampère (after electrical engineers Nikola Tesla, John Ambrose Fleming and André-Marie Ampère).
472** In ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndEevee'', the Master Trainers using Zubat and Golbat are named West and Keaton respectively, after ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' actors Creator/AdamWest and Creator/MichaelKeaton.
473** The Ghost-type gym leader in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', Allister, is named after a pun on his Japanese name ("Onion", a type of ''allium''), but his name might also pull from English occultist Creator/AleisterCrowley.
474** Bill, who invented the PC system, or at least the one used in Kanto and Johto, is named after Bill Gates.
475* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'': Mikhail Bulgakov, the foreign student at Whispering Rock Camp, takes his name from the Russian playwright who wrote ''Literature/TheMasterAndMargarita''.
476* One of the technicians in ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'' is named after the German-Austrian composer Johann Strauss.
477* ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII''
478** Characters of the thieving persuasion can break into a certain house at night where an old man lives with his four sons. Three are named Kareem, Abdul, and Jabbar, respectively, after the basketball player. The fourth, Kamar, does not fit with this naming structure.
479** There's also a Griffin named Merv, after game show producer Merv Griffin.
480* The Holy Skeletal Fighting Marshals of ''Rance World'' are named after famous people of UsefulNotes/NaziGermany.
481* Dr. Salvador in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' may be named after Dr. Salvador Allende, the Chilean president who was deposed by UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet in 1973.
482* Football player Roberto Miura from ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' is most likely named after two famous footballers: legendary Italian player Roberto Baggio, who is quite popular in Japan (also for being a Buddhist), and Kazuyoshi Miura, one of the first Japanese to ever play in a European league.
483* The Zeppelin/[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Sepperin]] family from ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'' is named after Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the Prussian brigadier-general responsible for the dirigible airship which shares his name.
484* ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' provides us with Provost Prokhor Zakharov, leader of the [[MadScientist University]] [[EmperorScientist of]] [[ForScience Planet]] faction, who invented the fusion drive that made the journey to Alpha Centauri possible. He seems to be named after Soviet nuclear physicist and peace/human rights/democracy activist [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Sakharov Andrei Sakharov]], who was famous for his brilliance (like Zakharov) and his involvement in politics (it's possible he would have become President of post-Soviet Russia had he not died in 1989). To put the icing on the cake, Creator/ArthurCClarke names the fusion engine in the ''Leonov'' in ''[[Film/TwoThousandTenTheYearWeMakeContact 2010]]''... the Sakharov Drive. Clearly, the Firaxis team read its science fiction.
485* ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'': The titular protagonist, a PhantomThief, shares his surname with D. B. Cooper, who infamously hijacked an airplane in 1971, stole $200,000 in ransom, and was ultimately never caught.
486* The Koopalings in ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' are named after real-life musicians and other celebrities. As is possibly the boss [[Music/NineInchNails Reznor]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.
487* In the ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' novel ''The Deacon's Tale'', one human character is called Margaret Thatcher.
488* The ship where most of the gameplay happens in ''VideoGame/SystemShock2'' is named the Von Braun.
489* The Amarcians in ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' are all named after famous scientists and mathematicians -- names such as (Blaise) Pascal, (Siméon Denis) Poisson, (Joseph) Fourier, (Pierre de) Fermat, (Carl Friedrich) Gauss, and so on. Also, Fermat's husband is named after astronomer Creator/CarlSagan.
490* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': In the "Meet The Medic" short, it's revealed that Medic keeps a flock of pet doves. [[{{Squick}} In the operating room, no less.]] His favorite is named Archimedes, which is fitting for an eccentric bird who follows after [[MadScientist his]] [[MadDoctor master]].
491* ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' character Josie Rizal is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal José Rizal]], national hero of the Philippines.
492* ''VideoGame/ToTheMoon'': In ''Impostor Factory'', Tobias Reynard's nickname is "Tobi", and according to Quincy, his last name [[BilingualBonus is French for "fox".]] In other words, he's named after Creator/TobyFox.
493* ''VideoGame/ToontownCorporateClash'':
494** Major Player's real name is Dave [=BruBot=], a reference to jazz composer Dave Brubeck.
495** Treekiller's real name is [[Creator/BruceCampbell Spruce Campbell]].
496* Both ''VideoGame/VagrantStory'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' contained many a ShoutOutToShakespeare. The former had Rosencrantz and Romeo Guildenstern, while the latter had both characters and [[ShowWithinAShow fictional characters]] named Puck, Cordelia, and King Leo/Lear.
497* ''VideoGame/WestOfLoathing'' parodies the concept with the inventor of the gun, Terri Gun, and the inventor of the bullet, Chet Bullet.
498* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': Ghondor Vandham constantly complains about her name. In ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed Future Redeemed]]'' we find out that the first patriarch of the Vandham family, the grandfather of the man who helped found the second City, and the son of [[spoiler:N and M]], was named Ghondor. Which explains why his distant descendant hates it; [[GenderBlenderName it's a male name]].
499* In ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' the protagonist Fei Fong Wong is named after a real-life Chinese doctor and martial artist (made famous in the West by a Jackie Chan film). [[spoiler:His past incarnations as a Contact]] are all named after famous people too, for instance Kim Kasim (from Kim Jong-Un) and Lacan [[spoiler:aka Grahf]] (from a psychologist named Jack Lacan), except for the first one, which is Abel (as in [[spoiler:CainAndAbel, not Niels Abel]]).
500* The ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}'' games have Lord Dimwit Flathead's eleven siblings: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller John D.]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_Jackson T.J. "Stonewall"]], [[Music/JohannSebastianBach Johann Sebastian]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._P._Morgan J. Pierpont]], [[UsefulNotes/ThomasEdison Thomas Alva]], [[Creator/LeonardoDaVinci Leonardo]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucrezia_Borgia Lucrezia]], [[Creator/RalphWaldoEmerson Ralph Waldo]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Jones John Paul]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright Frank Lloyd]], and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth Babe]].
501[[/folder]]
502
503[[folder:Visual Novels]]
504* In ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', [[spoiler:Hajime was given the moniker of Izuru Kamakura, sharing the name of the founder of Hopes' Peak Academy as part of the Kamakura Project]].
505* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', [[spoiler:Morgan’s real name is Amy. Since she has the same date of birth as Princess Amelia (Amy), she was named after her, just like many other girls who were born on the same day.]]
506* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'' has a clown named Lawrence "Moe" Curls, after ''Film/TheThreeStooges''.
507* In ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'', all of Rin's cats are named after famous people. That is to say, whatever random famous people [[GiverOfLameNames Kyousuke]] comes up with off the top of his head at the time, as he believes that it's important to give them a name but that the name itself doesn't matter. This leads to cats with names like Lennon, Gates, Einstein, and ''Hitler.''
508* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' has [[SdrawkcabName Dlanor]] A. [[http://www.diogenes-club.com/knoxrules.htm Knox]], named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Knox Ronald Knox]], and [[http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/vandine.htm Willard H. Wright]], named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Huntington_Wright S. S. Van Dine.]] Both figures created rules that codified detective fiction.
509* In ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'', the characters are named after Japanese Prime Ministers. e.g. Makoto Itou is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ito_Hirobumi Hirobumi Itou.]]
510[[/folder]]
511
512[[folder:Web Animation]]
513* ''WebAnimation/CaptainYajima'': The titular Captain Yajima and her archnemesis Zoga are named after iconic '60s and '70s Japanese actors whose roles also serve as inspirations for the characters -- Yajima after Masaaki Yajima, voice actor for Captain Kirk in the Japanese dub of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', and Zoga after Creator/MachikoSoga, most famous for her role as Bandora[=/=]Rita Repulsa in the ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger''[=/=]''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' series.
514* ''Webanimation/RedVsBlue'' has Franklin Delano Donut (after [[Usefulnotes/FranklinDRoosevelt president Roosevelt]]) and Dick Simmons (after fitness guru Richard Simmons).
515* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Volume 9 introduces the character of Lewis, who is named after Creator/LewisCarroll. Volume 9 takes place in a strange world called [[TheWonderland the Ever After]], which is heavily inspired by [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Carroll's novels]] and is the setting of the in-universe fairy tale ''The Girl Who Fell Through the World''.
516* ''Zombie College'': Scott Bardo and Zelda Cruz are named after Creator/FScottFitzgerald and his wife Zelda.
517[[/folder]]
518
519[[folder:Webcomics]]
520* In ''Webcomic/BaritarianBoy'', one of the lead characters is named Felix. Co-author Fyodor Pavlov chose this as a shout-out to [[UsefulNotes/RomanovsAndRevolutions Russian Prince Felix Yusupov]], whom he describes as his "life's inspiration."
521* ''[[Webcomic/CiemWebcomicSeries Ciem: The Human Centipede]]'', and its sequels, mention [[LampshadeHanging rather explicitly]] that Dolly Malestrom was named after Dolly the Cloned Sheep. Given that it takes place in the [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2020s]], this reference actually makes sense. It places Dolly's birth some time between 1996 and 1998, making her just slightly older than Candi.
522* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'':
523** There is a minor character named Assistant Director Leifeld. He's a comically over-muscled barrel of a man, similar to the way Creator/RobLiefeld tends to draw characters. Despite the slightly different spelling, TheRant clarifies that the ShoutOut is intentional.
524** The GirlPosse at Moperville South (Diane, Lucy, and Rhoda) are are all [[ShoutOutThemeNaming named after sitcom characters]]. In order to fit the theme naming without having too obvious of a reveal, Diane's sister is named Rhea, after Rhea Perlman who played Diane's coworker on ''Series/{{Cheers}}''.
525* Rita in ''Webcomic/GiftsOfWanderingIce'' was named after a famous hunter chieftess who lived two hundred years ago.
526* Police in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' are named after ice cream. The two feds are Ben and Jerry, and the two local cops are Baskin and Robbin.
527* ''Webcomic/MyLifeInBlue'' does this a lot: Iddy Pop is clearly named for Music/IggyPop. Portia's last name is Bathory like [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethBathory the bloody countess.]]
528* In ''Webcomic/PennyAndAggie'', the original two members of Penny's GirlPosse were named Sara and Michelle. There is no [[Creator/SarahMichelleGellar Gellar]]. Nick and Charisma are also named after Nicholas Brendon and Charisma Carpenter (aka [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander and Cordelia]]), and Stan and Jack after Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby.
529* In ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'', Tycho Brahe is named after an astronomer.
530* In ''Webcomic/Route148 '', all the towns encountered in the comic used to be named after famous writers.
531* ''Webcomic/SheldonTheTinyDinosaur'' has a seahorse friend named William Wallace. Considering that [[GenderBlenderName she's]] the only character with a surname, this is obviously a deliberate reference to the Scottish hero.
532* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'':
533** The named members of the MagicalGirl team and pop band Team Forte are all named after female musicians who have shared their respective instruments. Forte Lead's name is Roni, which she shares with Venus and the Razorblades' [[LeadSingerPlaysLeadGuitar lead guitarist and vocalist]] Roni Lee; Forte Drums is named Debbi, after Music/TheBangles' drummer Debbi Peterson; and Forte Bass is named Gail for bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, best known for playing alongside Music/DavidBowie.
534** Team Alchemical's manager is named Arthur Clark, after prominent science fiction writer Creator/ArthurCClarke.
535* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': Mikkel Madsen's prologue ancestor and twin brother are both named Creator/MichaelMadsen.
536* ''Webcomic/WildeLife'''s protagonist is named after Creator/OscarWilde. WordOfGod says that each character is named after somebody, either real or fictional, with an emphasis on literary figures--for example, a ghost is named [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Plath Sylvia]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Snyder Snyder]].
537* ''Webcomic/TimesLikeThis'': Cassie's last name is [[Creator/HGWells Wells]]. Matt's last name is [[Music/DepecheMode Gahan]]. (Indirectly, though... according to WordOfGod on the FAQ page: "Matt Gahan originally had the last name of 'Gahane' and that was based on a good friend of mine whose last name used the same letters, but I decided to leave off the last 'e' so he'd have the same last name as the lead singer of one of my favorite bands.")
538* A rare one-person example in ''Webcomic/TheWotch'': When '''Sonny''' Leo Harper got permanently [[GenderBender ka-girled]], he became '''Cher''' Lita Harper. This new identity also counts as a PunnyName, as Cher Lita is a cheerleader.
539[[/folder]]
540
541[[folder:Web Original]]
542* ''Podcast/Wolf359'': Human members of the cast seem to all be named after some kind of famous scientist or engineer. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Eiffel Eiffel]] shares his name with the famous French engineer and architect, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Minkowski Minkowski]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hilbert Hilbert]], and [[spoiler: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace Lovelace]]]] are all named after mathematicians.
543* George Washington Missler of ''Literature/HyperFightingMachineMarmalade'' is named after both George Washington Carver, famous for saving the economy of the American South by farming peanuts (as well as inventing peanut butter) and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Missler Chuck Missler]], who has become famous on the Internet as [[MemeticMutation "the peanut butter man"]] after [[ArtisticLicenseBiology assuming that evolution is false because life doesn't spontaneously form inside sealed jars of peanut butter]]. Fittingly, the HumongousMecha which the character pilots is called [[EdibleThemeNaming Peanut Butter]].
544* Chester A. Bum, Creator/DougWalker's character on ''WebVideo/BumReviews'', is named after UsefulNotes/ChesterAArthur, further enforced when it's eventually revealed that the A actually stands for Arthur.
545* Ki no Shirayuki of ''Blog/DasSporking'' names herself after Ki no Tsurayuki.
546* Happens occasionally on ''Roleplay/NeoPokeforum''. For example, Chaos' Poochyena is called Film/DirtyHarry, while Skitty's Slowpoke is named Film/ForrestGump. For a certain degree of "famous", both Allen and Chaos borrow names from ''WebVideo/TwitchPlaysPokemon''.
547* ''WebVideo/OnCinema'': Tim Heidecker names his son Tom Cruise Heidecker, Jr., after one of his favorite actors of all time . Little Tom Cruise ends up dying from a black mold infection after Tim insists on treating him only with Dr. San's AllNaturalSnakeOil. Tim later names a memorial fund (though he uses it more as a personal piggy bank) and a brand of vape pens after him.
548* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' has a character named for hockey player Sidney Crosby. A slight variation in that the character is based on the real person rather than simply sharing his name.
549* WebVideo/LifeHacksForKids has some 'hacks' named after the host, Sunny.
550* ''WebVideo/PrettyDudes'' has the Gomez brothers, who are named after influential Black Americans Duke Ellington, George Washington Carver, and Thurgood Marshall.
551** They mention a sister named Alvera, which might be a riff on Sojourner Truth.
552** In the same episode, Rock and Van Diolosa mention they were named after the rich Rockefeller and Vanderbilt families.
553* Ryan Reynolds of ''WebVideo/WaywardGuideForTheUntrainedEye'' has gotten used to people answering his emails right away specifically because he shares a name with Creator/RyanReynolds, though this was unintentional. In addition, his father was an actor who [[ButIPlayOneOnTV played a sheriff on TV]] named Creator/BurtReynolds.
554* A subject of a complaint in ''[[WebVideo/RaffyTulfo Raffy Tulfo in Action]]'' was named after a [[Creator/WaltDisney certain American animator]] who created a [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse famous cartoon mouse]].
555* ''WebVideo/TheBritishRailwayStories'': Some of the engines are named after their designers. Herbert and Nigel are named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Gresley Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley]], Stephen was named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._D._Holden Stephen D. Holden]], Arthur is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Peppercorn Arthur Peppercorn]], and Hawk, full name Hawksworth, was named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Hawksworth Fredrick Hawksworth]].
556** While he wasn't an engine designer, Sir Ralph is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Ralph_Wedgwood,_1st_Baronet Sir Ralph Wedgewood]]. [[spoiler:He took the name to honour the memory of the previous engine to have it, Gadwall the A4 Pacific. Gadwall was destroyed in the Baedeker Blitz during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.]]
557* ''WebVideo/LocomotivesOfBritishRailways'': Episode 3, "Quite A Q1", introduces Oliver the Q1 locomotive. He was named after his designer, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Bulleid Oliver Bulleid]].
558* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'''s take on ''[[Anime/DragonBallEpisodeOfBardock Episode of Bardock]]'', all of the inhabitants of Planet Plant are named after rappers like the town's doctor [[Music/DrDre Dray]], his son [[Music/TupacShakur Twopock]], [[Music/WuTangClan Rizza]], [[Music/IceCube Aice Qube]], and the exiled [[Music/ChrisBrown Khris of the clan Brown]].
559[[/folder]]
560
561[[folder:Western Animation]]
562* Lampshaded in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'', where the monster that lives in the Aqua Teen's attic is named "Willie Nelson" as a reference to the fact that the original ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'' episode "Baffler Meal" which served as the pilot to ''ATHF'' featured Music/WillieNelson as a guest star.
563* James [=MacDonald=] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', being of [[UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} Scottish]] descent, is obviously named for the many RealLife Kings of Scotland of the same name, such as UsefulNotes/JamesVIAndI. In "[[Recap/ArthurS15E3BustersSecretAdmirerTheLastKingOfLambland The Last King of Lambland]]," he's actually [[ItMakesSenseInContext addressed as "King James" for a time]].
564* In ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDuckAndPorkyPigMeetTheGroovieGoolies'', Claude Chaney a.k.a. the Phantom of the Flickers has his name based off two famous horror movie actors, Claude Rains and Lon Chaney.
565* Each of the titular Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles are notably named after famous Renaissance artists.
566* Mr. Oskar Kokoschka from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' is named after the Austrian expressionist painter.
567* Amethyst van der Troll from ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollz}}'' appears to be named after Anneliese van der Pol.
568* In ''WesternAnimation/TheReplacements'', the main characters go to "UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington Middle School"
569** Of course, there was an episode where Todd uses an evil robot to threaten teachers into accepting any answer he gives them as correct. So, when he said the first president was George ''Stapler'' .... from that point on, [[ContinuityNod every episode referred to it as George Stapler Middle School]].
570* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
571** Aang's father figure Gyatso is named after Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama.
572** Chong, leader of a WackyWaysideTribe of singing {{New Age Retro Hippie}}s, is named after fellow hippie Tommy Chong of Creator/CheechAndChong fame.
573** The SecretPolice of Ba Sing Se are called the "Dai Li" after a prominent political figure in [[UsefulNotes/NoMoreEmperors Guomindang-era China]]. The guy headed UsefulNotes/ChiangKaiShek's ruthless "Investigation and Statistics Bureau" (a predecessor to the more accurately named Military Intelligence Bureau), as well as of the fascist Blue Shirts Society (which also conducted security and intelligence operations).
574* On ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' (the SequelSeries to ''Avatar''):
575** Aang's son Tenzin repeats the Dalai Lama motif (although Tenzin is a fairly common Tibetan name).
576** Korra's friend Mako is named after Creator/{{Mako}} Iwamatsu, the prominent Japanese-American actor and voice artist who originally voiced ''Avatar'''s Iroh (though Greg Baldwin became TheOtherDarrin after Mako died).
577** The BigBad Amon may also be named after Nazi war criminal Amon Goeth (made famous by ''Film/SchindlersList'').
578* Michael Jordan Mackenzie, usually referred to as "Mack", a supporting character in ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' is named after famous basketball player Michael Jordan, and mocked for that by short-lived jerk of the week Tommy Sherman.
579-->'''Mack:''' It was Michael James Mackenzie, but Dad went to a Bulls playoff game when I was 12 and then he changed it.\
580'''Tommy:''' That's sick, man. [...] Make sure your father doesn't go to any Whoopi Goldberg movies!
581* ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'': Temugin "Gene" Khan is named after the ancient warlord Genghis Khan - birth name Temugin. This is no coincidence, [[spoiler: as he was [[BenevolentPrecursors the first Mandarin]]]].
582* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretShow'', Victor's full name is "Victor UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson Volt".
583* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
584** Dr. Marvin Monroe is named after Creator/MarilynMonroe.
585** Milhouse's name is based on UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's middle name. Creator/MattGroening gave him the name because he felt it was the most unfortunate name you could give to a child. His full name is Milhouse [[UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini Mussolini]] Van Houten.
586** Barney Gumble is named after Barney Rubble from ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones''.
587** Arnie Pye was named after radio presenter Ernie Pie.
588** [[https://twitter.com/NellSco/status/1220903516312567813 Apparently]] the full name of Akira (the sushi waiter and martial arts dojo employee) is Creator/AkiraKurosawa.
589* ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'': George Herbert Walker King Chicken's name is based on UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush.
590* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Mayor Adam West is named after the real-life Creator/AdamWest, who consequently is also his voice.
591** "Christopher Cross" Griffin
592* ''WesternAnimation/AlfredJKwak'': Dolf is named after UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and Dr. Livingston after UsefulNotes/DavidLivingstone. Winnie, Alfred's girlfriend, was named after Winnie Mandela. Michael Duckson is clearly ''Music/MichaelJackson''.
593* ''WesternAnimation/LosTrotaMusicos'': Attila the dog is named after UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun.
594* ''WesternAnimation/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKids'': Elvis and Mr. Socrates.
595** Butch himself is an odd example sharing the name with a real-life outlaw. While never expressed in the show the band name may, in fact, be an in-universe pun based on this trope.
596* Wilt from ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', being a former small-time basketball player before his CareerEndingInjury, is named after professional player UsefulNotes/WiltChamberlain.
597** In one episode the gang adopts a litter of puppies. Wilt names three of them after UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, Magic Johnson, and Creator/KareemAbdulJabbar.
598* ''WesternAnimation/FraidyCat'': Fraidy’s seventh life, Eddie Kittenbacker, is named after famous [=WWI=] fighter ace Eddie Rickenbaker.
599* ''WesternAnimation/OggyAndTheCockroaches'': The Cockroaches are named Joey, Dee Dee, and Marky, after members of Music/TheRamones.
600* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', WordOfGod says that Nathaniel, an aspiring comic book artist, got the surname "Kurtzberg" from Creator/JackKirby's birth name.
601* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'':
602** Principal Hieronymus Bump and Boscha are both named after Hieronymous Bosch, whose surrealist artwork served as a major inspiration for the show's overall design.
603** Willow's fathers share names with two famous gay rights activists - Gilbert Baker (creator of the pride flag) and Harvey Milk (first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States).
604** [[ConspiracyTheorist Jacob Hopkins]] shares his surname with the infamously zealous Witchfinder General, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Hopkins Matthew Hopkins]].
605* In ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryInc'', the main villain of the show, Pericles, is named after an Athenian statesman, who also had a deformed head.
606* In both ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' and its SpinOff ''WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes'', family pets (not counting pets that belong to any particular family member) are named after cartoonists.
607** Charles, the Louds' dog, after Charles Schultz.
608** Cliff, the Louds' cat, after Cliff Sterrett.
609** Walt, the Louds' canary, after Walt Kelly.
610** Geo, the Louds' hamster, after George "Geo" Harriman.
611** Sergio, the Casagrandes' parrot, after Sergio Aragonés.
612** Lalo, the Casagrandes' dog, after Lalo Alcaraz.
613* The titular cowboy from ''WesternAnimation/TheWackyWorldOfTexAvery''.
614* Doc and Clara Brown's sons, of ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'' and [[WesternAnimation/BackToTheFuture the animated series]], are called Jules and Verne after [[Creator/JulesVerne their favorite author]]. This actually proved to be a plot point in the animated series episode "[[Recap/BackToTheFutureTheAnimatedSeriesS2E8AVerneByAnyOtherName A Verne By Any Other Name]]" - after being bullied about his name, Verne went back in time to convince his parents to name him something else.
615* ''WesternAnimation/BigMouth'': Nick's mother's full name is Creator/DianeKeaton Birch.
616* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': “Molly and the Great One” reveals that Molly's father, Walter, is named after Walter Harper, the first person who successfully climbed Denali.
617[[/folder]]
618

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