| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1566494734006549500 |
| 2 | %% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:256:[[VideoGame/The7thSaga https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dr_fail.jpg]]]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:256:Can someone page 'Dr. Fix This Mess', please?]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ->'''Jay:''' Ah! Oh, my gosh. Are you--? Are you--?\ |
| 8 | '''Cyrus Borg:''' Cyrus Borg? Yes. Unfortunately, when my parents gave me a name like that, my future in technology was predetermined. |
| 9 | -->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'', "[[Recap/NinjagoS3E27TheSurge The Surge]]" |
| 10 | |
| 11 | A variety of MeaningfulName, sometimes an offshoot of ThemeNaming, but not always. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | This describes the situation where what one names someone or something results in that something or someone taking on the aspects of what they are named after. Sometimes this is merely intentionally descriptive after the fact, but if not, then circumstances will change to fit them. Sometimes you wonder what the parents were thinking. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | (Hint: Naming [[AIIsACrapshoot a computer system]] after a bloodthirsty god or demon is never a good idea. Naming an organization this usually implies premeditation of purpose already.) |
| 16 | |
| 17 | GenreBlindness prevents anyone from recognizing this and predicting future plot developments. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | StevenUlyssesPerhero is a subset of this, focused specifically on the tendency for names to relate to super-powers and/or [[SecretIdentity secret identities]]. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | This happens in real life [[TruthInTelevision more often than you would expect]] -- for example, by the [[https://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2007/04/23/the-nameletter-effect-or-why-c name-letter effect]]. ''New Scientist'' coined and popularised the term "Nominative Determinism" for this. The [[OlderThanFeudalism Romans had their own term]]: the "nomen omen" (name omen). |
| 22 | |
| 23 | As some of the examples show, {{Icarus|Allusion}} seems to be an unusually favored name in this regard -- perhaps it has something to do with the name itself having a nice ring to it, combined with the built-in allegory about literally [[AmbitionIsEvil flying too close to the sun]]. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | See also WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt and NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast. Contrast ArtifactName, which is reflective of the person, place or thing when it's given, but eventually loses its meaning. |
| 26 | ---- |
| 27 | !!Examples |
| 28 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 29 | |
| 30 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 31 | * ''Anime/CodeGeass'': [[spoiler: [[Characters/CodeGeassSuzakuKururugi Suzaku Kururugi]] name can mean "phoenix". Guess who "dies" at the end of the series and is "reborn" as an entirely new person.]] |
| 32 | * Ataru Moroboshi from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' pretty much has his future laid out in his name: ''moroboshi-de atari'' means "struck by a falling star" -- and in a metaphorical sense that's exactly what happens. (The joke was extended in the show's commercial bumpers, which usually featured something falling on him.) |
| 33 | * Naming anyone after Japanese stars (''[[Manga/{{X1999}} X/1999]]'', ''Anime/DotHackSign'', ''Anime/GearFighterDendoh''), or the constellations from the astrology/geomancy system of TheFourGods (''Manga/FushigiYuugi''), is pretty much setting their status as Very Important in stone. |
| 34 | * Also in ''[[Manga/{{X1999}} X/1999]]'', Satsuki's supercomputer, Beast, emblazoned with the number 666. It probably doesn't help matters that when written in hiragana, "satsuki" looks like "sakki", which means "bloodlust". |
| 35 | * Chloe from ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', when pronounced using Japanese phonemes, sounds very similar to ''"kuroi"'' -- which means "black" in Japanese. The word "Noir" is French for "black." |
| 36 | * The organization "Nergal" from ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'' is named after the Babylonian god of war and pestilence, for whom the Babylonians named the planet Mars. |
| 37 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': |
| 38 | ** The "Marduk Institute" chose child candidates to pilot the Evangelions. The fact that Marduk was also a Sumerian god to whom children were (supposedly) sacrificed is appropriate. |
| 39 | ** Similarly, Rei Ayanami. Rei being a word that can be translated a variety of ways of ways in the Kanji script; most prophetically: 'Spirit' or 'Zero'. Especially since despite Rei's status as [[spoiler:an ArtificialHuman]] Gendo came up with the name long before the need for [[spoiler:her creation and many of the plans relating to it]] even arose - it was the name he would have given to Shinji if he'd been a girl. |
| 40 | * "Hypnos" in ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' was named after a god created by Creator/HPLovecraft in his Franchise/CthulhuMythos. (He in turn borrowed the name from the Greek god of Sleep.) Lovecraft's version made certain that the physical world and the dream world were separated. The main weapons of the ''Digimon'' version, the Yuggoth and Shaggai "programs", are also Lovecraft references, and ironically resulted in the world barrier being weakened. |
| 41 | ** Also, Hikari Yagami of the ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' continuity. "Hikari" means "light". Guess who gets the [[LightIsGood Crest of Light]] and gets partnered with an [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel Digimon]]. |
| 42 | * One episode of ''Anime/DirtyPairFlash'' has the girls split up, with airhead Yuri getting a new partner. Her new partner "Lily" has every one of Yuri's flaws (doesn't take work seriously, easy to scare, always worried about her appearance etc.) writ much larger. Naturally, "yuri" can translate as "lily" in Japanese. |
| 43 | * Rezo, TheManBehindTheMan and WellIntentionedExtremist of the first season of ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'', is known alternately as the Red Priest or the Blind Priest. This is a very early reference to his unique connection with the Ruby-Eyed Shabranigdo. |
| 44 | * Lucia of ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' is a [[MessianicArchetype Messiah]]-type character easily spotted because of her name; in contrast, the last BigBad is an angel named Michel, both an allusion to the biblical Michael and a hint that he, like his name, is "off" somehow from the source. Then there's Michal, an ill girl with ''some'' connection to Michel; what it is isn't revealed until the end, but thanks to the name, you catch on quickly that it's there. |
| 45 | * There are a ton of examples in ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' of peoples whose names just happen to emphasise their abilities. This list doesn't even cover half the examples: |
| 46 | ** Sena Kobayakawa, the puny but swift protagonist, whose speed and ability to dodge opponents makes him a stellar running back. His last name means "small, swift river". |
| 47 | ** Joe Tetsuma, a powerhouse who cuts through the field like a train. His name means "Iron Horse". |
| 48 | ** Kengo Mizumachi, whose style was perfected by his previous experience as a swimming ace, has "Mizu", the Japanese word for water, in his name. |
| 49 | ** Manabu Yukimitsu's name means "To Study." While it is his outstanding trait (that, and going bald in high school), it was probably a deliberate ploy by his mother, who wanted a hard-working, studious son. |
| 50 | ** Hiroshi Ohira and Hiroshi Onishi, the high-wave defence characters from the Poseidons. Their names mean Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, respectively. |
| 51 | * ''Franchise/SailorMoon'': |
| 52 | ** All of the Sailor Senshi, as well as Tuxedo Kamen, were somehow conveniently reborn into families whose family names reference the particular senshi's planet. |
| 53 | ** Further, the kanji for Sailor Venus's first name, "Minako," can also be read as "Binasu", which is very close to the way "Venus" is pronounced in Japanese. |
| 54 | ** In ''Anime/SailorMoonRTheMovie'', the main villain is named Fiore, which is Italian for "flower". As it turns out, Fiore [[spoiler:is being controlled by [[PlantAliens an evil flower]]]]. |
| 55 | * Nearly all of the cast of ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'' and its sequel series have such names. The title character, for example, Itoshiki Nozomu, is an eternally depressed schoolteacher who has a fairly normal sounding name when written vertically, but when written horizontally in kanji, his name spells "despair" (zetsubou). His given name, Nozomu means "hope" (it becomes the "bou" in "zetsubou", which still means "hope" as in "totally without hope"), further cementing the irony. Of note is the fact that most, if not all, members of his family have names of this sort, courtesy of their surname which, when written horizontally and tightly enough that the two characters it is written with to appear to be one character, reverses the meaning of most names written after it ("hope" becomes "despair", "life" becomes "death", and so on). |
| 56 | * Light Yagami from ''Manga/DeathNote'', who has the character for "[[AGodAmI god]]" in his name... His first name is also a bilingual prophecy about how [[spoiler: he eventually replaces L]] as well as being a reference to Lucifer whom he eventually parallels. More directly, as it's written using the [[FourIsDeath four-stroke kanji for "moon"]], it represents death in Japanese numerology. |
| 57 | * A tragic example in ''Manga/AngelSanctuary'' is Yue Katou. His father called him "Yue," [[spoiler: which is a name usually given to still-born children and miscarriages in Japan, because Yue is his wife's son by her lover and he basically wants him to die young]]. Guess what? [[spoiler: He dies young. ''Twice''.]] |
| 58 | * Himeno Awayuki of ''Anime/{{Pretear}}'' just happened to have kanji "princess" ("hime") and "snow" ("yuki") in her name -- pretty convenient for the protagonist of a story based on ''Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs'', who is initially described as "the one who can make the white snow fall". |
| 59 | %%ZCE* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'': Million Knives. |
| 60 | * The Planet Kallamity in ''Manga/TheFiveStarStories''. [[EarthShatteringKaboom Guess how this one turns out]]. |
| 61 | * ''Anime/CodeGeass'': |
| 62 | ** Suzaku Kururugi has a name that means 'phoenix'. [[spoiler:This comes to make sense in the series finale, where he technically 'dies' as Suzaku Kururugi, and comes back to 'save the world' as Zero. To make it even more blatant, the way he "dies" is in an explosion of flames.]] |
| 63 | ** Also Nina Einstein who ultimately invents [[NuclearWeaponsTaboo something which isn't technically a nuclear weapon]] but might as well be. |
| 64 | * Joshua Christopher from ''Manga/ChronoCrusade''. "Joshua" comes from the same name as "Jesus", and "Christopher" means "Christ-bearer"--so is it really any surprise he ends up with holy powers? |
| 65 | * In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', [[spoiler: the main character's (code)name means "A Moment From The Holy Eternity". If one translates it to Japanese except the ''From'', which you will remove the other three letters after ''F'' then it would read as Setsuna F[[strike:rom]] Seiei. [[WordOfGod The director said]] that it represents the moments of revolutions in the long history of mankind, hinting at Setsuna being the true Innovator, the one who is going to bring revolution to mankind. Appropriately, Setsuna [[EvolutionaryLevels evolves into an Innovator]] during the last few episodes of the series.]] |
| 66 | * In ''Manga/ShadowStar'', the main character's name can be translated as "a seed that shall never sprout." [[DownerEnding How appropriate.]] |
| 67 | * In ''Anime/ErgoProxy'', the name Daedalus is originally just prophetic of him being a brilliant scientist and inventor. Towards the end of the show, he gives one of his loved ones wings and they fly towards the sun. |
| 68 | * It definitely overlaps with MeaningfulName, but several members of Mustang's [[TheSquad squad]] in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' all have pretty badass names (Armstrong, Havoc, Fury, and Hawkeye). Particularly predictive are Armstrong (a GeniusBruiser) and Hawkeye (TheGunslinger and an expert sniper). |
| 69 | * Bibliophile Yomiko Readman of ''Anime/ReadOrDie'' fits this quite well. (Yomiko literally meaning "reading child" and Readman being quite obvious) |
| 70 | * The prophecy in ''Anime/Pokemon2000'' says "...then the world will turn to ash...". It turns out it's referring to Ash Ketchum, the protagonist. Averted in the Japanese version as his name is "Satoshi". |
| 71 | * In ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure'', [[TheHero Miyuki Hoshizora's]] StellarName doubles as this because it roughly translates to "the starry sky of happiness". Her MagicalGirl name is Cure Happy. Guess what [[ForHappiness her reason for existing]] is. |
| 72 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'' |
| 73 | ** Smoker, whose habit and ability centers around smoke. |
| 74 | ** The Boa sisters (Boa Hancock, Boa Marigold, and Boa Sandersonia) whose respective appearances and abilities are inspired around snakes. |
| 75 | ** Charlotte Cracker, biscuit based power. How surprising. Although his crime-lord family might have preserved that ability just for him. |
| 76 | * ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'': |
| 77 | ** The various members of the student council are named after Kaguya and her suitors from ''Literature/TheTaleOfTheBambooCutter''. Every one of them (sans Kaguya and Fujiwara) is connected in some way to a girl who is named after their counterpart's respective impossible task (who are even known in-universe as the "Impossible Girls"). |
| 78 | *** Iino and her ChildhoodFriend Osaragi are based off of Ishidzukuri no Miko and the Begging Bowl of the Buddha. [[spoiler:In the original story, Ishidzukuri no Miko presented Kaguya-hime with a fake bowl because he couldn't find the real one, much like how her and Iino only became friends [[LonelyTogether because they couldn't get "real" ones]].]] |
| 79 | *** Shirogane and his former student council mate Momo Ryuju are based off of Ootomo no Miyuki and the Pearl from the Dragon's Neck. [[spoiler:During the culture festival, Momo helps Shirogane prepare his GrandRomanticGesture for Kaguya (a giant balloon filled with hundreds of smaller heart shaped balloons) which is disguised as a giant pearl being wrapped by a paper mache dragon.]] |
| 80 | *** Ishigami and his crush Tsubame are based off of Isonokami no Maro and the Cowry from the Swallow's Nest. [[spoiler:In the original story, Isonokami no Maro falls to his death while attempting to get the cowry shell, much like how Ishigami suffers a StaircaseTumble out of despair after Tsubame turns down his LoveConfession (only surviving unharmed due to Iino breaking his fall).]] |
| 81 | ** The Mass Media Club president's first name translates to "droplet" and her last name means "morning sun", alluding to how [[spoiler:[[SamaritanRelationshipStarter her falling into a swamp marked the start of Kaguya and Shirogane's romance]].]] |
| 82 | [[/folder]] |
| 83 | |
| 84 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 85 | * Creator/WarrenEllis uses this almost to the point of parody: |
| 86 | ** ''Lazarus Churchyard'' is an indestructible man fixated on dying. |
| 87 | ** ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' has Jenny Sparks/Jenny Quantum, who can control electricity and quantum mechanics respectively, and Jack Hawksmoor, who has a psychic relationship with cities (he is named after architect Nicholas Hawksmoor). Jenny's name was deliberately chosen by analogy with her predecessor. |
| 88 | ** ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'' has Elijah Snow, who can freeze things, and Jakita Wagner, who is something of a valkyrie (composer Music/RichardWagner wrote "Music/TheRideOfTheValkyries"). |
| 89 | ** ''Scars'' has John Cain, an outcast police detective. |
| 90 | ** ''ComicBook/{{Fell}}'' is about Richard Fell, a detective who falls from grace and is reassigned to the worst city in America. |
| 91 | ** ''Frank Ironwine'' is about a gritty New York cop with a penchant for getting drunk. |
| 92 | ** ''ComicBook/Red2003'' is about Paul Moses, whose death is decreed by the CIA. |
| 93 | * ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'': In ''ComicBook/RogueTrooper'', and the games based on it, Rogue's comrades were named Gunnar, Bagman, and Helm. They end up dying and accompanying him on his journey in the form of datachips mounted onto his gun, backpack, and helmet. No points for guessing which goes where. |
| 94 | * ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Invoked by The Riddler, who tells people his birth name is Edward Nygma, when (DependingOnTheWriter) it's actually Edward Nashton. |
| 95 | * ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Victor [[TheVonTropeFamily Von Doom]], better known as ComicBook/DoctorDoom. The surprising thing is not that he became a supervillain, but that his father Werner had not already been one. (Doctor Doom however quite frequently fails to live up to the "victor" part, though). |
| 96 | * ''ComicBook/FiendsOfTheEasternFront'': Grigori Eisenstein shares his first name with {{Rasputin|ianDeath}}. He is accordingly difficult to kill, [[spoiler:going so far as a NotQuiteDead moment. Being a partially transformed vampire helps.]] |
| 97 | * ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': What are the chances that a guy named Thaal Sinestro would end up being a bad guy wielding a weapon based on the power of fear? |
| 98 | * ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': |
| 99 | ** Dr. Otto Octavius. Take a guess, was he ComicBook/DoctorOctopus or Sandman? |
| 100 | ** Referenced in the ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' tie-in ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' with Stegron the Dinosaur Man, birth name Vincent Stegron. |
| 101 | --->'''Tony Stark:''' How's that for nominative determinism? Pretty much knew what you'd be the day you were born, huh, Steggy? What was it like when you told your parents you were going to be a paleontologist? I'm guessing they didn't even bother trying to steer you to law school. I mean, what other choice was there? "I am Stegron -- ''the mailman!''" |
| 102 | * ''ComicBook/{{Steel}}'': Steel once worked with a man named Dr. Villain (pronounced "will-hane"). The good doctor did a bit of LampshadeHanging on this trope when he was first introduced. Guess what he turned out to be? |
| 103 | ** Arguably Steel himself, as his birth name was John Henry Irons, after John Henry, the "Steel-Drivin' Man". |
| 104 | *** It was always in his backstory that he'd been named after the character in the story, was raised on it, and deliberately patterned his hero identity (wielding a hammer) on him. |
| 105 | * ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'': The term 'nominative determinism' is mentioned by Whirl when commenting that his 'Archnemesis' didn't "strike a blow [against it]" when renaming himself from "Murderking" to "Killmaster". |
| 106 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol. 1]]: The Magician Hypnota was already using that as their name prior to the accident which led to them developing the power of "hypnotic rays". |
| 107 | * ''ComicBook/XMen'': The Vanisher, who is a teleporter. His real name? Telford Porter. |
| 108 | [[/folder]] |
| 109 | |
| 110 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 111 | * Invoked in ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft'' with the Apple family, who farms apples. The main members are Applejack, Big [=McIntosh=], Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith. Apple Bloom has wants to be president (nevermind that Equestria has princesses, not presidents) but according to her sister "We didn't name ya Apple Bloom so you could grow up to be the president". |
| 112 | * Invoked with Murdoch from ''Fanfic/{{Offspring}}''. Link wanted him to grow up to be strong and reliable like him, so Link and Mipha named their son "Murdoch" (which means "protector of the sea"). Murdoch did turn out athletic and protective like his parents wanted, even without their intervention and from a young age as well. |
| 113 | [[/folder]] |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[folder:Films — Live-Action]] |
| 116 | * In the ''Film/JamesBond'' movie ''Film/DieAnotherDay'', the name of the orbital mirror system Icarus rather obviously foreshadows the device's final fate. |
| 117 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': |
| 118 | ** "Vader" is written the same as the [[FunWithForeignLanguages Dutch]] word for [[LukeIAmYourFather "father"]], though pronounced differently. Truly prophetic, considering that George Lucas didn't originally intend Vader to be Luke's father. |
| 119 | ** From the prequel films, we get deathstick dealer Elan ''Sleazebaganno'', later retcon'd into being "Sel'Sabagno". He is, nonetheless, still a sleazebag. |
| 120 | * ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'' With an surname like Scrumptious (spelt "Skrumshus" in the book) is it any wonder Truly Scrumptious's father went into sweet production? See also Caractacus Pott ("Crackpot," and later "Jackpot"), who in the movie had an S added to the surname. |
| 121 | * Parodied with ''Film/HotShots'': One of the characters has Deadmeat as his nickname. Gee, I wonder...? |
| 122 | * In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' parody ''Film/ThumbWars:'' |
| 123 | -->'''Oobedoob Benubi:''' Wait, ''what'' did you say your aunt and uncle's names were? |
| 124 | -->'''Loke Groundrunner:''' Soondead and Gonnabiteit...''oh my God!'' |
| 125 | * ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004). Totenkopf, literally "dead man's head" (e.g. skull) in German. |
| 126 | * ''Film/{{Sunshine}}'' featured a ship called the ''Icarus''... which was in charge of a mission that not only involved ''restarting the Sun'' but said mission was ''vital to the Earth's survival''. Even more stupidly, when the first ship is lost, the second ship (which due to the massive resources involved in the Sun restarting device ''cannot be rebuilt'') was named the ''[[TemptingFate Icarus II]]''. Director Creator/DannyBoyle admitted this was unrealistic, saying that Americans would likely call it ''Ship of Destiny'' or ''Hope''. |
| 127 | * Lampshaded in ''Film/SpiderMan2''. |
| 128 | -->'''J. Jonah Jameson:''' Guy named Otto Octavius winds up with eight limbs. Four mechanical arms welded right onto his body. What are the odds? |
| 129 | * ''Film/ThatThingYouDo'': |
| 130 | ** The band originally names themselves the "One-ders" (the spelling is later changed so people quit calling them the "O'Needers". Guess what [[OneHitWonder becomes of the band]]. Lampshaded at the end by Tom Hanks' character. |
| 131 | --->'''Guy:''' But we still have a hit record!\ |
| 132 | '''Mr. White:''' Yes you do. ''[pause]'' The one-hit Wonders. |
| 133 | ** The band's unnamed bass player is give the name TB Player in the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue |
| 134 | * The servants from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' were all given names that will allude to which objects they will be turned into under a magic spell. For example, Lumiere (French for "light") becomes a candle, ''Cog''sworth becomes a mechanical clock, Mrs. ''Potts'' becomes a teapot, and her son Chip (who has a loose tooth) becomes a teacup with a damaged rim. |
| 135 | * ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'' |
| 136 | ** Dashiell Robert Parr nicknamed "Dash." A speedster. Somebody really shoulda seen that coming. |
| 137 | ** Likewise, older sister Violet started off shy and can turn invisible. A real "ShrinkingViolet". |
| 138 | ** Also, baby son Jack Jack is discovered to have a wide array of powers. A veritable "jack of all trades". |
| 139 | [[/folder]] |
| 140 | |
| 141 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 142 | * In Creator/JRRTolkien's Middle-Earth (''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', etc.), it is custom for (at least some tribes of) Elves to be given a name by each parent, and the name given by the mother tends to be descriptive of the person and may even be prophetic as to their fate. See for instance one of Fëanor and Nerdanel's twin sons, called by his mother 'Umbarto', meaning 'the Fated' (though she wouldn't tell which one it was.) Fëanor attempted to change his doom by having Nerdanel call him 'Ambarto' but [[spoiler: still ended up accidentally killing him.]] See also the human [[ButtMonkey Túrin]], who attempted to dispel the {{curse}} laid upon him by calling himself 'Turambar' ('Master of Fate'.) [[spoiler: It didn't work.]] |
| 143 | --> A Túrin Turambar turún' ambartanen (O Master of Doom, by Doom Mastered) |
| 144 | ** On the other hand, Tolkien has some interesting things to say about prophetic names which may not have been prophetic at all. About Mablung Heavyhand (the name is connected to an incident from the lay of Leithian), he wrote: |
| 145 | --->"It was said that Mablung's name ("with weighted hand") was prophetic; but it may have been a title derived from the episode that afterwards became the one that the hero was chiefly remembered by in legend." ''The Shaping of Middle-earth'', J.R.R Tolkien. |
| 146 | ** In the appendix to ''The Lord of the Rings'' there is a character called Arvedui, which is Elvish for 'last king', instructed to be named so by Malbeth the Seer. He is indeed destined to be the last King of Arnor, according to prophecy (either because he'll manage to unify Gondor and Arnor and thus be king of the unified Kingdom or because he'll fail and there'll be no more Arnor). |
| 147 | ** Ever wondered if the name Aragorn has any meaning? Well, in Sindarin it means "Lord of Courage" or "Kingly Valor", depending on how you translate it. |
| 148 | * The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books by Creator/JKRowling feature ''many'' names with deliberate meanings on one level or another. A number of websites have sprung up to analyze her naming patterns, like [[http://www.theninemuses.net/hp/list.html this one]]. A few examples: |
| 149 | ** Remus Lupin, who is a werewolf. Remus was one of the mythological founders of Rome who was raised by a wolf, and Lupin is similar to ''lupine'', or wolflike. If he were born a werewolf into a family of werewolves this would make perfect sense, but he was a perfectly normal wizard boy until ''Fenrir'' (as in the Norse Armageddon wolf) Greyback bit him. |
| 150 | ** Sirius Black has the ability to turn into a black dog. Sirius is the "dog star". Though given Sirius' sense of humor at the time he became an animagus, this might have been intentional on his part. |
| 151 | ** Miserly shop owner Caractacus Burke, who bought a historical relic from a desperate and heavily pregnant young woman for a few coins. |
| 152 | ** Very, very much lampshaded in Creator/CleolindaJones' ''Movies in Fifteen Minutes'' version of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]'': |
| 153 | --> '''Snape:''' I want two rolls of parchment on WEREWOLVES by tomorrow, including what WEREWOLVES look like, how to detect WEREWOLVES in the faculty of a British boarding school for wizards, and the definition of the Latin word "lupus." CLASS DISMISSED! |
| 154 | ** Parodied in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'''s book three parody. Obvious names are given to the ''wrong'' characters. |
| 155 | ** Eventually lampshaded in canon on Pottermore with [[https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/naming-seers Naming Seers]], who used to literally go around and hand these out for a price. They've become less prevalent around Harry's generation, as parents started fretting too much over their child's future. |
| 156 | * In the second book of Creator/JasperFforde's ''Literature/ThursdayNext'' series, Thursday is repeatedly tailed and "protected" by pairs of government agents. Pairs plural because none of them last longer than one appearance before getting killed. And appropriately, they have paired prophetic names like "Deadman and Walken", "Kannon and Phodder", etc. In a subversion, the last pair (still with similar names) manages to avoid being killed by staying well away from her. |
| 157 | ** Of course, it helped that the person killing them was doing so by ''manipulating coincidences''. |
| 158 | * The central figure of much of the action in Neal Stephenson's novel ''Literature/SnowCrash'' is a young half-Japanese man named "Hiro Protagonist". In fact, he changed his name to it as deliberate statement of what he feels his karmic lot is. |
| 159 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': |
| 160 | ** ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'': |
| 161 | *** A footnote devotes a section to prophetic names, and describes some of the effects on the Carter family of Lancre: Charity becomes a miser, Chastity a prostitute, Prudence had over a dozen kids. Meanwhile, Bestiality Carter turned out to be kind to animals. |
| 162 | *** Played with in last names, for a group of men with the family names Weaver, Carpenter, Baker, Thatcher, and Tailor. Between them, they cover those same professions as well, but no one's job matches his name (Carter is the town's baker, etc.). There's also Tinker, who actually ''is'' a tinker; they probably find this confusing. |
| 163 | ** ''Literature/{{Thud}}'' has a character whose full, legal name is A.E. Pessimal, described as not having been named, but initialed. Fittingly, he is a government clerk. |
| 164 | ** ''Literature/SmallGods'' has the anchorite St. Ungulant. Who isn't a saint, nor did he feel particularly attracted to the hermit life, but when people noticed his full name was Sevrian Thaddeus Ungulant, there really was nothing left for it. |
| 165 | ** The additional material in the illustrated edition of ''Literature/TheWeeFreeMen'' includes a court transcript that reveals the toad's name, when he was a human, was James Natter. It's not known if anyone called him Jack. |
| 166 | * ''Literature/TheObernewtynChronicles'' by Isobelle Carmody feature a futureteller named Dell. This isn't a prophetic name, but in the fifth book, [[spoiler:she develops a strong affinity for computers, and it suddenly seems stranger that she shares her name with a well-known computer company.]] |
| 167 | * Johnny Truant in ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves''. |
| 168 | * Near the beginning of the novel ''The Life and Opinions of Literature/TristramShandy'' by Lawrence Sterne, the title character describes his father's theory that a person's given name has a profound influence on their life, their character, and their destiny. |
| 169 | * ''Literature/{{Jennings}}'' invokes this trope in Anthony Buckeridge's classic ''Jennings Goes To School'', in which he and Darbishire are trying to co-write a pulp detective story and are arguing about what name their protagonist should have: |
| 170 | --> '''Darbishire:''' But that means that if you're born with a name like Fuzziwig you can't be as bald as a coot no matter how hard you try, and if you're called Marlinspike Mainbrace, f'r instance, then you've just ''got'' to be a sailor, even if you don't want to be! |
| 171 | * Chance the Gardener in ''Literature/BeingThere'' was named "Chance" because "he was born by chance" (i.e., possibly illegitimate and/or unplanned). The MeaningfulName becomes prophetic when he heads out into the world and becomes incredibly powerful by way of a ''chance'' encounter with a financial titan's wife and a subsequent series of misunderstandings. As for the name of the wife, the first person Chance interacts with at length outside of his old home and beloved garden? It's ''Eve''. |
| 172 | * Melony in ''Literature/TheCiderHouseRules''. Her name was apparently supposed to be "Melody," but there was never anything melodious about her. |
| 173 | * In ''Literature/TheHundredAndOneDalmatians'' the Dearlys' nannies, Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler, train as a real cook and butler after the Dearlys get married and no longer require nannying. |
| 174 | * In ''Literature/{{Sunshine}}'', the eponymous character turns out to be good with sun magic. [[spoiler: Although it doesn't hurt that she's the daughter and grand-daughter of some ''very'' powerful magicians.]] For extra irony, her real name? [[spoiler: Rae. Yes, as in 'a drop of golden sun'.]] |
| 175 | ** Well, her ''original'' real name, her birth name, is actually "Raven." Her mother changed it when they left her father the sorcerer. |
| 176 | * Stephen Donaldson had some fun subverting this trope in his duology Mordant's Need; many of his character's names are opposites of their personalities, such as a weakling bearing the family name Armigite and a determined lord named Fayle. Terisa Morgan, the protagonist, is played straight as she's a bit of a dark horse. |
| 177 | * [[Literature/InheritanceCycle Eragon]] Son-of-None [[spoiler:(later Bromsson)]], shares a first name with the original Dragon Rider, an elf. This is so prophetic because he ends up being the first new rider of his own generation, centuries after dragons became extinct. [[spoiler:The prophetic factor is weakened slightly, however, because it is later revealed that his father was also a rider.]] |
| 178 | * ''Literature/{{Farseer}}'' trilogy: It is ancient tradition in the Farseer dynasty to name children after certain qualities, which inevitably come to be a defining characteristic of the individual as they grow up. For example, King Shrewd is cunning and clever, Prince Verity is honest and trustworthy, and Prince Regal is arrogant and proud. |
| 179 | * Very common in ''Literature/TheBible''. Usually given by God, whether at birth or as a rename (and in some cases, at conception). |
| 180 | * ''Literature/AmericanGods'': Shadow. The way the titular American Gods work is as [[spoiler: a lesser copy, or "shadow," if you will, of gods from the Old World. Shadow is American Balder, and Balder is the god of Light.]] |
| 181 | * Deliberately invoked in ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'', where the firstborn daughter in any family is named Eldest. Her sisters and brothers are raised to look to her and told "Listen to Eldest, she'll be Mother Eldest one day". It's halfway a title. If the family gets large enough to split, or Eldest dies, the next eldest sister inherits that title, though not the name. Since there are usually quite a few sisters they are often grouped into the eldest sisters, the middle sisters, and the little sisters, and the oldest surviving sister is not necessarily the natural leader, which makes things extra difficult for her. |
| 182 | * ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'' gives us Alfred. When finally revealing his backstory states his real name is Corren, which means Chosen One in his language. Even though he is [[LastOfHisKind Last of His Kind]], it admits it isn't all that prophetic since every family has at least one child given that name to invoke [[TheChosenOne The Chosen One]]. |
| 183 | * In the ''Literature/TakeshiKovacs'' novel ''Woken Furies'', the revolutionary leader Nadia Makita took the name Quellcrist Falconer centuries before the events of the book. In the setting, "quellcrist" is a sort of plant that [[FromASingleCell regenerates from finely scattered dust]]. [[spoiler: At the very end of the book, it is revealed that Ms. Makita has returned from being DeaderThanDead and taken control of an array of alien {{Kill Sat}}s.]] |
| 184 | * ''Literature/WingsOfFire'': |
| 185 | ** The character Sunny has an idealistic personality. |
| 186 | ** Glory later [[spoiler:becomes queen of the [=RainWings=]]]. |
| 187 | ** [=NightWings=] name all their dragonets this way, like an assassin named Deathbringer or a prophet named Morrowseer. |
| 188 | * In ''[[Literature/TheLeatherstockingTales The Last of the Mohicans]]'', David Gamut is a Puritan church musician. His first name is that of the Biblical king to whom most Psalms are credited, his last name is a musical term (a complete scale). |
| 189 | * In the ''Literature/LaVitaNuova'', Lord Love admits to [[Creator/DanteAlighieri Dante]] that Lady Giovanna was only given that name and her nickname, Primavera, to foreshadow the role she would play in coming before Beatrice on that early spring morning that Dante would see her again. |
| 190 | * ''Literature/AscendanceOfABookworm'': As Myne starts introducing more and more precise tools from modern-day Earth to a world that's still in its medieval period, she ends up working closely with an extremely detail-oriented blacksmith named Johann. Eventually, Myne tasks Johann with making the letter types for a proto-printing press. Now, remember Guntenberg, the inventor of letter types back on Earth? His first name was '''Johann'''es. In-universe, Myne treats the similarity in names as a ContrivedCoincidence. And gives Johann a title when he succeeds in the task. You get zero points for guessing what Myne calls the title. |
| 191 | * In ''Literature/TheSorcerersReceptionist'', King Zerolight's reign is best known for the apocalyptic battle against [[LivingShadow Stadel]] that occurred during that time. Stadel was blocking out the sun, so it could indeed be said there was "zero light". |
| 192 | * 'Literature/{{Buddenbrooks}}'': Dr. Brecht (German for "break it") who ended up being a dentist. |
| 193 | * ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'': Mike Teavee becomes the first person to travel via a TV set. [[GoneHorriblyRight Too bad about the whole shrinking thing...]] |
| 194 | * ''Literature/TheEmpyrean'' character Violet was named decades before [[spoiler:she developed power over lightning. Blinding violet light is the last thing many of her enemies see.]] |
| 195 | * ''Literature/CradleSeries'': Traditionally, the Akura clan has a seer look into a baby's future and name them after the virtue they will most embody. Of course, since this is the AsskickingLeadsToLeadership CrapsackWorld of Cradle, many of their most respected members are named after "virtues" such as Pride, Fury, and their matriarch '''Malice'''. Outside the head family, getting someone to actually peer into the future is rare, so children are just named after virtues without any actual prophecy attached to them. Overall, everyone agrees that Malice naming her daughter Mercy was even more prophetic than usual. Most of the names have a twist to them; Malice is cruel to her enemies in service of protecting humanity, Fury loves battle but is friendly to everyone, Pride has endless pride in his family but is rather dismissive of his own standing, etc. Mercy, however, is from top to bottom and deep into her very soul just a ''nice person''. |
| 196 | -->Mercy was only a baby, still wailing, when Malice looked into her future. She saw her youngest daughter with a broad smile clear even on the dark statues in the World of Night. She healed, she laughed, and she cried for the sake of others.\ |
| 197 | And, in the end, Malice saw her daughter as another light rising over the dark mountains of the Akura clan.\ |
| 198 | Malice leaned back, satisfied, and let her World of Night fade. She looked down to the baby in her arms and named her.\ |
| 199 | She would be a light to complement the shadows. The Mercy to counterbalance the family's Malice.\ |
| 200 | Where the Monarch failed, her daughter would bring joy. |
| 201 | |
| 202 | [[/folder]] |
| 203 | |
| 204 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 205 | * Dr Lazarus in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Lazarus Experiment" seemingly invents a way to rejuvenate humans. LampshadeHanging at one point with the line, "Lazarus, back from the dead. Should've known really." |
| 206 | ** And in "The Fires of Pompeii", Lucius Petrus Dextrus ends up with a stone right arm. |
| 207 | ** Then there's the interstellar cruise liner named after that "most famous Earth vessel", the ''[[TemptingFate Titanic]]''. [[spoiler:Then again, given what the owner plans to do, it was probably his version of a very bad joke.]] |
| 208 | ---> '''The Doctor:''' Did anyone tell you ''why'' it was famous? |
| 209 | ** Planet names in "The Chase": Aridius, which is a desert when we see it, was presumably named while it was still an ocean world, and likewise Mechanus must have been named when the intent was still that the Mechanoids would prepare it for human colonisation, rather than keeping it. The ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' review for the Literature/PastDoctorAdventures novel ''Catastrophea'' refers to "the charming Creator/TerryNation habit of naming planets after what's ''going'' to happen to them". |
| 210 | * ''Series/BabylonFive'' mentions a science ship named the Icarus. The ship gets a bit too daring in its explorations and meets an unfortunate end, [[WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt to the surprise of absolutely no-one]]. |
| 211 | ** Not the only ship in the series with a prophetic name. Sheridan is introduced as the captain of the ''Agamemnon'', [[spoiler: and meets a fate similar to [[Theatre/TheOresteia the Agamemnon of legend]] at the hands of a traitorous wife--although unlike Agamemnon, he came BackFromTheDead.]] |
| 212 | * ''Series/MimpiMetropolitan'': When Bambang, Alan, and Prima decides to start a laundry business, Prima names it "Baper" since the first three letters are also their initials. But "''baper''" is an Indonesian slang for "easily upset" and, as Alan lampshades, their customers quickly abandon them after one bad wash. |
| 213 | * A minor character on ''Series/PushingDaisies'' talks about this trope: "Names are destiny. If you think Dwayne Cloggin ain't gonna grow up to be a plumber, then you just think again." Considering that this show also had a dog-breeder named Hundin and a Buddy Amicus running a rent-a-friend agency, she might be on to something. |
| 214 | * ''Series/{{Sadakatsiz}}'': Bahar's name means spring, which initially is trivial. Then, when she meets her {{Love Interest|s}}, Melih, he says that flowers remind him of her. |
| 215 | * Invoked by ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', when Kramer notes the appropriateness of a library detective called Bookman, and an ice cream man called Cohn (pronounced 'cone'). |
| 216 | * Almost every project or endeavor in the Franchise/StargateVerse is named prophetically. For example, ''Series/StargateSG1''[='=]s Prometheus brought the power of the Asgard to the humans, and was later destroyed by the more powerful Ori, and ''Series/StargateUniverse''[='=]s [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Project]] [[WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt Icarus]] had hoped to use the Stargate to go where no one had gone before, but ended up dying in a gigantic fireball. [[GenreBlindness You'd think they'd catch on by now.]] |
| 217 | ** That said, they didn't name it the ''Prometheus'' until ''after'' they got some Asgard technology to play with, so it was a little less than prophetic, more "appropriate name our classicist scientist came up with"... |
| 218 | * ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this in the "Wizard School" story. |
| 219 | -->'''Alex''': We need to focus on Evilini. I don't know if you know, but she's evil.\ |
| 220 | '''Justin''': No, her ''name's'' Evilini.\ |
| 221 | '''Alex''': And how much cleaner could it be?\ |
| 222 | '''[[WrongGenreSavvy Justin]]''': Okay, if she was really evil, don't you think she would have changed her name to "Really Friendly Ini" or "Nice Ini" or "Totally Not Evilini"? |
| 223 | ** And again, in the episode "My Tutor, Tutor": |
| 224 | -->'''Harper''': So she's a tutor named "Tutor". Isn't that weird? |
| 225 | -->'''Alex''': Well, no, not in the wizard world at least. A lot of people name their kids what they want them to grow up to be, but sometimes it doesn't really work out. My dad goes to a doctor named "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Butcher]]". |
| 226 | * ''Franchise/StarTrek'': |
| 227 | ** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "Conundrum", we're introduced to Commander [=MacDuff=], who we eventually learn [[Theatre/{{Macbeth}} "is not of woman born."]] |
| 228 | ** The titular ship on ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' found herself 70,000 light years from home with quite the, erm, ''voyage'' ahead of her. |
| 229 | * In ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'', a character nicknamed Jimmy the Rat is a mob informant. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Castle, naturally. |
| 230 | * ''Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}'': |
| 231 | ** Season 3 of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' has a BadassNormal man whose surname was Holtz (meaning wood) seeking revenge on a [[HeelFaceTurn formerly evil]] vampire who murdered his family. He was able to capture and harm said vampire, but was never able to kill him and later stopped trying to. Season 7 of ''Buffy,'' a year later, has a man whose actual surname ''is'' Wood; if you make the connection, you can guess what he turned out to be. |
| 232 | ** Scott Hope in Season 3 of ''Buffy''. Now, if only his first name were Dash... |
| 233 | ** Spike's name when he was human was William Pratt. "Pratt" = "idiot" in English parlance. |
| 234 | ** Faith. You can take this from several view-points. For instance, her sponsorship by Angel, or (in the comic series) Faith's loyalty to him. |
| 235 | *** After all, Faith manages. |
| 236 | * ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith Lilith]]. If you have a little information on that name, a lot of jokes about the character become a lot more understandable. |
| 237 | * Ash in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' dies in a fire, and only his badly charred remains are found. |
| 238 | * Ripcon in ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaSteel'' is framed for sending a robot condemning him to the Rangers' hands. Guess what each syllable is synonymous with? |
| 239 | [[/folder]] |
| 240 | |
| 241 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 242 | * In the late 70s, Australia's Mushroom Records decided to start a punk label, which they branded "Suicide Records". It was a huge financial disaster that ended up being very short-lived. |
| 243 | [[/folder]] |
| 244 | |
| 245 | [[folder:Pro Wrestling]] |
| 246 | * Mohammad Yone named his Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH PowerStable "Disobey". No one was surprised when Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Genba Hirayanagi and Wrestling/KentaKobayashi overthrew him as leader and renamed the group "No Mercy". |
| 247 | [[/folder]] |
| 248 | |
| 249 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 250 | * Just about every single named character in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. |
| 251 | ** Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels (who suffer from a debilitating bloodthirst), Konrad Kurze (had the gift/curse of foresight, eventually turned traitor), Angron, Primarch of the World Eaters, (who are, to a man, AxCrazy [[TheBerserker Berserker]] {{Blood Knight}}s with UnstoppableRage), Mortarion the Primarch of the Death Guard (and its current leader Typhus) devoted to the disease god Nurgle. |
| 252 | ** The Space Wolves in particular stand out: a GuileHero named Lokas ([[TheTrickster Loki]]), Canis Wolfborn (RaisedByWolves)... |
| 253 | ** Kharn the Betrayer (also of the World Eaters) has a multiple one: not only is his name similar to his profession of carnage, it's also similar to the Arabic for traitor (he got the nickname when both his legion and the enemy preferred to find shelter than keep fighting. Kharn found this lack of moral fibre so reprehensible he started running around with a flamer and torching every shelter and SpaceMarine in sight). |
| 254 | ** Averted with Literature/CiaphasCain: despite a double dose of BiblicalBadGuy names (the priest who demanded Jesus' death and the first murderer), the worst he's ever done is built a reputation of valor and courage he claims to be entirely fraudulent. However, every time he's taken what looked like the easy way out directly leads to victory (discovering an enemy plot or entrance into the Imperial's base), and when the chips are down he always fights. And he's one of the few straight-up heroes to be found in the 40K 'verse. |
| 255 | [[/folder]] |
| 256 | |
| 257 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 258 | * Combining this with PunnyName, Nick ''Bottom'' of ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'' gets his head turned into that of a donkey, or alternatively, an ''ass''. |
| 259 | * Deianira. Means "husband slayer". This is pretty much what happens in ''Theatre/TheTrachiniae''. |
| 260 | [[/folder]] |
| 261 | |
| 262 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 263 | * Sephiroth, of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' fame. Made out of the ten sephirot (the plural of the Hebrew "sephira"), the Sephiroticum in Kabbalah is the Path of God, and that is precisely what Sephiroth is seeking in the game. |
| 264 | ** The prequel game ''VideoGame/CrisisCore: Final Fantasy VII'' introduces Angeal. He starts the game as a somewhat benevolent figure, and as the story progresses, he manages to become even more angelic. |
| 265 | ** And let's not even get started on Genesis Rhapsodos. |
| 266 | * A recurring theme in ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault''. Among the most obvious examples are the courageous Braev Lee, the amnesiac Ringabel and the creepy Ominas Crowe. There are many, ''many'' more. |
| 267 | * Furiae in ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'', a MeaningfulName which is also another name for the Greek Furies, female personifications of vengeance. The Furies in Greek mythology were winged, monstrous women. [[spoiler: Furiae, when placed inside a Seed of Resurrection, becomes exactly this. A thousand times over, in fact.]] It works even better if you think of the word "Furiae" as a sort of Latinate plural replacement for "Furies." |
| 268 | ** Caim could also count, as his name is a Gaelic pronunciation of Cain, and in any of the story lines you [[spoiler: have to fight/kill Inuart]]. Sure, he's not Caim's brother in the biological sense, but he was one of the few people Caim didn't [[AxCrazy want to make into a bloody mess, which is saying something.]] |
| 269 | * Honestly, what did Doctor Light EXPECT when he [[Videogame/MegaMan3 decided to work]] with someone named Dr. WILY?! |
| 270 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Loom}}'', Bobbin's mother Cygna was turned into a swan after he was born. Cygna is latin for swan. |
| 271 | * Lenny the lyrebird of ''VideoGame/TyTheTasmanianTiger''. ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. |
| 272 | * In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', the protagonist has the code name of Naked Snake. He meets up with a woman named EVA. According to a specific dialogue in the game, [[spoiler: the first spy in history was the Snake that tempted Eve in the Bible. However, the exact opposite happens in the ending, with Snake being used by EVA]]. |
| 273 | * Subverted in ''VideoGame/HiddenAgenda1988''. Colonel Horatio Ehrlich is ''anything but'' honest. |
| 274 | * "Valiant Servant" (Shirou) and "Guardian Shrine" (Emiya.) to directly steal the quote from the ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' page. Clearly it's his name and not the fire or being saved by Kiritsugu that made him who he is. |
| 275 | * Done retroactively for the message-scrawling "Rat Man" of ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''; the cryptic promotional teasers for ''VideoGame/Portal2'' reveal that his real name was "Doug Rattmann". |
| 276 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', the Protoss praetor Fenix "dies" and then is "reborn" as a dragoon. His name is obviously derived from the legendary phoenix, which is reborn from its ashes after it dies. |
| 277 | * Staggering numbers of {{N|onPlayerCharacter}}PCs in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' have names which just happen to relate to their profession, role, or demeanor. |
| 278 | ** Unintentionally done with Genn Greymane, who was named long before the Worgen had even been invented. |
| 279 | * ''VideoGame/BeyondTheBeyond'' has a playable character named Samson, who possesses superhuman strength just like his [[Literature/TheBible biblical]] namesake. No donkey jaws, though; this Samson prefers to kick ass with an axe. |
| 280 | * ''VideoGame/The7thSaga'' contains an advanced civilization which is an {{Atlantis}} corollary. Guess what happens to the civilization when it tries to hook up its energy source to the Dark World? (Maybe they would have had better luck if '''Dr. Fail''' hadn't been in charge of the project...) |
| 281 | * Jason Bright in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' is a Glowing One, a ghoul that [[SicklyGreenGlow glows brightly with radiation]]. You'd think he adopted the name on purpose, but no, it's his real name from before ghoulification. He took this as a sign that he was chosen by a higher power to do great things. |
| 282 | * In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', it turns out that TheNightThatNeverEnds can only be cured by [[spoiler:the death of a guy who just so happens to be named Noctis (the Latin word for 'night'). More specifically, his name is ''supposed'' to mean "Light of the Night Sky", or it would if the GratuitousLatin wasn't so hilariously butchered]]. |
| 283 | * This is a recurring theme in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' where almost every character's name is a pun related to their job, their personality or that can serve as foreshadowing for the various court cases the player has to defend. Thus, we end up with lawyers with names such as Apollo ''Justice'', a [[GratuitousGerman gratuitously German]] musician prosecutor named ''Klavier'' Gavin (except he plays guitar, not piano) and a tour guide named... Ahlbi Ur'gaid. |
| 284 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' character Diana Burnwood directs assassins (hunters of men) for a living, and her family was killed by a car bomb that scorched the surrounding trees. In ''Absolution'', she could be said to have burned her bridges with [[ResignationsNotAccepted the ICA]]. |
| 285 | * In ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', the Eclipse cult named themselves that because they wanted to usurp a Sun-King. That's not the prophetic part, though. What ''is'' is that the war against them [[EnemyMine brought together]] a kingdom of sun-worshippers and a tribe of [[EarthMother earth-worshippers]]. There was indeed a symbolic eclipse, but it was lunar, not solar. |
| 286 | * ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'': Honestly, when your son is named after both Cole Younger and Butch Cassidy, two of TheWildWest's most infamous {{Outlaw}}s, don't be surprised if he eventually ends up in the same profession as them. Even if he did [[ReformedCriminal go straight later]]. |
| 287 | * In the [[https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/598336 flash game]] ''Zelda the Welder'', the titular Zelda and her siblings have names that rhyme with their occupation due to their parents being rhyming soothsayers. The others are Borris the florist, Violet the pilot, Jeff the chef, and Chris the policy analyst. |
| 288 | * ''Videogame/HonkaiImpact3rd:'' |
| 289 | ** Raiden Mei's last name is taken from another name of Raijin, the Japanese GodOfThunder - and she is the Herrscher of Thunder, one who's empowered by the "Honkai" to be one of their "agents" with the capability of wielding natural phenomena, thunder in her case. |
| 290 | ** In the "Previous Era", Dr. MEI created a super AI named "Prometheus", the titan who stole the primordial flame of the gods and gave them to humanity. She ended up being [[spoiler:the "Will of Honkai", sent to "hack" into the Honkai to ensure that they will produce the same Herrschers for the current era with the hopes of its people triumphing over the Herrschers]]. |
| 291 | [[/folder]] |
| 292 | |
| 293 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 294 | * In ''WebAnimation/ReynaldoTheAssassin'', there is a man named Captain Pirate. |
| 295 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' has Bubs, who runs Bubs' Concession Stand. It eventually turned out that his full name was actually Bubs Concession Stand. |
| 296 | * ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': |
| 297 | ** Nora Valkyrie is an ActionGirl and, [[GeniusBonus yes,]] a little bit of a BloodKnight. It's also revealed that her Semblance (read: superpower) is [[ShockAndAwe turning electrical energy]] into SuperStrength. |
| 298 | ** Pyrrha Nikos' name can be translated as "PyrrhicVictory"... [[spoiler:which is how she dies]]. |
| 299 | ** {{Lampshaded}} in Volume 5 by Raven on Cinder Fall's last name, saying that it's just so appropriate for a [[spoiler:Fall Maiden]] that she suspects Cinder chose it herself. |
| 300 | ** Similarly to Cinder, [[spoiler:Ironwood tries to set up circumstances so that Winter will inherit the powers of the Winter Maiden when the current one dies.]] |
| 301 | * Wow, Jake Harrier from ''Webanimation/MagicalBorderPatrol'' took on the ability of magical sight! Never would have guessed it from a kid whose name means "Supplant Hawk Species". |
| 302 | [[/folder]] |
| 303 | |
| 304 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 305 | * One page of ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'' portrays [[Franchise/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]] insisting that his defense record is based on [[https://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/whats-in-a-name building trust with the client]]... while he's [[ExploitedTrope actually cherry-picking his clients based on whether their names indicate that they are trustworthy]]. |
| 306 | * Justified (ish) in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', where sometimes people get specific magical abilities ''because'' it fits their name. [[http://egscomics.com/comic/qa8-14 There are rules though]]. |
| 307 | * ''Webcomic/FlintlockesGuideToAzeroth'': |
| 308 | ---> '''With a name like "Westfall" we were setting that place up for failure. |
| 309 | ** Luckily they have Fort Pwned to fall back on. |
| 310 | * Poor Officer Getskilled in ''Webcomic/{{Girly}}'' spends his first story arc with a narrative bullseye painted on his back. To everyone's surprise, he survives that arc, and most of the comic, until he [[TakingTheBullet Takes The Bullet]] in a HeroicSacrifice -- only to be rescued out of the blue by an immortal man who whisks him off to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence a higher plane of existence]]. |
| 311 | * In ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', the goblins are all named by their tribe's fortune teller. |
| 312 | ** While this isn't so bad for Chief, Big Ears, or even [[LampshadeHanging Complains-of-Names]], you have to feel sorry for poor Dies-Horribly. And of course, Young-and-Beautiful got to name herself, even though she... well, isn't. |
| 313 | ** And then you have names where the fortune teller clearly wasn't even trying, such as Go-Away-I-Have-A-Headache and Stop-The-Ceremony-I-Swallowed-A-Bug. |
| 314 | ** Played with in the case of Saves-A-Fox, who decided to ScrewDestiny and kill the fox she was prophesied to save. [[spoiler:Dies-Horribly later reveals that from her description of the fox, it was probably suffering from an illness that sounds similar to rabies, so in a sense she [[MercyKill saved it]] from a slow and painful death.]] |
| 315 | * Reigen Arataka from ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'', who works as a (fake) exorcist and whose surname translates to “spirit phantom”. |
| 316 | * [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0018.html The chimera Trigak]] from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' could be interpreted this way since his name could be taken to mean "three 'gak's". Belkar fulfills the prophecy in the second panel [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0021.html three strips later]]. |
| 317 | * The prophetic names in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' usually hint at the sound effects of their bearers' demises: [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20100927 Squishbug McPiñata]][[note]]skull burst by his equally appropriately named business rival Crushestro[[/note]], [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20141022 Bob Voooshsplat]][[note]]shot with a bazooka[[/note]], and [[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20060813 Chief Kulsplat]][[note]]knocked onto spikes from above[[/note]]. |
| 318 | ---> '''Nohidjot''': His name was the very prophesy itself! All hail the prophesy! |
| 319 | * In ''Webcomic/YetAnotherFantasyGamerComic'', [[http://yafgc.net/comic/2332-lightheaded/ the ghost of Sir Nedworth de Tete]] introduces himself, indicating that he had that name as a living adventurer, and thus before he became a disembodied ''head''. |
| 320 | [[/folder]] |
| 321 | |
| 322 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 323 | * ''WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum'': |
| 324 | ** Subverted in the mission "Ow, Ow, and Ow Again": |
| 325 | --->'''Suicide:''' I once knew an agent named [[KillerRabbit FluffyKitten]], and by the Gods she could use a machete! |
| 326 | ** Also played straight throughout. Makes-Things was the Korean technological genius who invented a number of useful items allowing the Agents to go about their duties. He was given this name by the Flowers, who were unable to pronounce his correct name. His assistant and later replacement Techno-Dann may also fit this trope. |
| 327 | * Every. Single. Person in ''WebOriginal/AstoundinglyUnoriginalAdventure''. Just listen: We've got PROTAGONIST, PROTAGONIST'S MOTHER, LOVE INTEREST, FRIENEMY RIVAL, COMIC RELIEF... |
| 328 | ** Subverted with MINDLESS GOON, who seems pretty nice and is actually smart enough to not tick off BITTER CYNIC. |
| 329 | ** Possibly subverted with [[spoiler: MAIN ANTAGONIST, who doesn't seem very much like a villain. He complains that nobody wants to get near him because of his name (and accent?) and offers BC and LI some soup.]] |
| 330 | * ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' has a guy named Andrew ''Richter'' who dies due to undersea earthquakes destroying the island he lived on. |
| 331 | [[/folder]] |
| 332 | |
| 333 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 334 | * Petty Officer John Deadman (Alasdair Beckett-King) records the minor setbacks suffered by Project Hubris in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GpCU76kIRY this video]] on Website/YouTube. Funnily enough, it's a {{Parody}} ApocalypticLog. |
| 335 | * Linkara has made this observation several times on ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'': "If your name means anything, you will become a supervillain." |
| 336 | * WebVideo/RyanGeorge's characters usually [[NoNameGiven don't have names,]] but when they do they have a tendency to fall into this. In "old town road remixes are getting out of hand" he plays Jonathan Lawyer - [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Lawyer at Law]] and in "The first guy to ever make a commercial he plays "Frederick Noisemaker" who makes noises on TV and "Michael Pickleseller" who sells pickles. [[EpilepticTrees some theorize that all his sketches take place in the same universe,]] and if you accept that theory "The first guy to ever have a name" [[FridgeLogic would imply that these people came up with their names themselves.]] |
| 337 | [[/folder]] |
| 338 | |
| 339 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 340 | * Invoked for a gag in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' where Cletus the Yokel comments; |
| 341 | -->"We named her Mary because we knew she'd git married, we name all our kids whut we thinks' gonna happen to 'em. Ain't that right, Stabbed-In-Jail?"\ |
| 342 | "We'll see who does the stabbing." |
| 343 | * On ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', Timmy's parents were nicknamed Mom and Dad as children. This was done basically as TheUnReveal to their real names. |
| 344 | * ''WesternAnimation/InchHighPrivateEye''. Inch wasn't a nickname. |
| 345 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheSylvesterAndTweetyMysteries'' it was revealed that Granny was always called Granny. |
| 346 | * ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'''s Ms. Choksondik. Guess how she dies. Go on, guess. ([[spoiler:Sound it out]]) [[SubvertedTrope But the newscaster said her death didn't have anything to do with the... "evidence" found in her stomach]]. |
| 347 | * ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': |
| 348 | ** In the Franchise/TransformersAlignedUniverse, Megatron is named (in-universe) after Megatronus, the Transformer equivalent of Judas, and had that name ''before'' he became a villain. |
| 349 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': Wasp got his name from his "stingers", but the name takes on a new meaning when he gets mutated into a half-wasp/half-bot creature. |
| 350 | ** ''Anime/TransformersCybertron'': Overhaul, who gets a MidSeasonUpgrade into Leobreaker. |
| 351 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Pony names tends to correspond to their personality/special talent, even though they're named before their personality and talents would be apparent. |
| 352 | ** Twilight Sparkle, the main protagonist, becomes a princess alongside Celestia (Equestria's daytime ruler) and Luna ("Princess of the Night"). |
| 353 | ** The Cakes name one of their newborn babies Pound Cake. Guess what he proves to have a troublesome habit of doing to things once he comes home from the hospital? Hint: It's not caking things. |
| 354 | ** It's indicated that some ponies rename themselves after finding their talents or marrying, as Mrs. Cake has a discussion with Applebloom about being confused about her career path when she was younger; when Applebloom quips "Weren't you always Mrs. Cake?", she responds that her name was originally Chiffon Swirl. Though the name Chiffon Swirl itself ''also'' points to baking/cake decorating, [[VoodooShark which only raises further questions about why she would have changed it]]. |
| 355 | * ''Anime/SpeedRacer''. Yes, that's actually his given name. Also his brother Rex, aka Racer X. |
| 356 | * In ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' and ''Gadget and the Gadgetinits'', Gadget actually is the hero's last name. |
| 357 | * ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': |
| 358 | ** During the Riddler's StartOfDarkness episode, Batman lampshades this trope when Edward Nigma reveals his new identity, asking him if it's meant to be a joke. |
| 359 | ** The Clock King's real name, ''Temple Fugate'' sounds a lot like ''Tempus Fugit'' ([[GratuitousLatin Latin for 'Time Flies']]). |
| 360 | ** Then there's [[AnIcePerson Victor Fries]]. It's pronounced "freeze," though admittedly the spelling implies [[PlayingWithFire the opposite]]. |
| 361 | * From ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'', an inventor named Cyrus Borg. Guess his specialty. He even ''lampshades'' this trope by joking that when his parents named him, his career choice was set. |
| 362 | * In the world of ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'', children are expected to grow up and live out the fairy tale roles of their parents, no questions asked, so naming them after their destinies is the norm. The daughter of Snow White is Apple, the son of the Frog Prince is Hopper, the daughter of Little Red Riding Hood is Cerise, etc. |
| 363 | * A meta example regarding the name of a series: the title of [[Creator/CartoonNetwork Cartoons Network's]] ''WesternAnimation/WhateverHappenedToRobotJones'' became this after the series was cancelled and fell into obscurity. Now fans of the show are wondering the titular question. |
| 364 | * ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': The show's title itself in a meta variation. At first, it just seems like a normal ThePlace title (Gravity Falls is the name of the quirky and odd Oregon town), but gains another level of meaning when [[spoiler:in [[WhamEpisode "Not What He Seems"]], the portal starts to cause [[GravityScrew gravity anomalies]] that perpetually grow stronger and affect the entire town.]] |
| 365 | * In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', the character Mari''net''te is a seamstress (although she stitches clothes together, not nets). She also establishes a "net" of cooperating superheroes across the world. |
| 366 | * ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'': The main RunningGag with [[BigBad Chip Whistler]] is that, whenever he appears, he is almost bound to chip his tooth (or some variation thereof) near the end of the episode. With his chipped tooth, he makes a whistling noise whenever he talks. |
| 367 | * In ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'', Brandon's name translates to "prince" (in Celtic, at least), although he has no royal blood. As time progresses, it could refer to his [[PrinceCharming noble personality]] or [[spoiler:marriage to Stella, the crown princess of Solaria]]. |
| 368 | [[/folder]] |
| 369 | |
| 370 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 371 | * Formula 1 and NASCAR driver [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Speed Scott Speed]]. 20 years earlier, the unrelated NASCAR driver Lake Speed. |
| 372 | * A tragic example in Edward Glenn Roberts, Jr., a successful NASCAR driver in the 1950s who has always been known exclusively by his nickname "Fireball" Roberts. He earned the nickname from the speed of his college baseball pitch, but died in 1964 [[WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt of third-degree burns]] suffered in a terrible crash. |
| 373 | * A real-life "subversion" -- one Archbishop of Manila (served 1974-2003) was called Jaime Sin; he was created a Cardinal in 1976, leaving him as "Jaime Cardinal Sin" or simply "Cardinal Sin" (which is even funnier). He recognized the humor, and often joked to his guests at the Archbishop's residence by greeting them, "Welcome to the House of Sin." |
| 374 | * [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_vos_Savant Marilyn vos Savant]], a woman listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under "[[ImprobablyHighIQ Highest IQ]]". She was born Marilyn March ([[ItRunsInTheFamily she is a descendant of Ernst Mach, by the way]]), but her mother's maiden name was Marina vos Savant. |
| 375 | * '''D'''avid '''Ten'''nant, playing the '''Ten'''th '''D'''octor in ''Series/DoctorWho''. |
| 376 | * There's a Finnish meteorologist named Pekka Pouta. "Pouta" is Finnish for fair weather. |
| 377 | ** Meteorologist Dr. Frank Field named his son "Storm." Storm Field later became ... a meteorologist. |
| 378 | * There's also a botanist called Aarno Kasvi. "Kasvi", of course, is Finnish for "plant". |
| 379 | * Poker player and World Series of Poker champion Chris Moneymaker. |
| 380 | * Professional ad-man Creator/VinceOffer. Except that's just a {{Stage Name|s}}... "Offer" is actually his real ''first'' name. |
| 381 | * Ernest Fehr, an economist known for doing experimental work on notions of fairness. |
| 382 | * Try this one: Sir Francis Hole, who was a pedologist.. meaning a soil scientist who specialized in soil layers as defined by pedons... which are holes dug in the ground. And ecologist Gene Likens (pronounced like 'lichens'). |
| 383 | * The 100m/200m/4x100m Olympic champion in 2008: Usain ''Bolt''. |
| 384 | * The ''New Scientist'' article which coined the term "Nominative Determinism" cites some fine examples from the world of academia: |
| 385 | ** A book about the polar regions by Daniel Snowman. |
| 386 | ** A book about the London Underground by Richard Trench (and others.) |
| 387 | ** An article on incontinence in the British Journal of Urology penned by Splatt and Weedon. |
| 388 | ** Numerous accounts of geologists named Stone, Rock, Shale and the like. |
| 389 | * Satirical singer Music/TomLehrer is also a teacher. Lehrer is German for "teacher". |
| 390 | * US Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. |
| 391 | * White House spokesman during the Reagan administration, Larry Speakes. |
| 392 | * Wolfgang Wolf, former manager of German football team [=VfL=] Wolfsburg |
| 393 | * Arsène Wenger, who was manager of Arsenal FC from 1996–2018. |
| 394 | * Hannes Halldórsson, Icelandic football player who ended up being a goalkeeper. |
| 395 | * Fabian Nürnberger, a Hamburg-born German football player who later transferred to... Nürnberg. |
| 396 | * Lord (Igor) Judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. |
| 397 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Brain,_1st_Baron_Brain Dr. Sir Walter Russell Brain, 1st Baron Brain of Eynsham]] was a prominent neurologist, president of the Royal College of Physicians and editor of the neurology journal ''Brain''. One of his frequent collaborators was a certain Dr. Henry Head. |
| 398 | * Derek and Dale Kickett, Australian Rules football players. |
| 399 | * And of course, the poet William Wordsworth. |
| 400 | * In the special features of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', Sean Astin discusses his fascination that the man assigned to work on his hobbit foot prosthetics was named Sean Foot. |
| 401 | * During the Interwar period, there was a left-wing Marxist group in Germany who tried to make revolution, called the Spartacist League after the famous leader of a slave rebellion in the Roman Republic. Take a guess why that name was not a very lucky one. HINT: both rebellions were defeated. |
| 402 | * UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle was elected French president in 1958 and took the oath of office in January 1959, serving until 1969. France covers most of ancient Gaul. |
| 403 | * On ''Series/TouchedByAnAngel'', Andrew the Angel of Death was played by actor John Dye (a homonym, but still...) |
| 404 | * Professional boxer Tyson Fury. Need one say more? Well, ''yeah'': as of this writing (August 2023), he's 33–0–1 with 24 knockouts, is generally considered the lineal heavyweight champion, holds the WBC heavyweight title, and has previously held all of the other major title belts. Pretty close to his namesake, wouldn't you say? |
| 405 | * Karin Slaughter writes thrillers and murder mysteries. And actor Tod Slaughter specialized in {{Melodrama}} villains. |
| 406 | * Why was anyone surprised when Bernie Madoff "made off" with all the money? |
| 407 | * A bit of a stretch, but Derek Poundstone, one of the World's Strongest Men and only other person to lift the fabled Cyr Stone, could qualify. |
| 408 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_Mitford Unity Valkyrie Mitford]]. Of course she ended up a Nazi. |
| 409 | %%* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson Jack Robinson]] is a very good name for a Major League Baseball player.[[note]]As an aside, a surprisingly large number of baseball greats have the last name "Robinson" and are not related to each other. Two, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson, shared space on the World Series-winning 1970 Baltimore Orioles. It's only about the 20th most common last name in America.[[/note]] |
| 410 | * The Vancouver Sun Run was won by an African-born runner named Kip geo. |
| 411 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tory John Tory]], leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. |
| 412 | * Jimmy '''Riddle''' Hoffa, best known these days for the mystery of his demise. |
| 413 | * Is it any wonder that [[Creator/MarkHamill M]]'''[[BedlamHouse ark Ham]]'''[[Creator/MarkHamill ill]] would be the one to give what many consider to be ''the'' definitive performance of ComicBook/TheJoker, given the character's link to Arkham Asylum. |
| 414 | * Reversed: Thilo Sarrazin is a German politician who [[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/political-bookworm/2010/08/german_politicians_new_book_ab.html wrote a book]][[note]] (''Deutschland schafft sich ab'', translating to ''Germany Abolishes Itself'')[[/note]] where he rants about Muslims in Europe. ''Saracene'', get it? |
| 415 | * Dr. Helen Patience Dodgson (maiden name Uprichard). A female doctor during World War II who preferred to be called by her middle name must have found it annoying to hear people talking about their patients. |
| 416 | * Anthony Weiner was a New York representative until he was caught tweeting pics of his groin in 2011 and was forced to resign, although in April 2013, he announced he was going to run for mayor of UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, only to get caught again three months later. |
| 417 | * The inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham ''Bell''. |
| 418 | * Magnús Ver Magnússon, which translates to "Big Guy, son of Big Guy, who was the son of another Big Guy", has won the World's Strongest Man competition four times, second only to Mariusz Pudzianowski (five). |
| 419 | * The understudy-turned-main performer for [[Series/SesameStreet Big Bird]] is named Matt Vogel, "Vogel" being German for "bird". Former performer Carroll Spinney took that as a good sign. |
| 420 | * Thomas Crapper, a famed plumber who improved upon the flush toilet, but did not invent it as is commonly believed. His company was a leading manufacturer of toilets in his time and he received several royal warrants for the quality of his work. |
| 421 | * In the 2012 election for the Australian state of Queensland, in the seat of Lytton, the Katter's Australian Party candidate was named Jim Vote. His name appeared on the ballot as "VOTE, Jim". [[SubvertedTrope He didn't win.]] |
| 422 | * Creator/SamanthaBond played Moneypenny in the Creator/PierceBrosnan ''Film/JamesBond'' films. |
| 423 | * UsefulNotes/AmeliaEarhart (pronounced the same as "air heart") was one of the most famous aviators of all time. |
| 424 | * TV news reporter Amelia Rose Earhart is also an avid aviator. She is not related to Amelia Earhart. |
| 425 | * The director of ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' is named Marc ''Webb''. |
| 426 | * Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a devout Roman Catholic, and at one point was training to become a priest (but never actually became one). He also at one point served in the same Cabinet as a man named Peter Costello. |
| 427 | * [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_Rights_Gist States Rights Gist]] fought for the South in the UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, a conflict many southerners have argued was about "states' rights" rather than slavery. |
| 428 | * French socialist leader and pacifist Jean Jaurès was murdered by a nationalist student called Raoul ''Villain''. |
| 429 | * The Great Lakes freighter ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' was the pride of the North American Great Lakes shipping fleet and was fairly larger than others, earning herself the nickname "''[[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic Titanic]]'' of the Great Lakes." She eventually became the most famous shipwreck on Lake Superior, especially after Music/GordonLightfoot's massive hit song about her. |
| 430 | * The President of Creator/{{Nintendo}} of America is named Doug '''[[Characters/SuperMarioBrosBowser Bowser]]'''. Yes, like one of Nintendo's most iconic villains. Apparently he makes an effort to live up to his namesake, as shown by the [[https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/601168035257397249 tied-up Mario and Luigi plushies here]]. His predecessor Reggie Fils-Aime had this to say when announcing his retirement: |
| 431 | -->'''Reggie:''' With a name like "Bowser", [[TemptingFate who better to trust with the keys to Nintendo's castle]]? |
| 432 | ** In much the same vein, and perhaps more apropos, the leader of a group which sold illegal cheat-enabling devices for the Nintendo Switch, who received a jail sentence as a result, is named Gary Bowser (no relation). |
| 433 | * Stephen Ireland, who played for several English Premier League teams before his 2018 retirement, also played for the Republic of Ireland national team. |
| 434 | * There's a football joke that goes: "Life would be awesome if David Villa played for Aston Villa, Antonio Valencia played for Valencia, and Danny Shittu played for [[spoiler:Liverpool (or any team hated by the person telling the joke).]]" |
| 435 | * Homer Bailey, who spent most of his Major League Baseball pitching career with the Cincinnati Reds, had the misfortune of playing in a very hitter-friendly ballpark while with in Cincinnati. |
| 436 | * Zephyr ''Teachout'' is a law professor, whose father was also a law professor. |
| 437 | * Zak Penn, a notable screen''writer''. |
| 438 | * [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38526255 Ervil LeBaron]] behaved like a stereotypical evil baron. |
| 439 | * Comic book artist Skottie ''Young'' does variant covers of Creator/MarvelComics characters as babies. |
| 440 | * Lonzo ''Ball'' has played for three NBA teams, currently for the Chicago Bulls. His next-younger brother [=LiAngelo=] has yet to crack the NBA (currently in its minor league, the G League), and youngest brother [=LaMelo=] currently plays for the Charlotte Hornets. |
| 441 | * Widely considered the greatest (North American) racehorse of all time (with the possible exception of Film/{{Secretariat}}), Man o' War was defeated only once in his career, by a horse named Upset. |
| 442 | * One of the production designers on [=AMC=]'s ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' is Graham "Grace" [[NotUsingTheZWord Walker]]. |
| 443 | * Disney used to have a music producer named Literature/{{Bambi}} Moé. |
| 444 | * Basketball player Johnny High was involved in a major drug scandal while a member of the Phoenix Suns. |
| 445 | * Australian tennis player Margaret Court is widely regarded as one of the best women's players of all time. One of the courts at the Melbourne Tennis Center is known as Margaret Court Arena in her honor. |
| 446 | * Josh Outman was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 2008-2004. For a while, he was teammates on the Tampa Bay Rays with fellow pitcher [[InvertedTrope Grant Balfour]]. |
| 447 | * Famed MMA coach Mike Winkeljohn was nicknamed "Wink" ''before'' a training accident blinded him in one eye. |
| 448 | * Lucas Valley, west of San Rafael, California, was named for 19th century rancher John Lucas, who first settled the area. Its big claim to fame today? It's the location of another ranch built by another man named [[Creator/GeorgeLucas Lucas]]: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skywalker_Ranch Skywalker Ranch]]. |
| 449 | * Prolific writer Francine Prose. |
| 450 | * Scaramouche was a stock CommediaDellArte character who was usually portrayed as a mischief-making servant, who loved to pick fights (his Italian name literally meant "little skirmisher"), but whose exaggerated braggadocio was comically undercut by his cowardice. He was generally unreliable and unscrupulous. In 2017, when Creator/DonaldTrump hired Anthony Scaramucci as his White House Communications Director, internet wags initially picked up on the similarity of his name to a line in [[Music/{{Queen}} "Bohemian Rhapsody"]]. But as his colorful, impulsive personality turned his Washington tenure into more and more of a train wreck, until he resigned after just 10 days, people started noticing the resemblance to his namesake. |
| 451 | * Creator/ColumbiaRecords, [[Creator/{{CBS}} Columbia Broadcasting System]], Creator/ColumbiaPictures and the [[Creator/EMIColumbiaRecords Columbia Records label]] in Britain all began as separate entities, but they've all become intertwined in various ways over the years. Columbia Records, which dates all the way back to 1887, actually helped found CBS in 1927, but sold its ownership share early on. Then, in 1938, CBS turned around and bought Columbia Records. In TheEighties, CBS formally partnered with Columbia Pictures with the launch of Creator/TriStarPictures, before backing out after a few years. CBS still does business with Columbia Pictures in the TV syndication market. Meanwhile, in TheEighties, Creator/{{Sony}} bought both Columbia Pictures and Columbia Records. After that Sony also acquired the Columbia record label trademark in the UK and Europe from Creator/{{EMI}}. It should also be noted that Sony already distributed Columbia Records in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}, where it was called CBS/Sony because of the pre-existing Nippon Columbia label, yet another spinoff of the original company. (It's now known as Sony Music.) |
| 452 | * Bob Flowerdew is a regular panel member on the BBC's Gardener's Question Time. |
| 453 | * Rick Monday played 19 UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball seasons, but his career highlight came when he hit the winning home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 5th and final game of the 1981 National League Championship Series against the Montreal Expos. The game was indeed played on a Monday.[[note]]This was his highlight as a player. He may be even more famous for a 1976 incident when he grabbed an American flag away from a father-and-son duo who had invaded the field at Dodger Stadium and were preparing to burn it. In a subversion, ''that'' incident happened on a Sunday.[[/note]] |
| 454 | * Surfing champion Layne '''Beach'''ley. |
| 455 | * Music/ThreeInchesOfBlood vocalist Cam '''Pipes'''. |
| 456 | * Washington, one of the first two states to legalize recreational marijuana use, has had a town named Tokeland since the end of the 19th century, though it, and nearby Point Toke, were named after a native chief. |
| 457 | * When your name is Maples and you live in a state like Oregon where lumber is a major industry, it almost seems like destiny that you'd eventually get into the tree-cutting business, and indeed the Maples family got wealthy from the logging industry. One of its members, Roscoe Maples, donated a bunch of money to Stanford University and its basketball arena (i.e., a building that centers on a hardwood floor) is called Maples Pavilion in his honor. |
| 458 | * Gary ''[[UsefulNotes/OldBritishMoney Shilling]]'' is a noted financial analyst - unfortunately, he's American, not British. |
| 459 | * Retired '''baseball''' player Cecil '''Fielder'''. And his son, Prince '''Fielder''', ''also'' a retired baseball player. |
| 460 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Trickey Ken Trickey]], a basketball coach known for his uptempo, razzle-dazzle offense that was indeed tricky to defend. |
| 461 | * Actress Creator/FlorencePugh, whose name derives from the Latin ''florens'' meaning blossoming, played Dani in ''Film/{{Midsommar}}'', where she became the May Queen and ended up covered in flowers. |
| 462 | * [[UsefulNotes/AlanTuring Alan]] '''[[UsefulNotes/AlanTuring Math]]'''[[UsefulNotes/AlanTuring ison Turing]], British ''mathematician'' and computer scientist, who famously broke the Enigma code and invented the TuringTest. |
| 463 | * During a petrol (gasoline) shortage in the UK in 2021, the BBC sent a reporter named '''Phil [=McCann=]''' to cover the story, to [[https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/25/whats-in-a-name-phil-mccann-lightens-the-nations-mood the amusement of the public.]] |
| 464 | * Music/TheCalling, known for their 2001 hit "Wherever You Will Go", are fronted by Alex Band. |
| 465 | * The French erotic films ''Film/{{Emmanuelle}}'' and ''[[Literature/TheStoryOfO Story of O]]'' were both directed by Just Jaeckin. |
| 466 | * Slightly subverted by Joey Singer, who played Adele in ''Film/FallingDown'' and now works in music clearance. |
| 467 | * Dave and Rich Christiano are twin brothers who make Christian films. |
| 468 | [[/folder]] |
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