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9[[quoteright:297:[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fenris_wolf.jpg]]]]
10
11Even if [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves are different from series to series]], they tend to be easy to spot because of the one thing they typically have in common across all works: their {{Meaningful Name}}s are almost ''always'' a reference to the werewolf myth.
12
13'''Typically, your fictional werewolf will have his name based on...'''
14* The scientific name for the gray wolf, ''Canis lupus'' (or just the Latin word ''lupus'').
15* ''Lycus'', the Latin transliteration of Old Greek ''λύκος'' (''lykos'', "wolf"), which also appears in "lycanthropy" (the condition of being a werewolf, or a delusion of being an animal).
16* Other foreign words for wolf, such as ''lobo'', ''ulv'' and ''varg''.
17* ''Loup-garou'', the French word for werewolf.
18* Names containing the element ''wolf'' or ''wulf'', like the German name ''Wolfgang'', or the Old English name ''Wulfric''.
19* Fenrir/Fenris, the monstrous wolf from Myth/NorseMythology.
20* Romulus or Remus, the twin founders of UsefulNotes/{{Rome}}, said to have been [[RaisedByWolves nursed by a wolf]].
21* Fang(s) or Claw(s), because wolves have them.
22* The words "Moon" or "[[SilverBullet Silver]]", or variations thereof, often via foreign languages or mythology; Luna, Diana, Selene...
23* Just the word "wolf," because writers can be lazy sometimes.
24
25Werewolves aren't ''required'' to have wolf-related names, but if you're in a supernatural setting and you meet a guy named Romulus Wolfgang, you can bet that he gets hairier when the full moon rises.
26
27It can also apply to [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent other werebeasts]]: werelions called Leo, werebears called Bjorn, and so on.
28
29A SubTrope of ALizardNamedLiz, MeaningfulName and OurWerewolvesAreDifferent.
30
31----
32!!Examples:
33
34[[foldercontrol]]
35
36[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
37* ''Manga/BloodLad'' has Wolf Boy and his father Daddy Wolf.
38* Ginei Morioka from ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire''. His given name means "silver shadow".
39* Akira Inugami from ''Manga/WolfGuyWolfenCrest''. "Inu" meaning dog, and "gami" being a variant of "kami", meaning spirit/daemon. So effectively wolf-spirit.
40* Wolfram from ''Manga/{{Wolfsmund}}'' is rumored by the peasants to have wolf blood in him.
41* Kiba (fang), Toboe (howl), Hige (whisker), and Tsume (claw) from ''Anime/WolfsRain''. They're not exactly ''were''wolves so much as wolves psychically disguised as humans, but same difference.
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Comic Books]]
45* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' foe Anthony Lupus from the Franchise/TheDCU.
46* The Lobo Brothers and Maximus Lobo from the Franchise/MarvelUniverse.
47* ''ComicBook/ScudTheDisposableAssassin'' made fun of this: Scud has to hijack a space shuttle, one of whose members is secretly a werewolf. All of the astronauts have names like "Lupin," "Mike Wolfman," "Ted Howls-at-the-moon" and so on, just to obfuscate which of them it is.
48* The [[UsefulNotes/GoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age version]] of ComicBook/TheVision once battled a female werewolf named Llhupa (which would be pronounced 'Lupa') Sanders.
49* ''ComicBook/WerewolfByNight'':
50** Jack Russell shares his name with a breed of terrier.
51** One of the members of The Braineaters--[[AllBikersAreHellsAngels a biker gang of werewolves]] that battles Jack--is a woman named Lupe. (However, given that most of the gang are {{Only Known By Their Nickname}}s, it is possible that is not her real name.)
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Fan Works]]
55* In the now-defunct ''[[http://askmagicalyoungjustice-blog.tumblr.com/ Ask Magical Young Justice]]'' CharacterBlog, Wolf has an AdaptationSpeciesChange, going from [[ADogNamedDog an actual wolf]] on [[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010 the show]] to a werewolf student named [[http://askmagicalyoungjustice-blog.tumblr.com/tagged/Cain-Wolf Cain Wolf]].
56[[/folder]]
57
58[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
59* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wolfwalkers}}'', Mebh and her mother Moll have the last name [=MacTíre=], which is Irish for "wolf". Naturally, they're both Wolfwalkers, who take inspiration from legends of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolves_of_Ossory Werewolves of Ossory]].
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
63* ''Film/FullEclipse'': Adam Garou, the leader of the werewolf pack, is named for ''loup-garou'', the French word for werewolf. (In Cajun French ''garou'' can also be used as a suffix akin to "were-," to indicate various kinds of shapeshifters.)
64* The title character of ''Film/WolfCop'' is simply named Lou Garou, because ''Wolf Cop'' is a very silly movie with no interest in subtlety.
65* Lucian, the leader of the Lycans in the ''Film/{{Underworld|2003}}'' franchise. "Lucian" is a real name with an unrelated etymology, but it sounds similar to Lycan, which again sounds like a shortening of "lycanthrope" ("wolf-man" or werewolf).
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Literature]]
69* The detective in ''Literature/AzothExpress'' is the lycanthrope Volfram Volkov ("volk" meaning "wolf" in Russian).
70* Creator/AnthonyBoucher's short-story "The Compleat Werewolf" has a wizard lampshade the hell out of this, pointing out that the titular character is named "Wolfe Wolf".
71* Mocked in ''Literature/CurseOfTheWolfgirl'' by Kalix. Kalix, a real werewolf from family of werewolves who have no wolf-y sounding names finds a comic about a werewolf called "Arabella Wolf" and finds it incredibly unlikely and insulting that a girl is called "wolf" long before she becomes a werewolf.
72* Largely averted in the ''Literature/DanShambleZombiePI'' series, as its werewolves and various other Unnaturals were (usually) ordinary humans before the Big Uneasy, and retain their everyday human names. Played straight with nicknames, like the biker Monthlies Scratch and Sniff.
73* Parodied in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Big Fido the poodle spends his time extolling the virtues of wild wolves, claiming they have names like Quickfang. The actual werewolf knows this is BS, as wolves don't think of themselves that way. Indeed, in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'' we learn they have names like Arsehole. The evil werewolf ''is'' named Wolfgang, though. There's also the reverse-werewolf in ''Literature/ReaperMan'', who is literally named Lupine.
74* In the ''Literature/ExtremeMonsters'' book series, the werewolf of the eponymous athletic MonsterMash is named Wulf.
75* From ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
76** Remus Lupin has a double-barreled themed name, as Remus is a mythical founder of Rome who was nursed by a female wolf, and a lupin is a flower the name of which means "wolfish". Moreover, Remus' parents may have themed names as well: the name of his father Lyall may come from an Old Norse personal name ''Liulfr'', which contains the element ''úlfr'' 'wolf'; and his mother's maiden name is Howell, which sounds very similar to "howl".
77** Fenrir Greyback is a [[ChildEater child-hunting]] FullyEmbracedFiend with an appropriately sinister name, that of the infamous SavageWolf from Norse mythology.
78* Prince Wulfric from ''Heir Apparent'' by Vivian Van Velde.
79* Beorn in ''Literature/TheHobbit'' has a name that means "bear" in Old English, and he is a "skin-changer" who can turn into a bear at will.
80* {{Parodied}} in the ''Literature/KittyNorville'' series, where the protagonist takes a good deal of ribbing for being a werewolf named "Kitty."
81* In some American editions of ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', the wolf Maugrim is known as Fenris Ulf.
82* A metafictional version in "[[Literature/TheMagicGoesAway The Lion in His Attic]]"; Rordray the werelion [[spoiler: actually a were''sea''lion]] was a {{Tuckerization}} of a friend of Creator/LarryNiven named Andre Lion.
83* Ze’ev Kesley from ''Literature/TheLunarChronicles'' is called "Wolf" due to his wolfish modifications throughout most of the series, but his given name means wolf in Hebrew.
84* The ''Literature/MyBrotherTheWerewolf'' series has a subtler version, as the titular siblings' surname is '''Pack'''er.
85* In ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredPercentWolf,'' the werewolf protagonist is named Freddy ''Lupin.'' {{Lampshaded}} by the [[VanHelsingHateCrimes monster-hunting villain]], who takes the family's surname as conclusive evidence that they're werewolves. A few of the other werewolf families mentioned also fall into this trope.
86* ''Literature/TheParasolProtectorate'':
87** The two most plot relevant werewolves are the London Pack Alpha Connall Maccon, whose given name means 'strong wolf', and his Beta Randolph Lyall, whose name contains the element "wolf" twice (Randolph = "shield-wolf"; Lyall may come from the Old Norse name Liulfr, which also contains ''úlfr'').
88** Kingair Pack Alpha also has a name meaning 'wolf'--the obscure Scottish name Sidheag. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in her case since she was raised by the pack.
89* In the ''[[Literature/EgilsSaga Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson]]'', Egil's grandfather Ulf, nicknamed Kveld-Ulf, is rumored to be a "shape-changer"--someone whose spirit roams around in animal shape while the shape-changer appears to sleep. 'Kveld-Ulf' means 'evening-wolf' and alludes to him turning a wolf (''úlfr'') at evening (''kveld''; i.e. when he goes to sleep).
90* ''Literature/TheSagaOfHrolfKraki'':
91** Prince Bjorn is cursed by his stepmother to be a bear between sunrise and sunset. As it happens, his name means 'bear'.
92** Bjorn's son Bodvar Bjarki reveals himself as a shape-changer at the Battle of Hleidragard: While Bodvar appears to sleep, his spirit fights in the shape a giant bear. Interpreted literally, 'Bodvar Bjarki' means 'Little Battle-Bear'.
93* The Wolf Girl in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfDrearcliffGrangeSchool'' is Aconita Gould: "Aconitum" is the scientific name for wolfsbane, and Sabine Baring-Gould literally wrote the book on werewolves (''The Book of Were-Wolves'', 1865).
94* ''Literature/TheShadowhunterChronicles'':
95** Luke Garroway's surname sounds like the French word for werewolves, ''loup-garou''. His birth name is Lucian Graymark, the first part evoking "lycan", the second part evoking "gray wolves".
96** Ralf Scott's given name is derived from a Norse phrase that means "counsel wolf".
97* Wolf Cowrie of ''Literature/SheepsClothing'' is an unusual case of a character having wolf as a ''first'' name. Justified because he is half-Native American and raised Sioux.
98* ''Literature/SpaceWolf'': Canis Wolfborn, and every Space Wolf that doesn't have a Viking name. And then there are those like Ragnar Blackmane.
99* In ''Literature/ThisIsNotAWerewolfStory,'' protagonist Raul marvels a bit when he realizes that his name means "wolf," while his friend Vincent, who seems to have some [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent supernatural connections]] to RavensAndCrows, was named after a saint associated with ravens.
100-->''Do our names call the animal? Or are we named for the animal we call?''
101* ''Warwolf: the Centurion Warrior'' has the eponymous title character.
102* Mostly {{Averted}} in ''Literature/{{Wolven}},'' but there's one character with the rather ridiculous name of Crescent Moon. To be fair, she's part of an all-werewolf band (fittingly called the Howlers), so maybe it's a stage name. She also has a bandmate named Otis, which may or may not be a reference to [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/TheAdventuresOfMiloAndOtis a famous cinematic dog]].
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
106* Oz, from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', is in a band named Dingoes Ate My Baby, or "Dingoes" (read: wild dog) for short. The band existed long before Oz became a werewolf, though: it was mentioned in the unaired pilot, while Oz wasn't bitten until halfway through season 2.
107* In ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz555'', there's [[spoiler:Takumi Inui. Inu means dog]], and we find out why it's a MeaningfulName mid-season. The same goes for his ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'' counterpart, [[spoiler:Takumi Ogami, which is close to Okami, meaning wolf]].
108* In ''Series/LilHorrors'', the werewolf girl at the AllGhoulsSchool of Maug Stone Hall is named [[PunnyName Claudia Howell]].
109* ''Series/TheMunsters''' wolfboy son, Edward Wolfgang Munster.
110* {{Inverted}} on ''Series/TeenWolf''--the werewolves all have perfectly normal names, while the family that hunts them has the surname ''Argent,'' which means "silver" in French. Lampshaded by Jackson when he finds out.
111* Mason Greyback from ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''.
112[[/folder]]
113
114[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
115* In Myth/ClassicalMythology (as told in Ovid's ''Literature/{{Metamorphoses}}'' and other sources) King Lycaon of Arcadia was turned into a wolf as a punishment for trying to serve human flesh to his guest Zeus. His name already contains "lykos", the Greek word for "wolf".
116[[/folder]]
117
118[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
119* Wrestling/HaniaTheHowlingHuntress called her leg lariat the Full Moon and her double knee facebreaker the Eclipse.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
123* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
124** One Chaos warrior who can turn into a bear goes by the name of Beorn Bearstruck.
125** Literature/{{Wulfrik}} the Wanderer, while not a werewolf (though the Total War game does give him skinwolves, the local equivalent), does have a certain wolf theme, such as being born with wolf fangs instead of teeth (in addition to serving Khorne, among whose many nicknames is the Bloodwolf).
126* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The [[Literature/SpaceWolf Space Wolves]] are Viking-themed SpaceMarines and some suffer from a condition that turns them into wolflike mutants called wulfen. Their names all being some variation on the wolf theme (Ragnar Blackmane, Harald Deathwolf, Canis Wolfborn), overlap is inevitable, yet the only named wulfen is Murderfang (and even that's a nickname).
127[[/folder]]
128
129[[folder:Toys]]
130* ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' has Clawdeen Wolf, her brother Clawd, and her sisters Howleen and Clawdia.
131* ''Resurrection of Monstress'' has [[http://www.oafe.net/yo/rom_wolf.php Wolfinica]], who doesn't seem to have any other name or secret identity.
132[[/folder]]
133
134[[folder:Video Games]]
135* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateTalesOfTheSwordCoast'', the leader of the werewolves is named "Loup Garou", which is [[BilingualBonus the French word]] for "werewolf".
136* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': [[BattleButler Valkenhayn R. Hellsing]]. I mean [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cb017_valkenhayn.png look at him]]. Name, species, moveset, just everything about him in general really.
137* ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'': Jon Talbain is named "Gallon" in Japan-"[[JapaneseRanguage Flench]]" for "werewolf."
138* Fenrich from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}''.
139* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' have [[spoiler:the twin Companions members Farkas and Vilkas]], which mean 'wolf' in Hungarian and Lithuanian respectively. In addition, there's [[spoiler:Kodlak Whitemane]], whose first name comes from the word for "werewolf" in some Slavic languages.
140* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'' has the city of Garoh (a reference to the French word ''garou''), which is populated entirely by werewolves.
141* Fang from ''VideoGame/TheLostVikings'' is a werewolf.
142* Blizzard Wolfang of ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'' is a humanoid wolf robot and one of [[BigBad Gate's]] minions.
143* ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'': Protagonist [[VigilanteMan Yuri Lowell]]'s moveset is based on wolf names. Even his name '''Lowell''' translates to "little wolf".
144* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' has the were-Honshu wolf Kagerou Imaizumi, whose given name means "Shadow Wolf" and whose family name is a reference to a well-known Japanese zoologist who studied the now-extinct Japanese wolf.
145* ''{{VideoGame/Valheim}}'': Werewolves can be found in the wild as Fenrings which walk upright, while the ones found in caves are more bestial and are called Ulvs.
146* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'': One sidequest features a werewolf named Morkvarg. [[BilingualBonus "Mörkvarg"]] is Swedish and translates to "Darkwolf".
147* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
148** Genn Greymane, king of Gilneas and lord of the [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent worgen]]. To be fair though, his name is just a fantastic coincidence - he had that name back in ''VideoGame/WarcraftII'', years before the worgen even existed in the lore and over a decade before he ended up being their faction leader. Plus, [[NonIndicativeName his fur is actually white]].
149** Other worgen are more intentional. Ivar Bloodfang is the leader of the feral pack in Silverpine Forest. Ralaar Fangfire was the first worgen, a night elf druid who created the curse by accident (he would later rename himself Alpha Prime). Admiral Ripsnarl is a boss in the Deadmines post-Cata, and Jes and Bobby Howlis are bosses in Tol Dagor. And of course there's nothing stopping the player from naming their character like this as well.
150** Archmage Arugal ([[PunnyName "arroooo"-gal]]). Although he never became a worgen himself, he was the mage that accidently summoned them into the Eastern Kingdoms. He later went insane and kept worgen as his pets in Shadowfang Keep.
151[[/folder]]
152
153[[folder:Visual Novels]]
154* ''VisualNovel/HavenfallIsForLovers'' has Mackenzie Hunt. The surname is obvious, but there's also a species of wolf called the Mackenzie wolf.
155[[/folder]]
156
157[[folder:Webcomics]]
158* Menu of ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'' did not have a name when Charby first met him so Charby offered him the name of the moon god Menulis in reference to his lythancropy.
159* [[ConversationalTroping Referenced]] in TheRant to one ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' strip. When Pandora is complaining that name-based magic affinity is a thing that exists, even though it ''makes no sense'', and it guarantees that if Catalina Bobcat gets spells they'll be cat-related, the rant says "[[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp.php?id=506 Name-based magic affinity: Now canon for all your "the guy with wolf in their name is a werewolf" or whatever logic.]]"
160* ''Webcomic/SkinHorse'' has [[Literature/JulieOfTheWolves Julie]] Rome (as in Romulus), Sergeant [[Literature/TheWolvesOfWilloughbyChase Willoughby]] and Lucy (sounds a bit like lupine or lycan). There's even a theme-named werewolf victim: Private [[Literature/LittleRedRidingHood Hood]].
161* ''WebComic/Sorcery101'' gives us Brad ''Wolfe.'' No, he was not born as one. Kayla comments that this seems rather silly.
162* ''Webcomic/WildeLife'':
163** Barbara Yaga has two dogs who can change into human children, one of whom is named Remus. PlayedWith because WordOfGod says that they're not natural shapeshifters, just normal dogs that she uses her own magic on.
164** PlayedForLaughs with Cliff(ord), a [[FieryRedhead ginger]] teenager who can [[VoluntaryShapeshifting transform]] into a large, red wolf. [[WesternAnimation/CliffordTheBigRedDog Get it]]? Clifford believes that his mother is unaware of his power, but Oscar brings the name up as evidence that he might be wrong.
165** [[AnimalisticAbomination Hanyi]]'s backstory, set sometime in the distant past, involves her friendship with a Native American boy named Blackwolf. When Oscar asks if he was a werewolf, Hanyi's response is basically "Well, ''duh.''"
166* Samantha Wolf in ''Webcomic/TheWotch'', better known as "Wolfie" to her friends. Jason thinks it's ''way'' too obvious that she's the werewolf, but he's wrong.
167[[/folder]]
168
169[[folder:Web Original]]
170* {{Parodied}} in Creator/AllisonPregler's "''Series/Charmed1998'' Rewind." When reviewing an episode about a wendigo that is basically a werewolf, the villain is so obvious that she and Phelan jokingly call her "Wendy Go."
171* In 2013, a character name generator image based on this trope was being passed around Website/{{Tumblr}}, making one's wolf name based on their initials. Tumblr user "kitchikishangout", due to her initials of P.W., got [[RepetitiveName Moon Moon]] as a result, [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/moon-moon becoming a meme instantly.]]
172* {{Parodied}} and {{Subverted}} in ''WebVideo/VampireReviews'', when [[VampireVannabe Maven]] calls WebVideo/ObscurusLupa under the assumption that she's a werewolf. (Though to be fair, if you watch her you know that she ''is'' a werewolf fangirl.)
173[[/folder]]
174
175[[folder:Western Animation]]
176* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', the name of Anthony Lupus, mentioned in the comics section above, [[AdaptationNameChange was adapted to]] Anthony ''Romulus''.
177* Howler from ''WesternAnimation/DrakPack''.
178* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''
179** Like all members of [[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Pack]], Wolf is named after an animal, but originally he was just a normal human. Later he gets genetically modified into a wolf-man by his own volition. As it turns out, he's descended from Viking warriors, so his augmentation brings to mind the Ulfdhednar.
180** [[DarkActionGirl Fox]], who turns into a sort of monstrous were-fox every night after the [[ArtifactOfDoom Eye of Odin]] brings out her SuperpoweredEvilSide. A confusing example: "Fox" is a name that she chose herself, but before the temporary shapeshifting. Maybe she became a fox because she already identified with them? Also, her birth name is Janine ''[[BilingualBonus Renard]].''
181* ''WesternAnimation/PJMasks'': Played straight with two of the three Wolfy Kids, who are named Howler and Rip. Averted with the third member, whose name is...[[TomTheDarkLord Kevin]].
182[[/folder]]

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