->"My name is Alice, but--"\\
"It's a stupid name enough!" Humpty Dumpty interrupted impatiently; "What does it mean?"\\
"Must a name mean something?" Alice asked doubtfully.\\
"Of course it must," Humpty Dumpty said with a short laugh...\\
-- '''LewisCarroll''', ''Through the Looking-Glass'' ([[ReverseFunnyAneurysm Interestingly enough]], it is largely because of this work that the name Alice [[GoAskAlice does mean something]].)

->''Believe it or not, one of the most difficult tasks you face as Dungeon Master is dreaming up cool names for all those places, [[OddJobGods gods]], [[OurMonstersAreDifferent monsters]], and {{NPC}}s you create. As superficial as this chore might seem, nothing kills interest in an ''[[DungeonsAndDragons AD&D]]''[[TradeSnark ®]] game faster than goofy names. The minute your players are attacked by Gargathrank the Unclean, a great deal of the credibility you've carefully fostered flies straight out the window. Don't forget that the players' first impressions of your game world are based, in part, on the names you choose.''\\
-- '''Ray Winninger''', "Dungeoncraft", ''{{Dragon}} Magazine'' (May 1999)

A name that has a direct, barely-hidden meaning to it. The first, last, or full name says something primal about the character. Often has multiple layers. To hide the meaning a bit, use an alternate spelling or foreign equivalent. Instead of writers having to make up random words or think of real names, they can use mythological names or old words.

As an example, it is common to use for heroic characters names associated with hunting. So, apart from Hunter, which is a valid first and last name in English, you can use a translation to another language (Jager, or the phonetic Yeager), or the name of a predatory animal (Wolf, Hawk) or a translation of that (Wolfe, Lupin, Lupis, Wulf). (Which is kinda cool, which is why this can double up with AwesomeMcCoolname.)

[[MeaningfulRename Self-chosen names]] can manifest this naturally, but may make the character look arrogant if the symbolism is too blatant. This can be a problem with [[TheMagnificent bestowed names]] as well; although the character didn't create it, if he ''accepts'' it without [[ThinkNothingOfIt much objection]], the effect is similar.

Very common in [[WesternAnimation cartoons]], where the meaning is most times not hidden at all, except that the target audience may not have the vocabulary to get the joke. Also common in {{Anime}}, since Japanese names have a lot of obvious literal meaning to start with. See notes at ThemeNaming.

Real-life examples of this are often referred to as "aptronyms". The magazine ''New Scientist'' refers to it as "nominative determinism" in a tongue-in-cheek manner, and encourages people to send examples in.

According to TheOtherWiki, the proper name for this trope is "charactonym".

Of course this goes back to the Bible (and probably turns up in the books of other religions).

Compare PropheticNames, StevenUlyssesPerhero. See also NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast, which is about names indicating being a BadAss and heavily overlaps with this trope, and PunnyName, which many of these names fall into as well. If the name is obviously supposed to be meaningful, but the meaning is wrong, see HollywoodMeaningfulName.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
*''{{Bleach}}'' wins a prize for having main character Ichigo's full name literally mean "black-caped protector" (Kurosaki means "black cape" and Ichigo means "one who protects"), black capes being the standard shinigami uniform.
** ... The "cape" in Kurosaki (黒崎) doesn't mean ''that'' kind of cape. It means the "Cod" or "of Good Hope" kind. His first name qualifies, though.
** Ichigo's name is also a homophone for "strawberry". Ichigo has [[strike: orange]]red hair.
** And, as indicated by [[{{CrowningMusic/Anime}} his fight song]], Ichi also means “[[ToBeAMaster Number One]].”
*** "Ichig'''ou'''", which sounds similar to yet is inherently different from "Ichig'''o'''", literally means "number one".
** Ichi Go is also 1-5 in Japanese. He starts the series as 15 years old.
** Orihime's name literally means "weaving princess", taken from the weaver princess of the Tanabata legend, a {{StarCrossedLovers}} story about a goddess and a mortal(usually, a cowherd). Considering what Orihime's powers are hinted to be, and [[spoiler: what Ichigo's last transformation looked like]]...
*** Played with in chapter 5's [[http://www.onemanga.com/Bleach/5/02/ cover]] where the characters are given alternate names based on the meaning: Ichigo is '''Jetscape 15''' (Jet=Black=Kuro, Cape=Saki, 15=Ichi-go), Orihime is '''Vega Highwell''' (Vega=Star referenced in the Tanabata myth=Orihime "weaving princess", High+well=Inoue) and Rukia is '''Rukia Rotwood''' (Rot=Kuchi, wood=ki, with Rukia spelled in Katakana, any meanings attributed to it are coincidence).
* ''SuzumiyaHaruhi'': Whether it's accidental or not, Kyon's name may actually be a good nickname for a DeadpanSnarker. Quoting [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynic The Other Wiki's entry about the Cynics]]: "Their name is thought to be derived either from the building in Athens called Cynosarges, the earliest home of the school, or from the Greek word for a dog, cyon (κύων,'''kýōn''')".
** Considering what Haruhi uses him for... he really is her dog!
** Another possibility: Haruhi in the novels loves the Tanabata festival [[strike:(the story arc wasn't animated)]], the myth behind which involves two lovers separated and only allowed to meet once a year. The Korean name for the man can be romanized as "Kyonu", which is pretty darn close.
*** Also considering how Tanigawa Nagaru has referenced ancient Greece ([[ViewersAreGeniuses amongst several other things]]) he might be fully aware of the multiple possible meanings.
** Yuki Nagato is a somewhat subverted example. Her ImageSong and vaguely autobiographical poetry in one of the later novels hint that her name should be read as "snow". The actual kanji used means "having hope".
** Also Kyon's real name could be an example of this too. Sasaki says it's too regal sounding for conversation. Now considering the Kyon turns out to be the only human being initially deemed worthy of continued survival, it maybe a lot more appropriate than given credit for.
** Also, Koizumi's usually acts coy.
* Pretty much everyone in ''SayonaraZetsubouSensei'', in particular, the main character, Itoshiki Nozomu. When his name is compressed together, it resembles the kanji for zetsubou, or despair. Fitting, as the character is constantly in despair, sometimes over his own name.
** Ironically, his whole family has this issue but apart from the titular hero they don't always have the traits (his older brother is "death" and younger sister is "(sexually) peerless"). However, the mentioned three make no small hint that they hate their names.
* In ''{{Read or Die}}'', superpowered bibliomaniac Yomiko Readman's name contains a double whammy. Immediately obvious to English speakers is her last name, but the kanji used for her first name mean "reading child". Unusually, her name is at least partially explained by the fact that she comes from a family of bibliomaniacs, which is also essentially the origin of her paper-related powers.
* ''{{Simoun}}'' features a war between three countries: the Holy Land ("''kyuukoku''") of Simulacrum, the Argentum Archipelago ("''shoukoku''"), and the Plumbum Highlands ("''reikoku''"). ''Kyuukoku'' ("Holy Land" or "shrine nation"), written with different kanji, means "a patriot who saves her country." ''Shoukoku'' also means "one's own country" (i.e. Japan, an industrialized archipelago), and ''reikoku'' also means "cold-hearted ruthlessness." Simulacrum is the home of the series' protagonists, Argentum is an industrialized country with high technology, and Plumbum is a nation of ruthless religious fanatics. "Argentum" and "Plumbum" also mean "silver" and "lead" respectively in Latin, and "Simulacrum" means "an image, likeness or portrait", but in modern usage generally means a copy or simulation.
* Frequently seen in RumikoTakahashi's works. Takahashi is perhaps the master of the name with multiple levels of meaning. Very often her characters have ordinary-seeming names, but she uses kanji other than the usual ones to write them, setting up a punning conflict between what is heard and what is read.
** For example, the annoying holy man in ''UruseiYatsura'' has a name that is pronounced "Sakuranbou" (the Japanese word for the Cherry fruit), but is spelled the with the characters meaning "deranged priest". Just to add to the confusion, he usually goes by the nickname "Cherry" (in English). Moroboshi Ataru's name literally means "struck by a falling star", which not only describes his fate rather accurately, but is often visually punned on in the commercial bumpers (a star falls out of the show's logo and hits him in the head). Mendou's name is a fairly common surname, but here it's written with kanji that mean "annoying bastard". And "Lum" was '''Rum'''iko Takahashi's own nickname as a child (whether this means Lum is a MarySue is debatable); it was also the last name of Japan's first major bikini model, Agnes Lum, whose looks Lum was modeled after.
** Characters in her most famous work, ''[=~Ranma ½~=]'', frequently have names that are puns in three or more languages including English and Chinese. The emotionally unstable patriarch of the Tendō family, Soun, has a name that literally means "Fast Road to Heaven", but which can also be read as "weeping man" -- describing him perfectly.
** She goes all out in ''MaisonIkkoku'', which takes place at a boarding house with numbered rooms... and everyone living there has their room's number in their name. For example, Yotsuya's name translates as "four valleys" and it's the name of a famous district in Tokyo... guess which room he lives in. Kyoko, the boarding house manager, has the character for "zero" in her name, and even the non-boarder characters have number-themed names.
** A couple of examples can be found in ''InuYasha''. The eponymous character's name means Dog Demon, and Naraku means Hell. A strange case is the Shichinintai, all of whom's names end in Kotsu, which means skeleton or bone, but also can be written as skill. Bankotsu's name can either be translated as "barbarian skill" or "reckless courage". Renkotsu means "Metalworking Skills", Jakotsu means Snake Skill, Suikotsu means Sleep Skill, Ginkotsu means Silver Skill, Mukotsu means fog skill, and Kyokotsu means dark/evil/unlucky skill. It seems like all of the Shichinintai choose their names as a sort of uniformity, (since it seems unlikely that all of them just happened to be named ____kotsu, and just happened to meet later on and form the group) but in the flashback Jakotsu and Bankotsu both had their Shichinintai names.
* ''{{Jubei-Chan}}'' has Bantarou, whose name comes from "Taro" (a common male name in Japanese) and "Banchou" (which means "boss" or "ringleader"), and his simian-like sidekicks Oozaru and Kozaru, whose names translate as "Big Monkey" and "Little Monkey" respectively. Jiyu's name means "Spiritual Freedom" which is ''exactly'' the effect her sword has on the undead. (In fact, it brings them back to life.)
** Her mother's name is "Makoto", which means "Truth". In the second series, it turns out that her previous incarnation was married to a woman named "Truesia" and had a daughter named "Freesia".
* Almost all the characters on ''{{Eyeshield 21}}'' have meaningful names. Some of these names are reflective of their abilities, which means they also count as StevenUlyssesPerhero. For example:
** Sena Kobayakawa's last name means "small, swift river", while his first name can be read as "what shoals?"
** Mamori Anezaki's first name means "protector" (and she's certainly protective of Sena early in the series), while her last name means "promontory sister".
*** Mamoru Banba's name also carries this meaning, and he's part of the impenetrable Pyramid Line that never fails to protect the quarterback
** Yoichi Hiruma's name means "daytime night market". Also, his last name is spelled with kanji meaning "leech demon" (since he clamps tightly onto any talented player he can get for his team), and his first name is spelled with kanji meaning "bewitching one" (because he's fairly persuasive). This also means that his last name can be read as "[[DevilInPlainSight demon in broad daylight]]".
** Ryokan Kurita's first name means "powerful" and is spelled with the kanji for "good" and "broad-minded" (sure enough, he's a certified GentleGiant), and his last name means "field of chestnuts" (referring to the shape of his head).
** Daikichi Komusubi's first name means "great amount of good fortune", and "komusubi" is a rank in sumo wrestling.
** Manabu Yukimitsu's first name means "study" (since that's what his [[EducationMama mother]] made him do since grade school).
** Tetsuo Ishimaru's last name means "stone circle" or "great stone", possibly a reference to his stoic yet easygoing personality... and possibly the bland forgettableness that's become a running gag about him.
** Natsuhiko Taki, the Devil Bats' blonde, [[TheDitz dimwitted]], and [[TedBaxter boastful]] tight end, has a first name meaning "prince of summer".
** Joe Tetsuma, the powerhouse wide receiver for the Seibu Wild Gunmen who plows through the defense like a train and runs on his pass routes as if he were on tracks, has a last name that means "iron horse".
** Shien Mushanokoji, the quarterback for the Seibu Wild Gunmen, has a last name that means "warrior's trail", but is spelled with the kanji for "child" (hence his [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep frequently used nickname]], "The Kid").
** Ohira and Onishi Hiroshi, the linemen for the Kyoshin Poseidons, have names that mean "Pacific Ocean" and "Atlantic Ocean", respectively. The Poseidons also have Kengo Mizumachi, whose name means "strong waiting time in the water" (since he used to be on Kyoshin's swim team). Osamu means "ruler" (he's the quarterback and technically the team captain, indecisive but respected by everyone) but Kobanzame means "remora", as in the fish that attaches itself to larger fish and eats what the bigger fish doesn't. Subverted a little since [[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/Descript/LiveSharksucker/LiveSharksucker.html actual remora can be useful for fishing, as this page shows.]]
** Kotaro Sasaki is the rival of Gen "Musashi" Takekura, just as Kojiro Sasaki was the rival of MiyamotoMusashi
** Rikiya Gaoh, the beastly, carniverous (literally) player killer from the Hakuushuu Dinosaurs; "Gaoh" is an onomatopoeia for a dinosaur's roar.
** Donald Oberman's frequently used nickname Mr. Don is mostly used to illustrate how he's the boss wherever he goes, univesally feared and respected, like a Don in the {{Mafia}}.
*** Similarly, Reiji Maruko's chosen nickname of "Marco" reflects his love of Italian suits and the genral Mafia air around him.
** Kiminari Harao's name is the Japanese pronunciation of "pharaoh", referring to both the fact that he rules his school like a king (even having his own harem) and that he's the leader of his team.
* ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}!'' is notorious for giving its one-off and non-friendly recurring characters names that {{Anvilicious}}ly reflect the type of deck they play. Its sequel, ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh GX}}'', has all but weaned itself off of this trope, but it still pops up sometimes (most notably with the Pro Duelists that show up in the second half of Season 2).
** That's nothing. The ''protagonist'' Yugi's name means game, and "Yu-Gi-Oh" means King of Games. Appropriate thing to shout (and to name the series with) when summoning the spirit of the greatest Card Gamer in history.
*** It's not just limited to Yugi, either. GX's Judai '''Yu'''ki and 5D's' '''Yu'''sei Fudo have the same character in their names as '''Yu'''gi - the one meaning "play."
*** In ''[[{{Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds}} 5D's]]'' itself, Yusei's name comes from the "planetary particle" (Yuusei Ryuushi) that his father discovered. Like the particle, which bound every other particle together, Professor Fudo wished his son to be someone who could connect people through bonds - which is exactly what he grew up to be.
*** Mai Valentine's Japanese name is "Kujaku Mai", with Kujaku meaning "peahen" (or "peacock" for males), which fits her initially arrogant, self-obssessed personality. About her English name: "[[YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries It's not a very subtle pun, but then again, nothing about me is subtle.]]"
* Kamui's name in ''{{X1999}}'' means "Power of God".
** He's not the only one. Fuuma means 'true seal,' and several of the Seals have names that nod to their powers—Sorata's name reads 'selection of the sky', Karen's name means something like 'forge fire,' and Yuzuriha does it twice - her last name means 'relies on cats' (explained to be intentionally misleading), and her first is written 'protection sword.'
* Rau Le Creuset of ''GundamSEED'', whose assumed last name is French for "The Crucible", a reference to the play of the same name about the Puritan witch hunts, which in turn refers to both prejudiced sides of the Natural/Coordinator conflict (which plan to wipe the other side out for being what they are), and to Rau's belief in his worthiness to judge all of humanity with a sentence of death.
** in ''GundamSEEDDestiny'' Neo Roanoke is actually Mu La Flaga with Amnesia,(we would put it in spoilers but its kind of obvious) Roanoke was an island that was the first american english colony where everyone dissapeared, Neo means new.
* The title character from the manga ''[[{{Yotsubato}} Yotsuba&!]]'', who shares a name with her distinctive four-ponytail hairstyle (''yotsuba'' is Japanese for "four-leaf" as in "four-leaf clover").
* All the characters in ''GundamWing'': the five pilots Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei names are derived from the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively in various languages. There is also Noin (9), Lady Une (1), Treize (13) and Zechs (6)/Milliardo (1,000,000,000). Additionally, Relena Peacecraft is a pacifist.
** Heero, pronounced as "hiiro", can also be a pun for hero.
*** Could be? He's more or less the main protagonist and in the English dub his name is pronounced Hero. This troper is pretty sure it's intentional.
*** It's spelled that way to avoid the sort of mispronunciation that made Shiro, the hero of ''X-Bomber'', get called "Shire-O" in the English dub instead of "sheero".
* Mamoru ("to protect") from ''SailorMoon''. The US version managed to somewhat retain the pun by giving him the surname Shields.
** Not to mention Tsukino Usagi whose name is pronounced the same as [[MoonRabbit Rabbit of the Moon]] (and they then had trouble finding the moon princess.) All the sailor senshi have names that reflect their specific elements.
* Another "Mamoru" comes from ''BlueSeed'', although [[LastNameBasis nobody really calls him by his first name]] (except for Valencia from the sequel OVA series); in this case, he was named by the Aragami who assigned him to protect Kaede. His last name, Kusanagi, is a reference to the [[PublicDomainArtifact Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi]].
* A lot of names in ''YuYuHakusho'' are of this type. "Yuusuke" means "ghost helper;" "Urameshi" is what Japanese ghosts who are haunting a house wail; "Kuwabara kuwabara" is a charm against [[strike:ghosts]] lightning (Kuwabara himself actually chants this at one point); "Kurama" and "Hiei" are Japanese mountains said to be sites of high demon activity, though the kanji used are different (Hiei's mean "flying shadow"); Ice Maiden Yukina's name means "snow flower," while the "Hi" in "Hiei" sounds like a word for fire; "Yukimura Keiko" means "snow village firefly child," and refers to a Chinese folk tale about a poor child who studied diligently by the light of fireflies reflected in the snow; all of the [[GrimReaper ferry girls]] [[ThemeNaming have names associated with flowers and plants]] ("Botan"=peony; "Ayame"=iris; "Hinageshi"="poppy"). This plant naming even goes for Sensui (whose name is a [[JapaneseLanguage kanji anagram]] of "suisen", "daffodil") and Itsuki ("flowering tree"), perhaps to note the severity of their FaceHeelTurn.
* The names Kyou and Asu of the sisters in ''BinbouShimaiMonogatari'' mean "today" and "tomorrow", respectively. It signifies the moments one should concentrate on in life and also gets mention in the [[http://youtube.com/watch?v=AtLyg7I0Ops opening theme]].
* The Keronians in ''KeroroGunsou'' all have meaningful names:
** Keroro comes from "kerokero", the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound a frog makes.
** Tamama comes from "otamajakushi", which is Japanese for "tadpole". It can also be linked to "tamatama", which means "unexpected" (referring to his fierce mood swings).
** Giroro comes from "girogiro", which means "sharp-eyed".
** Kururu comes from "kurukuru", which means "spinning" or "wound up" (referring to his whorl mark and the spirals on his NerdGlasses). It can also be linked to "kuru", which means "hunchback" (referring to Kururu's stooped posture).
** Dororo comes from "doron", which is onomatopoeia for a {{Ninja}} vanishing. It can also be linked to "dorodoro", which means "syrupy" (which describes Dororo's sentimental and emotional tendencies).
* Spike's EvilCounterpart in ''CowboyBebop'' is named Vicious. Can you guess what his personality and behavior is like?
** And What about Spike himself? His name is very [[IncrediblyLamePun pointed]], don't you think?
*** He certainly does seem to be rather [[HurricaneOfPuns sharp]], now that you mention it.
* The VillainProtagonist of ''DeathNote'' has the properly ironic name of "[[LightIsNotGood Light]]". To top it off, it's spelled with the character for "moon" and his last name "Yagami" also means "night god." His pseudonym, "Kira," is "killer" in GratuitousEnglish.
** L's successors also do this ironically. Mello is a loose cannon and Near spends most of his time in the story in another country from the protagonists.
** Since the Japanese reading is Raito, even though it is usually translated as Light, it coul also mean Right -- as in, righteous.
*** Or "write" -- like the director's cuts, which are called "riraito" in the original, but became "Re-Light" in the official translation, after being universally known as "Rewrite".
*** However, note that it's commonly pronounced "Laito" or "Light" in the Japanese anime audio, as well as being romanised as "Light" in some official Japanese-language material.
** Light-spelt-as-moon is also not a name anyone would ever have -- [[FourIsDeath it has a stroke count of four]]. In Japanese numerology, this equates to making his adult life all about death. So much for modern parenting.
** Also, [[SdrawkcabName Yagami backwards]] is [[HoYay "I'm a gay."]] Just saying.
** Not only is there the whole Light thing going on, but Mikami Teru's given name means "shining". He's got the -kami going on in his surname, too -- though it doesn't mean "god". Just another example of [[PsychoSupporter Teru being Light in microcosm, over a shorter arc]].
** "How to Read 13" notes that Near's real name, "Nate River", is supposed to symbolize that his talents flow from L, therefore he is L's ''natural'' successor.
** The name '''L'''ight is also a likely parallel to '''L'''ucifer the '''Light''' Bringer. The whole story is about a fall from total moral purity into total psychosis.
* By contrast to Light, another Night God with a little black book [[ArtifactOfDoom Of Doom]] is the AntiVillain of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha A's''. Okay, honestly she's not a villain at all, but her book ''is'' properly called the Tome of the Night Sky, so the name still fits.
** Come to think of it, the "I'm a gay" observation [[LesYay fits]] [[SkinshipGrope Hayate]] [[ThereIsOnlyOneBed pretty]] [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship well]] [[AmazonBrigade too]].
* On the matter of Yagami, don't forget Iori Yagami, whose name means Night God Retreat.
** Sorry, it's "Eight Gods Retreat" -- 八神 as opposed to 夜神. That's also the standard spelling of the surname "Yagami", by the way.
* Hikari and Sora of ''DigimonAdventure''. Hikari means "light", and not only is hers the Crest of Light, her partner evolves into an angel. Sora means "sky", and she has the bird Digimon, Piyomon.
** In fact, all Digimon have Meaningful Names before the "{{mon}}" part.
** ''DigimonSavers'' protagonist Daimon Masaru: an alternate reading of the kanji for his given name gives us 'dai-mon-dai,' which sounds like 'big problem.' SoYeah.
** Hold on. We know Hikari's name means "light", and in the original she has the same surname as the Light up there; Yagami. NamesTheSame anyone?
** ''Digimon'' is ridiculously full of this when it comes down to it.
*** The first character in Taichi's name "Tai" is the same character as the first in "Taiyou (Sun)". His crest is the shape of a sun, and this is semi used as a device in his character song "Atarashii Taiyou (New Sun)", speaking about Daisuke being the new leader.
*** Even further, the first character of "Daisuke", "Dai", can be pronounced as "Tai" (Though it's a different character than in Taichi's name.) In the dub, Tai's surname "Kamiya" is very similar to Daisuke's "Motomiya" (which seems to be coincidence since this parallel doesn't exist in the Japanese version). Taken together, "Daisuke" means "big help". Which he really was. Just ask [[BrightSlap Ken!]]
**** "Kamiya" is just a kanji anagram of their Japanese name "Yagami" (spelled "eight gods," not "night god" here). It may refer to the fact that Taichi's little sister, Hikari, is the Eighth Child? Also, [[OlderThanTheyThink back in 1999/2000]], fandom speculated that the name was changed to "Kamiya" to avoid the observations made about Light and Hayate above.
*** Ken's name is written with the character for "intelligence", since he's a boy genius.
*** The "kou" in Kouji and Kouichi's name means "shine" in reference to the former's light element, and "ichi" and "ji" in their names use the characters "one" and "two", because Kouichi is the "older" twin.
* In ''FullmetalAlchemist'', Riza Hawkeye is a sharpshooter. In a flashback in the manga, one military man in her area tells another not to worry because "we have a hawk's eye on us". Yeah. The name means nothing for her father, who is never seen handling firearms or practicing any sort of aiming-based activity.
** In old French Roi/Roy meant King, and Colonel Roy Mustang is a man who wants to become ruler of Amestris. This one might be accidental, as Roy is a common English name.
*** Don't forget that Mustang, besides being an airplane name, is also a breed of horse, and horses are known as being overly proud and affectionate of the females...
***Roy is also a Celtic/Gaelic name that also means "king," similar to the French.
** There's also Alex-Louis Armstrong, who is incredibly strong and uses alchemy to gain incredible super-strength.
** Then there's Fuhrer/President Bradley, whose first name just happens to be "King".
*** The manga reveals that Bradley was actually given the name "King" [[spoiler:after being selected by Father to be the next dictator of Amestris]]. SoYeah.
** Also, most of the members of the military are named after WWII military airplanes; explanations for Bradley, Fury, Havoc, Hawkeye, Hayate, Hughes and Mustang can be found at the bottom of [[http://www.fullmetal-alchemist.com/facts.php this page]]. As for the Homunculi, they are obviously named after the Seven Deadly Sins.
*** Um, the Bradley is not an airplane. It's an amphibious assault vehicle/troop transport.
*** This is common in Japanese manga. The Japanese hero of most post-occupation fighter-ace manga is named "Rei" (Zero) after the Mitsubishi Zero. Also, this refers to no specific Japanese person.
**"Alphonse" is derived from German and means both "noble" and "eager"; two fitting adjectives for the innocent yet awesome Al.
* In ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', we have Rei Ayanami, whose given name is written in katakana (as is everyone else's given names), leaving it a mystery as to what it could mean. One possible meaning is the number zero; the kanji for zero can be pronounced as "rei," and she pilots Evangelion Unit-'''00'''. However, the Japanese word for ''soul'' is also pronounced ''rei''. Make of that what you will.
* In the original ''Mobile Suit Gundam'', some characters [[spoiler:who are Newtypes]] are given names of Japanese airplanes: Amuro Ray = ''Rei'' (Zero), the Mitsubishi Zero and Kai Shiden, the Kawanishi N1K-J. The war orphan Kikka is named after the Nakajima J9Y, while the older Mirai Yashima is named after a Japanese battleship of 1894. Hayato Kobayashi[[spoiler:, who is not a Newtype,]] is named after a medal-winning Japanese infantryman. The Englishman Ensign Bright is named after an English ambassador who helped the Japanese in the nineteenth century.
* Michel in ''MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' is named for the angel Michael. The alteration in the name, other than playing up his connection to Michal, is the first clue that there's something a bit off with his supposed MissionFromGod.
* In ''HaibaneRenmei'', every Haibane is given a MeaningfulName based on their dreams ([[spoiler:which may or may not represent how they died]]) when they first appear.
* Katou Yue in ''AngelSanctuary'' was given his first name Yue by his father, because his wife cheated on him and so Yue obviously wasn't his child, always reminding him of the incident. Yue is a term used for children born dead or dying shortly after birth. (Generally it means something like tragic accident, lethal occurence etc) The name didn't work as a bad omen, as Katou was able to grow into a annoying teenager, but while the manga goes on, [[spoiler: he gets killed once and sacrifices himself three times getting always beyond the border of death... before jumping right back into action, always more killing and slashing. In the end, he uses a doomsday device too summon a meteor smashing heaven saving Setsuna a third time and ultimately leaving Yuki no time to resurrect him before the series ending]]
* In ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub'', Tamaki is engaged to Eclair Tonnerre, a girl whose name means "lightning thunder" in French. Not only is that mind-blowingly heavy-handed, [[FearOfThunder thunder and lightning are the only fears of the protagonist]].
** St. Lobelia Academy, home of the [[{{StrawFeminist}} Zuka Club]], may or may not be another intentional case. The lobelia flower is traditionally used medically as an emetic or purgative, and it can be dangerous in large doses. In floriography, lobelia also means malevolence.
* The protagonists of ''{{Tekkonkinkreet}}'' are known as Kuro and Shiro -- "Black" and "White". "White" is innocent and untouched by the evil that surrounds him, while "Black" is malicious and violent. Because this is a Taoist fable, Black and White complement and complete each other (à la Yin and Yang).
** Also significant in the story are Rat, an old yakuza, and Serpent, who may or may not be an alien. Kuro and Shiro call themselves "Neko", or the Cats. Needless to say, there are many cats, snakes and rats that feature prominently in the background in the manga. [[spoiler:Not to mention the Minotaur, who knows the labyrinth.]]
* ''SoulEater'': Maka is [[SignificantAnagram an anagram]] of ''kama'', the Japanese name for a scythe. [[SinisterScythe Three guesses what ]][[EmpathicWeapon her partner Soul ]][[VoluntaryShapeshifting turns into.]] It also means "earth" or "soil" in Lakota, possibly a reflection of her down-to-earth personality.
** On the other hand, the characters ought to have been wary of [[MagnificentBastard Medusa]] from the beginning considering where her name comes from...
** We can't forget the aptly-named Eruka Frog, either, who can turn into a frog. Or Dr Franken Stein, who is covered all over with stitches.
* ''{{Zoids}} Chaotic Century'' has a few Meaningful Names. Like a lot of anime, Zoids is fond of its GratuitousGerman: examples include the hero, Ban Freiheit ("freedom"); his Organoid, Seig (''Sieg'' "victory"); and Karl Schwarz ("black"), who has a fondness for black lilies. More notably, there's the OracularUrchin Fine - Italian for "the end" - who has the power to [[spoiler:destroy all Zoids in order to save the world]]. Unfortunately, the significance of these names is obscured by apparent mistranslation in the English dub: Freiheit becomes Flyheight, Seig becomes Zeke, Schwarz becomes Shubaltz, and Fine is renamed Fiona. This becomes somewhat awkward when a line is retained from the original script wherein another character remarks upon the fatalistic connotations of Fine's name, something that obviously doesn't apply to the name "Fiona" ([[http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona Wikipedia]]: "white, pale or fair").
** ''Zoids New Century Zero'' uses Gratuitous German in its names for the Liger Zero's three armor units, each designed for a specific purpose: Jaeger (''Jäger'' "hunter"), for speed; Schneider ("tailor", more literally "cutter"), equipped with numerous blades; and Panzer ("tank"), loaded with missiles and heavy artillery. Some character names are arguably intended to be meaningful - Bit Cloud's surname may refer to his carefree, wandering nature; Vega Obscura's to the fact that little is known about him; Jamie Hemeros' surname may be derived from the Greek word for "tame" or "mild," particularly fitting in contrast with the nature of his alter-ego, Wild Eagle.
* Most (if not all?) of the characters from ''{{Naruto}}'' are affected by this. In the Rookie 9 alone, we have...
** Team 7:
*** Naruto Uzumaki: "Naruto" being a reference to his love of ramen, and "Uzumaki" to the Rasengan technique. There's also a place in Japan called the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruto_whirlpool Naruto whirlpool]] (''Naruto no Uzushio'').
*** The Uzumaki part, although somewhat linked to the Rasengan technique, was originally there because of the spiral design in the fishcakes in ramen.
*** Sasuke Uchiha: "Uchiha" being a type of Japanese fan and the clan symbol, and "Sasuke" being a stock name for a ninja character. The third Hokage's family name is Sarutobi, which sets up the name Sarutobi Sasuke, which is the name of a popular fictional ninja.
*** Sakura Haruno: "Sakura" being a reference to her hair colour, and the phrase "''Haru no sakura''" meaning "spring's cherry blossoms".
**** Only if you say her name out loud. Sakura's last name is actually written with the kanji for "spring" and "field" (not the possessive "no") so her full name really translates out to "Spring Field Cherry Blossom". Naoko Takeuchi pulled the same thing with the kanji in the name of the Inner Senshi in Sailormoon.
** Team 8:
*** Hinata Hyuuga: Her names forming a pun around the sun, linked to the Hyuuga clan symbol. The pun being that her first and last name can both be read as the same thing, "Into the sun", or "facing the sun"
*** Kiba Inuzuka: As a dog ninja, his first name means fang, also a reference to his FacialMarkings, and his family name means, well, dog. Furthermore, his mother is named Tsume which means claw, and his big sister is named Hana which means nose(this too is a double pun as it also means flower and she's the most civilized of the family). The Inuzuka historically were a clan of Samurai who trained dogs.
*** Shino Aburame: In Japan, the last name comes first, so "Aburame Shino" resembles "Aburamashi", the Japanese word for cockroach.
*** Additionally Kiba and Shino's names play off of each other: the main character of the early 19th century epic novel ''Nansō Satomi Hakkenden'' (which you might remember for being adapted into the OVA series ''TheHakkenden'') had "Shino" and "Inuzuka" as part of his name.
** Team 10:
*** Chouji Akimichi: "Chouji" referring both to the butterfly-form of his chakra, and his caterpillar-like eating habits.
*** Shikamaru Nara: A reference to his clan's deer-rearing, "shika" meaning deer and Nara being a city known for its' free-roaming deer.
*** Ino Yamanaka: "Ino" referring to her boarish personality.
*** It's also likely that Chouji and Ino's names are meant to be ironic; The fat one is named "butterfly" and the pretty one is named "boar".
*** These characters names form Ino-Shika-Cho, a combo in a card game, in much the same way as their techniques mesh together for a combo. Their parents share these name similarities, and they are in fact the second Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
** A fairly subtle instance of this is in the Immortals Arc, in which shogi is a recurring theme (especially when Asuma initially thinks the "king" is the Hokage, but realizes that it's the next generation). As such, the antagonists of the arc, Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu, have the kanji for the rook and bishop in their names, respectively, and a panel near the end of Chapter 332 shows a knight (representing Shikamaru's fighting style) prepared to capture an enemy rook and bishop.
**Gaara-Talk about meaningful names. Thanks to the subtelties and complexities of the Japanese Language, Gaara's name is actually a mutated acronym. It's short for "a self-loving carnage" (我を愛する修羅, Ware wo ai suru shura). Gaara (我愛羅) The kanji taken from the phrase mean Self, Love, and the second half of Carnage or Demon. His title Sabaku is a double pun as well. Sabaku 砂瀑 means Sand Waterfall, but the pronunciation also means desert which is also accurate.
** Jiraiya-His name means comes and goes as he pleases,which is just as accurate if not more than Ero-sennin(Perverted Hermit).
** Kisame Hoshigake- Itachi's partner's first name literally means Demon Shark. His sword Samehada means Shark Skin...but for his last name it goes a little deeper. It means dried persimmon. All known family names from Kirigakure are related to fruits: Momochi "peach ground"), Hoshigaki "dried persimmons"),Hozuki "demon lantern", and Chōjūrō "Asian Pear").
** Might Guy-Rock Lee's sensei. It speaks for itself.
** All subtlety is thrown out the window with [[TheDragon Pain]]. Guess what's so significant about his name.
* The "Shishioh" in [[GaoGaiGar Shishioh Guy]] means "Lion King." Lions are synonymous with courage, and Guy pilots a robot nicknamed "Brave King" which also has an actual (giant robot) lion at its core. Also, the kanji used for "Gai" is used in constructs to mean "victory."
** So we're not mentioning [[spoiler: the Primevals' naming scheme]]? Or, for that matter, [[spoiler: Amami Mamoru ("mamoru" as before meaning "to protect"), whose MeaningfulName was acknowledged in the show itself]]?
* For God's sake, people: '''''SpeedRacer'''''. Speed Racer!
** Just to make it worse, we have his older brother Rex. Who is believed dead in a racing accident and then comes back as Racer X. Okay, on three, we all groan. One, two…
** His original Japanese name was Mifune Gou (Hibiki Gou in the '80s remake), with the given name being a pun on the English word "go." ''Go'' is also Japanese for 'five,' so the Mach 5 (and the title of the series, ''Mach Go Go Go'') are the same pun again. The Masked Racer X, however, didn't get a pun.
* In ''{{Kure-nai}}'', Murasaki Kuhouin is believed to have been named after Murasaki from the ''TaleOfGenji''. Both characters are kidnapped as little girls and develop a relationship of sorts with their caretaker. Note, however, that ''{{Kure-nai}}'' sports an inverted HikaruGenjiPlan.
* The main characters of ''[[WolfsRain Wolf's Rain]]'' are all named after aspects of a wolf. Kiba = fang, Hige = whisker, Tsume = claw, and Toboe = howl. (Blue also has blue eyes.) Their powers correspond with their name as well. Kiba can bend steel with his jaws; Tsume is the second-best fighter and early on tends to "use" a switchblade while fighting; Toboe often howls to get help or find someone; and Hige has the best sense of smell. Cher Degré also has a meaningful name--''cher'' is French for "dear," although the correct feminine form is ''chère''. Her ex-husband Hubb Lebowski constantly tries to get back together with her, to the point of abandoning his job to find her when she goes off in search of Cheza [[spoiler: and when she dies, she is quite painfully mourned by him]].
* ''[[{{Grenadier}} Grenadier]]'' actually has a little wit with regards to the main character's name: Her given name, Rushuna, is a play on a Rushana Buddha, a statue exemplifying the essence of the Buddha, while her surname, Tendou, translates to "Heavenly Path." Her espousal of the Ultimate Strategy ("ending a fight gently and without fighting"), her almost unrelentingly kind and chipper demeanor, and her honest, unironic caring for everyone she meets makes her name [[{{ImprobableAimingSkills}} almost as accurate as she is.]]
** It also makes sense that she finds her way to Tenshi ("angel").
* The magical owl Ikebukuro from ''CosplayComplex'' gets its name from a commercial district in Tokyo, which is known for "Otome Road", a street with {{otaku}} shops aimed at a female audience. The district also has a statue of an owl behind the station.
* In ''DoujinWork'', Najimi's full name is a play on "Osananajimi" which means "childhood friend", a character type that is a staple of [[{{H-Games}} hentai games]]. She also is another character's childhood friend in the series.
* Lockon Stratos from ''{{Gundam 00}}'' is said to be an expert marksman. This is Justified, by the fact that all the original Gundam Meisters names are Code Names.
* Maria Graceburt from ''{{Mai-Otome}}'' tries to hold herself and her students up to a high standard of discipline and dignity. She herself comments that all she wanted to do after retiring from her old life as a LadyOfWar was to [[IWasQuiteALooker age gracefully]].
* The eponymous character's codename in ''{{Golgo 13}}'' means ''something'', most likely, but nobody's sure what. The most popular theory is that it's a call-out to Golgotha, the hill on which Christ was crucified, and the thirteenth disciple, Judas. Given that the series has a skeleton wearing a crown of thorns as its icon, this is probably a good guess.
* ''OnePiece'' author Eiichiro Oda does this so frequently he ends up creating Meaningful Names by ''accident''. Some obvious ones are Zoro (a swordsman) and Usopp (playing off Aesop and the Japanese "Uso" meaning "to lie"). The accidental case is Rob Lucci, one of Luffy's single-most difficult opponents. Oda had no idea that "Lucci" was also Italian for "Light", and unknowingly gave the villain's name the meaning of "Steal the Light."
* Meow's kung-fu style in ''KazemakaseTsukikageRan'' incorporates a lot of techniques inspired by the movement of cats.
* ''AbenobashiMahouShoutengai'' has Mune-Mune. Mune means "chest" in Japanese. You get three guesses as to what her, uh, "defining" feature is.
* Almost every character in ''PrincessTutu'' has a name that means something:
** Ahiru means "duck" in Japanese (and was translated in the dub), which makes sense because she ''is'' a duck. Most of the animals in the series follow suit.
** Mytho's name comes from the greek word "Mythos" which means "story"--a fitting name for a prince from a Story. His true name, [[spoiler:Siegfried, is also the name of the prince from SwanLake]].
** A fakir is a type of mystic, so given [[spoiler:Fakir's story-spinning powers]] it makes sense.
** Rue has quite a few things going for her. "Rue" of course means "to regret" or "bitter", which give the negative connotations needed for TheRival. It's also the herb of grace, which suits her position as "best dancer in the school".
*** [[spoiler: Her other name,]] "Kraehe", on the other hand, is the German word for crow (''Krähe'').
** "Autor" is the German word for "author" and the character with the name is a scholar and wannabe Story-Spinner.
** Femio may or may not be a subversion - in one of the series DVD's special features, it was stated that they just wanted a "femmy-sounding name" for him.
* ''ChronoCrusade'' has a few meaningful names in the series. The most obvious is Chrono, whose name comes from the greek for "time". Aion's name, in contrast, means "forever". And then there's Joshua Christopher's name -- "Christopher" means "bearing Christ", and Joshua is from the same name that we get the name "Jesus" from.
* ''VinlandSaga'': Askeladd means 'boy born amongst ashes', kind of a male, Norse, macho version of Cinderella. Askeladd was the son of a slave, and worked a smithy as a child. Hence he was called Askeladd. Bjorn is a border-line example, it means Bear, and while he is a berserker, but it's also a rather common name, even in modern times.
** Askeladd's name actually has double meaning: Askeladd is also a protagonist in several Scandinavian folk tales, all of which have two similarities: Askeladd always starts out as TheUnfavourite and goes from RagsToRiches, and he always does so by being cleverer than his competitors and thinking outside the box -- exactly as the manga character.
** As we find out later, [[spoiler: Askeladd's not his real name. But his ''true'' name, Lucius Artorius Castus, holds meaning as well, being the name of the military commander now thought to be King Arthur's historical basis. As Askeladd is a descendent of Arthur, being named for his ancestor is a mark of his bloodline.]]
* ''StrikeWitches'': the characters in this alternate history based series are real world military pilots twisted into magical lolis. Their names are gender-reversed versions of the originals (Erich Hartmann → Erica Hartmann, Pierre Clostermann → Perrine Clostermann etc.).
** A particularly clever touch is Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, the gender-swapped version of the Finnish WW2 pilot Eino Ilmari Juutilainen. Ilmatar is the name of an ancient Finnish sky goddess.
*** "Ilmari" is in 'modern' Finnic folklore a cultural hero/smith god, but he used to be the sky god. The names Ilmari and Ilmatar are both derived from ilma 'air'. On a side-note, another Finnish ace pilot was named Hans Wind (modern spelling Vind), which means, yes, 'wind'.
* ''{{Planetes}}'': Hachimaki's surname, ''Hoshino'', means ''of the stars'', and sure enough, he's an astronaut who aspires to own his own ship. Tanabe's given name means ''love'', and she believes that [[{{LoveFreak}} love can solve everything]].
* ''PrincessMononoke'' has [[LadyOfWar Lady Eboshi]], who commands her troops with ruthless efficiency. Her name refers to the high hats traditionally worn by Japanese military commanders and nobility.
* ''GGundam'' gives us Schwarz Bruder, whose name is German for "black brother" and thus a dead giveaway to his true identity.
** Played with a bit-although it is indeed an alias used by the main character's seemingly rogue older brother, it was also the name of a ''real person'' who's body and identity said brother jacked in a spur of the moment thing- meaning, although its the most blatantly obvious alias since "Darth Vader", its also a ''complete coincidence''.
* ''DennouCoil'' quickly establishes the [[{{OneSteveLimit}} two Yuukos]] with very different personalities. They quickly gain nicknames from another character, both based on the alternate readings assigned to the different kanji their names are written with. The kind-hearted, more passive Okonogi Yuuko (Yasako) is read as "Gentle Girl," while the more driven, determined Amasawa Yuuko (Isako) is read as "Brave Girl."
* ''ShikabaneHime'' has a group of villains called the Seven Stars, which is also one of the Japanese names for The Plough. Their deadliest and most important member is an EvilAlbino named Hokuto, whose name is another word for the same constellation.
* The title of ''AiYoriAoshi'' is taken from the proverb "''Ao wa ai yori idete ai yori aoshi''", meaning "Blue comes from indigo, yet it is bluer than indigo". The main character's name is Aoi, a variant of that word for blue -- the sneaky part is that it's only ''pronounced'' that way. The kanji for her name actually means "hollyhock". Many other names in the series are meaningful:
** Aoi's family name is Sakuraba, which means "cherry blossom garden" -- a good match with Kaoru, which means "fragrant".
** Miyabi, who's been training Aoi all her life in the ways of the YamatoNadeshiko, has a name that means "refinement".
** Taeko, the {{Dojikko}}, has a name meaning "delicate child".
** Mayu's name means "cocoon", and she's both a sheltered rich girl and a silk heiress.
** And of course, the BottleFairy's name is Tina [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosters_Lager Foster]]. (Reaching?)
** There's also a pun in the title, since another word pronounced "ai" means "love" and it's a romantic show. To imitate this effect, the manga translation keeps the title ''AiYoriAoshi'' but adds "True Blue Love" as a subtitle.
* Remember the flower garden that's so important to Shizuma in ''StrawberryPanic''? Her last name, Hanazono, means exactly that.
* ''JigokuShoujo'''s Enma Ai looks like a beautiful young girl but sends people to hell, and she has a name to match that dual nature. Enma is the Buddhist god who rules the underworld (you may know him from ''DragonBall'' under his Japanese name, King Yama). Ai, of course, is that word for love again -- probably. It's deliberately always written in kana, so we can't be sure which meaning of ''ai'' her parents had in mind.
** Kikuri, too, has a kana-only name. But given that she wears what might be a chrysanthemum (the Japanese funeral flower, by the way) and has someone calling her "hime", her name is very likely a reference to the dragon goddess [[http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Kikuri-Hime Kikuri-Hime]].
* Every proper noun in ''GurrenLagann''. The show's nature being what it is, a lot of it is just for kicks rather than thoughtful.
** The human cast is named after directions/relative positions or their main characteristic. If most characters seemed simple enough to sum up in a single word, now you know why.
*** Kamina. "Kami" in this case means "up". His very first line in the show is, "Keep your head up when you walk, Simon." He has a signature pose pointing in this direction, carries ambitions of reaching the heavens, and embodies the show's theme of endlessly upping the scales to insane heights. While his age isn't mentioned he's likely pretty tall for it.
*** Simon. "Shimo" meaning "down", works better with the Japanese pronunciation of his name. He starts the show as Kamina's foil, being short, depressive, and having a reflexive need to dig a hole and hide below ground level. A turning point occurs when he makes his oft mistranslated speech, [[spoiler:"It doesn't matter whether I dig my own grave. So long as I break through, I'm the one on top!"]] His being taller than [[spoiler:Kamina by the end of the story]] is an indicator of how far he's come in the opposite direction.
*** Rossiu is "ushiro", or "back". He represents the characters who don't believe in blindly charging forwards and is [[spoiler:ultimately shackled by his origins.]]
*** "Yoko" is "side" while Nia is "near." Gimmy and Darry are "migi" and "hidari," or "right" and "left" respectively. These are probably just to be cute.
**BS. The second season is essentially a massive Passing of the Torch to Gimmy and Darry.
*** Dayakka. "Odayaka," for "gentle."
*** Leeron is either "riron" for "theory," or "ronri" for "logic".
*** Kittan would be "tanki," or "short-tempered."
*** Kiyoh is "youki," or "cheerful."
*** Kinon is "nonki," or "carefree." Unplanned irony or defying her namesake like Simon?
*** Kiyal is "yaruki" or "eager."
*** Boota. "Buta" means "pig," and "buu" is Japanese for "oink." [[PunnyName Real mystery here.]]
** Lord Genome's four generals take their names from a mix of nucleobases and elementals.
*** Genome himself. According to ThatOtherWiki, the genome of an organism is its hereditary information encoded in DNA.
*** Thymilph is mix of thymine and sylph. Despite his girth he is wind-themed.
*** Adiane is adenine and undine. Any guess why she shared a bond with Thymilph?
*** Guame is guanine and gnome.
*** Cytomander is cytosine and salamander. Him being a flashy peacock parodying Japanese glam rock has more to do with his mecha's theme.
** Locations are named for their bare bones roles. Think quest progression in cliche RPGs.
*** Jiha Village is "the starting village" ("hajimari" = "begining")
*** Littner Village is "the next village" ("tonari" = "next one over")
*** The never-shown Bachika Village is a convenient "nearby village" the Black Siblings showed up from (chikaba = "nearby place")
*** Adai Village fills the role of "some village along the way" ("aida" = "interval")
*** Teppelin is "the very top" where the journey ends ("teppen" = "summit"). Or [[spoiler:so you'd think]].
*** Rinkane Jail. It may be based on "reincarnation", or the word "rinkan" which means "grand, splendid building". It is hopefully ''NOT'' based on the other, differently spelled "rinkan" which means "gangrape", or the [[http://randomc.animeblogger.net/image/Gurren%20Lagann/Gurren%20Lagann%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2005.jpg cockblock jokes will never end]].
* ''{{Tsukihime}}'''s badass Tohno Shiki becomes the FutureBadass Satsujinki, whose [[EvilEye mystic eyes]] have gone out of control, forcing him to cover them with bandages, and past physical limitations surpassed. Satsujinki means something around "bloodthirsty murderer" (quite ironic considering his personality, but somehow fitting) except it has part of his name replacing the kanji, making it roughly equivalent to "Shikiller." Fans prefer "Satsujinki."
* [[IchigoMashimaro Chika's]] name is said in the manga to mean "a thousand good things" or "honorable mention" or even "the sound a light switch makes", but another couple of more fitting meanings is "wisdom" or "intelligence". She's certainly one of the more studious and sensible of the group, and less likely to fall for Miu's claims than, say, Matsuri. Speaking of Miu, the manga says her name means "beautiful wings", but another meaning is "beautiful feather"... which is interesting considering that the example she gives of something that makes her happy is "making Chika collapse from laughter."
* [[AzumangaDaioh Sakaki]] is a family name, but it's also a kind of ''tree'', [[TallDarkAndBishoujo which]] [[HugeSchoolgirl makes]] [[GentleGiant sense]].
* In ''MahouSenseiNegima'', the eponymous Negi, Japanese for "Spring Onion", is a reference to the Welsh Onion, Negi's home being Wales. Interestingly, his [[{{Honorifics}} nickname]] "''bozu''" (roughly translated to "kid" or "brat") in context with the word "Negi" literally means "Onion-head".
** The series also has Chachamaru with at least two: her first name is written with the Kanji for "''Tea''", a reference to her main function as a tea-serving robot. Her last name, "''Karakuri''", refers to the ''karakuri ningyō'' (traditional Japanese dolls) used in 18th and 19th century Japan as automated puppets for entertainment and at festivals, refering to Chachamaru's funtion as Evangeline's "Doll" of sorts (the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] goes by the title "[[RedBaron Doll/Puppet Master]]"). Powered by a mechanism of gears and springs (Chachamaru herself is "wound" this way by a magic-user), these dolls modernly are used as a more traditional means of serving tea to guests; they move/walk in a straight path for a set distance when a cup of tea is placed in their hands/plate, afterwhich bowing deeply. This again refers to Chachamaru's function as a tea-serving robot while also refering to her polite mannerisms. Just for refernce, ''karakuri'' itself means "mechanical device to take someone by surprise".
** Then, there is [[spoiler:Asuna]]'s full name: [[spoiler: Asuna Vesperina Theothanasia Enteofushia]]. Her third name could be roughly translated as either "god of death" or "godslayer", with the rest of the story hinting for the latter.
** Nodoka's name fits her to perfectly, given how the name is a Japanese term for "quiet", and she herself is a shy library girl (and usually one of the tamer students in Negi's class).
** Kotarou's family name, Inugami, is Japanese for "dog spirits", thus reflecting how he's part dog demon.
** Most of the [[spoiler:aliases]] used by Fate's [[spoiler:Ministra Magi]] are references to the abilities that they have:
*** [[spoiler:Shirabe = tune (her artifact is a fiddle that emits sound waves that can destroy building)]]
*** [[spoiler:Homura = flame (she is capable of using fire-based attacks)]]
*** [[spoiler:Shiori = bookmark (when she reverts to her regular body after being disguises as someone, the disguise turns into a bookmark)]]
*** [[spoiler:Koyomi = calendar (her artifact is a hourglass that affects time and space)]]
* ''CodeGeass'' has Nina Einstein, who goes on to [[spoiler:invent the Fleiya Warhead, the in-universe equivilant of nukes]].
** And Lelouch Lamperouge, who's first name roughly translates to "The Suspicious" in French, which is fairly on the mark. Of course, I don't think the people who created him were fluent, and as such, it is somewhat mangled. Lamperouge... is close enough to "Lamp red" or "red light"... I have no idea what they're trying to imply there, but it sounds lusty...
** And the Kururugi clan, Suzaku and his father Genbu, two of a group of four popular zoomorphised constellations, specifically the firebird and tortoise-snake. Suzaku's name also ends up also being a PropheticName.
** And Kaguya, named after a fabled moon princess, who falls in love with the Japanese Emperor, and asks impossible tasks of her undesired suitors, including acquiring a jewelled branch from the Chinese island of Penglai, and when she rejects him and leaves for her home on the moon, leaving him a pot containing immortality elixir, he burns it atop Mount Fuji, from which they declare the smoke that rises from Fuji (due to it's volcanic nature, which has settled since) is from that burning. Compare and contrast to Code Geass's Kaguya, who falls in love with Zero, Saviour of the Japanese, who eventually moves her and his army to the artificial island Horai, which is the alternate Japanese reading of the same Chinese characters, then when they are parted, he gives up on immortality, despite it being in his reach, and detonates Fuji, sending it's smoke high into the air.
* ''NinjaNonsense'' has a couple of these. Shinobu is a joke on ''shinobi'', which means ninja. Onsokumaru's name means "speed-of-sound ball", and he's a madcap shapeshifter whose usual form is spherical.
* [[{{Gintama}} Sakata Gintoki the silverhaired natural-perm samurai.]] Obviously a pun.
* Each of the Seishi in ''{{Fushigi Yuugi}}'' is named after a constellation to which a particular deity is assigned, e.g. the Suzaku Seishi being named after Suzaku's constellations, the Seiryuu Seishi being named after Seiryuu's constellations, and so on. Yuu Watase, however, didn't know what the characters' names actually meant when she made them, and upon finishing the series, she looked up their definitions. Most of the time, they suited the characters' personalities so well that it was eerie.
* On the subject of Yuu Watase, Tooya from ''{{Ayashi no Ceres}}'' is another example. [[spoiler:His growth to his adult physical build took only ten nights, and he even explains this whenever someone asks him his name. "From 'ten' and 'night', Tooya."]]
* Ichinose Kai from ''Piano no Mori''. His name can alternatively be read as "ichi no sekai" or "world's number one", a . . . not so subtle allusion to Kai's development into a musical genius.
* ''Basquash'' has Iceman Hotty. Outside a Bigfoot, he is has a calm, cool demeanor. Inside one, he goes into a frenzy while hurling balls with great force and shouting "DESTROY!!!"
* In ''HayateTheCombatButler'', [[BattleButler Hayate]]'s name mean "hurricane." His employer [[{{Ojou}} Na]][[OtakuSurrogate gi]] means "windless." Whether they're still the OfficialCouple is another question...
* The title character of ''{{Saki}}''. Her name means "to bloom". Her favorite FinishingMove, the Rinshan Kaihou, means "a flower blooms on a ridge". This was specifically pointed out in the series.
* Anyone named Nadeshiko will usually always be a YamatoNadeshiko.
** Exception: Nadeshiko Benibara, the teacher in ''{{Shuffle}}!''
* In ''DaCapo'', Sakura Yoshino is [[spoiler:tied to the magical sakura tree that her grandmother planted on the island, even more so when she wished that she wouldn't age under it]].
* In {{Monster}}, the [[StepfordSmiler perpetually calm]] Grimmer's name comes from the Czech name Jaromir which means "fierceness and peace". This reflects [[spoiler:that Grimmer has a brutally violent alternate personality called Steiner (which happens to mean peace)]].
** Come to think of it, the name ''Grim''mer is quite ironic as well.
** BigBad Johann's name means "God is gracious" and he [[spoiler: survives being shot in the head, ''twice''.]]
* [[{{Eat-Man}} Bolt Crank]], whose favorite snacks are... [[ExtremeOmnivore bolts and cranks]].
* ''TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' has [[spoiler: Tsubasa and Tsubasa as the real names of Sakura and Syaoran. Wings come in pairs. So... yeah.]]
* Aiko, the gynoid from ''MagicalPokaan'', has her name spelt 鉄子 which would normally be read as Tetsuko or "Iron child".
* No mention of Schrödinger, the [[SchrodingersCat catboy]] from ''{{Hellsing}}'' yet?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Card Games]]
* In ''[=~Magic: The Gathering~=]'' we have Mirri the [[CatGirl cat warrior]]. "Mirri" is Finnish for "pussy" (both in the sense of cat, and... [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean you know]]).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* The Sunderland corporation in early ''SwampThing''. They're environmentally unfriendly -- they ''sunder'' ''land''.
* Comic book villain T. O. Morrow.
* ''{{X-Men}}'' has a few despite tending to avoid this trope:
** Magneto's long-since-not-secret-anymore identity is Erik ''Magnus'' Lehnsherr, and the "Magnus" is the only part of it that we know to be part of his birth name.
*** For the record, "Magnus" refers to Magneto's awesomeness, not his magnetic powers. Though the fact that it sounds similar to his power is no doubt intentional on Stan Lee's part.
** Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men, though it's his fault instead of it being coincidental within continuity. He swears (depending on the era) that the name X-Men stands for "extra" power or for the X-factor gene, not his name. (Somehow, it took a villain deliberately outing him after ''years'' for people to [[GenreBlindness get the hint]] that bald, wheelchair-bound Professor Xavier and bald, wheelchair-bound Professor X were the same guy.)
*** There were other villains who already knew, but for various reasons had no interest in outing him. And most people on Earth didn't actually know that the X-Men had a wheelchair-bound leader; for most of the team's history, he didn't go out on missions with them, and in the early days when he did, he was pretty quick to use his powers to mind-wipe people to protect everyone's secret identities.
** The Vanisher's real name is Telford Porter.
*** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in an issue of ''She-Hulk'' that revealed he has other aliases such as I.M. Ouddahere and C.U. Later.
** En Sabah Nur (Apocalypse) is the first mutant, and his name is said to mean The First One (but [[DidNotDoTheResearch it actually means something along the lines of "the seven lights"]]).
*** In Arabic, En Sabah Nur means 'the morning light', ie. dawn. However, it's grammatically incorrect (it should be El Sabah Nur) and Sabah and Nur are common ''girl's'' names.
**** It should be noted, though, Apocalypse was born in ancient Egypt, long before the modern Arabic language existed. At least in the Marvel Universe, "En Sabah Nur" could have meant something different back then.
** Emma Frost is an "ice queen", though her powers are not ice-related. (She does take over Iceman's body at one point, though...)
*** There's also the later addition of turning herself into a diamond (frost sorta being related to ice, which doubles as a slang term for diamonds).
** [[NameOfCain Cain]] Marko, as in "the Mark of Cain", Professor X's jealous stepbrother (aka the Juggernaut).
*** Less well known, the Mark of Cain was meant to ''protect'' Cain from being harmed (albeit indirectly). In Marvel he's a NighInvulnerable ImplacableMan.
** Wolverine (James Howlett) was born in Canada during the 1800s. It was revealed in the miniseries "Origin" that he was the son of a wealthy landowner who was murdered by their groundskeeper. Although James later called himself Logan then later Wolverine, he resembles more of a wolf in some illustrations through the years, which was highlighted in a several books. [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HealingFactor Healing Factor]] is also a mutant ability for this guy.Howlett is also an allusion to wolves which was the last animal seen by the end of "Origin" travelling with James in the Canadian wilderness.
** In ''XMenEvolution'', Leech's real name is Dorian Leach. (In comics, he has no "real name".) A couple other characters in this show have their names changed to resemble their codename: Avalanche/Lance Alvers (comic: Dominic Petros) and Toad/Todd Tolensky (comic: Mortimer Toynbee). The comics themselves have Unus the Untouchable (long known as Gunther Bain, his real name has been [[RetCon revealed]] as Angelo Unuscione; more or less confirming the longstanding fan theory that fellow supervillain Carmella Unuscione, usually known as simply Unuscione, is his daughter).
*** Dominic Petros certainly fits this trope as Avalanche dominates rock.
* Most of the Wolfrider elves in ''ElfQuest'' have meaningful names. Cutter is good with a sword (and also likes to cut through hypocrisy and bullshit), Skywise is a stargazer, Pike and Redlance are spearmen, Strongbow and his son Dart are archers, Treestump is short and stocky (and also stubborn and unyielding), One-Eye -- well, for obvious reasons, and Bearclaw... well, I guess he just likes pastries.
** Justified in that Wolfriders do tend to name themselves after their deeds, changing name when they perform a huge one (e.g. Redlance used to be called Redmark until he saved his chief using, yes, a lance). The other tribes tend to have non-meaningful names.
** Female Wolfriders, on the other hand, tend to have names inspired by nature: Moonshade, Nightfall, Rainsong, Dewshine... Rainsong's name is also in honor of her father, who was named Rain.
* There is a lot of this going on in ''NobleCauses''. Race Noble is a speedster, Rusty had his consciousness trapped in a robotic body, Zephyr has air control powers, Celeste has stellar energy powers, etc.
* Kimiyo Hoshi, the female Dr. Light, received her powers from a star. Again, "hoshi" is Japanese for "star".
** The wordplay only works in English, but her name combined means 'I am a star'.
** [[http://web.archive.org/web/20060514063923/http://www.geocities.com/names4pets/fk.html An animal-naming site]] gave the meaning of "Kimiyo" as "she who is without peer, or without equal", which is all-too appropriate for her often-bitchy, InsufferableGenius personality.
*** Even better: Both the [[http://www.kabalarians.com/Male/kimiyo.htm male]] and [[http://www.kabalarians.com/Female/kimiyo.htm female]] interpretations of her name from the Kabalarian Philosophy site, which describe her personality to a tee.
* Steel, the armoured, hammer-wielding African American hero, whose real name is John Henry Irons.
* Virtually every ''[[{{Comicbook/Batman}} Batman]]'' villain has a theme name, some (Temple Fulgate/Clock King, Julian Day/Calendar Man) more subtle than others (Harley Quinn, Mary Dahl/Baby Doll). The ones that don't, like Harvey Dent/Two-Face and the Joker don't either because they were a non-villain character previously or because they've had several names and the {{canon}} can't agree.
** Don't forget none-too-pretty cop Dan ''Turpin'' (taken from the Latin for ugly/corrupt).
* Can't forget the ''{{Asterix}}'' comics. In the entire comic series, every name at least means ''something'', from [[DreadfulMusician incompetent bard]] Cacofonix to Briton chieftan Zebigbos.
* Oh yeah, and let's not forget Victor Von Doom, the main villain from the ''Comicbook/FantasticFour''. Seriously, what were his parents thinking?
** Don't forget that according to the original canon, he was [[strike: [[AcceptableTargets a Gypsy]]]] [[OnceAcceptableTargets Roma]], and they had to have it sound European. [[UnfortunateImplications This changed]], of course, but the name stayed the same. (It still doesn't explain [[DidNotDoTheResearch why he has the aristocratic "Von" added]], though.)
*** He is still Roma in the comics. It was not uncommon in the past for Romanies to have two names, one used within their community and another used with outsiders, so his ancestors may have adopted 'Von Doom' to blend in with (the presumably Germanic-speaking) peoples around them.
* A strange case: JohnByrne brought Luke Cage and Iron Fist {{Back From the Dead}} by revealing that they were impostors. In the process he retconned that a character Tyrone King was a preestablished villain, Master Khan. "Even the name, 'Tyrone King', means 'Master Khan'!" The original author had put the meaningful name in by ''pure coincidence''.
* ''{{Tintin}}'' features Mik Kanrokitoff, a journalist who covers space-related news. To be fair, it might be a pen name.
** And in the French version, the same character was named Ezdanitoff, which could be translated as "isn't that awesome" in the [[strike:Brussels]] ''Flemmish'' dialect. Well, well.
* In ''MidnightNation'', the detective who will choose which way to tip the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil has the last name of Gray. I wonder why...
* [[SpiderMan Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus]]. {{Lampshaded}} in the second movie, when J. Jonah Jameson says "Guy named Octavius winds up with eight limbs. What are the odds?"
* Jessica Jones. Her name might seem insignificant, but the alliteration is something the majority of {{Marvel}} characters created in the SilverAge have in common.
* Michael Caesar from the ''{{Boondocks}}'' comic strip. He likes to rap and his initials are...
* Namor the Sub-Mariner's name means "avenging son" in Atlantean. Avenging is basically all he does. His cousins Namora (avenging daughter) and Namorita (...little avenging daughter, one assumes) are less prone to ludicrous amounts of rage.
* A villain from Fantastic Four, ''Diablo'', real name ''Esteban Diablo'', supposedly a Spanish alchemist born in the 9th century (or 19th, depending on the source). His name translates to "Stephen Devil". [[DidNotDoTheResearch No one could use such a surname in Spain]], even less in a more religious era. Later his name was retconned to Esteban Corazón del Diablo (No idea why they accented Corazón but not Esteban), meaning "Stephen Devilheart" or "Stephen Heart of the Devil". Now Mom's surname is "Of the Devil"; not a great improvement. Even later, Spanish-born comic-book artists working for Marvel apparently campaigned to change the surname to "De Ablo", meaning absolutely nothing but at least that would not require an execution.
** They did not accentuate Esteban because in Spanish, Esteban does NOT need a written accent. [[DidNotDoTheResearch Of any kind]].
* Many characters from CarlBarks's Duck comics, including the miserly, Scottish Scrooge McDuck; BunglingInventor Gyro Gearloose; and the mean, greedy Flintheart Glomgold.
* In one of either DC's ''Swamp Thing'' or Marvel's ''Man-Thing'' comics, there was a CorruptCorporateExecutive named F. A. Schist, dedicated to anti-environmental policies (he may have been part of the Sunderland Corporation mentioned above).
* [[{{Scamp}} Disney's Scamp]] basically is a scamp. The only one of his siblings that looks exactly like his father the Tramp, his name is also the only one that rhymes with his father's.
* JudgeDredd's full name is Joseph Dredd, and he was designed to strike dread into people's hearts. The real name of his enemy, Judge Death, is in fact Sidney D'Eath.
* A constant in Batman, where his villains have had the real names Edward Nigma (E. Nigma, AKA the Riddler), Julian Day (AKA Calender Man), Harleen Quinzel (AKA Harley Quinn), Dr Victor Fries (presumably pronounced Frees, AKA Mr. Freeze), Dr Simon Ecks (Dr. Double X), Joe Rigger (AKA explosives expert Firebug), Hammond Carter (AKA the map loving Globe), Warren White (The Great WHITE Shark), Liam Hawkleigh (AKA Gunhawk), Humphrey Dumpler (AKA Humpty Dumpty), Johnny Witts (The Crime Boss who's always one step ahead of the Batman), Lyle Bolton (AKA Lockup), Margaret Pie (the Magpie), Joe Coyne (the Penny Plunderer), Anthony Lupis (the Werewolf) Deever and Dumphrey/Dumson Tweed (Tweedledee and Tweedledum)...
* In ''{{Thunderbolts}}'', it's recently been revealed than the axe-wielding Headsman's real name is "Cleavon Twain", as in "cleave in twain" (or in simpler terms, "cut in two").
* Nearly ''any'' comic book hero or, especially, villain who has time-based powers is prone to have a name that's a play on well-known Latin saying "Tempus Fugit" ("time flies"). In fact, one comic book (annoying, I forget which one) had the heroes tracking down one such mysterious villain by [[GenreSavvy scouring the phonebook for someone with such a name, on the reasonable assumption that that was their man.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* Needy from ''JennifersBody''. You'll never guess what her defining personality trait is.
* ''HotFuzz'': The hero is named Nicholas Angel, his chubby partner is Butterman, and the townsfolk all have names associated with their jobs (the grocer is Skinner, the gardener is Tiller, etc.). Oddly enough, "Nicholas Angel" is a real name, based on the soundtrack producer.
** As confirmed in the DVD commentary: Mr. Treacher is named after ''The Siege of Treacher's Farm'', the novel on which ''StrawDogs'' was based (there are repeated references to ''StrawDogs'' throughout the film); the vicar is called Philip Shooter (P.Shooter); Eve Draper, the gossip, is a phonetic pun on "eavesdropper"; and Nicholas' name is even referenced in dialogue: "It would appear the heavens have opened" as Nicholas enters the hotel on a rainy day.
*** Lampshaded by Nicholas in his conversation with Mr P. I. Staker, though that may fit better under PunnyName...
* Hud (Head-Up Display) from ''{{Cloverfield}}''.
* The main character of ''There Will Be Blood'' is named [[DevilInPlainSight Daniel Plainview]].
* The police chief from ''AceVentura: Pet Detective'' is called Lois Einhorn ("ein" being german for "one" or just "a"). If you've seen the film you can't help but notice the irony.
** Einhorn means completely unicorn, like in the Last...
* ''SkyHigh'' had Warren Peace which wasn't just a [[PunnyName pun on the famous Leo Tolstoy novel]], but also symbolized his inner turmoil due to his blood; he was the son of a supervillain (war) and a superhero (peace).
* The less-than-[[GattacaBabies genetically "perfect"]] hero of ''{{Gattaca}}'' is named Vincent ''Freeman''; the man whose identity and "second to none" genetic code he assumes is named Jerome ''Eugene'' ("good genes") Morrow.
* Played with mercilessly in ''{{Spaceballs}}''. The entire ship is crewed with [[PlanetOfSteves Assholes]]. Literally.
** Lets not forget sleepy Princess-- er, ''Prince'' Valium. (It's the hair.)
* [[StarWars Darth Vader]], whose name is Dutch for "father". Darths Sidious, Maul, Tyrannus, and Plagueis also have suspiciously apt titles.
** Although this started a bit by accident. In early drafts, Darth Vader was just a name, and that of a regular Imperial officer to boot. The end product is ''very'' unlike the early drafts.
** Han Solo of ''StarWars''. He's a loner and a rogue, hence he's "solo". Unless you count the eight-foot-tall monkey that hangs out with him.
** And ''StarWarsTheCloneWars'' gives us Separatist general Whorm Loathsom. Ouch,
** And the death stick dealer Obi-Wan encountered in ''Episode II'' is named Elan Sleazebaggano.
** Remember the somewhat overweight X-Wing pilot from ''A New Hope''? His name is ''Porkins''. Nicknamed "Piggy".
** Luke Skywalker could also be a reference to Mucius Scaevola, a Roman who stuck his right hand in a fire that was going to be used for his execution, as a show of defiance. "Scaevola" is Latin for "left-handed".
*** To clear up some confusion that might result, in Latin, the letter "V" is pronounced like "W".
*** And the name "Luke" means "Light" in Latin.
** Also, the Skywalker family has an innate affinity for piloting. So naturally adept with the vehicles of the sky they might as well be able to walk in it.
** The [[http://starwars.wikia.com/Rodian Rodian]] species, composed largely of bounty hunters and other hired guns, may be named after the killer in ''Crime and Punishment'', ''Rodion'' Romanovich Raskolnikov.
** [[TheThrawnTrilogy "Mara"]] means "bitter". "Thrawn" is actually a Scottish word meaning a combination of obstinacy, assertiveness, and more than a hint of willful perversity. The characters are more complex than that, but it's a good start in both cases.
** No mention of General ''Greivous'', seriously?
* In ''HotShots!'' one of the characters is nicknamed "Deadmeat". He dies.
* In ''Big Fat Liar'', perpetual liar Jason Shepherd has his English paper stolen by Hollywood executive Marty Wolf and, of course, Jason isn't believed when he explains this. Note their last names refer to Aesop's fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".
* The eponymous "true man" of ''TheTrumanShow'' may actually be an ''in-story'' example, as [[spoiler:the entire point of his adoption and upbringing was that he was the most "real" person on television]]. Then there's the fact that the BigBad is named "Christof."
* ''DrStrangelove'' has General Buck Turgidson and General [[JackTheRipper Jack D. Ripper]]. There's also Colonel "Bat" Guano, President Merkin Muffley, and Premier Kissoff.
* The ''JamesBond'' franchise is legendary for its female characters' names having obvious sexual subtext. Pussy Galore, anyone?
** Parodied with gusto in the ''AustinPowers'' films.
* The ''{{Attack of the Killer Tomatoes}}'' franchise gives us Dr. Putrid T. Gangrene. He's a bad guy.
* ''FinalDestination 3'' has characters named Ashley and Ashlyn, whose deaths involving heavy burning by tanning beds.
* The name of the Toho {{kaiju}} Angilas is derived from the [[StockDinosaurs ankylosaurus]], which it resembles. (The sounds "ki" and "gi" are written very similarly in Japanese kana.)
* All the characters of ''{{Cube}}'' are named after prisons. Quentin is named after San Quentin State Prison in California, Holloway after the Holloway Prison in London, Kazan after the prison in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia. Rennes is named after a prison in Rennes, Britanny, France, Alderson after the prison in Alderson, West Virginia, and Leaven and Worth after the prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. The characters themselves reflect the prisons in their traits. Kazan (the autistic man) is a disorganized prison. Rennes (the "mentor") pioneered many of today's prison policies. Quentin (the policeman) is known for brutality. Holloway is a women's prison. Alderson is a prison where isolation is a common punishment. Leavenworth runs on a rigid set of rules (Leaven's mathematics), and the new prison is corporately owned and built (Worth, hired as an architect).
* In ''The Villain'' (released as ''Cactus Jack'' in the UK and Australia), Arnold Swartzenegger's character Handsome Stranger was named after his father.
* ''TheMatrix'' has [[spoiler:Cypher, which means zero. It also is a type of encryption (i.e. he has a secret). In addition, the villain in JamesBond's Casino Royale was called Monsieur Le Chiffre, Le Chiffre means "the cypher" in English. One of Cypher's most famous quotes from the movie is "Ignorance is bliss", which also leads into he have preferred that the secret of the matrix had never been revealed to him and that he wants to go back into it. There's also the fact that his "real" last name is Reagan, and he wants to forget his past and become an actor]].
** Neo's "real" name Thomas intentionally or not goes with the acrophal [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Thomas "Gospel of Thomas"]]. The excluded gospel is full of mysterious Koan-like sayings and basically goes "once you know your true self/become enlightened you become like {{Jesus}}" (there are implications that the author learned a bit of Indian mysticism). I'm gonna pretend the "A" stands for {{Akira}} due to all the other anime references.
* In ''KungFuPanda'', not only does the eponymous panda have a name which reflects his personality yet is contrary to his destiny (Po means "peace"), but his master is named Shifu ("teacher" or "master"). Meanwhile, the facility where the villain is held, Chorh-Gom, literally means "sitting in prison" while Tai Lung himself translates very close to "Cat Dragon"... the latter having a rather effective if {{Anvilicious}} double meaning.
** Oogway (Wu Gui) means Turtle. Tai Lung means "Ultimate Dragon".
*** With a name like that, it's no wonder Tai Lung grew up convinced he was meant to have the Dragon Scroll. What else was he supposed to do with his life, read tea leaves? The fact Shifu jumped the gun in naming him so may just reflect the red panda's own shortcomings, however: he also did not understand the meaning of the blank scroll, nor did he recognize the real Dragon Warrior when he was right in front of him. Blinded by pride indeed.
* In ''Nick and Nora's Ultimate Playlist'', one (gay) supporting character, when Nick asks his name, replies "Whatever you want it to be." Later, he [[EmbarrassingFirstName finally reveals it]]: [[spoiler:Lothario]].
** Also, note the eponymous couple have the same names as the happy couple in The Thin Man movies.
* The DisneyAnimatedCanon has a few...
** ''Film/{{Beauty and the Beast}}'', Belle means "beauty", Lumiere is a candelabra, Cogsworth is a clock, Mrs. Potts is a teapot, Chip has a chip in him...
** ''TheLionKing'', Simba means "lion", Mufasa means "king", Nala means "gift", Rafiki means "friend" . Simba also rhymes with ''Kimba''...
*** WordOfGod has it that before Scar received his scar and his subsequent name change, his name was Taka which means "trash." If my parents named me this, I would be a bit put off as well.
*** It gets better with some of the other ''Lion King'' names. Timon means "spirited" and Pumbaa means "fart".
*** Don't forget Shenzi ("Savage, pagan, uncouth"), Banzai ("Skulk, lurk") and... [[OddNameOut Ed]].
**** Ed was named after Ed [=McMahon=], whose job was to laugh at all of Johnny Carson's jokes.
*** Scar's mate in ''Lion King 2: Simba's Pride'' originally had a name that meant devil or Satan, but someone worried about UnfortunateImplications so they changed it to something that sounded similar but [[ForeignSoundingGibberish didn't mean anything]].
** ''{{One Hundred and One Dalmatians}}'' Cruella de Vil (actually from the original book).
*** Horice and Jasper are actually ''named'' "Baddun" (bad one(s)), at least in the live-action version.
**** This is true in the original book as well.
** ''SleepingBeauty'': Maleficent.
** [[SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, Dopey, Sneezy, Bashful, Doc.]]
** And don't forget ''WALL·E'', which had quite a few of these, starting with the title character, whose name sounds like "Wally" (and is referred to as such throughout the shooting script). In British English, a "wally" is a foolish or naïve person. Also BURN-E, who sounds like Bernie, the put-upon teacher from ''The Incredibles''. And so on.
* The aptly-named [[MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film]]
* ''TheMachinist'' is a dark and creepy movie. The main character's name is Trevor Reznik, which subtly invokes both [[NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] (who records dark and creepy music) and Darryl Revok (a character in [[{{Scanners}} a different dark and creepy movie]]). In fact, the actor who played Revok, Michael Ironside, is in ''The Machinist''. He plays another machinist.
* The two protagonists in the Slapstick comedy ''Dumb and Dumber'' are named Harold and Lloyd.
* The crew of ''ReservoirDogs'' have randomly assigned CodeNames that fit their nature somewhat.
** Mr White is the most pure of the group, being the one who is morally opposed to killing civilians and tips waitresses because he feels they deserve it.
** Mr Blonde seems to epitomise the phrase 'Blondes have more fun' - he does sadistic and cruel things purely ForTheEvulz.
** Mr Orange is a man of layers, much like the fruit - at first he looks like a cool {{Badass}}, then in the very next scene he's hysterically crying about being shot in the stomach. Later, we find out [[spoiler: he's a cop]].
** Mr Brown says his name is too close to 'Mr Shit'. He starts off the movie [[SeinfeldianConversation dribbling shit.]]
** Mr Blue stays cool and quiet all through the movie.
** Mr Pink's CodeName is, at first, ironic, as he is the most coldly logical of the group, chastising Mr White for refusing to consider that anybody could be the rat, and praising him when he snaps that Mr Pink could be the rat, as well as refusing to tip a waitress (and having a logical argument for it) until his personal and professional safety was at risk. At the end, [[spoiler: he survives the MexicanStandoff by hiding.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Repeatedly, explicitly and joyfully played with by Iain M Banks in his ''{{Culture}}'' novels, in which the ultra-intelligent AI "Minds" of the Culture choose their own names when emplaced in a ship. A warship may have a name like ''Attitude Adjuster'', ''Lasting Damage'' or ''Killing Time'', the "slightly weird" General Contact Units rejoice in names like ''Only Slightly Bent'' and ''I Thought He Was With You'', whereas more "normal" Culture vessels can have names from the obvious relevant (''Quietly Confident'', ''Grey Area''), through the arbitrary (''Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The,'' ''Yawning Angel'') to the absolutely surreal(''Absolutely No You-Know-What'', ''Pure Big Mad Boat Man''). ''All of these'', apparently, are Meaningful Names, and reflect the ship's personality in some way. A complete list can be found [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_%28The_Culture%29 here]].
* JM Barrie's ''PeterPan'': Captain Hook, although that's a nickname. It is stated in the original book that he's from a respectable British family, and his true name had been "whithold to protect [their] reputation".
* Dan Brown plays with this one:
** * ''TheDaVinciCode'' gives us the English Grail expert Sir Leigh Teabing. He's pretty stereotypical for an Angle- down to a slight obsession with Earl Grey tea. In addition, first name is the last name of one of the authors of ''Holy Blood, Holy Grail'', Richard ''Leigh'' and his last name is anagram of that of the other, Michael ''Baigent''.
** ''Angels&Demons'', the Dean of the College of Cardinals is Cardinal Mortati, whose surname appears to be something to do with death — creepily appropriate, given what happens in the book.
* In Jim Butcher's ''{{The Dresden Files}}'', the title character, who has a habit of using fire spells and melting or exploding things (sometimes even without intending to), has as a surname [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II the name of a city bombed in World War II--a bombing noted for explosions and incendiary attacks]].
** In the same series, Michael Carpenter is chosen by Heaven to wield a holy sword. Who'd have guessed?
* In Jim Butcher's ''CodexAlera'', it's always fun to see how long it takes readers to realize that "Tavi" is short for [[spoiler:Octavian, and he is the rightful heir to the throne]].
* OrsonScottCard's ''[[EndersGame Ender's Game]]'' has [[spoiler:Ender himself]], {{lampshaded}} at Battle School.
* Interestingly, Lewis Carroll's Alice (From the quote from ''Through the Looking Glass'' at the top of the page) has a name that means "Truthful". In one part of ''Alice in Wonderland'', she's described as always being a very truthful girl. She's also the only normal person amongst the madness. (Incidently, the real Alice had the last name "Little".)
** Not quite, although the real girl did have another meaningful name: Alice Pleasance Liddell.
* The eponymous cancer-transmitting villain of John Connolly's short story ''The Cancer Cowboy Rides'' has no memory of his real name. After reading a textbook on cancer and its many causes, he gives himself a name that doubles as his own private joke: Buddy Carson- short for ''carcinogenic.''
* RoaldDahl
** ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' (the novel and both movies, but especially the first movie).
*** {{Lampshaded}} by the GenreSavvy Mr. Wonka when he comments to Veruca Salt that he always thought that a "[[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/verruca verruca]]" was a type of growth on the foot, which it is.
** ''James and the Giant Peach'' had James' two wicked aunts, the obese Aunt Sponge and the skeletal Aunt Spiker.
* Practically invented by CharlesDickens. He's responsible for dozens of immortal names that sum up the characters perfectly, like [[AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]], [[GreatExpectations Pip, Jaggers]], [[DavidCopperfield Steerforth, Uriah Heep]], and headmaster Gradgrind. He probably pushed it too far when he named a harsh schoolteacher Mr. M'Choakumchild.
* ''TheBrothersKaramazov'': ''kara-'' in Turkish means "black" and ''maz'' in Russian means "paint" or "smear". The eponymous brothers' father is a lecher and libertine who is openly wicked. All throughout the book, characters speak of the "Karamazovian" nature inside of the brothers despite their efforts to separate themselves from their father.
* In ''Literature/CrimeAndPunishment'': Raskolnikov alludes to the Russian word, ''raskol'', which means "schism", and ''raskol'nik'', which means "schismatic" or "divided," symbolic of his own schism from "ordinary" people and his own mental state. Also, the character Kapernaumov has a name that is derived from the contemporary St. Petersburg slang for a brothel.
* In Dostoevsky's ''TheIdiot'', there are a great many allusive names.
** Nastasya Filippovna Barashkova's first name comes from the Greek word meaning "resurrection", and her last name is related to the Old Russian word for "lamb". Her patronymic is related to "Philip," which means "lover of horses," and this comes into play in the novel when Nastasya and Lebedev discuss the Four Horses of the Apocalypse.
** Rogozhin, in some ways the villain of the piece and the "devil" to the Prince's "angel", has a name that comes from the Russian word ''rog'', which means "horn".
** The Prince himself has a name that illustrates the complexity of his nature: Lev Nikolaevich Myshkin. ''Lev'' means "lion" and ''myshkin'' comes from the Russian word meaning "mouse." Also, "Lev Nikolaevich" is also the first name and patronymic of Doestoevsky's contemporary, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, of whose literary eminence Dostoevsky was very much aware.
** The last name of Antip Burdovsky, the man who tries to con the Prince out of his inheritence, comes from the Russian word meaning "pigs' slops".
** The three Epanchin sisters have meaningful names deriving from the Greek -- ''Alexandra'' comes from the word meaning "defend" (relevant in the bond she has with her lunatic mother), ''Adelaida'' comes from the word meaning "obscure" (a fitting name for a woman who marries Prince Shch. [no full name ever mentioned]), and lastly and most revealingly, ''Aglaya'' comes from the word meaning "radiant" (and she is the darling of her family and social circle).
* In French, the name of Edmond Dantes from Dumas' ''TheCountOfMonteCristo'' sounds pretty much like "demon" and, well, "Dante" (usually associated with his ''[[DivineComedy Inferno]]'' and giving the French adjective "dantesque", which applies to cosmically horrible, hell-like situations). Which makes his complete name read like something along the lines of "infernal demon" or "demon from Dante's ''Inferno''". Hey, you don't name your kid like that if you just expect him to be a nice and cute sailor.
** It also seems plausible that Monte Cristo, besides being the name of an island, references Jesus' Sermon on the Mount which actually repudiated the type of "eye-for-an-eye" justice which Dantes puruses in this persona.
* Ben Elton's novel ''Dead Famous'' centres around the contestants on a reality TV show called ''House Arrest'' (an obvious parody of ''Big Brother''). As a result, many of the characters have names which echo the real life figures they are based on: Dervla Nolan (Anna Nolan, a contestant on the first series of ''Big Brother''), Woggle (Paul Ferguson, known as "Bubble" on the show), Geraldine Hennessy (Lorraine Heggessey, the then controller of BBC 1) and others.
* NeilGaiman's ''AmericanGods'' positively delights in this: Low Key Lyesmith, Mr. Wednesday, Mr. Nancy, Jacquel & Ibis...
** Not to mention Shadow himself, who is frequently seen to unconsciously imitate the people with whom he hangs out.
* Austin Grossman's ''SoonIWillBeInvincible'' has as part of its backstory the sentient robot Galatea (named for the Greek myth about a female statue brought to life by the love of her creator).
* Robert Jordan's ''{{Wheel of Time}}'' does this for most of the main characters:
** Rand Al'Thor is named after KingArthur, and the Norse God Thor.
** the Andor Royal family are all named after people from the legend of King Arthur. (hint)
** Several Heroes of the Horn are named after actual legends.
** The Forsaken are mostly named after demons and monsters, as are the clans of their inhuman minions.
** The one bad Aiel tribe are called the Shaido.
* DeanKoontz does this frequently.
** Averted and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''By the Light of the Moon''. The villain, Lincoln Proctor, not only has a name that screams integrity; he looks like Santa Claus. Parish Lantern (an old term for the moon) is a late night radio talk show host who admits that it's not his original name ("Would it be anyone's?"); he chose it when just starting his career.
** ''False Memory'' -- the psychologist, Dr. Ahriman (named for a personification of evil).
** ''From the Corner of His Eye'' -- quite a few characters, most notably the villain, Enoch Cain (named for Cain, the first murderer in Genesis, and his son)
** ''Life Expectancy'' -- the Tock family were given an unexplained prophetic list of important dates upon the birth of Jimmy Tock, so they are very aware of the passing of time. The maiden name of one of the older women in the family is Greenwich.
* PatriciaAMcKillip's ''Riddle-Master of Hed'' trilogy has a character named Deth, and a historical figure named Yrth. It eventually is revealed that [[spoiler:1) they're the same character; 2) he's a member of the race of ''Earth''-Masters; and 3) the trilogy is about his plans for his ''death''.]]
* ''Twilight'' has Bella (beautiful) Swan.
** And this troper suspects that the name Cullen may have been derived from the spelling, though certainly not the pronunciation of, the Spanish word for neck, ''cuello''.
*** The name Cullen means "handsome".
* In Flannery O'Connor's short "Good Country People", guess what traveling bible salesman Manley Pointer's ulterior motive is?
* In David Prill's ''Second Coming Attractions'' (a novel lampooning the inspirational Christian film industry), there are characters named Ricky Bible, Rance Jericho, Grant Godlee, Buck Verilee, and Paul Pedphill (!). The first two are actors' stage names; the rest, though, are apparently people's legal names. And humor this broad is the ''least'' of the novel's problems...
* TerryPratchett indulges in this quite gleefully in his ''{{Discworld}}'' novels.
** The names for, of all things, camels. Each camel's name is what they hear themselves called most often, e.g. 'Evil Minded Son of a Bitch' ("That's an odd name for a camel..." "S'a good name for THIS camel!"), 'You Bastard', and 'Evil Smelling Bugger'.
** Some human characters also have names like this--the SerialKiller [[KnifeNut villain]] of ''Discworld/NightWatch'' is named Carcer (as in ''incarcerate'') Dun (as in ''whodunit'').
** Death's apprentice, Mort, from [[Discworld/{{Mort}} the book of the same name]].
*** [[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: What a coincidence. ]]

** In ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'', the Auditor who first assumes human shape calls herself Myria [=LeJean=] - 'myriad' and 'legion', referring to the Auditors' lack of individuality. After she pulls a HeelFaceTurn, Susan convinces her to adopt the name 'Unity' instead.
** In ''Discworld/TheTruth'':
*** William de Worde, who becomes the editor of Ankh-Morpork's first newspaper.
*** Goodmountain the printer, whose name is [[BilingualBonus a literal translation of the German "Gutenberg".]]
*** Goodmountain's colleagues Boddony, Caslong and Gowdie (named after the typefonts Bodoni, Caslon and Goudy which were in turn named after their makers.)
** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''Discworld/TheWeeFreeMen'' when Miss Tick points out that this is "a good name for a witch" because it sounds like "mystic". Less obvious is her first name, Perspicacia, which comes from "perspicacious", meaning "observant".
** SweetPollyOliver Perks in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment''.
** Reacher Gilt in ''Discworld/GoingPostal'' is visciously grasping (hence the Reacher) and skilled at making things look more valuable than they are (hence the Gilt). It's strongly hinted that he chose the name deliberately, because he's the sort of person who finds it funny to ''tell'' people they're being conned in a way they won't notice.
** Eumenides Treason, a witch who's made herself into a symbol of harsh judgement in ''Discworld/{{Wintersmith}}'', shares her first name with the Furies.
* Ayn Rand often gave weak names to characters [[DesignatedVillain she wanted to seem unsympathetic]]. The pinnacle was probably Wesley Mouch, a lobbyist in ''Atlas Shrugged,'' whose name contains hints of weasel, slouch, louse, and mooch without actually coming out and giving him any of those names. Another minor villain in the same novel is a corporate takeover artist named Hunsacker.
* The ''HarryPotter'' books use this constantly. An exhaustive list of such examples can be found [[http://theninemuses.net/hp here]]. Some are:
** The first name of Professor Snape, "Severus", means "grouchy" in Latin.
** "Beauxbatons", the French wizard school, means literally "good wands" or "[[DoubleEntendre handsome wands]]".
*** Close enough, but it actually means "handsome ''sticks''" or "''staffs''." "Handsome wands" would in fact translate to "Belles baguettes" -- that's right, like the bread.
** Professor Remus Lupin was a werewolf -- "Remus" being a mythical child raised by wolves (brother to Romulus, founder of Rome), and "Lupin" as described above. He appears aware of this as [[spoiler:he uses "Romulus" as a pseudonym for a radio broadcast]].
*** This was lampshaded by the ''{{Movies in 15 Minutes}}''.
---->'''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!
** Another werewolf is called Fenrir Greyback. Fenrir is a wolf in NorseMythology who is destined to kill Odin.
** Sirius Black could turn into a black dog (Sirius being known as the Dog Star).
** The aromatic Mundungus Fletcher's first name is an obsolete word for tobacco with an unpleasant odor.
** "James" means "he supplanted", and James Potter supplants Snape's place as Lily's best friend before becoming her love interest.
** Voldemort. His name is derived from a French term meaning "flight from death", signifying his goal of immortality [[spoiler:via the Horcruxes.]]
*** Voldemort could stand for "stealing death", "vol" in french meaning either "flight" or "theft".
*** Even his real name Tom Marvolo Riddle has some significance. Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort.
** Perhaps the most notable example is Dolores Umbridge; anyone with the slightest feel for how words are formed knew what she would be like the instant they first saw her name, since "dolor" means "pain" and "umbrage" means "resentment".
** It's pretty much a given that any wizard character in the series will have some kind of meaningful name (unless their father was a Muggle). Another example would be Kingsley Shacklebolt, who is an adept and trustworthy wizard who often protects people from harm. [[spoiler:And becomes Minister of Magic in the end, the closest thing the Wizarding World has to a king.]]
** Harry himself, however, only has a MeaningfulName in that it's the only one ''without'' a hidden meaning. He is just your average guy.
* In the Neal Stephenson novel ''Snow Crash'', the hero and protagonist of the story is named Hiroaki "Hiro" Protagonist. This is a subversion, as he actually ''changed'' his name to this.
* Captain Nemo from ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'': "Nemo" is Latin for "no one". This might be because of a tendency in Victorian literature to reassure the reader that "this isn't real". (And yes, that means that movie was actually titled "[[FindingNemo Finding No One]]".)
** Averted in that Nemo is NOT his real name, but a name he chose himself after building the Nautilus and exiling himself in the sea. It's taken from the ''{{Odyssey}}''. It's usually translated as "nobody" or "no man" there (the story of the Cyclops).
** The captain gets smacked with this trope twice. The name he gives in ''Mysterious Island'', Dakarr, is apparently a Hindu word for [[spoiler: Prince. He proceeds to tell the main characters that he was an Indian prince before exiling himself to the sea.]]
* The narrator of ''What Was She Thinking?'' (filmed as ''Notes on a Scandal'') is named Barbara ''Covett''. Um, yeah.
* In ''{{House of Leaves}}'', you have Holloway ("Hollow way") Roberts.
** Can also be read as "hallway".
** Also, Johnny Truant.
* Naming a colony "Roanoke" shoulda been a hint in ''The Last Colony''. LampshadeHanging ensues when, after he figures out what's happening, the main character chews himself out for having missed the reference.
* The ''StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' isn't too subtle with this either. Mara Jade ("Mara" meaning "bitter", and jaded people tend to be just that) and Luke Skywalker himself (meaning "luminous", and it fits with his pacifist personality). Oddly enough, the first example is actually both a straight example ''and'' a subversion; Timothy Zahn originally intended for the two of them to be HappilyMarried eventually, and he won out.
** The ''{{Hand of Thrawn}}'' Duology's [[BigBadDiumvirate Big Bad Triumvirate]] includes a con artist who goes by "Flim".
* [[{{Doorstopper}} Tad Williams's]] ''{{Otherland}}'' series includes a character who goes by the name of John Dread. His mother gave him the name "Johnny Wulgaru" because, according to the book, a "Wulgaru" is a type of demon in the mythology of the Australian aborigines, and she wanted him to grow up to be a monster who would take her revenge on the white man for destroying her people's way of life. Later, when the BigBad hires him to be TheDragon, he starts to go by the alias "Johnny More Dread", because the BigBad thinks of himself as being like King Arthur and "More Dread" sounds like Mordred. [[spoiler: And, yes, [[EvilerThanThou he follows Mordred's example.]]]]
* HPLovecraft had an especially blatant case: Asenath Waite, whose name means "she belongs to her father". [[spoiler:She has been possessed by her father's spirit, who moves from host body to host body.]]
* In ''DamnationAlley'' (the novel by RogerZelazny, later made into a bad movie), the (*cough*) "hero" is named Hell Tanner. In Old West slang, to "tan" something means to beat it, and Hell Tanner beats Damnation Alley by traveling through it. In effect, he literally "tanned" Hell. As for his first name... Hell was the last-born of fifteen children, and when the nurse asked Papa Tanner what name he wanted his son to have, Papa Tanner said "Hell!" and walked out, never to be seen again.
* The eponymous creatures of ''TheLegendOfRahAndTheMuggles'' are [[InformedAbility supposed to]] set great store by the significance of names. This mostly manifests itself in an implausible degree of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism nominative determism]] such that it's clearly so common for a pair of best friends or SickeninglySweethearts to have names that differ by a single letter that it never gets [[LampshadeHanging remarked upon.]]
* Most of the Everafters (People and creatures from fairy tales) in ''The Sisters Grimm'' have obviously meaningful public names. Most of them are only enough to make it obvious who's who if you already know that Everafters exist -- such as Ms. White and Mrs. Heart -- but a few are so extreme that you'd expect them to be remarked upon even by people who have no reason to suspect their possessors are anything but ordinary people -- Charming and Canis aren't exactly common surnames, nor is Robin Goodfellow a full name you'd normally expect a schoolboy to have. Some are legitimately obscure.
* Played with twice in Robert Zubrin's ''TheHolyLand''. The American terrorists have names (David Crockett Christianson, George Washington Jones, Mickey Mantle Ostrowski, and Thomas Jefferson Clark) unabashedly evocative of Americana, and the aliens looking for a country to punish for their vile deeds know this. The Americans point out that the terrorists all legally changed their names (to David Crockett Christianson de Peru, George Washington Jones de Peru, Mickey Mantle Ostrowski de Peru, and Thomas Jefferson Clark de Peru). [[spoiler:Peru gets PWNED.]]
** Douglas [=MacArthur=]; originally Herman Witherspoon, but he felt he deserved a "more glorious appellation" when he prepared to assert military control over about half of Kennewick, Washington. He renamed his top officers to Patton, Pershing, Lee, Stuart, and Jackson so that he would have command over more famous generals than anyone else in American history. [[spoiler:Lee, Stuart, and Jackson turn traitor and declare their sovereignty over the southern blocks of the city.]]
* In Kim Stanley Robinson's ''Mars'' trilogy, a geologist is named Ann ''Clayborne''. Her husband is called Simon (meaning "a rock"), and her arch-rival is named Saxifrage (after a variety of flower also known as "rock-breaker".)
* [[{{Gormenghast}} Sepulch[re g]rave, Seventy-Sixth Earl of Groan]]. ''Guess what his personality is like.''
** It's rare for a character in the series ''not'' to have a meaningful name. Swelter the chef, Prunesquallor the doctor, Muzzlehatch the zookeeper, etc.
* In ''BattlefieldEarth'', the race of evil aliens that has all but wiped out humanity are called the Psychlos. They are in fact secretly being controlled by a sinister cabal of "Catrists" through brain surgery. [[AuthorTract Guess which profession Scientologists in general and L. Ron Hubbard in particular hates with a passion?]]
* In JohnCWright's ''The Golden Age'', a Neptunian trying to persuade Phaethon that he is suffering from LaserGuidedAmnesia by pointing to the name he chose for himself.
* In JohnCWright's ''Chronicles of Chaos'', the main character rejoice in such names as "Victor Triumph" and "Vanity Fair". Then, they chose them themselves, when they were teenagers.
* Anyone in the ''ThursdayNext'' series who isn't a PublicDomainCharacter or just has a PunnyName has a MeaningfulName. In ''TheEyreAffair'', Thursday is partnered with two {{Redshirt}}s named Khannon and Fodder, who don't last long. They're replaced by two more named Dedman and Walken.
* Kvothe, the main character of TheNameOfTheWind, says that his name means "to know." His curiosity is constantly being referenced throughout the book, usually getting him into trouble. A throwaway line of dialogue also reveals that 'Kote,' the pseudonym he's been going by, actually means [[spoiler:"disaster."]]
* JRR Tolkien, the great philologist that he was, would come up with the name FIRST and extrapolate a character from it. Two of many, many examples; "Samwise" is another term for "half-wise" or simple, and Gollum is from golem, a creature that has no life or will of its own aside from some greater power controlling it.
** Gimli, whose name is Nordic for "fire", obviously due to his impatient, chaotic personality.
** Frodo is a name derived from the Old English word ''fród'', meaning "wise by experience."
** Tolkien was quite keen on Meaningful Names in general: virtually all his names have a meaning, be it in Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Elvish or plain English (though often enough the meaning came after the name and sometimes even changed over the years.) Many of the characters' names also reflect one of the bearer's qualities; a few of the more complex characters receive [[IHaveManyNames quite a few names]] over the course of their lives.
** Actually, interestingly enough, as revealed in the notes [[AllThereInTheManual and in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"]], there are several other cases. For instance, in the ''[[TranslationConvention actual]]'' language that was being spoken, the masculine ending to hobbit names was 'a', not 'o'. So, Frodo was Froda, which is the name of a hero from Old English and Viking sagas, and Bilbo, of course, comes from Bilbao, Spain (home of high-quality swords).
*** No, it's said somewhere in HoME that Frodo was called Maura in Westron. Bilbo on the other hand was actually named Bilba.
* Invoked regularly, primarily with the nobility, in ''[[RobinHobb The Farseer]]'', because of a folk belief that if one is named after a virtue, the child will eventually grow into his or her name. Seen most clearly in the Farseer royal bloodline, which is composed most notably of King Shrewd and the princes Chivalry, Verity, and Regal. Shrewd is so sharp-witted he could cut someone. Chivalry lives up to a stiff-necked moral code to the point of political suicide, abdicating when it comes out that he sired a bastard before he even married. Verity is blunt and honest to a fault, making him a well-liked leader amongst soldiers but a poor politician. Regal is a self-important JerkAss, playing out the worst stereotypes of "nobility" and "regalness." Most who fail to live up to their names do so ironically, such as Patience, who is one of the most impatient and distractable people around, jumping from project to project so sharply she could induce whiplash.
* In addition to a pterodon named [[strike: Nimbus]] Cirrus, ''{{Dinotopia}}: The World Beneath'' features a character named Oriana Nascava. She's searching for the origins of her ancestors and points out that her name means "from a cave" [[spoiler: The characters have found an underground passage to a lost city called Posidos (Atlantis).]]
* In [[ASongofIceandFire A Song of Ice and Fire]]:
**Bran's name is an Irish name meaning 'raven'.
* No idea if PGWodehouse intended this or not, but all-knowing problem-solver Jeeves' first name, Reginald, means "council power" in Old German. Conversely, dim-bulb Bertie's name (also in Old German) means "bright".
* CiaphasCain is the FakeUltimateHero, or at least seems that way. His name is taken from a High Priest in TheBible, who had this exchange with Jesus:
-->'''Caiaphas:''' Are you the Son of God?\\
'''Jesus:''' That is what you call me.
* Silas Fennec in ''[[PerdidoStreetStation The Scar]]''. A fennec is a desert fox; [[spoiler:Silas is not just a spy, he's also a ruthless and greedy character with SmugSnake tendencies]].
* Dorothy ''Gale'' gets carried away by a tornado in TheWizardofOz.
* The second part of Asimov's ''Second Foundation'' begins with the heroine of that part, 14-year-old Arkady Darrell, writing an essay for school, and dreading having to read it because she hates the way in which pupils are obliged to say their names when doing so — initial, then surname ("A. Darrell" in her case). The only exception being Olynthus Dam, because everyone laughed the first time he did it. A good thing, then, that his name wasn't Randu Slicker...
* ''Shakespeare'' had gems like 'Perdita' ('lost', for a [[DoorstopBaby Doorstop Baby]]), 'Iachimo' ('little Iago'. Iago was the villain in ''Othello''; Iachimo was... well, a slightly less evil version of the same character.), 'Bianca' ('white' - used twice, once played straight, once for a [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean red lady]], 'Posthumous' ('Dude, your father just died!')...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'': Xander's name is a DisContinuityNod to Buffy's friend from the original movie, Pike. Zander and pike are closely related species of fish.
* ''DoctorWho'', "Image of the Fendahl" features a character named Dr. Fendelman, who has no idea that it is his hidden genetic destiny to aid an ancient and malevolent life force known as the Fendahl. As the [[UniverseCompendium Completely Useless Encyclopedia]] points out, it's a shame other aliens weren't so transparent, as the heroes could just go through their phone book and round up every Joe Dalekagent and Mary Autonduplicate.
** However, this example is a little different from the others; the name is an in-story indication that the Fendahl have been meddling with humanity for a long time, and the unusual name is noticed and commented on by characters in the story.
** A ''Doctor Who'' example that has no such in-story explanation is Tremas in ''The Keeper of Traken''; his body is taken over by the Master, whose title is a SignificantAnagram of "Tremas".
** There's also [[strike:Mr.]] ''Professor'' You Are Not Alone.
** The Master as portrayed by John Simm went by the alias "Harold Saxon". Not only is "Mister Saxon" an anagram of "Master No. Six" (Simm was the sixth actor to appear in the role) but King Harold was the last of the Saxon rulers, in the same way that [[spoiler:the Master's death left the Doctor as the last Time Lord - that we know of]]. The show's producers have claimed the "Master No. Six" anagram was not intentional.
*** Reverend Magister, Mr. Seta, Colonel Masters, Sir Giles Estram, and a boatload more for the bearded one.
** In ''The Sound of Drums'', [[spoiler:The Master believes the Doctor chose his name so as to associate himself with "the man who makes people better". The Master's choice of name is naturally a massive hint towards his egotism ("a psychiatrist's field day", from the same episode).]] And of course, "Master" was chosen for the Doctor's arch-nemesis due to the academic connection.
** Many of the alien races encountered in the New Series are given a MeaningfulName. In ''Fear Her'', we meet an alien spore called the Isolus whose motivating demon is loneliness (isolation); the Carrionites in ''The Shakespeare Code'' were specifically designed to be like carrion creatures; the Adipose in ''Partners in Crime'' are [[spoiler:made of living fat cells]]; the Pyrovile in ''The Fire of Pompeii'' thrive on the atmosphere of an erupting volcano; the Vespiform in ''The Unicorn and the Wasp'' takes the form of a giant wasp [[spoiler:occasionally disguised as a human]]; I could go on...
** In "Smith And Jones", Dr. Stoker is the first victim of what we later learn to be a blood-sucking alien called a Plasmavore. Bram Stoker is the famous author of "Dracula", and "Plasmavore" is a MeaningfulName in itself.
** In "Battlefield", Brigadier Bambera was given the forename "Winifred" to evoke Guinevere. Inevitably, she ends up engaged to Ancelyn, whose name is a variation on "Lancelot".
* Jeannie in ''{{I Dream of Jeannie}}'', who of course is a genie.
* ''PowerRangers'' has taken to doing this in recent years.
** Wild Force had an AntiVillain named Zen-Aku (good-evil) who would KickTheDog one minute and PetTheDog the next for his own reasons.
** SPD's aliens are frequently named after the animal they resemble, such as doglike Anubis "Doggie" Kruger of Sirius, catlike Kat Manx and Dr. Felix, apelike Sgt. Silverback, and birdlike Fowler Birdy. With humans it's not quite as gimmicky: ''Blue'' Ranger Sky has a flying [[HumongousMecha Zord]], Jack was once a thief, etc.
** Mystic Force is somewhat sneakier: Water-powered Madison shares a name with the mermaid in ''Splash'' (as well as sharing Tomoyo's name in the ''CardcaptorSakura'' dub; both Madisons have a penchant for capturing the other characters on film) and her tomboyish, hyperactive sister is named Vida ("Life"). A moon-powered apprentice magician is named Clare ("clair de lune" is French for moonlight). The Rangers' friend Leelee's [[spoiler:last name, Pimvare, is an anagram of 'vampire.' It turns out she's TheMole, and daughter of the vampiric villainess Necrolai.]] Oddly, some denizens of the mystical dimension are named after weapons (Leanbow, Bowen, Daggeron) but are never shown to use their namesakes in battle.
** In Overdrive, Mackenzie "Mack" Hartford's HumongousMecha is based on a dump truck, and the Pink Ranger's name is Rose. [[spoiler: Mack's name may also be a play on the computer company, since he is ultimately revealed to be a robot.]]
** Yellow Wild Force Ranger Taylor Earhardt, missing and presumed dead ever since her fighter was tractored to the Animarium.
* The only two of ''{{LazyTown}}'''s 9 recurring characters this doesn't apply to in some form are Stephanie and Ziggy. They are not total exceptions though, as in the Icelandic language versions that pre-dated [=LazyTown=], Stephanie was named Solla Stirða (Solla Stiff), while Ziggy was Siggi Sæti (Siggi Sweet).
** Sportacus is a corny, but appropriate, name for a athletic but not super-powered hero.
** Trixie, the mischievous tomboy is, well, tricksy.
** Mayor Milford Meanswell might not be very competent, but he means well.
** Ms. Bessie Busybody is the town gossip.
** The miserly rich kid's name is Stingy.
%comment% Removed the link to RichBitch because he's about as un-RichBitch as you can get (male, protagonist, well-liked by the hero, one of the heroine's best mates, and perfectly nice apart from the difficulty sharing) and still be selfish and well-off.%%
** Pixel is the town computer geek/games addict.
** Villain Robbie Rotten actually isn't quite as rotten as he thinks he is, usually behaving in a manner closer to bratty than evil.
* ''NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' has a bully named Billy Loomer, a [[TheLibby mean girl]] named Missy Meany, and a woodshop teacher named Dusty Chopsaw. Any questions?
* The ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' villain Sylar's real name is Gabriel Gray, "Gabriel" being a nod to his obviously Catholic background (and additionally, Maya at one point describes him as "Just like the angel."), and "Gray" meaning dull or ordinary which he lamented being prior to his finding out he had superpowers.
** But for a show with a character actually named Hiro (meaning he's a "hero", plus the in-show reason was he was named after "Hiroshima", thus giving poignancy to his quest to stop New York from being destroyed by a nuclear bomb), Sylar's pretty subtle.
** And as his good counterpart, we have Peter (a saint and angel just as Gabriel). Angela Petrelli subverts this only in the fact that she isn't an angel.
** Also, both the names Peter Petrelli and Gabriel Gray are a subtle nod to the legions of classic comic book superheroes / -villains whose first and last names begin with the same letter (Peter Parker, Lex Luthor, etc.)
** How about Gabriel [[BrainFood Grey Matter.]]
** It's also possible to interpret it in such a way that 'Gray' signifies having the [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience whiteness]] of the angel Gabriel darkened...in other words, turned evil.
* About half the characters on ''{{Lost}}'' have barely veiled names, either of the personality variety (Jack Shepherd, Miles Straume) or of the winks-to-philosophers variety (John Locke, Danielle Rousseau, Charlotte Staples Lewis, Desmond David Hume).
* ''{{Brothers and Sisters}}'': [[BlondeRepublicanSexKitten Katherine "Kitty" Walker]]
* Hoshi Sato of ''StarTrekEnterprise'': "''hoshi''" is Japanese for "star", "''sato''" can be read as "at home" -- her name essentially means "at home by the stars".
** And in the original series, Uhura means "freedom" -- one of the Federation's ideals at the time. Her full name is "Nyota Uhura", which means "Star Freedom".
** Captain James ''Tiberius'' Kirk was named in part after a character created by Gene Roddenberry for a previous television show, but the history behind the name Tiberius is probably why it was given specifically to Kirk. (Ironically, the Emperor Tiberius was one of Rome's weakest emperors and one of its most unpleasant, if Tacitus's stories about his pedophilia are to be believed. And while Tacitus ''is'' known to let his own biases color his accounts, he's generally considered to have left the most reliable records of the Roman Empire.)
** Miles O'Brien is introduced in ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' as a transporter tech, but he was originally a soldier and a member of a shock combat squad. The name Miles means "soldier".
** The first name of Benjamin Sisko in ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' means "Son of the South". The character is from New Orleans.
*** An inadvertent MeaningfulName is that of Elim Garak. The character is constantly putting on an act, so one would think his surname was a reference to the greatest English actor of all time, David Garrick. Yet he was named after one of the writer's prior characters. (Garak shares his first name with a rather strict Mennonite sect. The fact that his mother's first name is the reverse of his is, according to the writers, intentional -- but his character was created first.)
** Picard's Borg designation, Locutus, comes from the Latin word "loqui", meaning "to speak". Appropriate, as the Borg wanted Picard to "speak" on their behalf.
** Can't believe no one mentioned Montgomery Scott... A Scot! Though "Scott" ''is''a real Scottish clan name.
*** Or [[RobotBuddy Data]], for that matter.
**** Also his brother Lore. Which is doubly meaningful, as Lore, a more emotional android, has a name that is a somewhat more emotionally charged word for the same thing.
* The live action/CGI combined show ''AceLightning'' is packed with meaningful names (no surprise really, since the show's [[BetterThanItSounds about a corny superhero videogame come to life]]): Ace Lightning (the hero, duh) Sparx (the spunky redhead sidekick) Lord Fear (bad guy) Lady Illusion (temptress), Anvil (the team muscle), Dirty Rat (exactly what it sounds like), Random Virus (guy with a good/evil complex of epic proportions).
** These meaningful names can also apply to the humans however: the teenage protagonist Mark Hollander's name is from the God, Mars, and relates to war and battle. The resident {{Geek}} is more commonly known as the rather comical Chuck (and has a habit of throwing up whenever stressed or disturbed). The nice, helpful Girlfriend and GirlNextDoor Samantha Thompson's name means "listener" (which works for her) and it's quite obvious that the owner of the carnival wasn't named "Duff" accidentally.
* ''ThreesCompany'' had [[JackTheRipper Jack Tripper]] -- a ladykiller in a [[ChickMagnet different sense]]...
** He was also something of a klutz, frequently getting "tripped up"
* "A Thing About Machines", an episode of ''TheTwilightZone'', tells the story of Bartlett Finchley. Lord Finchley was a technophobe in a poem by Hillaire Belloc.
* In an episode of ''Ugly Betty'', the judge is quite appropriately surnamed Biotch.
* Al Swearengen from ''Deadwood'' swears, often.
** That doesn't really count; the character is based on a real person named Al Swearengen who swore constantly. OTOH, the character of Trixie (who in the series gives her surname as "the Whore") was in life called "Tricksie".
* The main character in ''{{Dollhouse}}'', a BlankSlate that gets reprogrammed with other people's memories to create the desired personality, is named Echo.
* ''{{Firefly}}'s'' Malcolm Reynolds' name can be shortened to "Mal" which obviously means "Bad" in Latin, which is appropriate considering he's not the nicest man in the 'Verse. River bluntly lampshades this in "The Train Job" when she first hears his name. River herself is named after [[TheOphelia Ophelia's river]], and Shepherd Book's name is, well, [[TheBible pretty obvious.]]
* ''{{CSI}}'' introduces Sophia Curtis in season 5, a character who stands out for her knowledge and wisdom (Sophia) as well as her social savoir-faire and good manners (courtesy, geddit?). Eventually she is driven away by the [[BunnyEarsLawyer unchecked lunacy]] taken out on her by the regular cast.
** And not to mention that [[GrissomVerse other character]] whose name is assonant with "Will Graham" (''{{Manhunter}}''). First name rhymes with {{Dilbert}}, but any physical resemblance or common ground of generalized nerdiness/impatience with bureaucratic obstruction would be purely coincidental, should anyone ever spot it.
* ''KamenRider'' is full of examples of meaningful names.
** ''KamenRiderKabuto'' has a couple of characters whose CatchPhrase contains the kanji of their own name. This includes protagonist Souji Tendou ("Walking the path of heaven, ruling over all") and TheRival Tsurugi Kamishiro ("The man who replaces the gods with a sword's slash"). Parodied in the Hyper Battle video, when TheLancer Arata Kagami asks for a CatchPhrase of his own, and Tendou suggests "The man who washes his face in front of a mirror every day."
** ''KamenRiderDecade'': Protagonist Tsukasa's name contains the kanji for "gate", befitting his status as a dimensional wanderer; Kamen Rider Decade is the tenth main Rider of the Heisei era of the franchise (from 2000 onwards). The Hikari ("light") family runs a photo studio. Finally, Decade's rival Diend is named Daiki {{Kaitou}}, who steals "treasures" from the alternate universes he visits. The show takes it a step further by giving Meaningful Names to some of the AU versions of previous Kamen Riders:
*** [[KamenRiderKuuga Yuusuke Onodera]] is named for ''KamenRider'' creator ShotaroIshinomori (birth name: Shotaro Onodera).
*** [[KamenRiderAgito Shoichi Ashikawa]]'s name is a combination of the names of the three ''Agito'' Riders: '''Shoichi''' Tsugami (Agito), Ryo '''Ashi'''hara (Gills), and Makoto Hi'''kawa''' (G3). [[spoiler:The ''Decade'' version of Shoichi was once G3, evolved into Gills before Tsukasa arrived, and became Agito by the end of the arc.]]
*** [[KamenRiderRyuki Shinji Tatsumi]]'s surname contains the kanji for "dragon", while his former partner Ren Haguro's surname means "black wings". Their Contract Monsters are a dragon and a bat, respectively.
*** [[KamenRiderFaiz Takumi Ogami]]'s surname means "wolf"; the original Takumi's surname, Inui, was a homophone for "dog". [[spoiler:Both are references to Takumi's status as the Wolf Orphnoch.]]
*** [[KamenRiderBlade Kazuma Kendate]]'s name is a lengthy one. The "ken" in "Kendate" means "blade", while the "date" means "to rouse"; Blade's primary weapon is the Blade Rouser. His teammates have similar theme names: Sakuya Hishigata/Kamen Rider Garren, modeled on the Suit of Diamonds (the surname means "diamond-shaped") and Mutsuki Kuroba/Kamen Rider Leangle, modeled on the Suit of Clubs ("kuroba" is the phonetic pronunciation of "clover").
* ''{{House}} MD'' has House and Wilson instead of [[SherlockHolmes Holmes and Watson]].
* The current season of ''{{Supernatural}}'' has Anna [[ParadiseLost Milton]], a fallen angel.
* In ''TheSarahConnorChronicles'', [[RobotGirl Cameron's]] name is a direct reference to JamesCameron, and in the producer's DVDCommentary ont the first season DVD, they mentioned that Cameron was supposed to follow James Cameron's original concept of the {{Terminator}}: a subtle infiltrator designed to spy and get close to a target.
** A deliberately chosen one, it's definitely not a coincidence that John Henry has not only the same first name as John Connor, but also last name that's a first name.
*** It should also be pointed out that John Connor, the savior of mankind, shares his initials with a certain other fellow with the same job description...
**** John Cleese? I mean, these men ''died'' for us. Frequently.
* ''Bones'' has Dr. Brennan, whose first name is Temperance, which is fitting description. Agent Booth, the ex-sniper, is apparently related to John Wilkes Booth. Dr. Sweets, the cheery young psychologist is... well, sweet. But his first name, Lance, has less gentle connotations, and may be a reference to the fact that he was [[DarkAndTroubledPast abused and scarred as a young child.]]
* Used and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''{{Seinfeld}}'':
-->'''Kramer:''' Bookman? The library investigator's name is actually, Bookman?\\
'''Librarian:''' It's true.\\
'''Kramer:''' That's amazing. That's like an ice cream man named, "Cone".
* In an episode of ''{{QI}}'', StephenFry mentions "nominative determinism," the social theory that if your name is meaningful its meaning will reflect in your career choice. David Mitchell: "That's why you run that caff."
* ''{{Strangers with Candy}}'' has this trope in perverse forms only Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello could've conceived. Most obvious is Principal [[ScaryBlackMan Onyx Blackman]]. There's also Stew the meat-man ("Simmer down, Stew") and Mr. Noblet's son, Seamus -- the first syllable sounds like "shame," which is Noblet's primary emotion when it comes to his family, since he's a closeted homosexual. That one may sound like a slight stretch until you've listened to the DVD commentaries, wherein it's explained that school grief counselor Cassie Pines was named to evoke the image of "casket" and "pine box," and that Orlando, the frequent butt of racist Filipino "monkey" jokes, was originally going to be named Simeon. Then there's the all-white school production of ''A Raisin in the Sun'', where the starring students' all have last names like "Chalk" and "Snow"... the list goes on.
* ''RedDwarf'' has Arnold Judas Rimmer. He is indeed a backstabbing, unlikeable, selfish, cowardly smeg.
* Subversion: In ''TokusouSentaiDekaranger'', a MonsterOfTheWeek has a name that means "felony" and is of a species whose name means "villain". Of course, as the plot was one character's attempt to prove him innocent and the true culprit guilty, the names were an {{Anvilicious}} way of making him the obvious suspect (which he was anyway).
* And let's not forget the cringeworthy Icarus Base from Stargate Universe. Borders on insulting if {{ViewersAreMorons}}.
** What, 'Poseidon Adventure' base, or 'Towering Inferno' base were already taken? Or was it just a case of 'Unsubtle allusion to hubris and haste that will end badly' base was too much of a mouthful to say?
* [[{{Glee}} Other Asian is other Asian.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The character who becomes "The Cool" in Lupe Fiasco's concept album of the same name is "Micheal Young History". That is "My cool, young history".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* This one is a long-standing tradition, as some gimmick names that aren't obvious nicknames will include suspiciously apropos real names. Case in point:
** Pompous Brit: Stephen William ''Regal''
** Destructive giant from India: The Great ''Khali'' [sic]
** Pain-bringing Samoan warrior: ''Umaga''
** Corrupt accountant: Irwin R. ''Schyster'' [sic]
** Evil dentist (yes, dentist): Isaac ''Yankem''
** Angry Scotsman: Roddy ''Piper''
** Japanese silent warrior with facepaint: The Great ''Kabuki''
** Adult film star: Val ''Venis'' ([[IncrediblyLamePun Rhymes with...]])
** Texan cowboy brothers: Billy and Bart ''Gunn''
** Gothic vampire: ''Gangrel'' (They even gave White Wolf credit for the name when licensing it!)
** Little Richard-style flamboyant rock'n'roller: ''Johnny B. Badd''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Religion]]
* Happens quite frequently in TheBible.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Both played straight and inverted with the Space Marine Chapter names in ''{{Warhammer 40000}}''. On the straight side, you have loyalist Chapters named "Imperial Fists" and "Black Templars", as well as Chaos Legions named "Black Legion" and "World Eaters". On the other hand, you have loyalist Chapters named "Flesh Tearers" and "Soul Drinkers", as well as Chaos Legions named "Emperor's Children" and "Word Bearers". There's a joke going around that calls this out.
** Mind, if the [[AxeCrazy Flesh Tearers]] turn up to "liberate" your world, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast you'd better start running...]]
** It's not just Space Marine Chapters. The best example is Abaddon the Despoiler. Before he added the honorific he was the most honoured Marine in the most honoured Chapter; then (surprise, surprise) he and his whole chapter followed their Primarch into the worship of the Dark Gods.
** Also for Chaos, Kharn the Betrayer, who earned the suffix after slaughtering his Legion and the one they were fighting after they dared to hide in their shelters during a deadly blizzard.
** The Eldar word for humans, the upstart, the hairy savage? ''Mon-keigh''.
*** Not to mention the (marginally more subtle) equivalent Tau word, ''Gue'la''.
**** ... Which gets bonus points for being similar to the Chinese word for foreigner, ''gweilo''.
** [[TheEmpire The Imperium]] is really, really bad (or really [[PropheticName prophetic]]) at naming planets. The planet Tartarus for example became a blasted hellscape from the incursions of Chaos and a NegativeSpaceWedgie. Then there's the planet Armageddon, which has suffered ''three'' horrifically cataclysmic wars, the first led by the Daemon Primarch of the aformentioned World Eaters followed by the endless hordes of the Warp, the subsequent two led by the biggest Ork in the galaxy at the head of the largest Ork WAAAGH! in history.
* ''{{Warhammer}} Fantasy'' does this too. MalusDarkblade isn't exactly the kind of person you'd pop round to borrow a cup of sugar from.
* In ''WerewolfTheApocalypse'', it is common for characters to take a meaningful name for themselves after their goals or deeds, such as Evan Heals-The-Past and Celeste Walks-The-Spiral-Backwards.
* ''{{Exalted}}'' uses this quite a bit for its signature characters. The characters whose [[AnimalBattleAura anima banners]] take the form of a swan and a panther, respectively? They're named Swan and Panther. The Solar Night Caste archer? He's named Gold-Shadowed Arrow. The abused, runaway wife of one of history's worst [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Villains With Good Publicity]]? She's named [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Lilith]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* Lucy The Slut in ''AvenueQ'' (a video screen at one point shows that her name is actually Slut, Lucy The).
* Know latin? ''AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum'' has everyone's role in their name if you know latin. The clever slave, the braggert, the old man, the hero, the love interest, dominating mother? Pseudolus, MilesGloriosus, Senex, Hero, Philia, Domina.
* Prior Walter, the main character of ''AngelsInAmerica'':
-->'''Emily''': Weird name. Prior Walter. Like, "The Walter before this one.
-->'''Louis''': Lots of Walters before this one. Prior is an old, old family name in an old, old family.
** This is especially relevant as Prior later meets the ghosts of two of his ancestors who share his name.
* The long-forgotten musical ''The Stepping Stones'', the principal female character was Rougette Hood, whom everyone called Little Red Riding Hood (naturally). The villain was named Otto De Wolfe, and his associates were named Remus and Lupina.
* ''{{Urinetown}}'' doesn't get really specific, but {{The Hero}}'s name is Bobby '''Strong''' and the female ingenue's is '''Hope''' Cladwell.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''FinalFantasy'' and similar games are rife with this.
** ''FinalFantasyIV'' had the Four Fiends of the Elements, who were all named after demons in Dante's ''Divine Comedy'' (Scarmiglione, Cagnazzo, Barbariccia, and Rubicante). Oh, and its traitorous AntiHero, contrasted with his benevolent counterpart, was named ''Kain''. BigBad Golbez was named after Golubaeser, a type of black fly named for the Serbian town Golubac. According to folk legends, these venomous flies were born from a dragon's corpse. [[spoiler:This fits with the fact that Theodor Harvey became Golbez shortly after the double whammy of losing both of his parents. Compare that to Cecil who in Mysidia's legend was known as the one "birthed from womb of dragon's maw". In fact Zemus is the one who renames Theodor, directly comparing him to the Golubaeser folklore.]] It also happens to be a name of a demon in a book called "Devils" by J. Charles Wall.
*** Likewise, four of the five members of the terrorist group Odessa in ''{{Wild ARMs 2}}'' were collectively known as Cocytus, which was Dante's name for the ninth (and lowest) circle of Hell. The members themselves were named for sections of that same circle (Antenora, Caina, Judecca, and Ptolomea).
** ''FinalFantasyV'' had its AffablyEvil {{Dragon}}, Gilgamesh, named after the legendary Sumerian hero; BigBad Exdeath/X-Death/Ex-Death seems a lot less cheesy given his name was probably meant to be ''"Exodus"''.
** ''FinalFantasyVI'' has a [[NietzscheWannabe nihilistic villain]] named [[FranzKafka Kefka]].
** ''FinalFantasyVII'' was a more subtle offender. It doesn't take a lot of trouble to work out the significance of the self-confused hero Cloud Strife or the [[AGodAmI god-wannabe]] Sephiroth, but then there's Tifa Lockheart, whose name is derived from the Kabbalist concept of the Tifaret, the symbol of love; freedom fighter Barret [[{{Braveheart}} Wallace]] and the multiple Norse Mythology references, such as Nibelheim (Niflheim), Midgar(d) and the Midgar Zolom, which is a [[GratuitousEnglish bad romanization]] of the Norse word for "midgard serpent".
** The games' creators have even lampshaded their love of weather-based names for protagonists (Cloud, Squall, Kaze (wind) in FFU, Sora (sky), Lightning in the upcoming ''FFXIII''), in a throwaway line by Zidane in FinalFantasyIX :
--->'''Zidane:''' No cloud, no squall shall hinder us!
** Not only that, but the recently-released ''Crisis Core'' has revealed that cheerful hero Zack's last name is ''Fair'', again, as in weather, to contrast with broody ''Cloud Strife''. Subtle, guys.
*** Not to mention Angeal, a thinly veiled angelic figure [[spoiler:complete with white wing]] and Genesis, the first [[spoiler:of a line of experiments similar to the one that created Sephiroth]].
*** How about the fact that Sephiroth desired to become a god and is derived from the 10 manifestations of God, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephirot Sephirot]].
*** A slightly subtler example in Crisis Core is Lazard Deusericus. His last name is basically "Silken God" in Latin which doesn't seem meaningful until you realize [[spoiler:that Shinra can mean the same thing. It's implied that Lazard came up with the name himself as a reference to the fact that he is the bastard son of President Shirna.]]
** ''FinalFantasyVIII'' has Squall Leonhart (his first name referring to his turbulent emotional state, his last likening him to a lion) and Julia and Rinoa Heartilly (their last names being taken from the word "heartily," referring to their warm, enthusiastic personalities). Additionally, Squall, Laguna, and Raine all have water-themed names, alluding to [[spoiler: Laguna and Raine being Squall's parents.]] Also, the name of the game's villain, Ultimecia, is significant in that [[spoiler: she just might be the last Sorceress to ever exist.]]
** Every second name in FF games are based off of something or other. A full list can be found [[http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/names.shtml here]].
* One of the main characters in the ''Dead Space'' Graphic Novel is a priest. His name? '''Deakin Abbott'''.
** Also, the name of the game's protagonist: IsaacAsimov + [[ArthurCClarke Arthur C. Clarke]] = Isaac Clarke.
* In ''{{Bioshock}}'', the name of the leader of the city of Rapture - Andrew Ryan - is an anagram of "Ayn Rand" with a few extra letters added. The names of several other characters are also references to Ayn Rand's writings.
* In the assorted ''CarmenSandiego'' media (computer games, game shows, and the infamous TV series), all the villains save Carmen herself had such names. Note Baron Wasteland (succeeded by Baron Grinnit, easily the cleverest of the gimmicks), Jaquilene Hyde, Contessa, Dr. Sara Bellum (not to be cofused with every other campy mad scientist ever created), etc.
* ''{{Disgaea}}'' had a comic relief RecurringBoss named Mid-Boss by Laharl, whom he didn't feel was powerful enough to take the title of Overlord of the Netherworld. It didn't stop Mid-Boss from trying, though.'
** Mid-Boss called himself "Vyers, the Dark Adonis" and strongly objected to being called Mid-Boss, but everyone else just ignored him and kept calling him Mid-Boss anyway.
*** Also note that 'everyone' includes THE GAME ITSELF which gives him the unique class of Mid-Boss, and never refers to his actual name outside of his attacks. (Adonic Wrath etc)
*** I thought that he was originally called Vyers and that Laharl [[BreakingTheFourthWall changed his name]].
* ''{{Drakengard}}'' has a love affair with these. Caim is Gaelic for Cain, who was big on the murderin' of his brother. Arioch is Hebrew for "fierce lion" and was also the name of a fallen angel in ''ParadiseLost'', both apropos to her character. Seere is also a demon, a prince of hell with 26 legions who was of an indifferent nature, not evil but not good, and very beautiful. Manah, from the religious concept of ''manna'', and her character being referred throughout the game as a "tool of [[GodIsEvil the gods.]]"
* ''{{Xenogears}}'' named many towns after Hebrew months. Some were likely mistranslated such as Thames (Tammus), Aveh (Av), and Elru (Elul).
** Not to mention the characters' names, which range from Shitan / Citan being a potential allusion to Satan (Shatan) to Id alluding to Freud's name for the unconscious of primal and often violent instincts to Elly being a diminutive not only for Elhaym but also for Elohim (God). And Miang's real name, [[spoiler: Myah or Myahle, being Elhaym reverted]].
* A reiteration of the 'hunter' example in the description - ''MetalGearSolid'''s Gray Fox's alias is Frank Jaeger - shameless hunter. And he's a ''fox''. Geddit?
** And the rest. Campbell beats us over the head with it in the first game in case we don't get it: "Psycho Mantis, with his powerful psychic abilities; Sniper Wolf, a beautiful and deadly sharpshooter; Revolver Ocelot, expert in interrogation and a formidable gunfighter". He's called ''revolver'' and he's a gunfighter? Seriously, Roy? It's a good thing you're around to tell us these things.
** ''MetalGearSolid 2'' starts off with a Dave, being backed-up by a Hal, aboard a ship called the Discovery, using a computer called, if you're good at reading machine code, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Monorith]]. Then, when the ship sinks, we're introduced to a young couple named Jack and Rose. If it wasn't movies [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic it would be symbolic]], or something.
** Quite wonderfully subverted with Vamp though. Raiden asks if it comes from his fangs and tendency to drink blood (which he ''has''), and "no, it's [[DepravedBisexual because he's bisexual]]." Really.
** [[MadBomber Fatman]] is grossly overweight, but his codename is also the codename of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man Nagasaki Bomb]].
** "Iroquois Pliskin" combines a meaningful alias, actually explained by the character in-story, with a ShoutOut. ("Iroquois" means "rattlesnake" in Algonquin Indian, the civilisation that used to colonise Manhattan, where the story takes place. "Pliskin" should be [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082340/ obvious]] - note the character's first name.)
** The single greatest one in the series, though, has to be [[MauveShirt Ivan Raidenovich Raikov]], which has several layers of meaning thanks to a clever trilingual pun. "Ivan" is the Russian equivalent of John, which is also the [[JackAttack main character's real name]], because the main character must [[LatexPerfection disguise themselves as Raikov]]. "Raidenovich", when written in katakana, could also be read "Raiden no bitch", which translates to "Thunderbolt's bitch", Thunderbolt being the nickname of Volgin, his [[HoYay/VideoGames lover]]. In Russian, the name means "son of Raiden", the character being a DiscontinuityNod towards the ReplacementScrappy of the same name. As for "Raikov", it's the surname of a notable anti-gay protester in Russia, just to add that final sting of irony. Whew.
** Otacon actually lampshades his own MeaningfulName, Hal Emmerich, in an optional conversation in ''MetalGearSolid''. He complains that he's always hated his real name growing up, because "I'm not a computer, I'm a person!". He seems to enjoy the 'computer' role a little more once Snake reveals that ''his'' real name is David.
*** Snake's American voice actor is named '''David''' Hayter. Probably a coincidence though.
** EVA more or less spells her codename's meaning out for us, in case we didn't know, and it foreshadowed what we found out in the 4th game.
** And then there's EVA's [[spoiler:co-conspirator]] in the fourth game: Adam.
* Just about every character in the ''AceAttorney'' series. Most of the names describe disposition or occupation, in both Japanese and thanks to some {{Wooleyism}}s, in English as well. Some of the more notorious ones are "Detective Dick Gumshoe", Redd White (of Blue Corp.), and Windy... er, Wendy Oldbag. Some are a bit more clever (like the clown Moe, who's real name is Lawrence Curls).
** Ooh, and don't forget [[spoiler:Manfred von Karma, named after the RedBaron. They were both brought down by a single bullet.]]
*** Also, you could easily say that [[spoiler:{{Karma}} came back to bite him in the ass, fifteen years later.]]
** Come on at least mention the original eponymous character. ''Phoenix Wright'', rises from the ashes and flies? Comes back from the dead? Turnabout trials? Nearly defeated [[strike:seventytwo]] (sorry, seven''three'' times) every trial? Pfah.
* In ''TheSims'', some of the [[strike:[=NPCs=]]] playable pre-packaged characters include Don Lothario, Castor Nova, Nina and Dina Caliente, Brandi Broke and Nervous Subject. Pretty much everyone has a meaningful name now that I think about it.
* ''{{Psychonauts}}'' has several, including El Odio, the rampaging bull that torments the thoughts of a Spanish artist. [[spoiler: the name translates to "The Hate", which turns out to be appropriate when you figure out where El Odio came from.]]
** Others include that Raz's surname is usually figured by fans to be Aquato, ironically as there's allegedly a curse on his family that [[SuperDrowningSkills keeps them from being able to swim]]. Oleander, [[spoiler: who is the big bad]] has a name that refers to a poisonous plant.
* ''SonicTheHedgehog''. Aside from the main character (who's really fast), the guy with two tails is named Tails, the guy who punches is named Knuckles, the man shaped like an egg is Dr. Eggman, etc, etc, etc.
** Tails' real name isn't much less punny-- it's "Miles Prower" (say it fast).
** The name Amy also means 'beloved' or 'love'. Her surname (or secondary name), 'Rose' is French for 'pink'.
* In ''{{Pokemon}}'', most of the significant characters (IE gym leaders and the Elite Four/Five) are barely-concealed puns -- if not in meaning, than at least in "spirit", so to speak. And let's not get started on the names of the Pokémon themselves.
* ''{{Castlevania}}'' uses Meaningful Names,
** Juste and Richter mean "Just" and "Judge" respectively, appropriate for a pair of vampire hunters, no?
** Soma Cruz. His last name is Spanish for Cross; the katakana rendering ("Kurusu") tends be translated as Crucifix. As for his first name, several meanings can be taken from it depending what language you use, it's Spanish for Vessal, Hindi for Moon, or even White. All fitting, considering his role.
*** His first name in Japanese translates to "pale (blue)" and "successor/inheritor".
** Arikado's name more or less means Demon's fang. And an amusing pun on "Alucard" (it's more obvious with a bit of understanding of Japanese).
** If a boy named Malus comes up to you looking for help, should you believe him?
** Christopher and Simon have the names of a saint (the patron of travellers, even) and and apostle respectively.
*** Christopher's son has a Meaningful Name as well, though an understandable translation snafu robbed the overseas audience of it: 'Solieyu' is a phonetic spelling of the Japanese katakana phonetics for Soleil - the French word for sun. Bad puns are a bonus!
**{{Ret Con}}ned Belmont Sonia bears a moniker that's short for Sophia (in Russian). Her game featured her gaining the ''wisdom'' (geddit?) behind her clan's power, and gathering relics that would later be useful to her descendants.
* "[[ArcanaHeart Aino Heart]]" means (roughly) "Heart of Love". [[LoveFreak 'nuff said]].
* The entire ''SuperMarioBros.'' series uses meaningful names for nearly every character and enemy, as well as a good dose of theme naming. For example, in ''Super PaperMario'', Dimentio is "dimension" + "dimentia", Mimi is "mimic", etc.
** From the same game, Nastasia, whose name means "she will rise again", [[spoiler: who apparently survives a fatal attack]].
*** "Anastasia" is the noun form, "Resurrection" (in Greek).
*** And again; Luvbi (as in "love", i.e. hearts), a Nimbi. [[spoiler: She ends up turning into a Pure Heart.]]
** More subtle is [=TEC-XX=] from ''PaperMario: The Thousand-Year Door''. At some point in the game, Mario can fight generic mooks called "X-Yux", which are alien creatures serving as guards for the same organization as [=TEC-XX=], and using Goombella's StatOVision move makes clear that the "X" in the X-Yux's name is pronounced "Cross." Sure enough, [=TEC=]-'''[=XX=]''' double-crosses the organization.
** Beldam, head of the Shadow Sisters from ''The Thousand-Year Door'', is extremely old and withered. Her name literally means "crone", and was once a word for witches {see: ''{{Coraline}}''). Comes as little surprise [[spoiler:she serves the Shadow Queen]] when you know that.
* In ''{{Ristar}}'', both the protagonist Ristar (a star-shaped creature) and principal antagonist Greedy (a solar system-looting SpacePirate) have rather obvious [[MeaningfulName Meaningful Names]], and in the international version (but not in the Japanese version, which boasts names like "Omaclove"), each SingleBiomePlanet has a name reflecting its dominant environment.
* ''CityOfHeroes''' Jim Temblor is a mutant with control over the Earth [[spoiler: and the son of the supposed villain who destroyed the Overbrook neighborhood via earthquakes, Faultline.]]
* ''{{Cave Story}}'' has a couple instances of this. There's the Doctor, who's a doctor. There's King, who is the leader of the Mimigas, there's Misery who seems to embody it, and there's [[spoiler: Ballos, who eventually takes the shape of a ball]].
** A bit more obscure, but still valid, is the name "Sakamoto". The parts of which make up "Hill" and "Underground".
* ''{{Knights of the Old Republic}}'' has several. Notably, Darth Malak, a double BilingualBonus, as "Malak" is both Arabic for "angel", while he might be considered a fallen one, and also more obviously Latin for "jawbone", which [[ArtificialLimbs he no longer has, instead wearing an artificial one]] that makes him sound like Vader. Then, of course there's Darth Revan, whose name has been stated to come from "[[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/revanche revanche]]", which fits the character; however, it also bears a suspicious resemblance to [[spoiler:"[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenant_(folklore) Revenant]]", a spirit that comes BackFromTheDead--as he or she more or less has.]]
* From ''FateStayNight'':
** The main character, Emiya Shirou. The first kanji in the name Emiya means "protection". Shirou is spelled with the kanji for "soldier" and "son". As a word, "shirou" means "white", and can carry connotations similar to the English phrase "white hat". All of these fit with Shirou's character and {{backstory}}.
** Rin, the {{Tsundere}}, writes her name with the kanji for "cold". The word actually means an "official", fitting with Rin's role as administrator of the land used for the Grail War.
** Sakura's name means "{{cherry blossom}}", which is significant for reasons explained on that page.
** Having a name that means "beautiful" is a sick joke that life has played on Kotomine Kirei.
** Fujimura Taiga has much in common with tigers. She even wears a yellow and black striped shirt. She seems to acknowledge this (she's named her kendo stick Torashinai, "tora" being Japanese for tiger), but whatever you do, don't ''call'' her Tiger.
* Why Spyro the Dragon is called 'Spyro'. Of course, 'pyro-' relates to fire, but the word 'spiro-' as a prefix relates to ''breathing'' (spirometer, inspire, expire). He's called Spyro because he ''breathes fire''.
* ''FireEmblem'' doesn't really have a lot of meaningful names (instead using plenty of [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic mythology references]]) but one subtle example can be found in the 4th game, [[EnsembleDarkhorse Ayra]] is an alternate spelling of Ira, in Latin one of the 7 deadly sins (wrath) and Ayra has [[{{Tsundere}} quite the temper...]]. On the other hand, she could just be the commonly used shorting of Irene, ironicly meaning peace. Many of the lord's names can qualify, Ike, being short for Issac, can signify the importance of his parentage, while Marth is of course named after a GodOfWar.
** Ike may also be a reference to Dwight Eisenhower; surprisingly, they have quite a bit in common. The cheer for Ike in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' also reinforces this connection. ("We like Ike!" was also one of Eisenhower's campaign slogans.)
** Soren might be a meaningful name: It's a corruption of the Italian name Severino, which is the diminutive form of Severo, which means grouchy. (See Snape from Harry Potter, above.) Soren is, indeed, both small and grouchy.
*** Soren's original Japanese name was Senerio. Which is part meaningful, part pun. (A tactician named Scenario? Really?) Interestingly enough, in Japaese, Soren means "Russia".
** Another (unintended?) example in the 8th game, the 2 lords wield Siegmund and Sieglinde, named for a Norse hero and his [[BrotherSisterIncest sister/lover]], their wielders have [[{{Twincest}} bit of subtext]].
** Also, in the 6th game, the name Roy comes from a french word meaning king, in addition the French word for red is "roi".
** The Myrmidon class can be passed over as another mythology refrence, but most people belonging to the class have an [[BloodKnight obsession with fighting]] that could easily be described by the modern use of the word.
** ''Fire Emblem 7'' has [[DudeLooksLikeALady Lucius]], a monk who uses ''light'' magic.
* Fenix of ''StarCraft'' gets killed after an early Protoss misson; later his body is recovered and [[WeCanRebuildHim stuck in a Dragoon]].
* ''RainbowSix Vegas'' gives us Gabriel Nowak, Rainbow Operative and [[spoiler: TheMole (and in the sequel, the BigBad)]]. Nowak is a common polish surname that is derived from the word for "new" and was originally a nickname for someone new to a profession or villiage. A {{flashback}} shows Gabe making rookie mistakes due to his gung-ho attitude, resulting in the death of a negotiator, a reputation as the team screw-up, and later [[spoiler: his convoluted plot against Rainbow in revenge]].
* [[HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi Shion and Mion]]. The [[TwinSwitch twins]] names refer to "oni"'s. Mion,[[spoiler:or actually,Shion,]] has an oni tattoo on her back. [[spoiler: The oni part is also a big part of the [[MultipleEndings question]] arcs of the series]]
* [[TheWorldEndsWithYou Joshua's]] family name is "Kiryuu". Which, considering what Neku [[spoiler:(Joshua, Day 2) suspects, (Joshua, Day 3) comes to believe, (Joshua, Day 7) comes to believe is not true, then finally (Beat, Day 7, after beating the Composer) comes to find out really did happen after all]], is quite appropriate. If you still don't get it, [[spoiler:swap out the "r" for an "l", then say it]].
** And as for his first name... [[spoiler:"Joshua" is derived from the same name that "Jesus" comes from. His Japanese name, Yoshiya, is pretty similar to the name "Jesus" is derived from: Yeshu'a. Joshua is The Composer in human form, whose powers are somewhat godlike. Not to mention his [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic crucifixion poses]]; an example of which has helped inspire the FanNickname of one of his attacks: Jesus Beams.]]
* In ''TheLegendOfZelda'', Shigeru Miyamoto [[WordOfGod has stated]] that Zelda was named after famous jazz singer and wife of F. Scott, Zelda Fitzgerald. Link's name has been [[FanWank theorized]] to either be something about how he's the player's connection to the game world or referring to his status as a Legacy Character. Alternatively, Link is a German name meaning "left hand". That is, if [[http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/search.php?p=qsearch&s_gender=1&s_copt=2&i_search=link Baby Names World is to be trusted.]] [[With Ganon, it's harder to tell. Some are obvious, though, such as Midna of ''Twilight Princess'', who's obviously associated with darkness and shadow ([[DarkIsNotEvil but is a protagonist]]) and, in a possible ShoutOutToShakespeare, Ingo of ''Ocarina of Time''. Ingo is jealous of Talon's success; Shakespeare's ''Iago'' coined the term "GreenEyedMonster". There's also Termina of ''Majora's Mask'', a world that will end in three days without Link's intervention.
**Though probably unintentional, since it does only apply in the last few installments, "Zelda" can also mean. [[LadyOfWar "She-Warrior"]] Oh, and, yes, the german word for "left" is "Links", so Baby Names World is at least semi-correct.
* In Tecmo's ill-fated RPG SecretOfTheStars, one major villain [[{{Narm}} has the euphonious and subtle name of BadBad]].
* Lemon Browning of ''SuperRobotWars''. Browning simply alludes to a connection with the character Excellen Browning, but Lemon? [[spoiler:It's a term used to refer to faulty used cars. Turns out that Lemon's a cyborg who was built from the corpse of Excellen, who died in her own dimension, and was then rejected by her parents for not being a good enough ReplacementGoldfish.]] This may not have been intentional, however.
** The Ruina of ''SuperRobotWars'' Destiny
*** The BigBad [[spoiler: Perfectio (Perfection) and his mecha Fatum (Fate)]]
*** Aquila (Eagle) and his mecha Fortis Ara (Strong Wind)
*** Umbra (Shadow) and her mecha Priskus Nox (Ancient Night)
*** Glacies (Ice) and her mecha Fabularis (Like a tale)
*** Ignus (Flame) and his mecha Impetus (Impulse)
*** Contagio (Disease) and his mecha Violaceum (Violet)
*** Ventus (Wind)
* ''{{Ultima}} V'' has Saduj. [[spoiler: He's a traitor, and Saduj [[SdrawkcabName backwards]] is...]]
* ''SuikodenV'' has the [[GodwinsLaw Godwin]] clan. Who pursue a policy of militarism and [[FantasticRacism genocide against nonhumans.]] They also employ an assassin named Dolph.
* In ''{{Tales of Destiny}} 2'', Kyle randomly named a mysterious masked fencer with a bone mask as 'Judas', since he doesn't seem to care about names. Obviously, Kyle never read TheBible, [[spoiler:as Judas turns out to be Leon Magnus, who [[FaceHeelTurn betrayed]] Stahn in his past journey]]
* Bud Bison and Damian Wolfe from MegaManStarforce. [[{{Animal Theme Naming}} Their EM forms are the animals of their respective last names]].
* In OdinSphere, there's a ring called Titrel that plays a huge role in the plot. One of the protagonist's names, Gwendolyn, means "blessed ring". Her sister (who falls in battle at the very beginning) is named Griselda, and ''her'' name means "dark battle". On a lesser note, and probably by coincidence more than anything else, there's a mountain called Horn Mountain in the game. Another protagonist's name (Cornelius) means "horn".
* Brad Fang, the wolf-man in {{Contra}}: Hard Corps for the Sega Genesis. His teammate Ray Poward? Not so much.
** Though it would've been completely and totally awesome if Browny (the robot) were a pastry chef in its free time.
* The FPS ''Hexen'', published by Ravensoft, had an [[BigBad end-of-game boss]] called Korax — from ''corvus corax'', the Latin name for the common raven. Another monster (a fire-spitting avian) was called an afrit, though whether there is any connection with the legendary crossword composer Afrit (A. F. Ritchie) is not known. And ''hexen'' is German/Old-English for witches.
* {{Ikaruga}} is the name of a type of bird you see in the credits, the Japanese Grosbeak. In fact every ship in the game except the Sword of Acala(itself and the Stone-Like a reference to Vajrayana Buddism) is named after a bird in Japanese.
* One caused by an attempt to dance around copyrights: in the Wii ''PunchOut'', Piston Honda had his last name changed to "Hondo". A ''hondo'' is the main chamber of a Buddhist temple. Now recall that all foreign boxers in ''Punch Out'' are CaptainEthnic...
** Nearly ''everyone'' in ''Punch-Out!!'' is like this. Super Macho Man, Bear Hugger, Mr. Sandman, Narcis Prince, Masked Muscle, Disco Kid...
* Takahisa Kandori of ''ShinMegamiTensei: {{Persona}}'' aspires to nothing short of [[AGodAmI godhood]] [[spoiler: only to find it's LonelyAtTheTop]]. His surname can be translated as "god-taker", or more fancifully, "usurper of gods".
* About every level in ChipsChallenge, which gets lampshaded in "Southpole", its hint tile reads "What was the name of this level?". The obvious solution (but surprisingly ''not'' the fastest one) is [[spoiler: keep moving down]].
* ''Pulseman'''s father was the benevolent scientist Doc Yoshiyama... until his FaceHeelTurn, at which point he became the MadScientist Doc Waruyama. "Yoshi" and "Waru" are Japanese for "good" and "bad". Yeah.
* In ''[[BackyardSports Backyard Hockey]]'', the character Beverly Backstop is the best goalie in the game.
* If you thought that there wasn't enough of a contrast between the embodiments of {{Red Oni Blue Oni}} in ''{{Devil May Cry}} 3'' ({{Half Human Hybrid}} protagonist Dante and his {{Evil Twin}} Vergil), just wait until you see the names of their trademark swords. Vergil wields a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]] named Yamato while Dante brandishes [[CoolSword a broadsword-esque weapon]] called Rebellion. Yamato (大和) is an ancient name of Japan that usually holds the connotation of symbolizing the Japanese people and their traditional ways of old. Rebellion hearkens to the Meiji period of Japan, a time where modernization began and some of the old customs such as imperial families and samurai were passed over in favor of Western-style innovations like guns. Now look at Dante and Vergil, their style of clothing, and their weapon preferences. How can that ''not'' be an allusion?

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Pretty much every character in ''[[http://www.bitmapworld.com Bitmap World]]'' has a meaningful name.
* ''GunnerkriggCourt'' occasionally goes crazy with this:
** Antimony is named for the element antimony, the name of which comes from the Greek for "never alone". (Her nickname, Annie, may be a reference to another famous red-haired orphan.)
** Her father, Anthony Carver, is a surgeon.
** Her mother's maiden name was Surma Stibnite. Stibnite is the name of an ore containing antimony. Surma (more commonly known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohl_%28cosmetics%29 kohl]]), is a compound of antimony used in the Middle East as an eye-shadow, for cosmetic purposes or for protection from the [[BodyMotifs Evil Eye]].
** Mort is a ghost; his name is French for "dead" or "death".
** Parley is a talkative girl. She attempts to serve as a mediator during a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parley parley.]] Her name is from the French ''parler'': "to talk".
*** But is she [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean savvy]]?
* In ''{{Erfworld}}'', it was recently revealed that [[BigBad Lord Stanley's]] Foolamancer (Erfworld's version of an Illusionist) is named Jack Snipe, which is also the name of a bird primarily known for being well camouflaged, and therefore, difficult to see.
* ''ElGoonishShive'''s Grace Scuridae [[spoiler:is a shape-shifter who transforms into, among other things, a squirrel.]]
** This one is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-02-22 here]].
* ''{{Shortpacked}}'' has Leslie Bean. It is unknown if she wears [[LipstickLesbian lipstick]].
* Melleck Xaos (pronounced like "chaos") in ''TheWotch'': [[spoiler: Inverted; he's the avatar of order]]. Also, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] with respect to [[http://www.thewotch.com/?epDate=2004-08-13 Samantha Wolf]].
** Also, Lord Sykos, who is, well, absolutely insane.
* Brad Wolfe and his daughter Rebecca from ''Sorcery 101''. Of course they're both werewolves. Interestingly, Brad's wife Ally, who's fully human, kept her maiden name.
* Pretty much all the ''{{Goblins}}'', who are, in fact, named by their "fortune teller".
** Including one who thinks this is a really dumb way of naming people, and is thus called "Complains-About-Names".
** And which has led to a life of paranoia for poor "Dies-Horribly".
* Three of the players in ''{{Darths and Droids}}'' have names that reflect their characters: Jim (Qui-Gon Jinn), Ben (Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi) and [[spoiler:Annie (Anakin Skywalker). Annie's name is a coincidence, since Anakin started as a NPC.]]
* Except for Thief, the surnames of the main characters of ''[=~8-Bit Theater~=]'' (since [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep their names are their classes as well]]): Fighter [=McWarrior=], Black Mage [[AxCrazy Evilwizardington]] and (though it was only said by the author in the forum, not shown in the strip) Red Mage [[{{Munchkin}} Statscowski]].
* ''SluggyFreelance'' loves these. Got a {{Hospital Hottie}}/{{Hot Scientist}}? Hello [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=000630 Dr. Hot Chick]] (she insists it's spelled Haught-Sheik). Got an army officer looking to militarize zombies? Meet [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=971212 General Mayhem]]. Got a ruthless mercenary hired by an evil organization? Presenting [[http://sluggy.com/daily.php?date=011111 Killum]]. Got the princess of a space kingdom? It's our honor to introduce [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=010708 Princess-Princess]].
** And that's not even getting into the elves and Dimension of Pain demons, almost all of whom have descriptive names.
** Inverted with a pair of {{Shock Jock}}s, one short and one fat, called [[http://pics.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=060609 Broadman and Midget]]. The short one is actually Broadman (real name Brouderman) and the fat one is Midget (Mike Midgetski).
* Virtually everyone on ''{{Earthsong}}'' has a MeaningfulName, thanks to Nanashi, who named them this way on purpose. Consider for a moment that Nanashi means 'No-Name' and you'll see why.
* The house of Sturmvoraus in ''GirlGenius'': the family, who's introduction is the beginning of the really meaty plot and who [[DysfunctionJunction are are all scheming to murder and usurp eachother]] take their name from the German for "Storm Ahead". There is also Albia, the briefly mentioned Queen of Great Britain.
** Otherwise averted with Baron von Wulfenbach, who makes not lycnathropic in a world where werewolves may or may not exist and who in fact doesn't even use Lupine symbolism for his forces: it would seem that Wulfenbach (non-standard German for "wolves stream") is simply the name of his ancestral estate.
*** Some fans expected this trope to come up over a character named "Wilhelm", beleiving her (its a surname used informally) to be related to a member of the aforementioned Sturmvorauses also called Wilhelm despite the total lack of evidence. By the time a third unconnected Wilhelm turned up, pretty much everyone had realised that over in Germany, Wilhelm is kind of a common name.
** The Heterodyne clan, as the "concentration music" Agatha makes vocally is (according to Carson) both a family trait and ''actual'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodyne heterodyning]].
* Almost all character names in ''{{The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob}}'' are either symbolic as per this trope, or they're random [[PunnyName puns,]] or both: Jean Poule, Rocko Sasquatch, Mr. O. Blivius Bystander, Princess Voluptua, Hibachi the Dragon, Robbie the Robber, Roofus the roof-repair robot, Heywood J. Lookathat, etc. And "Bob Smithson", whose name is one step removed from being the completely generic name "Bob Smith".
* [[{{Finders Keepers}} Cardinal]]: Lord and Aspect of the Primary Directions, second son of the Lord Navigator, great-grandson of The Seeker. He can find anything.
* Parodied in ''{{Starslip}}'': after the Quel storyline, a female Quel joins the crew of ''Paradigm''. Problem is, individual members of the Quel have no names, which Vanderbeam only remembered when trying to introduce her into the roster. Mr. Jinx suggest calling her "[[SpeciesSurname Quel]]" but Vanderbeam instead suggests spending weeks trying to come up with a meaningful classic mythology derived name related to her role in the previous storyline's events. Cutter then suggests changing "Quel" to "Raquel" and she accepts, much to Vanderbeam's chagrin.
* ''{{The Order of the Stick}}'' has, possibly unintentionally, Xykon, the undead lich BigBad, which is one letter (that is only slightly shifted) away from Xylon. Xylon B is a gas that was used in Nazi death camps that kills by asphyxiation. This makes [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0657.html this strip terrifying.]]
** The names of the three fiends of the [[MagnificentBastard IFCC]] are [[LawfulEvil Le]]e, [[NeutralEvil Ne]]ro and [[ChaoticEvil Ce]]dric.
* ''VanVonHunter'' abandoned his original surname in favor of a more descriptive one.
* ''NatureOfNaturesArt'' justifies its use of the trope. In this version of the animal kingdom, [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname most people are only known by nicknames, codes or where they're from]]. Having your own name is the biggest honour possible in this setting, to the point where you have to ''earn'' the right to pick the name you want. Yeah, animals with names choose their own names here, so this trope can turn up quite a bit. Polarizing, who is ''very'' unstable, is an excellent example.
* Azrael from ''{{The Adventures of Wiglaf and Mordred}}'' is also called "the Angel of Death" by other characters, and he considers it his mission to bestow "Grace" -- the name of his sword -- on the world.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* HomestarRunner is a "terrific athlete". Strong Bad has boxing glove hands and a wrestling mask head, and is a "bad guy". Strong Mad and Strong Sad are DumbMuscle and TheEeyore, respectively. The Cheat loves to cheat (and his species is called "The Cheat", never just "Cheat"). Pom Pom is a big round ball. TheKingOfTown is, well, the king of town. Coach Z is a coach who wears a medallion with a Z on it.
* Parodied in an episode of ''The Liam Smith Show'' that parodied ''StarTrekVoyager'': a console explosion results in the deaths of Ensign Deadmeat, Ensign Numbersup, Ensign Futurecorpse and Ensign Imgoingtodieahorribledeathonanawaymissonorwhenastationimatexplodes. (He's Dutch.) However, Ensign Expendible, introduced earlier in the episode, doesn't die.
* Vizeadmiral Schneider from ''OpenBlue'', whose CoolShip has a special cannon that fires [[AbnormalAmmo shells loaded with circular sawblades for shrapnel]]. FYI, Schneider is German for "Cutter".
* Leonard Church of ''[[RedVsBlue Red vs. Blue]]''. Means nothing at first, but in ''Reconstruction'', [[spoiler:after Church is revealed to be an [=AI=], we hear the Director of Project Freelancer narrate an EpilogueLetter about how all [=AIs=] are based off of a human mind. He then signs off with his own name, [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Doctor]] Leonard Church.]]
* ''TalesOfMU'' has half-demon protagonist Mackenzie Blaise, whose first name can be read to mean "fire-born" and [[spoiler: her unknown brother, Aidan, whose name means "fiery".]] Other characters have significance in their names, to the point where some readers look up the name of every new character who appears.
* The eponymous hero's name in ''TheSagaOfTuck'' has [[http://www.crossdressing.pl/main.php?lv1_id=3&lv2_id=47&lv3_id=462 a meaning to female impersonators and]] [=MtF=] transsexuals.
* ''{{What Is This Black Magic You Call Science}}?'''s heroine, Chryseis. She vomits egyptian plagues via her womb connecting to her throat, and can decimate ''planets''. Ironic in that she is actively trying to save people.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Dick Dastardly, Muttley, and basically any character from ''WackyRaces''.
** In one episode of ''Yogi's Treasure Hunt'', Dastardly announced his full name as [[RichardNixon Richard Milhous]] Dastardly, further cementing him as a "Tricky Dick".
** Many old HannaBarbera characters had Meaningful Names. Mr. Jinx was periodically shown to have bad luck. You know ScoobyDoo's cousin Scooby-Dum isn't going to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. And guess what color Grape Ape is?
* Bender from ''{{Futurama}}'' is literally a "bender" -- a robot who was manufactured for the sole purpose of bending metal objects. Also, one slang meaning of "bender" is "a bout of heavy drinking", which is appropriate for Bender since he runs on alcohol.
** Also, in the case of purple-haired Leela. "Lila" means "purple" in German.
*** More specifically, Leela's full name - Turanga Leela - is a reference to the Turangalila-Symphonie, a piece of music most famous for prominently featuring the ondes Martenot, forerunner of the classc sci-fi staple the theremin.
** And in Futurama's famously esoteric style of humor, "Farnsworth" was the name of the man who built the first television system.
* The old show Beany and Cecil had a villain named Dishonest John.
* ''{{Captain Planet and the Planeteers}}'': Villain names were very obvious puns:
** Dr. Blight sought to destroy the environment.
** Looten Plunder sought to make money by destroying the environment.
** Duke Nukem sought to turn the entire world into a glowing radioactive place. The other ''DukeNukem'' exists because his name was not trademarked.
* The Plutarkians in the 90's ''BikerMiceFromMars'' series are all named after cheeses with the Biker Mice's arch nemesis Lawrence Limburger being named after the infamous Limburger cheese.
** 2008 introduces [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Ronaldo Rump]], a bizarre hybrid of Donald Trump, Ricky Ricardo, possibly Ricardo Montalban, and a big, fat rump.
* ''FiremanSam'' has Bella Lasagne and Mandy Flood. Ironically the Welsh title for Fireman Sam is Sam Tan which translates to Sam Fire- and Sam's main job is to put out fires so i consider it to be ironic.
* ''AmericanDragonJakeLong'':
** Long, despite the fact that it's the last name of Jake's Caucasian father, is one of the Chinese words for dragon.
** Rose, the love interest/misguided bad-guy protege, is a beautiful thing with thorns (Thorn was her SecretIdentity's original name). (It's such a common name for a FemmeFatale, Disney had to change her alias or risk copyright infringement for there was already a DC character with the same names.)
** Jake's grandfather and [[{{Mentors}} Mentor]] is named Lao Shi, Chinese for "respected teacher".
* ''TheBoondocks'':
** Mr. Wuncler: the archetypical scheming, old, white, businessman. His name is pronounced just like "The Once'ler", the {{narrator}} and misguided, remorseful villain of Dr. Seuss's ''The Lorax'', who destroys essentially the whole world to make a quick buck.
** Also the main character Huey Freeman is named after Black Panthers co-founder Huey P. Newton. His surname Freeman is also significant as it means "[[CaptainObvious a free man]]".
** Ed Wuncler's pal, Gin Rummy, is a thinly veiled "gangsta" analogue of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (who even quotes Rumsfeld's "known unknowns" speech after a botched convenience store robbery).
* ''{{Transformers}}'' are almost always named this way, either by their abilities, or their alternate form. Brawn, for example, is a rough-and-ready brawler who believes in might over microchips, while Skywarp has the ability to teleport. Other examples include Rattrap, Inferno, Sky-Byte, and Evac, to name just a small few. Usually, if a transformer undergoes a major change in their body(such as an entirely new alternate form), they'll even change their names to match it. Basically, a Transformer gets a CodeName (generally of the Descriptive type) as a real name.
** Additionally, ''Transformers Animated'' has the human villain '''Prometheus''' Black, A.K.A. Meltdown, who got his powers from an accident after stealing some of Bumblebee's hydraulic fluid. The parallels to the titan Prometheus should be obvious -- especially if you know of the versions in which Prometheus was an arrogant upstart who stole the Divine Fire without knowing what he was meddling with, rather than being in the right, with Zeus just being afraid of progress. The other human villains all fall under the StevenUlyssesPerhero subset.
** What's interesting is, the speedster ''Nino Sexton'' overhears someone saying he came through in a nanosecond, so he calls himself Nanosec. His codename's resemblence to his real name is, in-story, pure coincidence, and the other human villains may well be the same. Slow-Mo, on the other hand, is said to be named for the Hasbro executive Samantha Lomow.
* Virtually almost every single character of ''{{Avatar the Last Airbender}}'' has a name of Asian origin varying from Mandarin Chinese to Korean slang. Given the theme of the show, the ones of non-Asian are often referenced and regarded as unusual to the other characters.
** Zuko's mother is named Ursa (the Latin word for "bear") displaying her role as his MamaBear.
** Zuko is once written as "Resurrected Rule," though another time it was "ancestors robber" on a wanted poster. It is logical to assume that his parents originally used the first "spelling," given that he was a royal child, and his father changed the "spelling" for the wanted posters to indicate that he had been disowned.
** Swordsman Piandao of the episode "Sokka's Master" is named after a type of Chinese saber. This is somewhat ironic as his own weapon looks similar to a jian, a straight double-edged sword, and not a curved single-edged sword.
** Taking into account the Chinese characters used to write his name on the title card in "Tales of Ba Sing Se" Aang's name seems to mean "Ascending Peace"
** Toph's name has a ''quadruple'' meaning: it is a kind of sandstone reflecting her element, a Hebrew word for "drum" refering to her ability to sense with vibration, a play on "tough" for her attitude, and a homonym of "toff", British slang for an upper-class person (which she is).
*** Did we say quadruple? Make that ''sextuple'', on her passport in "The Serpent's Pass" her name is written to mean "supported lotus", which is indicative of how her parents saw her, as a fragile china doll. Conversely, on the title card in "Tales of Ba Sing Se" her name is written to mean "entrusted man".
** An odd example is the baby that the Gaang help deliver, who was given the appropriate but out of place name "Hope". The DVDCommentary said it was supposed to be a Chinese name that meant "Hope", but then either the meaning would be lost, or there would be a case of YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord.
** The Earth King's name, Kuei (which is only mentioned [[AllThereInTheManual in supplementary information]]) may be a transliteration of two words different words that respectively mean "chief" and "puppet", where as his EvilChancellor Long Feng's name means "Dragon Phoenix", which in Chinese tradition represented the throne.
** The north pole's princess and Sokka's love interest Yue has a double meaning as well, being in Chinese a word for moon, [[spoiler: due to her being reincarnation of moon's spirit]] and in Japanese meaning a sad incident and used for children dying shortly after birth, such it might have happened to her, due to her being weak at birth.
** King Bumi's name (Bumi) means "Earth" in Tamil.
** Suki is a verb meaning "to like/love" in Japanese.
** As the Fire Nation has largely Indian names, "Azula" is no doubt derived from "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asura Asura]]". It fits her.
*** Don't forget, Azula could also be seen as a modification of "Azul." Appropriate, as most of her firebending techniques are blue.
* ''KappaMikey'' has a YesMan character actually referred to as "Yes Man" by everyone on the show. It's heavily implied that this is his actual name.
** Mikey Simon's stage name is, well, "Kappa Mikey." A kappa is a mythical Japanese amphibian. Ozu once explained that a kappa is a water creature that lives on land, and is thus a fish out of water, much like Mikey himself, who is an American living in Japan. Making things even weirder, kappas are said to like cucumbers and ''kappa makki'' is a type of sushi, meaning it's also a PunnyName.
* ''{{Gargoyles}}'' is interesting in that gargoyles do not have names normally, and past history had humans giving them a name, like Goliath. When learning to trust Elisa, the various gargoyles of the Manhattan Clan chose names from their surroundings. Hudson, for the river, and Brooklyn, Lexington, Broadway, and Bronx.
** And when Demona has evil clones of the clan created (to go with Goliath's evil clone [[SdrawkcabName Thailog]]), she gives them names from Los Angeles neighborhoods/landmarks.
** In many ways, Goliath's name is both played straight and subverted. In the first episode, he was named for having the strength of the biblical Goliath. However, it is also pointed out that the first Goliath was a bully and monster, something the gargoyle is definitely not. Further more, Goliath and his arch nemesis ('''DAVID''' Xanatos) invert the DavidVersusGoliath trope, providing another subversion.
* The main bad guy from ''SamuraiJack'' is Aku, which is Japanese for "evil, wickedness".
* {{SpongeBob SquarePants}}. He's a sponge, he wears squarepants.
* Goofy, so named because he's, well, rather goofy.
* Vlad from ''DannyPhantom'' which means "rule", a name that fits him like a glove. Also an in-joke to the vampire-like thing he's got going on. In fact, he originally was planned to be one.
* In ''SouthPark'', Ms. Choksondik dies in an... [[OutWithABang interesting way]].
** [[TokenMinority Token Black]] combines MeaningfulName with LampshadeHanging.
** And Mr. Mackey ... m'kay?
* A short-lived Saturday morning cartoon called ''Skeleton Warriors'', with a character named "Baron Dark".
* Warp Darkmatter, Buzz Lightyear's EvilCounterpart from ''BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'', was Buzz Lightyear's Partner before an apparent FaceHeelTurn. He even [[LampshadeHanging points out how evil sounding his name is, and mocks Buzz]] for not being GenreSavvy enough to notice.
* ''KimPossible'' includes minor villains Adrena Lynn ("extreme"-stunt TV host), and shapeshifting socialite Camille Leon, not to mention the heroes, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. It's even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] a few times. When Kim loses her memory, she says "Kim Possible" "doesn't sound like a name".
* Career criminal, Snake Jailbird from ''TheSimpsons''.
** Also the title characters. Matt Groening named them after his own family; his parents are called Homer and Margaret, and two of his sisters are Lisa and Maggie. He drew the line at calling the boy "Matt", feeling that this would make the gag too obvious; instead he chose "Bart" because this is an [[SignificantAnagram anagram]] of "brat". He asked his animation team to come up with Grampa's name, and by sheer coincidence they chose "Abraham", the name of one of Groening's own grandfathers.
* Subverted by ''MoralOrel'' with Mr. Nohammer, owner of Nohammer Hardware. Despite clearly having a sign that says "We Have Hammers" on his store and lining his store with wall-to-wall hammers, people ''still'' call him asking about whether or not he sells hammers. He's forced to constantly tell people "It's just my name!" *sob*.
* In ''TheBackyardigans'', WordOfGod says that Uniqua is her name ''and her species''. Ah, that's why she's so unique; all you gotta do is trade the A on the end of her name for an E. Also, the first four letters of Austin the kangaroo's name are the same as Australia, where kangaroos reside.
* Not overused in ''CodeLyoko'', but ''[[FunPersonified Odd]]'' Della Robbia's first name and Ulrich ''[[TheStoic Stern]]'''s surname certainly fit well with their characters. Also, the gym teacher is ''Jim'' Moralès and the science teacher is Suzanne ''Hertz''. Ironically (for an {{Animesque}}), the one Japanese character, Yumi Ishiyama, doesn't have a particularly meaningful name.
**Actually, "yumi" is the Japanese word for bow, as in a bow-and-arrow. Now excuse me while I rant: "I know! Let's name our daughter after a long range weapon, then think it's bizzare when she takes interest in MARTIAL ARTS, the sole purpose of which is to turn ones body into a LIVING WEAPON!" Duh.
** Plus, Kadic Academy owes its name to science-fiction writer [[PhilipKDick Philip K. Dick]].
* The parents on ''{{Rugrats}}'' were always taking advice from a doctor named "Lipschitz," whose advice was nearly always, well...[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar just that]].
* In the ''Disney's {{Disney/Aladdin}}'' TV series, there's [[HarmlessVillain Abis Mal]] and Mechanicles.
* ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' had a number of these. Obvious ones are the one-shot villain Abracadaver, a zombie wizard whose name in life was Al Lusion, and nerdy, paste-eating kid [[PunnyName Elmer Sglue]], who gets turned into a paste monster one episode. Also, Sara Bellum, who does all of the ''real'' thinking involved with running Townsville (the Mayor is somewhat dim-witted.) Others are Sedusa (a combination of "seduce" and "medusa", which perfectly describe her two superpowers, and to some degree, Professor Utonium ("Professor" can shorten to "Pr.", and befitting the {{Animesque}} style, this reads "Pr. Utonium"--which is how "plutonium" would be rendered, more or less, and the first two syllables also evoke the word "utopia", a perfect place, befitting his goal of creating the "perfect little girls".) One of the more arcane ones is Lou Gubrious, another one-shot, who created a device that makes people sad. Formerly, when he was happier, he was called Hal Larious.
** Blossom and Bubbles themselves were given meaningful names. Blossom because of her directnesss and opening right up to the Professor and Bubbles because she's cute and bubbly. [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal Poor Buttercup]].
* Just listen to how [[{{Histeria}} Loud Kiddington and Froggo]] speak, and you'll see how they got their names.
* An episode of ''Ben10AlienForce'' introduces a character using the codename "[[{{Satan}} Morning Star]]". Turns out that he was not so much a LouisCypher as simply being generically evil.
* ''SushiPack'' is rife with these. All the members of the Sushi Pack and the Legion of Low Tide are named after [[EdibleThemeNaming the type of sushi they are]]. Recurring villains [[IncrediblyLamePun Titanium Chef]] (a sushi chef), Sir Darkly (sadness and gloom personified), and The Collector also count, not to mention one-shots A. Scientist and The Prevaricator (who can only tell lies).
* ''Jimmy Two-Shoes'' takes place in Miseryville, which is pretty much FireAndBrimstoneHell. Thus, the characters include [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Lucius Heinous VII]], his son Beezy (which can only be short for "Beelzebub") and ''Hel''oise.
* The eponymous main character of ''PJ Sparkles''. A self-chosen last name, inspired by the [[EverythingsBetterWithSparkles sparkles]] she acquired when she became a MagicalGirl.
* ''A Pup Named ScoobyDoo'' had a bully character named Red Herring, who Fred would blame as the monster OnceAnEpisode. Of course, given his name, it was never him except for the one time Fred made a agreement with the rest of the gang NOT to blame Red Herring.
* ''TheFairlyOddparents'' had [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Princess Mandie, Ms. Doombringer]], Officer Shallowgrave (who has a voice like a shallow grave, to quote Cosmo). Vicky has been described as "Icky with a V".
* And, obviously, then there are the LooneyTunes: Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird and so on. Wile E. Coyote goes a bit beyond just the name of the animal, as he is a wiley coyote (see what they did there?). And it gets cleverer -- Pepe [=LePew=] is a stinky skunk (even though in real life skunks only smell when they spray) which makes everyone go ''pew''! Speezy Gonzales is a speedy little mouse from Mexico. And Taz is a tasmanian devil.
* In ''WinxClub'', with the exception of Bloom, all the girls' names reflect their power source. Flora is named after the Roman goddess of flowers and has power over plants, Stella (star) draws her powers from the sun and moon, Musa is reminiscent of ''musica'' (music), and Tecna is derived from ''tecnologia'' (technology). The Trix disguise this is a bit with English-derived names: Icy (power over ice), Stormy (weather), and Darcy (darkness).
* Judge Constance Harm from ''TheSimpsons''. "Constance" means "unchanging", and "harm" is... well...[[SoYeah yeah]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The winner of the 2003 World Series of Poker was an accountant named Chris ''Moneymaker''. His grandfather changed it from the German Nurmacher, which really does mean "money maker".
** No it doesn't! Nurmacher would be translated as "Just Maker" as in "only maker". Nur is usually translated to mean "only".
* ''Freakonomics'' tells us of a real-life subversion with the case of Winner Lane and Loser Lane: while the latter became a successful police sergeant, the former became a petty criminal.
* Mark Shuttleworth, leader of the Ubuntu Linux project, was also, fittingly enough, the first astronaut from South Africa.
* John Candy. The name of this late great funnyman from Canada says a lot about his personality. Plus, he was born on Halloween (candy is given out on that holiday), was hugely overweight and had a very sweet personality.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shockley William Shockley]] invented the transistor.
* There's a Finnish Meteorologist named Pekka Pouta, which would literally translate as Peter Fair Weather.
* Thomas Crapper, popularizer of the flush toilet.
** Contrary to urban legend, he was ''not'' the inventor but he was a plumber who helped popularize the device. Also, his first name was not "John", and he never bore a knighthood.
** Also contrary to urban legend the word is likely a back-formation from "crap", which comes from Dutch (''krappe'' = the residue left over from the rendering-down of fat). Neither word is likely to have any etymological relationship with the gambling dice game called Craps (or Crap, or Crap-Shooting), which is derived from a 17th century English game called Crabs (or Crab).
* Scott Speed, racecar driver.
* ''New Scientist'' magazine asked readers for examples of "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism nominative determinism]]" and received so many they had to beg for the madness to end.
* Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt.
* The father of American actress Kirsten Storms was a TV weatherman in Orlando, Florida.
** There is a Los Angeles weatherman named Dallas Raines.
* [=PriceCo=] was acctualy named for it's founder, who had the last name Price.
* Thorton Hee, a Disney story man from the forties, had his name listed as T. Hee.
* Real life [[InvertedTrope Inversion]]: The 2000 US Presidential Election. The Democratic candidate Al Gore is now mostly known for his dedication to stopping global warming, while the Republican candidate George Bush is now known (among other things) for getting his nation into a war largely seen as unnecessary. One would think that the man who promoted the environment would be named Bush (you know, a plant) and that the man who promoted war would be named Gore, but that isn't the case.
** Yes, but Latin trumps English. In Latin, algor means coldness.
* The leader of the Ontario Conservative Party is named John Tory. (For those who don't know, "tory" is common slang for "conservative" in Canada and the UK.)
* Bernie Madoff with your money.
* The original promoter of the (entirely discredited) Oxfordian theory of Shakespearean authorship was one J. Thomas Looney, [[{{It Is Pronounced Tro-PAY}} prounounced "Low-ney"]].
* {{Infomercial}} pitchman VinceOffer.
** Well, it's a lot easier to do if it's not your real name.
*** Yes, but his real name is 'Offer Shlomi'. So the meaningful name stands.
* Chromatography (means "color writing" on Greek and, basically, it is) was invented by Russian botanist M.S. Tsvet; his last name translates from Russian as "color".
* George [=McGovern=] is a politician (and one who likes government at that).
* The current (March 09) Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, now the most senior judge in England and Wales, is Lord Judge, that is his name is Igor Judge.
* Edward Gorey is a writer of bloody stories.
* William Wordsworth, who was a famous poet.
* Economist [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Thaler Richard Thaler]]'s last name is the German root word for "Dollar."
* Double-subverted by Dan Schneider ("tailor" or literally "cutter" in German) who named his business Schneider's Bakery ([[Zoey101 it's]] a [[DrakeAndJosh TV]] [[ICarly production]] company).
* Melinda Loveless, who infamously tortured a young girl to death.
* In London, there's a veterinary surgery in '''''Mayow''''' Road, near '''''Cat'''''ford.
* Sir Henry Head, English neurologist.
** And Walter Russell (Lord) Brain, also a neurologist.
* Antonio da Ponte, who rebuilt the Rialto Bridge ("da ponte" means "of the bridge").
* Marilyn vos Savant, known for her high IQ.
* Way back in the early days of animation, two animators named Hugh Harman and Rudolph Ising were trying to sell there work. Since sound had just been invented, their main draw was that they could use voices and music effectivly. Which makes it a good thing that they chose their last names for the name of the company: Harman-Ising.
* {{Douglas Adams}}'s initials were DNA. He was very proud of it.
* Inverted by British Airways pilot John Coward, who was quite the hero in the way he landed a stricken Boeing 777 at London Heathrow in January 2008.
* [[http://news.aol.com/article/girl-surives-fall-from-seventh-story/632956 Destiny.]] She has to go on to do SOMETHING important after this, right?
* Another Inversion: HPLovecraft, infamous author of [[CosmicHorrorStory Cosmic Horror Stories]] filled with HighOctaneNightmareFuel aplenty as well as a rumored [[{{Asexuality}} Asexual]]
* Seargent Max Fightmaster. Seriously!
* The actress ''Charisma'' Carpenter.
* Cam Pipes, the [[JudasPriest Halfored-esque]] vocalist of Canadian heavy metal band [[ThreeInchesOfBlood 3 Inches of Blood]]. As a boy he was a choir singer.
* With poetic justice, the original novel ''TheNeverendingStory'' was written by Michael Ende, whose surname is German for, you guessed it, "End".
* The Dutch public television had two female meteorologists, Monique Somers (Summers) and Diana Woei (Woei being the - somewhat archaic - past tense of 'waaien', or 'blowing' (as in wind)).
* One of the most famous architects of the late 19th/early 20th centuries: Antoni Gaudi.
* The Supreme Court case that ended the ban on mixed-race marriages was Loving v. Virginia. As in the plaintiffs were Richard Perry and Mildred Loving.
* One of the main military leaders that led the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état (which led to an oppressive dictatorship) was Gen. Amaury '''Kruel'''.
* Mathematicians Mitchell Feigenbaum ("fig tree"), discoverer of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LogisticMap_BifurcationDiagram.png bifurcation constant]] named after him; and Benoit Mandelbrot ("almond bread"), though [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mandel_zoom_00_mandelbrot_set.jpg his set]] is more likely to be described as a ''ginger''bread man.
[[/folder]]

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