Sergei Malatov: [says nothing]
McNulty: No name, huh? Well, for now, we'll just call you "Boris".
Sergei: [sighs] "Boris"... Why always "Boris"?
When you have to name a foreign character, you've got three options:
- Just make up some gibberish that sounds vaguely foreign;
- Name them after some famous person from his country;
- Use the most common and well-known name from their country, possibly stereotypically associated with it.
That last option is this trope. Many nations have their analogs of "John Smith" — ridiculously common names, whose "commonness" has become near proverbial. Sometimes, these names become symbols or stereotypes, associated in popular consciousness with the respective countries.
Note that names that were once common in one country often fall out of favour with the passage of time while remaining 'stock', sometimes resulting in an author unintentionally giving a young character an anachronistically old-fashioned name.
Some of these names — such as "Mick", "Taig" or "Guido" — become so closely associated with a particular country that they attain full-on racial epithet status.
Of course, some names that catch on can eventually become 'de-foreignised' as the association with the home country fades. The name 'Kevin' is a great example of this; as recently as a century ago, it was almost entirely unknown outside Ireland, yet at this point, the man on the street is unlikely to even think of it as an Irish name.
Note: A name should have at least three examples of being used to name a stock foreigner from the respective country (or at least one example that lampshades its use as a Stock Foreign Name). If you add a name, please add at least one work along with it.
