Well, it's certainly invoked. Comic books in particular do it to make their characters' names catchy.
- Nearly every Superman character: Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris...
- Spider-man: Peter Parker, Otto Octavius
- Hulk: Bruce Banner
- Fantastic Four: Reed Richards
- Daredevil: Matt Murdock
- Doctor Strange: Steven Strange
I even know two characters it was specifically invoked for in homage to the trope:
- Nova: Richard Ryder
- The new Ulimate Spider-man: Miles Morales
Both of their names were chosen this way in homage to Spider-man.
edited 10th Feb '12 8:31:34 PM by KingZeal
It is a purposeful comicbook trope. I'm not certain that any other medium uses it to the same degree though.
Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. DickHmm... maybe change the name to Comic Book Writers Like Alliterative Names or something, then limit examples to Comic Books and homages to comic books?
edited 10th Feb '12 8:53:44 PM by Servbot
I've seen it in parodies of superhero comics.
Fight smart, not fair.Pattern? Yes; alliterative first-last name combinations can be catchy, and appear especially often in comic books. Trope? No; no meaning. Chairs.
Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.According to Stan Lee, it makes the character's name easy to remember, especially when you have Loads And Loads Of Characters.
Restricting it to comics will probably focus the page better. The Harry Potter list looks pretty significant though. Comics and fantasy? All of speculative fiction?
Regardless, the Real Life section, currently the largest folder, definitely has to go.
Support zapping the Real Life section.
Maybe restricting it to meaningful alliterative names?
I moved it to discussion for now. Here's the list of them:
- Wanted Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadžić was found living under the alias of Dr. Dragan David Dabic'. Stephen Colbert ironically points out that: "gee, no one would ever suspect someone with that name of being an evil mastermind".
- Objection! He is no mastermind!
- The Now Show commented on a tendency among fugitives to embrace this trope, citing the Canoe Man John Darwin taking the name "John Jones". They also commented that they frequently take on beards. As they put it, "What is BRIAN BLESSED running from?"
- Four U.S. presidents: Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Ronald Reagan.
- And unsuccessful contender Hubert Horatio Humphrey
- Woodrow and Calvin aren't their first names, though.
- Along with U.S. Supreme Court Justices John Jay, Felix Frankfurter and Sonia Sotomayor.
- First Lady Abigail Adams
- German chancellors Bernhard von Bülow and Kurt Georg Kiesinger.
- Spanish caudillo, Francisco Franco.
- French marshal and head of state of Vichy France, Philippe Petain.
- Galileo Galilei, which is just lazy.
- NASCAR Drivers: Ricky Rudd, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Kasey Kahne
- Junior Johnson, Scott Speed, Brett Bodine, Ernie Irvan, Buddy Baker, Robert Richardson Jr.,
- Lewis 'Linkara' Lovhaug, who is, appropriately enough, a comic book fan.
- Amy Adams, actress.
- Who is playing one of the most famous examples of this trope, Lois Lane, in 2012's Superman movie The Man Of Steel.
- Arthur Ashe, tennis champion.
- and Stan Smith
- Björn Borg, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi, all tennis legends.
- Ken Kesey, author. He poked fun at this by naming the hero/author expy in Demon Box "Devlin Deboree".
- Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the man who owns LEGO.
- David Draiman and Dan Donegan of Disturbed.
- Appropriately enough, the first actor to portray both a Marvel and a DC superhero is Ryan Reynolds, with the bonus of being a variant on Two First Names.
- Several movie stars took alliterative Stage Names:
- Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson)
- Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley)
- Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson)
- Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck)
- Deanna Durbin (born Edna Mae Durbin)
- Claudette Colbert (born Émilie Chauchoin)
- Doris Day (born Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff)
- Sissy Spacek (born Mary Elizabeth Spacek).
- Alan Alda (Alphonso d'Abruzzo)
- Harry Houdini (real name Erich Weiss)
- Pioneering CBS TV news producer Fred Friendly. (Real Name:Ferdinand Friendly Wachenheimer)
- The Kardashian sisters: Kimberly, Kourtney, and Khloe.
- Amandus Augustus Abendroth, 19th century mayor of Hamburg.
- Arthur Abraham, undefeated IBF Middleweight Champion of the world.
- Amy Acker
- Adolphe Adam, composer.
- Ansel Adams, photographer.
- Arthur "Art" Adams, comics artist.
- Andrew Adamson, film director.
- Alfred Adler, psychologist.
- Anna Akhmatova, poet.
- Albrecht Altdorfer, German painter.
- Anthony Anderson.
- Alan Arkin, actor. And his son, Adam Arkin.
- Armand Assante, actor.
- Adele Astaire, Fred's sister and Broadway co-star.
- Amedeo Avogadro, chemist.
- AJ Ayer, philosopher.
- Lauren "Betty" Bacall, actress.
- Bob Barker of The Price Is Right.
- Brigitte Bardot, often referred to as "BB"
- Ben Barnes, actor.
- Bob Barr, politician.
- Béla Bartók, composer.
- Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke, jazz musician.
- Björnstjerne Björnson, Norwegian writer.
- Bert Brecht, author.
- Beau Bridges, actor.
- Benjamin Britten, composer.
- Barthold Hinrich Brockes, 18th century poet.
- Billie Burke, actress ("Glinda" in The Wizard of Oz).
- Claudia Cardinale, actress, sometimes called "CC".
- Cab Calloway
- Carlos Castaneda, author.
- Charlie Chaplin
- Charlie Chase
- Claudia Christian
- Chris Claremont
- Camille Claudel, sculptress.
- Carl von Clausewitz, writer of On War.
- Cassius Clay, 19th-century U. S. politician. Also the boxer, before he changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
- Chris Colfer
- Carlo Collodi (born Carlo Lorenzini, born in Collodi in Tuscany), writer of The Adventures of Pinocchio
- Christopher Columbus!
- Both the navigator & the film director
- Colin Cowherd, ESPN SportsNation co-host
- Daniel Defoe, writer.
- Daniel Dennett, also a philosopher.
- Denis Diderot, writer and philosopher.
- Doris Dörrie, director (Men)
- Erika Eleniak
- Edward Elgar, composer.
- Federico Fellini, film director.
- Fritz Fischer, German historian.
- Frank Frazetta, artist.
- Götz George, actor
- Gilbert Gottfried
- Günter Grass, author (The Tin Drum)
- Graham Greene, actor.
- Graham Greene, author.
- Germaine Greer, author.
- Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, astronaut.
- Gustaf Gründgens, German actor/director and model for Klaus Mann's Mephisto.
- Giovanni Guareschi, author, creator of Don Camillo and Peppone.
- Helmut Haller, West German football star.
- Hill Harper
- Harry Harrison, author.
- Hans Hass, Scuba pioneer.
- Heinrich Heine, poet and writer
- Heinrich Hertz, physicist.
- Mobster Henry Hill
- Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, author.
- Howard Hughes.
- Helen Hunt, actress.
- Howard Hunt, Watergate "plumber".
- Holly Hunter, actress.
- Hermann Huppen aka Hermann, Belgian comics artist.
- Jesse James
- Joseph "Joe" Johnston, Confederate general.
- Joe Jonas
- January Jones
- Rock legend Janis Joplin.
- James Joyce, writer.
- Kumi Koda, Japanese Pop superstar
- Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson.
- Louis Leakey, anthropologist.
- Lotte Lenya, actress and singer.
- Larry Lieber, comics artist (Stan Lee's younger brother)
- Lindsay Lohan
- Marshall McLuhan
- Magnus Magnusson, quiz show host on British TV.
- Mary Malone, author. Shares her name with a fictional character from His Dark Materials.
- Matthew Marsh, actor.
- Mireille Mathieu, singer.
- Masaya Matsukaze
- Miyu Matsuki
- Mike Mignola.
- Miyamoto Musashi, swordsman.
- Mamoru Miyano
- Mandy Moore
- Michèle Morgan, actress.
- Masakazu Morita
- Malcolm Muggeridge
- Modest Musorgsky, composer.
- Peter Paige, actor.
- Sir Peter Parker, former head of British Rail.
- Pier Paolo Pasolini, movie director.
- Piper Perabo, actress.
- Pablo Picasso, artist.
- Parker Posey
- Robert Redford, actor.
- Rob Reiner, director.
- Rio Reiser, German rock star.
- Rembrandt van Rijn, painter.
- Rainer Maria Rilke, poet.
- Ryder Russell Robinson, Kate Hudson's son, for a triple alliterative name.
- Robert Rodriguez, director.
- Roberto Rossellini, movie director.
- Satomi Sato, voice actress.
- Susan Sarandon, actress.
- Siegfried Sassoon, author.
- Sergei Shoigu, Russian Minister of Emergency Situations.
- Sergei Semyonovich Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow. Another [[Rule of Three triple-alliterative]] name.
- Steven Spielberg, director and producer.
- Steve Staley
- Sylvester Stallone
- German satirist and writer Kurt Tucholsky used a number of pen-names, including Peter Panter and Theobald Tiger.
- Tanya Tucker
- Tommy Tune, Broadway dancer/choreographer.
- Tina Turner
- Wolfgang Wagner (head of the Bayreuth festival), Wieland Wagner (director) and their mother Winifred Wagner.
- Walt Whitman, writer.
- Wendy O.Williams, lead singer of the Plasmatics.
- William Williams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence
- Control Point Podcast host Wes Wade Wilson and his wife Wendy Wilson.
- Walter Winchell, gossip columnist.
- Wallace "Wally" Wood, comics artist.
- William Wordsworth, writer.
- Yevgeny Yevtushenko, poet.
- Zhelyu Zhelev, first democratically elected president of Bulgaria.
- To date, the only alliterative World Chess Champion (through 124 years and 15 World Champions) is Alexander Alekhine.
- The victims in the Alphabet murders - Carmen Colon dumped near Churchville, Wanda Walkowicz dumped near Webster, and Michelle Maenza dumped near Macedon. The Alphabet Killer (mentioned above in the film section) was very loosely based on the murders.
- Zhang Ziyi
- Lex Lang and Grant George, voice actors
- Australian Rules Football gives us the St Kilda Saints, South Melbourne/Sydney Swans, Hawthorn Hawks, Brisbane Bears, Port Adelaide Power, and Greater Western Sydney Giants.
- Comic artist John Romita, Jr. (JR, Jr.)
I okay with scratching the Real Life section, but I think this is a valid example of Naming Conventions for use if fiction.
Naming Conventions need not always have some serious symbolic significance for it to count as such.
BTW,
Alliterative Name found in: 1068 articles, excluding discussions.
Since January 1, 2011 this article has brought 3164 people to the wiki from non-search engine links.
That is some very impressive stats. I would really be against cutting this entirely. At worse, you could move it to Trivia, but even that I think is not really needed.
edited 11th Feb '12 4:18:53 AM by Catbert
It's a tool used by a writer to make a character's name more memorable and catchy. That makes them stick better in the reader's mind and helps them differentiate between characters. That's a trope, regardless of medium it's used in.
I think it appears more often in comic books because a) I think one of the majorly influential writers loved it and b) they tend to have Loads And Loads Of Characters, making it very important to remember who's who.
I believe there's also some vague "rules" about numbers of syllables in first and last names that can make a name more catchy, but it's been a while since that writer's workshop.
I imagine that the parents of the real life individuals deliberately went with an alliterative name, so it's not a coincidence that they're named that way. That said, the list doesn't add anything to the trope, so axing it will make the page cleaner.
edited 11th Feb '12 6:05:44 AM by ccoa
Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.Then the description should at least show that.
and : I agree 100%.
Better?
EDIT: I think I remembered the rule. Multi-syllable first name with one syllable last name OR one syllable first name with multi-syllable last name. It makes a name more catchy. Think that's worth YKTT Wing, if only as a definition?
edited 11th Feb '12 6:37:14 AM by ccoa
Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.Looks good to me.
Page looks much better. We should probably add a No Real Life Examples Please to the page or they're going to grow back.
Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. DickAdded. Anything else to do?
"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - FighteerNope. I think we can call this fixed.
I actually think that real life examples are OK, as long as the names are not real names but Stage Names.
I was just thinking of that while reading this. In that case, examples should make clear it is a stage name, or else it will turn out a mess again.
The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.We could use a "Pen Name" section.
Fight smart, not fair.I believe that's Sesquipedalian Smith.
That's one of them, anyway. I suppose I'll do the inverse. And that one's description needs clarification, too.
EDIT: On second thought, I'll just TRS that one and try to broaden it. That's way too narrow.
edited 12th Feb '12 5:59:23 AM by ccoa
Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.@23: Never, ever use more than two ^'s at a time. If you need to reference something that far back, do @username and/or @postnumber instead.
edited 12th Feb '12 10:43:07 AM by Stratadrake
An Ear Worm is like a Rickroll: It is never going to give you up.
There might be a trope here somewhere, but the examples seem to be people whose names happen to be alliterative for no reason whatsoever.