History Main / SameSurnameMeansRelated

* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'' has Calisto Yew. She shares the same surname as the victim of a murder. After some initial teasing, she tells Edgeworth that they are sisters.

* Averted in ''Manga/UQHolder''. Isana and Honoka Konoe briefly wonder if they're related to Touta upon seeing his last name (and take to calling him onii-sama), but there's nothing to suggest that there's any connection (especially because [[spoiler:he's a hybrid clone of Negi and Asuna]]). [[spoiler:That said, it's later turns out that they are related in a roundabout way due to the woman who gave birth to him as a surrogate also being a descendant of
their grandmother Konoka (though the direct relation is not specified).]]

* Averted in ''Manga/UQHolder''. Isana and Honoka Konoe briefly wonder if they're related to Touta upon seeing his last name (and take to calling him onii-sama), but there's nothing to suggest that there's any connection (especially because [[spoiler:he's a hybrid clone of Negi and Asuna]]).

* ''Fanfic/FarceOfTheThreeKingdoms'': Liu Bei claims that all Lius belong to the royal family, especially him of course. This (usually) stops him from attacking other Lius openly, although backstabbing is still fair game.

** When DC acquired the Quality Comics characters, Sandra Knight, Phantom Lady, became a cousin of Ted Knight, the original ComicBook/{{Starman}}.

* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'': In "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMfcgCyDnS8 Helpless", Angelica Schuyler introduces Hamilton to Eliza, who introduces herself as "Elizabeth Schuyler". Hamilton notes their common surname, and Angelica responds that Eliza is her sister.

[[folder: Film (Live-Action)]]

-->--''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''

-->"Wass your name, dearie?" she said.
-->"Smith," said Winston.
-->"Smith?" said the woman. "Thass funny. My name's Smith too. Why." she added sentimentally, "I might be your mother!"
--->--''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''

!InUniverseExamplesOnly

* Averted in ''Literature/HarryPotter''. There's a mention of a boy in Harry's neighborhood called Mark Evans, so fans assumed this was a clue and he'd turn out to be related to Harry's mother Lily Evans. It was just a throwaway name (Evans is a common name in the UK), and the author later said she hadn't even noticed the connection.

--->--''Literature/NineteenEightFour''

--->--''Literature/1984''

* Colossus from ''Comicbook/XMen'', real name Piotr Rasputin. Originally it was just a [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous stereotypical Russian surname]], but later it was revealed that the most well-known [[RasputinTheMadMonk Rasputin]] was actually his ancestor.

** When DC acquired the Quality Comics characters, Kit Freeman, Kid Eternity, was retconned into being the brother of Freddy Freeman, [[{{ComicBook/Shazam}} Captain Marvel Jr.]] Similarly, Sandra Knight, Phantom Lady, became a cousin of Ted Knight, the original ComicBook/{{Starman}}.

** Chuck Dixon apparently intended to reveal that Tim Drake, ComicBook/{{Robin}} III, was related to Dinah Drake, ComicBook/BlackCanary I, but got vetoed by DC editorial.

* Played with in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': The BigBad of the story is the mysterious time-traveling Lord English. Many fans assumed he was either related to one of the heroes, Jake English, or even that he was Jake's future self. Turns out Lord English is [[spoiler:Caliborn's future self. He took Jake's name as a TakeThat gesture after his first defeat at the hands of Jake.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life]]
* ZigZagged. There really are plenty of surnames where two people having them means they're related (if you go back far enough). But then you have ones whose origins came from professions such as Smith or Taylor or from patronymics like as Robinson or O'Brien, where the best you're getting in country of origin.

* In ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' (more specifically the prequel story "Alan and the Sundered Veil"), it is revealed that ''[[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Randolph Carter]] is a great-nephew of [[Literature/JohnCarterOfMars John Carter]].
* The ComicBook/DisneyComics originally introduced various characters by the name of "Duck" as unrelated to the main WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck — just a case of SpeciesSurname gone wild. However, as time went on, characters like Moby Duck, or, yes, [[KissingCousins his own girlfriend Daisy Duck]], were retconned to be variously related cousins (not so much as a conscious decision as out of new writers assuming this trope was at play and that they always ''were'' meant to be related).
* In the ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'', ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2099'' debuted in 1992, introducing the world to Tyler Stone, the boss of Spider-Man in his civilian identity of Miguel O'Hara. A decade later, Tiberius Stone debuted in 2001 as TheRival of [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]]. No relationship between the two Stones existed until the 2013 ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' storyline "Necessary Evil", which established Tiberius as Tyler's father.
* Parodied and ultimately averted in the first comic crossover between ''Comicbook/{{X-Men}}'' and ''Franchise/StarTrek'' in which both Hank "Beast" [=McCoy=] and Leonard "Bones" [=McCoy=] not only have the same last name, but they are also doctors. At one point, someone says, "Dr. [=McCoy=]" and they both answer at the same time.

* Colossus from ''XMen'', real name Piotr Rasputin. Originally it was just a stereotypical Russian surname, but later it was revealed that the most well-known [[RasputinTheMadMonk Rasputin]] was actually his ancestor.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho / Magician's House'' crossover "[[https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!original/alt.drwho.creative/ePu0priPPMU/NV320Ioq7KEJ A Name of Ill-Omen]]" by John Elliott implies a connection between Stephen Tyler and Rose Tyler.

-->'''Blackadder:''' You are clearly a woman of principle and compassion mistress...?
-->'''Mrs Ploppy:''' Ploppy Sir.
-->'''Blackadder:''' Ah, so you are married to...
-->'''Mrs. Ploppy:''' No, many people think that but it's pure coincidence. We did laugh when first we found out. "Good morning mistress Ploppy" he'd say, and I'd say "good morning Mr. Ploppy." ''(both laugh)''
-->'''Blackadder:''' The long winter evenings must just fly by.

* ZigZagged in an extent on surnames whose origins came from professions such as Smith or Taylor, or from patronymic ones such as Robinson or O'Brien. Chances are, your surname is Smith may or may not differ from another unrelated person whose surname is also Smith.

* Justified in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', where only the feudal nobility have surnames, and two identical surnames means at least some kind of relation. There are distant cadet branches which are no one remembers exactly how related to the main House (such as the Lannisters of Lannisport), but they still are distant relatives and not just guys with the same last name.
** Averted with any nobleborn bastards, who are given a surname based on the region they're born in rather than inheriting their parent's name. For example, [[HeroicBastard Jon]] and [[BastardBastard Ramsay]] Snow are unrelated; they just happen to both have grown up in the North

Upped for Grabs by Alnair.

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!!Indexes
* FamilyTwistsIndex
* NamingConventions