History Main / SameSurnameMeansRelated

** "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS19E8PawtucketPat Pawtucket Pat]]" has a bit implying that Music/KidRock and [[WrestlingDwayneJohnson The Rock]] are brothers.

* In a brief cutaway in the "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS2E11APictureIsWorthAThousandBucks A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Bucks]]" episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', it's revealed that Creator/KathyGriffin (an actress and comedian) is a distant relative of the family through Peter's side.

* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'': [[SpeciesSurname Babs Bunny. Buster Bunny]]. [[RunningGag No relation]].

** "All the Presidents' Heads" revolves around Professor Farnsworth being a descendant of David Farnsworth, a RealLife Loyalist double agent and counterfeiter during the Revolutionary War. Other historical Farnsworths said to be in his family tree include inventor Philo Farnsworth and naval commander Dean Farnsworth, developer of the Farnsworth Lantern Test.

Either way, this will make LastNameBasis awkward. A variant of OneSteveLimit. Contrast PlanetOfSteves. Compare SameRaceMeansRelated, which is this trope but with ethnicities.

* ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': The Wolf cannot seem to get it through his head that Westeros customs give the same surname to bastard children regardless of their parentage, and congratulates Jon (Snow) for being a much better fighter than his brother Ramsay (also Snow, although by the time the Wolf killed him Ramsay had already been legitimized as Ramsay Bolton).

** Most of the fanbase speculate that Hepzibah and Zacharias Smith are related. Although "Smith" is a ridiculously common surname, the two share a theme of uncommon Biblical names (both with a "z"), and both have a connection to Hufflepuff (Zacharias is a Hufflepuff student, while Hepzibah is apparently descended from her).

* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Lupine's (Stella Woolfe) parents, with surnames of Wolf and Woolfe, were actually members of a long dispersed Native American clan, based around the wolf, and initially thought their similar surnames was just a funny coincidence. But, there are other characters with Wolf-related surnames, who are of unknown relatedness to Lupine, like Techwolf (Harry Wolfe).

** Subverted with Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. They're half-sisters who share a father and were reared by their father, but their surnames are different. Yang is named after their father yet Ruby is named after her mother (and Yang's step-mother).

* Played with in the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "Attack of the Killer Bebes". Dr. Drakken decides to [[ReunionRevenge avenge himself]] on the classmates who'd mocked him in college. It simply does not occur to him that the one surnamed "Possible" is in any way connected to his nemesis Kim Possible, and when he finds out that he's her father he rather absurdly insists that it's a common surname.

* Sam Wilson, ComicBook/TheFalcon, and Jim Wilson from '70s ''Comicbook/{{The Incredible Hulk|1968}}'', began as a coincidence but were eventually [[{{Revision}} retconned]] into uncle and nephew.

** Larry Jordan, the GoldenAge character Airwave, was later revealed to be a cousin to Hal Jordan, the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] ComicBook/GreenLantern.
** Shierra Sanders, the GoldenAge [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} Hawkgirl]] was established in ''[[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]]'' as a cousin to the GoldenAge adventurer Speed Saunders, even though the names weren't ''quite'' the same.

* ''Film/EurovisionSongContestTheStoryOfFireSaga'' has a {{patronymic}} variation: Sigrit and Lars frequently have to explain that they're not siblings. The fact that their surnames are ''Ericksson(g)'' and ''Ericksdottir'' doesn't particularly help. [[spoiler:At the end of the film it's revealed that they are definitely not siblings. Apparently their fathers were just both named Erick.]]

Of course, as in RealLife, having the same surname does not always signify the two characters being related. ValuesDissonance may apply since surname frequency varies worldwide due to cultural or historical factors.[[note]]This trope is more justified in the Anglosphere, where even the most common surname (Smith) only comprises 0.8% of the population. About 7% of mainland China has the surname Wang, 10% of Hong Kong is Chan/Chen, 20% of South Korea is Kim, and nearly 40% of Vietnam is Nguyen. Watching {{Korean Drama}}s, for example, can be somewhat confusing; it seems as though half of the cast share a surname even if they are not related, as that's how things are in real life. Surnames tend to go extinct under the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galton%E2%80%93Watson_process Galton–Watson process]]. Chinese surnames have been in use for so long, they gradually died out and leaving fewer surnames behind, despite the massive Chinese population. On the other hand, Japanese and Thai surnames are relatively recently invented, so there is a much greater variety of surnames. Vietnamese surnames are an exception as people adopted Nguyen for various reasons and not necessarily from the natural extinction of other surnames. Furthermore, there are cultures that do not even use surnames as is understood in the Anglosphere, like having last names that are patronymics: [[{{Music/Bjork}} Guðmundsdóttir]] indicates "daughter of Guðmundur", not a surname shared by the father.[[/note]]

Of course, as in RealLife, having the same surname does not always signify the two characters being related. ValuesDissonance may apply since surname frequency varies worldwide due to cultural or historical factors.[[note]]This trope is more justified in the Anglosphere, where even the most common surname (Smith) only comprises 0.8% of the population. About 7% of mainland China has the surname Wang, 10% of Hong Kong is Chan/Chen, 20% of South Korea is Kim, and nearly 40% of Vietnam is Nguyen. Watching {{Korean Drama}}s, for example, can be somewhat confusing; it seems as though half of the cast share a surname even if they are not related, as that's how things are in real life. Surnames tend to go extinct under the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galton%E2%80%93Watson_process Galton–Watson process]]. Chinese surnames have been in use for so long, they gradually died out and leaving fewer surnames behind, despite the massive Chinese population. On the other hand, Japanese and Thai surnames are relatively recently invented, so there is a much greater variety of surnames. Vietnamese surnames are an exception as people adopted Nguyen for various reasons and not necessarily from the natural extinction of other surnames. Furthermore, there are cultures that do not even use surnames as is understood in the Anglosphere, like having last names that are patronymics: [[{{Music/Bjork}} Guðmundsdóttir]] indicates "daughter of Guðmundur", not a surname shared by the father.[[/note]]

** Amy Wong introduces herself in "[[Recap/FuturamaS1E2TheSeriesHasLanded The Series Has Landed]]". Leela immediately, and correctly, guesses that she's from the super-rich "Mars Wongs," despite that being a common surname and [[AffluentAscetic nothing about Amy's appearance indicating how well-off she is]].

* Deconstructed in ''Theatre/AvenueQ'' when Princeton asks Kate Monster if she and Trekkie Monster are related, as they have the same surname; Kate finds this incredibly racist.

!Administrivia/InUniverseExamplesOnly

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Manga/ATropicalFishYearnsForSnow'', Koyuki Honami, one of the two protagonists, has the same surname as a teacher at her school. The fact that they're related and their relationship is obvious to everyone means that Koyuki is under even more pressure to act like a model student.

* In the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' franchise, there's a United Nations Air Force airman named Edgar [=LaSalle=] who appeared in ''Anime/MacrossZero''. In ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', a United Nations Spacy officer named Claudia [=LaSalle=] appears in the show. Shoji Kawamori and the production crew have not cleared up any issues about whether the two are related. On the other hand, it's played with Sheryl Nome as the actual descendant of Sarah and Mao Nome. The connection was not seen when ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' aired on television. But a Blu-Ray release corrected this connection [[spoiler: when Sheryl's earrings are seen near a picture frame of Mao's parents.]]
* 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:Later, it 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).]]

** Larry Jordon, the GoldenAge character Airwave, was later revealed to be a cousin to Hal Jordan, the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] ComicBook/GreenLantern.

** When DC acquired the Quality Comics characters, Sandra Knight, ComicBook/PhantomLady, became a cousin of Ted Knight, the original ComicBook/{{Starman}}.
*** On that note, Phantom Lady is a notable {{Aversion}}. Despite three of the Phantom Ladies sharing a surname, none have been revealed to be related to each other.
** When she was introduced, Kate Kane, ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}, didn't appear to have any connection to the established Kanes in the ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' mythos. Her Comicbook/{{New 52}} series established that Bette Kane, Flamebird, was her cousin, meaning she was also related to Kathy Kane (whose role as the original Batwoman had recently been reinserted into continuity). In ''ComicBook/BatmanZeroYear'', Bruce's Uncle Philip has portraits of Kate's family in his office, suggesting Martha Kane's maiden name isn't a coincidence either; subsequently she would explicitly call Bruce her cousin in ''Comicbook/DetectiveComicsRebirth''. (Of course, in RealLife, they're all named after Batman creator Bob Kane.)
** One writer wanted to establish the original Comicbook/BlackCanary, Dinah Drake, as Tim Drake's great-aunt, though it was nixed by the editor. It would actually make a bit of sense, however, since both belong to wealthy Gothamite families.
** Played with in Reboot ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperheroes''. Laurel Gand/Andromeda is a Daxamite who claims descent from the legendary Daxamite hero (and galactic religious icon) [[Comicbook/{{Valor}} Lar Gand/Valor]]. Brainiac 5 points out that "Gand" is a very common surname on Daxam, and she retorts "I know what I know."

** Both being spies, Tara King from ''Series/TheAvengers1960s'' is now the sister of ''Series/JasonKing''.

* Parodied and ultimately averted in the first comic crossover between ''Comicbook/XMen'' 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.

* Comicbook/{{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 [[UsefulNotes/RasputinTheMadMonk Rasputin]] was actually his ancestor.[[note]]In real life, the only (known) surviving descendants of Grigori Rasputin as of 1975 (when Colossus was introduced) lived not in the Soviet Union but in the United States. Those who stayed in Russia had been killed in the wake of the October Revolution. Any ''unknown'' descendants who might have survived would be unlikely to use the Rasputin surname.[[/note]]
* Sam Wilson, Comicbook/TheFalcon, and Jim Wilson from 70s ''Comicbook/{{The Incredible Hulk|1968}}'', began as a coincidence but were eventually [[{{Revision}} retconned]] into uncle and nephew.
* When Creator/JossWhedon was writing ''Comicbook/XMen,'' he wanted to include a joke implying that [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer a certain character of his]] was part of the [[TangledFamilyTree already quite tangled]] Summers family.

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

* Parodied in ''Film/DieHard''. When the two FBI agents arrive one of them says "I'm Agent Johnson. This is Special Agent Johnson...No relation." The joke is that one of the agents is black and one is white.
* ''Film/EurovisionSongContestTheStoryOfFireSaga'' has a {{patronymic}} variation: Sigrit and Lars frequently have to explain that they're not siblings. The fact that their surnames are ''Ericksson(g)'' and ''Ericksdottir'' doesn't particularly help. [[spoiler: At the end of the film it's revealed that they are definitely not siblings. Apparently their fathers were just both named Erick.]]
* Deliberately averted in ''Franchise/StarWars'', where Creator/GeorgeLucas intended for Antilles to be the galaxy's version of a common, generic last name like Smith. ''Film/ANewHope'' has both Captain Raymus Antilles (of the Rebel blockade runner from the opening scene) and Wedge Antilles (the EnsembleDarkhorse Rebel pilot). ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' also mentions Senator Bail Antilles. None of them are related.
** Although Raymus and Bail ''were'' related in ''Legends'' with both being from the Alderaanian House of Antilles, it's unknown if it's still the case in current canon.
* Creator/QuentinTarantino has said in interviews that some of his characters with the same surnames are related to each other;

---> "There was even a Weatherwax as Archchancellor, years ago," said Ridcully.
---> "So I understand. Distant cousin. Never knew him," said Granny.
** In ''Literature/TheLastContinent,'' Rincewind meets a Bill Rincewind in Fourecks, and the two decide that they must be distant relatives because it's such an uncommon name. It's also been suggested that Rincewind is a descendant of ''Literature/{{Eric}}'''s Lavaeolus, whose name translates to "Rinser of winds."
* Averted and played with in Allen Steele's ''{{Literature/Coyote}}'' novels: In the first two novels of the series we have Captain Robert E. Lee (who traces ancestry to the old CSA general), who led the first colonial expedition to the planet and became an almost legendary figure in the planet's human history, and [[spoiler: martyr in the resistance war with the [[TheEmpire Western Hemisphere Union]] colonists in the second book]]. Then in ''Coyote Horizon'' we have Sawyer Lee, a wilderness guide, who as far as he knows is no relation to the by-then late Captain Lee but always gets asked that (and notes that the surname coincidence probably helps boost his outfitting business a bit). By that time, there are a few hundred thousand people living on the planet.

* In one episode of ''Series/{{Bones}}'', Seely Booth reveals that [[FamousAncestor he's a descendant of]] John Wilkes Booth, the man who murdered UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln. [[SinsOfOurFathers The extreme disgrace to the family name]] that Seely feels this brings is one of the reasons why he became an Army Ranger and later FBIAgent.

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E6BoobyTrap "Booby Trap"]], the character of Leah Brahms was originally named "Navid Daystrom", and was intended to be a descendent of Dr. Richard Daystrom from the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries original series]] episode [[Recap/StarTrekS2E24TheUltimateComputer "The Ultimate Computer"]]. However, Daystrom is black and the actress hired for the role was white (the casting department wasn't told what race she needed to be). Rather than keep the name and imply that she's an unrelated character who happens to have the same surname, they renamed the character.
* In the ''Series/{{Blackadder}} II'' episode [[Recap/BlackadderS2E2Head "Head"]], Ploppy is the jailer and Mrs. Ploppy is the woman who cooks [[LastRequest Last Meals]]. They're unrelated.

--> '''Pitt:''' Yes, that's my real name, and no, [[Creator/BradPitt we're]] not related. Wish we were. Love to meet Creator/AngelinaJolie.

* ''Series/LukeCage2016'': The second season gives us Raymond "Piranha" Jones, alongside returning character from season 1 Comanche, whose legal name is revealed to be Darius Jones. Both are generally referred to by their nicknames, avoiding confusion.

* Discussed in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' when the Thieves are given the task of tracking down a girl named "Futaba Sakura". They realize that it’s a relatively common last name, but even though it seems like a long shot their only starting point is Sojiro Sakura, [[PlayerCharacter Joker’s]] temporary guardian for his probation period. Luckily, that ends up being exactly who they needed to talk to: Sojiro is Futaba's [[HappilyAdopted adoptive father]].

** Subverted with Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. They're half-sisters who share a father and were raised by their father, but their surnames are different. Yang is named after their father yet Ruby is named after her mother (and Yang's step-mother).

* ''WebVideo/{{Petscop}}'' often uses [[GivenNameReveal Given Name Reveals]] with the last names "Mark" and "Leskowitz". Of course, given that this is an In-Universe case of both WriteWhoYouKnow and retelling events, this is [[JustifiedTrope justified.]]

** A flashback in ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS21E13TheColorYellow The Colour Yellow]]'' has Burns' grandfather mentioning that his story will one day be told by his descendants, Ric and Creator/KenBurns.

--->''Oh, your brother is ''that'' Philip J. Fry?''
*** Averted with a brief gag in "The Why of Fry" in which Fry has to clarify that he's ''not'' "the Philip J. Fry of Hovering Squid World 97A."
** "All the Presidents' Heads" revolves around Professor Farnsworth being a descendent of David Farnsworth, a RealLife Loyalist double agent and counterfeiter during the Revolutionary War. Other historical Farnsworths said to be in his family tree include inventor Philo Farnsworth and naval commander Dean Farnsworth, developer of the Farnsworth Lantern Test.
* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010''

* In ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch,'' Nick Diamond dispels the apparent rumors that despite having the same ''first'' name as Creator/NickNolte, they aren't related.
* The ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' episode, ''Hank Gets Dusted'' has [[Music/ZZTop ZZ Top's]] Dusty Hill voicing himself as Hank Hill's cousin.

* Comicbook/{{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 [[UsefulNotes/RasputinTheMadMonk Rasputin]] was actually his ancestor.

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010''"
** Black Lightning 's ex-wife, Lynn Stewart-Pierce, is apparently the sister of Comicbook/GreenLantern John Stewart. This is not the case in the comics, where [[https://www.player.one/black-lightning-lynn-stewart-green-lantern-sister-spoilers-123418 her creator toyed around with the possibility of making them related]], but it never wound up happening.)

** 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.

** On the other hand, "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E10LuckOfTheFryish Luck of the Fryish]]" reveals that "Philip J. Fry" is a famous historical figure by the year 3000, but for some reason, the other characters never thought to connect him to Philip J. Fry, the show's FishOutOfTemporalWater protagonist. Fry, meanwhile, deduces that his BigBrotherBully must have stolen his identity after he was frozen. [[spoiler:As it turns out, the famous one is actually [[DeadGuyJunior Fry's nephew]].]]

* Inverted in Music/ChildishGambino's song "Heartbeat", where he says that assuming that Music/JCole is related to Keyshia Cole, judt because they have the same last name, is racist

* Deliberately averted in ''Franchise/StarWars'', where Creator/GeorgeLucas intended for Antilles to be the galaxy's version of a common, generic last name like Smith. ''Film/ANewHope'' has both Captain Antilles (of the Rebel blockade runner from the opening scene) and Wedge Antilles (the EnsembleDarkhorse Rebel pilot). ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' also mentions Senator Bail Antilles. None of them are related.

Of course, as in real life, having the same surname does not always signify the two characters being related. ValuesDissonance may apply since surname frequency varies worldwide due to cultural or historical factors.[[note]]This trope is more justified in the Anglosphere, where even the most common surname (Smith) only comprises 0.8% of the population. About 7% of mainland China has the surname Wang, 10% of Hong Kong is Chan/Chen, 20% of South Korea is Kim, and nearly 40% of Vietnam is Nguyen. Watching {{Korean Drama}}s, for example, can be somewhat confusing; it seems as though half of the cast share a surname even if they are not related, as that's how things are in real life. Surnames tend to go extinct under the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galton%E2%80%93Watson_process Galton–Watson process]]. Chinese surnames have been in use for so long, they gradually died out and leaving fewer surnames behind, despite the massive Chinese population. On the other hand, Japanese and Thai surnames are relatively recently invented, so there is a much greater variety of surnames. Vietnamese surnames are an exception as people adopted Nguyen for various reasons and not necessarily from the natural extinction of other surnames. Furthermore, there are cultures that do not even use surnames as is understood in the Anglosphere, like having last names that are patronymics: [[{{Music/Bjork}} Guðmundsdóttir]] indicates "daughter of Guðmundur", not a surname shared by the father.[[/note]]

* When Creator/JossWhedon was writing ''Comicbook/XMen,'' he wanted to include a joke implying that [[Series/BuffyTheVampi
reSlayer a certain character of his]] was part of the [[TangledFamilyTree already quite tangled]] Summers family.

"Smith?" said the woman. "Thass funny. My name's Smith too. Why." she added sentimentally, "I might be your mother!"

* Golden Age Marvel heroine Betsy Ross (Golden Girl) turned out to be related to ''ComicBook/TheHulk'''s General Ross and thusly to the near-identically named Betty Ross.

* Sam Wilson, Comicbook/TheFalcon, and Jim Wilson from 70s ''Comicbook/IncredibleHulk'', began as a coincidence but were eventually [[{{Revision}} retconned]] into uncle and nephew.
* When Creator/JossWhedon was writing ''Comicbook/XMen,'' he wanted to include a joke implying that [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer a certain character of his]] was part of the [[TangledFamilyTree already quite tangled]] Summers family.

* Discussed in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' when the Thieves are given the task of tracking down a girl named "Futaba Sakura". They realize that it’s a relatively common last name, but even though it seems like a long shot their only starting point is Sojiro Sakura, [[PlayerCharacter Joker’s]] temporary guardian for his probation period. Luckily, that ends up being exactly who they needed to talk to: [[spoiler:He was Futaba's [[HappilyAdopted adoptive]] father, and Futaba became aware of Joker's existence by spying on Leblanc.]]