History Main / ScientificAndTechnologicalThemeNaming

Characters, places, or things in a work are named after themes and concepts from science, technology, and engineering. This is a very broad pool of words to draw from -- each field of science, technology, engineering and math has bevies of potential terms to use.

A related trope is DrBrainpart, where a super-intelligent character or MadScientist is named after the brain, mind, or another bodily component which is associated with intelligence. See also the other sub-tropes of ThemeNaming.

* An in-universe example in Chapter 18 of ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'', adapted as part of Episode 5. Misa, the local TeenGenius, names the koi fishes at the school pond [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous after several nuclear physicists]]: [[UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman Feynman]], (Paul) Dirac, (Enrico) Fermi, and (John) Cockcroft. While a SchoolgirlSeries, this series has a astronomy/geology theme.

** The members of the Pache tribe in are all named after elements of the periodic table: Silva (silver), Goldva (gold), Kalim (''kalium'', AKA potassium), Rutherfor (rutherfordium), and so on.

** ''[[https://thehungergamesfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Guides/Character_Naming The Hunger Games Fanon Wiki]]'' has a staggering list of name ideas for every District; in addition to 3 and 5, they also suggest transportation-related terminology for District 6 characters. They also have the fan-made Districts 14 (muttations) and 15 (medical research), respectively, with names themed around genetics, biotechnology, anatomy, and medicine.

* The Doozers in ''Series/FraggleRock'' are all named after tools, machine parts or gadgets: Flange Doozer, Cotterpin Doozer, Old Man Pipe Wrench, Modem Doozer, etc.
* ''Series/LogansRun'': In "Man Out of Time", the members of tribe living in the ruins of the Sanctuary Project facility, a computer archive, all have names relating to computers or their operators. Examples include Analog, Binary and Lab Tech One.
* ''Series/TomesAndTalismans'': The Users, being technophiles, have many names which are scientific in nature: Tesla, Abakas (abacus), Varian(t), Chroma, Pixel...

* Arakune's moves from ''Franchise/{{Blazblue}}'' are named after mathematical terms, such as If P Then Q, Y Two-Dash, Permutation N R, A+/-B, Equals 0 (which makes you invisible), and Zero Vector. His super moves are N Factorial, F Inverse, F of G and F Equals, and his Astral Finish is named N To Infinity.

* ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'' has this as a recurring source of names alongside FloralThemeNaming and EdibleThemeNaming. There are characters named Tangent, Fluorescent, Instance, Congruence, Halitosis and Symbiosis.

** In ''VideoGame/PokemonHeartGoldAndSoulSilver'', the Rocket admins (Proton, Petrel, Arianna and Archer) are named after... well, rockets.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'': Overlapping with StellarName, the initials of the five scientists of Team Flare (Aliana, Byrony, Celosia, Mable and Xerosic) match up with the five classifications of solar flares (A, B, C, M, X).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Edebits}}'': Four members of the Edebits, Com, Net, Org and Gov, are named after major top-level domains. The only member not named after one is Arts, which wouldn't become a top-level domain until 2017.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'':
** The series uses a computer theme for its main characters (Net/Site or Lan/Hub, Mail, and so on), but contains a nod to the musical theme of the earlier games in the third game -- the master of the Ura Internet and penultimate final boss, Serenade. The manga [[LampshadeHanging hung a lampshade]] on this, where in an {{omake}} the author decides to make Blues a girlfriend named Rhythm. Rhythm and Blues!
** In X8, we have Alia[[note]]Aliasing, jaggies, anti-aliasing[[/note]], Layer[[note]]Background layers, rather important in sprite ripping[[/note]] and Pallette[[note]]Palettes[[/note]], all graphics related.[[note]][[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle And now you know]].[[/note]]

Chemistry is one of the most common name sources, as one could name a character after any of the 118 chemical elements on the periodic table, or the millions of compounds that can be formed from them. Names from other scientific fields may trend towards obscurity, ranging from mathematical shapes and curves, to biomes and landforms, to tools and machines. If all else fails, one can still name characters after famous UsefulNotes/ScientistsAndInventors, who often have laws, theorems, or units of measurement already named after them, in which case it would overlap with NamedAfterSomebodyFamous.

* Rom Di Prisco, in ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' or otherwise, names his songs after various scientific and mathematics terms such as Quantum Singularity, Graviphoton, Subatomic Shifter, Quantum Velocity, Liquid Plasma (which is a bit of a paradox, those are two different states of matter). The other theme in his music are {{Stellar Name}}s.

* The ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' expansion pack "Old World Blues" includes a collective of Mad Scientists called the "Think Tank". All are [[BrainInAJar disembodied brains]] floating around in robotic life support units. Their names are Dr. Klein, Dr. Dala, Dr. 8, Dr. 0, Dr. Borous, and "Dr. Mobius", who is estranged. All of their names refer to the same thing: endless, recursive loops. [[spoiler:This turns out to be a big clue to the nature of their characters.]]

* The ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' expansion pack "Old World Blues" includes a collective of Mad Scientists called the "Think Tank". All are [[BrainInAJar disembodied brains]] floating around in robotic life support units. Their names are "Dr. Klein", "Dr. Dala", "Dr. 8", "Dr. 0", "Dr. Borous", and "Dr. Mobius", who is estranged. All of their names refer to the same thing: endless, recursive loops. [[spoiler:This turns out to be a big clue to the nature of their characters.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Edebits}}'': Four members of the Edebits, Com, Net, Org and Gov, are named after major top-level domains. The only member not named after one is Arts, although there is an "art" domain name.

* Music/TubRing like to name their albums after scientific concepts: ''Drake Equation'', ''UsefulNotes/FermiParadox'', ''Zoo Hypothesis''...

** ''Fanfic/CheatingDeathThoseThatLived'' plays heavily on District industry-based ThemeNaming, and Pi Orbit (22nd Games Victor) and fallen tributes Amp, Calculus, and Socket from District 3; and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunt_(electrical) Shunt]] Gaspar (12th Games Victor), Isobel ''Sparks'' (18th Games Victor), Neon [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erg Erg]] (48th Games Victor), and Wattzon Holmes (55th Games Victor) from District 5.

* The four generals in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' are all named for the four chemicals in DNA, while Beastmen in general, as well as Lordgenome, all have a genetics-based name (Viral, for instance). The other halves of their names come from the four classical elements. Thymine + Sylph = Thymilph, Adenine + Undine = Adiane, Guanine + Gnome = Guame, and Cytosine + Salamander = Cytomander. The villains' DNA motif on the whole fits with their MixAndMatchCritters status and the series' overall emphasis on spirals.

* The Sky People from ''Anime/ZoidsGenesis'' are named after transition metals: Fermi from Fermium, Prome from Promethium, Palla from Palladium and so on. [[GeniusBonus Anyone quick to spot this]] may have worked out who else was a Sky Person before [[TheReveal it was revealed]]: [[spoiler:Ron Mangan (Manganese)]].

** Among other examples of Theme Naming, we get an example of ''Drug'' Theme Naming, [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar of all things]]. Specifically, a British shaman named Lyserg Deithel (from lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD) and his Spirit Morphine (whose name is even ''more'' blatant). In the English manga, Morphine's name is changed to "Morphea" (but that's probably just to make it sound more like a name), and [[CleanDubName in the English anime dub, it's changed to "Chloe"]], removing the reference entirely.

* While the main characters of ''Anime/DayBreakIllusion'' have {{meaningful name}}s referring to their associated tarot card, the {{talking animal}}s, Laplace and Schrodinger, are named for thought experiments in physics on the nature of causality. In case you haven't guessed, the show has a destiny theme.

* While the main characters of ''Anime/IlSolePenetraLeIllusioni'' have {{meaningful name}}s referring to their associated tarot card, the {{talking animal}}s, Laplace and Schrodinger, are named for thought experiments in physics on the nature of causality. In case you haven't guessed, the show has a destiny theme.

* An in-universe example in the eighteenth chapter of ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'', adapted as part of the fifth episode. Misa, the local TeenGenius, names the koi fishes at the school pond [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous after several nuclear physicists]]: [[UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman Feynman]], (Paul) Dirac, (Enrico) Fermi, and (John) Cockcroft. While a SchoolgirlSeries, this series has a astronomy/geology theme.