History MeaningfulName / Literature

*** The illustrated edition reveals that when the Toad [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting was still a lawyer]] he was named Mr James Natter. A double example: lawyers talk a lot, and "Natter, Jack".

*** The illustrated edition reveals that when the Toad [[InvoluntaryShapeahifting was still a lawyer]] he was named Mr James Natter. A double example: lawyers talk a lot, and "Natter, Jack".

** Mr A. E. Pessimal in ''[[{{Discworld/Thud}} Thud!]]'' Someone who is pessimistic only sees the negatives of his life; the opposite of an optimist. Mr Pessimal is a government inspector; his job is to look for problems with the watch so they can be fixed; i.e. for things that are the opposite of optimal.

*** The illustrated edition reveals that when the Toad [[InvoluntaryShapeahifter was still a lawyer]] he was named Mr James Natter. A double example: lawyers talk a lot, and "Natter, Jack".

** Mr A. E. Pessimal in ''[[{{Discworld/Thud}} Thud!]]'' Someone who is pessimistic only sees the negatives of his life. Mr Pessimal is a government inspector; his job is to look for problems with the watch so they can be fixed.

** 71-Hour Ahmed. He was given the name "71-Hour" because his tribe were duty bound to offer hospitality for three days, i.e. 72 hours, to anyone. He ended up having as a guest someone he knew to be a criminal who had poisoned a well, and rather than wait the full three days and give him a chance to run away, he killed him with one hour left to go. (The name is mainly meaningful in-universe, but it's ''possible'' to connect some of the dots before he tells the full story if you're good at math when the first members of the tribe Vimes encounters talk about three days of hospitality, or if you know that the same custom does exist, or at least is rumored to exist, among some real-life desert nomads.)
** Trev Likely in ''Discworld/UnseenAdademicals''. A "likely lad" is a skilled sportsman or a known troublemaker; he's both. (The fact he's a PhraseCatcher for "You're Dave Likely's son!" adds the "lad" bit.)

** Trev Likely in ''UnseenAdademicals''. A "likely lad" is a skilled sportsman or a known troublemaker; he's both. (The fact he's a PhraseCatcher for "You're Dave Likely's son!" adds the "lad" bit.)

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** Some of these names, such as LeFay and Archleone are assumed. Harry's name is a bit of humor. Michael though, has the meaning for not only being a knight of the cross, but also in him actually being a Carpenter. Assumed names end up often being a StealthPun, especially if it is Nordic related because then it's a kenning.

** Many characters have names that are just Anglo-Saxon words, often referring in a boringly literal manner to what they are. For instance, Théoden is the anglicized form of the Anglo-Saxon word "Ðéoden", which means "king". Tolkien did have some fun with other names; the word "Samwis" means either "foolish" or "half-wise", "Diegol" means "secret" (Gollum hid his murder of Diegol for years) and "Gríma" means "mask", presumably a reference to Gríma Wormtongue's double-agent role. Tolkien even got in a dig at Gríma's father Galmod, "galmod" means "licentious".

*** Except that Harry as a name means "Army Ruler"

* In Octavia Butler's ''Wild Seed'', the names of the two main characters, Doro and Anyanwu, translate respectively into their native languages as "the east" and "the sun". The characters themselves take note of this in the beginning of the book as a strange coincidence, or a sign that they were intended to meet each other.

* Dr. Georgina Orwell from the fourth book in the Series of Unfortunate Events is named for author George Orwell. Dr. Orwell hypnotizes Klaus several times throughout the course of the plot, probably as a reference to the Thought Police in Orwell's novel 1984.

** And his DistaffCounterpart -- a fellow genius -- is named Minerva Paradizio.

* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''ProsperosDaughter'' trilogy, Ulysses Prospero. He is quite [[OlderThanTheyThink peeved]] when someone thinks it's from JamesJoyce's ''Ulysses'' and not {{Homer}}'s ''Odyssey''. Others may have them, but in this work, a number of the characters are those that gave the meaning to the name in the first place.

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