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** Buck Strickland from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:U.S. General]]
[[AC:General]]
* Many given names which are popular in the U.S. are much less common in other parts of the world. For more information and examples of that, see the Trope page WackyAmericansHaveWackyNames.
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Bill
* Bob (Bobby)
* Brad
* Brandon
** ''WebVideo/BrandonRogers''.
* Chad (typically associated with JerkJock, SurferDude, {{Fratbro}}, and similar types)
* Chuck
* Dan/Danny
* Earl
* Hank
** Hank Hill from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''.
** ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': Hank is an engine from America, specifically Pennsylvania.
* Jack: Almost a prerequisite name for TheHero. Hell, there's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_(hero) a whole archetype of folktales known as "Jack Tales"!]]
** [[Film/Titanic1997 Jack Dawson]]
** [[Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina Jack Burton]]
** Literature/JackRyan
** [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer]]
** [[Series/{{Lost}} Jack Shepherd]]
** [[Film/RomancingTheStone Jack Colton]]
** ...and so many more.
* Jason
** Jason Grace from ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' and its sequel series ''Literature/TheTrialsOfApollo'', though he was explicitly named after the hero from Myth/ClassicalMythology. The prequel series, ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'', [[OneSteveLimit also mentions a one-off character called "Jason"]].
* Jimmy
** Jimmy Mahoney from ''Theatre/TheRiseAndFallOfTheCityOfMahagonny''.
** A classic name for TheAllAmericanBoy -- "little Jimmy's trapped down the well!"
* Joe
* John/Johnny
** John Doe, the usual male [[MrSmith placeholder name]] in American legal proceedings.
** John Frum, the U.S. serviceman of Vanuatuan legend.
* Justin/Dustin
* Kyle
* Larry
* Todd
* Travis
* Tyler
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Ann/Anne
* Ashley
* Betty
** [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Betty Rubble]]
** WesternAnimation/BettyBoop
** In '90s classic ''Film/{{Clueless}}'', Cher and her gal-pals refer to any beautiful girl as a "total Betty".
** Creator/BettyWhite.
** Betty Cooper from ''ComicBook/ArchieComics''.
* Brianna--like Candace and Marcia below, a name that's common in the US, but much more rarely encountered in the wider Anglosphere.
* Britney (particularly this spelling of it)
** Music/BritneySpears
* Candace/Candy--''much'' rarer in the rest of the Anglosphere
** Candace Flynn from ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''
* [[UsefulNotes/BillClinton Chelsea]]
* Chris (short for Christine, Christina, or occasionally Crystal). The Stock Name for American girls, or any Western girl, in Japan and, by way of cultural osmosis, Korea, China, and Taiwan.
** Ironically, within the US itself, it's primarily seen as a boy's name or at least a unisex TomboyishName, as it's also short for 'Christopher'.
** Christine "Chris" Hargensen from ''Literature/{{Carrie}}''.
* Debbie
** '80s TeenIdol Debbie Gibson.
* Jane
** Jane Doe, female equivalent of [[MrSmith John Doe]].
* [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Jennifer]]--always a (hot) girlfriend
* June
** June Cleaver from Series/LeaveItToBeaver, the archetypal 50s suburban housewife
** Creator/JuneForay, an American veteran of radio and voice acting
* Kimberley/Kimberly
** Kimberly Ann Possible from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''
* Madison
** It was formerly an uncommon boys' name and a presidential surname, [[BabyNameTrendStarter until]] ''Film/{{Splash}}''.
* [[Series/TheBradyBunch Marcia/Marsha]]--like Candace above, ''much'' rarer in the rest of the Anglosphere
* Mary
* Misty/Missy
** Misty from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''.
* Nancy
** Nancy Reagan, a former president's wife
** Literature/NancyDrew
* Taylor
** Music/TaylorSwift
* Tiffany
** '80s TeenIdol Tiffany Darwish (usually known by just her first name)
[[AC:Surnames]]
* Brown
* Buchanan (popular family name in sitcoms/[[Series/OneLifeToLive soaps]])
* Davis
* Henderson
** An archetypal 'family next door' -- "We owe the Hendersons a dinner!"
* Jones
** In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', America's "human surname" is Jones.
** [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Fred Jones]], as befitting the archetype (and ex-TropeNamer!) for TheGenericGuy.
** The ''other'' archetypal 'family next door' name, if the idiom 'keeping up with the Joneses' is anything to go by.
* Johnson, the second most common last name in the US.
* Miller
** Invoked by the fake "All-American" family headlining ''Film/WereTheMillers''
* Scott
* [[MrSmith Smith]], which happens to be the most common last name in the US.
** Probably [[TropeCodifier codified]] with its All-American cred by ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington''.
* Wilson
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. African-Americans]]
* See GhettoName for more information.
* Many African-Americans may choose to adopt non-Western invented names or names of African origin to distance themselves from their 'slave' roots. For similar reasons, with the rise of The Nation of Islam among Black Americans with its focus upon black advocacy (and its lasting effects), expect to see more 'Islamic' names, often of Arabic origin, on the list.
* The reason many French names appear on this list is because Creoles of color (mixed-race Creoles born from the French/Spanish settlers intermarrying with Africans or from freed slaves) historically had classical French names.
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Andre
** This is a plot point in ''Series/{{Blackish}}'' when Andre Jr. wants to go by "Andy" to sound more white and his father Andre objects.
** Andre Harris from ''Series/{{Victorious}}''.
* Antoine/Antwan
* Dante
* Darius
** Darius from ''WesternAnimation/JurassicWorldCampCretaceous''.
* Darnell
* Darryl
* Demetrius
* [=DeAnything=]
* Dizzy
** As in Music/DizzyGillespie.
* Dwayne
** As in [[Wrestling/TheRock Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson]].
* Jamal[[note]]"Beauty" in Arabic[[/note]]
* Jerome
* Lamar
* Lamont
* Leroy (or Leeroy)
** [[JustForFun/OneMarioLimit No, not]] [[LeeroyJenkins that Leeroy.]]
* [=LeSomething=]
* Malcolm
** As in UsefulNotes/MalcolmX, Creator/MalcolmJamalWarner, etc.
* Malik[[note]]"King" in Arabic[[/note]]
* Marcus
* Patrice
* Ray-Ray
* Reginald
* Rufus
* Rayshawn/[=DeShawn=]
* Tyrone/Ty
* Terrell
* Terrance
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Anything ending in '-isha' (Keisha, Kenisha, Tanesha, etc.)
** Keesha of ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus''.
* Aaliyah[[note]]"High/Lofty/Sublime"[[/note]]
* Aisha, Monique and Neice (and combination with just about any word)
** Aisha from ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub''.
** ''WesternAnimation/LittleBill'': Ms. Murray's first name is Aisha, as revealed in the wedding episode.
* Alexus (or Mercedes)
* Angela
** As in UsefulNotes/AngelaDavis, Angie Stone, etc.
* Deja[[note]]"Already", from the French phrase ''déjà vu''[[/note]]
* Ebony, Raven and other color-signifying names
* Imani[[note]]"Faith" in Swahili, an East African language[[/note]]
* Jazmine
* [[Series/AngryBoys Lasquweesha]]
* [=LaSomething=]
* Lula[[note]]From names that start with 'Lu-', e.g. 'Louise'[[/note]]
* Mae
** Usually associated with older black women.
* Monique/Monica
* Nia[[note]]"Purpose/Aim" in Swahili[[/note]]
* Peaches
* Phyllis/[[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous Phillis]], in period works.
* Shanice
** As well as Shaniqua, Shalissa, Shanay, Shanaynay, and anything with the prefix 'Sha-'
* Tangerine/Tangie)
[[AC:Unisex]]
* Conventional names with creative [[MyNaymeIs spellings]] or pronunciations, for example the UrbanLegend about Le-a pronounced "Le-dash-a".
* Names of luxury cars, such as Bentley, Lexus, or Mercedes
* {{Line of Sight Name}}s
* Pookie (usually used in a stereotypical way)
* Ray-Ray (similar to Pookie in usage)
[[AC:Last names]]
* The color names, Black/White/Brown/Grey/Green, mostly the first three.
* Freeman
** Creator/MorganFreeman
** [[ComicStrip/TheBoondocks Huey]] [[WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks Freeman]]
* Goodman
* Jackson
** {{Justified|Trope}} as 53.04% of U.S. Americans with the surname 'Jackson' are black, and it's the sixth most common surname among black Americans as a whole.
* [[Series/TheJeffersons Jefferson]]
** Possible TropeCodifier for pop-culture: the Jefferson family of ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' and... well, ''Series/TheJeffersons''.
** [[ComicBook/BlackLightning Jefferson Pierce]]
** {{Justified|Trope}} as 74.24% of U.S. Americans with the surname 'Jefferson' are black.
* Jones
** {{Justified|Trope}} as it's the fourth most common surname among African-Americans.
** As in ''Theatre/TheEmperorJones'', ''Theatre/CarmenJones'' and ''Film/CleopatraJones''.
* Washington
** {{Justified|Trope}} as 87.53% of U.S. Americans with the surname 'Washington' are black.
** [[VideoGame/HouseOfTheDeadOverkill Detective Isaac Washington]].
** Allegedly, when DC Comics was pitched the idea of an African-American ComicBook/GreenLantern, editor Julius Schwartz wanted to call him "Lincoln Washington" until Creator/NealAdams pointed out this was the most [[UnfortunateImplications stereotypical "slave" name imaginable]] and changed it to John Stewart.
* Williams
** {{Justified|Trope}} as it's the most common surname among African-Americans.
** ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' has Craig Williams and his family.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Amish]]
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Ezekiel
** The below-mentioned Weird Al Yankovic quote.
* Jebediah
** Played straight in Music/WeirdAlYankovic's ''Amish Paradise'':
--->''At 4:30 in the morning I'm milkin' cows\\
Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows... fool\\
And I've been milkin' and plowin' so long that\\
Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone!''
* Jeremiah
* Jacob
** Used by Amish in ''Film/ForRicherOrPoorer'', "The Outsiders" episode of ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'', "Murder, Plain and Simple" episode of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', ''A Murder in Fulham County'', a theater production "Jacob's Choice" and ''Harvest of Fire''. In the musical ''Plain and Fancy'', Jacob Yoder is not a unique name.
* Samuel
** Used by Amish in ''Film/{{Witness}}'', ''For Richer or Poorer'', and ''Harvest of Fire''.
** Also one of the top five Amish masculine names according to John A. Hostetler (the others are John, Amos, Daniel and David).
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Mary, Katie and Annie round out the top five Amish feminine names according to John A. Hostetler.
* Rebecca
** Used by Amish in ''Film/{{Kingpin}}'', ''For Richer or Poorer'', "Murder, Plain and Simple" episode of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', and an episode of ''Series/PicketFences''.
* Sarah
** Used by Amish in ''Aaron's Way'', Creator/JodiPicoult's "Plain Truth", "Murder, Plain and Simple" episode of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', ''A Stoning in Fulham County'', and ''Harvest of Fire''.
[[AC:Surnames]]
* Lapp
** Used by Amish in ''Film/{{Witness}}'', ''For Richer or Poorer'', "Murder, Plain and Simple" episode of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', ''Harvest of Fire'' and ''The Shunning''. Also one of the top five Amish surnames according to John A. Hostetler (the four others are Stoltzfus, King, Fisher and Beiler).
* Yoder
** Used by Amish in ''For Richer or Poorer'' and the musical ''Plain and Fancy''.
** Also associated with a brand of "Amish" dairy products and with the important [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches Mennonite]] theologian, John Howard Yoder.
* Zook
** ''Plain and Fancy'': "Also families like Yoder, only more. We got twenty-four families Zook."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Latter-Day Saints]]
[[AC:General]]
* Given their faith, the tendency to use names derived from ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'' is pretty much exclusive to them. Context for religious figures exclusive to this book will be provided.
* Mormons are known for choosing [[MyNaymeIs strangely- or uniquely-spelled names]] (or otherwise unconventional names) for their children.
** The actual reason behind this practice varies, with some saying it's to seek individuality in a highly conformist and culturally-homogenous environment, while others explain it can theoretically help to keep the peace between expectant mothers who want to preserve a OneSteveLimit of sorts.[[note]]For the context for the latter reason, see the Real Life folder on the MyNaymeIs page for more details.[[/note]]
** A ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit aired on March 3, 2012 impersonating Mitt Romney and his five sons parodies this and features the sons introducing themselves as Tagg, Tanner, Tictac, Targalack, and Tiggit. Only the first of the five names is real.
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Alma, not to be confused with the feminine name in Spanish[[note]]In ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'', Alma the Elder was the priest of an evil king who converted to the faith and was cast out by said evil king for standing up for his religion, and later founded and became the Head of the LDS Church. His son, Alma the Younger, was a FormerTeenRebel who converted to the Church after being put in a coma and became a preacher later in life.[[/note]]
* Brigham
** Usually named after Brigham Young, the successor of Joseph Smith (see below).
* Heber[[note]]In the Old Testament of Literature/TheBible, this name is borne by a great-grandson of Jacob and also by the husband of Jael.[[/note]]
* John
* Joseph
** Most likely named after Joseph Smith, the founder and first Head of the LDS Church.
* Moses
* Moroni[[note]]Pronounced "moh-ROH-nigh" or /moʊˈroʊnaɪ/. In ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'', Moroni was the name of two religious figures--the leader of the Nephite army who led them in battle during the war with the Nephites (basically the Book of Mormon equivalent of Creator/ChuckNorris), and the son of Mormon and the last Nephite, who completed his father's compilation of the Nephite records onto golden plates and then buried them in the Hill Cumorah, then later appeared as an angel to Joseph Smith and led him to them.[[/note]]
* Nephi[[note]]In ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'', Nephi was the son of Lehi who remained unwaveringly faithful to God and became a prophet like his father.[[/note]]
* Spencer
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Emma
* Molly
** "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Mormon Molly Mormon]]" is a term for the popular stereotype of a female member of the LDS Church, i.e. "the perfect Mormon woman".
[[AC:Last names]]
* Browning
* Call
* Hatch
* Osmond
** The Osmonds, a family of musicians who enjoyed mainstream success in TheSeventies.
* Romney
** George Romney, former Governor of UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}, and his son Mitt, former Governor of [[HollywoodNewEngland Massachusetts]].
* Young
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Puerto Rican]]
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Angel
* Jesús
* José[[note]]'Joseph'[[/note]]
** The ''WesternAnimation/WorkItOutWombats'' episode "[[Recap/WorkItOutWombatsS1E33ParrandaHappyNewAcornYear The Treeborhood Parranda]]" introduces the Flapping Feathers, a music group implied to be Puerto Rican. One of their member is named Jose.
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* María
** [[Theatre/WestSideStory MARIAAA, I'VE JUST MET A GIRL NAMED MARIAAA...]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Wealthy]]
* See PreppyName for more information.
[[AC:Masculine]]
* Any "stuffy" British-derived names--often named after UK locations, e.g. ''Wentworth'' Miller.
* Blaine: A very popular choice for preppy guys.
** Blaine Anderson from ''Series/{{Glee}}''.
** Blane [=McDonagh=], the rich guy Creator/MollyRingwald's WrongSideOfTheTracks heroine falls for in ''Film/PrettyInPink''.
** Blaine Bingham, played by Creator/ChristopherReeve in the 80s remake of the classic ''Film/TheFrontPage''.
** Blaine O'Hare, the ''other'' guy in Franchise/{{Barbie}}'s life.
* Blake
** Blake Carrington, [[ThePatriarch patriarch]] of the mega-rich Carrington clan from ''Series/Dynasty1981''.
* Bryce
* Chace/Chase
* Chad
* Chip (mostly in parodies)
* Dexter
** Wealthy musician and leading man Dexter Haven from ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory''.
** Dexter Morgan, titular lead from ''Series/{{Dexter}}''.
** "Dex" Dexter, Alexis' dashing squeeze from ''Series/Dynasty1981''.
* John
* Quincy
* Warner
** Warner Huntington III (whose name is almost a PreppyName parody), Elle's ex from ''Film/LegallyBlonde''.
[[AC:Feminine]]
* Traditionally male names such as '[[Literature/PrettyLittleLiars Spencer]]' or '[[Literature/TheClique Dylan]]'.
* Alexis
* Ashley
** 'The Ashleys', a clique of snobby, fashion-obsessed girls (all called Ashley) from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''. In keeping with the preppy theme, they also ''each'' have a younger sister called Brittany.
** Ashley and Ash''lyn'', archetypal rich, ditzy girls from ''Film/FinalDestination3''.
** Ashley Banks, youngest child of the wealthy Banks family from ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir''.
* Blair
** Glossy young New Yorker Blair Waldorf from ''Series/GossipGirl''.
* Brittany (''not'' "Britney")
* Brenda
** Strangely enough, given that in the UK, where it originates, this is seen as a frumpy, rather common old lady name.
** Popularized in the US by Brenda Walsh of ''[[Series/BeverlyHills90210 90210]]'' fame.
* Bunny[=/=]Bitsy[=/=]Buffy[=/=]Muffy
** Usually used by older up-scale women.
** Muffy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', though she's a young girl
** Bunny Caldwell, Cecile's intimidating mother from ''Film/CruelIntentions''.
** Bunny [=McDougal=], Charlotte's mother-in-law-from-hell from ''Series/SexAndTheCity''.
** Bitsy von Muffling, also from ''Series/SexAndTheCity''.
* Heather, which firmly cemented its place after ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' debuted.
* Parker
* Whitney
[[AC:Last names]]
* Any British-heritage derived last name, required to lend that all-important [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASPy]] flavour, especially those ending in '-ton', '-worth' or '-more' -- for example Kensington, Buffington, Lexington, Whitworth, Widmore, etc.
* Dutch surnames also tend to denote high social class in the US -- [[Series/DesperateHousewives Van de Kamp]], for example.
** In a German name, "[[TheVonTropeFamily von]]" really is an aristocratic prefix; the similar sounding "van" in Dutch names, however, is common as dirt. (The Dutch-descended Music/LudwigVanBeethoven tried to pull a fast one on the Austrian nobles by way of this confusion.) However, what's being signaled with the Dutch names isn't that the ancestors were aristocrats in the Netherlands, but rather that the family has been in America--especially New York--for a very long time (probably since the 17th century). A prime example of this is the [[UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt Roosevelt]] [[UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt family]], whose name isn't particularly distinctive in the Netherlands (it means "rose field") but sounds upper-crust to Americans (and would even if the family hadn't produced two presidents).
* Roman numerals at the end: e.g. John Buffington III
** William Henry Gates III, better known as Bill Gates. Note that Gates was from the wealthy family right from the start.
* A middle name that is the person's mother's maiden name.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Southern States]]
See HayseedName for more information.
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Names that were originally used (and still are) as British occupational surnames -- Tucker, Parker, Hunter, Carter, Cooper etc. Justifiable in that they might have been the mother's maiden name.
* Androgynous names like [[Film/GoneWithTheWind Ashley]] or Beverley, leading to jokes when juxtaposed with masculine-sounding female names like Billie Jo.
* Semi-obscure biblical names, especially if they end with "-iah" (or short forms of names that do).
** Jebediah/Jeb
** Jedidiah
*** ''Series/TheBeverlyHillbillies'': "Come and listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed..."
** Jethro
** Zebediah
** Zeke. Though the full name, Ezekiel, is kind of rare.
* Compound names, e.g. Billy-Bob, Billy-Joe, Joe-Bob, etc.
** ''VideoGame/{{Carmageddon}}'' had a racer called Billy Joe Jim Bob who was a stereotypical hillbilly.
** The Dreadheads from ''Franchise/GIJoe'' all have codenames along these lines, even though their actual names are upper-class old money affairs; Joe-Bob, for example, is really named Winston.
** ''Literature/DaveBarrySleptHere'' jokes that Jamestown, Virginia was eventually renamed [=JimBobtown=].
** A twofer: Brain of ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' once posed as a country western singer under the name Bubba Bo Bob Brain.
** [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Clem, Zeke, Rufus, Jeke, Billy Billy Bo-Illy Banana Fanna Fo-Filly, Doug, Enos, Julio, Fletcher [=McGee=], Rainchild, Zeke Junior]]...
* Abner
** Abner Yokum from ''Theatre/LilAbner''.
* Bubba
** Bubba from ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage''.
* Buck
* Cletus
** Cletus Spuckler from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
* Clyde
* Elmer
** [[Series/{{NCIS}} Gibbs]].
** [[Series/TheBeverlyHillbillies Bodine]].
* Jimbo
* Kevin
* Peyton
* Reuben/Rube
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Compound names, e.g. Mary-Lou, Peggy-Sue, etc.
** ''Film/PeggySueGotMarried''.
** Betty Lou Fleckum, the baton-twirling champion of Pickett, Arkansas in ''Film/AFaceInTheCrowd''.
** Cindy Lou Bethany, the SouthernBelle of ''Kiss the Boys Good-Bye'', though her family name sounds like the OldMoney it is.
** Billie Jo Casta, Queen of the Rodeo in Music/PDQBach's ''Oedipus Tex''.
* Irish-sounding names--Lurleen, Rayleen, Darleen, etc.
* Names that end in -[[SouthernBelle belle]]
** Jessiebelle from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''.
** Lulubelle from ''WesternAnimation/{{Heathcliff}}''.
* Austin
* Brandy/Brandi
* Darla
* Dixie[[note]]Derived from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason-Dixon_line the Mason-Dixon Line]], 'Dixie' in itself is a nickname for the Southern United States[[/note]]
* Dolly
* Dusty
* Jenny (at least in Texas)
* Taylor
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Vietnamese]]
[[AC:General]]
* Note that in Vietnam it's customary to address a stranger by their ''given'' name, not a family name. Võ Nguyên Giáp, a famous [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar North Vietnam]] general ([[CoolOldGuy the guy died in October 2013]], BTW), is thus correctly addressed as "General Giáp", not "General Võ".
* Most Vietnamese names are word names like Chinese, Korean, and (some) Japanese names, e.g. 'Trung', "Loyal"; 'Vân', "Cloud", etc. If a name is Sino-Vietnamese in nature (i.e. has a Chinese cognate form), corresponding ''Chữ Hán'' (Chinese characters) are provided for reference.[[note]]This will not include all corresponding ''Chữ Hán'', as that would be impossible. However, the transcriptions given will be relatively common.[[/note]]
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Dũng[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 勇, meaning "brave"[[/labelnote]]
* Minh[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 明, meaning "bright"[[/labelnote]]
** This was an adopted name of the communist revolutionary Hồ Chí Minh (1890-1969).
* Sơn[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 山, meaning "mountain/hill"[[/labelnote]]
* Thanh[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 聲, meaning "sound/voice/tone", among others[[/labelnote]]
* Tuấn[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 俊, meaning "handsome"[[/labelnote]]
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Mỹ[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 美, meaning "beautiful"[[/labelnote]]
* Ngọc[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 玉, meaning "jade/gemstone"[[/labelnote]]
* Thảo[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 草, meaning "grass/herbs"[[/labelnote]]
* Thi[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 詩, meaning "poetry"[[/labelnote]]
* Thị (note the diacritic)[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 氏, meaning "clan/family/maiden name"[[/labelnote]]
** In this case, it's {{justified|Trope}}, as it's a ''middle name'' (note: ''not'' a given name) used for virtually every Vietnamese woman before the mid-1970s.
* Thu[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 秋, meaning "autumn"[[/labelnote]]
* Trâm[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 簪, meaning "hairpin", or 𣠱 (note: a rarely-used and very obscure Chinese character), referring to some species of plant[[/labelnote]]
[[AC:Unisex names]]
* An[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 安, meaning "safe/secure"[[/labelnote]]
* Dương[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 陽, meaning "male/virile", or 楊, meaning "willow"[[/labelnote]]
* Giang[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 江, meaning "river"[[/labelnote]]
[[AC:Family names]]
* They're technically ''first'' names, as Vietnamese follow the common Asian tradition of putting the family name first.
* Nguyễn[[labelnote:*]]Transcribed as 阮, referring to a musical instrument similar to a lute[[/labelnote]]
** {{Justified|Trope}} as about '''''39%''''' of the Vietnamese population has this surname--and for good reason, as many events in Vietnamese history have contributed to the name's prominence, including and not limited to various royal families changing their surnames after their dynasties collapsed (either being forced to do so or to avoid retribution by the new monarch), the Nguyễn Dynasty (the last Vietnamese dynasty, 1802-1884) awarding people the surname during their rule (much like how 'Li/Lee' became common in China), criminals changing their names to avoid persecution, etc.
** Tila Nguyen, better known as Music/TilaTequila.
** Tyler Nguyen-Baker from ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' is part-Vietnamese.
* Trần[[labelnote:*]]Transcribed as 陳, meaning "old/ancient" and by extension, "display/exhibit", also a cognate of 'Chen/Chan/Tan/etc.' in the Chinese section[[/labelnote]]
** Also {{justified|Trope}} as it's the ''second'' most common surname in Vietnam (about 11%).
** [[WebAnimation/DrTran DR. TRAN'S]] GIVING AWAY THE '''HOT DICKINGS'''.
* Lê[[labelnote:*]]Transcribed as 黎, meaning "black"[[/labelnote]]
** ''Also'' {{justified|Trope}} as it's the ''third'' most common surname in Vietnam (about 10%).
* Phạm[[labelnote:*]]Transcribed as 范, meaning "bee"[[/labelnote]]
** ''Also'' {{justified|Trope}} as it's the ''fourth'' most common surname in Vietnam (about 7%).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Welsh]]
[[AC:Masculine Names]]
* Aled[[note]]From a Welsh river[[/note]]
* Dafydd/Dewi[[note]]'David'[[/note]]
** Saint Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, was a 6th-century bishop of Mynyw.
* Dai[[note]]A diminutive form of 'Dafydd', so basically 'Dave'[[/note]]
* Dylan
** Creator/DylanThomas.
* Geraint
** This was the name of a figure in various Welsh legends.
** ''Geraint and Enid'', an [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian romance]] added to ''Literature/{{Mabinogion}}''.
** Geraint Wyn Cooper in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''.
* Glyn/Glyndwr[[note]]'Valley (water)'[[/note]]
** Usually in honour of Owain Glyndwr (or Glyn Dŵr, Anglicized as Glendower), a 14th-century Welsh patriot who led a revolt against England.
* Hugh/Huw
* Ioan[[note]]'John'[[/note]]
* Lloyd[[note]]Actually from the Welsh surname Llwyd meaning "grey"[[/note]]
* Owain/Owen
* Rhys[[note]]"Ardour/Enthusiasm"[[/note]]
** Rhys Davies was the father of actor Creator/JohnRhysDavies below.
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Angharad[[note]]"Much loved"[[/note]]
** In the medieval Welsh romance ''[[Literature/{{Mabinogion}} Peredur son of Efrawg]]'', Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of the knight Peredur.
* Bronwyn[[note]]"White/Fair/Blessed breast"[[/note]]
** It has been used as a given name in Wales since the 19th century.
* Carys/Cerys[[note]]"Love", pronounced "Coris"[[/note]]
** This is actually [[NewerThanTheyThink a relatively modern Welsh name]], in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.
* Delyth[[note]]"Pretty"[[/note]]
** This name is actually a recent creation.
* Dilys[[note]]"Genuine"[[/note]]
* Gwen (and various derivatives thereof)[[note]]"White/Fair/Blessed"[[/note]]
* Haf[[note]]"Summer", pronounced "Hav"[[/note]]
** It's more commonly used as a middle name.
* Myfanwy[[note]]"My fine/delicate (one)" or "my woman", pronounced "muh-VAH-nwee"[[/note]]
* Seren[[note]]"Star"[[/note]]
** This name is actually a recent creation.
[[AC:Last names]]
* Davis/Davies
** Creator/JohnRhysDavies.
* Evans
** Sir Hugh Evans in ''Theatre/TheMerryWivesOfWindsor''.
* Jones
** Lampshaded in ''Radio/TheVeryWorldOfMiltonJones'': In the midst of (Welsh) choir practice, the teacher bellows, "JONES!" to which everyone answers, "Which one?". Milton tries asking, "Which one?" again in Fiji later, but it doesn't work 'cos there's only him.
** If you listen carefully to the roll call in ''Film/{{Zulu}}'', you can hear several calls of "Jones [service number]". This was common practice in Welsh regiments due to the sheer number of Joneses.
** Alec, Aled, and Alex Jones are all Welsh presenters in Britain--and often presenting the same things, most commonly [[Creator/TheBBC The One Show]].
** Creator/CatherineZetaJones was born Catherine Zeta Jones, with Zeta as simply her middle name. Growing up in Wales, however, meant she had to include "Zeta" to distinguish herself. Her early film and TV credits lacked the hyphen.
** Music/BrynTerfel Jones likewise treats his middle name as a last name.
** Music/TomJones went the opposite way. He was born Thomas John Woodward.
* Lloyd
* Llewellyn[[note]]A name with variable etymologies, pronounced "shuh-WEH-lin" in Welsh[[/note]]
* Thomas
* Williams
[[/folder]]
----
[[folder:U.S. General]]
[[AC:General]]
* Many given names which are popular in the U.S. are much less common in other parts of the world. For more information and examples of that, see the Trope page WackyAmericansHaveWackyNames.
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Bill
* Bob (Bobby)
* Brad
* Brandon
** ''WebVideo/BrandonRogers''.
* Chad (typically associated with JerkJock, SurferDude, {{Fratbro}}, and similar types)
* Chuck
* Dan/Danny
* Earl
* Hank
** Hank Hill from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''.
** ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': Hank is an engine from America, specifically Pennsylvania.
* Jack: Almost a prerequisite name for TheHero. Hell, there's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_(hero) a whole archetype of folktales known as "Jack Tales"!]]
** [[Film/Titanic1997 Jack Dawson]]
** [[Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina Jack Burton]]
** Literature/JackRyan
** [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer]]
** [[Series/{{Lost}} Jack Shepherd]]
** [[Film/RomancingTheStone Jack Colton]]
** ...and so many more.
* Jason
** Jason Grace from ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' and its sequel series ''Literature/TheTrialsOfApollo'', though he was explicitly named after the hero from Myth/ClassicalMythology. The prequel series, ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'', [[OneSteveLimit also mentions a one-off character called "Jason"]].
* Jimmy
** Jimmy Mahoney from ''Theatre/TheRiseAndFallOfTheCityOfMahagonny''.
** A classic name for TheAllAmericanBoy -- "little Jimmy's trapped down the well!"
* Joe
* John/Johnny
** John Doe, the usual male [[MrSmith placeholder name]] in American legal proceedings.
** John Frum, the U.S. serviceman of Vanuatuan legend.
* Justin/Dustin
* Kyle
* Larry
* Todd
* Travis
* Tyler
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Ann/Anne
* Ashley
* Betty
** [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Betty Rubble]]
** WesternAnimation/BettyBoop
** In '90s classic ''Film/{{Clueless}}'', Cher and her gal-pals refer to any beautiful girl as a "total Betty".
** Creator/BettyWhite.
** Betty Cooper from ''ComicBook/ArchieComics''.
* Brianna--like Candace and Marcia below, a name that's common in the US, but much more rarely encountered in the wider Anglosphere.
* Britney (particularly this spelling of it)
** Music/BritneySpears
* Candace/Candy--''much'' rarer in the rest of the Anglosphere
** Candace Flynn from ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''
* [[UsefulNotes/BillClinton Chelsea]]
* Chris (short for Christine, Christina, or occasionally Crystal). The Stock Name for American girls, or any Western girl, in Japan and, by way of cultural osmosis, Korea, China, and Taiwan.
** Ironically, within the US itself, it's primarily seen as a boy's name or at least a unisex TomboyishName, as it's also short for 'Christopher'.
** Christine "Chris" Hargensen from ''Literature/{{Carrie}}''.
* Debbie
** '80s TeenIdol Debbie Gibson.
* Jane
** Jane Doe, female equivalent of [[MrSmith John Doe]].
* [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Jennifer]]--always a (hot) girlfriend
* June
** June Cleaver from Series/LeaveItToBeaver, the archetypal 50s suburban housewife
** Creator/JuneForay, an American veteran of radio and voice acting
* Kimberley/Kimberly
** Kimberly Ann Possible from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''
* Madison
** It was formerly an uncommon boys' name and a presidential surname, [[BabyNameTrendStarter until]] ''Film/{{Splash}}''.
* [[Series/TheBradyBunch Marcia/Marsha]]--like Candace above, ''much'' rarer in the rest of the Anglosphere
* Mary
* Misty/Missy
** Misty from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''.
* Nancy
** Nancy Reagan, a former president's wife
** Literature/NancyDrew
* Taylor
** Music/TaylorSwift
* Tiffany
** '80s TeenIdol Tiffany Darwish (usually known by just her first name)
[[AC:Surnames]]
* Brown
* Buchanan (popular family name in sitcoms/[[Series/OneLifeToLive soaps]])
* Davis
* Henderson
** An archetypal 'family next door' -- "We owe the Hendersons a dinner!"
* Jones
** In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', America's "human surname" is Jones.
** [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Fred Jones]], as befitting the archetype (and ex-TropeNamer!) for TheGenericGuy.
** The ''other'' archetypal 'family next door' name, if the idiom 'keeping up with the Joneses' is anything to go by.
* Johnson, the second most common last name in the US.
* Miller
** Invoked by the fake "All-American" family headlining ''Film/WereTheMillers''
* Scott
* [[MrSmith Smith]], which happens to be the most common last name in the US.
** Probably [[TropeCodifier codified]] with its All-American cred by ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington''.
* Wilson
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. African-Americans]]
* See GhettoName for more information.
* Many African-Americans may choose to adopt non-Western invented names or names of African origin to distance themselves from their 'slave' roots. For similar reasons, with the rise of The Nation of Islam among Black Americans with its focus upon black advocacy (and its lasting effects), expect to see more 'Islamic' names, often of Arabic origin, on the list.
* The reason many French names appear on this list is because Creoles of color (mixed-race Creoles born from the French/Spanish settlers intermarrying with Africans or from freed slaves) historically had classical French names.
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Andre
** This is a plot point in ''Series/{{Blackish}}'' when Andre Jr. wants to go by "Andy" to sound more white and his father Andre objects.
** Andre Harris from ''Series/{{Victorious}}''.
* Antoine/Antwan
* Dante
* Darius
** Darius from ''WesternAnimation/JurassicWorldCampCretaceous''.
* Darnell
* Darryl
* Demetrius
* [=DeAnything=]
* Dizzy
** As in Music/DizzyGillespie.
* Dwayne
** As in [[Wrestling/TheRock Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson]].
* Jamal[[note]]"Beauty" in Arabic[[/note]]
* Jerome
* Lamar
* Lamont
* Leroy (or Leeroy)
** [[JustForFun/OneMarioLimit No, not]] [[LeeroyJenkins that Leeroy.]]
* [=LeSomething=]
* Malcolm
** As in UsefulNotes/MalcolmX, Creator/MalcolmJamalWarner, etc.
* Malik[[note]]"King" in Arabic[[/note]]
* Marcus
* Patrice
* Ray-Ray
* Reginald
* Rufus
* Rayshawn/[=DeShawn=]
* Tyrone/Ty
* Terrell
* Terrance
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Anything ending in '-isha' (Keisha, Kenisha, Tanesha, etc.)
** Keesha of ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus''.
* Aaliyah[[note]]"High/Lofty/Sublime"[[/note]]
* Aisha, Monique and Neice (and combination with just about any word)
** Aisha from ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub''.
** ''WesternAnimation/LittleBill'': Ms. Murray's first name is Aisha, as revealed in the wedding episode.
* Alexus (or Mercedes)
* Angela
** As in UsefulNotes/AngelaDavis, Angie Stone, etc.
* Deja[[note]]"Already", from the French phrase ''déjà vu''[[/note]]
* Ebony, Raven and other color-signifying names
* Imani[[note]]"Faith" in Swahili, an East African language[[/note]]
* Jazmine
* [[Series/AngryBoys Lasquweesha]]
* [=LaSomething=]
* Lula[[note]]From names that start with 'Lu-', e.g. 'Louise'[[/note]]
* Mae
** Usually associated with older black women.
* Monique/Monica
* Nia[[note]]"Purpose/Aim" in Swahili[[/note]]
* Peaches
* Phyllis/[[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous Phillis]], in period works.
* Shanice
** As well as Shaniqua, Shalissa, Shanay, Shanaynay, and anything with the prefix 'Sha-'
* Tangerine/Tangie)
[[AC:Unisex]]
* Conventional names with creative [[MyNaymeIs spellings]] or pronunciations, for example the UrbanLegend about Le-a pronounced "Le-dash-a".
* Names of luxury cars, such as Bentley, Lexus, or Mercedes
* {{Line of Sight Name}}s
* Pookie (usually used in a stereotypical way)
* Ray-Ray (similar to Pookie in usage)
[[AC:Last names]]
* The color names, Black/White/Brown/Grey/Green, mostly the first three.
* Freeman
** Creator/MorganFreeman
** [[ComicStrip/TheBoondocks Huey]] [[WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks Freeman]]
* Goodman
* Jackson
** {{Justified|Trope}} as 53.04% of U.S. Americans with the surname 'Jackson' are black, and it's the sixth most common surname among black Americans as a whole.
* [[Series/TheJeffersons Jefferson]]
** Possible TropeCodifier for pop-culture: the Jefferson family of ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' and... well, ''Series/TheJeffersons''.
** [[ComicBook/BlackLightning Jefferson Pierce]]
** {{Justified|Trope}} as 74.24% of U.S. Americans with the surname 'Jefferson' are black.
* Jones
** {{Justified|Trope}} as it's the fourth most common surname among African-Americans.
** As in ''Theatre/TheEmperorJones'', ''Theatre/CarmenJones'' and ''Film/CleopatraJones''.
* Washington
** {{Justified|Trope}} as 87.53% of U.S. Americans with the surname 'Washington' are black.
** [[VideoGame/HouseOfTheDeadOverkill Detective Isaac Washington]].
** Allegedly, when DC Comics was pitched the idea of an African-American ComicBook/GreenLantern, editor Julius Schwartz wanted to call him "Lincoln Washington" until Creator/NealAdams pointed out this was the most [[UnfortunateImplications stereotypical "slave" name imaginable]] and changed it to John Stewart.
* Williams
** {{Justified|Trope}} as it's the most common surname among African-Americans.
** ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' has Craig Williams and his family.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Amish]]
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Ezekiel
** The below-mentioned Weird Al Yankovic quote.
* Jebediah
** Played straight in Music/WeirdAlYankovic's ''Amish Paradise'':
--->''At 4:30 in the morning I'm milkin' cows\\
Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows... fool\\
And I've been milkin' and plowin' so long that\\
Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone!''
* Jeremiah
* Jacob
** Used by Amish in ''Film/ForRicherOrPoorer'', "The Outsiders" episode of ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'', "Murder, Plain and Simple" episode of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', ''A Murder in Fulham County'', a theater production "Jacob's Choice" and ''Harvest of Fire''. In the musical ''Plain and Fancy'', Jacob Yoder is not a unique name.
* Samuel
** Used by Amish in ''Film/{{Witness}}'', ''For Richer or Poorer'', and ''Harvest of Fire''.
** Also one of the top five Amish masculine names according to John A. Hostetler (the others are John, Amos, Daniel and David).
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Mary, Katie and Annie round out the top five Amish feminine names according to John A. Hostetler.
* Rebecca
** Used by Amish in ''Film/{{Kingpin}}'', ''For Richer or Poorer'', "Murder, Plain and Simple" episode of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', and an episode of ''Series/PicketFences''.
* Sarah
** Used by Amish in ''Aaron's Way'', Creator/JodiPicoult's "Plain Truth", "Murder, Plain and Simple" episode of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', ''A Stoning in Fulham County'', and ''Harvest of Fire''.
[[AC:Surnames]]
* Lapp
** Used by Amish in ''Film/{{Witness}}'', ''For Richer or Poorer'', "Murder, Plain and Simple" episode of ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', ''Harvest of Fire'' and ''The Shunning''. Also one of the top five Amish surnames according to John A. Hostetler (the four others are Stoltzfus, King, Fisher and Beiler).
* Yoder
** Used by Amish in ''For Richer or Poorer'' and the musical ''Plain and Fancy''.
** Also associated with a brand of "Amish" dairy products and with the important [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches Mennonite]] theologian, John Howard Yoder.
* Zook
** ''Plain and Fancy'': "Also families like Yoder, only more. We got twenty-four families Zook."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Latter-Day Saints]]
[[AC:General]]
* Given their faith, the tendency to use names derived from ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'' is pretty much exclusive to them. Context for religious figures exclusive to this book will be provided.
* Mormons are known for choosing [[MyNaymeIs strangely- or uniquely-spelled names]] (or otherwise unconventional names) for their children.
** The actual reason behind this practice varies, with some saying it's to seek individuality in a highly conformist and culturally-homogenous environment, while others explain it can theoretically help to keep the peace between expectant mothers who want to preserve a OneSteveLimit of sorts.[[note]]For the context for the latter reason, see the Real Life folder on the MyNaymeIs page for more details.[[/note]]
** A ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit aired on March 3, 2012 impersonating Mitt Romney and his five sons parodies this and features the sons introducing themselves as Tagg, Tanner, Tictac, Targalack, and Tiggit. Only the first of the five names is real.
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Alma, not to be confused with the feminine name in Spanish[[note]]In ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'', Alma the Elder was the priest of an evil king who converted to the faith and was cast out by said evil king for standing up for his religion, and later founded and became the Head of the LDS Church. His son, Alma the Younger, was a FormerTeenRebel who converted to the Church after being put in a coma and became a preacher later in life.[[/note]]
* Brigham
** Usually named after Brigham Young, the successor of Joseph Smith (see below).
* Heber[[note]]In the Old Testament of Literature/TheBible, this name is borne by a great-grandson of Jacob and also by the husband of Jael.[[/note]]
* John
* Joseph
** Most likely named after Joseph Smith, the founder and first Head of the LDS Church.
* Moses
* Moroni[[note]]Pronounced "moh-ROH-nigh" or /moʊˈroʊnaɪ/. In ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'', Moroni was the name of two religious figures--the leader of the Nephite army who led them in battle during the war with the Nephites (basically the Book of Mormon equivalent of Creator/ChuckNorris), and the son of Mormon and the last Nephite, who completed his father's compilation of the Nephite records onto golden plates and then buried them in the Hill Cumorah, then later appeared as an angel to Joseph Smith and led him to them.[[/note]]
* Nephi[[note]]In ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'', Nephi was the son of Lehi who remained unwaveringly faithful to God and became a prophet like his father.[[/note]]
* Spencer
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Emma
* Molly
** "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Mormon Molly Mormon]]" is a term for the popular stereotype of a female member of the LDS Church, i.e. "the perfect Mormon woman".
[[AC:Last names]]
* Browning
* Call
* Hatch
* Osmond
** The Osmonds, a family of musicians who enjoyed mainstream success in TheSeventies.
* Romney
** George Romney, former Governor of UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}}, and his son Mitt, former Governor of [[HollywoodNewEngland Massachusetts]].
* Young
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Puerto Rican]]
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Angel
* Jesús
* José[[note]]'Joseph'[[/note]]
** The ''WesternAnimation/WorkItOutWombats'' episode "[[Recap/WorkItOutWombatsS1E33ParrandaHappyNewAcornYear The Treeborhood Parranda]]" introduces the Flapping Feathers, a music group implied to be Puerto Rican. One of their member is named Jose.
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* María
** [[Theatre/WestSideStory MARIAAA, I'VE JUST MET A GIRL NAMED MARIAAA...]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Wealthy]]
* See PreppyName for more information.
[[AC:Masculine]]
* Any "stuffy" British-derived names--often named after UK locations, e.g. ''Wentworth'' Miller.
* Blaine: A very popular choice for preppy guys.
** Blaine Anderson from ''Series/{{Glee}}''.
** Blane [=McDonagh=], the rich guy Creator/MollyRingwald's WrongSideOfTheTracks heroine falls for in ''Film/PrettyInPink''.
** Blaine Bingham, played by Creator/ChristopherReeve in the 80s remake of the classic ''Film/TheFrontPage''.
** Blaine O'Hare, the ''other'' guy in Franchise/{{Barbie}}'s life.
* Blake
** Blake Carrington, [[ThePatriarch patriarch]] of the mega-rich Carrington clan from ''Series/Dynasty1981''.
* Bryce
* Chace/Chase
* Chad
* Chip (mostly in parodies)
* Dexter
** Wealthy musician and leading man Dexter Haven from ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory''.
** Dexter Morgan, titular lead from ''Series/{{Dexter}}''.
** "Dex" Dexter, Alexis' dashing squeeze from ''Series/Dynasty1981''.
* John
* Quincy
* Warner
** Warner Huntington III (whose name is almost a PreppyName parody), Elle's ex from ''Film/LegallyBlonde''.
[[AC:Feminine]]
* Traditionally male names such as '[[Literature/PrettyLittleLiars Spencer]]' or '[[Literature/TheClique Dylan]]'.
* Alexis
* Ashley
** 'The Ashleys', a clique of snobby, fashion-obsessed girls (all called Ashley) from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''. In keeping with the preppy theme, they also ''each'' have a younger sister called Brittany.
** Ashley and Ash''lyn'', archetypal rich, ditzy girls from ''Film/FinalDestination3''.
** Ashley Banks, youngest child of the wealthy Banks family from ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir''.
* Blair
** Glossy young New Yorker Blair Waldorf from ''Series/GossipGirl''.
* Brittany (''not'' "Britney")
* Brenda
** Strangely enough, given that in the UK, where it originates, this is seen as a frumpy, rather common old lady name.
** Popularized in the US by Brenda Walsh of ''[[Series/BeverlyHills90210 90210]]'' fame.
* Bunny[=/=]Bitsy[=/=]Buffy[=/=]Muffy
** Usually used by older up-scale women.
** Muffy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', though she's a young girl
** Bunny Caldwell, Cecile's intimidating mother from ''Film/CruelIntentions''.
** Bunny [=McDougal=], Charlotte's mother-in-law-from-hell from ''Series/SexAndTheCity''.
** Bitsy von Muffling, also from ''Series/SexAndTheCity''.
* Heather, which firmly cemented its place after ''Film/{{Heathers}}'' debuted.
* Parker
* Whitney
[[AC:Last names]]
* Any British-heritage derived last name, required to lend that all-important [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASPy]] flavour, especially those ending in '-ton', '-worth' or '-more' -- for example Kensington, Buffington, Lexington, Whitworth, Widmore, etc.
* Dutch surnames also tend to denote high social class in the US -- [[Series/DesperateHousewives Van de Kamp]], for example.
** In a German name, "[[TheVonTropeFamily von]]" really is an aristocratic prefix; the similar sounding "van" in Dutch names, however, is common as dirt. (The Dutch-descended Music/LudwigVanBeethoven tried to pull a fast one on the Austrian nobles by way of this confusion.) However, what's being signaled with the Dutch names isn't that the ancestors were aristocrats in the Netherlands, but rather that the family has been in America--especially New York--for a very long time (probably since the 17th century). A prime example of this is the [[UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt Roosevelt]] [[UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt family]], whose name isn't particularly distinctive in the Netherlands (it means "rose field") but sounds upper-crust to Americans (and would even if the family hadn't produced two presidents).
* Roman numerals at the end: e.g. John Buffington III
** William Henry Gates III, better known as Bill Gates. Note that Gates was from the wealthy family right from the start.
* A middle name that is the person's mother's maiden name.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:U.S. Southern States]]
See HayseedName for more information.
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Names that were originally used (and still are) as British occupational surnames -- Tucker, Parker, Hunter, Carter, Cooper etc. Justifiable in that they might have been the mother's maiden name.
* Androgynous names like [[Film/GoneWithTheWind Ashley]] or Beverley, leading to jokes when juxtaposed with masculine-sounding female names like Billie Jo.
* Semi-obscure biblical names, especially if they end with "-iah" (or short forms of names that do).
** Jebediah/Jeb
** Jedidiah
*** ''Series/TheBeverlyHillbillies'': "Come and listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed..."
** Jethro
** Zebediah
** Zeke. Though the full name, Ezekiel, is kind of rare.
* Compound names, e.g. Billy-Bob, Billy-Joe, Joe-Bob, etc.
** ''VideoGame/{{Carmageddon}}'' had a racer called Billy Joe Jim Bob who was a stereotypical hillbilly.
** The Dreadheads from ''Franchise/GIJoe'' all have codenames along these lines, even though their actual names are upper-class old money affairs; Joe-Bob, for example, is really named Winston.
** ''Literature/DaveBarrySleptHere'' jokes that Jamestown, Virginia was eventually renamed [=JimBobtown=].
** A twofer: Brain of ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' once posed as a country western singer under the name Bubba Bo Bob Brain.
** [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Clem, Zeke, Rufus, Jeke, Billy Billy Bo-Illy Banana Fanna Fo-Filly, Doug, Enos, Julio, Fletcher [=McGee=], Rainchild, Zeke Junior]]...
* Abner
** Abner Yokum from ''Theatre/LilAbner''.
* Bubba
** Bubba from ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage''.
* Buck
* Cletus
** Cletus Spuckler from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
* Clyde
* Elmer
** [[Series/{{NCIS}} Gibbs]].
** [[Series/TheBeverlyHillbillies Bodine]].
* Jimbo
* Kevin
* Peyton
* Reuben/Rube
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Compound names, e.g. Mary-Lou, Peggy-Sue, etc.
** ''Film/PeggySueGotMarried''.
** Betty Lou Fleckum, the baton-twirling champion of Pickett, Arkansas in ''Film/AFaceInTheCrowd''.
** Cindy Lou Bethany, the SouthernBelle of ''Kiss the Boys Good-Bye'', though her family name sounds like the OldMoney it is.
** Billie Jo Casta, Queen of the Rodeo in Music/PDQBach's ''Oedipus Tex''.
* Irish-sounding names--Lurleen, Rayleen, Darleen, etc.
* Names that end in -[[SouthernBelle belle]]
** Jessiebelle from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''.
** Lulubelle from ''WesternAnimation/{{Heathcliff}}''.
* Austin
* Brandy/Brandi
* Darla
* Dixie[[note]]Derived from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason-Dixon_line the Mason-Dixon Line]], 'Dixie' in itself is a nickname for the Southern United States[[/note]]
* Dolly
* Dusty
* Jenny (at least in Texas)
* Taylor
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Vietnamese]]
[[AC:General]]
* Note that in Vietnam it's customary to address a stranger by their ''given'' name, not a family name. Võ Nguyên Giáp, a famous [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar North Vietnam]] general ([[CoolOldGuy the guy died in October 2013]], BTW), is thus correctly addressed as "General Giáp", not "General Võ".
* Most Vietnamese names are word names like Chinese, Korean, and (some) Japanese names, e.g. 'Trung', "Loyal"; 'Vân', "Cloud", etc. If a name is Sino-Vietnamese in nature (i.e. has a Chinese cognate form), corresponding ''Chữ Hán'' (Chinese characters) are provided for reference.[[note]]This will not include all corresponding ''Chữ Hán'', as that would be impossible. However, the transcriptions given will be relatively common.[[/note]]
[[AC:Masculine names]]
* Dũng[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 勇, meaning "brave"[[/labelnote]]
* Minh[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 明, meaning "bright"[[/labelnote]]
** This was an adopted name of the communist revolutionary Hồ Chí Minh (1890-1969).
* Sơn[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 山, meaning "mountain/hill"[[/labelnote]]
* Thanh[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 聲, meaning "sound/voice/tone", among others[[/labelnote]]
* Tuấn[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 俊, meaning "handsome"[[/labelnote]]
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Mỹ[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 美, meaning "beautiful"[[/labelnote]]
* Ngọc[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 玉, meaning "jade/gemstone"[[/labelnote]]
* Thảo[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 草, meaning "grass/herbs"[[/labelnote]]
* Thi[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 詩, meaning "poetry"[[/labelnote]]
* Thị (note the diacritic)[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 氏, meaning "clan/family/maiden name"[[/labelnote]]
** In this case, it's {{justified|Trope}}, as it's a ''middle name'' (note: ''not'' a given name) used for virtually every Vietnamese woman before the mid-1970s.
* Thu[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 秋, meaning "autumn"[[/labelnote]]
* Trâm[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 簪, meaning "hairpin", or 𣠱 (note: a rarely-used and very obscure Chinese character), referring to some species of plant[[/labelnote]]
[[AC:Unisex names]]
* An[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 安, meaning "safe/secure"[[/labelnote]]
* Dương[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 陽, meaning "male/virile", or 楊, meaning "willow"[[/labelnote]]
* Giang[[labelnote:*]]Commonly corresponds to 江, meaning "river"[[/labelnote]]
[[AC:Family names]]
* They're technically ''first'' names, as Vietnamese follow the common Asian tradition of putting the family name first.
* Nguyễn[[labelnote:*]]Transcribed as 阮, referring to a musical instrument similar to a lute[[/labelnote]]
** {{Justified|Trope}} as about '''''39%''''' of the Vietnamese population has this surname--and for good reason, as many events in Vietnamese history have contributed to the name's prominence, including and not limited to various royal families changing their surnames after their dynasties collapsed (either being forced to do so or to avoid retribution by the new monarch), the Nguyễn Dynasty (the last Vietnamese dynasty, 1802-1884) awarding people the surname during their rule (much like how 'Li/Lee' became common in China), criminals changing their names to avoid persecution, etc.
** Tila Nguyen, better known as Music/TilaTequila.
** Tyler Nguyen-Baker from ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' is part-Vietnamese.
* Trần[[labelnote:*]]Transcribed as 陳, meaning "old/ancient" and by extension, "display/exhibit", also a cognate of 'Chen/Chan/Tan/etc.' in the Chinese section[[/labelnote]]
** Also {{justified|Trope}} as it's the ''second'' most common surname in Vietnam (about 11%).
** [[WebAnimation/DrTran DR. TRAN'S]] GIVING AWAY THE '''HOT DICKINGS'''.
* Lê[[labelnote:*]]Transcribed as 黎, meaning "black"[[/labelnote]]
** ''Also'' {{justified|Trope}} as it's the ''third'' most common surname in Vietnam (about 10%).
* Phạm[[labelnote:*]]Transcribed as 范, meaning "bee"[[/labelnote]]
** ''Also'' {{justified|Trope}} as it's the ''fourth'' most common surname in Vietnam (about 7%).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Welsh]]
[[AC:Masculine Names]]
* Aled[[note]]From a Welsh river[[/note]]
* Dafydd/Dewi[[note]]'David'[[/note]]
** Saint Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, was a 6th-century bishop of Mynyw.
* Dai[[note]]A diminutive form of 'Dafydd', so basically 'Dave'[[/note]]
* Dylan
** Creator/DylanThomas.
* Geraint
** This was the name of a figure in various Welsh legends.
** ''Geraint and Enid'', an [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian romance]] added to ''Literature/{{Mabinogion}}''.
** Geraint Wyn Cooper in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''.
* Glyn/Glyndwr[[note]]'Valley (water)'[[/note]]
** Usually in honour of Owain Glyndwr (or Glyn Dŵr, Anglicized as Glendower), a 14th-century Welsh patriot who led a revolt against England.
* Hugh/Huw
* Ioan[[note]]'John'[[/note]]
* Lloyd[[note]]Actually from the Welsh surname Llwyd meaning "grey"[[/note]]
* Owain/Owen
* Rhys[[note]]"Ardour/Enthusiasm"[[/note]]
** Rhys Davies was the father of actor Creator/JohnRhysDavies below.
[[AC:Feminine names]]
* Angharad[[note]]"Much loved"[[/note]]
** In the medieval Welsh romance ''[[Literature/{{Mabinogion}} Peredur son of Efrawg]]'', Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of the knight Peredur.
* Bronwyn[[note]]"White/Fair/Blessed breast"[[/note]]
** It has been used as a given name in Wales since the 19th century.
* Carys/Cerys[[note]]"Love", pronounced "Coris"[[/note]]
** This is actually [[NewerThanTheyThink a relatively modern Welsh name]], in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.
* Delyth[[note]]"Pretty"[[/note]]
** This name is actually a recent creation.
* Dilys[[note]]"Genuine"[[/note]]
* Gwen (and various derivatives thereof)[[note]]"White/Fair/Blessed"[[/note]]
* Haf[[note]]"Summer", pronounced "Hav"[[/note]]
** It's more commonly used as a middle name.
* Myfanwy[[note]]"My fine/delicate (one)" or "my woman", pronounced "muh-VAH-nwee"[[/note]]
* Seren[[note]]"Star"[[/note]]
** This name is actually a recent creation.
[[AC:Last names]]
* Davis/Davies
** Creator/JohnRhysDavies.
* Evans
** Sir Hugh Evans in ''Theatre/TheMerryWivesOfWindsor''.
* Jones
** Lampshaded in ''Radio/TheVeryWorldOfMiltonJones'': In the midst of (Welsh) choir practice, the teacher bellows, "JONES!" to which everyone answers, "Which one?". Milton tries asking, "Which one?" again in Fiji later, but it doesn't work 'cos there's only him.
** If you listen carefully to the roll call in ''Film/{{Zulu}}'', you can hear several calls of "Jones [service number]". This was common practice in Welsh regiments due to the sheer number of Joneses.
** Alec, Aled, and Alex Jones are all Welsh presenters in Britain--and often presenting the same things, most commonly [[Creator/TheBBC The One Show]].
** Creator/CatherineZetaJones was born Catherine Zeta Jones, with Zeta as simply her middle name. Growing up in Wales, however, meant she had to include "Zeta" to distinguish herself. Her early film and TV credits lacked the hyphen.
** Music/BrynTerfel Jones likewise treats his middle name as a last name.
** Music/TomJones went the opposite way. He was born Thomas John Woodward.
* Lloyd
* Llewellyn[[note]]A name with variable etymologies, pronounced "shuh-WEH-lin" in Welsh[[/note]]
* Thomas
* Williams
[[/folder]]
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