You know the characters, but you might not know their full names. Store these away for future trivia nights.
1. Did you know the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons has a name? It’s Jeff Albertson. But that wasn’t the decision of creator Matt Groening. “I was out of the room when [the writers] named him,” he told MTV in 2007. “In my mind, ‘Louis Lane’ was his name, and he was obsessed and tormented by Lois Lane.”
2. Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. (Ken’s last name is Carson.)
3. Cap’n Crunch’s full name is Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch
4. Snuffleupagus has a first name—Aloysius.
5. In the Peanuts comic strip, Peppermint Patty’s real name is Patricia Reichardt.

6. The Wizard of Oz rolls off the tongue a lot easier than his full name, Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. From Frank Baum’s Dorothy And the Wizard in Oz:
“It was a dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of the hardest lessons I ever learned was to remember my own name. When I grew up I just called myself O.Z., because the other initials were P-I-N-H-E-A-D; and that spelled ‘pinhead,’ which was a reflection on my intelligence.”
7. Mr. Clean has a seldom-used first name—”Veritably.” The name came from a “Give Mr. Clean a First Name” promotion in 1962.
8. In a deleted scene in the 2006 Curious George movie, The Man With the Yellow Hat’s name was revealed as Ted Shackleford. (Since the scene was deleted, perhaps this doesn’t count.)
9. The real name of Monopoly mascot Rich Uncle Pennybags is Milburn Pennybags.
10. The policeman in Monopoly has a name, too. You can thank Officer Edgar Mallory the next time he sends you to jail.
11. On Night Court, Nostradamus Shannon was better known as Bull.
12. On Entourage, Turtle’s real name is Salvatore Assante.
13. Sesame Street‘s resident game show host Guy Smiley was using a pseudonym all these years. He was born Bernie Liederkrantz.
14. The Michelin Man’s name is Bibendum.
15. On Gilligan’s Island, Jonas Grumby was simply called The Skipper.
16. Staying on Gilligan’s Island, The Professor was Roy Hinkley.
17. The unkempt Shaggy of Scooby-Doo fame has a rather proper real name—Norville Rogers.
18. The Pillsbury Doughboy’s name is Poppin’ Fresh. He has a wife, Poppie Fresh, and two kids, Popper and Bun Bun.
19. The patient in the classic game Operation is Cavity Sam.
20. The true identity of The Lone Ranger was John Reid.
21 & 22. OK, these last two aren’t fictional, but just in case it comes up, Bono was born Paul David Hewson, and The Edge’s name is David Howell Evans.
* * * * *
Who else belongs on this list? Did we ever learn Newman’s full name on Seinfeld? How about Nanny on Muppet Babies? Let us know in the comments.
More from mental_floss…
19 Outstanding Words You Should Be Working Into Conversation
*
Indiana Once Tried to Change Pi to 3.2
*
22 Bizarre College Classes Offered Last Semester
*
10 Facebook Status Updates Gone Horribly Wrong
*
16 Movie Sequels Nobody Has Ever Heard Of
*
15 Memorable mental_floss Moments of 2011
Kramer’s first name was “Cosmo”.
posted by Mack on 6-8-2010 at 1:45 pm
Darth Vadar’s real name is Anakin Skywalker. His brother’s name is Herb.
posted by Fredd on 6-8-2010 at 1:56 pm
Mr. T’s name is Laurence Tureaud.
posted by Zander Cannon on 6-8-2010 at 2:01 pm
Sting (the wrestler) is Steven Borden
posted by Dez on 6-8-2010 at 2:31 pm
what about janitor from scrubs?
posted by Tim Z. on 6-8-2010 at 2:41 pm
i know in one epidsode janitor says he’s been called a lot of things, one of them was jeff…i thnk
posted by teresaisamazing on 6-8-2010 at 2:47 pm
I’m ashamed to admit it took me years of ‘The 70′s Show’ to realize that his name wasn’t Fez – that was a nicknamed abbreviation for ‘Foreign Exchange Student.’
posted by Lorne on 6-8-2010 at 2:55 pm
MacGyver’s first name was Angus. Took until the final season for viewers to find out.
Keeping with the Richard Dean Anderson theme, on Stargate SG-1, the “Chevron Guy” (Gate Technician) played by Gary Jones was unnamed for years, until they named him Walter Harriman in the eighth season. In the original scripts, he was referred to as Norman Davis.
posted by Mark on 6-8-2010 at 2:57 pm
What’s the janitor’s name on Scrubs?
posted by momadvocate on 6-8-2010 at 3:00 pm
The Simpson’s resident broadcaster, Kent Brockman, uses a pseudonym too: real name is Kenny Brocklestein.
posted by ChristieLea on 6-8-2010 at 3:01 pm
momadvocate and Tim Z,
on the 8th season finale of scrubs, the Janitor tells J.D. his name was Glenn Matthews (J.D. has never asked what his name was).
However, this may be another lie by Janitor, when right before the scene ends, a background character comes up and calls the our favorite custodian Kenny.
posted by Kirkland on 6-8-2010 at 3:08 pm
The Janitor’s name is Glen Matthews — maybe.
posted by Mark on 6-8-2010 at 3:09 pm
Not only does the Comic Book Guy have a name, but I assert that he is based on a real person. Although in truth he would have to be Collectible Card Gaming Guy because he was the guy I bought my Magic: The Gathering Cards from when I was ten. As if it weren’t sad enough to actually be playing the game in the first place, I usually had to deal with this fat, ponytail sporting jerk giving me crap for asking for the book price when I would try and sell my cards. What the hell did I know about the economics of fantasy trading cards? So now whenever I see the Comic Book Guy, I cry a little inside. Thank you for letting me share that.
posted by Grump on 6-8-2010 at 3:15 pm
Apart from the Doctor, the Master, the Rani, etc etc for every Timelord, we don’t know Jack Harkness’s real name… Possibly he doesn’t either.
posted by Gala on 6-8-2010 at 3:23 pm
The Pilsbury Doughboy could have had a career as a rapper with a name like that
posted by Mike V on 6-8-2010 at 3:26 pm
Sting (the singer) was born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner. In the words of Dana Carvey ‘He went from Gordon to Sting?! Who has the nerve to tell their friends to call them Sting?” :D
posted by Callie on 6-8-2010 at 4:19 pm
Jack Harkness was also The Face of Bo (sp)
posted by Mike's Girl on 6-8-2010 at 4:23 pm
what about the monster from Bugs Bunny?
posted by lyn on 6-8-2010 at 4:24 pm
ALF’s real name was Gordon Shumway.
posted by JD on 6-8-2010 at 4:27 pm
You mean Gossamer?
posted by Mark on 6-8-2010 at 4:33 pm
The red monster from Bugs Bunny is named Gossamer.
posted by Scott on 6-8-2010 at 4:35 pm
@lyn
The monster on the Bugs Bunny cartoons was named Gossamer.
posted by 8rustystaples on 6-8-2010 at 4:36 pm
Any Buffy fans know that Spike’s real name is William aka William the Bloody, because of his bloody awful poetry before he became a vampire.
Not sure if they mentioned his original last name.
And Spike was derived from one of his critics saying he’d rather have a railroad spike thru his head than William’s poetry. I believe Spike gave him his wish once he’d been sired.
posted by Big Jonny on 6-8-2010 at 5:00 pm
Seymour Skinner’s real name is Armen Tanzarian. Of course, I say that under risk of torture.
posted by Patten on 6-8-2010 at 5:01 pm
C.C. Babcock full name on the Nanny was Chasity Claire Babcock.
posted by Kari on 6-8-2010 at 5:03 pm
In the game Clue you are in the mansion of Mr Boddy
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 6-8-2010 at 5:06 pm
Chandler’s middle name on Friends is Muriel
posted by KM on 6-8-2010 at 5:36 pm
The Man in the Yellow Hat is called Ted throughout the 2006 Curious George movie. It’s not a deleted scene. Maybe you should watch the movie!
posted by Arcadia on 6-8-2010 at 6:01 pm
My bologna has a first name, but whenever I use it, it makes things really awkward between us.
posted by Ron on 6-8-2010 at 6:09 pm
Arcadia — He’s Ted the whole movie, but the last name isn’t used — that’s what you see on his door in the deleted scene. (And after Stacy Conradt told me that, I sat and watched every deleted scene. Of course the one I wanted was the very last one I clicked on.)
posted by Jason English on 6-8-2010 at 6:16 pm
Going back to Gilligan’s Island, Gilligan was never given an official first name, but some sources still claim his first name is “Willy”:
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/gilligan.asp
The main character on “Doctor Who” has always been called “The Doctor” or just “Doctor”, never “Doctor Who”. There have been a few episodes that play on this by saying “You’re a doctor? Doctor who?”
And the Doctor has never been given a true name, even when he’s sometimes called “John Smith”, that’s just an alias.
posted by John on 6-8-2010 at 6:22 pm
@ Jason…
Re 21 & 22. OK, these last two aren’t fictional, but just in case it comes up, Bono was born Paul David Hewson, and The Edge’s name is David Howell Evans.
* * * * *
Funny you should mention this, #21 was a clue in tonight’s JEOPARDY!
posted by Amy on 6-8-2010 at 8:12 pm
Armen Tanzarian is an actual real person as well. He’s my history teacher’s brother and I believe worked for Fox.
posted by MonkeyZombie on 6-8-2010 at 8:36 pm
Not quite on topic: How about names that appear to be made-up but are actually on the person’s birth certificate? I’m thinking of Madonna and Prince, for example…
posted by Charles Grossman on 6-8-2010 at 9:44 pm
Lorne – I had no idea that’s what Fez stood for!
posted by Logan on 6-8-2010 at 10:42 pm
I actually knew Bono & the Edge’s real names, considering what a big U2 fan I am. (: Very proud of Myself.
posted by Haley on 6-8-2010 at 10:45 pm
Janitor’s name from Scrubs is Neil Flynn, the actors actual name. In one of the episodes it’s aknowledge that he is the same actor that played “transit cop” in The Fugitive, thus janitors name is Neil Flynn…Right?
posted by Rob on 6-8-2010 at 11:46 pm
In the Seinfeld episode where Newman is trying to bust Jerry for mail fraud, he gives out a business card and reveals his name to be: NEWMAN
posted by Brad on 6-9-2010 at 12:05 am
@ Janitor’s name from Scrubs is Neil Flynn, the actors actual name. In one of the episodes it’s aknowledge that he is the same actor that played “transit cop†in The Fugitive, thus janitors name is Neil Flynn…Right?
That makes a lot of sense.
posted by James on 6-9-2010 at 12:20 am
I can’t believe you mentioned “Night Court” without citing prosecutor Dan Fielding’s real first name: Reinhold!
posted by Milbarge on 6-9-2010 at 1:39 am
Inspector Morse’s first name was long a mystery – until the penultimate of Colin Dexter’s novels, Death Is Now My Neighbour (1996), and the corresponding television adaptation, in which it was revealed to be Endeavour.
posted by Terrence Lockyer on 6-9-2010 at 3:49 am
Grump –
Matt Groening has said before that the comic book guy is based on a real person. However, it is most likely not the guy you know. Matt said that the character is based on himself. Seeing how he is the creator of the show, I am going to believe him.
posted by Jake Ryan on 6-9-2010 at 4:21 am
Nostradamus is actually “Bull” Shannon’s middle name; his first name is Aristotle — so his full name is Aristotle Nostradamus Shannon.
And according to the Internet Movie Database, he also had an IQ of 181.
Other names for you —
• Mrs. Howell’s maiden name was Lovey Wentworth
• the first name of “Doc” Adams from “Gunsmoke” was Galen
• MacGyver’s first name was Angus
• the “G” in Maynard G. Krebs stood for ‘Walter’. As Maynard explained it, “Mother didn’t spell too good”.
-”BB”-
posted by Bicycle Bill on 6-9-2010 at 4:45 am
On the subject of the Lone Ranger — he was a character created by Fran Striker for an American radio program in the 1930s. Striker also was responsible for creating the “Green Hornet” for a second radio program. The Hornet was a masked crime fighter and was the alter ego of Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher of a fictional city.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The Lone Ranger was John Reid; John Reid had a nephew, Dan Reid. In the Green Hornet radio shows the Hornet’s father was also given as Dan Reid, making Britt Reid the Lone Ranger’s great-nephew.
Both shows also originated at radio station WXYZ of Detroit……..
-”BB”-
posted by Bicycle Bill on 6-9-2010 at 4:54 am
Thanks Big Jonny! I had FINALLY gotten the Once More with Feeling episode out of my head, and you just had to bring up Spike. So of course now I have ‘Let Me Rest in Peace’ stuck in my head again! Good thing I have the soundtrack on my hard drive, I guess!
posted by Rose on 6-9-2010 at 5:12 am
I always thought Newman’s first name was Hello…
posted by Dave R on 6-9-2010 at 7:37 am
Columbo- From the 70′s crime series, never had a name. He was always called “Lieutenant Columbo”. Even when asked his first name, he would just say “Leiutenant”.
You also never learned the name of his dog, who was in many episodes. He just called him “Dog” and he always referred to his wife as Mrs. Columbo.
Note: A trivia book once stated his name, but this information was determined to be incorrect.
posted by Morris on 6-9-2010 at 10:01 am
I knew Bibendum and actually just shared this bit of trivia with my girlfriend on Saturday.
Interesting side not. The name Bibendum comes from the Latin phrase “now, let’s drink”!
posted by Marty on 6-9-2010 at 10:34 am
On MacGuyver, his first name Angus was mentioned prior to the final episode, it was in the Camelot episode.
As for Gilligan’s first name being Willie–that began because long after the original series ended, the cast was reunited on a talk show (I don’t remember which one, but I’m thinking Dick Cavett) and the question of Gilligan’s first name came up. Sherwood Schwartz and Bob Denver said there never was a first name, but if he did have one it would probably be Willie.
posted by Wayne on 6-9-2010 at 11:57 am
According to the credits, the bass players name in “That thing you do” is T.B. Player
posted by Geo on 6-9-2010 at 12:09 pm
On “The Nanny”, we NEVER find out Niles’ last name, not even when he married Chasity Claire, aka C.C.
posted by Sara in Al on 6-9-2010 at 12:25 pm
Lt. Frank Columbo, based off the freezeframe of his i.d from the first movie.
posted by Paul on 6-9-2010 at 1:33 pm
Philip Pirrip is the birth name of Dicken’s PIP in Great Expectations
posted by Amy on 6-9-2010 at 4:37 pm
Well I know that Newman’s full name is never revealed in the Seinfeld series, however it’s assumed that Newman is his last name because in the episode “The Ticket” he’s referred to as Mr. Newman as the judge.
posted by greggae on 6-9-2010 at 5:00 pm
In See the Circus by H.A. Rey (copyright 1956) the man in the yellow hat’s name is Ted.
posted by Tim Sandlin on 6-9-2010 at 5:48 pm
Newman is his first name…Lomez is his last.
posted by tmcbain on 6-9-2010 at 5:53 pm
Once on the Honeymooners, Trixie Norton was called to testify in court. When asked her name, she said, “Thelma Norton.”
Art Carney’s take was one of his most explosive.
posted by Mike Doran (aka Lowbrow Crank) on 6-9-2010 at 6:03 pm
The Man in the Yellow Hat has no name. If he did, H.A. Rey would have given him one. Screenwriters who make crappy adaptations of classic books aren’t allowed to name the characters.
posted by Daisy on 6-9-2010 at 7:16 pm
In Malcolm in the Middle, Malcolm’s family’s last name is Wilkerson. It was established in the pilot, but then subsequently never mentioned again.
In Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, Rodney’s full name is Merideth Rodney McKay. Not that big of a secret for those who’ve seen the last few seasons of Stargate: Atlantis.
posted by Bob on 6-10-2010 at 4:11 am
“Bibendum” isn’t the Michelin Man first name. It’s its original nickname in France. Brush up you French: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibendum
posted by bertrand on 6-10-2010 at 5:00 am
Snoop Dogg’s real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus and Armen Tanzanian’s correct name is Armin Tamzarian.
posted by rudiger on 6-10-2010 at 7:00 am
Lone Ranger aka John Reid had a grand-nephew who was also a crime-fighter. Britt Reid aka The Green Hornet!
posted by Ed on 6-10-2010 at 7:39 am
Mr. Goodwrench’s full name is I. Phil Goodwrench.
posted by Scoop on 6-10-2010 at 8:58 am
Michael Keaton’s real name is Michael Douglas. He acts under the name “Keaton,” because there was already a famous Michael Douglas when he began acting.
posted by Some fellow on 6-10-2010 at 9:47 am
The “G” in Maynard G Krebs stands for Grandpa Walter whom he was named after.
The “BJ” in BJ Hunnicutt from MASH is for Bea and Jay. His parents.
posted by kd bart on 6-10-2010 at 10:09 am
DJ Tanner of Full House – Donna Joe Tanner
posted by Jared on 6-10-2010 at 2:31 pm
Michael Arthur Long was the real name of Michael Knight in the 1980′s “Knight Rider” series. He was given a new face and name in the pilot episode.
posted by Another fellow on 6-10-2010 at 2:53 pm
The name of the Man In Black (Smokey) in LOST was “Samuel”. The writers came up with it early on in scripts, but decided to leave it out.
(Source: E’s Kristin Dos Santos)
posted by BossGalaga on 6-10-2010 at 3:35 pm
The Doctor’s family name and other older Time Lord names are revealed in the book Lungbarrow which is freely available for download from the BBC at the link below. As it’s avail from the BBC, it supposedly fits “canon”.
You can ignore the movies “Dr. Who and the Daleks” and “Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.” Peter Cushing actually introduces himself as Doctor Who. He’s not considered one of the eleven Doctors.
Russell T. Davies claims that The Face of Boe may not be Jack Harkness…whatever that’s supposed to mean.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ebooks/index.shtml
posted by kctaylor on 6-10-2010 at 3:54 pm
The crazy cat lady’s real name on the Simpsons – Eleanor Abernathy.
posted by ctgng on 6-10-2010 at 5:43 pm
Being the mother of two little kids, I can say that The Man With the Yellow Hat being called Ted did stick. While they don’t call him that in the PBS series, he was called Ted extensively during the direct to DVD movie “Curious George 2.” (And the Curious George PBS series DVD subtitles refer to him as Ted as well. That confused me until I saw the 2006 movie) Yeah, yeah. You become an expert once you’ve watched the movie more than a few times.
posted by WhitneyD on 6-10-2010 at 7:22 pm
The monster from Bugs Bunny is also called “Rudolph,” as in “Rudolph, there is a rabbit loose in the castle. Find him, and I will reward you with a spider goulash.” (“Water, Water, Every Hare”)
posted by Dead Serious on 6-11-2010 at 5:17 am
The dog is one of my favorite cartoon characters during childhood. It’s just too cute to dislike it.
posted by bradshaw jersey on 6-11-2010 at 5:59 am
Livejournal stole your post and didn’t credit you. Bunch of jerks!
posted by Frank on 6-11-2010 at 12:37 pm
@Grump: The voice of the Comic Book Guy was based on Hank Azaria’s college neighbor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFt2IZX_5so 1:30)
posted by Eric on 6-11-2010 at 1:30 pm
“Race” Bannon’s name on Jonny Quest is Roger
posted by Britt on 6-11-2010 at 1:50 pm
I think Ralph of Kevin and Bean on KROQ in Los Angeles took this list and read parts of it on the air this morning around 8:10 AM.
Are they allowed to do that? LOL
posted by xanderjones on 6-11-2010 at 2:21 pm
Woody’s last name from Toy Story is Pride. Woody Pride…
posted by Josh on 6-11-2010 at 4:26 pm
On Lost the Man in Black’s name was Samuel. The creators decided never to use it in the show.
posted by bony on 6-11-2010 at 5:05 pm
On the final episode of KING OF THE HILL, we find out that Boomhauer’s full name and occupation is “Jeff Boomhauer, Texas Ranger”.
In the manga/anime series AZUMANGA DAIOH, Kaori/Kaorin’s family name is briefly glimpsed on a doorplate; it’s “Aida”. Also on that series Ayumu Kasuga is usually referred to by the nickname “Osaka” which her teacher gave her, but Ayumu herself refers to her real name often enough that it’s not really a mystery.
posted by Steve Brandon on 6-11-2010 at 7:57 pm
Tarzan’s name is John Clayton, Lord Greystoke.
posted by earl on 6-11-2010 at 8:01 pm
In The A-Team B.A. Baracus stood for Bad Attitude Baracus in the beginning. Later it was discovered A stood for Albert and even later on it was revealed the B stood for Bosco.
Meaning Mr. T’s character was actually named Sergeant Bosco Albert “B.A.” (Bad Attitude) Baracus.
posted by Sarah on 6-11-2010 at 8:57 pm
About the Lone Ranger’s name being “John Reid”…
In the radio series, comic books, movie serials, and television series his first name was purposefully never mentioned – John was the name of his brother.
Of course, that changed in that aweful movie produced by the studio that made Clayton Moore wear sunglasses instead of the mask….. but they didn’t really get anything right about the Ranger, did they?
posted by Donbert on 6-11-2010 at 10:10 pm
The Soup Nazi: Yev Kassem
posted by AZanimal on 6-12-2010 at 1:41 am
In one episode, Daffy Duck delivers a telegram to CLOE, the red monster.
posted by Michael on 6-12-2010 at 3:55 am
Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man about town, is in reality The Shadow. But in the pulp magazines this was a convenient disguise; Cranston was a frequent traveler and the two men resembled each other enough that The Shadow could easily impersonate him (among other people). The mysterious crime fighter was in fact a WWI fighter pilot named Kent Allard, AKA The Black Eagle who was reported to have died after the war in South America.
The multiple levels of secret identity didn’t translate well to the radio so The Shadow lost his mastery of disguise and gained the power to cloud mens minds.
posted by Henry Arnaud on 6-12-2010 at 8:35 am
@Amy
I wish my roommate’s parents knew what Pip’s real name was…otherwise they might not have given my roommate Pip as his legal name…
posted by Patrick on 6-12-2010 at 4:12 pm
For the older folks out there, Hoss Cartwright was named after his uncle Eric. This is only mentioned in one episode that I am aware of.
posted by Michael on 6-12-2010 at 5:50 pm
Winnie the Pooh’s given name is Edward Bear.
posted by Michael on 6-12-2010 at 5:57 pm
Matt Groening was never in the Writer’s room so at least he’s being half honest in that he wasn’t in the room when Comic Book Guy was named. Groening is just a public figure.
posted by Chris Shifty on 6-12-2010 at 11:59 pm
Fat Albert was a real person. His name was Albert Robertson.
posted by John on 6-13-2010 at 12:36 am
The pillsbury’s lesser known cousin:
Pimpin’ fresh
posted by *Alicia on 6-13-2010 at 1:24 am
Speaking of comic books…Wolverine from the X-Men was born James Howlett…
posted by Zak on 6-13-2010 at 8:05 am
From the famous triplets, Hewy, Lewi and Dewy, Dewy’s full first name is Dewderonamy.
posted by Tanntyn on 6-13-2010 at 11:49 am
In the cult British film, ‘Withnail & I’, the ‘I’ of the title is actually called Marwood. He is named in the dramatis personae at the beginning of the screenplay.
posted by Jez on 6-13-2010 at 3:25 pm
Eugene Maurice Orowitz was better known as Michael Landon.
Country Music singer Conway Twitty was born Harold Lloyd Jenkins.
John Wayne’s real name was Marion Robert Morrison.
Jughead Jones from the Archie Comics real name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones Jr. And Moose Mason’s real name is Merton Matowski.
posted by Jo91 on 6-13-2010 at 11:36 pm
In the book and musical “Wicked” the Wicked witch of the west was named Elphaba.
This name is due to “The Wizard Of Oz” being written by Lyman Frank Baum. It was a homage to him and his initals L-F-B.
posted by Sarah on 6-14-2010 at 8:12 am
On the question of Malcolm’s family name … Wilkerson shows up on Francis’ name tag, but they later covered this up saying the joke was apparently that he was wearing another cadet’s shirt/nametag. They even blotted out the name with feedback when Malcolm was announced at his graduation in the final episode.
posted by Thomas on 6-14-2010 at 12:03 pm
Donald Duck’s full name is Donald Fauntleroy Duck. It appears on Donald’s draft notice in the classic “Donald Gets Drafted”, but his middle name is never mentioned out loud.
posted by Kevster on 6-15-2010 at 4:32 pm
Here are a couple i dug up just for you.
In the James bond films, the male M’s real name was Vice Admiral Sir Miles Messervy. Also, from the film Goldfinger, Goldfinger’s first name is revealed once or twice to be Auric. If anyone is familiar with the periodic table, they will notice that the elemental name for gold, Au, begins his first name. Clever. The more recent female M, played by Dame Judi Dench, has no confirmed name, but there is some speculation that it could be Barbara Mawdsley.
posted by Mr. Bond on 6-15-2010 at 6:20 pm
#10- the man in jail’s name is Jake the Jailbird.
posted by Sara in Al on 6-15-2010 at 8:40 pm
Can’t believe nobody’s mentioned Jackie Beulah Burkhart on That 70s Show. As for Fez, we never get a real name, nor do we ever find out where he’s actually from; though in one early episode, he says it’s “the beautiful island of–” and is cut off. Can’t remember Red’s real name.
posted by Matthew Aimone on 6-16-2010 at 7:43 am
Don’t forget that every single character who has appeared in the Star Wars films for more than 3 seconds has a name. No, I don’t know any of them.
posted by Randall on 6-16-2010 at 12:17 pm
kctaylor:
Warning: geek-out ahead.
Actually, “Lungbarrow” was published by Virgin, not the BBC, shortly before the BBC revoked their license so they could get into the spinoff gig themselves. (Virgin continued to publish “Whoniverse” stories invovled characters and situations unique to the New Adventures, which they already owned.) “Lungbarrow” was originally meant as a script for what ended up being Sylvester McCoy’s final season, but John Nathan Turner nixed it because it went too far into the Doctor’s past, spoiling the mystery. It was heavily reworked, becoming the serial “Ghost Light” (which ended up being the last filmed before the long hiatus, though it was not the last to air).
The BBC has never expressed an opinion on whether or not the New Adventures, or even the BBC Book novels, are canon. However, they probably are not; convention has generally been that unless it is actually televised, it can be ignored by writers. (Edge case: the 1996 telemovie. It’s canon insofar as there was an 8th Doctor, and the BBC considers him to have looked like Paul McGann. But the “half-human” thing was simply dropped and never spoken of again, as was the “Master executed by Daleks” thing. The latter could be retconned; the former, not so much, though fans and the New Adventure “Human Nature” made some valiant efforts. Note that “Human Nature” was later reworked into a script for the new Dr Who series, so the series does supercede novels.)
Lungbarrow. (That’s the Doctor’s family name, according to the book.) It reveals Time Lord family structures and reproductive strategies — turns out, they’re all sterile, and reproduce only by the aid of technology. It contradicts the impression given in older serials (e.g. “Invasion of Time”, “Armageddon Factor”) and in the new series (“The Doctor’s Daughter”) that not all Gallifreyans are Time Lords — it’s a title, not a species, and it has to be earned. The new series most directly contradicted Lungbarrow in “The Sound of Drums”, when we are shown the Master’s initiation ceremony, where he looks into the Vortex. He is depicted as a young boy. “Lungbarrow” establishes that Time Lords come into the world fully-grown — with the unique exception of the Doctor.
So I think we can comfortably say that “Lungbarrow” is not canon.
posted by Calli Arcale on 6-18-2010 at 10:50 pm
The real name of The Church Lady on “Saturday Night Live” was Enid Strict.
The real name of “Tootie” on “The Facts of Life” was Dorothy Ramsey.
On “Happy Days”, the real names of:
Chach: Charles Arcola
Fonzie/the Fonz: Arthur Fonzerelli
Potsie: Warren Weber
On “Laverne & Shirley”- Squiggy’s real name was Andrew Squigman
In “16 Candles”, the Geek’s real name is Ted.
That’s all I can remember for now, except to say that Sting (the singer) got his nickname because he was in the habit of wearing and black & yellow striped jersey (like a bee.)
posted by Bill S on 6-21-2010 at 10:59 am
Ted Shackleford? Like in Gary Ewing from Knots Landing and currently Jeffrey Bardwell on The Young and the Restless? HE’S the man in the yellow hat? Does Joan Van Ark know this?
posted by Doug K. on 6-21-2010 at 11:58 am
The name of the mascot for The Home Depot is Homer D. Poe
posted by Wally on 6-21-2010 at 1:23 pm
Thank you Calli Arcale! I was going to point out that any of the non-televised information can’t be considered canon because it can be easily contradicted by the series. For all intents and purposes, we do not know anything about the Doctor’s real name or background (aside from being Gallifreyian). He may be half-human, he may not – it would be interesting to find out (if he is half-human, is that why he was able to survive the Time War as he did? If he isn’t, where did his strange fascination with humans come from?). For all intents and purposes, the books and audio recordings (especially those not produced by the BBC) should be treated as no better than fan fiction.
posted by Kate on 6-21-2010 at 10:51 pm
Newman from Seinfeld??? His first name is Francis…
posted by Janet (Tiffany Tyler) on 6-22-2010 at 3:28 am
@Charles Grossman:
Prince’s full name is Prince Rogers Nelson…I thought everybody knew that.
posted by Carole on 6-22-2010 at 4:36 pm
Dot Warner of the Animaniacs:
Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third
Derived from Pippi Longstocking, who’s full name is Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Efraim’s Daughter Longstocking
posted by Greg W on 6-28-2010 at 11:36 am
Mr. Bond, Auric Goldfinger is indeed a play on the element AU ( Latin for Aurum) as Fleming had to distance himself from a neighbour that had the same surname and chose the Baltic sounding Auric ( he was Latvian )in order to avoid defamation charges. By the way, are you aware that James Bond was an ornithologist and Fleming took his name from a book he had authored about birds in the Caribbean. This book was at Fleming’s house in Jamaica,which was called “Goldeneye”.
posted by Brad on 6-28-2010 at 12:50 pm
Hmmm, the only ones I’ve got at the moment:
Farkus Bulkmeier and Eugene Skullovich – Bulk and Skull from Power Rangers.
Kevin Lee and Eddie Gelfin – Ug and Donkey Lips from Salute Your Shorts.
posted by fawndolyn on 6-28-2010 at 3:42 pm
@ Some Fellow, actually, that’s not at all an unusual occurrance. The actor Stewart Granger’s real name is James Stewart, but there was already one of those (although he generally went by “Jimmy Stewart.”) Michael J. Fox’s real name is Michael A. Fox but, being Canadian, he didn’t want everyone making “Michael Eh Fox” jokes, so he changed his initial.
posted by Culmidon on 7-2-2010 at 11:30 pm
@ Charles Grossman – And Madonna’s real name is Madonna Louise Ciccone. But, like Cher (Cherlyn Sarkisian) she now goes by just the one name. (And I may be a bit off on the spelling of Cher’s last name, but it’s close.)
posted by Culmidon on 7-2-2010 at 11:33 pm
What is Penny’s last name? (The Big Bang Theory)
posted by na4 on 7-5-2010 at 8:40 pm
The Starbucks Siren’s name is Lucy.
posted by sddddddddd on 7-7-2010 at 12:02 am
Does Snow White’s prince have a name? I’ve always wondered, because Cinderella has “Prince Charming” and Sleeping Beauty has “Prince Phillip,” etc. But as far as I could ever tell, Snow White’s was just “a prince.”
posted by Sarah on 7-9-2010 at 1:44 pm
“Sleeping Beauty”s real name is Aurora. I thought John Wayne’s middle name was Micheal.
posted by Sara in Al on 7-12-2010 at 10:17 am
#17- Scooby’s name is actually Scoobert.
posted by Sara in Al on 7-12-2010 at 10:19 am
Gilligan’s first name was never mentioned. Sherwood Schwartz says Gilligan’s first name would have been “Willy” if he ever needed it. But Bob Denver was told it was “Gil Egan” when he asked Schwartz when filming the pilot.
posted by tvscifi on 7-13-2010 at 2:09 pm
Jeeves’ first name is Reginald.
posted by 2bookworm on 7-13-2010 at 4:23 pm
Here’s a little fictional character real name fact I always found intersting.
The Incredible Hulk is Dr. Bruce Banner in the Marvle Comics but in the T.V. series starring Bill Bixby the Hulk is Dr. David Banner. The reason for the change was that the show runner didn’t want to have too much association with the comics source material.
posted by Chris A on 7-13-2010 at 4:51 pm
Speaking of Peanuts, Violet’s last name is “Gray”.
posted by Peter on 7-14-2010 at 3:11 pm
Actually, the reason Michael J. Fox uses a middle initial at all is that when he joined the Screen Actors’ Guild, there was already a Michael Fox – a wonderful old character actor who must have appeared on every TV series from the ’50s through to the 80s.
In the same vein, this is why William H. Macy has to use a middle initial, in order to distinguish himself from Bill Macy (aka Maude’s husband).
Not to mention John C. Reilly, whose initial-free namesake has been a popular soap opera actor for years.
This could be the start of another thread altogether.
posted by Mike Doran (aka Lowbrow Crank) on 7-15-2010 at 12:12 pm
Granny Clampett’s name was Daisy Moses.
posted by Rebecca on 7-17-2010 at 4:43 pm
In Hey Arnold, what was Arnold’s last name? I heard it is suspected to be “Shortman”, because the creator once revealed that it is something that Grandpa said often.
posted by Barbara on 7-17-2010 at 5:02 pm
“I’m ashamed to admit it took me years of ‘The 70′s Show’ to realize that his name wasn’t Fez – that was a nicknamed abbreviation for ‘Foreign Exchange Student.’
posted by Lorne on 6-8-2010 at 2:55 pm ”
I never knew that…does anyone know his actual name?
posted by Carole on 7-19-2010 at 5:00 pm
The New York Post’s annual cover guy with the monocle is Eustace W. Tilly.
posted by David Starobin on 7-23-2010 at 10:55 am
Sorry….I meant to say Newyorker magazine, not NY Post.
posted by David Starobin on 7-23-2010 at 10:56 am
Charlotte’s Web: The spider’s full name is “Charlotte A. Cavatica”.
posted by Frank on 7-28-2010 at 12:51 am
Lenny and Squiggy were Leonard Kosnowsky (Polish for “help, there’s a hog in my kitchen”) and Andrew Squigman.
posted by Kaz on 7-29-2010 at 12:31 pm
On Home Improvement, Wilson’s full name is Wilson W. Wilson, Jr. (I think the middle W stands for Wilson, too)!
posted by RachSparkles on 8-1-2010 at 8:47 pm
@bertrand:
“:“Bibendum†isn’t the Michelin Man first name. It’s its original nickname in France. Brush up you French”
Michelin is a french based company, and the name, as you clearly state, that they gave the Michelin man is Bibendum. So, obviously that IS the Michelin man’s name. It looks like you need to brush up on your french. Oh, and if you want to look serious, don’t quote wikipedia…
posted by Josie on 8-3-2010 at 3:32 pm
Donkey’s name in the Shrek movies is Duncan. It’s listed in the credits as such and is actally said during the movie, but everyone calls him Donkey.
posted by Kelly on 8-4-2010 at 9:09 am
Fez’s name was mentioned in one episode, but the bell rings (for a really long time) as he says it. According to Wilmer Valderamma, what he said was all of the actors real names combined. “LaurePreponWilmerValderammaDannyMastersonAshtonKutcherTopherGraceMilaKunis”
posted by Francesmomma on 8-5-2010 at 2:18 pm
Astro’s name given to him by his first owner was Tralfaz. He hated that name.
Found on
http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/4620-Millionaire_Astro.html
posted by Bryan on 8-5-2010 at 2:29 pm
What about “the man with no name” from the Clint Eastwood/Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns? Anyone know his name?
posted by Marc on 8-27-2010 at 3:36 pm
Harry Morgan of *MASH* fame was actually Henry Morgan, but somebody already had that name in SAG.
posted by Tim S. on 9-1-2010 at 6:20 am
Ugly Naked Guy.
posted by Jamee on 9-4-2010 at 8:50 pm
The Phantom of the Opera’s name is Erik according to the original novel.
posted by Marie Noire on 9-10-2010 at 11:54 pm
What was Beast’s real name in Beauty and the Beast?
posted by James on 9-13-2010 at 9:49 pm
The “Beast” was named Vincent. Wikipedia is your friend.
posted by Julie on 9-16-2010 at 9:13 pm
And Krusty the Clown’s real name is Herschel Krustofsky. :-) We really have no life…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krusty_the_Clown
posted by Kali on 9-20-2010 at 10:05 pm
Only two characters were ever fully named on The Lone Ranger: Dan Reid (Jr.?) and his mother Linda. Never the Ranger himself. And not the Ranger’s brother, either, although he is usually considered to be named Dan (if the “Jr.” is correct”).
And the Green Hornet is Britt Reid, Dan’s son.
posted by Kali on 9-20-2010 at 10:11 pm
Mickey Mouse was almost named Mortimer
posted by merg on 9-23-2010 at 7:07 pm
The janitor’s name on Scrubs is Glenn Mathews :D
posted by Anshin on 9-24-2010 at 8:17 am
Actually,Chris A, Banner’s first name on the Incredible Hulk tv show was changed from Bruce to David because the show felt that the name Bruce was too gay. His full name on the show was Dr. David Bruce Banner.
posted by joethestampede on 9-28-2010 at 8:55 pm
MRS. GRUNDY from Archie:
Her first name is often written as Geraldine. But in a Little Archie story where she discovered that Jughead’s first name is Forsythe – and makes him use it in class – Jughead discovers that her real name is Grisensnable.
posted by astrogirl096 on 10-5-2010 at 10:43 pm
joethestampede: the producer of The Hulk denied that was the reason. He just didn’t like the comic book alliteration (whereas Stan Lee loved it because it made it easier to remember names when he was writing fifty books a week, except when he called Spider-Man Peter Palmer once).
Anyone know if the Gecko in the Geiko commercials has a name?
The Warner Bros’ frog is named Michigan J. Frog. Hello my baby/Hello my honey/Hello my ragtime doll…
posted by Kali on 10-11-2010 at 7:23 pm
The Pep Boys are Manny, Moe, and Jack.
posted by Ogre on 10-14-2010 at 9:48 am
The gecko’s name is The Gecko (that’s what his name tag says).
posted by Mark on 10-15-2010 at 6:43 pm
The Man with No Name’s real name is Joe. (Clint Eastwood is credited with playing JOE in “A Fistful of Dollars”.
posted by The real Ogre on 10-16-2010 at 12:19 am
Cinderella’s prince Charming was Philip.
posted by Sara in Al on 10-29-2010 at 1:37 pm
What was the second Mrs. de Winter’s name in Rebecca? I don’t think it was ever mentioned in the book.
posted by Kris on 11-3-2010 at 12:46 pm
The second Mrs. de Winter’s name was purposely never revealed. It is only identified as “an unusual one” by other characters in the book. This added to the mysterious, Gothic atmosphere of the novel.
posted by Jo on 11-4-2010 at 3:41 am
DJ Connor was David Jacob Connor (Roseanne)
posted by Evo on 11-7-2010 at 2:02 pm
Hoss’ (Bonanza) real name was Eric.
posted by Kitty on 11-8-2010 at 12:26 pm
Not fictional I know, but Freddie Mercury’s real name was Farrokh Bulsara. Also Englebert Humperdink was really George Dorsey.
I can see why Freddie picked a more chart friendly name but Englebert??
posted by Greg on 11-11-2010 at 6:51 am
How about unknown MIDDLE names?
On “The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis”, an early TV series starring Dwayne Hickman as Dobie and Bob (later Gilligan) Denver as Maynard G. Krebs, Maynard was once asked what the “G.” sttod for.
His response — “Walter”
posted by Maynard (really!) on 11-15-2010 at 3:04 pm
The Lone Ranger’s first name is Dan, not John. Didn’t see if somebody else caught that…
posted by Rich on 11-15-2010 at 6:47 pm
In the 20th episode of Seinfeld’s 6th season (entitled The Doodle ), it is revealed that Newman’s first name is Francis.
posted by bella on 11-16-2010 at 5:07 pm
The Lone Ranger’s brother is Dan, not the Ranger himself. The Ranger’s nephew is also named Dan.
posted by Kali on 11-17-2010 at 6:35 pm
We never learn the Narrator’s name from Fight Club…
posted by Jess on 11-24-2010 at 7:53 pm
I made up the name for Comic Book Guy as Russell FitzPatrick… still think it fits better than Jeff Albertson
posted by Dallas Treado on 12-6-2010 at 2:45 am
@Big Jonny–Spike’s full name on Buffy The Vampire Slayer was revealed to be William Pratt in Season 7. His mother was Anne Pratt. And yes, he was “William the Bloody Awful Poet”. :D
posted by Dede on 12-14-2010 at 12:13 pm
Wasn’t Newman’s first name Stewart? I seem to remember Jerry calling him “Stewie” once…..
posted by Twiddle on 12-14-2010 at 2:24 pm
BTW (off topic) The band Lynard Skynard got their name from their high school P.E. teacher.
posted by Twiddle on 12-14-2010 at 2:31 pm
The official word on “The Doctor” from Star Trek Voyager:
Starfleet did not assign a name and initially the Doctor maintained that he did not want one. Later, he adopted such names as ‘Schmullus’ (by a Vidiian patient), ‘Schweitzer’ (after Albert Schweitzer), ‘Van Gogh’, ‘Kenneth’, ‘Jones’, and several others. The captioned dialog of early episodes, and early promotional material for the series’ premiere, referred to him as ‘Dr. Zimmerman’, after his creator, Lewis Zimmerman. In the series finale, a future is shown where he has chosen the name “Joe.”
posted by Michael on 12-15-2010 at 1:39 pm
The Brady Bunch’s Alice’s last name was Nelson. Sam the butcher was Sam Franklin
posted by bradyphile on 12-20-2010 at 1:07 am
The beast from beauty and the beast is Adam not Vincent.
posted by Shayna on 1-8-2011 at 6:54 pm
My all-time favorite: Wilma Flintstone’s mothers’ real name is Pearl Slagghoople!!
posted by jay on 1-10-2011 at 4:48 am
The Doctors real name is said accidently in one of the old episodes but I have not been able to find which episode. I think it was in key to time series. His name was not originally a big deal.
posted by meg on 1-10-2011 at 5:38 pm
What, you want another Whovian geekout, meg? :-D
You’re thinking of “The Armageddon Factor”, and it was actually his old academy nickname: Theta Sigma, or “thete” for short. (In Drax’s Cockney dialect, this can be misheard as “Feet”, which confused a lot of American fans.) The series five (as in last year) finale, “The Pandorica Opens”, paid a brief homage to this by including the Greek letters theta and sigma in the graffiti scrawled by River Song as a message to the Doctor. But it’s still not his real name, any more than “John Smith” is.
Your recollection is correct, though — it was in the Key to Time. “The Armageddon Factor” is actually the six-part conclusion to the Key to Time (and the finale for Season Sixteen).
posted by Calli Arcale on 1-12-2011 at 3:09 pm
While on the subject of Doctor Who, here are some more names you might not know….
The Brigadier’s full name is Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, and he’s actually a Scot.
Romana’s full name is not exactly a secret, but challenging to remember and spell: Romanadvoratrelundar. The Doctor said he’d call her either “Romana” or “Fred”. She picked “Fred”, but the Doctor ignored the choice.
Time Lords aren’t the only ones who might get kooky names; Peri’s full name is Perpugilliam Brown. No wonder she goes by Peri.
Turlough’s first name, given only once on the show, is Vislor.
Dodo’s full name is Dorothea Chaplet.
Mel’s full name is Melanie Bush.
Ace’s real name is Dorothy. The production team wanted her surname to be “Gale”, in reference to the Wizard of Oz and the timestorm that swept her out of England, but this was never used on the series. In the novels, her surname is “McShane”, but the novels are generally not canon so technically the surname’s still up for grabs.
Susan’s reported surname is “Foreman”, and this is what she used on her school admissions forms in 1963. However, this is probably a pseudonym taken from the name of the person who owned the junkyard where the TARDIS was parked. Like her mysterious grandfather, the Doctor, Susan’s real name is a mystery. (She does treat “Susan” as a real name, but I wouldn’t put too much stock in that.)
—-
Another show with a lot of obfuscated names is The Prisoner. Very rarely, we get to learn people’s actual names, but the biggest mystery is Number Six. Patrick McGoohan was always coy about it, and was adamant that the show was not a sequel to “Danger Man”. However, the co-creator of the series, George Markham, had a different opinion — Number Six actually is John Drake. Notably, in the opening sequence, the redacted name of Number Six has the right number of characters to be John Drake; given that Markham would have been mostly in charge of that, it’s probably not coincidence. But is he John Drake? The world may never know. ;-)
posted by Calli Arcale on 1-12-2011 at 3:46 pm
Well, Ms. Frizzle’s name is Valerie Felicity Frizzle :)
posted by Laura Ann on 1-22-2011 at 3:41 am
Gilligan – the question here is, was that his first or last name? I recently heard someone being interviewed close to the original TV show’s creators, an insider, being asked this question. He said that although it was never used, he was given a full name “just in case it were ever needed.”
Willie Gilligan (or Willy Gilligan)
posted by Kentucky Dave on 1-24-2011 at 10:41 am
From the title of the post, I thought it would be a list of characters that are never named, like the Continental Op or Frankenstein’s monster.
posted by Tom on 2-3-2011 at 10:45 pm
The janitor’s name from scrubs is Glenn Mathews
posted by Mary on 3-25-2011 at 3:38 pm
Someone mentioned Michael Keaton is not the man’s real name. But there’s more to the story.
Michael’s birth name is Michael Douglas (already claimed by Kirk’s son), so he adopted the name Keaton out of admiration for Diane Keaton. But Diane Keaton is not Diane Keaton. She was born Diane Hall (and yes, people called her Annie Hall). She chose her stage name out of admiration for Buster Keaton. Now if some actor will adopt the Keaton name to honour Michael, the chain will keep going.
But my favorite adopted stage name is filmmaker Albert Brooks who was born Albert Einstein (and who is brother to Bob Einstein better known as Super Dave Osborne).
posted by db on 3-28-2011 at 8:23 pm
Quincy’s first name on the medical crime drama “Quincy” was never revealed, but his business card read “R. Quincy”. I actually corresponded with Allen Cole, the creator of the Quincy character, and he told me the same thing. I maintain that during Quincy’s wedding ceremony, the minister mentioned his real first name, but someone sneezed or coughed at the same time. I want to say it was a Greek name.
posted by Michael Pollick on 4-1-2011 at 1:18 pm
David Bowie was born David Jones – but that was in use by the Monkees
posted by GS on 4-2-2011 at 5:09 am
Red Monster Facts:
In the 1952 Bugs Bunny short Water, Water Every Hare, in which the Red Monster was referred to as “Rudolph”.
In Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century in 1980. This is the first cartoon where the Red Monster is called “Gossamer”, and is named that by Marvin the Martian.
posted by Keith Hartzog on 4-3-2011 at 2:11 pm
To Julie and Shayna, you guys are thinking of different Beasts. Vincent was the Beast in the ’80′s tv series, and Adam was the Beast in the Disney movie.
Sara in AI, you’re thinking of Sleeping Beauty.
posted by Nomi-209 on 4-23-2011 at 2:04 am
Does anyone know Ugly Naked Guy’s name from Friends? He belongs on the list.
posted by R.S. on 4-25-2011 at 11:31 am
In Middle Earth, Gandalf was known by many names among many different peoples. Real Tolkien nerds know him by his real name…Olorin.
posted by Scottlac on 5-2-2011 at 11:11 am
Astroboy: originally named after his creator’s dead son, Tobio Tenma.
posted by GG on 5-2-2011 at 1:37 pm
Well, if the red monster wasn’t named Gossamer until one of those “raking in the money that our grandfolks earned” deals by WB in 1980, then his name ain’t Gossamer. I know he was called Rudolph in the original cartoon and he belongs to the Mad Scientist.
Anything Bugs Bunny after about 1965 is non-canonical, and shouldn’t be considered for inclusion.
posted by Oddsteverino on 5-4-2011 at 5:25 pm
Big or Mr. Big on “Sex and the City” never got a real name until the very last episode, when the viewers see the name pop up on Carrie’s cell phone.
The name: John
posted by Emily on 5-4-2011 at 6:45 pm
SATC finally gives Mr. Big a full name in the movie: John James Preston.
In SATC 2, Carrie sees John chatting with an attractive woman at a reception. Wanting to make sure that the woman knows that Big is married, she introduces herself as “Carrie Preston.”
posted by Louise on 5-9-2011 at 10:31 am
Mr. Big on Sex and the City is John Preston
posted by MM on 5-23-2011 at 1:08 am
More from Gilligan’s Island: Gilligan’s first name was William. Mary Ann’s last name was Rogers. And we’ve always known Skipper and Professor’s actual names, but how many people know what the Professor was a Professor *of*?
You’re not going to believe it: He was a Professor of ENGLISH.
posted by Joe on 5-23-2011 at 4:18 am
Jughead’s name is Forscythe P Jones. His sister is named Forscythia, although she is more commonly known as Jellybean
posted by Mayer on 5-29-2011 at 10:42 am
Does anyone know the family’s last name on “According To Jim”?
posted by delinquent on 6-1-2011 at 2:22 am
Actually Mary Anne’s last name on Gilligan’s Island was Summers
posted by delinquent on 6-1-2011 at 2:24 am
Trixie’s real name on “The Honeymooners” was Thelma. Moose from the Archie comics was actually named Marmaduke. And Major Frank Burns full name was Franklin Delano Roosevelt Burns (MASH)
posted by delinquent on 6-1-2011 at 2:27 am
The picture of Mildred that Colonel Potter keeps on his desk is actually actress Spring Byington (That’s going back a long way)
posted by delinquent on 6-1-2011 at 2:38 am
^^
I always thought that “Mildred” was Harry Morgan’s first wife, Eileen Detchon.
posted by stickie on 6-2-2011 at 12:39 am
doctor who – Theta Sigma was the Doctor’s nickname at Prydon Academy on Gallifrey, but his true name is an ongoing mystery never revealed in the show.
posted by mortified on 6-5-2011 at 8:45 pm
The only indication to the main character of fight club is the video game, where he is named “Jack”, specifically with the quotes, as in “I am Jack’s colon.”
Doctor Who is called Doctor Who twice, once by an evil computer, but I can’t remember the second time.
Fez’s name and nationality are intentionally never revealed so that people wouldn’t assign him to a stereotype.
The Janitor could be Glenn Matthews or Neil Flynn, although, as has been pointed out, someone immediately calls him Kenny and Neil Flynn could be a stage name.
Lastly, just for kicks, one of the hundreds of names of the Star Wars characters is Hammerhead, the Ithorian from the Mos Eisley cantina in A New Hope.
posted by Azrael on 6-10-2011 at 10:04 pm
The Janitor’s name is Tom. (Off Scrubs)
posted by Hannah on 6-13-2011 at 4:21 pm
Okay, new information. The Janitor’s name is in fact Glenn Matthews, this is evidenced on the bonus disc of the complete series, where the series creator confirms it as well as during speech where he said that The Janitor’s name was the same as the janitor on clone high, Glenn voiced by Neil Flynn.
posted by Azrael on 6-14-2011 at 6:59 pm
The Mario Brothers, Luigi and Mario are just that: Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.
posted by Jiro25 on 6-20-2011 at 11:29 am
Probably the most famous of all, we never learn the narrator’s name in Moby Dick.
“Call me Ishmael” isn’t the same thing as ‘my name is Ishmael’.
posted by sroz on 6-23-2011 at 9:37 am
With A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell his initials stand for Albert Clifford.
Screech’s actual name was Samuel Powers.
posted by Tiff Schwarz on 6-24-2011 at 3:05 pm
I don’t think that we ever found out what his real name is, but does anyone know the name of the Smoking Man from X-Files???
posted by Brenna on 6-28-2011 at 4:40 pm
Smoking man’s name is C.G.B. Spender
posted by Mildred on 7-9-2011 at 5:48 am
On WKRP.
Dr. Johnny Fever – was John Caravella, he often uses an air name, notably including Johnny Cool, Johnny Duke, Johnny Style, Johnny Midnight, Johnny Sunshine, Professor Sunshine, Rip Tide and Heavy Early.
Venus Flytrap – His real name, Gordon Sims
posted by Mr Boomer on 7-10-2011 at 7:50 pm
Continuing the Buffyverse theme, it was revealed in the later comic series that Faith’s last name is Lahane and Spike’s full birth name was William Pratt.
posted by Robin on 7-11-2011 at 7:54 am
Dan Fielding was lying when he said his name was Reinhold.
posted by Amber on 7-14-2011 at 2:18 pm
In The Lion King, Nala’s mother only has one line or so and her name is never mentioned. But in the credits she’s called Serafina.
posted by Stefan on 7-14-2011 at 8:08 pm
Merlin’s real name is Welsh: Myrddin, but it was changed to “Merlin” when it was Latinized because “Myrddin” sounds too close to the Latin word for “sh*t.”
posted by Chandamyaya on 7-15-2011 at 11:34 am
Amy…the very first paragraph of Great Expectations tells you that.
posted by ohepi on 7-23-2011 at 8:54 pm
@Nomi-209- Oops, you’re right. Sometimes I tend to get mixed up.
posted by Sara in Al on 7-25-2011 at 3:31 pm
Hmmm, let’s see,..
Janitor: Glenn Mathews; confirmed by series creator Bill Lawrence in several venues.
The Doctor: indeed, no name. The general rule for visual media and canon is that it’s not canonical unless it *appears on screen in the first airing of the program in its normal habitat*; this caters for syndicated reruns that cut things. Creators of a universe are permitted to unilateral extend this, but examples of them *cutting* things from canon that actually were seen by paying audiences are rare; successful ones even less so: Han *still* shot first.
Penny from TBBT *does not have a known last name*; I’m pretty sure Bill Prady has confirmed this in print. If she does have a name, Wikipedia’s editors have failed to confirm it.. and we had Remy Hadley and Calliope Torres’ names the nights those episodes aired. :-)
Snopes covers the Willy Gilligan issue in about as much depth as is possible; with the recent death of Sherwood Schwartz, we are going to have to permanently mark that one “unresolved”, I think.
Robert B Parker’s Spenser is another entrant in the “has no first name” contest; his companion Hawk has no last name; both of those confirmed by Parker in print *well* before *his* untimely death last year. (The Spenser series will be continued by Ace Atkins; Jesse Stone by the guy who’s been writing the screenplays for CBS; the former worries us more than the latter).
And I think I want to marry Calli. :-)
posted by Baylink on 7-26-2011 at 12:09 am
And @CraigyFerg has just advised that Matt Smith and Karen Gillan are on his show this week. JFYI.
posted by Baylink on 7-26-2011 at 12:11 am
In the book and play “Wicked,” we learn the wicked witch of the west’s name is Elphaba Thropp. Frank Baum never named her in the original series.
posted by GhostSteven on 7-30-2011 at 12:11 am
M*A*S*H* geekery:
B.J. Hunnicutt may have been named for his parents, Bea and Jay, but his given name is B.J.
Although commonly known as Francis Mulcahy, Father Mulchay’s full name was either John Patrick Francis Mulcahy or Francis John Patrick Mulcahy depending on what season you’re watching.
And in keeping with the John Francis theme, Trapper’s full name is John Francis Xavier McIntyre.
The P.A. Announcer never had a name, but was played by two different actors.
Nurse Kellye’s first name is Kealani.
We never find out what the Q. in Maxwell Q. Klinger stands for.
Walter “Radar” O’Reilly’s middle name is Eugene.
Spearchucker Jones’ full name is Dr. Oliver Harmon Jones.
posted by eljae on 7-30-2011 at 11:02 pm
The Doctor’s name is apparently only known to one currently living person: River Song.
Before that, we only learn his University nickname of “Theta Sigma” aka “Thety”, which has been seen on a couple of River’s graffiti notes to her “Sweetie”.
(cliff face containing the “oldest writing in the universe” and the black/home box of the Byzantium.)
“Theta Sigma” is also Greek for “God”.
River Song has (allegedly?) been revealed as Melody Pond (aka Williams), daughter of Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Of course, this may be a ruse in a much larger gambit. Time will tell.
and, as noted, “Capt. Jack Harkness” assumed the name of a man he overheard dying over the radio while in WWII prior to meeting the 9th Doctor and Rose Tyler. On a chance meeting with the real Jack, he introduced himself as “James Harper”. Whether this is a nod to the DC Comics character of The Guardian (aka Golden Guardian), Jim Harper, is unknown. This Guardian is also related to Roy Harper (aka Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow).
posted by Brainlock on 7-31-2011 at 9:28 pm
Ted Shackleford is the alias that Dale Gribble uses on King Of The Hill.
posted by mansard peridot on 8-1-2011 at 10:11 pm
the janitor from Scrubs name is Glenn Matthews
posted by bswear on 8-3-2011 at 1:30 pm
Ulysses S Grant’s real name was Hiram Ulysses Grant.
posted by RonReynolds on 8-5-2011 at 2:35 pm
Spike’s real name was William Pratt, eh?
As it happens, that was the birth name of a well-known British actor, better known as Boris Karloff.
posted by Mike Doran (aka Lowbrow Crank) on 8-8-2011 at 12:42 pm
The narrator of Fight Club’s name is “Jack”
posted by Nick on 8-11-2011 at 12:53 am
Someone mentioned the wrestler Sting. Here are a few other wrestler names
Edge: Adam Copeland (Not to be confused with The Edge who is mentioned in the article)
Christian: William Jason Reso.
Undertaker: Mark Callaway
Rey Mysterio: Oscar Guiterezz
Kane: Glen Jacobs
CM Punk: Phillip Brooks
The Rock: Dwayne Johnson.
posted by Tigercub on 8-24-2011 at 4:20 pm
SPOILER ALERT
Don’t read if you want to watch Fight Club for the first time! :)
The Narrator’s name is, obviously, Tyler Durden.
Watch carefully and you will know how and why.
END OF SPOILER
posted by Boldizsar on 8-29-2011 at 6:16 pm
Annyong of Arrested Development was not actually the character’s name. Annyong is just Korean(?) for Hello.
The character’s real name? Hel-loh.
posted by Jon on 8-30-2011 at 12:45 am
The land of “Oz” was named so from a file cabnet in Frank L. Baum’s office labeled ‘O-Z’.
posted by Nikki on 8-30-2011 at 1:34 pm
Also Frankenstien’s monster was never given a name he was always refered to as a monster.
posted by Nikki on 8-30-2011 at 3:10 pm
On Reno! 911, what is Officer Jones’ first name? His first initial is given as ‘S’.
posted by Jenks on 9-1-2011 at 1:15 pm
Citations needed
posted by MrJM on 9-2-2011 at 11:57 am
In the episode where Jerry dated a women who previously went out with Newman, didn’t she call him “Dwayne”?
posted by DrJohn on 9-2-2011 at 12:35 pm
It’s true that the maiden name of Mrs. Howell (of Gilligan’s Island) is Wentworth, but her first name is NOT ‘Lovey’; that’s merely an affectionate nickname from her husband. According to the show’s bible, her actual first name is Eunice.
posted by Neil on 9-2-2011 at 10:35 pm
It was never mentioned in the show, obviously, but among early Star Trek fans in the late 1960′s, Spock’s last name was given as “Xtmpqzntwlfb”. Don’t ask me how to pronounce it. Even his mother (“Journey to Babel”) had trouble with it. (“After a fashion, and after many years of practice..”)
The “T” in James T. Kirk is “Tiberius”, as we now know, but it wasn’t revealed officially until 1974, in the animated episode “BEM”. In live-action, his middle name wasn’t spoken out loud until the courtroom scene on the Klingon homeworld in Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country.
Sulu’s first name, Hikaru, was first given in a Star Trek novel, “The Entropy Effect,” written by Vonda McIntyre, and eventually adopted into canon, mentioned out loud in ST6 and in the Star Trek reboot.
Dr. McCoy gives his middle initial as “H” in Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock, but the sign on sickbay in Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan says “Leonard E. McCoy.”
posted by Jerry Modene on 9-3-2011 at 3:00 am
In Blackadder, Baldrick is the character’s surname – his 18th-century incarnation has the first name “Sodoff”.
As in “Hello, I’m Baldrick.” “Yes, we know. Sod off, Baldrick.”
:)
posted by Anne Lyle on 9-4-2011 at 11:05 am
In Scrubs, the janitors’ real namein Glenn Matthews. Here’s the story: Bill Lawrence, the creator of the show, came to my school The College of William and Mary. He said that the janitor’s name was the same as the janitor from his old show Clone High. His name was Glenn.
posted by Annabeth on 9-4-2011 at 11:53 pm
Another couple of mysteries – they never gave the names of Calvin’s parents (or even his last name) in “Calvin and Hobbes”; they also never gave the first names of Timmy Turner’s parents on “Fairly Oddparents”.
posted by Jerry Modene on 9-7-2011 at 2:27 am
@mansard peridot – The name Dale uses is Rusty Shackelford, not Ted.
posted by Laura on 9-14-2011 at 10:27 pm
In “Happiness Patrol” The Doctor mentions the Theta Sigma name.
posted by Papa Marty on 9-17-2011 at 3:55 pm
I thought “Fez” was a joke about the hat he wears in his country of origin. Ya know? Fez hat?
posted by Eve on 9-22-2011 at 11:48 am
MacGyver’s name is Angus MacGyver. It’s a family name that he was never fond of.
posted by Nikki on 9-24-2011 at 12:50 pm
@eljae Sal Viscuso (“Father Tim” from SOAP among others) was one of the PA announcers on MASH Any idea on who was the other?
posted by delinquent on 9-24-2011 at 1:14 pm
The real name of the Man in Black from Lost is never mentioned in the show, but in the script it’s listed as Samuel.
posted by katieh on 9-27-2011 at 5:31 pm
@Azrael: It’s intentional on Palahniuk’s part not to include a name for the protagonist in Fight Club. “Jack’s colon” is offset by “Jill’s nipple”, rendering it a relatively pointless joke. However, in the novel, he uses the term “Joe’s __” instead.
posted by Evee on 9-30-2011 at 5:57 pm
The wizard of oz initials are OZ PIN HEAD…
posted by CR Whitney on 10-1-2011 at 3:56 am
Anyone know what Miss Parker’s first name is in “The Pretender?” Even in the credits the actress’ name was listed as Miss Parker
posted by Rach on 10-5-2011 at 8:34 am
Actually, the story See The Circus is not a Curious George story. The story was written and illustrated by H A Rey, where the Curious George books were all written by Margaret Rey and illustrated by H A Rey. The Man in the Yellow Hat was never named in the books, as they were written from George’s perspective.
posted by Lissa on 10-5-2011 at 1:53 pm
The “and I” of “Withnail and I” is Marwood. They never say in the film, Withnail and Monty call him “lover” and “boy”, respectively.
posted by Julia on 10-5-2011 at 2:21 pm
Nicolas Cage was born Nicolas Coppola, and is the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola. He wanted to make it on his own as an actor and not on the advantage of a famous name or family ties, so he took the name “Cage” from the comic book character Luke Cage, a.k.a. Power Man.
Incidentally, “Luke Cage” was itself an alias. The character’s actual name was Carl Lucas; he took the pseudonym “Luke Cage” as a superhero because he was a prison escapee. After Cage was cleared of the charges that sent him to jail, he legally changed his name to “Lucas Cage”.
posted by Pennyforth on 10-5-2011 at 4:25 pm
I don’t know if this has been posted, but The Phantom of the Opera’s name is Eric. Never named in the musical though, just in Gaston Leroux’s book.
posted by ala on 10-7-2011 at 1:12 am
For a short period a few years ago, the GEICO (it’s an acronym) website revealed the Gecko’s name. Their merchandising included a toy plush Gecko. The toy is still there but the name is gone.
He is (or was) called Ashe.
My wife is a huge fan and she found it. A few months later we went back and the “12 inch Ashe the Gecko plush” was simply listed as “12 inch Gecko plush”.
posted by Andy on 10-8-2011 at 11:56 pm
The name of The Virginian, the lead character in the TV series of the same name, and played by James Drury, is never once given. In fact, in the 1902 novel by Owen Wister, the Virginian is also not named! I always thought this was odd, how other characters in the show had to address the Virginian..by not calling him anything! A male character would sometimes call him ramrod.
posted by Don Towers on 10-10-2011 at 10:56 pm
Bicycle Bill- I read somewhere that her first name was Eunice.
posted by Sara in Al on 10-11-2011 at 12:55 pm
If you haven’t seen/read Wicked, the Wicked Witch of the West’s name is Elphaba Thropp and the Wicked Witch of the East is called Nessarose.
posted by Stephie on 10-16-2011 at 8:26 am
Donald duck’s middle name according to his draft papers is “Fauntleroy”
The name “Willy Wonka” was the inspiration from the name that Roald Dahl had come from a boomerang his elder brother had made for him when he was a boy which he called Skilly Wonka.
After his death it was reveiled that Roald himself had corresponded with a “Will Wonka” who was a postman in Blue Hill, Nebraska.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-amazing-story-of-roald-dahl-and-the-reallife-willy-wonka-555870.html
posted by Crusadir on 10-20-2011 at 3:16 pm
@Rach – Miss Parker of The Pretender MAY have the first name “Angel” or “Angela”, as her father always calls her Angel… however, this may be only a term of endearment.
posted by Cleo on 10-20-2011 at 5:01 pm
When Charlie Chaplin ate his shoe in the Gold Rush movie who was the the old miner with him?
posted by Bill Zeidlik on 10-21-2011 at 10:41 pm
I don’t think anyone has mentioned this: we do not know Tarzan’s real name. Really. If you read the opening of “Tarzan of the Apes,” — particularly the third and sixth paragraphs, you’ll see that “John Clayton, Lord Greystoke” is a “fictitious” name, made up by the teller of the tale to protect the actual family from what he says may not be a true story.
posted by xkot on 10-22-2011 at 10:34 pm
Cookie Monster’s real name is Sid.
posted by Autri on 11-2-2011 at 11:40 pm
Re: Newman:
In The Bottle Deposit, when Newman runs as the farmer is shooting at him, the farmer’s daughter says, “I’ll never forget you, Norman”. This would imply his first name is Norman, but people working on the show claim that it was an error the actress made, and they decided it was funnier that way. Despite this, some fans take this to mean that Norman is his first name.
posted by Heidi on 11-5-2011 at 4:11 pm
I’m not sure if it’s confirmed, but I believe Snow White’s prince is named Ferdinand.
posted by Joy on 11-7-2011 at 4:58 pm
Did Agent 99 in “Get Smart” ever have a name we knew about?
posted by Bob McMurray on 11-19-2011 at 4:33 pm
Revealed via Sonic The Hedgehog (archie comic)#53, story “Unfinished Business”, Sonic’s real name is Maurice.
posted by Sam on 11-22-2011 at 10:55 pm
Agent 99′s name is Susan Hilton.
The chief’s name is Thaddeus, no last name was ever given.
Gerald Ford’s real name was Leslie Lynch King. He was adopted by the Fords & his name was changed.
posted by Garry on 12-1-2011 at 12:30 am
In the first Batman movie, the Joker is Jack Napier.
posted by marcusbacus on 12-20-2011 at 10:09 pm
Robert Blake’s (Little Rascals,In Cold Blood & Baretta)real name is Michael James Vincenzo Gubitosi. He also used the name Mickey Gubitosi as a child actor.
posted by leah holley on 12-23-2011 at 3:03 am
Alan Alda was born Alphonso Joseph D’Abruzzo.
posted by leah holley on 12-23-2011 at 3:06 am
Unfortunately, Agent 99, at the end of that particular episode, told Max that she had just made up “Susan Hilton” for the purposes of his undercover work. Max was a little perturbed that she had never told *him* her real name.
And, FWIW, he continued to call her “99″ even after they were married.
In the 1987 “next-generation” Get Smart, it was revealed that 99 had been elected to Congress or something, and they still never gave her name. But at least the voters knew who she was; I doubt she could have gone on the ballot as “99″.
posted by Jerry Modene on 12-26-2011 at 2:26 pm
What was the name of Dudley Do-Right’s horse. Great trivia question – most people respond “Nell.” But that was his love interest (not really his girlfriend – she barely noticed him).
posted by Bruce McCleary on 12-28-2011 at 3:49 pm
I believe Dudley Do Rights horse was called Horse.
posted by Leah holley on 12-28-2011 at 11:20 pm
I am a big Marilyn Monroe fan, and I must have seen “The Seven Year Itch” 3-4 times before I noticed she did not have a name. Sure enough, her character name is simply “girl”.
posted by Marie Ligon on 1-1-2012 at 12:37 am
Redd Foxx’s real name was Fred Sanford.
I don’t think we ever found out what the J in Elmer J. Fudd stands for.
Zaphod Beeblebrox is the son of Zahphod Beeblebrox the 2nd, the grandson of the 3rd etc. A problem with a cotraceptive and a time machine (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).
Rats, I had another one….
posted by Bear on 1-6-2012 at 11:56 pm
Mom from Futurama’s first name is Carol
posted by Raquel on 1-7-2012 at 6:20 pm
“Big’s” name from Sex in the City was “John”.
Does knowing that make me gay?
posted by The Mad Zak on 1-18-2012 at 9:31 pm
Adding to Spike and Faith from “Buffy”, Oz (Seth Green’s character) is really Daniel Osborn.
posted by Mike on 1-19-2012 at 12:59 pm
Wow this is either the best moderated or most civil thread I have ever come across my many many years of being a citizen of the Internet.
You should all be proud of yourselves lol :)
posted by Jeffro on 1-21-2012 at 3:56 am
Bono and the Edge may not be fictional characters but a lot of people surely wish they were…
posted by Murray on 1-22-2012 at 7:12 am
BJ Hunnicutt on M*A*S*H does NOT have another name. It was revealed on one episode that he was named after his mother, Bea, and his father, Jay.
posted by Zoey on 1-24-2012 at 8:48 pm
In S&G’s song “Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard”, I believe that the actual name of the “Me” character is “Wullerton”.
This based on the line “Mama looked down and spit on the ground every time my name gets mentioned”.
In the Canadian TV series Corner Gas there is a running gag where every time anyone mentions the neighboring town of Wullerton, everyone spits on the ground.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corner_Gas#Wullerton_rivalry
http://www.myspace.com/video/kobra-87/corner-gas-spits/9958347
posted by Lorne M on 1-25-2012 at 6:08 pm
Jugghead from the Archie comics’ first name is Forsythe.
posted by Andy Cotterill on 1-28-2012 at 9:55 am
Nice pull Sarah on B.A. I wass gonna go w/ him but I only had Bad Attitude.
My contribution: Mr. Miyagi’s first name is Kesuke.
Did Chunk from the Goonies have a name?
posted by Rey on 1-28-2012 at 10:23 am
I’ve always wanted to know if Dr. Claw’s cat, on Inspector Gadget, had a name. I’ve not been able to find the answer.
posted by Meg on 1-28-2012 at 2:10 pm
I’m sure it’s common knowledge, but Indiana Jones’ full name is Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. Indiana was the name of his childhood dog.
Teller (of Penn and Teller) had his name legally changed from Raymond Joseph Teller. Now, he has one of the few US passports with a single name.
posted by Val on 1-29-2012 at 1:49 am
@ ala
If you consider Frederick Forsythe’s sequel part of the Phantom of the Opera lore, than the phantom has a Full name:
Eric Muhlheim
posted by JFR on 2-2-2012 at 5:29 pm
The Lone Ranger a.k.a. John Reid is the great great great grandfather of Brit Reid a.k.a. The Green Hornet. Both characters created by the same person,George W. Trendle.
posted by Alan Mueller on 2-7-2012 at 4:23 am
@Kelly: No, in Shrek, Donkey’s name is not Duncan, it’s Donkey. It doesn’t say Duncan in the credits. IMDb erroneously listed that as the character name, but they’ve fixed it long ago. This confusion stems from on scene in the first movie, when Shrek heads off to confront Farquad and reclaim his swampy solitude. Donkey’s excited to be included in the adventure, and has a mini fanboy moment starting with “Shrek and Donkey…” for some reason, this one time, Eddie Murphy slurred the name (perhaps overdoing Donkey’s character trait of trying to act way too cool), and it honestly does sound quite a bit like “Duncan”, but it’s not.
@Jess: the narrator in Fight Club is Tyler Durden, that’s his real name, but he “projected” it onto his imaginary friend, which is specifically the reason ‘narrator’ isn’t given a name, because we’re hearing his name constantly but we’re not supposed to know until the reveal.
@Jerry Modene: Spock didn’t have a last name; despite appearing (erroneously) in Trivial Pursuit, that random assortment of letters is not canon, and is suspected by some to have been meant as a joke (and/or deliberate misdirection to make geeks argue for decades to come). like Klingons, Vulcans generally have single names, a surname or “family name” is not a tradition they picked up. The question “what is [fictional single-named character]‘s last name?” comes from the assumption that any species with a functioning society must have the same naming conventions as us, never mind the fact that *we* haven’t always had need for surnames. What was Plato’s last name? If one needed to give Spock a “full” name for some ceremonial purpose, it would be “Spock, son of Sarek”
Also note that up until a certain point, all male Vulcan names had 5 letters, started with ‘S’ and ended with ‘k’, so “Shrek” could have Vulcan ancestry
posted by harutake on 2-8-2012 at 8:53 pm
Malcolm’s family’s last name on “Malcolm in the Middle” was Wilkerson…evidentally it was mentioned in the very first episode but wasn’t brought up again.
posted by Christine on 2-10-2012 at 6:48 pm