Questions tagged [names]
For questions about names: of characters, including titles, nicknames, and honorifics; of in-universe locations, e.g. countries or planets; or of objects, e.g. vessels, weapons, etc. Questions can be in-universe or out-of-universe, about topics such as origins, meanings, usage and pronunciation. For questions about the title of a work of sci-fi or fantasy, use the [title-explanation] tag instead.
323 questions
17
votes
1
answer
981
views
What inspired the name Shrek?
Simple question: is there any information about the inspiration or thought process behind the creation of the name Shrek for the eponymous film and franchise?
- 140k
26
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Star Trek story (possibly a Blish or Foster novelization) in which Kirk refers to Spock's aunt and gets the name right by accident
For some reason, I'm thinking of a moment in a Star Trek book quite possibly something added by Blish or Foster to an episode novelization. Kirk and Spock are having a mildly heated discussion and ...
- 77.6k
18
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Was each turtle's name meant to have a significant meaning?
When the TMNT creators named the turtles after Renaissance artists, was each name meant to say something about the turtle it was given to, or where they more or less chosen randomly?
- 31.5k
26
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Did Frank Herbert explain why he used the word Harkonnen for his antagonists?
I learned to speak Finnish and, watching the current version of Dune, thought it was interesting that Herbert used the word for his antagonists. You see, Finnish can convert words from verbs to nouns ...
- 2,466
23
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Did Asimov ever comment on whether the name of this Foundation character was a deliberate clue?
In Second Foundation the mysterious First Speaker leads the backup Foundation first against the Mule and then against the First Foundation. In the final pages of the book, we learn that this ...
- 77.6k
-2
votes
2
answers
192
views
How or when is the name Esteban first introduced as a name for Overkill?
In The Tick (2016 Amazon TV series), Miss Lint refers to Overkill as Esteban (or maybe Estefan) during the torture scene of episode 1-11. But the reference is very in passing (as if the name had been ...
- 27
3
votes
0
answers
82
views
Origin of the name Gallifrey (out of universe)? [duplicate]
Where does the name Gallifrey come from, out of universe? When was it first used in the show, who came up with it, and what inspired the name? Does it have any connection with Galileo, perhaps?
- 140k
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Origin of the name "Boof" in Teen Wolf?
In the 1985 version of Teen Wolf Scott's close friend is named "Boof" (though IMDB does refer to her as "Lisa 'Boof' Marconi"). Is the origin of that nickname given anywhere in ...
- 77.6k
20
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Is there any evidence on whether "Balrog" from Street Fighter is named after the Balrogs in The Lord of the Rings?
In the original Japanese version of Street Fighter II, Balrog is a claw-wielding Spanish ninja/assassin. When the game was localized for the US, this character's name was changed to Vega.
In the US ...
- 24.5k
23
votes
1
answer
4k
views
How is the name "Took" pronounced?
After hearing someone pronounce "Took" (as in "Fool Of A...") the same as the English word "took", I wondered to myself: Have I been pronouncing it wrong this whole time? ...
- 31.1k
6
votes
0
answers
214
views
How should I pronounce Jalabhar Xho’s last name?
In George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, there is a somewhat exotic character called Jalabhar Xho:
JALABHAR XHO, an exile prince from the Summer Isles
I’m not sure how to pronounce ...
13
votes
1
answer
430
views
Did L. Ron Hubbard write about a planet called Trantor?
In an article about the '80s video game Trantor: The Last Stormtrooper, the author, Nick Bruty, says he got the name "Trantor" from "a planet in an L. Ron Hubbard book."
Trantor is ...
1
vote
0
answers
719
views
X-Men: Why is Remy LeBeau nicknamed Gambit?
Why is Remy LeBeau's nickname Gambit?
In chess, gambit is an opening tactic in which the player sacrifices a pawn to get a better position. I am not familiar with Gambit being a good chess player (or ...
- 4,089
-2
votes
2
answers
571
views
Is it culturally insensitive to give a cat a Khajiit name?
This may sound random, but I was watching a video where a guy was playing Elder Kings 2. In the game, he got a pet cat and he was thinking about giving it a Khajiit name because Khajiit look like cats,...
- 169
11
votes
1
answer
635
views
Where does the "Starname Prime" naming scheme for planets originate?
I mean the name of a star followed by the word Prime, used to denote the system's most important/primary inhabited world. For example, Earth would be called Sol Prime using this naming scheme. I've ...
- 491