Johnny McCoolname



Let's face it, as common as the name "John" and its derivatives may be in Real Life, in works of fiction the particular derivative "Johnny" manages to sound quite cool and awesome in its own way, no matter how many ways it's spelled. And especially more so if the name-bearer is a Badass in some capacity.

And if Johnny's surname will add to or emphasize that bad-assery, then so much the better.

Of course, it doesn't always have to be that Johnny McCoolname is a Badass simply because (at least in-universe) his name makes him sound that way. It could be that his really is a Meaningful Name, or a name to give pause to.

To qualify for this trope, not just anybody named Johnny Something can apply. The surname has to be something that either sounds cool and can be justified (therefore, not something like "Johnson" unless the character has done something particular noteworthy as per the stipulations of the trope) or that speaks to his personality or some other aspect of the character, or if he is The Hero of an eponymous work. And the character is Always Male.

Nicknames are allowed, so the character can be known as, say, Johnny The Magnificent or simply Johnny Magnificent.

A sub-trope of Awesome McCoolname.

Compare Luke Nounverber and Adjective Noun Fred. Contrast Unfortunate Names.

Comic Books

 * In Marvel Comics:
 * Johnny Blaze, the most well-known Ghost Rider, was a stunt motorcyclist before he got the flaming skull-head and bike that has fiery wheels.
 * Johnny Storm, the Human Torch.
 * Johnny Domino, popular saxophonist.
 * From the DCU, we have:
 * Johnny Thunder, member of the Justice Society of America.
 * Johnny Peril, adventurer-for-hire.
 * Johnny Double, deliberately anachronistic P.I. who peppers his speech with beatnik and hipster slang.
 * Johnny Sorrow, a villain who acts as The Dragon to an Eldritch Abomination known as the King of Tears, and who himself can turn intangible and literally frighten people to death if he removes his mask (used to cover a hideously scarred face).
 * Johnny Quick, a name shared by two different characters--an evil speedster who's a member of the Crime Syndicate (being Flash's Evil Counterpart), and a heroic speedster who's a member of The Flash's supporting cast.
 * Johnny the Homicidal Maniac is a case of Obviously Evil and Names to Run Away From Really Fast.

Film

 * Johnny English, bumbling secret agent (excusable, as his movie is an Affectionate Parody of the spy movie genre, plus he's played by Rowan Atkinson of Mr. Bean fame).
 * The title character of the movie Johnny Tsunami is a surfer and Badass Grandpa (variation in that he's not the protagonist of the film's main story).
 * The titular protagonist of the 1954 movie Johnny Guitar is a reformed gunslinger. His real name, Johnny Logan, is just as impressive.
 * Johnny Dangerously, a former gangster.
 * Johnny Five, the name adopted by NOVA robotics creation SAINT #5 after his escape.
 * Johnny Appleseed, a Disney animated film based on the life of John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman, who is famous for the legend that depicts him planting apple trees everywhere he goes.
 * Johnny Utah, an FBI agent and the main character in Point Break.
 * Johnny Baca from Con Air is a fairly pedestrian name, but his nickname, "Johnny 23" is a villainous example, it being the number of known rapes he's been convicted for.
 * Tommy Wiseau probably intended to portray Johnny, his character in The Room, as a cool guy. Of course, this is Tommy Wiseau we're talking about, so there's no way to tell if that's true.
 * The Roberto Begnini film Johnny Stecchino. The eponymous character is a mafia boss. Or, well, his Doppelganger.

Literature

 * "Gentleman" Johnnie Marcone from The Dresden Files is a crime boss who endeavors to keep bloodshed to a minimum in his operations, hence his nickname. Mind you, it isn't his real name...

Live Action TV

 * Radio rock DJ "Doctor" Johnny Fever from WKRP in Cincinnati (real name Johnny Caravella, and played by Howard Hesseman).
 * Jonny Fairplay from Survivor.

Music

 * Johnny B. Goode.
 * Black Sabbath has "Johnny Blade."
 * Johnny Rotten never would have gotten so far if he'd stuck with "Lydon."
 * Enter Shikari have a song called "Jonny Sniper" about an Earth-saving hero.
 * Johnny Cash, the Man in Black.

Professional Wrestling

 * Johnny Nitro is the ring name of professional wrestler John Hennigan.
 * John Laurinaitis, the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations of WWE and Interim General Manager of Monday Night Raw, formerly wrestled under the name "Johnny Ace".

Real Life

 * Old west outlaw Johnny Ringo, self-termed "King of the Cowboys" and a player in the OK Corral story (on the Clanton side).
 * In The Fifties, movie star Lana Turner dated a gangster named John "Johnny Stomp" Stompanato. (That is, until Turner's daughter killed him.) He showed up in LA Confidential, too.
 * Johnny Depp.
 * Funnily enough, "Depp" actually translates to "idiot" in German. Johnny Depp himself is apparently very amused by this.
 * "Gentleman" Johnny Burgoyne, though Your Mileage May Vary on how "cool" he is.

Toys

 * While not a character, exactly, "Johnny Lightning" is a brand of die-cast collectible cars similar to Hot Wheels.
 * Johnny Thunder, the lead character of LEGO Adventurers.

Video Games

 * Johnny Cage, box-office superstar and martial artist (it's only his stage name, however; his real name is John Carlton).
 * Johnny Napalm is a character in the Guitar Hero games.
 * The Saints Row series has Johnny Gat, convicted of over 300 counts of first degree murder. No, not 250, there is no statute of limitations on first degree murder.
 * Johnny from Guilty Gear, the male leader of the otherwise female Jellyfish Pirates, who wears all black with sunglasses, practices iaijutsu, and is likely named after Johnny Cash.
 * Johnny Dash, the Badass Adorable Kid Hero of Monster Bash.

Web Original

 * Johnny Snow, Ice Beam-wielding superhero wannabe.

Western Animation

 * Johnny Bravo, macho man with Cool Shades (but a subversion in that the man himself is something of a buffoon).
 * Teen Titans villain Johnny Rancid, a villainous wielder of a flying motorcycle.
 * Jonny Quest, teen adventurer.
 * Johnny Test, who gets into all sorts of wild hijinks with his sisters' science inventions.
 * Danny Phantom villain Johnny 13 has control of a Living Shadow which causes bad luck toward anything it passes through (as a nod to the superstition of the number 13 being unlucky). He's also a Badass Biker whose motorcycle can race up walls and fly.