Repetitive Name: Difference between revisions

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** One book features a brief mention of a barbarian named something like Sven Svensonsonson.
** One book features a brief mention of a barbarian named something like Sven Svensonsonson.
** And Volf Volfssonssonssonsson in the [[Animated Adaptation]] of ''[[Discworld/Soul Music|Soul Music]]''.
** And Volf Volfssonssonssonsson in the [[Animated Adaptation]] of ''[[Discworld/Soul Music|Soul Music]]''.
** Glod is a common name for dwarves on the Discworld (there used to be just one of them, but then someone with a habit of bad spelling and/or [[Spoonerism|Spoonerisms]] made a King Midas-like wish that everything he touched would be turned to "glod", so that poor dwarf got magically copied several thousand times...). Therefore, Glod Glodsson is also a common name.
** Glod is a common name for dwarves on the Discworld (there used to be just one of them, but then someone with a habit of bad spelling and/or [[Spoonerism]]s made a King Midas-like wish that everything he touched would be turned to "glod", so that poor dwarf got magically copied several thousand times...). Therefore, Glod Glodsson is also a common name.
*** It was an illiterate god trying to curse someone in the Ramtops. As a result, the people there tend to be rather short and...er...short-tempered.
*** It was an illiterate god trying to curse someone in the Ramtops. As a result, the people there tend to be rather short and...er...short-tempered.
* [[Jerkass|Heathcliff]] [[Draco in Leather Pants|Heathcliff]] from ''[[Wuthering Heights (novel)|Wuthering Heights]].'' Found wandering in the streets as a child by Mr. Earnshaw, who adopted him, but for some reason didn't give the boy his own name.
* [[Jerkass|Heathcliff]] [[Draco in Leather Pants|Heathcliff]] from ''[[Wuthering Heights (novel)|Wuthering Heights]].'' Found wandering in the streets as a child by Mr. Earnshaw, who adopted him, but for some reason didn't give the boy his own name.
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* Joseph Joséphin, alias [[wikipedia:Joseph Rouletabille|Rouletabille]].
* Joseph Joséphin, alias [[wikipedia:Joseph Rouletabille|Rouletabille]].
* ''[[Rant]]'' by Chuck Palahniuk has Echo Lawrence, whose father was named Larry. She points this out and seems annoyed at the constant jokes, but [[Fridge Brilliance|her nickname takes on an interesting light.]]
* ''[[Rant]]'' by Chuck Palahniuk has Echo Lawrence, whose father was named Larry. She points this out and seems annoyed at the constant jokes, but [[Fridge Brilliance|her nickname takes on an interesting light.]]
* Rickard Dickens in the gangster spoofs by Rolf and Alexandra Becker -- better known as Dickie Dick Dickens.
* Rickard Dickens in the gangster spoofs by Rolf and Alexandra Becker—better known as Dickie Dick Dickens.
* Jameson Jameson from Richmal Crompton's ''[[Just William]]'' stories.
* Jameson Jameson from Richmal Crompton's ''[[Just William]]'' stories.
* Carlington Carlington, the hero of [[Georgette Heyer]]'s short story "Hazard."
* Carlington Carlington, the hero of [[Georgette Heyer]]'s short story "Hazard."
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** Still a lot better than her real name Barbie Blank.
** Still a lot better than her real name Barbie Blank.
* ''[[Family Matters]]'' has Waldo Geraldo Faldo.
* ''[[Family Matters]]'' has Waldo Geraldo Faldo.
** There is also an episode where Carl Winslow's immediate superior Lt. Murtaugh reveals that he changed his first name to match his current rank, making him Lieutenant Lieutenant Murtaugh -- although his friends call him Lou.
** There is also an episode where Carl Winslow's immediate superior Lt. Murtaugh reveals that he changed his first name to match his current rank, making him Lieutenant Lieutenant Murtaugh—although his friends call him Lou.
{{quote|"What was your name before you changed it?" "Sergeant."}}
{{quote|"What was your name before you changed it?" "Sergeant."}}
* ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'': when she takes a job in the real world, Jeannie says her last name is Jeannie too. [[Hilarity Ensues]] when the CIA attempts to track her, leading to several ultra-serious discussions about the non-existence of a Miss Jeannie Jeannie anywhere on record.
* ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'': when she takes a job in the real world, Jeannie says her last name is Jeannie too. [[Hilarity Ensues]] when the CIA attempts to track her, leading to several ultra-serious discussions about the non-existence of a Miss Jeannie Jeannie anywhere on record.
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** Detective Dick Gumshoe also falls under this.
** Detective Dick Gumshoe also falls under this.
* James James, father of Jan James, from ''[[Halo|I Love Bees]]''.
* James James, father of Jan James, from ''[[Halo|I Love Bees]]''.
* ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]: Dirge of Cerberus''' [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]] all have colour-based names and titles -- three of them have the same colour mentioned twice. To whit, "Azur the Cerulean" (or "Blue the Blue"), "Rosso the Crimson" ("Red the Red") and "Nero the Sable" ("Black the Black").
* ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]: Dirge of Cerberus''' [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]] all have colour-based names and titles—three of them have the same colour mentioned twice. To whit, "Azur the Cerulean" (or "Blue the Blue"), "Rosso the Crimson" ("Red the Red") and "Nero the Sable" ("Black the Black").
** The Japanese-only story line added one more to the list - "Argento the Silver" ("Silver the Silver")
** The Japanese-only story line added one more to the list - "Argento the Silver" ("Silver the Silver")
* Non-character example: In ''[[The Legend of Zelda|Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'', Link learns a number of magic spells. Easily the oddest one is the Spell Spell. Its function has nothing to do with spelling, either.
* Non-character example: In ''[[The Legend of Zelda|Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'', Link learns a number of magic spells. Easily the oddest one is the Spell Spell. Its function has nothing to do with spelling, either.
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== Real Life ==
== Real Life ==
* The famous 17th century astronomer [[wikipedia:Galileo|Galileo Galilei]]. This was, in fact, fairly popular in Italy in the past, especially during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Any Italian history book is a trove of repetitive names, though none quite as famous as Galileo.
* The famous 17th century astronomer [[wikipedia:Galileo|Galileo Galilei]]. This was, in fact, fairly popular in Italy in the past, especially during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Any Italian history book is a trove of repetitive names, though none quite as famous as Galileo.
* Due to [[Patronymic|Patronymics]], you will sometimes run into people with the same first name and patronymic, and when you're in a country that doesn't commonly use last names this becomes ''very'' confusing. Like a Pavel Pavlovich (literally Pavel son of Pavel) whose dad was ''also'' a Pavel Pavlovich.
* Due to [[Patronymic]]s, you will sometimes run into people with the same first name and patronymic, and when you're in a country that doesn't commonly use last names this becomes ''very'' confusing. Like a Pavel Pavlovich (literally Pavel son of Pavel) whose dad was ''also'' a Pavel Pavlovich.
** You can also get people who have the same first name, patronymic, and last name. Pavel Pavlovich Pavlov.
** You can also get people who have the same first name, patronymic, and last name. Pavel Pavlovich Pavlov.
* Sporty siblings Gary, Phil (football) and Tracy (netball) Neville's father was a rugby player named Neville Neville. (Sing it to the tune of [[David Bowie]]'s "Rebel Rebel".)
* Sporty siblings Gary, Phil (football) and Tracy (netball) Neville's father was a rugby player named Neville Neville. (Sing it to the tune of [[David Bowie]]'s "Rebel Rebel".)
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* [[American Civil War]] soldier [[wikipedia:John St. John|John St. John]]. Not to be confused with ''[[Duke Nukem|Jon]]'' [[Duke Nukem|St John]], who also counts.
* [[American Civil War]] soldier [[wikipedia:John St. John|John St. John]]. Not to be confused with ''[[Duke Nukem|Jon]]'' [[Duke Nukem|St John]], who also counts.
* Aharon Aharonson, botanist and [[World War I]] spy.
* Aharon Aharonson, botanist and [[World War I]] spy.
* Two Czech examples: [[wikipedia:Pavel Pavel|Pavel Pavel]] (an engineer and a researcher -- experimented with the Easter Island statues) and [http://snurl.com/cu06l Jindrich Jindrich] (a musician and a composer).
* Two Czech examples: [[wikipedia:Pavel Pavel|Pavel Pavel]] (an engineer and a researcher—experimented with the Easter Island statues) and [http://snurl.com/cu06l Jindrich Jindrich] (a musician and a composer).
* In scientific circles, this is known as a ''tautonym'' when it applies to taxonomic classifications, where the genus and species of an animal have the same name. For example, ''Rattus rattus'' is the rat, ''Bison bison'' is the bison, while ''Puffinus puffinus'' is... the Manx Shearwater. [[Quite Interesting|Minus ten points if you said Puffin]].
* In scientific circles, this is known as a ''tautonym'' when it applies to taxonomic classifications, where the genus and species of an animal have the same name. For example, ''Rattus rattus'' is the rat, ''Bison bison'' is the bison, while ''Puffinus puffinus'' is... the Manx Shearwater. [[Quite Interesting|Minus ten points if you said Puffin]].
** [[wikipedia:List of tautonyms|Wikipedia has an incomplete -but not small- list of tautonyms.]]
** [[wikipedia:List of tautonyms|Wikipedia has an incomplete -but not small- list of tautonyms.]]
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* The word "ben" is Hebrew for son, so the name Benson translates into "son son".
* The word "ben" is Hebrew for son, so the name Benson translates into "son son".
** Before anyone says, "That's funny, but Benson is an ''English'' name," Benson means "Ben's Son", i.e. "Son of Benjamin". Benjamin is of course Hebrew for "Son of my right hand" (no, not like that, get your mind out of the gutter), from "ben" (son) and "yamin" (right). So, by an amusing accident, English isolated the part of the name that means "son" as the nickname for Benjamin...and thus "Benson" is, in a round about way, "Son-son" (son of son).
** Before anyone says, "That's funny, but Benson is an ''English'' name," Benson means "Ben's Son", i.e. "Son of Benjamin". Benjamin is of course Hebrew for "Son of my right hand" (no, not like that, get your mind out of the gutter), from "ben" (son) and "yamin" (right). So, by an amusing accident, English isolated the part of the name that means "son" as the nickname for Benjamin...and thus "Benson" is, in a round about way, "Son-son" (son of son).
* Benjamin Netanyahu's late brother was named Yonatan Netanyahu. Considering that "Yonatan" is a contraction of "Yehonatan" and "Netanyahu" is a reversal of the same name with a slightly different transliteration, his name was basically Jonathan Nathanjo -- or Jo''nathan Nathan''iel.
* Benjamin Netanyahu's late brother was named Yonatan Netanyahu. Considering that "Yonatan" is a contraction of "Yehonatan" and "Netanyahu" is a reversal of the same name with a slightly different transliteration, his name was basically Jonathan Nathanjo—or Jo''nathan Nathan''iel.
* New York, New York. "The city so nice they named it twice."
* New York, New York. "The city so nice they named it twice."
* This was an old stereotype of people from the Scandinavian countries (where patronymic surnames are common), especially when they emigrated to America. This inspired the rhyme "Yon Yonson" (John Johnson).
* This was an old stereotype of people from the Scandinavian countries (where patronymic surnames are common), especially when they emigrated to America. This inspired the rhyme "Yon Yonson" (John Johnson).
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* Actress Sasha Alexander. In Russian, "Sasha" is a diminutive of Alexander (or Alexandra).
* Actress Sasha Alexander. In Russian, "Sasha" is a diminutive of Alexander (or Alexandra).
* The Egyptian American stand-up comic/actor [[Ahmed Ahmed]].
* The Egyptian American stand-up comic/actor [[Ahmed Ahmed]].
** On a more general note: The extensive use of [[Patronymic|patronymics]] makes something like this possible--albeit uncommon--in Egypt, and in Arabic-speaking countries in general. It's very normal for a guy to name his first son after his own father (the son's grandfather), and so on. So having a guy named "Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed..." unto several generations is not only common, it's practically a national joke in some countries (Egypt chief among them) that if the Arabic system of nomenclature didn't allow you to pick an arbitrary ''nth'' ancestor as your last name (e.g. the random Ibrahim tossed in because you aren't the first son of the first son ''ad infinitum'') or use an ancestral nickname keeps, practically everyone would have a [[Repetitive Name]] and the government would have to ban them.
** On a more general note: The extensive use of [[patronymic]]s makes something like this possible—albeit uncommon—in Egypt, and in Arabic-speaking countries in general. It's very normal for a guy to name his first son after his own father (the son's grandfather), and so on. So having a guy named "Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed..." unto several generations is not only common, it's practically a national joke in some countries (Egypt chief among them) that if the Arabic system of nomenclature didn't allow you to pick an arbitrary ''nth'' ancestor as your last name (e.g. the random Ibrahim tossed in because you aren't the first son of the first son ''ad infinitum'') or use an ancestral nickname keeps, practically everyone would have a Repetitive Name and the government would have to ban them.
*** For this trope in action, look no further than the kings of Morocco and Jordan. The current king of Morocco is Muhammad VI, son of Hassan II, son of Muhammad V, and his son will be (barring unforeseen unpleasantness) Hassan III. In Jordan, the current king is Abdullah II, son of Hussein, and his son will be Hussein II barring unforeseen unpleasantness.
*** For this trope in action, look no further than the kings of Morocco and Jordan. The current king of Morocco is Muhammad VI, son of Hassan II, son of Muhammad V, and his son will be (barring unforeseen unpleasantness) Hassan III. In Jordan, the current king is Abdullah II, son of Hussein, and his son will be Hussein II barring unforeseen unpleasantness.


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