# Fictional character names you stumble across in real life **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125 "2004-08-03T12:51:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/41 "2004-08-04T03:40:10Z")
Fictional characters: in my family there was an Uncle Henry married to an Auntie Em, and they had a niece called Dorothea (close enough!) I have a great uncle by marriage called Jack Frost. Real namesakes: There was a professor at the University of Delaware when I was there in the mid 80s called James Dean…the professor taught mediaeval literature. Not names, but a doppelganger, if you’ll indulge me – because he’s still there, and it drives him bonkers, shan’t mention names or places, but I was at a uni for a year in the States, and a new professor, from Oxford, could have been identical twins with Michael Palin. And it drove him just up the wall as people really did believe that he _was_ Michael Palin, sometimes to the point of tears, especially as he himself was a bit larger than life, and really did seem like a Monty Python character come to life when he was excited or in good humour. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/42 "2004-08-04T04:21:56Z")
There were two **Michael Jackson** s in my high school. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/43 "2004-08-04T04:49:17Z")
> [@Just Some Guy](#): > > … I know if I had [this guy’s](http://www.wright.edu/~tdoom/) name I’d have to try to get a doctorate too… I can’t stop laughing at that picture. He looks far too cheerful to have a name like Dr. Doom… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/44 "2004-08-04T05:57:59Z")
There was a Peter Pan in my class in college. There is a Peter Pan motors around here, but I don’t know if it was named after a real person. My real name was also the name of a character in a Leon Uris novel. That was pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/45 "2004-08-04T07:39:14Z")
Back in high school in the 70s, I had a substitute teacher named Mrs Robinson. Boy, did I milk _that_ joke for more than it was worth! ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/46 "2004-08-04T07:44:08Z")
I worked as a counsellor at a Dance Camp for children, and was tickled pink to meet one of the kid’s fathers on Parent Night. His name was [Marshall Elliott](http://www.google.ca/search?q=cache:riL6AlgObioJ:www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/annhd-16.html+Marshall+Elliott&hl=en). ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/47 "2004-08-04T07:44:36Z")
My church has a **James Bond** (Jimmy) and a **Tom Jones** (Thomas) in the congregation. Grim ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/48 "2004-08-04T08:28:23Z")
My mother’s church has two pastors, a father and son: Charlie and Leroy Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/49 "2004-08-04T12:42:09Z")
I’ve always liked **Goldeneye** where the good guy is James and the bad guy is Alec. Or, the same names as me and my brother. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/50 "2004-08-04T12:42:58Z")
> [@Ms Boods](#): > > Not names, but a doppelganger, if you’ll indulge me – because he’s still there, and it drives him bonkers, shan’t mention names or places, but I was at a uni for a year in the States, and a new professor, from Oxford, could have been identical twins with Michael Palin. And it drove him just up the wall as people really did believe that he _was_ Michael Palin, sometimes to the point of tears, especially as he himself was a bit larger than life, and really did seem like a Monty Python character come to life when he was excited or in good humour. Oooh–I think I actually know who you’re talking about. The funny thing is, the real Michael Palin attended Oxford, and I saw him there when he came back to do a book signing. The only name I have seen that gave me a doubletake in my work back in this country was an alum named Linda Evangelista. Who would have thought there would have been two of them around? ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/51 "2004-08-04T13:13:24Z")
In the Book _The Sum of All Fears_ by Tom Clancy, the security guard who first notices that something’s fishy with that van over there is named Bill Clinton. It’s particularly interesting because I think the book was written sometime in the 80s - long before Bill’s presidency, at any case. Always wondered if the ex-president knew that, or if Tom didn’t like a certain up-and-coming southern politician. But then, Tom blew up my Vikings in that book too, so there you go. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/52 "2004-08-04T15:38:26Z")
Two of my daughters are named **Scarlett** and **Scout** after the very famous characters of literature. The “dorm dad” at my college (lo these many years ago) was **Richard Grayson**. Somehow a giant poster of the Boy Wonder appeared on his door one night. NoCoolSpouseName has a friend who works in the police department. She has been quite successful, and was promoted to detective. Then she married some guy named “Holmes.” It’s a bit difficult on the job to introduce yourself as **Detective Holmes**. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/53 "2004-08-04T17:26:12Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Oooh–I think I actually know who you’re talking about. The funny thing is, the real Michael Palin attended Oxford, and I saw him there when he came back to do a book signing. If you’re thinking Minneapolis, Minnesota, we may be thinking the same thing, know what I mean, nudge nudge…say no more. 🙂 PS Just as an aside, this professor really is terribly generous; he used to take us poor grad students out for meals, and work the bill in such away that we always came away with more change than we’d contributed to the meal… ---
**Author:** ![furthur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@furthur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furthur)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/54 "2004-08-05T01:59:34Z")
My older daughter: Arwen Younger daughter: Juliet (nope, no Capulet though) Mrs. Furthur ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/55 "2004-08-05T07:19:49Z")
I remember seeing something on TV about a man named Harry Potter who was a school principal. He said that sometimes people don’t believe him, and I think the kids at the school tease him (as much as they can, knowing that he can suspend them, of course) but he seemed to be taking it very well, not bitter or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2004, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125/56 "2004-08-05T12:37:21Z")
My brother hangs out with a kid named Kal-El. I think that’s his middle name, but he uses in day-to-day life. His dad’s a comic artist, so it’s intentional, of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-character-names-you-stumble-across-in-real-life/258125.md?page=2)