It’s probably safe to assume that most of the time, creators of films choose the names of their characters based on what sounds best or what suits the character’s personality best.
But in some cases, names are chosen with a bit of a background story.
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Here are some movie character names that have meanings behind them fans didn’t know about!
*Superbad*
In Superbad Jonah Hill and Michael Cera play two characters named Seth and Evan.
Little did we know, those names were chosen after the writers of the film, Seth Rogan (who even featured in the film himself) and Evan Goldberg.
*Deadpool*
The cab driver at the beginning of Deadpool , Dopinder, was chosen by Ryan Reynolds.
It is the name of one of his good friends from grade school who tragically passed away after being struck by lightning.
*The Invention of Lying*
In The Invention of Lying , the main character’s name is Mark Bellison. He is the very first person on earth to ever tell a lie.
In one scene, the camera pans out and reveals the name written on his office door, “M. Bellison” which sounds a whole lot like the word “Embellishing” — another word that suggests dishonesty.
Coincidence? I think not.
*Fast and Furious*
At one point during the Fast and Furious franchise, Han Lue briefly goes by the alias, Han Seoul-Oh.
While it’s obviously spelled differently, if you say it out loud, it is a clear reference to the iconic Star Wars character, Han Solo.
*Easy A*
While we’re not entirely sure of the reasoning behind this choice, many fans didn’t realize that everyone in Olive’s family, including herself, are named after some kind of food.
Her father’s name is Dill, her mom’s name is Rosemary, and her brother’s name is Chip.
*The Matrix*
The villain’s name in The Matrix is “Cypher” which is meant to be short for Lucifer — the name of the devil.
It may have not been obvious at first, but it’s clear why they called him that!
*The Butterfly Effect*
Ashton Kutcher’s character in The Butterfly Effect is named Evan Treborn.
When spoken out loud, it sounds a lot like “Events reborn” — which is essentially the plot of the entire movie.
*Dumb and Dumber*
The creators of Dumb and Dumber , Peter and Bobby Farrelly chose to name their lead characters Lloyd and Harry to pay tribute to one of their favorite comedians of all-time, Harold Lloyd.
*Seven*
In the movie Seven , the antagonist’s name is John Doe — a name that is usually used to describe someone without any identification.
Ironically, at the end of this movie, he is killed by a police officer.
*The Flintstones*
In The Flintstones , Halle Berry plays a character named Sharon Stone.
This name was deliberately chosen as a nod to the actress, Sharon Stone, who was originally intended for the role but was unable to do it.
*The Incredibles*
In The Incredibles , their family name is “Parr.”
This is a clever way of suggesting that their family is average when we all know that they are in fact, much more than that.
*Cheaper By The Dozen*
In the movie Cheaper By The Dozen , there are 12 children in the family, and their last names are Baker — referencing the common expression, “A baker’s dozen.”
Simple yet clever!
*Joker*
In The Joker — directed by Todd Phillips — Murray Franklin introduces someone named Ethan Chase on his show.
This also happens to be the name of a character played by Zack Galifianakis, in an earlier Todd Phillips movie, Due Date .
*Rampage*
In Rampage , every time Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s character, Davis, uses sign language to introduce himself, instead of signing the name “Davis,” he signs “Rock” instead.
Of course, this is something only people who understand sign language would have caught on to.
