History Main / ThemedAliases

* A RunningGag on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. Sam & Dean's undercover aliases are almost always some sort of ShoutOut, mostly to rock stars (like Catholic priests [[Music/{{KISS}} Father Simmons and Father Frehley]]). Their names are almost always related to each other too, like [[Franchise/StarWars Agents Ford & Hamill]] from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It's been [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] a few times, like when somebody pointed out that Agents Tyler and Perry remind him of [[Music/{{Aerosmith}} ]] , or fans of the InUniverse series of books that have been written about them parodying the gag (two guys role-playing as the Winchesters introduce themselves as FBI Agents [[Music/TheBeatles Lennon and McCartney]]) but sometimes the aliases are so obvious it makes you wonder how people can possibly not see through them (like [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Stark and Banner]] or [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Grohl and Cobain]].

** Once Castiel figures this out, he starts using celebrity names too, except his theme seems to be "extremely obvious super-famous female pop star" . One time he tells the local police to expect FBI Agents [[Music/BritneySpears Spears]] and [[Music/ChristinaAguilera Aguilera]]. In a later episode, he introduces himself as Agent [[Music/{{Beyonce}} ]] (Crowley, who is tagging along with Castiel jokes that being with Agent Beyonce would make him [[Music/JayZ Jay-Z]] , and one time he and Jack go undercover as Agents [[Music/TaylorSwift Swift]] and [[Music/DemiLovato Lovato]].

* A RunningGag on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. Sam & Dean's undercover aliases are almost always some sort of ShoutOut, mostly to rock stars (like Catholic priests [[Music/{{KISS}} Father Simmons and Father Frehley]]). Their names are almost always related to each other too, like [[StarWars Agents Ford & Hamill]] from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It's been [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] a few times, like when somebody pointed out that Agents Tyler and Perry remind him of [[Music/{{Aerosmith}} ]] , or fans of the InUniverse series of books that have been written about them parodying the gag (two guys role-playing as the Winchesters introduce themselves as FBI Agents [[Music/TheBeatles Lennon and McCartney]]) but sometimes the aliases are so obvious it makes you wonder how people can possibly not see through them (like [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Stark and Banner]] or [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Grohl and Cobain]].
** Once Castiel figures this out, he starts using celebrity names too, except his theme seems to be "extremely obvious super-famous female pop star" . One time he tells the local police to expect FBI Agents [[Music/BritneySpears Spears]] and [[Music/ChristinaAguilera Aguilera]]. In a later episode, he introduces himself as Agent [[Music/Beyonce]] (Crowley, who is tagging along with Castiel jokes that being with Agent Beyonce would make him [[Music/JayZ Jay-Z]] , and one time he and Jack go undercover as Agents [[Music/TaylorSwift Swift]] and [[Music/DemiLovato Lovato]].

* A RunningGag on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. Sam & Dean's undercover aliases are almost always some sort of ShoutOut, mostly to rock stars (like Catholic priests [[Music/{{KISS}} Father Simmons and Father Frehley]]). Their names are almost always related to each other too, like [StarWars Agents Ford & Hamill] from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It's been [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] a few times, like when somebody pointed out that Agents Tyler and Perry remind him of [[Music/{{Aerosmith}} ]] , or fans of the InUniverse series of books that have been written about them parodying this habit (two guys role-playing as the Winchesters went undercover as FBI Agents [[Music/TheBeatles Lennon and McCartney]]) but sometimes the aliases are so obvious it makes you wonder how people can possibly not see through them (like [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Stark and Banner]] or [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Grohl and Cobain]].
** Once Castiel figures this out, he starts using celebrity names too, except his theme seems to be "extremely obvious super-famous female pop star" . One time he tells the local police to expect FBI Agents [[Music/BritneySpears Spears]] and [[Music/ChristinaAguilera Aguilera]]. In a later episode, he introduces himself as Agent [[Music/Beyonce]] (Crowley, who is tagging along with Castiel jokes that being with Agent Beyonce would make him [[Music/JayZ]] , and one time he and Jack go undercover as Agents [[Music/TaylorSwift Swift]] and [[Music/DemiLovato Lovato]].

* A RunningGag on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. Sam & Dean's undercover aliases are almost always some sort of ShoutOut, mostly to rock stars (like Catholic priests [[Music/{{KISS}} Father Simmons and Father Frehley]]). Their names are almost always related to each other too, like [[StarWars Agents Ford & Hamill]] from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It's been [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] a few times, like when somebody pointed out that Agents Tyler and Perry remind him of [[Music/Aerosmith]], or fans of the InUniverse series of books that have been written about them parodying this habit (two guys role-playing as the Winchesters went undercover as FBI Agents [[Music/TheBeatles Lennon and McCartney]]) but sometimes the aliases are so obvious it makes you wonder how people can possibly not see through them (like [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Stark and Banner]] or [[Music/Nirvana Grohl and Cobain]].

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Sam & Dean tend to use Rock Star aliases when going undercover, like Catholic priests [[Music/{{KISS}} Father Simmons and Father Frehley]]. Sometimes they use other famous-names-with-connections-to-each-other aliases as well, like [[StarWars Agents Ford & Hamill]] from the US Forestry Service. They've only been called on this once or twice. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in one episode when Castiel tells the local police to expect FBI Agents [[Music/BritneySpears Spears]] and [[Music/ChristinaAguilera Aguilera]].

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk'' TV show had him always using "David" and a last name that started with a 'B': David Banner to David Bradley, etc. The only time he didn't use that was when he ran into his IdenticalStranger, a mobster named Mike Cassidy, and he tried to use that to get out of a scrape. Banner uses the Mike Cassidy alias when he comes face-to-face with his personal InspectorJavert, Jack [=McGee=], who up until the moment he sees him thinks Banner is dead. Banner uses one of his usual aliases when running into the mobsters looking for Cassidy, but they don't believe him.
** This naming scheme was parodied in an issue of [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk The Incredible Hulk comicbook]] published when the TV series was current. Doctor Robert Bruce Banner went into a Swiss clinic and said "My name is David [[Creator/BillBixby Bixby]]. I'm looking for a cure".

* In ''Film/CatchMeIfYouCan'', Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio's character uses the names of comic book characters as aliases. Something of a deconstruction since it gives the FBI agent following him something to go on.

* ''Podcast/ThePenumbraPodcast'': Most of [[ConMan Peter Nureyev's]] many aliases include some sort of reference to royalty. ''Rex'' Glass, ''Duke'' Rose, Perseus ''Shah'', Leon ''Prince'', a representative from ''Tsar'' Shipping...

* In ''Film/TheCableGuy'', Creator/JimCarrey uses the names of television characters.

* In the ''[[ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck Uncle Scrooge]]'' story "The Money Champ" by Creator/CarlBarks, Flintheart Glomgold stages a series of acts of sabotage against Scrooge, damaging his oil wells, gold mines and diamond mines and reducing their value right at the point Scrooge needs to sell them. Flintheart uses a series of aliases that are just rearrangements of the components of his name (Goldflint Heartglom, Flintgold Glomheart and Heartflint Goldglom). Not terribly subtle, but he was deliberately taunting Scrooge.
* ComicBook/ThePunisher often uses aliases that are linked to Castle, his real last name: Charles Fort, [=McRook=], Frank Rook, Francis Stronghold, Johnny Tower, Frankie Villa, etc.

* In ''Film/TheSaint1997'', all of Simon Templar's aliases are the names of Catholic saints.

* In ''Film/ReservoirDogs'', the crooks on the team for the heist are all given color-based aliases: Mr. White, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blue, and [[OddNameOut Mr. Blond]]. This is so they don't know each other's real identities. Mr. Blond's atypical "color" is significant.

* In ''Film/TheAccountant'', the protagonist uses the names of mathematicians as aliases, [[spoiler:including the name Christian Wolff]].

* ''WebVideo/TheHumanPet'': The Codemaster's aliases- Sam Deercot and, briefly, Tom D. Caesar, were both anagrams of The Codemaster. Of course, "The Codemaster" is an alias in and of itself.

* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' features this both with the Syndicates {{Colourful Theme Naming}}, and MI6's date theme naming.

* ''Series/ShakespeareAndHathawayPrivateInvestiagors'': In "Too Cold for Hell", Frank and Lou are hired to find a fraudulent removal man. His aliases are all anagrams: Foster, Forest, Froste, Softer, etc. They soon identify him as Florian Fortes.

->'''Mr. Pink:''' ''Why do I have to be Mr. Pink? That's sounds a bit too much like Mr. Pussy, can't I just be something like Mr. Purple?''
->'''Joe:''' ''Mr. Purple is at another job, just be glad you didn't get Mr. Yellow.''

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder: Film]]

[[folder: Literature]]

* "Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones" is a science fiction short story by Creator/SamuelRDelany. The protagonist was an orphan, saddled with the name Harold Clancy Everet. Turning to a life of crime, he never used that name again. His aliases, however all have the initials HCE. Indeed, he is identified by that to the reader, i.e. we are introduced to each alias and know it is him by those initials. All the aliases used by the narrator have the initials H.C.E., a reference to ''Literature/FinnegansWake'' by Creator/JamesJoyce.

* Literature/TheDestroyer always uses his real first name "Remo" as part of his aliases.
* Literature/TheSaint in the original stories often used his own initials; "Sebastian Toombs" was a frequent alias (at least two science fiction writers have included a ShoutOut to this particular name).

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' our heroes are caught sneaking around a government base, taken inside and asked their names. [[TheSmartGuy Marco]] and [[ActionGirl Rachel]] claim to be [[Series/TheXFiles Fox Mulder and Dana Scully]]. [[TheChick Cassie]] doesn't watch that show and [[BadLiar winds up claiming]] her name is Creator/CindyCrawford.
* In ''Literature/TheWestingGame'', the big reveal surrounds someone's aliases selected by this trope: [[spoiler: the eponymous Mr. Westing was one of four aliases all with names containing a cardinal direction.]]
* ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'':
** The majority of aliases adopted by Merlin Athrawes' and Nimue Chwaeriau's ''seijin'' spy network make heavy use of Welsh. For starters, Athrawes and Chwaeriau mean "teacher" and "little sister" respectively. Other names used include Dialydd Mab ("avenging son"), Ganieda Cysgodol ("Cysgodol" meaning "shadow witch" or "shadow sister"), Dagyr Cudd ("hidden dagger"), Cennady Frenhines ("Cennad y Frenhines" means "queen's messenger"), and Merch O Obaith ("Daughter of Hope"). The exceptions have standard Safeholdian names, like Ahbraim Zhevons and Zhapeth Slaytyr, as they are used to blend in with average Safeholdians rather than be deliberately mysterious and exotic. The reason the Welsh names aren't any kind of tip off is because Safehold's native and only language is a version of English.
** Events and objects used by the [[GodGuise "Archangels"]] bear Japanese names, such as the BoltOfDivineRetribution, the ''Rakurai'', or the ships they used to travel in, called ''hikousen''. Wise men and warriors of legend bore the title of ''sejin''.
* In ''Literature/Rule34'' by Creator/CharlesStross, an assassin's aliases are all serial killers. They're assigned to him by the Organisation, and he's not amused when he notices the theme. [[spoiler: They're generated by an algorithm which has been hacked by the omniscient AI controlling everything so the police will pick up on him.]]

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Sam & Dean tend to use Rock Star aliases when going undercover, like Catholic priests [[Music/{{KISS}} Father Simmons and Father Frehley]]. Sometimes they use other famous-names-with-connections-to-each-other aliases as well, like [[StarWars Agents Ford & Hamill]] from the US Forestry Service. They've only been called on this once or twice. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in one episode when Castiel tells the local police to expect FBI Agents [[Music/BritneySpears Spears]] and [[Music/ChristinaAguilera Aguilera]].
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Master tends to use aliases which are anagrams of "master" or mean master in another language. From Nu Who, Mister Saxon is an anagram of "Master No. Six" (this being the sixth incarnation of the Master that we've seen). Word Of God is that it was a coincidence.

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk'' TV show had him always using "David" and a last name that started with a 'B': David Banner to David Bradley, etc. The only time he didn't use that was when he ran into his IdenticalStranger, a mobster named Mike Cassidy, and he tried to use that to get out of a scrape. Banner uses the Mike Cassidy alias when he comes face-to-face with his personal InspectorJavert, Jack [=McGee=], who up until the moment he sees him thinks Banner is dead. Banner uses one of his usual aliases when running into the mobsters looking for Cassidy, but they don't believe him.
** This naming scheme was parodied in an issue of [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk The Incredible Hulk comicbook]] published when the TV series was current. Doctor Robert Bruce Banner went into a Swiss clinic and said "My name is David [[Creator/BillBixby Bixby]]. I'm looking for a cure".
* ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' was caught doing this by Laura in the pilot. All of his passports had the names of Creator/HumphreyBogart characters.
* When Shawn from ''{{Series/Psych}}'' needs an alias for himself and Gus, he will often use some variant of White and Black with their last names (i.e. Shawn White and Gus Black or Shawn Black and Gus White).
* ''{{Series/Fringe}}'': Though Peter hasn't used many aliases during the run of the show, he still knows enough to lampshade this trope.
-->'''Peter''': The best lie, the one that's easiest to remember with consistency, is the one that's based on the truth. Whenever I would do this, I would base it on my own last name. Bishop. So Peter King. Peter Knight.

* In ''Series/{{Lost}}'', when Kate is on the run, all of the names she uses are saints' names. Pierre Chang uses candle-themed aliases (Mark Wickmund, Edgar Halliwax, and Marvin Candle) for his orientation videos.
* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': In "Dead Man's Switch", Stuart Bloom uses a series of aliases when pursuing his nuisance law suits. The first one is Abraham Zelner. Holmes realises that there is a pattern in the initials of the aliases: A.Z., B.Y., C.X., etc. When he discovers the one name that does not fit that pattern, he deduces it must be Bloom's real name.

[[folder: Radio]]

[[folder: Webcomics]]

[[folder: Web Video]]

* In the ''Lierature/WildCards'' novel ''Fort Freak'', CorruptCop Lu Long's aliases all include [[SueDonym his real name]] "Long" and imply that he is the proud owner of a GagPenis. It's relatively simple for the protagonists to connect him to the fictional Peter Long who accepted the payment for a murder for hire.

* In ''Film/TheAccountant'', the protagonist uses the names of mathematics as aliases, [[spoiler:including the name Christian Wolff]].