List of comic and cartoon characters named after people

For other lists of eponyms (names derived from people), see Lists of etymologies. For a list of eponyms sorted by name, see List of eponyms.

This is a list of characters from animated cartoon, comic books, webcomics and comic strips who are named after people.

Characters named after famous people

A

• Mayor Adam West in Family Guy, who is also dubbed by Adam West. ^[1]
• Alexander Lemming from The Beano – Scottish chemist Alexander Fleming ^{[ citation needed ]}.
• Alexander Owlcott, a character in The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos – Alexander Woolcott ^{[ citation needed ]}.
• Alister from the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! was named after Aleister Crowley ^{[ citation needed ]} in the dub version (the character's original name is Amelda).
• Alvida of the anime and manga series One Piece gets her name from the female pirate Awilda ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Ann-Margrock, a Flintstones character – Ann-Margret ^{[2] [3]}
• Apu Nahasapeemapetilon ( The Simpsons ) is named after Apu, the title character in The Apu trilogy . ^[4]
• Archimedes the owl ( The Sword and the Stone ) is named after ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes.
• Arnie Pie from The Simpsons – Ernie Pyle ^{[ citation needed ]}.
• Arpine Lusène – Arsène Lupin, a fictional character from Maurice Leblanc.
• Ax-hand Morgan of the anime and manga series One Piece gets his surname from Henry Morgan, a Welsh privateer who made a name in the Caribbean as a leader of buccaneers.
• Attila the dog – (Belgian comic strip Attila ^[5] ) is named after Attila the Hun.
• Attila the dog – ( Los Trotamúsicos ) is named after Attila the Hun.

B

• Babbitt and Catstello, characters in A Tale of Two Kitties – Comedians Abbott and Costello.
• Baby Crockett, from The Beezer comic – Frontiersman Davy Crockett.
• Baby Face Finlayson, from The Beano comic – Criminal Baby Face Nelson.
• Bakelandt (from the Belgian comic series Bakelandt) is named after 18th-century criminal Ludovicus Baekelandt. ^[6]
• Professor Barabas – ( Suske en Wiske ) – Barabbas, the biblical thief. ^[7]
• Barbe Rouge (English name: Redbeard) is named after real-life pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa, who also had the nickname Redbeard.
• Barney Gumble – ( The Simpsons ) was named after The Flintstones character Barney Rubble.
• Bartholomew Kuma from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after Welsh pirate Bartholomew Roberts.
• Basil Hawkins from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after both English Admiral Sir John Hawkins and English Doctor Basil Ringrose.
• Bellamy the Hyena from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after Samuel Bellamy, a formidable pirate in the early eighteenth century.
• Betty Savis, a character in She Was an Acrobat's Daughter – Bette Davis.
• Bing Crowsby, in The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos – Singer Bing Crosby.
• Bogey Go Cart, a character in Bacall to Arms – Hollywood actor Humphrey Bogart.
• Brutus ( The Rescuers ) is named after Roman senator Brutus.
• Bunny and Claude, villains from the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts era of Looney Tunes , are named after the notorious criminal couple, Bonnie & Clyde.
• Butch and Cassidy, villains from Pokémon – Criminal Butch Cassidy.
• Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

C

• Calamity James from The Beano comic – Calamity Jane.
• Calamity Jane from Lucky Luke – Frontierswoman Calamity Jane.
• Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes – John Calvin, 16th century theologian. ^[8]
• Markies de Canteclaer – ( Tom Poes ) is named after Canteclaer the rooster from Reynard the Fox .
• Capone Bege from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after Al Capone and William le Sauvage.
• Cary Granite, a Flintstones character – Hollywood actor Cary Grant.
• Casey Strangle, a Flintstones character – Casey Stengel.
• Cecil Crumey from Code Geass – Novelist Andrew Crumey.
• Char Aznable ( Mobile Suit Gundam through Char's Counterattack ). Rumored to be named after French lounge singer Charles Aznavour.
• Chilly Willy – Actor Chill Wills.
• Chuck, from Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters – Hollywood actor Chuck Norris.
• Clark Gravel, a Flintstones – Hollywood actor Clark Gable.
• Clint, from Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters – Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood.
• Clo-Clo Pheip ( The Adventures of Nero ), named after the French singer Claude François, who was nicknamed Clo-Clo. ^[9]
• Cupidon, named after the Greek-Roman mythological character Cupid.

D

• The Daltons (Lucky Luke) are named after the real-life 19th-century Dalton Gang. ^[10]
• Darwin Watterson, from The Amazing World of Gumball – Biologist Charles Darwin.
• Dewey, one of "Huey, Dewey and Louie" – U.S. politician Thomas Dewey.
• Dick Fowl, a character in The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos – Dick Powell.
• Dina Saur from Beany and Cecil . A singing dinosaur named after singer Dinah Shore.
• Dio Brando is named after both Ronnie James Dio and Marlon Brando.
• Dole Promise, a character from She Was an Acrobat's Daughter – Lowell Thomas.
• Donatello, the second youngest of the ninja turtle brothers from TMNT – the Italian Renaissance artist and sculptor, Donatello.
• Donquixote Doflamingo from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after the a character from Spanish film of the same name Don Quixote.
• X. Drake from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after the famous English naval Vice Adm. Francis Drake, who was known as a pirate the Spanish.
• Duck Dodgers, played by Daffy Duck, was named after famous character Buck Rogers.
• Duckula, named after Dracula.
• Dumbo is named after 19th-century circus elephant Jumbo.

E

• Ed G. Robemsome, a character in Thugs with Dirty Mugs – Edward G. Robinson.
• Egroeg Sacul, Star Tours at the Disney's Hollywood Studios, named after Star Wars creator George Lucas. Egroeg Sacul is George Lucas spelled backwards.
• Empoleon from Pokémon – French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Eustass Kid from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after the mercenary Eustace the Monk and the Scottish privateer William Kid.

F

• Fats Swallow, a character in The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos – Jazz musician Fats Waller.
• Foghorn Leghorn, Warner Brothers cartoons – Senator Claghorn, regular character on The Fred Allen Show .
• Francesca Lucchini from the anime Strike Witches, named after Italian World War 2 fighter pilot Franco Lucchini.
• Frankie Stein, from the Wham! , Shiver and Shake , Whoopee! and Monster Fun comics. – Frankenstein.
• Fred Bonaparte, from the game Psychonauts – his apparent ancestor, Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Fred McFurry, a character in The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos – Fred MacMurray.

G

• Gloria Von Gouten, from the game Psychonauts , named after the famous actor, Gloria Swanson.
• Goddard, the robot dog of Jimmy Neutron, is named for rocket scientist Robert Goddard.

H

• Hamlet – ( Hagar the Horrible ) is named after Shakespearean character Hamlet.
• Helga G. Pataki of "Hey Arnold!", named after former governor George Pataki.
• Huey Freeman from The Boondocks is named after Huey P. Newton
• Huey, one of "Huey, Dewey and Louie" – Huey Pierce Long, American politician.
• Hitmonlee from Pokémon – Bruce Lee, martial artist
• Hitmonchan from Pokémon – Jackie Chan, martial artist
• Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes – Thomas Hobbes, 17th century philosopher. ^[11]
• Hohenheim of Light, from Fullmetal Alchemist – Paracelsus, sixteenth-century alchemist, whose real name was Theophrastus Van Hohenheim
• Hubert Farnsworth from Futurama – Inventor Philo Farnsworth
• Huckleberry Hound – Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .

I

• Iago from Aladdin – Iago, William Shakespeare's play Othello .
• Ivy the Terrible – Russian czar Ivan the Terrible.

J

• Jack Bunny, a character in I Love to Singa – Jack Benny.
• Jackie, from Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters comic book – Martial artist Jackie Chan.
• James Isaac Neutron from The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius – Isaac Newton, English scientist, and James Chadwick, who was nicknamed "Jimmy Neutron".
• Jeffy Dahmer, of The Ringer – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
• Jerom, of Suske en Wiske – Jeroom Verten – Belgian playwright. ^[12]
• Jessie and James, villains from Pokémon named after outlaw Jesse James.
• Jewelry Bonney from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after female pirate Anne Bonny.
• Jimmy Darrock, a Flintstones character – singer James Darren.
• John D. Rockerduck – Billionnaire John D. Rockefeller.
• Jules and Verne, the sons of Doctor Emmett Brown in Back to the Future: The Animated Series , are named after Jules Verne.

K

• Kangaskhan from some Western localizations of Pokémon – Genghis Khan, the Mongol Emperor
• The Koopalings are named after musicians.

L

• Lafayette ( The Aristocats ) is named after the French military officer Marquis de Lafayette.
• Laffite from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after French pirate Jean Lafitte.
• Lapras from Pokémon – Mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace.
• Laurie Be Cool, a character in Bacall to Arms – Hollywood actress Lauren Bacall.
• Léonard the inventor is named after Italian scientist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci.
• Leonardo, the oldest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – the great Italian Renaissance artist and scientist, Leonardo da Vinci
• Leo Ferocious, a Flintstones character – Baseball player Leo Durocher.
• Lester Coward, a character in She Was an Acrobat's Daughter – Actor Leslie Howard.
• Little Annie Fanny is named after comic character Little Annie Rooney. ^[13]
• Louis the Alligator ( The Princess and the Frog ) is named after Louis Armstrong.
• Ludvig from Hey Arnold! – Composer Ludwig van Beethoven
• Ludwig Von Drake – Composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

M

• Marge Simpson (born Marge Bouvier) – Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, former First Lady of the United States, widow to John F. Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis.
• Marshall D. Teach, Thatch, and Edward Newgate from the anime and manga series One Piece are named after Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, who was a notorious English pirate in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic during the early 18th century.
• Dr. Marvin Monroe ( The Simpsons ) is named after Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe.
• Madame Medusa ( The Rescuers ) is named after Greek mythological character Medusa.
• Michelangelo, the youngest of the ninja turtle brothers from TMNT – the great Italian Renaissance artist and sculptor, Michelangelo Buonarroti.
• Milhouse Van Houten, a character on The Simpsons – Richard Milhous Nixon. ^[14] Milhouse's middle name Mussolini is based on Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
• Milton Squirrel, in The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos – Comedian Milton Berle.
• Morlocks – in Marvel Comics, a group of mutants naming themselves after the futuristic race in H. G. Wells' The Time Machine

N

• Nabuko Donosor ( Urbanus ) is named after Nebuchadnezzar II. ^[15]
• Napoleon ( The Aristocrats ) is named after Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Nebby K. Nezzer from Veggie Tales is named after Nebuchadnezzar.
• Nemo from the movie Finding Nemo – Captain Nemo, fictional character in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and The Mysterious Island .
• Nero – Nero, Belgian comic character by Marc Sleen is named after the Roman emperor Nero. ^[16]
• Nero ( The Rescuers ) is named after Roman emperor Nero.
• Nina Einstein from Code Geass – Albert Einstein.

O

• Olga Lawina ( Agent 327 ) is named after Dutch singer Olga Lowina. ^[17]
• Oscar from Cerebus – named after poet and playwright Oscar Wilde.
• Owl Jolson, a character in I Love to Singa – Al Jolson.

P

• Pepé Le Pew, French skunk in Warner Brothers cartoons – Pepe le Moko, fictional character from the novel and movies of the same name.
• Philip J. Fry, from Futurama – Phil Hartman, voice actor.
• Pluto, named after the dwarf planet Pluto, in itself named after Greek-Roman mythological character Pluto.

R

• Raphael, the second oldest of the ninja turtle brothers from TMNT, was named after the Italian Renaissance artist and sculptor, Raphael Sanzio.
• Rasputin ( Inspector Canardo ) is named after Rasputin. ^[18]
• Richard the Lion, from The Beano comic – English king Richard the Lionheart.
• Rip Van Wink, from The Beano comic – Literary character Rip van Winkle.
• Rock Lee from Naruto is named after martial artist Bruce Lee.
• Rock Quarry – Flintstones character named after actor Rock Hudson.
• Roronoa Zoro from the anime and manga series One Piece is named after French pirate François l'Olonnais and fictional hero/vigilante Zorro .
• Rubberduck, comic book character from Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew , is the secret identity of actor Byrd Rentals, named after Burt Reynolds.

S

• Scrooge McDuck – Ebenezer Scrooge, fictional character in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
• Seymour Skinner ( The Simpsons ) is named after psychologist B.F. Skinner.
• Sigmund (Dutch comics character) – Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychiatrist. ^[19]
• Sophie Turkey, a character in The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos – Sophie Tucker.
• Stony Curtis, a Flintstones character – Hollywood actor Tony Curtis.
• Sweeny Toddler, from the Shiver and Shake , Whoopee! and Buster comics – Literary character Sweeney Todd.

T

• Thor (Marvel character) is named after the Norse god Thor.
• Tony Zucco – Rumored to be named after the actor George Zucco.
• Trafalgar Law from the anime and manga series One Piece's last name Law is based on notorious English pirate Edward Low. His first name is from the Battle of Trafalgar.
• Troy McClure from The Simpsons – Actors Troy Donahue and Doug McClure.
• Tycho Brahe, from Penny Arcade – Tycho Brahe, sixteenth-century astronomer.

V

• Victor and Hugo ( The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Disney film) – Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame .
• Victor and Hugo, the Cosgrove Hall Films characters, are also named after the author.
• Virginia Wolfe, the mother of Heffer in Rocko's Modern Life , is named after the British author Virginia Woolf.

W

• W.C. Fieldmouse – Hollywood comedian W.C. Fields.
• Wolfgang from Hey Arnold! – Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
• Woodhouse, the butler from Archer , is named after British author P.G. Wodehouse, who created the famous fictional butler, Jeeves.
• Woody from Toy Story – American football player and actor Woody Strode.

Y

• Yankee Poodle, comic book character from Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew , is the secret identity of Rova Barkitt, named after gossip columnist Rona Barrett.
• Yensid, from Fantasia , after Walt Disney. Yensid is Disney spelled backwards.
• Yogi Bear – Baseball player Yogi Berra.

Z

• Zippy the Pinhead is named after real-life sideshow artist Zip the Pinhead.
• Zorry Kid is named after masked avenger Zorro.

Characters named after non-famous people

• Bugs Bunny from Looney Tunes – Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, storyboard artist.
• Chang Chong-Chen – ( The Adventures of Tintin ) is named after a friend of Hergé, Zhang Chongren.
• Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson and Maggie Simpson of The Simpsons are named after the family members of creator Matt Groening: his father Homer, his mother Marge and his sisters Lisa and Maggie. ^[20]
• Garfield is named after Jim Davis's grandfather, James Garfield Davis (who is named after James Abram Garfield). ^[21]
• Jeff Fischer, from American Dad! is named after Seth MacFarlane's good friend with the same name.
• Louie, one of "Huey, Dewey and Louie" – Louie Schmitt, animator
• Alvin, Simon, and Theodore (The Chipmunks), are named after the executives of their original record label, Liberty Records: Alvin Bennett (the president), Theodore Keep (the chief engineer), and Simon Waronker (the founder and owner).
• Timmy Turner from The Fairly OddParents – Timmy Hartman (younger brother of Butch Hartman)
• Charlie Brown and Linus, from Peanuts , were named after friends of Charles Schulz from Art Instruction Inc., where Schulz taught before and at the beginning of his cartoon career.
• Cree Lincoln, from Codename: Kids Next Door , is named after her voice actress, Cree Summer.
• Lois Lane, from the Superman comics, is named after Lois Amster, a girl that Jerry Siegel had a crush on.
• Bullwinkle J. Moose is named after Clarence Bullwinkel, a friend of Jay Ward and Alex Anderson, who created Bullwinkle. The J in his name is for his creator Jay Ward, as the J in Homer Simpson's middle name was Matt Groening's way of honoring Jay Ward.
• Pocoyo, the main protagonist of the TV show "Pocoyo", named after his three-year-old daughter used it in her nightly prayers saying "Eres niño poco yo" ("You're a child little me") instead of "Eres niño como yo ("You're a child like me").
• Super Zia (from Toothpique Productions' series of the same title) is named after the actor playing him, a friend of the director's, Ziauddin Md. Nasrullah.
• Erfaan a.k.a. Mr. 85 (from Toothpique Productions' Super Zia) is named after a friend of the director's girlfriend.
• Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion is named after Shinji Higuchi, head of Gainax, the animation studio of Evangelion.
• Kirby is named after lawyer John Kirby, who defended Nintendo in the Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. case in 1984.
• Porky Pig from Looney Tunes is named two childhood classmates of creator Friz Freleng, nicknamed "Porky" and "Piggy".
• Mario is named after Nintendo of America's former warehouse landlord Mario Segale. ^{[22] [23]}
• The American Dennis the Menace is named after the comic strip creator Hank Ketcham's son Dennis Ketcham, whom the artist's wife once called "a menace". ^{[24] [25]}
• Eek! the Cat was named after one of co-creator Savage Steve Holland's deceased pet cats.

References

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3. Westhoff, Jeffrey (28 April 2000). "'Rock' on". Northwest Herald. Woodstock, Illinois. p. 81. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
4. "'Simpsons' Creator Says Apu is Actually a Tribute to the 'Greatest Films' Ever". 21 July 2018.
5. "Derib".
6. "Hec Leemans".
7. Van Hooydonck, Peter, "Willy Vandersteen: De Bruegel van het Beeldverhaal", Standaard Uitgeverij, 1995.
8. "Bill Watterson".
9. "Marc Sleen".
10. "Morris".
11. "Bill Watterson".
12. VAN HOOYDONCK, Peter, Willy Vandersteen: De Bruegel van het Beeldverhaal, Standaard Uitgeverij, Antwerpen, 1994
13. "Harvey Kurtzman".
14. Rhodes, Joe (2000-10-21). "Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves". TV Guide.
15. "Willy Linthout".
16. "Marc Sleen".
17. "Martin Lodewijk".
18. "Benoît Sokal".
19. "Peter de Wit".
20. See the "Family" section of "Matt Groening Profile Archived 2008-06-17 at the Wayback Machine ", E!.
21. https://web.archive.org/web/20090214062806/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/fyi/student.bureau/10/24/jim.davis/ ^{[ bare URL ]}
22. Kohler, Chris (17 February 2012). "Game Life Podcast: When Jay Mohr Met Tomonobu Itagaki". Wired. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2024. And so we thought, 'This guy [Segale] is a recluse. No one's ever actually met him.' So we thought, 'Wouldn't it be a great joke if we named this character Mario?' And so we said, 'That's great,' and we sent a telex to Japan, and that's how Mario got his name. Interview with Don James starts at 51:16. Quotation occurs at 52:00.
23. "Nintendo Treehouse Live - E3 2018 - Arcade Archives Donkey Kong, Sky Skipper". YouTube . Nintendo Everything. 14 June 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2024. Mr. Arakawa, who was the president, and myself looked at the character, and we had a landlord that happened to be named Mario as well, and we'd never met the guy, so we thought it'd be funny to name this main character Mario after our landlord in Southcenter. And that's actually how Mario got his name. Quotation occurs at 2:25.
24. Weinraub, Judith (5 May 1990). "Dennis's Dear Old Dad". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014.
25. Van Gelder, Lawrence (2 June 2001). "Hank Ketcham, Father of Dennis the Menace, Dies at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2007.