Names:What's the deal with that?

[on:]

I know I'm not the only one who has noticed that most of the characters are called by their last names.

For example:    Philip J. FRY  ,Turanga LEELA, John ZOIDBERG.

Please tell me 'cause I wanna know!

[Reply #1 on:]

It's a future thing, maybe.

Also, their last names are cooler than their first. Could be that that's it.

[Reply #2 on:]

Actually, most of the main characters go by their first/personal names: Leela, Bender, Amy, Hermes.  Two go by their last names: Fry and Zoidberg.  And the Professor goes by "Professor."

(If you didn't know, the placement in Leela's name is the reverse of the usual.)

[Reply #3 on:]

It isn't unusual to go by your family name.  I have a lot of friends that I address by their last name most of the time.  I've been known by my last name as much as my first.

[Reply #4 on:]

Also, John Zoidberg is mainly called by his last name as he is a doctor, and usually gets called "Dr. Zoidberg."

[Reply #5 on:]

 

It isn't unusual to go by your family name. I have a lot of friends that I address by their last name most of the time. I've been known by my last name as much as my first.

I get called by my last name or a variant thereof by everyone at school, even most of my teachers call me "B--- ...actually let's not get into that 

[Reply #6 on:]

Most people at my school refer to me by my last name, too. It's hard to say why Leela goes by Leela. I doubt she knew her name was backwards before she found out she was a mutant, so it's almost like she WAS going by her last name anyway. Fry just plain sounds better than Phillip, and as for Zoidberg... I guess he just prefers Zoidberg.

[Reply #7 on:]

We've heard people call the professor Hubert, most recently Zoidberg in "Spanish Fry", so some of them are interchangeable.

I think the Dr.Zoidberg -> Zoidberg idea sounds good.

Similarly with Leela. She worked as a Fate Assignement Officer for a long time. The FAO Corps look like a police unit/para-military organization. What with uniforms, career chip guns and able to request police back-up on the spot? She's probably used to present herself as Leela and being addressed as Leela. Also Turanga sounds weird as a firstname.

Fry. Yeah, I know a few people who go by their lastname too. Particular if their lastname is unique and their first name is rather common. Could be the same thing.

[Reply #8 on:]

Was "Futurestock" the only episode where Zoidberg has a first name (revealed on his stationary) or is there another time....?

[Reply #9 on:]

All I know is that Fry's confession in 30% Iron Chef is written on a paper literally from the desk of John Zoidberg, M.D.

[Reply #10 on:]

Also, in A Taste Of Freedom, he is introduced by Nixon as John Zoidberg.  That, and I think the stationary thing you are referring to is from Iron Chef, as Ricky pointed out.
In regards to the names, I was surprised that Fry was called Fry in the Luck of the Fryrish flashbacks when his brother Yancy was there (in the breakdancing scene, if I recall correctly). I would think that would cause some confusion...  But, if they are calling him that because his first name is common, it makes sense that Yancy would be called Yancy, not Fry as well. 

[Reply #11 on:]

What about BENDER bending rodriguez and AMY wong.

[Reply #12 on:]

Good point SuperFry.  In fact it's such a good point that Action Jackson made it about 10 posts ago.

[Reply #13 on:]

They just try to make the names sound cool.  Could you imagine the program summaries on Sky?Here's Roswell that Ends well...First name style.

"The planet express crew inadvertantly travel back to the 1940s, in Roswell.  Philip becomes his own Grandfather.  Hubert tries to get back to the future with Turanga's help, and John is kidnapped on suspicion of being the Roswell Alien."

It just doesn't have the same ring to it. 

[Reply #14 on:]

lol.true but if the series had started with all those names you would have been used to it.Still doesn't sound as koolio but u'd be used to it.

[Reply #15 on:]

Turanga is Leelas familyname so technically  Leela is here firstname even to they say Turanga first.

[Reply #16 on:]

I don't know what a family name is, but here i go by my last name(which i'm not telling), so i think it's not a weird thing. Fry probably goes by his last name since his brother Yancy got to keep the "good" name and he was just "the other redhead" until he found the lucky clover. Leela goes by last name (if that is her last name) because, like Teral pointed out, she was part of a police/paramilitary unit, and members of those, real or fake, go by their last names or by nicknames. Zoidberg goes by last name for two reasons : his first name is too common, and he's probably being called by his last name because it's less personal and in case no one noticed, Hermes is not the only one who doesn't take kindly to Zoidberg. Amy is actually Amelia right? so she's refered by nickname. Bender is named by function, i don't think his names matter much anyway. Hermes is a mystery to me and last, but not least, Hubert Farnsworth is generally referred to as "the professor". Does this explain stuff?

[Reply #17 on:]

Yeah, but mutants use their family name as their first name. After all, Leela's parents call each other "Turanga Morris" and Turanga Munda," which means that they put their "proper" name last. It could be just some weird coincidence that's how Leela's always been known.

[Reply #18 on:]

woah,thanks Luis.That really put things in perspective.And Evan,you bring up a really good point.But why do you think the Turanga's have their last names first?Maybe its just a mutant thing.=/

[Reply #19 on:]

I think they did it this way just to reveal more hidden stuff later on like they did in other episodes....Like when you found out Fry's first name, and Leela's in the same ep....when I saw it I was like "What, I thought Fry was his first name...? It's just cool....
Same for Zoidberg, I'd never noticed that his first name hadn't been revealed until I saw it in 30% Iron Chef....go figure 

[Reply #20 on:]

 

Originally posted by 1 of the gang:
woah,thanks Luis.That really put things in perspective.And Evan,you bring up a really good point.But why do you think the Turanga's have their last names first?Maybe its just a mutant thing.=/

The producers (David or Matt) have told in interviews that mutants names are "family-name given-name". Probably an attempt to set the mutant culture more apart from the "normal" culture.

Leela wnet her whole life thinking her given name was Turanga and her family-name was Leela. It wasn't until 4ACV03 she learned the truth. Thus the Leela-goes-by-her-last-name question and the theories explaining why hold up.

[Reply #21 on:]

I thought there was also a classical song that was called (something to the effect of) Turangalila. They probably made the mutants that way so Leela could be named after the song and she still gets to keep Leela as her first name.

[Reply #22 on:]

Sounds like another good idea.

It's a symphonie by Oliver Messiaen. The author have at one point described it as "an ode to beauty and joy". Can't say I didn't think that was a very fitting description/reference, when I read it the first time. 

[Reply #23 on:]

Yes but people who think the last name have better rings it is because that is what was introduced first, like if a pair of blue jeans was the color red, red jeans wouldn't have the same ring, because the theory is that once we are introduced to something anything else sounds wrong.

[Reply #24 on:]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
Leela wnet her whole life thinking her given name was Turanga and her family-name was Leela. It wasn't until 4ACV03 she learned the truth.

I believe you mean 4ACV02, Mr. Smarty Man.

And we don't know that she didn't know about her name.  Maybe an explanation was written on the back of that name tag.  But they never talked about it so it doesn't matter.

[Reply #25 on:]

Heh, I took a gamble and lost.   

I had just typed the words "Leela's Homeworld" 7 or 8 times within 5 minutes. I felt it was time to try something else.

[Reply #26 on:]

Mayby using your last names first is the thing to do. Mybey "everyone else was doin it, I just wanted to be populer" is the reason.

[Reply #27 on:]

 

Originally posted by John C:
I thought there was also a classical song that was called (something to the effect of) Turangalila. They probably made the mutants that way so Leela could be named after the song and she still gets to keep Leela as her first name.

Well, you can check my post in this thread where I talk a bit about the "Turangalîla Symphony", giving some details about it with quotes by its composer 

Just my 2 eurocent 

JoseB

[Reply #28 on:]

My thoughs

Leela: With a first name like Turanga what would you pick? Like she needed to get picked on more as a child.

Fry: How would you feel if you were named after a screwdriver? I bet you go with your last name.

Zoidberg:  Ever hear of a doctor going by his first name? i doubt it.

Professeur Farnsworth:  Same as zoidberg. Professeur's go by ther last name.

[Reply #29 on:]

 

Originally posted by Action Jacktion:
 And we don't know that she didn't know about her name.  Maybe an explanation was written on the back of that name tag.  But they never talked about it so it doesn't matter.

that name tag was a sticker. you don't write stuff on the sticky side of a sticker.

[Reply #30 on:]

 

Originally posted by ratm9200:
My thoughs

Leela: With a first name like Turanga what would you pick? Like she needed to get picked on more as a child.

Fry: How would you feel if you were named after a screwdriver? I bet you go with your last name.

Zoidberg:  Ever hear of a doctor going by his first name? i doubt it.

Professeur Farnsworth:  Same as zoidberg. Professeur's go by ther last name.

Good point.

BTW: I write in the sticky part of the sticker!

j/k

[Reply #31 on:]

I get called by my last name... it's no big deal.

[Reply #32 on:]

At all boys schools people are generally called by there last name, Infact the only people that dont are your friends..

[Reply #33 on:]

Of which I have none, so it's last name all the time for me...

[Reply #34 on:]

People always refer to me by my first and last name, or just my first name.  I've never been referred to using just the last name, though.

[Reply #35 on:]

Shut up vilagosh!

[Reply #36 on:]

screw friends, the only friends i have and need are Shawn, Christina, and Eric, which they all call me by my last name except for Christina.

[Reply #37 on:]

y'know, ive never called a friend by their last names, but there is another [my real first name] in my class so im called sometimes by my last name.

[Reply #38 on:]

Samantha Harley gets called by her last name by everyone except teachers.

[Reply #39 on:]

Well the Chinese people will be called by thier last two name.
For example, Wong Ching Ming would be called Mr.Wong. Wong is the family's name and Ching Ming is basically the first name.