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User:Ice Vision/Significance of names
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In an interview with writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite, it was stated that "almost every name in Heroes has a meaning."
This page is a closer look at Heroes. It contains speculation.
Significance of Names
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Bennet | Blessed | Noah and Sandra couldn't conceive. Then one day, Noah and Sandra were blessed with a baby girl whom they held very dearly. Claire is also blessed to have her gift. Sandra has said that God made her the way she is. |
| Noah | Long-lived, comforter, wanderer | In the Bible, Noah rounded up all the animals and put them in the ark to protect them from a global flood. Noah Bennet collected evolved humans for the Company, "bagging and tagging" special people. In an alternate future, he protected evolved humans from the government, though he betrayed some. It's seems to be impossible to kill Noah off. He comforts Claire when she is sad. Before Noah shot Ivan, Ivan told him that if he killed him, he would condemn himself to hell; this is similar to being a wanderer. |
| Claire | Famous, bright, clear | Claire is "popular" in school, and she is "famous" because of Future Hiro's message: "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World." |
| Sandra (Alexander) | Defender of man | Sandra was constantly a victim of the Haitian's mind wipes, and was also a victim of Sylar. The irony of it is that Sandra needs to be protected. In Cautionary Tales, Noah entrusts Sandra with a gun to protect their family if he fails to return. After Noah's alleged death, Sandra points the gun at Bob after Bob enters the Bennet's home. |
| Lyle | The island | |
| Muggles | Muggle is a word used in the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling to refer to a human who does not have magical abilities. | Mr. Muggles ironically is the character who has the most abilities in Heroes. |
| Butler | A servant in charge of the wine cellar (occupational) | The Bennets assumed the name "Butler" in an attempt to hide from the Company. |
The Bishops
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Bishop | A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy. | Bishops hold a position of authority, and so does Bob, being the head of the Company. Bob, however, is nothing like a true Christian bishop. He is "morally gray at best", which was said by Mohinder. Bob instructs his agents to abduct evolved humans, do tests on them, and more. |
| Robert | Bright fame | Bob has the power of alchemy; he is able to transform objects into gold. |
| Elle | She | Elle is a she. |
The Deveauxs
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Simone (Simon) | Hear, listen | Ironically, Simone doesn't listen to Isaac when he tells her that he can paint the future. She finally believes him after she meets Hiro Nakamura from Isaac's comic book. Simon was given a new name, Peter, and he became Simon Peter. Simone was killed, and Peter has to let her go and embrace something new. |
| Charles | Strong, stout, courageous, valiant |
The Hawkinses
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Hawkins | Little hawk | |
| Daniel | "God is my judge." | In the Bible, Daniel was thrown into the lion's den because he disobeyed a law because the law went against his beliefs (he essentially didn't do anything wrong). Daniel Lawrence Hawkins, better known as D.L., was thrown into prison, but he was innocent. D.L. became a firefighter, and could escape unharmed the fiery "lion's den" of a burning house with his power of phasing. When D.L. was mistakenly charged with murder, the mislead police were not D.L.'s judge, but God was. |
| Paulette (Paul) | Small | Both Paulette's first and last name mean "small" in one way of another. Perhaps this is significant of Paulette's having little influence on Micah's life. |
The Nakamuras
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Nakamura (中村) | middle village | |
| Hiro (広) | Hiro is named after Hiroshima, so that his family will always remember the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki | Tim Kring has been quoted as saying, "It's no coincidence we named him Hiro… he truly is on a hero's quest." To this end, his name is often used as a pun. His co-worker Ando once called him "Super-Hiro" in jest, which is actually similar to the Japanese word for superhero: スーパーヒーロー (sūpāhīrō) |
| Kaito (楓翔) | 楓 means "maple". 翔 means "soar". |
|
| Kimiko | 后 (kimi) "empress" or 君 (kimi) "senior, noble" combined with 子 (ko) "child" | |
| Ishi (伊詩) | 伊 means "she". 詩 means "poem", "poetry", "verse" |
The Parkmans
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Parkman | Park man (occupational) | |
| Matt | Gift of God | Matt's telepathy is a gift. In the Bible, Matthew was a tax collector, and tax collectors were known to be lying thieves. Matt Parkman has the ability of telepathy, perhaps a reference because he has the ability to "collect" thoughts. He also manipulates people using his power, both now and in the future. |
| Maury | One who is dark | Maury is dark in nature, giving Molly, Matt, and Nathan terrifying nightmares. |
The Petrellis
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Petrelli | Derived from the Latin word petra meaning "rock" | |
| Peter | Rock | In the Bible, Peter was one of the important apostles out of the original twelve. Peter preached God's word, and brought healing to the sick and others. Peter Petrelli is one of the most important character. A notable note is, both his first and last name come from the Latin word petra meaning "rock". One could say that Peter is a rock, unbreakable and unstoppable. |
| Nathan | "God has given." | In the Bible, Nathan was the prophet who criticized King David for committing adultery. Nathan Petrelli ironically is the one committing adultery. Nathan also has a "gift of God", the ability of flight. |
| Angela (Angel) | Messenger of God | Like an angel, Angela looks over Peter, Nathan, and Claire, protecting them, though she has her dark side as well. Nathan ironically tells Angela "You're evil, ma." |
| Heidi | Exalted nature | Heidi, ironically, was in a wheelchair. |
| Arthur | Strong man | Linderman tells Nathan that Arthur was one of them, someone with great power. He adds that he gave up after he did all he could. Linderman ironically concludes by saying, "Your father was weak." |
The Sanderses
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Sanders (Alexander) | Defender of man | Ironically, Niki, when under the control of Jessica, is a murderer, not a defender. However, Niki wants to and tries to protect Micah. |
| Nicole | Victory of the people | |
| Jessica | "God sees." | Jessica, Niki's alter-ego, sees everything that is going on in Niki's life. She remembers what happened when to Niki as a child, but Niki doesn't. |
| Micah | "Who is like God?" | In the Bible, Micah was a prophet; he preached God's promise of hope and restoration to His people. Micah Sanders wants to be a hero and make difference. Mr. Linderman asks Micah wants to use Micah to rig the presidential election, which is Linderman's way of "saving the world." |
| Hal (Harry, Henry) | Home ruler | Hal Sanders was the abusive, alcoholic tyrant of his house. |
The Sureshs
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Suresh | Ruler of the gods | The Sureshs have knowledge about evolved humans. Chandra wrote Activating Evolution and is somewhat a "ruler of knowledge" among evolved humans. |
| Mohinder | Great Indra (Indra is a Hindu god) | |
| Chandra | The moon | Eclipse are a recurring event and theme in Heroes. |
| Shanti | A sense of inner peace |
Sylar and his victims
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Gabriel | Man of God | In the Bible, Gabriel is an angel, and is a messenger of God. Ironically, Gabriel Gray becomes a serial killer. Sylar told both Sureshs that he wanted to find evolved humans -- like a messenger -- and help them discover who they are and their purposes. |
| Gray | Gray-haired | Sylar's formal surname, "Gray", may refer to being "morally gray", killing special people for the evolutionary imperative. |
| Sylar | Gabriel Gray's nom de crime is inspired by the Sylar watch. | Gabriel Gray wanted to be special, and is known as Sylar, the man who steals the abilities of others by removing their brains. In Season Two, Sylar was unable to use his powers, and when asked about what his name is, answered "Gabriel. Gabriel Gray." |
| James | Supplanter | In the Bible, James was the apostle who was killed first. James Walker was the first evolved human whom Sylar killed who was introduced to us. James was also a supplanter for Molly. Molly survived Sylar's attack, but James didn't. |
| Molly (Mary) | Bitter one (possibly) | Perhaps this is significant of Molly's "bitterness" towards Sylar for killing her parents. |
| Jackie (Jacqueline) | Supplanter | At Homecoming, Sylar mistakes Jackie for Claire -- Jackie was Claire's supplanter, or substitute, as Sylar's victim. |
| Wilcox | One rather obstinate or stubborn | Jackie was very stubborn. |
| Sarah | Princess | Ironically, Sarah, abused and mistreated, was not a princess in her stepmother's house. |
| Ellis (Elijah) | "The Lord is my God." | |
| Eden | Pleasure | In the Bible, the Garden of Eden was the beginning; life originated there. Eden used her power for pleasure, and lead a life of crime. However, Eden McCain got a new life after meeting Mr. Bennet. She got another chance, a new beginning, and she became a new person. |
| McCain (Cain) | A spear | In the Bible, Cain was the brother of Abel and the son of Adam and Eve. God approved of Abel's lamb as a sacrifice and disapproved Cain's vegetables as a sacrifice. Cain just plucked some plants from the ground to give to God, while Abel chose the best and fattest lamb. Cain killed Abel out of jealousy and anger, making him the first murderer. Eden McCain accidentally kills her stepmother out of anger. |
| Zane (John) | "The lord is gracious." | The meaning of "Zane" can be reworded to "gift from God". Zane had a gift of God, but like many other characters, Zane was confused about what was happening to him. |
| Taylor | Tailor, to cut | Sylar kills Zane Taylor, removing his brain by cutting of his skull. |
| Isaac | Laughter | In the Bible, Isaac was a would-be sacrifice. Sylar kills Isaac Mendez. Also, notably, in Islam, Isaac is a prophet. |
| Mendez | A patronymic surname meaning "son or descendant of Mendel or Mendo," given names meaning knowledge, wisdom | Isaac had knowledge and wisdom since he had the amazing gift of painting the future. |
| Theodore | Gift of God | Ted had a gift from God, and like Sandra said, God made him the way he is. However, Ted didn't want his power, and saw it as a curse, one that killed his wife and hurt other people he didn't mean to hurt. |
| Sprague | Alert, lively | When Matt hears Karen's dying thoughts, he learns that Ted never listens and is too stubborn. He's not alert, ironically. Karen Sprague was not lively dying in a hospital bed, which is more irony. |
| Betty | Attractive female (slang) | Betty was an obese female, generally regarded as ugly. |
| Willmer | Strong desire | Candice had a strong desire to be attractive. Her desire was so strong that she was able to maintain her common form after being knocked unconscious by Niki. |
Other
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Adam | Man, earth | In the Bible, Adam was the first human. Adam Monroe is chronologically the first evolved human, and has lived for 400 years, thanks to his cellular regeneration. |
| The Haitian | A person from Haiti | The Haitian was presumably mute. "Mute Haitian" is a pun for "mutation". Chandra Suresh believed that the special abilities of evolved humans came from a mutation. |
| Hana | *Grace, graciousness, merciful (Anglicized Hebrew)
|
Future Hiro address Hana as "Flower" in his blog. |
| Iyer (Ayer) | Ayers Rock is a large rock formation in Australia, which is often called Uluṟu. | On Sanjog's file, there is a post-it note with the word "DREAMTIME" written on in. Dreamtime, most often referred to as "the time of the creation of all things", is associated with Uluṟu. |
| Meredith | Sea lord (possibly) | Ironically, Meredith has the power to create and control fire, which makes her the opposite of a "sea lord". |
| Monroe | Mouth of the river | |
| Ricky | Powerful leader, peaceful ruler, brave ruler | Ricky is the leader of an Irish gang. |
| Sanjog | Coincidence | People experiences dreams by Sanjog are because of coincidence, but because they have questions that need answers. |
| Zach (Zechariah) | "God has remembered." | Ironically, Zach had his memory wiped by the Haitian. |
Places
| Name, (variant of) | Meaning | Notes, biblical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Verde | The Green Coast | In a question and answer session, writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite said, "[Costa Verde's name] plays on [a] Joseph Campbell theme: Water. As a unifying agent that connects all cultures across the world. Costa Verde, or 'The Green Coast' seemed to be a great city in that tradition." |
| Odessa (Odyssey) | From the name "Odyssey" | In a question and answer session, writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite said, "Odessa, TX was chosen for its mythic name. The Odyssey being the quintessential Hero's Journey." |
Alliteration
Alliteration is common in comic books (e.g. Peter Parker, Green Goblin, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane). Alliteration can be found in the names of several characters, businesses, and other names in Heroes.
Characters
- Abu Aswan
- Bridget Bailey
- Byron Bevington
- Bob Bishop
- Black Bear
- Captain Chase
- Damon Dawson
- Donna Dorn
- Fumio Fukazawa
- Gabriel Gray (Sylar)
- Mistah Muggles
- Peter Petrelli
- Shanti Suresh
- Texas Tina
Businesses
Other
Names that Begin with "M"
Several main and recurring characters notably have names that begin with the letter "M".