A name that has a direct, barely-hidden meaning to it. The first, second/third/middle/nth, last, or full name says something primal about the character. Often has multiple layers. To hide the meaning a bit, use an alternate spelling or foreign equivalent. Instead of writers having to make up random words or think of real names, they can use mythological names or old words.

As an example, it is common to use for heroic characters names associated with hunting. So, apart from Hunter, which is a valid first and last name in English, you can use a translation to another language (Jäger, or the phonetic Yeager), the name of a predatory animal (Wolf, Hawk), a translation of the latter (Wolfe, Lupin, Lupis, Wulf) or Orion, the constellation of The Hunter. Which is kinda cool, which is why this can double up with Awesome Mc Cool Name.

Often, the characters in-universe are completely unaware that a name has any meaning, and act as if the name was just like any other. If this is the case, the name is a sort of Unusually Uninteresting Sight. This can be Played for Laughs when the characters are Comically Missing the Point, or alternatively, can become a Chekhov's Gun if the name turned out to be an important plot device.

Often, the meaning tells you an important thing about the character, or THE most important thing about the character. If it's the main character, the meaning of their name may tell you about the central conflict in the show.

Sometimes used more subtly; the Meaningful Name only becomes obvious in hindsight, but when the clincher is revealed it's a moment of "Now, how did I miss that?"

Self-chosen names can manifest this naturally, but may make the character look arrogant if the symbolism is too blatant. This can be a problem with bestowed names as well; although the character didn't create it, if he accepts it without much objection, the effect is similar.

Very common in cartoons, where the meaning is most times not hidden at all, except that the target audience may not have the vocabulary to get the joke. Also common in Anime, since Japanese names have a lot of obvious literal meaning to start with.^note Technically, most Western names do, too, but since a lot of them — especially those of English speakers — are meaningful in some other language such as Hebrew, Latin, or Gaelic, the meanings tend to be missed unless specifically mentioned. See notes at Theme Naming.

Real Life examples of this are often referred to as "aptronyms". The magazine New Scientist refers to it as "nominative determinism" in a tongue-in-cheek manner, and encouraged people to send examples in. (Until they utterly swamped by examples and had to repeatedly beg for readers to stop.) The proper name for this trope is "charactonym".

This goes back to the Bible and probably turns up in the books of other religions, due to the way that names in many different cultures had significance beyond the merely cosmetic.

When additions or alterations to names signify stronger versions of said beings, that's Tiered by Name. Compare Named After Somebody Famous, They Call Him "Sword". Contrast with Non-Indicative Name. Also compare/contrast with Ironic Name. See also Names to Run Away from Really Fast (which is about names indicating power and villainy and heavily overlaps with this trope), Punny Name (which many of these names fall into) and Dead Guy Junior (when the naming is intended to symbolize a deceased in-universe character's legacy in some way).

Sub-Tropes:

• A.I.-cronym: An artificial intelligence whose name is also an acronym pertaining to their purpose.
• Descriptively-Named Species: When an entire species' name fits their physical description.
• A Dick in Name: A guy named Dick is probably going to be a Jerkass due to the slang meanings of "dick".
• A Dog Named "Dog": An animal character gets the very animal's species name as their first name.
• Euphemistic Names: When a person's name is a Double Entendre.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The character is only known by their job title.
  • His Name Really Is "Barkeep": The character's real name actually is their job title.
• A Lizard Named "Liz": an animal character (or a humanoid character with an Animal Motif) is given a name based on the animal's attribute.
• Meaningful Rename: Someone renames themselves/someone else/something into a name with meaning.
• Named After the Injury: A character has a name or a nickname that has to do with an injury they've sustained.
• Name That Unfolds Like Lotus Blossom: The name is a full description.
• A Pig Named "Porkchop": An animal is named after the meat, food, or other animal products that could come from it.
• Prophetic Names: If the name's meaning isn't immediately relevant, it will be.
• Rite-of-Passage Name Change: When an entire culture has meaningful names, it might be justified this way
• Significant Anagram: When you scramble the letters of their name, it can turn into something meaningful.
• Significant Monogram: The name's initials refer to something meaningful.
• Species Surname: An animal character gets the animal name as their last name.
• Steven Ulysses Perhero: A person is named after their abilities/powers/occupations.
• Wealth's in a Name: You can tell this character is well-off by their name.
• Werewolf Theme Naming: Werebeasts with names alluding to their true nature.
• Word-O Name: A name created by taking a word appropriate to the person, and adding an O or A on the end.

Example subpages:

• Anime & Manga
  • Pretty Cure
  • Sailor Moon
• Comic Books
• Fan Works
• Films — Animation
• Films — Live-Action
• Literature
  • Harry Potter
• Live-Action TV
• Music
• Tabletop Games
• Theatre
• Video Games
• Visual Novels
• Webcomics
• Western Animation

Other examples: