I got into a recent discussion with friends about the possible significance of the names of the characters on the show. I figure why not have a board where we present possible interpretations?

This is not meant to be anything more than speculation... some of us will undoubtedly find one another's suggestions to be farfetched... but it's all in good fun. I see no need to criticize anyone's suggestions.

Since this discussion will undoubtedly cover events that have occured on the show, I hereby state:

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!!!


JACK SHEPHERD - This one's probably the easiest... a shepherd is one who guides a group of people. Jesus is often referred to as the "Good Shepherd," so it seems appropriate that Jack is the savior of the group.

Jack is a derivation of the name John, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." John is certainly a common enough name, so there's no telling if it's meant to reference a particular historical or literary figure. But John Milton authored Paradise Lost which begins with the fall of Satan and ends with Man's expulsion from paradise.

Interestingly enough, Paradise Lost opens with Satan and the other rebellious angels awakening in Hell on a lake of fire. Satan gathers the angels on the shore and tells them that all is not lost and tries to inspire his followers. This would put Jack in the role of Satan, which doesn't seem to jive with the way his character has been depicted.

Another noted John is Christ's apostle, who allegedly wrote one of the Gospels as well as the book of Revelations.

If I heard correctly, Jack's father's name is Christian, which adds more layers to a religious interpretation of Jack's name.

Christian also brings to mind a long (but fun) shot: Hans is yet another derivation of John, which brings to mind Hans Christian Anderson, the notable writer of numerous fairy tales. Anderson means "son of Andrew," Andrew being the first of Christ's disciples.

One can go forever with this stuff...

JOHN LOCKE - There is no doubt in my mind that this is intentionally meant to reference the noted 17th century philosopher who was mostly concerned with epistemology... which studies the nature of knowledge, its presuppositions, foundations, and its validity.

According to Wikipedia, in An Essay concerning Human Understanding, "Locke critiques the philosophy of innate ideas and builds a theory of the mind and knowledge that gives priority to the senses and experience." Sound familiar?

"Locke believed that the mind is born blank, a tabula rasa upon which the world describes itself through the experience of the five senses. Knowledge arising from sensation is perfected by reflection, thus enabling humans to arrive at such ideas as space, time, and infinity...

"Behind this curtain of sensation the world itself is colorless and silent. Science is possible, Locke maintained, because the primary world affects the sense organs mechanically, thus producing ideas that faithfully represent reality." (www.infoplease.com)

Locke (the character) is a man who denies that something couldn't be done. He insisted on going on the walkabout, despite his physical limitations.

He doesn't believe in preconceptions, only in what is... as he told Walt, it's black versus white. And this empirical philosophy may be key to understanding the nature of the fantastical elements of the island.

DANIELLE ROUSSEAU - Speaking of philosophers...

Could our island's own female Robinson Crusoe have been named for Jean Jacques Rousseau, an 18th century philosopher who held that humanity is essentially good, but corrupted by society?

Could this be the "sickness" that she asserted? And is this corruption the reason why Ethan and "the others" have kidnapped poor pregnant Claire... the bearer of the island's only known tabula rasa?

As for the nameDanielle... well, Robinson Crusoe was written by Daniel Defoe.

HUGO "HURLEY" REYES - It's hard to say what this name could signify, since we know so little about him.

But Hugo certainly brings author Victor Hugo to mind. I wonder if there'll be some reference to The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Les Miserables in an upcoming episode... although Kate's story could be a take on the latter novel, with her cast in the role of Jean Valjean.

Reyes means "of the house of kings."

CLAIRE LITTLETON - Claire means "clear," which could be another reference to the unborn baby (its mind being a tabula rasa).

Littleton is a tough one. The first thing that comes to mind is Littleton, Colorado. Though I don't know how that would link, aside from perhaps it being a tragedy. Or perhaps it's the oxymoronic pairing of little and ton.

ETHAN ROM - There has been a lot of discussion on various boards about this character's name. Some people believe it could be an anagram for OTHER MAN or NOT HER MA or even MOTHER N/A.

However, it could possibly be a reference to Edith Wharton's literary character, Ethan Frome. If memory serves, Ethan Frome is stuck in a loveless marriage to a hypochondriac and ultimately finds love in a younger woman (his cousin?) who comes to help take care of the wife. Ethan and the young woman ultimately wind up in a crash on a sled.

Could Danielle (a woman who sees sickness everywhere) be Ethan's wife? Could Claire be the young woman who will ultimately liberate him (with tragic consequences)?

Excellent work, Darth.

Darth Sarcasm: "Locke believed that the mind is born blank, a tabula rasa upon which the world describes itself through the experience of the five senses.
Luigi Novi: And the third episode was called Tabula Rasa. Was that the episode focusing on Locke?

Darth Sarcasm: ETHAN ROM…
Luigi Novi: He’s secretly a space knight?

Luigi Novi: And the third episode was called Tabula Rasa. Was that the episode focusing on Locke?

It focused on Kate more than anyone else.

"Tabula Rasa" referred to the fact that after the crash on the island, it was as though the survivors were "reborn" and their past lives did not matter. This was vocalized by Jack when he told Kate it didn't matter what she had done to be on the run from the law. Everyone deserves a new start.

Could the reason that Hugo doesn't want to be called by that name is that kids used to morph it into "Huge-o" when he was younger? Still, Hurley isn't that much better... and if he does turn out to be a sci-fi geek, the Hugo awards are one of the top honors that SF artists can attain.

Haha... I thought about Huge-o, but didn't want to be mean...

Darth Sarcasm: ETHAN ROM - There has been a lot of discussion on various boards about this character's name. Some people believe it could be an anagram for OTHER MAN or NOT HER MA or even MOTHER N/A.
Luigi Novi: The December 26 TV Guide, the producers confirm that it's an anagram for "Other Man." Interestingly, Rom is played by William Mapother, Tom Cruise's cousin. (And for those who don't know, Cruise's last name was originally Mapother as well.)

In addition to John Locke and Rousseau, we now have a (Desmond) David Hume. Hume (the philosopher) was Scotish and was much influenced by John Locke (the philosopher).

Just to run through this again, we have...

John Locke
Danielle Rousseau
Desmond David Hume
Boone Carlyle
Anthony Cooper
Richard Alpert
Mikhail Bakunin
Jeremy Bentham
Edmund Burke
The De Groots

Forgot about Faraday and Hawking, too.

CHRISTIAN SHEPHERD

Explicitly called out by alt-Kate in The End.