Here's a list of alternate names for canon characters and their meanings. They can be used as false names for when the characters are in disguise. Some of them are just notes on commonly used names for the characters. I even wrote notes on the canon names in some cases.

Like everything in this 'book', it's a work in progress.

Film/Canon name: Janet Weiss. Okay, we all know 'Weiss' is German for white (color of innocence and Janet's underwear) and there's the pun of it sounding like 'vice' when pronounced the German way. Though I think it's probably less known that 'Weiss' was the surname of the exploitation-film person who produced some of Ed Wood's early films. Janet is just another Medieval diminutive form of 'Jane. It was a popular baby name in 1940s and '50s United States. In the year Susan Sarandon was born (1946) it was ranked at 21st most popular.

Film/Canon name: Magenta (a Domestic)

Alternate First Names:

· Madeline, after Madeline Usher from The Fall of the House of Usher. Both inhabit an aging castle-like building and both are in a heavily-implied incestuous relationship with their brother.

Alternate Surnames:

· The all-but-canon Vitus. It means 'life' in Latin, and has been used by many fans for Magenta and Riff's last name. Apparently Riff's surname actually was Vitus in early drafts of RHS.

· McKinley, which is her expy's fake-name in the revoltingly horrible 'equal' Shock Treatment. The name itself allegedly originated in Scotland as 'Mac Fhionnlaigh' and meant 'son of Fioonlagh'.

· O'Cuinn, an older Irish form of 'Quinn' (as in Patricia Quinn).

Film/Canon name: Riff Raff (a Handyman)

Alternate First Names:

· Roderick, after Madeline Usher's brother.

· Igor because he spend most of the movie as that character archetype. Though by the end he's not an Igor because he isn't faithful to his master (one of the Igor's defining traits). The term was probably popularized by the 1974 film Mel Brooks film Young Frankenstein.

Alternate Surnames:

· See Magenta's entry

So... if anyone wants to borrow ideas just say something! Also comment if you want to add something to this.

I've been having fun researching/remembering different names and their meanings, so I've decided to also do... etymologies/notes on Actor Names (in order of billing). By the way, the popularity rankings.

Tim Curry: 'Tim' is a short form of Timothy. It's origins are Greek and it, like many names popular in the 20th century, was in the bible on at least on occasion. One famous modern character with the same name would be Tim the Enchanter, as played by John Cleese, from Monty Python and the Quest For the Holy Grail.

Susan Sarandon: 'Susan' is an English variant of a biblical name belonging to numerous persons. It's also the name of popular Terry Pratchett's Discworld character Susan Sto Helit (also called 'Susan Death' sometimes), introduced in the novel Soul Music and last seen in Thief of Time. In Doctor Who the First Doctor's granddaughter is named Susan. It was ranked 8th most popular in.

Barry Bostwick:

Richard O'Brien: 'Richard' means 'brave power'. It's of German Origin. It's the name of a hunchbacked (and "withered-armed") king of England, Richard III. He's the one who they found under a parking lot a few years back. That's also the guy portrayed highly unsympathetically in a play by William Shakespeare. 'O'Brien' means descendant of 'Brien'. It's an Irish name, of course.

Patricia Quinn: the name 'Patricia' is wonderful because it's actually a word in Latin! It's a feminine form of 'patricius', meaning person of the patrician class (the upper/ruling class)... so it's like naming your kid 'upper class girl'. Though these days it's a proper name and it's known as the feminine version of 'Patrick', as in Saint Patrick. It was the 4th most popular name in the year Ms. Quinn was born (1944). Her surname, as stated above, originated as O'Cuinn (descendant of Conn). It probably has nothing to do with the Roman name 'Quintus' - derived from the Latin word meaning 'five'. I only keeping Romanifying her name as Quinta or a related name because it matches up phonetically.

Laura "Little Nell" Campbell: Laura is, like Patricia, a regal sort of name. It's derived from the word 'Laurel'. That's a sort of plant that they make into victory wreaths. The original male form of the name was 'Laurus'. 'Little Nell' is the name of a sick girl in a Dickens novel entitled 'The Old Curiousity Shop'. It's mystifing that anyone would willingly be nicknamed after her. 'Campbell' originated as a Scottish Gaelic name, not as soup. It originally meant something rather insulting (which makes me think it was originally a nickname). We can probably assume that Ms. Campbell's family was Irish and/or Scottish before moving to Australia. One wonders if the earlier Campbells were of, ah, the criminal persuasion or caught up in one of the 19th Century Gold Rushes. This is Australia we're talking about.

Jonathan Adams:

Charles Grey: