This first occurred to me with the naming
of the Runaway Bride – Donna Noble. The name ‘Donna’ literally means ‘Lady’ so
‘Donna Noble’ is a noble lady which – as demonstrated in her later episodes –
is shown to be the case as she is (revealed to be) one of the most important
people on the planet.
I then started looking at the other names
of the companions in the series:
Rose Tyler – ‘Rose’ being a beautiful,
stereotypically English, flower (appropriate given she is the one who the
Doctor could arguably have been said to have fallen in love with). And ‘Tyler’
– a common labourer’s profession (appropriate for the child of a London estate
– casting no aspersions).
Martha Jones – the name ‘Martha’ also means
‘lady’ and, with ‘Jones’ being a common
surname, she could be said to be a ‘Common Lady’ but, as she was selected by
the Doctor, also special.
Astrid Peth – generally accepted as being
an anagram of TARDIS, the name ‘Astrid’ means ‘divine strength’ – which she
undoubtedly found both to defeat Max Capricorn and also in her reincarnation at
the end of the episode.
The importance of names in Doctor Who
becomes even more apparent in Steven Moffat’s era with ‘River Song’ transpiring
to be a play on the name of ‘Melody Pond’. (Although, admittedly, this is more to
do with the connotations of the word than the meaning of the name.) But the
name ‘Amelia’ means ‘industrious’ (appropriate for a Doctor’s companion) and
the name ‘Amy’ means ‘beloved’ which she certainly is – particularly by Rory.
Then, bringing things bang up to date, we
have Clara Oswald – ‘Clara’ meaning ‘clear’ or ‘bright’ – both appropriate for
a teacher – and ‘Oswald’
meaning ‘Power of God’ (which Clara could be said to have at several points
throughout the series)
I will undoubtedly be watching keenly and
be eager to know the moniker bestowed on his next companion and what this could
infer...
