As Clara Oswald said: "You've been asking a question, and it's time someone told you you've been getting it wrong. His name, his name is the Doctor. All the name he needs. Everything you need to know about him."
Right! I don't care about his real name because the Doctor is good enough. He's been called like that for thousends of years, way more than he was with his original name. All the universe knows him as the Doctor because he is
"It's not some big mystery, it's cultural. When a Time Lords takes on a title, that becomes their name. Using their birth name is seen as dispresctful, almost insulting, to someone with a title. Only those closest to a Time Lord can use their original name, as revealing it is seen as the greatest act of trust"
That explains why River apologized to him before whispering his name into his ear… she knew it might offend him, but she also knew it was the only way to get him to trust her in that moment.
@@ribozyme2899 "Silence in the Library" series 4, episode 8. It's either that or the next episode. I forget exactly WHEN it happens, but it's one of those 2.
The day we find out the Doctor's real name is the day the show ends for good. The last line of the ultimate finale, something like "my name is ______ and I am and always will be the Doctor."
@@theboxedcat_ Google it or rewatch An Unearthly Child where she is listening to the band. I've never heard about Jamie also coming up with John Smith but it's entirely possible they added that second explanation later on since back then there was no way to rewatch older episodes anytime to catch up.
It is his right name - as a male BUT as he started as a girl, the name was 2nd Lisa, since Time Lords like Greek characters and Beta is the 2nd letter, it was written 'LisaB' - turned around it reads BasiL
@@LisaBeta-42I mean there is no true evidence that the doctor started out as a girl, while true they did come through the inter-dimensional portal as a girl we don’t know if that was her first incarnation or if she regenerated before in the past
A time lord's name grows over time. You know how the rings in a tree develop and kind of tell a story about it's life? Well it's nothing like that. But if it helps, yes 😂
Capaldi said in his final scene that 'children can hear it', and the only other time we've seen children seeing what adults can't is the David Tennant episode where they go to a school with Sarah Jane Smith. In this episode, the antagonists are using the children's imagination to crack the very structure of the universe itself. My theory is that his name (and maybe all Galifreyan names) contain a part of this code.
I believe Δ²Σx³ is the Doctor’s name, as it mentions it in a book somewhere as forementioning the Doctor, and their nickname at the academy was Theta Sigma, or Thete. I’m quite certain the Master/Missy’s name is Koschei though.
Close, it's actually ∂³Σx², though they did call him Theta Sigma in college. The novels were "The Trial of Doctor Who" by Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke, who also wrote many episodes for Classic Who
@@jonathangitter1311That string of characters also appeared as easter eggs in a few classic episodes. It's canon, it's the Doctor's name, and the string "theta sigma" is part of it. Verity Lambert, the first producer of Doctor Who, said she considers the name would begin with literally the syllables "dok-tor" followed by something unpronounceable to humans.
It makes sense to me that his real name is something that culturally is only known by those who you'll spend the rest of your life with. That's how I personally feel about middle names. Its knowledge reserved for those you're closer to than anyone else in the universe. I think that in Gallifreyan culture, telling someone your real name is meant to create an everlasting bond and attachment between them. So with that being said, I highly doubt his real name has ever been spoken audibly for the audience to hear. It could be something generic or it could be something humans can't even fathom or pronounce. If I think about it too much I'll probably lose my mind
Here are some theories (in descending order from plausible to bonkers): The Doctor (well, it is _now,_ so…) Theta Sigma (more than just a nickname) Pythia (the Sisterhood of Karn revere a deity or deified figure of this name, who is implied to be female) Space (the counterpart to Time) Basil Foreman (or perhaps something that _sounds_ like Basil Foreman) Quiquaequod (loosely translates as “What, what, _what?!”)_ Lucantewmayae (phonetically similar to the phrase “look into my eye”) Tecteun Jr. (yeah… nah…)
I like that. It's always the same, but varies from incarnation to incarnation somewhat, indicating the change of the character but the underlying identity
The only individuals who know ( or knew) his real name are his family, other Time Lords, River Song, the TARDIS and Clara Oswald who saw his name in a book in the episode "Journey to the Center of the TARDIS"
I like to think its the theme song because if you think of it like that and the fact that Melody(River) had to whisper it in his ear makes it kinda funny
The 11th Doctor said that he chose his name and that his name reveals something about his character. (That said, “The Doctor” is his name as far as I’m concerned.) Perhaps the unspoken question is, “How was The Doctor called before he chose the name ‘The Doctor’?”
In one episode, a head spoke to the doctor. He said and i quote "hidden in plain sight, a question that must never be answered, Doctor Who" I think that basically explains it. It must never be answered because it was not suppose to be answered since its never a question to begin with, hence it being hidden in plain sight, hidden in words which people think was a question "doctor who". My theory is, "who" is his actual name"
In one of the books it was said his name is Corin The idea that the theme song is his name is great, too, but I can't stop laughing at the idea of River just singing "to-doo-do do-doo-do" for like a minute and a half into Tenth's ear
Think back to the Doctors reaction to River's whisper in Forest of the Dead. Something like "Doctor Who" wouldn't ilicit that type of response from him
I've got a theory that always made sense, The majority of a name is spoken with words but there are groups & tribes that uses not words but sounds for their dialect, So it's very possible that the Doctor's name is not a word but perhaps a sound - could be the intro theme, also look at the doctor's cot at demons run - it looks similar to the circular pattern on a oscilloscope and that can decipher visual with sounds. Also at the end of the episode waters on mars an ood said to the 10th doctor his song is coming to his end - referencing that his song was his story, so it's highly possible that the ood knows the Gallifreyan language i.e songs and sounds. If you take a listen to the theme music of Rose, Martha and Donna - it has the same type of theme, it has a harmonious theme so it's likely a Song in our ears but a Gallifreyan story to another. *Edit note: I know that there is another comment previous to this one but I didn't see that when I wrote this - so forgive me if you get the wrong impression.
One of the classic episodes had his name as Dr. Feet's and it was strongly implied this was his actual name. I can't for the life of me remember anything else about the episode though
I think it’s a gallifreyan name and even if we saw it written down we would not understand it and he generally prefers the title of just “the doctor”. However in Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, Clara tells the doctor that she saw his name in a book in his library, interestingly she does not seem surprised by the spelling or anything. The Eleventh Doctor later tells Clara that his title of “the doctor” is like a ‘promise’ people make to him. He explains that the War Doctor broke this promise. He also claims that his true name is a secret he wants to take to his grave and River Song is one of the only people who knows his name because she is his wife. The Third Doctor also pretends to be called John Smith, and that is his “earthly name” which he uses. I guess us whovians have to wait and see and hopefully find out the truth about his name!!!
While the show supports the whole "unprouncable" idea in moments like 12ths last words... it's very clearly been spoken by the human tongue (i.e. River Song) plus Gallifrean names we do know aren't that difficult so it'd be kinda dumb if it were the case for only a few time lords to have complex names you can't say.
With the timeless child arc, doesnt that mean the doctor doesnt know their real name? Meaning whatever Gallifreyian name they've been keeping a secret isnt even their true name :(
No, I don't think it works like that. They may or may not have had other names before becoming Gallifreyan, but the true name is the one you hold in your hearts. The Doctor's true name is the Gallifreyan one so long as it's the one that matters most to them
During the 1970's they came up with "∂³Σx²" (sometimes spelled "d³ᓬx²") as the Doctor's real name and put hints in several episodes. However, people really didn't like it and in modern Doctor Who it's considered non-canon (however, some fans still consider it to be his real name). ΘΣ (Theta Sigma) was also revealed to be his name in 1979 but later retconned in 1988 to be a nickname. Moffat's intension is pretty clear to state that "Doctor Who" is his real name, since it would also be a joke on the fans that the name has been in front of them the whole time as well explain why he was called Doctor Who in the credits for many years, and even in one episode. However, mostly only old fans like Peter Capaldi, who grew up with him being called that, likes it.
He is called The Other. He was one of the top three Timelords Rassilon and omega. He was the one who discovered the regeneration from the sisters of Sisterhood of Karn going into fire of the Sacred Flame, which provides for them the Elixir of Life and thus grants them immortality.
This one was crazy at the time,and it goes against the Doctor's main idea like the Timeless Children.But I do like this one better since the Doctor actually does something that makes him significant,not just be special from the get-go.
1. The Other is just another title, signifying a being whose true identity is unknown. That’s just kicking the can down the road. 2. The on-screen gut-level horror that 10 feels at the creation of Jennie through a process that is far too close to being genetically engineered by the Loom to be an accident heavily implies that the whole Loom thing is decidedly not canon.
In ancient cultures (and a few not so ancient) a name is not a label. It reveals the essence of the person. Who the doctor is (pun unintended) is something so powerful the name must be hidden. I personally think it’s linked with whoever the timeless child actually is.
In the 4th Doctor's encounter with Xrax (The Armageddon Factor) it is stated that Theta Sigma is a small portion of the Doctor's true name. They go on to state that a Timelord's full name is a complex mathematical formula, and that Theta and Sigma are two of the terms for his formula.
The doctor’s name is ∂³Σx² or something similar to it because if you watched the doctor from the 1963 or somewhere around those years it tells you how to write it in The show.
I think it's something godly/angelic. When Reinette looked into the doctor's mind, she started calling him, the "lonely angel" and notes that his name is more than just a secret. The doctor is the good force within the universe, the opposite of the beast in the satan pit; their name must reveal this in some way. The master is a bit like the devil as a fallen angel too...
@@mason4163 Of course he's fictional, but finding out his real name would only kill the running secret. Just like Voyage of the Damned ruined the gag when he finally met an Alonso and could say "Allons-y, Alonso". Or if he ever becomes ginger. Some things we don't need to see, or find out. Let's just enjoy the mystery.
Fun fact, apparently Alex Kingston, the actor who played River Song, actually knows the doctor's real name and has kept it a secret for a long time now. She's really good with secrets even, like she knew about most of what she was going to be doing in later episodes as early as her first appearance because of river's journal that said a lot of stuff she did in her past, which had made later episodes a lil harder, such as her appearance during the peter capaldi era
I think his name is death. Maybe the universe got that word from his name - everywhere he goes death follows unintentionally, and he’s so ashamed of that part of himself that he’s hidden it from the universe, he wants to be better, he wants to be a doctor. Unfortunately that’s is who he is, a lonely Angel; the grim reaper - death. Everything he touches turns to dust. He’s the master of eternity, which death is intrinsically linked to.
When Peter capaldi was regenerating, he said “oh and certainly don’t tell anybody your name. They won’t understand it anyways.” Maybe you are right with his name being just doctor who as he said nobody would understand it. Nobody would understand doctor who being a name, or would they???
I remember hearing once that the Doctor's name is a promise. My guess is that telling someone what that promise is/was would somehow break the promise itself.
The Doctors real name was in an early Dr Who magazine and is a combination of symbols. (early Gallfreyan??). I remember reading it many years ago so when you find it have fun translating it to 2 dimensional English :
I mean its kind of answered in Name of the Doctor. I like to think its basically a word that is assigned to you at birth that unlocks your tomb. You keep it a secret like a pin code for your credit card. And telling someone your name is like ultimate trust. Its like getting married youre literally giving everything you are to that person and saying i trust you with my entire life. Timelords/ladies live for long periods of time so i dont imagine them marrying one person for the whole of their life. What makes more sense to me is they have a group of people they trust with their life and its those people they share their name with. Their name is a promise to protect their tomb when they pass on.
@@freshairkaboom8171 when river first met the Doctor she said his name to gain his trust. So he knew from the beginning she had to know. It helped him save the day in the library and it helped her save him in Name of the Doctor. So yeah River needed to know.
Well, actually, we’ve already known Doctor’s Gallifreyan name. Remember The Trial of a Time Lord, with Sixth Doctor? His enemy was Valeyard, who is The Doctor in one of his regenerations, as Master said: “Between his 12 and last regeneration”. So, maybe, if Valeyard is still there, it will be his canonical name.
I'm surprised that the option of "d ³Σx ²" didn't come up since it is stated by several sources to be the Doctor's real name, though it's more likely to be a mathematical representation of their true name.
It is hard to find the right characters on a normal keybord - and the number on your social security card never is your 'real name' but only the representation of a unique entity that is represented by this string of code - namely YOU - so every option is correct, depending who interacts with the Doctor.
I don't think Doctor Who is his name but I see why people say that. I don't remember who said it but they say 'We get the name doctor from you, ykno' to either 11 or 12.
The doctor says his name is dangerous for anyone to hear unless thd person is prepared. In the library, doctor said he spoke his name to one person before but never explained
I like to imagine that he managed to get his name to Rose somehow in the alternate universe and she's the only person to know it. Don't judge me, I miss Rose Tyler.
If we take consideration to a collective knowledge of The doctor homeplanet and its language persist, gallifreyani spoken like a melody, try indian music, when lyrics sang, the sound sort of can be imagine Air going through multiple trap doors, if the doctor truest name might as well must be read and sang through a music sheet.
The time lords choose their new names after they look into the untempered schism some still keep their names like borusa so its hard to know how it all works maybe they're given the option to choose a new name or keep their original
What I like to think is you can’t speak gallifreyan bc, like, just look at it, no way you can speak that, so what I think is it’s a musical language or smthn so the doctors name is actually either that thumping at the start of the intro or just the whole intro
I think they will reveal the name when the show is over however it’s the longest running tv show so I don’t think it’ll ever end and so we will never know
I remember twelve having a good take on it. Whatever his name is, nobody would understand it. Except children, if the stars are in the right place, and their hearts are too. Or something to that effect.
His real name wad given to us in a doctor who annual book where we had to look for a letter on diffrent pages and then decipher his name and I could never properly do it and still don't know it
I read a theory somewhere that gallifreyans names are their life stories. And that time lords just take on titles to actually refer to each other. Not sure if it’s really backed up because there have been times where people say they know the doctor’s actual name, and if I remember correctly river has actually spoken the doctor’s name to him
One line of dialogue is especially telling to back the theory of their name being "Doctor Who" And that's in Season 4, episode 2, where a seer looks into the doctor and says "Doctor Who... It's more than just a question, isn't it?"
I recall some video stating his name as being complex but it is supposed to start with twosyllables, dok-tor. From what ive gathered, there are references throughout classic who, though i honestly dont know. Just a tidbit i picked up somewhere along the way.
I believe there is a theory that gallifreyan is spoken to be more like music and that the theme music is his name
I LOVE THIS
I’m now imagining River just singing the theme in the Name of the Doctor
My favorite name theory!
100 bloody like just for this
I've always loved this idea but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense with River whispering it to him.
I love the theory that the theme song that goes Wooo-ooooo-ooooooo is actually his name.
Or boundadown (it's repeated about 5 times before the pheramin goes "whoo-ooo-oooh?")
In the words of the TARDIS
Wwoooooooo. Ooooohhoooo whoooooooo ooooo
Lol so you mean I've been singing the Doctor's name at the top of my lungs before every single episode and never even knew it? 😂😂
@@JhadeSagrav yes :)
What is the Master's name?
As Clara Oswald said:
"You've been asking a question, and it's time someone told you you've been getting it wrong. His name, his name is the Doctor. All the name he needs. Everything you need to know about him."
Right! I don't care about his real name because the Doctor is good enough. He's been called like that for thousends of years, way more than he was with his original name. All the universe knows him as the Doctor because he is
Reading that makes me tear up. So true! One of the best episodes.
Trans rights 🏳️⚧️
@@ghastly4705 Amen to that
@@ghastly4705shut up. There's a time and a place for everything
"It's not some big mystery, it's cultural. When a Time Lords takes on a title, that becomes their name. Using their birth name is seen as dispresctful, almost insulting, to someone with a title. Only those closest to a Time Lord can use their original name, as revealing it is seen as the greatest act of trust"
That explains why River apologized to him before whispering his name into his ear… she knew it might offend him, but she also knew it was the only way to get him to trust her in that moment.
Where's this quote from?
@@ribozyme2899 Me
@@ribozyme2899 "Silence in the Library" series 4, episode 8. It's either that or the next episode. I forget exactly WHEN it happens, but it's one of those 2.
@lexiconprime7211 wow that's actually the episode I'm just about to press play on. What a coincidence
The day we find out the Doctor's real name is the day the show ends for good. The last line of the ultimate finale, something like "my name is ______ and I am and always will be the Doctor."
I would like it to be:
"My name is..."
End of the show
@@GuarinoPablochaotic ending just make every who fan wanna deep throat their sonic screwdriver replica
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE.IN THE FINAL EPISODE ALL THE DOCTOR'S SECRETS SHOULD B REVEALED!!!!
Never. No name will live up to the hype.
@@martinabbott4640imagine if it actually was Doctor who
I enjoyed the theory that the theme song is actually the doctors name
What if he forgot it lmao
No it isnt
@@Vienic2I mean he doesn’t say it and hasn’t for like probably millions of years it would be logical to assume it’s in the back of his mind
Wouldn't it be funny if the Doctor's name is simply just John Smith?
He gets John Smith from a band his grandaughter Susan liked listening during their time together on Earth. "John Smith and the Common Men" I recall.
@@jimi4985I thought Jamie came up with it in the 2nd Doctors Run?
@@theboxedcat_ Google it or rewatch An Unearthly Child where she is listening to the band. I've never heard about Jamie also coming up with John Smith but it's entirely possible they added that second explanation later on since back then there was no way to rewatch older episodes anytime to catch up.
Jamie came up with it in the serial Wheel in Space(iirc). The Doctor was unconscious and a person asked his name to Jamie, he said it was John Smith
@@Tien1610 Yh I thought so
According to Alex Kingston who plays river song, Sheniqua
according to catherine tate who plays donna, his name is brian.
*Sheniqua* , as in the Saturday Night Live character?
"Yeah, that may as well happen."
--- Exec. Producer Guy.
It's a mystery that should never be solved. That's part of the allure of the character. 😊
He's embarrassed of his real name cause it's actually X Æ A-12.
That sounds stupid
@@The-Hazbin-Devil04it’s a joke because thats actually the name of Elon Musks kid
@@lou580 damn, I feel bad for the kid
@@The-Hazbin-Devil04well no shit, it was just a joke damn
That’s not far off from what his name was in the comics
I just love how 12 came up with Basil on the spot.
It is his right name - as a male BUT as he started as a girl, the name was 2nd Lisa, since Time Lords like Greek characters and Beta is the 2nd letter, it was written 'LisaB' - turned around it reads BasiL
@@LisaBeta-42 nah timeless child ain’t canon
@@MumboJumboZXC
what do you mean it aint canon? it isnt GOOD, and I would love it to not be canon, but it is.
@@LisaBeta-42I mean there is no true evidence that the doctor started out as a girl, while true they did come through the inter-dimensional portal as a girl we don’t know if that was her first incarnation or if she regenerated before in the past
It's "river look in my eye" that's his name
Ahahaha never thought of it
we all get tricked by that. he actually told her his name when she killed him the first time with the lip stick.
So river was singing the theme song when she opened the door when the doctor went to transalor
I think that the doctors name is actually in the theme song but you can’t hear it because the theme is his name in gallifreyan
I believe that we'll either never know the Doctor's name. Or it will be the last words we ever hear spoken in the series.
i hope doctor who doesn’t end in my lifetime
A time lord's name grows over time. You know how the rings in a tree develop and kind of tell a story about it's life? Well it's nothing like that. But if it helps, yes 😂
Capaldi said in his final scene that 'children can hear it', and the only other time we've seen children seeing what adults can't is the David Tennant episode where they go to a school with Sarah Jane Smith.
In this episode, the antagonists are using the children's imagination to crack the very structure of the universe itself. My theory is that his name (and maybe all Galifreyan names) contain a part of this code.
I believe Δ²Σx³ is the Doctor’s name, as it mentions it in a book somewhere as forementioning the Doctor, and their nickname at the academy was Theta Sigma, or Thete. I’m quite certain the Master/Missy’s name is Koschei though.
Close, it's actually ∂³Σx², though they did call him Theta Sigma in college. The novels were "The Trial of Doctor Who" by Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke, who also wrote many episodes for Classic Who
We don't know if that's actually his real name though
@@jonathangitter1311That string of characters also appeared as easter eggs in a few classic episodes. It's canon, it's the Doctor's name, and the string "theta sigma" is part of it.
Verity Lambert, the first producer of Doctor Who, said she considers the name would begin with literally the syllables "dok-tor" followed by something unpronounceable to humans.
d3 E x2 - d cubed Epsilon x squared. Now, what do you see? Deus Ex! God from the machine! An old Greek way to end the drama.
@rockysandman5489 that's what people called him for much of his "first" life but it seems to be very common for timelords to not go by their name.
His name is probably something that our human heads couldn't comprehend..
or it's jim
@@Potatoboii2Jim the fish?
@@sparkymistregeneration doesn't strictly have to be humanoid right?
maybe one of the timeless child regenerations WAS Jim the fish 😱
@@sparkymist I wish
@@leonardochapman4736There was no Timeless Child.
It makes sense to me that his real name is something that culturally is only known by those who you'll spend the rest of your life with. That's how I personally feel about middle names. Its knowledge reserved for those you're closer to than anyone else in the universe.
I think that in Gallifreyan culture, telling someone your real name is meant to create an everlasting bond and attachment between them.
So with that being said, I highly doubt his real name has ever been spoken audibly for the audience to hear. It could be something generic or it could be something humans can't even fathom or pronounce. If I think about it too much I'll probably lose my mind
Maybe the Doctor's name when written in Gallifreyen directly translates to John Smith in English despite being a completely different name
Sounds legitimate!
Trigger walks into the Tardis.
'Alright, Dave?'
😂😂
Here are some theories (in descending order from plausible to bonkers):
The Doctor (well, it is _now,_ so…)
Theta Sigma (more than just a nickname)
Pythia (the Sisterhood of Karn revere a deity or deified figure of this name, who is implied to be female)
Space (the counterpart to Time)
Basil Foreman (or perhaps something that _sounds_ like Basil Foreman)
Quiquaequod (loosely translates as “What, what, _what?!”)_
Lucantewmayae (phonetically similar to the phrase “look into my eye”)
Tecteun Jr. (yeah… nah…)
And then theres river song woth shanique
His name is Mike Rotch, guys.
@@tivednagol9127 FUN FACT: Dalek Jast was named after a Kaled whose first name was “Hugh.”
"Look at little Tecteun junior,gonna cry?"
"Shut up Koschei."
I like the theory that the theme song of Dr Who is his name because its been very consistant throughout the entire time of the show.
I like that. It's always the same, but varies from incarnation to incarnation somewhat, indicating the change of the character but the underlying identity
The only individuals who know ( or knew) his real name are his family, other Time Lords, River Song, the TARDIS and Clara Oswald who saw his name in a book in the episode "Journey to the Center of the TARDIS"
I think the Doctor’s real name is just “Steve” and they chose Doctor because it sounded more grandiose
😂😂😂I like it!
I like to think its the theme song because if you think of it like that and the fact that Melody(River) had to whisper it in his ear makes it kinda funny
The 11th Doctor said that he chose his name and that his name reveals something about his character. (That said, “The Doctor” is his name as far as I’m concerned.)
Perhaps the unspoken question is, “How was The Doctor called before he chose the name ‘The Doctor’?”
Well the other time lords clearly don't consider that his name as shown in the episode a town called Christmas
In one episode, a head spoke to the doctor. He said and i quote "hidden in plain sight, a question that must never be answered, Doctor Who"
I think that basically explains it. It must never be answered because it was not suppose to be answered since its never a question to begin with, hence it being hidden in plain sight, hidden in words which people think was a question "doctor who".
My theory is, "who" is his actual name"
My favourite idea about the Doctor’s name is that it is the them tune
In one of the books it was said his name is Corin
The idea that the theme song is his name is great, too, but I can't stop laughing at the idea of River just singing "to-doo-do do-doo-do" for like a minute and a half into Tenth's ear
Think back to the Doctors reaction to River's whisper in Forest of the Dead. Something like "Doctor Who" wouldn't ilicit that type of response from him
I've got a theory that always made sense,
The majority of a name is spoken with words but there are groups & tribes that uses not words but sounds for their dialect,
So it's very possible that the Doctor's name is not a word but perhaps a sound - could be the intro theme, also look at the doctor's cot at demons run - it looks similar to the circular pattern on a oscilloscope and that can decipher visual with sounds.
Also at the end of the episode waters on mars an ood said to the 10th doctor his song is coming to his end - referencing that his song was his story, so it's highly possible that the ood knows the Gallifreyan language i.e songs and sounds.
If you take a listen to the theme music of Rose, Martha and Donna - it has the same type of theme, it has a harmonious theme so it's likely a Song in our ears but a Gallifreyan story to another.
*Edit note:
I know that there is another comment previous to this one but I didn't see that when I wrote this - so forgive me if you get the wrong impression.
One of the classic episodes had his name as Dr. Feet's and it was strongly implied this was his actual name. I can't for the life of me remember anything else about the episode though
do you mean Thete? that was short for Theta Sigma, his nickname at the academy of Gallifrey.
@@rockysandman5489 maybe it's been many years
@@TalasBlue oh yeah, roughly 3000 years.
@@rockysandman5489 seems about right lol
I think it’s a gallifreyan name and even if we saw it written down we would not understand it and he generally prefers the title of just “the doctor”. However in Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, Clara tells the doctor that she saw his name in a book in his library, interestingly she does not seem surprised by the spelling or anything. The Eleventh Doctor later tells Clara that his title of “the doctor” is like a ‘promise’ people make to him. He explains that the War Doctor broke this promise. He also claims that his true name is a secret he wants to take to his grave and River Song is one of the only people who knows his name because she is his wife. The Third Doctor also pretends to be called John Smith, and that is his “earthly name” which he uses. I guess us whovians have to wait and see and hopefully find out the truth about his name!!!
My favorite theory is his name is 42 (the answer to the question of life the universe and everything)
Bro are you trying to blow up the universe? The question and the answer cannot coexist!
While the show supports the whole "unprouncable" idea in moments like 12ths last words... it's very clearly been spoken by the human tongue (i.e. River Song) plus Gallifrean names we do know aren't that difficult so it'd be kinda dumb if it were the case for only a few time lords to have complex names you can't say.
With the timeless child arc, doesnt that mean the doctor doesnt know their real name? Meaning whatever Gallifreyian name they've been keeping a secret isnt even their true name :(
No, I don't think it works like that. They may or may not have had other names before becoming Gallifreyan, but the true name is the one you hold in your hearts. The Doctor's true name is the Gallifreyan one so long as it's the one that matters most to them
in the first series william hartnell was credited for playing "doctor who" so that theory does make sense
Names have power
During the 1970's they came up with "∂³Σx²" (sometimes spelled "d³ᓬx²") as the Doctor's real name and put hints in several episodes. However, people really didn't like it and in modern Doctor Who it's considered non-canon (however, some fans still consider it to be his real name).
ΘΣ (Theta Sigma) was also revealed to be his name in 1979 but later retconned in 1988 to be a nickname.
Moffat's intension is pretty clear to state that "Doctor Who" is his real name, since it would also be a joke on the fans that the name has been in front of them the whole time as well explain why he was called Doctor Who in the credits for many years, and even in one episode. However, mostly only old fans like Peter Capaldi, who grew up with him being called that, likes it.
He is called The Other. He was one of the top three Timelords Rassilon and omega. He was the one who discovered the regeneration from the sisters of Sisterhood of Karn going into fire of the Sacred Flame, which provides for them the Elixir of Life and thus grants them immortality.
This one was crazy at the time,and it goes against the Doctor's main idea like the Timeless Children.But I do like this one better since the Doctor actually does something that makes him significant,not just be special from the get-go.
1. The Other is just another title, signifying a being whose true identity is unknown. That’s just kicking the can down the road.
2. The on-screen gut-level horror that 10 feels at the creation of Jennie through a process that is far too close to being genetically engineered by the Loom to be an accident heavily implies that the whole Loom thing is decidedly not canon.
In ancient cultures (and a few not so ancient) a name is not a label. It reveals the essence of the person. Who the doctor is (pun unintended) is something so powerful the name must be hidden. I personally think it’s linked with whoever the timeless child actually is.
I think if the doctor's real name is said out loud it will rip the universe apart
If we are counting the god awful chibnall run then maybe when the doctor says their real name it will start to merge their original universe with ours
So since dating his name brings back the timelords, it can't have been spoken outloud without bringing them back on the spot.
Personal I like the name "Basil Disco" ~ just feels right! 😂
In the 4th Doctor's encounter with Xrax (The Armageddon Factor) it is stated that Theta Sigma is a small portion of the Doctor's true name. They go on to state that a Timelord's full name is a complex mathematical formula, and that Theta and Sigma are two of the terms for his formula.
The doctor’s name is ∂³Σx² or something similar to it because if you watched the doctor from the 1963 or somewhere around those years it tells you how to write it in The show.
I think it's something godly/angelic. When Reinette looked into the doctor's mind, she started calling him, the "lonely angel" and notes that his name is more than just a secret. The doctor is the good force within the universe, the opposite of the beast in the satan pit; their name must reveal this in some way. The master is a bit like the devil as a fallen angel too...
His name is that of reverence, if spoken is heresy. To find out the answer, you must count back 3.
BKZK
I believe he is playing the universe's biggest double bluff and that his real name is actually John Smith.
His real first name should forever remain a secret. He chooses to go by "The Doctor" and we should respect that.
You’re saying that like he’s a real person and not a fictional character
@@mason4163 Of course he's fictional, but finding out his real name would only kill the running secret. Just like Voyage of the Damned ruined the gag when he finally met an Alonso and could say "Allons-y, Alonso". Or if he ever becomes ginger. Some things we don't need to see, or find out. Let's just enjoy the mystery.
Fun fact, apparently Alex Kingston, the actor who played River Song, actually knows the doctor's real name and has kept it a secret for a long time now. She's really good with secrets even, like she knew about most of what she was going to be doing in later episodes as early as her first appearance because of river's journal that said a lot of stuff she did in her past, which had made later episodes a lil harder, such as her appearance during the peter capaldi era
If we knew his name, we couldn't call the show "Doctor Who".
I think his name is death. Maybe the universe got that word from his name - everywhere he goes death follows unintentionally, and he’s so ashamed of that part of himself that he’s hidden it from the universe, he wants to be better, he wants to be a doctor. Unfortunately that’s is who he is, a lonely Angel; the grim reaper - death. Everything he touches turns to dust. He’s the master of eternity, which death is intrinsically linked to.
When Peter capaldi was regenerating, he said “oh and certainly don’t tell anybody your name. They won’t understand it anyways.” Maybe you are right with his name being just doctor who as he said nobody would understand it. Nobody would understand doctor who being a name, or would they???
his name is the theme song and each variant is a different language
His name is in the book. Clara knows it.
So does River Song!
I remember hearing once that the Doctor's name is a promise. My guess is that telling someone what that promise is/was would somehow break the promise itself.
His name… it’s Bob
I like that, Bob. That's my name.
The Doctors real name was in an early Dr Who magazine and is a combination of symbols. (early Gallfreyan??). I remember reading it many years ago so when you find it have fun translating it to 2
dimensional English :
I mean its kind of answered in Name of the Doctor. I like to think its basically a word that is assigned to you at birth that unlocks your tomb.
You keep it a secret like a pin code for your credit card. And telling someone your name is like ultimate trust. Its like getting married youre literally giving everything you are to that person and saying i trust you with my entire life.
Timelords/ladies live for long periods of time so i dont imagine them marrying one person for the whole of their life. What makes more sense to me is they have a group of people they trust with their life and its those people they share their name with.
Their name is a promise to protect their tomb when they pass on.
So he didn't trust a single one of his companions throughout the years to do that apart from River Song?
@@freshairkaboom8171 when river first met the Doctor she said his name to gain his trust. So he knew from the beginning she had to know. It helped him save the day in the library and it helped her save him in Name of the Doctor. So yeah River needed to know.
The captions "theta sugma" 😂
I believe all Gallifreyans names are secret once they become a Timelord
Well, actually, we’ve already known Doctor’s Gallifreyan name. Remember The Trial of a Time Lord, with Sixth Doctor? His enemy was Valeyard, who is The Doctor in one of his regenerations, as Master said: “Between his 12 and last regeneration”. So, maybe, if Valeyard is still there, it will be his canonical name.
I'm surprised that the option of "d ³Σx ²" didn't come up since it is stated by several sources to be the Doctor's real name, though it's more likely to be a mathematical representation of their true name.
It is hard to find the right characters on a normal keybord - and the number on your social security card never is your 'real name' but only the representation of a unique entity that is represented by this string of code - namely YOU - so every option is correct, depending who interacts with the Doctor.
The doctor has a name, his name in The Doctor.
The Timeless Children story actually turns this mistery more substantial, instead of all that bullshit from seasons 6 and 7.
The only words I took away from your comment was "The Timeless Children story" and "bullshit", which is very true.
I like how this is one of tv's longest running unanswered questions.
I think his name is Jonathan
Could the TARDIS be considered the Doctors Mjolnir?
@@AL-zm4ic it does always come back to him
I don't think Doctor Who is his name but I see why people say that. I don't remember who said it but they say 'We get the name doctor from you, ykno' to either 11 or 12.
The doctors name should never be told. His mystery is part of the reason he is or was so popular.
The doctor says his name is dangerous for anyone to hear unless thd person is prepared.
In the library, doctor said he spoke his name to one person before but never explained
I like to imagine that he managed to get his name to Rose somehow in the alternate universe and she's the only person to know it. Don't judge me, I miss Rose Tyler.
Well she probably knows because of bad wolf but he didn't tell her, he told river though because she's his wife
Didn't Clara also learn it from a book in the TARDIS library? And also presumably while she travelled his whole timeline
You're not the only one who misses *The* Yellow-Coiffed Rose of Powell, Mr. W.
If we take consideration to a collective knowledge of The doctor homeplanet and its language persist, gallifreyani spoken like a melody, try indian music, when lyrics sang, the sound sort of can be imagine Air going through multiple trap doors, if the doctor truest name might as well must be read and sang through a music sheet.
The Doctor Who community desperately scrambling to find the Doctor’s deadname is hilarious. The Doctor truly is a trans icon
“And who are you sir?”
“Rip van Winkle”
Some people think it's the theme tune and gallifrey speaks in song. Like, the Doctor speeds all languages. His original language isn't english
The time lords choose their new names after they look into the untempered schism some still keep their names like borusa so its hard to know how it all works maybe they're given the option to choose a new name or keep their original
I love the theory that Doctors name in gallifreyan is the theme song of the series
My favourite theory is that their name is the theme song for the show due to the language of Gallifrey apparently sounds like music
What I like to think is you can’t speak gallifreyan bc, like, just look at it, no way you can speak that, so what I think is it’s a musical language or smthn so the doctors name is actually either that thumping at the start of the intro or just the whole intro
Bingle-Bongle Dingle-Dangle Yikkidy-Doo Yikkidy-Dah Ping-Pong Lippy-Toppy-Too-Tah.
As an avid Doctor Who fan, i don't actually ever want to know The Doctors name, he is and always will be The Doctor
I think they will reveal the name when the show is over however it’s the longest running tv show so I don’t think it’ll ever end and so we will never know
I love the theory of the theme song being his name
The doctors canon name was revealed in an official book from the 80’s. His name is Θ³ΣX² (pronunciation unknown)
I remember twelve having a good take on it. Whatever his name is, nobody would understand it. Except children, if the stars are in the right place, and their hearts are too.
Or something to that effect.
We all now it's Bingle-Bongle Dingle-Dangle Yackedi-Doo Yickedy-Daa Ping-Pong Lippy-Tappy-Too-Tah
Jeff
I'm calling it now
it's totally Jeff
I like the idea that some timelord names are just simply unfathomable and too complex
Missy confirms his name is 'Doctor Who'
His real name wad given to us in a doctor who annual book where we had to look for a letter on diffrent pages and then decipher his name and I could never properly do it and still don't know it
Maybe that was the point. It couldn’t be deciphered because they made it impossible.
Well guarded secret it hasn't been written yet
They had this time lord title generator around the release of the 50th anniversary special. I put my name in and it gave me the doctor.
He is a Good Man, the oncoming storm, the Beast, the great exterminator.
The definite artifact, you might say.
12th Doctor "Children know my name and can even pronounce it."
I read a theory somewhere that gallifreyans names are their life stories. And that time lords just take on titles to actually refer to each other. Not sure if it’s really backed up because there have been times where people say they know the doctor’s actual name, and if I remember correctly river has actually spoken the doctor’s name to him
I don't think it was any of those, I think it is something that will be plot driven that might be used during the last regeneration.
One line of dialogue is especially telling to back the theory of their name being "Doctor Who"
And that's in Season 4, episode 2, where a seer looks into the doctor and says "Doctor Who... It's more than just a question, isn't it?"
It was once revealed by a show creator to be Mildred, but I think that info got taken down. It was on google for a bit
I recall some video stating his name as being complex but it is supposed to start with twosyllables, dok-tor. From what ive gathered, there are references throughout classic who, though i honestly dont know. Just a tidbit i picked up somewhere along the way.