Aliases of the Doctor

The Doctor has employed several different aliases, sometimes only briefly. He has often had aliases assigned to him by others.

The Doctor has only ever used aliases publicly--his given name has never been revealed. It is implied that his given name was ceremoniously withdrawn and stricken by his cousins, as punishment for a disgrace he visited upon his House. (NA: Lungbarrow) When asked about the Doctor's name, companion Perpugilliam Brown once said she'd been told she couldn't pronounce it (DW: Attack of the Cybermen).

River Song reveals to the Doctor that she knows his real name by whispering it into his ear. He seemed particularly shocked at this, later saying to her "there is only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name, only one time I could" (DW:Forest of the Dead).

The Doctor
The Doctor is the name most commonly used by the Time Lord himself. He chose it himself (DW:The Sound of Drums); and, interestingly, his fellow Time Lords also used it. It is not his real name, as, for example, Carrionite "witchcraft", using true names, did not work on him. (DW: The Shakespeare Code) Other confirmation comes from Madame de Pompadour, who recognized it as an alias when she was briefly connected to the Doctor's mind (DW: The Girl in the Fireplace); by Evelina as she attempted to foretell the Doctor's future (DW: The Fires of Pompeii), and by River Song when she revealed to the Doctor that she knew his real name (DW: Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead).

John Smith
John Smith is the alias the Doctor generally uses on Earth, when a name is often required. It is usually preceded by the title "Doctor", but not always - for example, when working undercover as a teacher at a school and as a patient in a hospital. (DW: School Reunion, Smith and Jones) It was originally given to him by Jamie during his second incarnation. (DW: The Wheel in Space) He adopted it on a semi-regular basis during his third incarnation while exiled on Earth when he served as scientific advisor to UNIT. (DW: Spearhead from Space)

Uses of this alias

 * During his exile on Earth with UNIT. (DW: Spearhead from Space, The Time Warrior)
 * A modification of this name, Johann Schmidt, was used by the Doctor while impersonating a Nazi Reichsinspektor. (NA: Timewyrm: Exodus)
 * Given to him serendipitously by Chang Lee on his hospital admittance forms. (DW: Doctor Who: The TV Movie)
 * Undercover as a science teacher at Deffry Vale High School. (DW: School Reunion)
 * Undercover as a patient at Royal Hope Hospital. (DW: Smith and Jones)
 * When the Doctor uses the Chameleon Arch to change into a human, he uses this name for his new personality (DW: Human Nature and The Family of Blood)
 * When investigating Adipose Industries (DW:Partners in Crime)
 * Aboard the Crusader 50 bus on the planet Midnight, the Doctor eventually offers this as his name when the humans trapped aboard the bus with him demand he give it. (DW:Midnight)
 * When "reintroducing" himself to Donna Noble. (DW: Journey's End)

Doctor von Wer
Doctor von Wer was an alias briefly adopted by the Doctor during his visit to Scotland in 1745. It is simply Doctor Who translated into German. He also signed a note Doctor W around this time. (DW: The Highlanders)

?
When the Doctor is asked to sign a document in during a visit to London in 1963, he does so by signing a question mark. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks)

Doctor James McCrimmon
The Doctor took the name James McCrimmon while visiting Scotland in 1879. (DW: Tooth and Claw)
 * The alias James McCrimmon is a reference to the Doctor's old companion, Jamie McCrimmon.

Doctor Vile
The Doctor masqueraded as the pirate Doctor Vile in order to stop a war. (DW: The Infinite Quest)

Doctor McCoy
After a discussion with Donna Noble comparing the sonic screwdriver with Star Trek's tricorder, the Doctor proceeds to adopt the alias Dr. McCoy when dealing with a group of soldiers (Donna is dubbed Captain Kirk). The ruse expires when Donna is unable to maintain the pretence of being a captain. (TDA: Pest Control)

Martian Boy
in DW:The Runaway Bride, the name Donna Noble called him when she first found out he was an alien

Doctor Holiday
in DW:The Gunfighters some people mistook the doctor for Doc Holiday.

Doctor Galloway
In DW:The Evil of the Daleks, Mr Waterfield made up this name for The Doctor when arranging to meet him.

Boss
Given to him by Mickey Smith in Journey's End as Mickey respects the Doctor as a high Authority.

Snail and Wormhole
Given to him by his cousins because--unlike Loomed Gallifreyans--he had a bellybutton. (NA: Lungbarrow)

Doctor Foreman
Doctor Foreman was used by Ian Chesterton after his granddaughter had used the name Susan Foreman at Coal Hill School. (DW: An Unearthly Child) The Doctor never responded to this alias (except to utter to catchphrase "Doctor who?" for the first time in the series), and Ian never used it again.

Theta Sigma
Theta Sigma (informally, "Theet" or "Thete") was a nickname used by the Doctor during his years at the Time Lord Academy on the planet Gallifrey. (DW: The Armageddon Factor, The Happiness Patrol, DWM: Flashback) The name might also have been a codename used by some aspects of Time Lord government to refer to the Doctor (The Adventures of K9 book series).

Doctor Who
WOTAN referred to the Doctor as Doctor Who, for reasons which have never been explained. (It may have been mistaken--it also claimed the Doctor was human.) (DW: The War Machines) During the Trial of a Time Lord the Doctor's name was to be spoken, for the record, but he interrupted this after only the first syllable was spoken - which was "who." Clive Finch also used this name when referring to the Doctor on his website Who is Doctor Who? (DW: ''Rose). Terrance Dicks put foreward the theory that the time-lords were 'Jaw breakers,' meaning they could pronounce things impossible for humans to say. Meaning the first sylible is 'Who,' and an unknown length for the rest of the word(s?).

Quiquaequod
Miss Hawthorne referred to the Doctor as "the great wizard Quiquaequod" while attempting to bluff the villagers of Devil's End into releasing him. "Qui", "quae" and "quod" are the masculine, feminine and neuter forms of "who" in Latin. (DW: The Daemons)

Merlin
During Battlefield, an Arthurian sorceress is convinced the Seventh Doctor is the legendary wizard Merlin, which he does not deny. He is also able to open a door that is supposedly voice-print coded to respond to Merlin's voice.

The Evil One
The Sevateem tribe referred to the Doctor as The Evil One, due to the fact that the supercomputer they worshipped had a split personality, one of which being based on the Doctor (DW: The Face of Evil)

Lord President of the Supreme Council of Time Lords on Gallifrey
The Doctor gained the title of President when he finally took the office, though he later lost the title to Borusa. (DW: The Deadly Assassin). He regained the title after the events in Rassilon's Tomb on Gallifrey, though he immediately delegated the role to Chancellor Flavia (DW:The Five Doctors). He was later deposed (DW: The Trial of a Time Lord), though continued to use the title on occasion (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks).

Spartacus
The Doctor introduces himself and Donna Noble with this name in DW: The Fires of Pompeii. The two seem to like playing along with this alias, but they never use it outside of this episode.

Old One
The Doctor was sometimes called an "Old One" by some indigenous populations. (DW: The Mysterious Planet, Paradise Towers)

Professor
For reasons unknown, Ace called the Doctor Professor. She continued to use the term, even after he'd asked her not to. (DW: Dragonfire)

The Ka Faraq Gatri
The Daleks referred to the Doctor as the Ka Faraq Gatri, which may mean Bringer of Darkness and/or Destroyer of Worlds. By implication, the name Destroyer of Worlds refers to the Doctor's destruction of the Dalek home planet Skaro in his seventh incarnation, an act for which he would consequently feel some remorse. (DW:Remembrance of the Daleks, NA: Timewyrm: Revelation) However, as early as his second incarnation, the Doctor knew that the Daleks had given him this name, and the Daleks used it prior to the destruction of Skaro. (DWM: Bringer of Darkness, DW: Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)). The name was again used by Davros upon his near destruction. (DW: Journey's End)

Time's Champion
Time's Champion was a title given to the Doctor to symbolise his service to Time during his seventh incarnation. (Source?)


 * This title may also apply to future incarnations of the Doctor.

The Oncoming Storm
The Daleks also referred to the Doctor as the Oncoming Storm in the myths of their homeworld, as noted by his ninth incarnation, indicating that the Daleks feared him. (DW: The Parting of the Ways) This was also the name given to him by the Draconians, who were generally his allies, to indicate the traumatic events which so often accompanied his arrival. (NA: Love and War)

Mr. Spock
Captain Jack, thinking Rose and the Doctor are Time Agents, called him Mr. Spock after the character from Star Trek. (DW: The Empty Child)

Rides In Night
The Doctor was known to the Pawnee Nation by the name Rides In Night. He was also known as The Brother to Coyote. (TDA: Peacemaker)
 * Coyote is a Trickster god--most appropriate for the Doctor, who is an excellent example of a trickster hero.

The Destroyer of Worlds
When the Daleks moved Earth to the Medusa Cascade, the other Doctor destroyed the Daleks and as they left Davros declared the Doctor the destroyer of worlds.