The Doctor's aliases

During his travels in time and space, the Doctor has employed many different aliases; sometimes only briefly and sometimes on an ongoing basis. Due to his refusal to tell all but a few people his real name, he has often had aliases assigned to him by others.

The Doctor


The Doctor has only ever used aliases publicly — his given name has never been revealed, and as such the very title "the Doctor" is an alias. It was implied that his given name was ceremoniously withdrawn and stricken by his cousins, as punishment for a disgrace he visited upon his House.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, his companion Perpugilliam Brown once said she'd been told she couldn't pronounce it (BBCR: Slipback). Even when he was twice put on trial by his own people, the Time Lords, he was only ever referred to during these events as the Doctor (DW: The War Games), although The Valeyard acknowledged that it was an alias. (DW: Trial of a Time Lord)

"The Doctor" is not, in fact, a name, but a title. The Carrionite Lilith, unable to discover his true name even with the "witchcraft" used by her kind, remarked, "There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair?" (DW: The Shakespeare Code) The psychically-gifted Evelina, who attempted to foretell the Doctor's future, remarked that his "true name" was in fact "hidden". (DW: The Fires of Pompeii)

Madame de Pompadour recognized it as an alias when she was briefly connected to the Doctor's mind (DW: The Girl in the Fireplace),.


 * Whether or not Madame de Pompadour learned his name this way remains undisclosed.

River Song, who the Doctor would know in the future, revealed to him that she knew his true 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)


 * River Song whispered the Doctor's name for a duration of roughly two seconds. One could interpret this to mean that the Doctor has a short name, consisting of only several syllables.

At least one other individual, the Doctor's companion Samantha Jones, was also told his real name (EDA: Unnatural History, EDA: Vanderdeken's Children).

The Master and the Doctor had known each other since their Prydon Academy days, and by one account even earlier (BFA]: Master), but it has not been revealed whether or not he knew the Doctor's true name, although he's well aware that it's false. (DW: The Sound of Drums) Drax, however, who also knew the Doctor at the Academy, referred to him as "Thete" or Theta Sigma. (DW: The Armageddon Factor)

The Doctor, did, however, implied that he does actually have a doctorate (DW: The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet) On other occasions he has described himself as a "Doctor of many things", or indeed "everything" (DW: Utopia).

Theta Sigma
Theta Sigma (informally 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 K-9 series) Note - the Greek letter Sigma slightly resembles the letter W turned on its side, and the Greek letter Theta slightly resembles the letter H inside the letter O. This might imply that his name really is WHO.

The Doctor
The Doctor chose his name himself, one also used by other Time Lords. (DW:The Sound of Drums) On at least one occasion, a Human knew this name without the Doctor even saying it out loud. (NA: Cat's Cradle: Warhead) His other aliases have usually had the alias "Doctor". He implied to Peri that his given name also began with such a title (DW: The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet). During his first incarnation, he adopted this name for the benefit of Human colonists on the planet Iwa at the same that his grand-daughter Susan adopted the name "Susan". (TN: Frayed)

John Smith
John Smith was the alias the Doctor generally used on Earth and around Humans when a name was often required. It was usually preceded by the title "Doctor", though 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) 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) As "John Smith" is considered a very generic name in some Earth cultures, the Doctor's use of the alias is occasionally treated with skepticism by others (DW: Midnight).

In his seventh incarnation, the Doctor temporarily changed himself into a Human who used this name. (NA: Human Nature). He did so again in his tenth incarnation. (DW: Human Nature/The Family of Blood) Actually, the Tenth Doctor quite clearly states that Human Nature was the first time he had done so, which would seem to preclude the novel involving the Seventh Doctor from being canon.

Second Doctor

 * Given to him by Jamie and used aboard Space Station W3. (DW: The Wheel in Space)

Third Doctor

 * During his exile on Earth with UNIT, during which time he served as its scientific advisor (DW: Spearhead from Space, The Time Warrior)

Sixth Doctor

 * JSMITH was the Doctor's handle online. (PDA: Blue Box)

Seventh Doctor

 * 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)

Tenth Doctor

 * While under cover as a science teacher at Deffry Vale High School. (DW: School Reunion)
 * While posing as a patient at Royal Hope Hospital. (DW: Smith and Jones)
 * Impersonating a health and safety officer while investigating Adipose Industries (DW:Partners in Crime)
 * Aboard the Crusader 50 bus on the planet Midnight, he eventually offered this as his name when the humans trapped aboard the bus with him demand he give it. Unlike other occurances where the name was accepted, this time the humans recognized it as false and rejected it. (DW: Midnight)
 * When "reintroducing" himself to Donna Noble. (DW: Journey's End)
 * When encountering Jackson Lake, a mentally unwell man believing himself to be the Doctor. Once Lake's true identity had been established, the Doctor dropped the alias. (DW: The Next Doctor)

The Supremo
For a year, the Doctor used this alias as leader of the Alliance against the army of the evil renegade Time Lord Morbius. (PDA: Warmonger)


 * For an unrelated use of the term, see the Supremo.

Merlin and Muldwych
This was, the Doctor believed, an alias used by a future and/or alternative Doctor residing in a magic-using parallel Earth. (DW: Battlefield)

Muldwych
This was apparently, a future incarnation of the Doctor who also used the name Muldwych. (NA: Happy Endings)


 * Another account, however, says that another renegade Time Lord used the alias of Merlin. (ST: One Fateful Knight) See Merlin and Muldwych.

Zeus
When the Greek warrior Achilles mistook the Doctor for Zeus posing as an old man, he went along with it, until the already unconvinced Agamemnon, spoiled the Doctor's ruse. (DW: The Myth Makers)

Doctor Caligari
Name used by the Doctor when he arrived in Tombstone, impersonating a magician. (DW: The Gunfighters)

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 [of] Who translated into German. He also signed a note Doctor W around this time. (DW: The Highlanders)

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. (DW: The Dæmons)


 * "Qui", "quae" and "quod" are the masculine, feminine and neutral forms of "who" in Latin.

Doktor of Tardis
Pseudonym used by the Doctor to move discreetly around an alternate version of the city of Rome. (MA: State of Change)

?
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) The Doctor also appears to sign a document in a similar fashion prior to the Sontaran invasion of Gallifrey. (DW: The Invasion of Time)

Doctor James McCrimmon
The Doctor took the name James McCrimmon while visiting Scotland in 1879; this was the name of one of his old companions. (DW: Tooth and Claw)

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

Doctor McCoy
After a discussion with Donna Noble, in which she compared the sonic screwdriver with Star Treks tricorder, the Doctor adopted the alias Dr. McCoy' when dealing with a group of soldiers. (Donna called herself Captain Kirk.) The ruse fell apart when Donna was unable to maintain the pretence of being a captain. (NSA: Pest Control)

Tom Cruise
The Doctor used this alias with Archie Malpin's butler in the IDW Doctor Who Ongoing.

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 was based on the Doctor (DW: The Face of Evil)

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, DWN: Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)). The name was again used by Davros upon his near destruction. (DW: Journey's End)

Dalek Caan also referred to him as "the Dark Lord" or "the Threefold Man" (DW: The Stolen Earth/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.

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)

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. (NSA: Peacemaker)

Doctor Who
The name "Doctor Who" has been applied to the Doctor, intentionally or unintentionally, on many occasions. The computer WOTAN referred to the Doctor as Doctor Who, for reasons which have never been explained. (DW: The War Machines) Clive Finch also used this name when referring to the Doctor on his website Who is Doctor Who? (DW: Rose).) K-9 was heard on occasion making playful remarks related to the Who name (K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend, SJA: Invasion of the Bane). It is unclear whether the Doctor himself ever actually used the name, although his third incarnation drove an automobile with the licence number "WHO 1" (DW: Doctor Who and the Silurians, et al) and not long before his regeneration was seen driving a futuristic vehicle that possibly apocryphal sources suggest may have been called the Whomobile (DW: Invasion of the Dinosaurs). It has often been unintentionally used when characters wish to learn who the Doctor is and what his name is. i.e. "Doctor? Doctor who?"

Doctor Galloway
Edward Waterfield made up this name for the Doctor when arranging to meet him (DW: The Evil of the Daleks).

The Watcher
The Watcher was the name given to an incarnation of the Doctor partway between his fourth and fifth incarnations, before they realised his true identity. (DW: Logopolis)


 * See The Watcher

Doctor Bowman
Dr. Grace Holloway invents this name for the Eighth Doctor whilst introducing him to others. (DW:Doctor Who: The TV Movie)

Sir Doctor of Tardis
Title bestowed upon the Doctor by Queen Victoria just before she banished him. (DW: Tooth and Claw)

Doctor Noble
Introducing themselves as "the Doctor" and "Donna Noble", Solana Mercurio (in her standard, patronizing way) misunderstood and refers to them as "Dr. and Mrs. Noble." This provokes an immediate response that they are not married, and "never, ever" will be. (DW: Planet of the Ood)

The DoctorDonna
After saying the phrase "Doctor, Donna, friends" so many times as defense against a group of rabid Ood, the Ood collective adopted this name for the two of them. Ood Sigma promised that generations of Ood children would grow up on the Ood Sphere, singing the songs of "the DoctorDonna." (DW: Planet of the Ood)


 * This was foreshadowing of Donna Noble becoming the half-human/half-Time Lord being known as DoctorDonna. (DW: Journey's End'')

Snail or Wormhole
Given to him by his cousins of the House of Lungbarrow, because, unlike Loomed Gallifreyans, he had a bellybutton. (NA: Lungbarrow)

Professor
Ace often called the Doctor Professor. She continued to use the term, even after he'd asked her not to do it any more. (DW: Dragonfire)

Mr. Spock
Rose Tyler, annoyed with the Doctor not telling her his name, proceeds to introduce him to Captain Jack as Mr. Spock, after the character from Star Trek. Jack proceeds to address the Doctor as Mr. Spock until he is corrected. (DW: The Empty Child)

Spartacus
During a visit to Pompeii, the Doctor used this name, saying "I am... Spartacus." Donna followed him up by saying, in a parody to the 1960 film, "And so am I." (DW: The Fires of Pompeii) This continued the minor misunderstanding that the Doctor and Donna were in fact a couple, which was quickly denied.

Boss
Affectionate nickname given to him by Mickey Smith (DW: Journey's End).

Spaceman
A name that Donna Noble often called The Doctor

Doc
The Doctor tended to bristle when his companions or others referred to him by this nickname. (DW: The Time Meddler, et al)