Frasier: The Real Meaning Behind David Crane's Name Will Bring A Tear To Your Eye

David Hyde Pierce's Niles Crane and Jane Leeves' Daphne Moon may not be featured on the 2023 revival of "Frasier," but they maintain a presence by virtue of their son, Anders Keith's David Crane. David makes his first appearance in the finale of the original "Frasier" as a newborn, but by the time of the new show, he's a young adult attending Harvard University. While the character has been around for quite a while at this point, some fans may still be wondering just why exactly he's named David. To answer this question, one must look behind the scenes at the production of "Frasier."

The inspiration for David Crane's first name actually comes from someone deeply involved with the conception and creation of "Frasier" as a show. The character is named after series co-creator and executive producer David Angell. While fictional characters bearing names inspired by the people who work on their shows is common in the realm of TV, Angell's name was chosen for David Crane for a particularly emotional reason.

David Crane's name on "Frasier" is actually a tribute to David Angell, who died tragically along with his wife, Lynn, during the production of the original show. The pair was aboard one of the two planes that hit the Twin Towers during the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The news shocked the cast and crew of "Frasier," which had recently begun filming Season 9. "He was a terrific writer. He was also a really nice guy," Kelsey Grammer recalled in an interview with Deadline. "It was great to know him, and so losing him was something everybody felt like a gut shot."

"Frasier" would go on to include tributes to Angell, including a dedication to him and his wife for the two-part episode "Don Juan in Hell," which was the first new installment to air after their deaths. Then, the decision was made to have Niles and Daphne name their child David in honor of the show's co-creator in the "Frasier" series finale, a fact which Jane Leeves confirmed in an interview with Pop Goes The Culture TV. "We named the child David, our little angel," she said, referencing Angell's surname.

Though Angell was not able to work on the "Frasier" revival series, his legacy and impact are still felt on the new show, at least in part through the life of David Crane.