OK, I made a topic like this once before, asking where certain Pokemon names came from; thanks to Wikipedia and gamefaqs.com, now I know.

But what about the Trainers of those Pokemon? The Gym Leaders and the Elite Four, specifically. Where did those names come from?

OK, let's start with RBY/FrLg:

Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, Giovanni, Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance...

OK, Brock is easy - it's 'rock' with a b on the front of it. Misty is even easier - it stems from 'mist,' which is water vapor. Lt. Surge is... well, I really hope that his name doesn't require an explanation. Sabrina stems from the TV series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; since there's no Magic-type Pokemon, Psychic was the nearest logical choice. Blaine, I suppose is stemmed from 'blaze,' and Bruno likely comes from a combination of 'bruise' and 'sumo.' And Lance... well, Lance trains Dragons; in medieval times, knights used lances to slay dragons...

But what about Erika, Koga, Giovanni, Lorelei, and Agatha? Where did their names come from?

Next up is GSC:

Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Morty, Jasmine, Chuck, Pryce, Clair, Will, Koga, Bruno, Karen, and Lance...

Bugsy is too easy to bother explaining, and Whitney, I believe, is stemmed from 'white,' the color most often associated both with her Pokemon type (Normal) and her Badge (Plain). Morty likely stems from 'mortician' or 'mortal,' reflecting his Ghost Pokemon. Chuck probably means just that - to 'chuck,' or throw, something Fighting Pokemon do quite well (Seismic Toss, Vital Throw, etc.), and Pryce rhymes with 'ice.' Will, a Psychic Trainer, is from 'willpower,' and Lance, Bruno, and Koga have already been (or not been) covered.

So, that leaves Falkner, Jasmine, Clair, and Karen... Any ideas?

Lastly, we come to RSE:

Roxanne, Brawly, Wattson, Flannery, Norman, Winona, Tate and Liza, Wallace, Sydney, Phoebe, Glacia, Drake, and Steven...

Wow... Nintendo really ran out of ideas this time, didn't they?

OK, Roxanne is obvious - ROCKS Anne, get it? Brawly comes from 'brawl,' which means to fight, and Wattson (Finally, something a little clever!) stems from 'watt,' a measure of electricity. Flannery is probably a mix of 'flame' and 'chimney,' referring to her prized Fire Pokemon, Torkoal, and Norman is one letter away from 'normal,' his own Pokemon type. Winona likely stems from 'wind,' and Wallace sounds like it might possible come from 'waterfall.' Phoebe, like Sabrina, is a witch's name (Macbeth in this case - thank you, Brian.), though Ghost may or may not be a better 'witch-type' than Psychic (Except maybe that new Misdreavus evo; I dunno.). Glacia is too obvious to explain, as Drake should be (A 'drake' is a dragon.)

But Tate/Liza, Sydney, and Steven... those I don't know.

So...

Erika
Koga
Giovanni
Lorelei
Agatha
Falkner
Jasmine
Clair
Karen
Janine
Tate & Liza
Sydney
Steven
Juan

...

Any suggestions?