Although it's hard to imagine Supernatural's first choice - here's what the original surname was and why it had to be changed. Created by Eric Kripke, Supernatural underwent several significant alterations during its journey to the small screen, including the central characters being journalists instead of monster-hunting brothers, the younger brother being called Sal, not Sam, and Supernatural releasing as a movie, rather than an ongoing TV series.
Ultimately, of course, Supernatural quickly settled into a familiar groove and 15 seasons later, that age-old formula of Sam and Dean Winchester saving people and hunting things across the rural U.S.A. is still going strong. The Winchester name itself has become intrinsically linked into the fabric of Supernatural. Not only do characters within the show treat the name with reverence or fear (depending on whether they're good or evil) but even TV fans with only the vaguest knowledge of Supernatural have probably heard of the Winchester brothers.
Strange as it may seem, this name wasn't always a staple of Supernatural, and was actually a relatively late addition to the concept. Eric Kripke has previously claimed that Supernatural's central duo were meant to be called Sam and Dean Harrison, as a tribute to Harrison Ford's swashbuckling Star Wars movies. By this point, the Lawrence, Kansas setting was already nailed down and key to the plot, thanks to the real-life urban legends of the city's Stull Cemetery, and it transpired that an actual "Dean Harrison" already lived in the state. Sensing potential legal troubles further down the line, network lawyers called for a change of surname, and this was where the Winchester title was forced into existence.
According to Kripke, the Winchester replacement was inspired by two sources. The first of these was the famous 19th century rifle and gun company, and the second was the Winchester Mystery House that belonged to the same family and now serves as a purportedly haunted tourist attraction in San Jose.
While both surnames have a distinctly American flavor that suits the overarching tone of Supernatural, many would likely suggest that the second-choice Winchester was the superior option. Though there's never anything wrong with paying homage to the galaxy's number one smuggler and scoundrel, there's no real paranormal connotations to the Harrison surname, but the Winchester title is more fitting in a subtle way. It evokes imagery of the guns, which the brothers use on a seemingly daily basis, and also has links to haunted houses, which Sam and Dean are also known to frequent. This helps create a spooky kind of atmosphere without resorting to more obvious surnames such as Warren or Harker. On the other hand, Harrison lacks that kind of distinct, unique quality that has made the Winchester name such an iconic part of the Supernatural mythology, and Sam and Dean might not have caught on so strongly with audiences if this small detail hadn't been changed.
Supernatural season 15 continues with "The Trap" January 16th on The CW.