You might think America's favorite drug dealer, Walter White, has an ironic last name, but it's probably a nod to the drug itself. Walt's expertise in chemistry leads to the production of the purest meth in the country, and his last name is meant to nod to that superior purity.
Walt's accomplice and protégé, Jesse Pinkman, is immature and weak and is often accused of not "being man enough." His last name, Pinkman ("pink man"), underscores his lack of traditional masculinity.
Their seedy lawyer, Saul Goodman (previously known as Jimmy McGill), has a phonetically clever name. If you say it slowly and enunciate the name fully, it sounds like "it's all good man," which Saul/Jimmy himself has said.
