Carlton Banks was named after which friend of Andy Borowitz?

Carlton Banks was named after Carlton Cuse, a friend of series creator Andy Borowitz.

Borowitz and Susan Borowitz created The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, while Andy Borowitz wrote the pilot. The character was partly inspired by Quincy Jones's children and designed as an affluent, preppy contrast to Will Smith's streetwise personality. Naming him after Borowitz's friend gave the character a personal connection to the writer's life.

Carlton Cuse is also a prominent television writer and producer, known for work on series including Lost and Bates Motel. He is not the actor who played Carlton Banks; that was Alfonso Ribeiro. The character's name is sometimes confused with Ribeiro's signature “Carlton” dance, which became famous later in the show's run.