Cote de Pablo, renowned for portraying Special Agent Ziva David on NCIS, revealed that her full name is Maria Jose de Pablo, but she has been known as “Cote” since childhood. Upon moving to the United States, she opted to use “Cote” to make it easier for her classmates. Despite attempting to reintroduce her real name at one point, she humorously recounted the experience and ultimately stuck with “Cote.”