History Main / IWasNamedMyName

* Averted at the end of the first ''WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies2010'' episode, where Yipper is matched up with a little boy who decides to name him Bob, to the bemusement of the other pound puppies. Also, avertd with Taboo, who is called "Lucky" by his Human. Played straight with Niblet's sister Rebound (so named because she's always returned) after she's adopted by [=McLeish=]'s mother Agatha.

* Averted at the end of the first ''WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies2010'' episode, where Yipper is matched up with a little boy who decides to name him Bob, to the bemusement of the other pound puppies. Played straight with Niblet's sister Rebound (so named because she's always returned) after she's adopted by [=McLeish=]'s mother Agatha.

* ''Disney/LadyAndTheTramp'':
** The first film subverts this trope. Tramp is called by many names by many owners. He is "Butch" to Tony, "Mike" to an Irish family, and "Fritzi" to a German family, and it is implied that there are many more. As for being called "Tramp" when he's adopted by the Darlings, this is never shown in the movie, although it might be present in [[ComicStrip/{{Scamp}} the comics]] and [[Disney/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure the sequel]]. Even that mildly subverts it, as he is called "Tramp" at the end instead of "the Tramp".
** In ''Disney/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'', the stray to whom Scamp has taken a liking is adopted by the family and named Angel, which she's been called throughout the movie.

* Also averted in ''Disney/OliverAndCompany'', where Oliver's dog friends only call him "cat," "kitty," "child" or "kid" until Jenny names him "Oliver." Only the voiceover song "Once Upon a Time in New York City" calls him Oliver from the start, and that can be chalked up to the singer being an omniscient narrator.

* In ''Haibane Renmei'', it's specifically mentioned that the Haibane (humanoid beings with angel wings and halos) don't remember their previous names. They're named after the dreams they have prior to hatching. In ''Fanfic/BeforeWeHadWings'', their previous names just so happen to be the same as their Haibane names.

->When Angel entered the living room, Junior happily called out her name, "Angel! Angel!"
->She put on a smile and went to play with the child; out in the hall, Tramp laughed to himself as he thought about what an even bigger coincidence it was that their owners had decided to name her "Angel," the name she had already been going by on the streets. Well, it was easier for everyone this way.

** The first film subverts this trope. Tramp is called by many names by many owners. He is "Butch" to Tony, "Mike" to an Irish family, and "Fritzi" to a German family, and it is implied that there are many more. As for being called "Tramp" when he's adopted by the Darlings, this is never shown in the movie, although it might be present in [[ComicBook/{{Scamp}} the comics]] and [[Disney/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure the sequel]]. Even that mildly subverts it, as he is called "Tramp" at the end instead of "the Tramp".

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** We see in Barley's backstory that he always had the name Barley, even when he lived in the city; the name didn't initially come from the humans who own the farm he lives on. However, in the ''Ravenpaw's Path'' graphic novel trilogy, one of the humans calls him "Barley", so we can assume that they just happened to name him his actual name.
** Dovewing's name as a [=ThunderClan=] warrior is almost exactly the same as when [[spoiler:she was an Ancient.]]

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* Subverted in a ''ComicBook/TheFarSide'' comic where it turns out that dogs' own names for themselves are things like "Thundara, Princess of the Universe".

* ''Fanfic/OfMiceAndMayhem'': The president's daughter names Chip... Chip. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the other characters.

May fall under the category of ContrivedCoincidence, or it could be a form of TranslationConvention from AnimalTalk to English. See also {{Namedar}}.

* Averted in the original literary version of ''Literature/TheJungleBook''. Mowgli is usually called "little brother" by the other animals, at least until he gets bigger. The humans who adopt him call him Nathoo, after their long-lost son. (His new mother believes that he really is Nathoo returned at first, but it is clear that Nathoo was lost at a later age than Mowgli was - she recalls giving Nathoo shoes, but Mowgli was lost before he could walk, and she sees from how his toes are splayed that he has never worn shoes.)

* Subverted in ''Literature/CatsEye1961'' by Creator/AndreNorton: main character Troy Horan [[PsychicPowers communicates telepathically]] with a group of animals -- a pair of foxes, a pair of cats, and a kinkajou -- with intelligence upgraded to human level. When he asks about their names, the female cat says somewhat disdainfully that they were given "Man's names!", and Troy senses a hint "that there were other forms of identification more subtle and intelligent, beyond the reach of a mere human." There's a touch of HypocriticalHumor there, as she told him that '''after''' she referred to the male fox by his human-given name.

* Also averted in ''Disney/OliverAndCompany'', where Oliver's dog friends only call him "cat," "kitty," "child" or "kid" until Jenny names him "Oliver." Only the voiceover singer in the song "Once Upon a Time in New York City" calls him Oliver from the start, and that can be chalked up to the trope of {{Omniscient Narrator}}.

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** Averted with Firestar. He was a "kittypet" named "Rusty" who ran out of his house chasing mice. He came across Thunderclan cats who accepted him into their group. He was originally given an apprentice name of "Firepaw" but was later renamed "Fireheart" and then eventually "Firestar". Other kittypets similarly changed names. Harry became Sol, Tiny became Scourge, Hutch became Shortwhisker, etc.

* The children's book ''Zucchini'' is about a ferret that escapes from the zoo and is adopted by an elementary school class. The students name him Zucchini, the name he had in the zoo. Somewhat justified, as the students have heard about the escape and name the weasel/ferret after himself.

* Played with in ''[[Literature/TheWolfChronicles Promise of the Wolves]]''. Kaala's name is wolf-speak for "Daughter of the Moon". Her human friend names her "Silvermoon", and Kaala is surprised and pleased that it's so close. It's a minor case of FridgeBrilliance: Kaala has a birthmark on her pelt in the rough shape of a crescent moon, and that was how the pack chose her name when she was born. It makes sense that TaLi would also see it and think the same way.

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* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Dogsbody}}'' by Creator/DianaWynneJones. In a world where stars are actually sentient creatures with godlike powers, Sirius is framed for murdering a dwarf star, and banished to Earth to search for a vital piece of evidence -- and, in the process, forced to be reborn as a mortal... a mortal ''dog'', to be precise. When he is later adopted by a young girl, she mulls over his name for a long time, but eventually settles on "Leo" -- lampshading it later, when she learns about 'The Dog-Star, Sirius' at school, and comments that it would've been a better name.

* Played with in ''[[Literature/TheWolfChronicles Promise of the Wolves]]''. Kaala's name is wolf-speak for "Daughter of the Moon". Her human friend names her "Silvermoon", and Kaala is surprised and pleased that it's so close.
** It's a minor case of FridgeBrilliance: Kaala has a birthmark on her pelt in the rough shape of a crescent moon, and that was how the pack chose her name when she was born. It makes sense that TaLi would also see it and think the same way.

* ''Disney/LadyAndTheTramp'': Tramp in the original.
** Actually averted in ''Lady and the Tramp'', where the Tramp is called different names by all the humans he befriends.
** In the sequel, the stray to whom Scamp has taken a liking is adopted by the family and named Angel, which she's been called throughout the movie.
* Human example. In ''Disney/TheJungleBook'', Mowgli is called that (or Man-Cub) throughout the whole movie by all the animals. In the sequel, his adopted human family has named him Mowgli.
** Well, Mowgli can talk to them...
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'', this is averted. While Remy's real name is, well, Remy, Linguini names him Little Chef.

* Subverted in ''Literature/CatsEye1961'' by AndreNorton: main character Troy Horan [[PsychicPowers communicates telepathically]] with a group of animals -- a pair of foxes, a pair of cats, and a kinkajou -- with intelligence upgraded to human level. When he asks about their names, the female cat says somewhat disdainfully that they were given "Man's names!", and Troy senses a hint "that there were other forms of identification more subtle and intelligent, beyond the reach of a mere human." There's a touch of HypocriticalHumor there, as she told him that '''after''' she referred to the male fox by his human-given name.

* Averted by TheBookOfTheFilm ''FreeWilly'', in which it's revealed that Willy's "orca name" is Three Spots (referencing the dots under his chin), and the name change is listed among the many ways that life in an aquarium is highly confusing and frightening.

* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Catseye}}'' by AndreNorton: main character Troy Horan [[PsychicPowers communicates telepathically]] with a group of animals -- a pair of foxes, a pair of cats, and a kinkajou -- with intelligence upgraded to human level. When he asks about their names, the female cat says somewhat disdainfully that they were given "Man's names!", and Troy senses a hint "that there were other forms of identification more subtle and intelligent, beyond the reach of a mere human." There's a touch of HypocriticalHumor there, as she told him that '''after''' she referred to the male fox by his human-given name.

* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', we see in Barley's backstory that he always had the name Barley, even when he lived in the city; the name didn't initially come from the humans who own the farm he lives on. However, in the ''Ravenpaw's Path'' graphic novel trilogy, one of the humans calls him "Barley", so we can assume that they just happened to name him his actual name.

* An understandably rare human example in the EdgeChronicles where Twig is captured as a pet for a Termagant Trog, while pretending to be unable to speak he starts chanting "Twig, Twig, Twig." which causes her to decide this is a good name for him.

* ''Fanfic/OfMiceAndMayhem'': The president's daughter names Chip... Chip.
** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the other characters.

* In ''Conquest of the PlanetOfTheApes'', Caesar [a talking ape] is pretending to be unable to speak; his owner lets him "choose his own name" by opening a reference book and pointing to a random word. Caesar points to the word Caesar.