History Main / MeaningfulReName

-->'''Uncle Matt:''' Think of me as Traveling Matt.

* In ''VisualNovel/HerJentleHiness'', a lot of the characters changed their name in some way due to the Queen banning letter '''G''' and executing any who dare speak it. This also affects the protagonist, who was formerly called '''G'''eor'''g'''ina, changing it into Eorina.

* The review blog [[https://therealfullhousereviewed.wordpress.com/ Full House Reviewed]] initially refers to Becky as [[FullNameBasis Rebecca Donaldson]] constantly, but upon her marriage to Jesse in the fourth season, the blog starts calling her Becky instead to solidify her apparent shift in characterization.

* In ''VisualNovel/HerJentleHiness'', a lot of the characters changed their name in some way due to the Queen banning letter '''G''' and executing any who dare speak it. This also affects the protagonist named '''G'''eor'''g'''ina and turning it into Eorina.

* In ''VisualNovel/HerJentleHiness'', a lot of the characters changed their name in some way due to the Queen banning letter ''''G'''' and executing any who dare speak it. This also affects the protagonist ''''G''''eor''''g''''ina's name turning it into Eorina.

* Electronic musician Walter Carlos changed her name into Music/WendyCarlos after her sex change.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
** In the prequel ''Recap/StartOfDarkness'', the BigBad Xykon renames himself because he wants a badass name with XtremeKoolLetterz. We don't learn how he was named before.
** In the same book, [[DragonWithAnAgenda Redcloak]] and Right-Eye take those names after seeing Xykon kill someone for having a name he couldn't remember. They continue calling each other "Older/Younger Brother," however... until [[spoiler:[[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans Redcloak kills Right-Eye]], and Right-Eye uses his new name to represent Redcloak choosing Xykon over him]].
** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0874.html Malack tells how he has changed his name]] [[spoiler:since becoming a vampire]].
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': When they took Agatha into hiding, [[spoiler: Punch and Judy]] renamed themselves Adam and Lilith Clay and masqueraded as her parents. While Eve was created to serve Adam in the Bible, Lilith intended herself as Adam's equal.
* In ''Gored by Them Things'', Captain Rum of Teal Polka Dots becomes Captain Rum the Aquamarine. For no reason other than causing a giant penguin to get sucked into a giant vacuum cleaner. ([[CloudCuckooLand It's that kind of world]].)
%%* [[http://oneway.juathuur.com/1/?strip_id=87 Soveshei]] of ''Webcomic/{{Juathuur}}''.
* In the backstory of ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', Renard changed his name to Reynardine when he left Gillitie wood. Both names have folkloric significance: Renard is an alternate spelling of Reynard, the trickster-fox from the medieval beast fables. Reynardine is the name of a human (or a were-fox, in some later versions) highwayman from a folk song who seduces unwary maidens. It's eventually revealed that Surma was the first person to call him Reynardine--it was [[InterspeciesRomance his infatuation with Surma]] that prompted Rey's name change.
* ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'': [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/i-trust-tina/ Monica proposes one: to Pawn One and Pawn Two]]
* WV, PM, AR, WQ, and WK get these numerous times in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}},'' crossed with IHaveManyNames.
** WV- Wayward Vagabond, Warweary Villein, Wastelandic Vindicator, Wizardly Vassal
** PM- Peregrine Mendicant, Parcel Mistress, [[spoiler: Prospitian Monarch]]
** AR- [[{{Pun}} Aimless]] Renegade, Authority Regulator, Armaments Regent
** WQ- Windswept Questant, [[spoiler: White Queen]]
** WK- [[spoiler: Writ Keeper, White King]]
** This turns out to be standard procedure among Propitians and Dersites:
*** Jack Noir - Scurrilous Straggler and Spades Slick [[spoiler: in the Troll Universe, Sovereign Slayer and Bec Noir in the Human Universe.]] Also an OddNameOut, since he doesn't keep his initials.
*** CD - Courtyard Droll, Clubs Deuce.
*** DD - Draconian Dignitary, Diamonds Droog
*** HB - Hegemonic Brute, Hearts Boxcars
*** And Snowman was formerly [[spoiler: Black Queen and Banished Quasiroyal.]]
** On Alpha Earth, [[spoiler: Jade]] changed her last name to English [[spoiler: after the man she knew her abusive adoptive mother hated and feared the most.]]
** Oddly enough, [[spoiler: Lord English changed his name to that from Caliborn after he suffered his first-ever defeat [[StableTimeLoop at the hands of Jake English, Jade's post-Scratch son.]]]] [[ArcWords Weird]] [[TimeyWimeyBall Plot]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext Shit]] applies.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Endstone}}'', a rocker is known by the overstone he rocks. [[http://endstone.net/2009/02/10/issue-1-page-2/ Kyri is also known as Endstone]]. [[http://endstone.net/comic/issue-1-page-32/ Rousing Lightstone caused the present-day storyline.]]
* In ''Webcomic/NoRestForTheWicked'', [[http://www.forthewicked.net/archive/02-08.html Red feigns to believe that November is asking for this when she asks Red to give her her name.]] She has NoSocialSkills.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Life|2012}}'', Natalie renamed herself Felicia because "Felicia" means "happiness", and she wanted to be happy.
* [[http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Dragon_Doctors/5339648/ On the last page of Chapter 13]] of ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'', [[spoiler:Tanica renounces the time she spent as an assassin by giving up her 'working name' and going back to her real name, Elka]].
* In ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'', after Bam [[spoiler: gets betrayed and nearly killed by Rachel]], he changes his name to Jue Viole Grace. Now being more sinister, broodier, and possibly quite depressed, it is rather ironic since 'bam' is the Korean word for 'night'.
** Then again, the color violet, being a colour of strong emotion and strong reason, as well as one of great purpose, fits him now as well.
* In ''Webcomic/PennyBlackfeather'', Penelope Blake takes her pirate grandfather's name and becomes Penny Blackfeather when she decides to become an adventurer.
* ''Webcomic/EscapeFromTerra'': at her self-determined adulthood party, the younger Babbette announces that she's sick of being referred to as "Little Babbette" and changes her name to Liberty, [[http://www.bigheadpress.com/eft?page=575 or Libby for short]].
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Immortals often rename themselves after a reset to distance themselves from their previous incarnation. The name they choose reflects their basic nature or just something they consider an AwesomeMcCoolName which [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2010-06-25 leads to a significant number of Immortals named Zeus running around]].
* ''Webcomic/DrFrost'' chose the nickname of Dr. Frost for himself. His real name is [[spoiler: Nambong Baek.]]
* Park Mujin in ''Webcomic/TheGodOfHighSchool''. His original name was Mubong, which means a purely perfect "once-in-a-lifetime genius". [[spoiler:After he lost to Jin Taejin seventeen years before the start of the story, he changed it to "Mujin", because he no [[BreakTheHaughty longer believed that he was the perfect genius that people praised him as after his defeat.]] Sang Mansuk gave his new name "Mujin" meaning -- infinite potential, a man without limits.]]
* ''Webcomic/{{Selkie}}'': Carrie and Bennie are refugees who [[https://selkiecomic.com/comic/selkie894/ opted to take English names]] when they moved to the United States in order to better fit in and move beyond their traumatic past. Their previous names were [[https://selkiecomic.com/comic/selkie405/ Thei Foh, and Voh respectively.]]
[[/folder]]

* Five years before coming out as trans, Music/AgainstMe frontwoman Laura Jane Grace revealed in "The Ocean" that her mother indeed would have named her Laura.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* ''Literature/TheBible'':
** Abram becomes Abraham ("Father of many nations") and his wife Sarai becomes Sarah ("princess"). Jacob takes the name Israel ("struggles with God") after wrestling with the angel. Hosea becomes Joshua by adding a letter from God's name (the "yod") to his name. Also in the Bible, Jesus renames Simon to Peter, in Aramaic "Kephas" (Rock). (There are a lot of other renamings that qualify more as SomeCallMeTim--e.g. Greek- and Latin-speakers couldn't pronounce the "sh" sound, so Saul of Tarsus--"Sha'ul" in Hebrew--was known as "Paul" to the wider world.)
** {{Satan}} the Devil is a rename, Satan meaning "resister" and Devil meaning "[[ConsummateLiar slanderer]]". His previous name is not in the Bible. There's a Biblical verse about the fall of the Morning-Star (which is directly speaking about a Babylonian king) that many take to be obliquely speaking about Satan; because of this, "Lucifer" ("[[LightIsNotGood light-bearer]]", the Latin name for the morning star) is often used as a name for Satan before his fall (as, for example, in ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' and ''Literature/ParadiseLost'').
** When Joseph, son of Jacob, becomes the Pharoah's right-hand man after interpreting his dreams, the Pharoah names him Zaphnath-Paaneah ("he who reveals mysteries").
** In the Literature/BookOfJeremiah, a priest named Pash-Hur gets annoyed by Jeremiah's prophesying and throws him in jail for the night. The next day he lets Jeremiah out, and Jeremiah informs him that God has changed his name to "Magor-Missaviv," which means "terror all around," because [[ForcedToWatch he will watch all his friends die]] in the invasion of Judah before being dragged off to Babylon for the rest of his life.
** Subverted by Naomi in The Literature/BookOfRuth. Near the beginning of the book, she tells Ruth not to call her "Naomi"(pleasant) but "Mara" (bitter) due to the misfortunes she's suffered. However, the narrative continues to refer to her as "Naomi".
** The three friends of Daniel (Hananiah, Misail, and Azarya) had names that all referred to God in some way. In Babylon they are renamed Sadrach, Mesach, and Abednego, names containing references to Babylonian gods. (Except for 'Mesach', which means something around the lines of 'useless') Eventually Daniel gets the same treatment, being renamed to Belteshazzar. Odds are that their capturers wanted them to [[KneelBeforeZod forget their God]].
* Myth/CelticMythology:
** Setanta killed Culann's guard dog in self-defense when the dog attacked him. Culann was devastated by the loss of his dog, so Setanta volunteered to become his new servant and guard. Setanta renamed himself Cu Chulainn (The Hound of Culann).
** Queen Medb really wanted King Conchobar dead. A {{Druid}} told her that her son Maine would eventually kill Conchobar. She had seven sons, but none of them were named Maine, so she renamed all of them, just to be sure. Fedlimid became Maine Athramail ("like his father"), Cairbre became Maine Máthramail ("like his mother"), Eochaid became Maine Andoe ("the swift") and was also known as Cich-Maine Andoe or Cichmuine, Fergus became Maine Taí ("the silent"), Cet became Maine Mórgor ("of great duty"), Sin became Maine Mílscothach ("honey-speech"), and Dáire became Maine Móepirt ("beyond description"). [[ProphecyTwist Maine Andoe ended up killing a completely different Conchobar]].
* Myth/ClassicalMythology:
** In some versions of the story where Artemis and Apollo killed the 14 children of Niobe as revenge for her making a BlasphemousBoast, either one daughter, Meliboea, was spared, or her and her brother, Amyclas, were spared. Either way, Meliboea was so traumatized that she permanently turned pale, causing her to change her name to Chloris, which means "Pale one".
** Heracles was originally named Alcides by his mother Alcmene and foster father Amphitryon. His parents later changed his name to Heracles, which means "Glory to Hera", in an attempt to appease Hera, who hated him for being Zeus' son, which didn't work.
** When Heracles was at war with King Laomedon, he captured Laomedon's son Podarces. Laomedon's daughter Hesione bought his freedom with her golden veil. Podarces changed his name to Priam, which means "to buy".
* In Myth/JapaneseMythology, the sword Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (or "Sword of the gathering clouds of heaven") was used by a prince to escape a fire. He first tried to cut away the grass surrounding him to starve the flames of fuel but noticed that with every stroke, the wind changed to match the direction of his cuts. He used this magic to make a larger fire and blow it back towards his pursuers and then renamed the sword ''Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi'', the Grass Cutting Sword.
* Myth/NorseMythology: In ''Literature/RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons'', Aslaug, the orphaned daughter of Sigurd and Brynhildr, was adopted by the couple Áke and Grima, who renamed her Kráka ("Crow").

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* Near the end of ''Film/AirForceOne'', the pilot of the C-130 declares that the plane is changing call sign from Liberty-2-4 to Air Force One. Since the call sign Air Force One is only used by a plane carrying the President this is effectively his way of announcing that the President is safe.
* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'': Seeing Doc Brown's tombstone that said he had been shot in 1885, Marty speculated that perhaps another Emmett Brown had lived in the town at the time. Doc immediately shot that theory down, explaining that the Browns hadn't come to Hill Valley until 1908 and at the time they were known as the Von Brauns. He goes on to explain that his father changed the family name to Brown during the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]].
* The ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans|2010}}'' remake has King Acrisius changing his name to Calibos after he was turned into a demon by Zeus. In the original film, Acrisius and Calibos were two different characters.
* In ''Film/CityOfGod'', Lil Dice gets the new name Lil Ze from a religious practitioner, who states his new name will change his fate.
* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3'', a flashback reveals a young Rocket chooses his name "Rocket" after he sees one blast into outer space and starts dreaming of flight with his friends. Later in the movie, [[spoiler:Rocket realizes he is indeed a raccoon from Earth, and [[RunningGagged calls himself]] '''Rocket Raccoon''']].
* ''Film/TheHolyOffice'': Luis de Carvajal changes his name to José Lumbroso (=the one who burns in his faith) after King David tells him to in a vision.
* In ''Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiSuperHeroTaisen'', [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Captain Marvelous]] reintroduces Bio Hunter Silva, a foe that the Bioman team faced in the past. However, he's been rechristened Rider Hunter Silva, as he's now used to hunt and defeat Kamen Riders.
* In ''Film/KungPowEnterTheFist'', BigBad Master Pain decides (very temporarily) that he wants to be good, so he decides that he'll go by the name "Betty". TheChosenOne quickly points out that Betty is a girl's name, causing Master Pain/Betty to flip out.
* In the first entry of the ''Film/TheMightyDucks'' trilogy, Coach Bombay has his first few encounters with said team when they were only referred to as the bureaucratically-assigned District 5 since they had NoBudget for anything beyond skates and sticks. It was only after Bombay wrangles a sponsorship so that they could afford proper equipment, uniforms, and rink time that they became known as the Ducks.
* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'': After King Arthur brings a shrubbery to the Knights Who Say "Ni!," they suddenly change their name to the Knights Who Say "Eki Eki Eki Zakung Zoop Boing and Zowie Za."
* In ''Film/MurielsWedding'', Muriel changes her name to Mariel (with an A) to symbolize her new life away from Porpoise Spit.
* ''Film/{{Oblivion|2013}}'': Julia Rusakova makes a point of presenting herself as [[spoiler: Julia Harper]] when she and Jack go back to LaResistance's bunker. [[spoiler: When the TrojanPrisoner gambit is being worked on, she enters a capsule with a MeaningfulName on it. See ChekhovsGun for details.]]
* The townfolk of Refuge in ''Film/{{Purgatory}}'' were all outlaws, murderers or [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking prostitutes]], but while there they shed their old, famous names for nature-themed ones. Glen, Lamb, Rose, Ivy, etc. It's part of an attempt to put all that behind them, apparently. During the final few scenes, they use their famous names again, since they think they're about to go to Hell anyway.
* Susan from ''Film/ASafePlace1971'' renames herself [[TomboyishName Noah]] after the Magician's magic box, which is painted like Noah's Ark when she first sees it. The Magician even pulls a rainbow out of it.
* In ''Film/SamuraiIMusashiMiyamoto'', a Buddhist monk takes it upon himself to train talented swordsman Takezo as a samurai. When Takezo completes his initial training, the monk congratulates him and gives him the more samurai-appropriate name of UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi.
* ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'': When Scott Pilgrim goes to the Chaos Theater [[spoiler:again]], he renames Young Neil to just Neil to signify his growth into his role. [[InvertedTrope Interestingly]] this probably says more about Scott's CharacterDevelopment than [[strike:Young]] Neil's.
* This is notably averted in the 1968 film ''Film/TheShoesOfTheFisherman'' in that Cardinal Kiril Lakota announces he would continue to use his given name of Kiril upon his election as Pope. This not only marks the first time that a non-Italian was elected Pope since the 16th century, but also the first time since the 16th century that a Pope continued to use his given name upon election.
* In ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'', [=McCoy=] paints the name [[Literature/TheBountyTrilogy "HMS Bounty"]] on the Bird of Prey captured in ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock''.
* Happens with Sith in ''Franchise/StarWars''.
** Anakin Skywalker is renamed Darth Vader and is spoken of as a different person.
** Count Dooku, having left the Jedi to join the Sith, had already become Darth Tyranus.
** Palpatine/Darth Sidious.
** Kylo Ren, formerly known as [[spoiler: Ben Solo]].
** The rulers of Naboo take a new name when they ascend to the throne, which is how Padmé Naberrie became Queen Amidala. Even after her time as queen is over, she's still Padmé Amidala.
** In ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', Resistance pilot Poe Dameron escapes the First Order with help from a defecting Stormtrooper whose designation is FN-2187. Instead of calling him that, Poe decides to name him Finn. For the rest of the trilogy, Finn uses his new name to make it clear that he's no longer a Stormtrooper.
** At the very end of ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', Rey, [[spoiler: who had been revealed to be the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine,]] took the last name of Skywalker [[spoiler: after getting the blessing of the Force Ghosts of Luke and Leia.]]
* In ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers|1973}}'', Athos tells his former wife that the Comte de la Fère (his real name) is dead; he uses anecdotes from his past by claiming that they happened to a friend of his.
* ''Film/Titanic1997'': Rose was born Rose Bukater. She changed her last name to Dawson, to signify her love for Jack, and to forever renounce her old life as a repressed rich girl.
* In ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'', when one of the ancient Primes betrayed their beliefs, the other Primes stripped him of his name and he has forever since then been known only as The Fallen.
* The titular hero of ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' at first tells everyone that his name is pronounced "Fronkensteen" to disassociate himself from his infamous ancestor Victor and his legacy. Then in a crucial moment of the movie, he shows that he has accepted his heritage by insisting: "My name is FRAN-KEN-SHTINE!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* A staple of superhero comics, where usually the first or second thing a person does after gaining superpowers is to think up a name that either describes or obliquely alludes to those powers ("Spider-Man", "Flash"), their source ("Green Lantern", "Radioactive Man" and "Fallout Boy"), or amounts to a mission statement ("Justice League of America", "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants", "Plunderer"). This is especially noticeable with superheroes who start their careers without a secret identity, such as the Fantastic Four.
* Most of the ComicBook/{{Runaways}} adopt code names. One describes it as wanting to get rid of everything their parents gave them, name included. [[spoiler:It's also a clue to the identity of the mole - Alex refuses to take a codename because he's still loyal to his parents]]
* Superheroes and supervillains sometimes take a new code-name which can be meaningful, e. g. if it is taken in reaction to a traumatic event, switching allegiances, growing up and standing on one's own feet (e. g. Kid Flash (Wally West) becoming the third Flash, the first Robin becoming Nightwing), gaining new powers, etc.
** Disillusioned after discovering that [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed the U. S. President]] was the leader of the Secret Empire, Steve Rogers aka ComicBook/CaptainAmerica briefly became Nomad (or Nomad, the Man Without a Country).
*** In a later storyline he was forbidden by the U. S. government to use the name and costume of Captain America and for a while became The Captain.
** "Hear me, X-Men! No longer am I the woman you knew! I am fire! And life incarnate! Now and forever I AM PHOENIX!"
*** The change of Marvel Girl to the Phoenix was later [[RetCon retconned]] into her being ''replaced'' by the Phoenix. However, when Jean Grey was brought back from storage beneath Jamaica Bay, she significantly stopped using her pre-Phoenix codename "Marvel Girl", especially in the 90s when the Blue and Gold Strike Forces were formed.
** ComicBook/AlphaFlight's Weapon Alpha during one mission endangered innocent civilians. He therefore felt he had to vindicate himself and adopted the new name Vindicator.
** Under the influence of Psycho-Man and the Hatemonger, the Invisible Girl temporarily became evil and adopted the new identity of Malice. After living through this ordeal she did not revert to "Invisible Girl" but changed to "Invisible Woman".
** When the male members of the second Brotherhood of Evil Mutants had all ended up in prison, the remaining trio of Mystique, Destiny, and Rogue briefly called itself the Sisterhood of Evil Mutants. Later it entered the service of the federal government in return for a conditional amnesty and renamed itself Freedom Force.
** In ''ComicBook/XForce'', new team leader Mr. Sensitive changes his name to The Orphan at a press conference after a bout of internal conflict over his lack of family. He keeps the name even after discovering that he was never an orphan and that his parents just gave him away, partially on the advice of his boss, who said that if he changed it back people would think he was trying to reclaim the days before U-Go Girl's death.
*** After the death of U-Go Girl (and a legal battle), the Orphan changed the name of the team to X-Statix. He actually said he doesn't really know what the new name means; it came to him in a dream and it's better than nothing.
** When [[ComicBook/NewWarriors Marvel Boy]] accidentally killed his father, he was tried and found guilty of negligent homicide. When his teammates came to jailbreak him, he refused to go with them, stating that he had been convicted in a fair trial, and he believed in the system. Shortly after his release from the vault, he changed his name to "Justice."
** Another New Warrior, Speedball, changed his name to Penance after being part of a botched supervillain arrest that ended with the deaths of over 600 people.
** Russia had two teams of superheroes, the Soviet Super Soldiers and the Supreme Soviets. Naturally, these names wouldn't do when Communism collapsed and the Soviet Union became the People's Federation of Russia, so they combined into one team and called themselves the People's Protectorate. Later, this team disbanded but a few members formed the Winter's Guard.
** While bonded with ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'', the Symbiote had no name. After being rejected by Spider-Man and bonding with Eddie Brock, the two decided to become "poison" to Spider-Man and collectively took the name ''ComicBook/{{Venom}}''.
* In ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'', Cutter's son Suntop saves his tribe from a great danger and thereafter is called Sunstream. Similarly, Redlance's initial name was Redmark and One-Eye used to be called Woodhue. It's sort of implied that this happens a lot, but we very rarely get to see any major characters change their names - most likely so the audience doesn't get all confused, especially if they skipped a few issues.
* The Infinity Gems were initially known as the Soul Gems in all their early appearances. They wouldn't get their more familiar name until the ''ComicBook/{{Thanos}} Quest'' limited series, where Thanos decided that "Infinity" was more fitting since only one of the gems actually had anything to do with souls.
* In ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'', John Kreelman identifies himself as Johnny Alpha when he joins [[LaResistance the mutant resistance]]. This is initially to keep secret the fact that he is the son of the most anti-mutant member of the Cabinet but soon thinks of it as a way to disassociate himself from his father.
* In a ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' comic, we learn [[BecomingTheMask Derrial Book]] is not the shepherd's birth name.
* Pre-ComicBook/{{Crisis|on Infinite Earths}}, ComicBook/{{Superboy}} changed his name to Franchise/{{Superman}} during his college years, with Clark realizing he was no longer a kid/had reached maturity, and needed a more adult name. Presumably the same was the case for Clark's one Superboy-era contemporary hero, ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} (formerly "Aquaboy").
* This is found in certain backstories for ComicBook/TheRiddler: Pre-Supervillain career, he legally changed his name from Edward Nashton to [[PunnyName Edward Nygma]]. Perhaps to reflect his love of brainteasers, or to distance himself from his abusive father, or both.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Gothtopia}}'', the Batfamily changed their names to reflect the sunnier atmosphere of Gotham. Batgirl became Bluebelle, Batwing became Flying Fox, Batwoman became Brightbat, the Birds of Prey became the Wings of Truth, Catwoman became Catbird, Nightwing became Gothamite, and Batman is still Batman.
* One of ''ComicBook/RedSonja'''s rivals, Dark Annisia, renamed herself Red Annisia after she mistakenly believed Sonja was dead, as a sign of having conquered her. Sonja eventually returns and faces her in a rematch.
* ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'': The characters Tante Sidonie and Schalulleke were renamed in 1963 when the comic strip changed from Flemish dialect into Dutch standard language. Sidonie was retitled ''Sidonia'', which sounded better, and Schalulleke was renamed ''Schanulleke'' because a ''schalul'' was a Flemish word meaning a ''onion'', but Dutchmen didn't know the word and the word ''-lul'' meant ''penis'', so Vandersteen changed one letter in the character's name.
* ComicStrip/{{Nero}}: A weird example. Nero's original name was Heiremans, a man who thought he was Emperor Nero. After a while, he stopped thinking this but all the other characters still referred to him as ''Nero''. Even his wife is named ''Mrs. Nero''!
* ''ComicBook/DeKiekeboes'':
** Timotheus Triangl was renamed Timothea Triangl in ''Zeg Het Met Bloemen'' because he had undergone a sex change.
** The series itself was named ''Kiekeboe'' until 2010 when it was renamed ''De Kiekeboes'' because creator Merho felt that the series was more about the family Kiekeboe than Marcel Kiekeboe alone.
* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'':
** Evil Sonic, powered up by the Master Emerald and sporting a new look, renamed himself Scourge to show he was no longer just another Sonic duplicate. When to took over Moebius, he convinced the other Anti-Freedom Fighters to take new looks and names. Evil Tails became "Miles", Evil Sally became "Alicia", Evil Antoine became "Patch", Evil Rotor became "Boomer" and the Anti-Freedom Fighters became the "Suppression Squad".
** When the Knothole Freedom Fighters were shattered due to various actions by Naugus and Eggman, the remaining members reshuffled themselves and formed two teams - Team Freedom, comprised of Rotor, Cream, Cheese, Big, Heavy and Bomb, and Team Fighters, comprised of Sonic, Tails, Amy and T-Pup. Team Freedom was meant to protect New Mobotropolis because like hell they were going to trust King Naugus while Team Fighters went after Eggman to rescue Sally.
* [[Franchise/SpiderMan Harry Lyman]] used to be Harry Osborn, son of the original Green Goblin, and at one time the Goblin himself. He now works for Peter Parker as a VP, using his mother's maiden name. As Harry explains to the Human Torch:
-->'''Harry''': ''That, Johnny, is why Peter is my best friend. He never gives up on me. I'm not an Osborn to him. I'm just "Harry." ''
* Arthur Molekovic from ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'' was given the name "Mole Man" by his students because of his short stature, his second name, and the fact that he is ''covered'' in moles.
* In the ''Manga/{{Warrior|CatsManga}}s'' graphic novel ''A Clan In Need'', Barley and Violet's brothers Hoot and Jumper are now [=BloodClan=] members called Snake and Ice. They deny their original names and deny being Barley and Violet's brothers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
[[/folder]]

* MeaninfulRename/LiveActionTV

* In Fialleril's ''Franchise/StarWars'' fics, the Amavikka culture on Tatooine includes a ritual performed by slaves who have gained their freedom in which they affirm their identity as a free individual, and may give themselves a new name if the old one has associations they wish to discard with their old life. However, not everybody chooses a new name.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Anthropology}}'', Lyra Heartstrings used to just be Heartstrings. She named herself Lyra after finding the name in her study of humans. She liked the name because:
--> "Most ponies had names that were made up of other words, but humans had names that were just that – names. Ponies might say that something 'tugged at the heartstrings' (a phrase that had always bothered her) but they never mentioned anything about 'Lyra.' Human names were all unique words, with no other meaning. And they were beautiful."
** Later, it is revealed that [[spoiler:she is really a human and that she was subconsciously remembering her birth name, Lyra Michelakos]].
* In ''Fanfic/AsDreamsAreMadeOn'', the protagonist, Cassandra, is a fictionalized version of the author who landed in [[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Bella Swan's]] body on the day of her arrival in Forks. Around midway through the story, after a series of dramatic events, Cass begins thinking of and referring to herself as Bella even when speaking to people who are already in the know and begins referring to Charlie Swan solely as 'dad,' as well.
* ''Fanfic/AvengingClass'': Mysterious Heroine XX convinces Bruce Banner to change his alter ego's name from Hulk to Berserker. While discussing this in a press conference, Tony Stark points out that contrary to popular culture, the Berserkers were not savages, but true warriors, just like Banner and his alter ego are true Avengers.
* In ''Fanfic/TheBoyBehindTheMask'', when Hiccup leaves Berk, he takes on the alias "Fjalar" (meaning "deceiver").
* In the ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fic "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3088970/1/Benediction Benediction]]", after Danny and his allies give his dark future self serious therapy so that he gets over his desire to destroy everything, Dark Danny chooses to call himself "Dan Plasmius", as his Vlad half still has enough influence that he isn't interested in being a hero but he's stable enough not to want to cause destruction.
* The ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fic "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10427729/1/Blank-Slate Blank Slate]]" opens with an amnesiac couple waking up in a field, tentatively naming themselves Jacob and Eva Andrews as they realise that they have some deeper relationship with each other. It is only after their daughter Amelia receives her Hogwarts letter and they are visited by Professor [=McGonagall=] that they start to recall their original identities as James and Lily Potter, returning to their original names as their memories return, while Amelia is given the chance to decide if she wants to be known as Andrews or Potter.
* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'':
** Reijuu changed his name to Bagan after he pulled a FaceHeelTurn and became an OmnicidalManiac because Bagan means "Extinction" in an ancient language.
** In his backstory, Archmage Saros changed his name to King Nuestro Odio Sombra (Our Hated Shadow) to symbolize his new mastery over darkness and ThePowerOfHate.
* ''[[Fanfic/TheLamentSeriesChaoticNeutral Chloe's Lament]]'' plays with this. After Chloe makes [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy a reality-warping Wish]], Adrien [[InSpiteOfANail recieves the Black Cat Miraculous again]]. Plagg, who [[RippleEffectProofMemory remembers the original world]], encourages him to alter his appearance and call himself "anything other than Chat Noir". While Adrien has no clue about the significance of any of this, and hadn't even considered that name as an option before Plagg brought it up, he still complies and chooses to go by Cheshire, complimenting his new partner's moniker of Red Queen.
* In ''Fanfic/LeCommencementDuDiableBlanc'', Harry lets his adopted father give him the name "Remy" on the day he finally leaves his abusive relatives behind.
* ''Fanfic/{{Daemorphing}}'': In chapter 4 of ''The Presence of Justice'', Tobias comes out as non-binary to Toby Hamee and changes their name to Toby in admiration of all she's done; then Toby Hamee changes her name to Kalij after her mother's home valley.
* One story in ''Fanfic/TheDaysOfReckoningAreUponUs'' depicts Iron Patriot being renamed and repainted back to War Machine as being indicative of the US government having lost their respect for Captain America, and not wanting their own hero associated with him anymore.
* In the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12505891/1/Dead-Men-Tell-No-Tales-Redone Dead Men Tell No Tales Redone]]'', after Carina [[spoiler:takes command of the ''Black Pearl'' after Jack sacrifices himself to save her (in this version of events, [[RelatedInTheAdaptation Carina is Jack's daughter rather than Barbossa's]]), she asks that she instead be known as Carina Sparrow rather than Carina Smythe, as a way of honoring her father's legacy]].
* In ''Fanfic/{{Delusions}}'', the sisters were born mules named "Celestia" and "Philomena". For unknown reasons (though Celestia suspects her sister distancing herself from her past), Philomena changed her name to "Luna". Her sister later named her pet phoenix after her.
* ''Fanfic/TheDesertStorm'': After traveling into the past, Obi-Wan changes his name to Ben Naasade. In the Mandalorian language "naasade" means "no one", referencing Ben's nature as TheSpook to everyone in the past and how he's given up his name since a younger version of himself already exists in the past with him.
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': Chapter 8 of the sequel ''Diplomat at Large'' reveals that as in canon, Tempest Shadow changed her name a few times when trying to reinvent herself; her original name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist, though she decides to stick with Tempest Shadow now to avoid confusion.
* ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'': After returning to the past Rei decides she is no longer Rei Ayanami, Yui Ikari's clone had no dreams or hopes and wished for nothing else than the peace of oblivion. She is now Rei Akagi, Ritsuko's little sister what wants to find out what she wants to do when she grows up.
--> '''Rei:''' Rei Ayanami is dead, I am not her. I am Rei Akagi, Ritsuko's little sister. I am not sure what I want to do when I grow up, but I would like to find out what it is like to kiss a boy. I think I would like to find out what it is like to kiss a girl, as well; Ritsuko said it was similar in most ways but different in others.
* In ''Fanfic/DoubleAgentVader'', when Anakin frees the droid designated XF-53 from the Empire's control, he encourages her to follow the Amavikka tradition of renaming, and she names herself KD-7 ("Kadee" for short), in reference to the Amatakka word ''kol-depuan'', which means "unfettered".
* In ''Fanfic/ErosTurannos'', Vader agrees to start going by the name "Anakin" again when he accepts Obi-Wan's offer to train him in the Light Side of the Force.
* ''Fanfic/GettingBackOnYourHooves'': [[spoiler:Helping Hoof does a HeelFaceTurn, then earns his theater Cutie Mark while in prison (Equestrian prisons apparently have very good inmate learning programs). As a result, he changes his name to Stage Hoof.]]
* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' AU fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11119043/1/The-Guiding-Winds The Guiding Winds]]'', Darth Vader does the ritual to mark his freedom from Palpatine and names himself Anakin Skywalker, returning to the name his mother gave him.
* ''Fanfic/GymLeaderWiki'':
** At ten, Kyo changed his name to "Koga" because he wasn't fond of having a one-syllable name.
** Janine's birth name is "Anzu". She chose a new name at age ten by reversing the word for "ninja". She changed her name because people would frequently pronounce "Anzu" incorrectly.
** Clair's original surname was "L'Aigle". She changed it at 16 due to people frequently misspelling it.
* In ''Fanfic/HalkegeniaOnlineZeroHour'', defeating a five-star boss in Grave of Guns Online results in the player's avatar being renamed into something that generally falls under NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast.
* In ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndThePowerOfTheDarkSide'', Harry Potter is given the new Sith name "Darth Veneficus" once he begins his Sith training. Later Darth Veneficus takes his own apprentice, [[spoiler:Draco]], and renames him "Darth Anguis."
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11191235/89/Harry-Potter-and-the-Prince-of-Slytherin Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin]]'' reveals this about Fenrir:
-->'''Fenrir:''' Don't call me Bob. I am Fenrir Greyback.\\
'''Peter:''' You're Bob Greyson, the Muggleborn son of a reputable but now deceased Muggle bank officer from Leeds. And a Ravenclaw to boot!\\
'''Fenrir:''' That was before. Bob Greyson was my ''human'' name.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' fanfic ''Fanfic/HellAndHighWater'', Sunset Shimmer changes her name to Sunset [[spoiler:Stanza]] after a brutal assault leads to [[spoiler:her dying, but getting a second chance at life if she agreed to become the new Siren Queen and restore their civilization]]. The name change is accompanied by a complete change in skin tone and hair color. Rainbow Dash later gives herself the name [[spoiler:Marred Spectrum]] after [[spoiler:Sunset using dark magic to bring her back to life resulted in her skin and hair color changing to be much duller]], though the characters tend to treat this more as a nickname than anything else.
* ''Fanfic/HereticPride'':
** Anakin recalls that one of his ancestors adopted the surname "Skywalker" for herself because her family had been split up and moved around by the slavemasters and she didn't know what her real family name was. It's a homage to a folk hero called Ekkreth, the Sky Walker.
** Jedi younglings who come from a famous family are given new names to prevent them from finding out who their birth families were and reforming an attachment. This is one of the things that makes it more difficult for Anakin to find out what became of Padmé's sister after she was taken by the Jedi.
* ''Fanfic/HomeAragem'':
** When the ScorpionPeople reclaimed ownership of the Fright Zone, it was renamed "Peaceful Fields".
** "Wrong Hordak" now goes by Zed.
* ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'': [[BigBad Titan]] was originally named Order but changed it when he snapped from the fallout of [[EvilVersusEvil his war with Discord]] and went from a strict but well-intentioned ruler to the monster seen in the rest of the story.
* In ''Fanfic/JadeLightning'', after he manifests his quirk and changing schools, Izuku has his name changed to "Akatani Mikumo" (taking his mother's maiden name) and dies his hair purple as a means of making a clean slate for himself.
* ''Fanfic/KimPossibleMirrorMirror'': Shego's name is "Sheryl Marie Gordeaux". Upon learning she's the daughter of the original Shego, her name gets changed to "Sharonda" ("Shari" for short).
* ''Fanfic/TheLastConnor'':
** While living with her grandparents, Newt is forced to accept being called her birth name of Rebecca; after Pops rescues her, she swiftly insists on being called ‘Newt’ once more, although she adopts ‘Connor’ as a surname.
** After [[spoiler:the court case that led to Weyland-Yutani closing down, Ripley had to adopt a new name to protect herself from people angry at the subsequent mass unemployment, adopting the name ‘Ellen Connor’ in homage to Sarah Connor, with Newt retaining her new name of ‘Newt Connor’ and Hicks choosing the same surname once he joins them]].
* In ''Fanfic/LetMeHear'', as a child Blake was adopted by Weiss' family and her surname was changed from "Belladonna" to "Schnee". Blake herself changed her name mainly because she wanted to distance herself from the traumatic memories of her biological parents' murders.
* ''Fanfic/LettingGoOfHate'': Zira was originally named "Ziva" (which means "alive"). She renamed herself to "Zira" (which means "hate") after being forced to leave her pride.
* In ''Fanfic/LittleDeceptions'', [[PhantomThief Blank Slate]], who is a MasterOfDisguise, refers to himself in third person narration by the name of whatever disguise he's adopted. Indeed, Blank Slate itself is an adopted name, and a meaningful one, as he constantly renames himself and shifts in personality and behavior as needed. When Princess Celestia says his real name, [[spoiler: Cuckoo Cloud,]] and is offered a second chance, he drops all the fake names and makes a HeelFaceTurn.
* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/295771/the-lost-hero The Lost Hero]]'':
** When Doomsday pulls a HeelFaceTurn, he says, "From now on, let this form be known not as Doomsday, but Doomslayer. It will no longer signal the end of the world, but the end of evil."
** When Clark Kent decides to stay in Equestria as a pony, he changes his name to Paragon Flame to reflect Equestrian naming.
* In the original ''Film/{{Stargate}}'' film, the name of Daniel Jackson's wife was Sha'uri, but in ''Series/StargateSG1'' the character's name was Sha're. "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/979473/ One Dimension Removed]]" acknowledges and justifies the change as Sha're literally changing her name; "Sha'uri" meant "finding peace in Ra" while "Sha're" means "rebellion against Ra", which seemed more appropriate after she joined the rebellion against the Goa'uld in question.
* As ''Fanfic/MagicalMetamorphosis'' is about the Potter child coming out as UsefulNotes/{{transgender}}, this was almost obligatory -- a few chapters in, she changes her name to Holly.
* In ''Fanfic/MirrorsTLOZ'', Zelda decides to [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} continue living as a boy]] even after Ganondorf is killed. He continues to use the name "Sheik" because that's the name he's grown accustomed to using after seven years in hiding.
* A relatively minor example in ''Fanfic/MyMother''; Leia has never had a middle name, but when Padmé reveals that she would have given her the middle name of 'Shmi' after her paternal grandmother if she had the time, Leia's acceptance of that name is the first sign to Padmé that Leia is coming to accept her father's side of the conflict.
* ''Fanfic/NewStars'', the Republic clone trooper Maxx was formerly identified by his birth number and nickname. After spending time aboard the Orville, he decides to pick a last name [[spoiler: and to [[IChooseToStay become a member of the Orville's crew]]. By the final chapter, he's chosen the name "Newman"]].
* In ''Fanfic/NotCompletelyAltogetherHere'', Glinda changes her name from "Galinda" for different, more dramatic reasons than in the original canon. Glinda can't stand the sound of her name after remembering how [[spoiler:Morrible]] said it prior to [[spoiler:murdering her]], so she asks Elphaba to call her "Glinda" instead.
* In ''[[https://www.quotev.com/story/13282547/Nothing-else-like-it-SDC-OC-insert Nothing Else Like It]]'', a ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' fanfic, [[spoiler:Yorokobi changed his name to Kai after transitioning from female to male.]]
* In ''[[Fanfic/PatternsOfThePast Patterns of the Past]]'', Olesya tells Oprah that she was originally born with a Chinese name. The head of the orphanage she stayed at following her parents' deaths didn't like the name and decided to rename her "Olga" instead, but the other children staying at the orphanage referred to her as Olesya, and the name stuck, which proved useful when Odd Squad sweeped through the orphanage looking for new employees to hire.
* ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'':
** Ponies sometimes change their name when they earn their Cutie Mark. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were Tarnished Rich and Silver Tray before they gained their Cutie Marks.
** When Pinkie Pie pulled a SplitPersonalityMerge with all her fractured personalities, she starts calling herself Pinkie Diane.
** The Great and Powerful Trixie changes her name to the One and Only Trixie following her HeelFaceTurn. When Twilight was freeing her from [[EnemyWithin Loneliness']] control, she called Trixie that when stating she wants to know ''that'' Trixie.
** The [[BadFuture Dark World]] version of [[PsychopathicManchild Fluttercruel]] ends up doing this. [[spoiler: After [[OneWingedAngel becoming a Draconequus]], she renames herself Odyne Tulasi Typhon, Odyne being the Greek Goddess of Pain (with Fluttercruel's talent being torture) and Tulasi being a Hindu Goddess of Loyalty who became a goddess due to her refusal to live without her deceased love (much like Fluttercruel becomes a Draconequus out of refusal to live without her father). The latter counts on a meta level, as her middle name was originally listed as Delilah, which was [[TheArtifact left over]] from her earlier planned characterization, which changed.]]
** Rancor was one of Discord's siblings whose name didn't start with "D" and was told she had to earn it. After she earned it by [[spoiler:stealing back the power Discord stole from Destruction]], she renamed herself Disruption, since she [[SpannerInTheWorks disrupted his plans]].
** Silver Spoon's father used to be called Silver Axe but changed his name to Silver Tongue out of shame for nearly murdering his daughter with an axe while under Discord's influence.
** Filthy Rich changed his name to Onyx Tiara, both because his original name was embarrassing, and because he wanted to be more connected to his wife Golden Tiara. He later changed it back after he did some things as Onyx Tiara that he's not proud of. Golden Tiara herself used to be called Golden Skates and then became Screwball after she went insane.
** Pane Glimmer changed her name to Starlight Glimmer after she read about a historical pony named Starlight who once tried to make everypony equal.
** Kifuko was a Changeling born and raised in a Zebra village. After learning what she really was, she eventually slew Queen Cocoon and took her place as ruler of the Changelings. She was renamed Queen Chrysalis to fit in with the Changelings' insect-themed naming.
** Prince Blueblood's parents Blue Knight and Hemlock Blood changed their names to Blue Zenith and Lady Pure Blood to sound more impressive to the nobility.
** In an alternate universe where [[UnPerson D___t]] succeeded in killing every god except himself, he renamed himself Ragnarok.
** Anyone who becomes either a God or a Nightmare tends to change their name to reflect their new position. For example, Rainbow Dash's Nightmare is called Nightmare Manacle and her Goddess is called Princess Fidelitas.
* ''Fanfic/PokemonCrossing': Benedict, the main protagonist, changes their name to Holly after coming out as a transgender girl. She picks Holly because it's her favorite flower.
* In ''Fanfic/ThePortal'', Thomas and Alex both change their names to more suitable ones for the Dragon Realms. Thomas changes his name to Blizzard, and Alex, Static.
* In ''Fanfic/ProdigalSon'', when Hiccup returns to the Archipelago, he adopts the name "Prometheus" to keep suspicion off of him. It is stated early on that he relates to the original character: an enlightened being that brings knowledge to the ignorant masses only to be punished for it.
* In ''Fanfic/TheProgenitorChronicles'', Alex Wesker eventually assumes full control over Natalia Korda. She discards her old name, the name of a terminally ill woman desperately trying to escape her own mortality, and begins calling herself "Illumina," a name befitting her goddess-complex.
* ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'': [[spoiler:After [[VillainProtagonist Jade]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashes and transforms Viper]] into her new [[TheDragon Samurai General]] by fusing her with Ikazuki's chi, the latter makes a point of changing her name to "Hebi" (Japanese for "Viper"), since she's similar to who she was, but different]].
* ''Fanfic/TheRainbowConnection'':
** Rainbow Brite decides to leave Rainbow Land after Stormy's apparent death. She dyes her hair brown and goes under the name "Alice", in contrast to her actual name "Wisp".
** Stormy's name is shown to have originally been "Trista", but she [[DoNotCallMePaul hates it]].
* ''Fanfic/ReBoundRWBY'': Neopolitan doesn't even remember her real name [[spoiler:Bella]]. After her parents were murdered at age six, Neo was renamed by her kidnappers. At the time of the attack, she had been eating a neapolitan ice cream and was named after that (but with a slight spelling change).
* ''Fanfic/ReimaginedEnterprise'': The Hebitian race renames itself the Cardassians after being taken over by the fascist Galor Cardas group.
* In ''[[Fanfic/WelcomeToTheWorldOfPokemon Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Ice-Cold]]'', Rosa changes her name depending on what form she takes. Her names are, chronologically, Rosetta, Rosa, and Rosalina.
* ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/313729/1/rise-of-the-solar-wind/rise-of-the-solar-wind Rise of the Solar Wind]]'' has the princesses born as Earth ponies. Luna was born as "Selena" (a reference to "Selena" being her [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original intended name]]) while Celestia was born "Solar Wind".
* The ''Pokémon'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Severance|Pokemon}}'' explains that Delia isn't actually married. Her surname also wasn't always "Ketchum". She changed her surname a decade prior after she quit Team Rocket to settle in Pallet Town.
* In ''Fanfic/ShadowchasersSeries'', White Feather changed her name to Red Feather to symbolize the loss of her innocence after her naïveté led to a lot of people getting hurt in her backstory.
* ''Fanfic/ShadowsOverMeridian'': To symbolize her SplitPersonalityMerge with [[EnemyWithin the Queen of the Shadowkhan]], Jade takes as her full name "Hisuikage no oni", which means in Japanese "demon of jade shadow".
* In ''Fanfic/ShardsOfAMemory'', Tang Shen took the name "Shard" after her mutation, as her dreams and old life were shattered completely, Tang Shen herself nothing but a shard of a memory.
* ''Fanfic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'': When people stop calling Asuka ''ComicBook/PowerGirl'' and start calling her ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' you know there's been a [[SignificantNameShift significant change in her character]]. Specifically, she has stopped using her powers to seek glory and she is using them to help people because it feels like the right thing to do.
* The pony formerly known as [[spoiler:Cosmo]] in ''Fanfic/StarlightOverDetrot'' starts going by Gale in Act II.
* In ''Fanfic/TemporalAnomaly'', when Sougo first meets [[spoiler: Male One]], he decides to give him a proper new name so that he doesn't have to share a name with his twin and creator: Bankotei(meaning "The Sixth Clock").
* In ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/164355/temporal-visitor Temporal Visitor]]'', Celestia was born an Earth pony named "Sun Flower".
* In ''Fanfic/AThingOfVikings'', Snotlout attempts to use his new name of Sigurd Trondsson to move beyond his past mistakes, but [[spoiler:feels as though he has failed in this when he learns of Hiccup's progress in Chapter 78]].
* Dumbledore in ''Fanfic/ThirtyHs'' is continually changing his name, though like most of the fic what it actually means is completely incomprehensible (it does seem to mean ''something''). "I am no longer Scrumblegort. The worlds have shifted. I am now Dumblecop of the Darkmeal."
* When [[spoiler:Shinji, Asuka, Rei, and Misato ascend to godhood]] in ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'', they rename themselves. Their new appellatives are [[spoiler:a portmanteau of their old names and their respective gods' names.]]
* ''Fanfic/TimeToPlan'':
** Future!Fluttershy has renamed herself "Flutterbold" after becoming more self-confident and sexually open. Being HappilyMarried to someone like [[RealityWarper Discord]] helped tremendously.
** Tech Leader's original name was Winky Whispers but changed it to her current one after discovering her talent in technology, wanting to be associated with something less humiliating.
** Future!Shining Armor and Future!Cadence renamed themselves "Love" after [[FusionDance fusing together]] into a single alicorn to represent their [[HappilyMarried loving marriage]].
** Future!Twilight, Future!Sunset Shimmer, Future!Starlight Glimmer, and Future!Trixie Lulamoon no longer go by their original names because their strong magic have fused their souls and minds together while leaving their bodies intact. This led to them being collectively called "Magic Incarnate", the living embodiment of Equestria's life force.
** Ghostly Pie is aptly named because... well, Future!Pinkie Pie's a ghost now.
** Future!Rainbow Dash renamed herself Rainbow ''Hurricane'' because at some point, she transformed into a Windigo and became queen of the Windigos.
* Another fairly minor example in ''Fanfic/ToldThatDevilToTakeYouBack''; after Emma - Dean's Amazon daughter- is brought back to life, Dean gives her the middle name Grace, which he later explains is intended to reflect how she's a gift from God he isn't sure he deserves.
* After becoming an alicorn in ''Fanfic/TwilightSparklesAwesomeAdventure'', Twilight Sparkle changes her name to Twilight Sparklier.
* In "[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-24414/onlyonechairleft+What+makes+a+Slayer.htm What Makes a Slayer]]", after a ten-year-old [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Faith]] is adopted by [[Series/{{Supernatural}} the Winchesters]] when fifteen-year-old Dean rescues her from her abusive mother, she is named Faith Mary Winchester, after Dean and Sam's dead mother.
* In ''Fanfic/WhatTomorrowBrings'', Tobias introduces himself to the captured Temrash-in-Tom with the Andalite-sounding name "Tobias-Sirinial-Noorlin", proudly proclaiming himself to be Elfangor's son.
* ''Fanfic/WormGrandOrder'': Hero examines Gáe Bolg and finds runes than when translated, reveal the spear had been renamed several times.
-->Heed me. I speak for the favor of the Tuatha Dé. For the eyes of Danu to witness and none else. Grant me the strength to pierce the Fomorian hide of Balor. Allow me the strength to wretch his sight of the Scorching Sun. I ask of thee to reforge mine spear. With the blessing of the Witch of Shadows. With the curse of the Evil Eye. This spear was once named the Spear of Pissar, Areadbhair, Ibar Alai Fhidbaidha. It was named Gáe Bolg when given to me. It shall be rechristened when thrown from me. I name this weapon, Lúin Celtchair in honor of my father's past deeds. May it slay the target I have marked as it had for Lugh's slaying of the Smiter.​

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Skye takes her birth name, [[spoiler: Daisy Johnson]], during Season 3 of ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''. This is not only in honor of her father, but also reflects her newfound role as leader of the ComicBook/SecretWarriors.
* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', the Narn are known by one name when they are pouchlings. When they reach maturity and pick which of their race's holy men they wish to follow, they pick their true name based on that. As an example, there's G'Kar, who follows G'Quon.
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' plays with this trope when Secretary of Education Laura Roslin succeeds to the position of President of the Twelve Colonies. The pilot of the ship on which she's travelling announces on the radio: "Gemenon Liner 1701, this is Colonial Heavy 798.... No, strike that. This is Colonial One." [[labelnote:see also]] the similar example in ''Film/AirForceOne''[[/labelnote]]
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Happened in Brennan's BackStory. Her current name (Temperance) reflects her overly logical and reserved nature. Meanwhile, her birth name (Joy) is quite the opposite. Indeed, she turned to science and logic in order to keep herself from getting hurt after being abandoned by first her parents and then her brother. Though it was her parents who renamed her, as a matter of hiding their identities. The family got name changes that didn't align quite so poetically with their circumstances.
** Angela's father turns out to be a GiverOfLameNames, so she also renamed herself from [[spoiler: Pookie Noodlin]] to Angela Pearly Gates Montenegro. While this is at least a less embarrassing name, the "Pearly Gates" at least has some significance, as it's the name [[Music/ZzTop Billy Gibbons]] gave to his guitar, and he plays her in-universe father, who may or may not be an {{expy}} of himself or merely himself or... you know what? It's complicated. In-universe, the name came to her in a dream.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** Giles took on the name 'Ripper' in his teen and early adulthood years. In the episode "Band Candy" the fact that he's going by it again is a clue to what's going on.
** Spike takes on his new moniker after being turned into a vampire, renouncing his original name William.
** Angel was originally named "Liam," becoming "Angelus" as an evil vampire. He became simply "Angel" when he had his soul restored.
** Anya went through a similar transition, from the human Aud to the demon Anyanka and then back to human, calling herself Anya.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** "The Doctor" is a name chosen by the Doctor himself that carries responsibilities. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E2TheBeastBelow "The Beast Below"]], he states that after committing an act that would break his own moral code, he would have to find a new name. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E13TheNameOfTheDoctor "The Name of the Doctor"]], we learn that he actually ''did'' do this for an entire incarnation. Much later, in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven "Face the Raven"]], the Doctor threatens to renounce his name as he prepares to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when his companion faces being [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]].
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars "The Waters of Mars"]]: The Tenth Doctor, in a moment of uncharacteristic hubris, gives himself the short-lived name "The Time Lord Victorious". Despite lasting all of four minutes, it is a profound character moment.
** Jack Harkness ''becomes'' a meaningful rename after Jack finally [[Series/{{Torchwood}} meets the man]] he initially took the name from.
** Companion Amy Pond was named Amelia Pond and began to call herself Amy when she decided to grow up, because the Doctor had said "Amelia Pond is a fairy tale name". And even though she keeps her birth name when married, later [[spoiler:the Doctor calls her "Williams"]].
** Melody Pond takes on the name [[spoiler:River Song when she becomes touched by the Doctor's devotion to a person of the same name and then discovers it's herself.]] Doubles as a StableTimeLoop.
*** This occurred because her mother was given a charm made by someone [[spoiler:whose native tongue had only one word for a body of water: "river"; and "melody" was turned into "song". Additionally, because the first and last names were stitched on both sides of a piece of cloth that comprised the item, this made it easy for someone who doesn't know that name to read the last name as first and vice versa.]]
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E12ClosingTime "Closing Time"]]: Craig Owen's [[BabyLanguage baby]] prefers to be known as Stormaggeddon, Dark Lord of All. (The Doctor calls him 'Stormy' for short.) By the end of the episode, the baby agrees to go by his given name, Alfie, showing his acceptance of Craig as his father.
** Kate Stewart, daughter of TheBrigadier, dropped "Lethbridge" from her name when she joined UNIT, in an attempt to avoid association with her father, which she thought would have gotten her [[{{Nepotism}} special treatment]].
** The Master changes their name to the Mistress (Missy for short) for logistical reasons after he undergoes a GenderBender regeneration.
* ''Series/TheExpanse'':
** The surviving crew of the ''Canterbury'' end up in the possession of a Martian frigate, the MCRN ''Tachi'' (a tachi is a type of traditional Japanese sword). When they receive instructions on how to modify the ship's transponder, they ask Holden to pick a new name. He decides on ''Rocinante'', meaning "workhorse" in Spanish. It's also the name of the horse of Literature/DonQuixote, who's best known for attacking windmills, claiming that they were monsters, which seems like a good description for James Holden (his mother told Chrisjen that her son wanted to be a knight when he was a boy). In season 3, they once again modify the transponder and ask a new crewmember, a botanist, to pick a name. He goes with ''Pinus Contorta'', a type of pine that can survive almost anywhere. As a testament to the new name, the ''Contorta'' then goes ahead and [[spoiler:defeats a UNN battleship]].
** When Fred Johnson's people hijack the LDSS ''Nauvoo'', the [[GenerationShips generation ship]] they were building for the Mormons, they later have to retrieve the ship in order to turn it into a battleship. As such, they rechristen her OPAS ''Behemoth'' (she's the largest ship ever built).
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' has Phoebe go down to change her name to incorporate her husband's surname. On discovering she can change her name to anything she wants, she chooses Princess Consuela Bananahammock. She only changes it back when her husband changes his name to Crap Bag,
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': The final episode of Season 6 suggests that Jon Snow was born under another name given to him by his mother, Lyanna Stark, which Ned changed to "Jon". The name "Jon" could have come from any number of namesakes as it is both a Stark family name and the name of Ned's foster father, Jon Arryn. Ned may have changed the name Lyanna gave Jon because it was too Targaryen-sounding. In a 2002 "So Spake Martin" Q&A, GRRM states Ned named Jon.
** That episode also has Daenerys refer to the area around the Free Cities where her plotlines have been for much of the series as "the Bay of Dragons". She changed the name from Slaver's Bay after she abolished slavery in much of the region.
* ''Series/Girls5eva'': Played for laughs. Between the first and eighth episodes rapper Lil Stinker rebranded himself Stinker because he's ready to take on more mature material.
* A later episode of ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'' revealed that this is why the main character calls himself Paladin.
* Sylar in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' names himself after a brand of watch, since his power is understanding how things work, just like the clockwork he used to fix.
* In ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', we learn that when new members join the [[TimePolice Time Masters]], they pick new names for themselves in order to protect themselves from any foe who might wish to attack their past self. For example, Rip Hunter's birth name was Michael (we aren't told his last name). This also explains the weirdness of some of these names.
* In ''Series/{{Lost}}'', [[spoiler: James Ford]] calls himself Sawyer to remind himself of the man who [[spoiler: turned Sawyer's father into a Murder-Suicide]].
* In ''Series/OnceUponATime'':
** The dwarf Dreamy takes the name Grumpy after [[spoiler: giving up the fairy he loves and resigning himself to a life in the mines.]] This is an interesting case in that dwarves are actually assigned names that fit their personalities (specifically by appearing on the pick axes they use). After that incident, his pick axe breaks and he wis forced to take a new one, with a new (more appropriate) name.
** Rumpelstiltskin's father Malcolm sheds his name when he [[spoiler: also sheds his age to become the eternally youthful Peter Pan]].
** Killian Jones adopts the nickname Captain Hook after he gets his hand chopped off.
* ''Series/PerpetualGraceLTD'': Newleaf changed his name after getting out of prison because he wanted to "turn over a new leaf" in his life. In a fit of depression, he considers changing it again to "Spacejunk."
* ''Series/PrincessSilver'': Fu Chou's real name is [[spoiler: Wu Chou]]. His assumed name[[note]]傅筹, fù chóu[[/note]] sounds like "fùchóu"[[note]]复仇[[/note]], meaning "revenge".
* In ''Series/{{Profit}}'', the main antihero changes his name from James Stakowski to Jim Profit after running away from his abusive father and reinventing himself as a Machiavellian corporate shark.
* In a ''Series/QuantumLeap'' episode, Sam leaps into a Yankee soldier during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, who gets trapped behind the enemy lines in a Southern farm. Eventually, he ends up escaping, along with the widow who lives there and her slave. Naturally, the soldier is revealed to have married the widow later. However, the biggest shocker comes when the now-freed slave, after an encouraging speech by Sam, decides to choose a last name for himself. Since a free man is his own master, he calls himself "King". Al immediately tells Sam that this guy is the ancestor of [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement Martin Luther King, Jr.]]
* In ''Series/RaisingHope'', the titular baby was originally named [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude Princess Beyonce]] by her mother. When Jimmy decides to keep her instead of putting her up for adoption, he changes her name to Hope, tying the name to the title and its wordplay, as he [[{{Pun}} hopes]] that raising Hope will be something that will give his direction-less life focus.
* Played with on ''Series/TheRedGreenShow''. Lodgemember Moose Thompson writes a letter telling how he intends to get a meaningful rename. "I think the nickname Moose Thompson is demeaning. It makes fun of my unusual size and implies that I'm dumb. Therefore I am changing my name. From this point forward I will be known as Moose Johnson."
* In [[Series/Roots1977 both]] [[Series/Roots2016 adaptations]] of ''Roots'', Mandinka warrior Kunta Kinte is kidnapped and sold to British slave traders that transport him from his home in West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean, [[AuctionOfEvil where he is bought by a Virginia tobacco plantation owner.]] Not knowing what to call him, the master's wife tells her husband that [[MadeASlave his newest purchase should be named Toby.]] After Kunta vehemently makes it clear that his name is not Toby, [[TwoPlusTortureMakesFive he's tied to a post and flogged until he acknowledges his name is now Toby.]] After one foot is severed following a failed escape attempt, [[HeroicBSOD he accepts that he'll never go back home, see his family ever again, that he'll be a slave for the rest of his life, and no longer cares that his master calls him Toby.]]
* In Season 4 of ''Series/SchittsCreek'' Johnny Rose renames The Schitt's Creek Motel to The Rosebud Motel in order to honor and solidify his partnership with co-owner Stevie Budd. It feels like an adoption and from this point forward, Johnny and the rest of the Roses treat Stevie like family.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Similar to the ''[[Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome Star Trek IV]]'' example, in the penultimate episode, "The Dogs of War", the replacement for the USS ''Defiant'', the ''São Paolo'', is renamed the ''Defiant'' in the first ship's honor.
** Among the Trill race, when a symbiont is implanted in a host, their names are merged. Thus Ezri Dax is the Trill named Ezri Tigan carrying the symbiont Dax. The symbionts are very long-lived, resulting in a line of hosts all sharing its name.
* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': After the reunification of Vulcans and Romulans, the planet Vulcan has been renamed Ni'Var to symbolize a union of two cultures. In RealLife, the term "Ni var" was coined in TheSixties by Dorothy Jones to mean "two forms".
* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': In the season 3 finale, the starship ''Titan'' is re-christened the ''Enterprise''-G, making her the franchise's latest LegacyCharacter.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "Healer", the small-time crook Jackie Thompson begins calling himself "Brother John" after setting himself up as a FakeFaithHealer using the healing stone that he stole from a museum. After he realizes that it is wrong to use the stone for a selfish purpose, he begins calling himself simply John.
* In the TV show of ''Literature/TheWorstWitch'' (but not the books), Miss Drill is a mortal woman. When she drinks a potion to gain witch powers, she renames herself 'Hilary Hemlock'.
* Christian Miller was originally the name of ''Series/TheYoungAndTheRestless'' star Victor Newman. After leaving the orphanage when he is first introduced, he changes his name to reflect his status as a victorious new man.
* ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'':
** In his first scene in the show, Will Scarlet tells how his wife was raped and murdered by mercenaries. He ends his tale by saying "My name was Will Scathlock. It's Scarlet now." Given that oftentimes in Robin Hood adaptations Will Scarlet is a very cheerful character, and the name "Scarlet", if it has any meaning at all, refers to the fancy clothing he wears, it's a great way of establishing that this show's version of the character is considerably DarkerAndEdgier.
** As Robert of Huntingdon accepts his position as TheChosenOne in the third season's first story "Herne's Son", and is given new clothes more appropriate for that role by the people of Wickham, Edward, the thain of the village, addresses him as Robert of Huntingdon when wishing him luck. Robert replies to it by saying "That life is over." and Edward corrects himself "Of Sherwood, then." After the following story, "Power of Albion" Robert starts going by Robin Hood and the outlaws who actually knew the original Robin start calling him that. Robert's father still calls him by his given name, but he's practically the only one.
* ''Series/TheWire'':
** Stringer learns about rebranding in his college course, follows the example of World Com, and strategically changes the name of the drugs periodically to create a sense of novelty and fake competition. Subverted in that it only takes him so far, the customers are not that stupid and a dope fiend can wise up.
--->'''Bodie:''' Same shit, new name.
** When he makes up his mind to finally go straight, Cutty decides to go by his given name, Dennis.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
!!!'''By Author:'''
* A RunningGag in Creator/ChristopherAnvil's "The Trouble with Cargoes" stories: the boss of the shipping company renames ships based on how well or (usually) badly they've performed recently. Which is why his line has ships called ''Moron's Delight'' and ''Spittoon''.
* Creator/JacquelineWilson
** In ''Literature/LolaRose'', protagonist Jayni spends most of the book living under the alias of Lola Rose; she and her family are hiding from her abusive father. Even at the end of the story after he leaves for good, she decides to break with the past by continuing to be known as Lola Rose. It's also symbolic of a break from her father since her original name was a portmanteau of her parents' names (Jay and Nikki.)
** ''Literature/{{Cookie}}'' has a similar plot involving a girl and her mother fleeing from an abusive father. The heroine, Beauty, is a plain and overweight girl who has struggled to live up to her name; but when she and her mother start a successful cookie-making business, she becomes known as Cookie (also a play on her surname, Cookson) and decides that she is much happier to live under this name.
!!!'''By Work:'''
* ''Literature/TwentySixSixtySix'': Benno von Archimboldi [[spoiler: is named after Guiseppe Arcimboldo, an artist Hans Reiter read about while going through Anksy's diary. The ''von'' is associated with his Germanic heritage, but it's also a way for Reiter to remember Baroness von Zumpe.]]
* In ''Literature/TheAmyVirus'', protagonist Cindy Butt renames herself Cyan Beaut as part of the process of discovering her identity and rebelling against [[AbusiveParents her parents' abuse]]. [[spoiler:[[TheAtoner Her mother]] promises to make it official by allowing her to legally change it to that new one at the end of the story.]]
* In the ''Literature/ApprenticeAdept'' series, Serfs are allowed to change their name when they gain legal adult status (Stile chose his name from a piece of farm equipment that allowed him his first experience with horses) Serfs who win The Great Game and gain Citizen status are allowed to change them again (Rifleman does this, commemorating the trapshooting game that won him his Citizenship).
** Another example (in a roundabout way) is the way Werewolves receive their full, four-syllable name: They are given the first syllable at birth. They receive their second when they are officially made pack members (around five or six years of age - members of the same peer group all get the same second syllable). The third is granted by the Pack Leader at around nine or ten years old, after a First Kill (successful solo hunt). The fourth is received after a wolf's [[SexAsRiteOfPassage ritual first mating]] - traditionally both partners taking the other's first syllable as their last. It is apparently traditionally the first for both parties. A werewolf isn't considered a full adult Pack member until gaining the fourth syllable. Adept Brown's werewolf companion only had a three-syllable name because [[spoiler: She was a lesbian and refused to mate with a male.]]
* ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'': Michael Mulligan was given the derogatory nickname Midas for his greed, and went on to [[InsultBackfire legally change his name thereto]].
* In ''Literature/TheBalancedSword'', the Intelligent Toads are given one name when they are born and choose a second name with some personal significance when they become adults. One of the protagonists of the trilogy is a Toad named Poplock Duckweed, and his introduction shows the event which inspired him to choose the name "Poplock".
* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'', little Neddie was not born with that name. [[spoiler:She was adopted in order to save her from being executed with her family, as she was a toddler at the time. Her adoptive family renamed her.]]
* Two examples stand out in the ''Literature/ChaletSchool'' series, courtesy of serial [[TheNicknamer Nicknamer]] Joey Bettany / Maynard. Firstly, Eustacia Benson becomes known as 'Stacie' in ''Eustacia'' after [[BreakTheHaughty getting injured on a mountain]] and subsequently [[TookALevelInKindness taking a level in kindness]]. Secondly, in ''Theodora'', Jo gives troubled teen Theodora Grantley the nickname of 'Ted' to represent her wiping the slate clean by starting a new life at the Chalet School and putting her DarkAndTroubledPast behind her.
* ''Literature/{{Circleverse}}'':
** Street rat "Roach" chooses Briar Moss when he needs a legal name, Living Circle religious dedicates choose naturey names when they join a temple and academic mages invent some kind of typically fancy-sounding last name when they get their credentials.
** It doesn't always work out in the mage's favor though, such as with Frostpine, who chose the name because he thought frostpines were pretty trees. When he actually ''traveled'' to where frostpines grow, he discovered that he hated the associated climate.
* In Jeramey Kraatz's ''Literature/TheCloakSociety'', Misty wants to be The Mist. When she is certain she is not up to rescuing Gage, he appeals to her that it was beyond ''Misty'''s powers, but he thought that ''The Mist'' could do it. This inspires her, and she's able to pull it off.
* Creator/JimButcher's ''Literature/CodexAlera'' series:
** ''Captain's Fury'' has the moment when Tavi first publicly identifies himself by his true name instead of the nickname he's been known by since infancy. [[spoiler:And outs himself as the grandson of [[TheHighKing the First Lord]] Gaius Sextus and heir to the throne of all Alera, putting an abrupt end to the SuccessionCrisis that had been brewing since Book 1.]] This wasn't news to the readers, but it was quite an in-universe WhamLine for those who witnessed it.
--->[[spoiler:"I have been known as Tavi of Calderon, [...] but my ''name'' is ''Gaius Octavian''."]]
** In the penultimate book, ''Princeps' Fury'', Tavi is named Tavar by his Canim allies. It's a word in the Canim language that happens to sound like his real name, or at least his nickname, which is convenient. Later, he learns that it's the word for a small, very dangerous predator, similar if not identical to a wolverine.
** In the final volume, ''First Lord's Fury'', [[spoiler:Gaius Isana gives the traitorous Lady Aquitaine a more fitting name:]]
--->[[spoiler:For my husband's memory, for my child's future, for those whose blood is upon your hands, I defy you. I name you Nihilus Invidia, Invidia of Nusquam, traitor to the Crown, the Realm, and her people.]]
* Tendu of ''Literature/TheColorOfDistance'' have three sentient stages in their life cycles, bami, elder, and the optional enkar. As bami they chose a symbol to be their name, and with each stage it becomes more elaborate. A visiting human assigns words to these symbols so she has an easier time with names, and sees the bami Ani become elder Anito, and later the enkar Anitonen.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian'' story "Literature/AWitchShallBeBorn", Salome reminds Constantius to call her Taramis since she is going for FakeKing.
* In ''Literature/ConfessionsOfFelixKrull'', when the protagonist becomes employed as a liftboy at the Hotel Saint James and Albany in Paris, the director tells him that from now on he will answer to the name Armand, to show him who's boss and because he considers "Felix" too intimate and pretentious.
* In ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'', Edmond Dantes takes on several different names. Lord Wilmore is the title he takes when performing acts of generosity and the eponymous Count is his new central persona as he gets his revenge. He only reveals his old name to his enemies just as he has defeated them, as the final blow.
* In Alexey Vinokurov's ''Literature/TheCountryOfThreeLands'', a goblin (whose race is viewed as AlwaysChaoticEvil) undergoes a HeelFaceTurn. As goblins are notorious for foul language, this one teaches himself to [[LastSecondWordSwap say "oh, blin"]] (sort of a milder equivalent of "damn" in Russian) whenever he wants to curse. He promptly gets nicknamed Oblin.
* In ''Literature/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids'', Sharpshooter changed his name to [[Literature/TheMostDangerousGameNight Zaroff]] as part of his StartOfDarkness.
* ''Literature/TheDalemarkQuartet'': At the end of ''The Crown of Dalemark'', the new king takes the name Amil, which is one of the names of the Undying spirit of the land who is mostly called The One. This represents the king taking on the burdens of The One [[spoiler:specifically rooting out the renegade mage and descendent of The One, Kankredin]].
* In Creator/SarahAHoyt's ''Literature/DarkshipThieves'', Thena tells Kit he doesn't have to change his name [[spoiler:when they marry]], but he insists.
* In the sequel novels (of questionable canonicity) to Creator/HarryHarrison's ''Literature/{{Deathworld}}'' books, the battleship recovered in the short story is renamed from its original Imperial name ''Nedetruebla'' ("indestructible" in [[UsefulNotes/EsperantoTheUniversalLanguage Esperanto]]) to ''Argo''. In the second story arc of ''Return to Deathworld'', Jason figures out what the name ''Argo'' refers to and freaks out, considering their current mission directly parallels the ancient myth (even his first name fits). In a later novel, [[spoiler:the ship is destroyed by sabotage]], indicating they probably should have kept the original name.
* In ''Literature/DinnerAtDeviantsPalace'', the cult gives a new name to every member when they join, to help separate them from their own life. Inverted at the end, when the character called Sister Windchime renounces the cult and changes her name back to Barbara.
* In ''{{Literature/Dinoverse}}'', the lieutenant raptor of a [[RaptorAttack pack]] gets named Junior since he's always hanging with the slightly smaller "boss". When he falls down a hole with only one of his sickle claws intact, the [[TheNicknamer same character]] changes his name and starts calling him Hook.
* Agnes Nitt from Terry Pratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series renamed herself Perdita to sound more mysterious. She actually wanted to be "Perdita X Dream" but even she realized her down-to-earth Lancrian peers wouldn't take her seriously that way; they were already referring to her as "Agnes what calls herself Perditax". It got complicated when "Perdita" became more and more of an independent split personality with each book, but at first it was just Agnes calling herself Perdita.
* This is significant in ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'', as characters changed their names to abandon their old faction identity:
** The main character Beatrice becomes known as Tris instead of Beatrice. While this is a nickname, it's meaningful because it is significant in the character adopting a Dauntless rather than Abnegation identity.
** Four decided to call himself Four because [[spoiler: he only has four fears in the fear landscape. His original name was Tobias, but as he was abused by his father that's also one reason he wanted to abandon that identity]].
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' [[Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]]: Done by a ''species'' in ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresOriginalSin Original Sin]]'', after losing an extremely unpleasant war with [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters the Earth Empire]]. The two Hith met in the course of the book are named "Homeless Forsaken Betrayed And Alone" and "Powerless Friendless And Scattered Through Space".
* The original name of the girl Dodger rescues in ''Literature/{{Dodger}}'' is never given. The Meyhews call her Simplicity, although she says to Dodger "I think I am not very simple". By the end of the book, she's [[spoiler: Serendipity]].
* In Richard Powell's ''Literature/DonQuixoteUSA'', the main regiment of the San Marcan army, known at the start of the book as the Regiment of the Thirteenth of September, changes its name every time the government changes leaders. According to the Generalissimo's second-in-command Carlos, very few dates remain unused.
* ''Literature/DragonJousters'': At the end of ''Joust'', Vetch abandons his serf name and takes back his original name of Kiron.
* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'': In ''Dragonsdawn'', Tarvi Andiyar changes his name to Telgar, which was originally his wife's surname. He never admitted how much he loved her until she was dying and made the change to honor her sacrifice to help the Pern colony.
** Later in the timeline this is in the backstory of all male dragonriders, who replace part of their name with an apostrophe. So when Lytonal became a dragonrider he became L'tol. After he survived his dragon's death he became Lytol.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Harry Dresden has a penchant for nicknaming things, groups, and individuals.
** In ''Literature/DeathMasks'' when Harry first encounters the Archive, he doesn't just recognize this five-year-old as a powerful and dangerous force to be reckoned with, but also a child. She has no given name because her mother, the previous Archive, never gave her one before something happened that put her into a coma. This means she has been the Archive all her life, rather than inheriting the mantle in her adulthood with her own developed personality and mind to maintain her own person. So Harry calls her Ivy and treats this powerful being like any other girl, like allowing her to play with his cat. The name is the first step in Ivy slowly developing her own distinct personality separate from the Archive's massive amount of information (namely all knowledge either written, typed or now printed) as well as personal memories of all previous Archives.
** The shadow of the Fallen Angel Lasciel resides in Harry's head for several books. Eventually [[spoiler:after years of enduring her and not giving in to temptation to take up her Coin, he asks the shadow a question: how long has anyone else ever lasted against a shadow? She realizes with some hesitancy no person has lasted more than a month or two before taking up the coin. He further notes that if his mind is malleable enough to turn to evil, then as the shadow lives in his mind, she is just as malleable. He argues that she is distinct and now different from the True Lasciel and her absorption into Lasciel upon his claiming the Coin is equivalent to her death. So, he nicknames her Lash. This pebble starts a rock slide to the point she eventually turns on Lasciel, renouncing the Fallen and willingly gives up her existence to save Harry's life from a powerful mental attack]]. All from a nickname Harry gives.
** Archangel Uriel pointedly warns Harry against using the nickname "Uri" for him again. The "el" ("of God") part of his name is a very important part of Uriel's identity. Thus, the possible changes using the nickname could invoke would not be positive ones.
* Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin:
** ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'' has many examples, as the power of a name is a prominent theme in the books.
*** In a world where knowing a thing's true name allows you to control that thing, it's common practice for a person to have one name as a child, then have a rite of passage into adulthood in which that name is discarded and replaced with two others, their secret true name and a public name which everyone will call them from then on. The protagonist of ''Literature/AWizardOfEarthsea'' starts off with the name Duny; he is given his true name, Ged, by the mage Ogion and calls himself by the name "Sparrowhawk".
*** In ''Literature/TheTombsOfAtuan'', the rite turning Tenar into the priestess involves taking away her name; henceforth, she is Arha, the Eaten One. [[spoiler:Ged restores "Tenar" to her, a significant plot event.]]
--->'''Ged:''' You must make a choice. Either you must leave me, lock the door, go up to your altars and give me to your Masters; then go to the Priestess Kossil and make your peace with her — and that is the end of the story — or, you must unlock the door, and go out of it, with me. Leave the Tombs, leave Atuan, and come with me oversea. And that is the beginning of the story. You must be Arha, or you must be Tenar. You cannot be both.
** In ''Literature/AlwaysComingHome'', people in the Valley tend to have three names throughout their lives; as children, as adults and as old people. The mother of Stone Telling was Willow as an adult, and once she broke up with Terter, demanded to be called by her childhood name, Towhee. It was considered an extremely wrong action which her daughter never accepted, and upon her death, she was mourned as Ashes. Stone Telling herself also had a fourth (or rather, second) name while living among the Dayao.
* In ''Literature/EccentricNeighborhoods'' Don Álvaro had originally named his oldest daughter "Milagros" (Spanish for "miracles"). He ends up naming her Clarissa [[note]]derived from the Germanic name Clarice, itself derived from the Latin ''clarus'', meaning bright, clear or famous[[/note]] because she is so intelligent. The rename also sets her apart from her sisters' [[ThemeNaming names which are based upon poetry or mythology.]]
* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': Corien renamed himself after he escaped the Gate. He hates his original name, Kalmaroth, seeing it as an indelible reminder of his former failure during the Angelic Wars.
* ''Literature/AnEncounterAndAnOffer'' has a fae boy being renamed to [[NamedAfterSomeoneFamous Arthur]], after being taken by Sir Kay as a squire. He, however, has no idea why.
* In the AfterTheEnd series ''Literature/{{Endworld}}'', nearly every member of the Family goes through this on their 16th birthday, choosing a new name for themselves from the thousands of books they have stockpiled.
%%* In Melanie Rawn's ''Literature/TheExiles'', Series, many characters hide their true name and heritage to avoid persecution.
* In Robertson Davies' ''Literature/FifthBusiness'' Boyd Staunton becomes Boy, an icon of youthful success, while Dunstable Ramsay starts calling himself Dunstan, after Saint Dunstan, and [[spoiler: Paul Dempster ditches his old identity to become Magnus Eisengrim.]]
* ''Literature/TheFifthSeason'': Fulcrum students are given rock-themed names when they graduate, both as a nod to their DishingOutDirt powers and as one of many ways they're {{dehumaniz|ation}}ed. [[spoiler:Damaya]] requests the name Syenite, after a stone that [[{{Determinator}} becomes stronger under heat and pressure]] rather than break.
* ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': It's revealed in book 4 (''Beyond the Blue Moon'') that Prince Rupert renamed himself Hawk after Robert Hawke, a comrade in arms whom he respected.
* ''Literature/FoxDemonCultivationManual'': Rong Bai's original name was Tu Shan Bai. He changed it to Tu Shan Rong Bai in honour of his mother, but removed one radical from her name. The "Rong" in Rong Sang's name is written 榕, while the "Rong" in Rong Bai's name is written 容 without the tree radical (木).
* In Creator/GeneStrattonPorter's ''Literature/{{Freckles}}'', Freckles refuses to give the name given him at the orphanage. [=McLean=] offers him his own father's name.
-->''"I will tell you what we will do, my lad," he said. "My father was my ideal man, and I loved him better than any other I have ever known. He went out five years ago, but that he would have been proud to leave you his name I firmly believe. If I give to you the name of my nearest kin and the man I loved best—will that do?" ''
** Later, he learns his original name, at birth, as part of discovering his family. Then Angel's father talks to him:
--->'' Under Freckles' earnest eyes the Man of Affairs answered soberly: "I think I have, Mr. O'More."\\
\\
That was the first time Freckles heard his name from the lips of another. One second he lay overcome; the next, tears filled his eyes, and he reached out his hand. Then the Angel's father understood, and he clasped that hand and held it in a strong, firm grasp. ''
* In Alex Gino's ''Literature/{{George}}'', George is a transgender girl who starts calling herself "Melissa" (which is reflected by the narrative referring to her as "George" until she sees herself as "Melissa" in the mirror) after she finally gets to dress up as a girl.
* In Creator/VictoriaForester's ''Literature/TheGirlWhoCouldFly'', at the end, Conrad [[spoiler:is told by his father that he has to stop calling himself Harrington and no longer associate with his parents. He agrees.]]
%%* In Creator/WilliamAlexander's ''Literature/GoblinSecrets'', several of Graba's "grandchildren" have taken new names.
* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, Voldemort assumed his name upon becoming the BigBad and casting away his connection with his {{Muggle}} father, whose first name of Tom he shares. Voldemort actually comes from an anagram of his full name "Tom Marvolo Riddle" to become "I am Lord Voldemort". In order to retain this anagram, his name tended to be changed in various languages.
* The cast of ''Literature/{{Haunted 2005}}'' are mostly OnlyKnownByTheirNickname, and the nicknames in question come from the stories they tell, most of which are linked to their secret crimes and shames. "The opposite of superhero names."
* It's a part of [[MagicalNativeAmerican Tayledras]] culture in the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series that individuals may change their [[NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom descriptive "use-names"]] after life-changing events. Songwind, one of the heroes of the ''Mage Winds'' trilogy, changed his name to Darkwind after a terrible accident led him to abandon magecraft. Persons adopted by the Tayledras also take new names, especially if they want a clean break from their past.
* In ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' Lyra's original surname is "Belacqua", but Iorek gives her the surname "Silvertongue" when she manages to deceive Iofur, an Armored Bear, which is supposedly [[LivingLieDetector impossible]]. For the rest of the series, having been betrayed or abandoned by both birth-parents (neither of whom ever really acknowledges her as such in person), she identifies herself as Lyra Silvertongue.
* In Abbe Prévost's ''Histoire d'une Grecque moderne'', the [[GorgeousGreek Greek]] [[BeautifulSlaveGirl concubine Zara]] is set free and decides to reclaim her heritage by changing her name to Théophé, representing her Hellenic origins.
* ''Literature/HiveMind2016'': People who come to the Sea Farm as driftwood often take new names to indicate their new life. [[spoiler:When she comes back from the Hive, Celandine takes the name Tressa, meaning 'third', to indicate that this is the third part of her life.]]
* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'':
** The renaming of Haven [[spoiler:from the People's Republic of Haven to the ''Republic'' of Haven]] signifies a seismic shift in that particular entity's politics and government [[spoiler:and completes Haven's gradual HeelFaceTurn]]. As a result, Manticorans [[spoiler:force themselves to switch their [[NicknamingTheEnemy nickname]] from "Peeps" to "Havenites"]] -- the [[spoiler:Peeps]] were a [[spoiler:PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny (albeit with quite a few sympathetic characters trying to make a change),]] whereas the [[spoiler:Havenites]] -- not just individual people, this time, but the nation as a whole -- were a [[spoiler:WorthyOpponent in a GoodVersusGood scenario]] that only ended when [[spoiler:Eloise Pritchart decided to throw a SpannerInTheWorks of the [[BigBad Mesan Alignment]]]] and [[spoiler:took off for Manticore to kickstart the Grand Alliance]]. ''Phew.''
** The planet originally exploited by Manpower Incorporated and called Verdant Vista eventually rebelled and renamed itself Torch, becoming a star nation of freed genetic slaves, i.e. a beacon of freedom. Notably, the Mesans continue to call it by its original name.
** Treecats who have adopted humans regard the human name they're given as an important part of the bond, though they keep their original names for use among 'cats.
*** Since [[NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom treecat names]] are descriptive it's possible for a treecat's name to change multiple times during their life. A notable example is Singer of Sorrow, her name was changed to that after the rest of her clan was wiped out in the Yawata strike leaving her the SoleSurvivor.
** Also, the Star Kingdom of Manticore later becomes [[spoiler:the Star Empire of Manticore, after the newly-discovered Talbott Cluster petitions Manticore for annexation, increasing the number of systems in the former Star Kingdom by several times. At this point, the Star Empire's total population is about 41 billion sentient beings (including humans, treecats, and Medusans). Queen Elizabeth III Winton is now known as both Queen and Empress.]]
* In ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' at the end Shasta changes his slave-name back to his birth name Cor after he is discovered to be the long-lost Prince of Archenland.
* ''Literature/HuntersMoon1989'': Todds change their names to reflect their mate's family name. For example, A-ran changed his name to A-ho after coupling with O-ho.
* ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'': In ''Literature/DragonBones'' Ward invokes this trope when he renames his father's fierce and dangerous stallion from the evil-sounding "Stygian" to "Pansy", and endeavours to change the horse so that the new name fits. Ward is good with horses, and the stallion's "viciousness" was more due to mistreatment than anything else, so this trope works.
* In ''Literature/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'', Azusa rewrites her name in Katakana upon reincarnating, to dissociate from her old life. This is something that [[LostInTranslation may be lost to non-Japanese]][[note]]The connotation being she no longer sees herself as Japanese.[[/note]], so the AnimatedAdaptation represents it by having her change her name order, putting her family name last rather than first, and the anime's English dub sidesteps the issue.
* ''Literature/InvisibleMan'': "It is time Ras the Exhorter become Ras the DESTROYER!"
* ''Literature/IronDruidChronicles'': Atticus says that he chose that name to remind himself of people he aspires to be like, specifically Atticus Finch from ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird''.
* In ''Literature/TheLionKingSixNewAdventures'', Scar from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' is revealed to have renamed himself as an adolescent when he got his eponymous scar. Scar's name was originally "Taka", which translates to either "want" or [[TheUnFavorite "garbage"]] in Swahili.
* In ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'', [[spoiler:Kel Cheris]] discards her faction name and returns to her family surname at the end of the first book to show that she is no longer aligned with her faction.
* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
** Many characters choose to abandon their old names with their old lives. Among [[BadassArmy the Malazan Army]], this is actually a requirement, and the soldiers' new names are usually chosen by their drill sergeant based on their personality (Tarr, Bottle, Truth), a quirk (Blend, Limp), as a joke (Kindly, who is not), or an event (Braven Tooth, who broke one off in a bar fight).
** Subverted with Fiddler. In ''Literature/HouseOfChains'', he renames himself Strings in order to sign up with the Malazan military again. Nobody who's ever even heard of him buys it, so he eventually goes back to Fiddler.
** Smiles was nicknamed thus by her squad's drill sergeant ''because'' she never does so and instead tries to kill everyone with her stare.
** In ''Literature/MidnightTides'', Silchas Ruin gives Scabandari the name "Bloodeye" while the latter boasts about how no one can oppose them in this new world. Silchas explains how that's due to the blood that now stains Scabandari's vision, implying there's more to it than just the battle they just fought, and Scabandari certainly has left a trail of blood and devastation behind. He is not too pleased with his new name but nonetheless proceeds to [[InTheBack knife Silchas in the back]], leading many readers to suspect that Silchas knew of the coming betrayal.
* ''Literature/TheMazeRunner'': Everyone who enter the Glades are given new names [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous taken from famous real-life people]], mainly those from the scientific field. A few of them have their names revealed in the prequel novels; Tessa's birth name is "Deedee", while Thomas' is "Stephen".
* In Creator/GeneStrattonPorter's ''Literature/MichaelOHalloran'', Mickey renames Peaches to Lily.
-->''"Lily!" he repeated. "Little snow white lily! Peaches is a good name for you if you're referring to sweetness, but it doesn't fit for colour. Least I never saw none white. Lily fits you better. If you'd been a dog, I was going to name you Partner. But you're mine just as much as if you was a dog, so I'll name you if I want to. Lily! That's what God made you; that's what I'm going to call you."''
* In Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs's ''Literature/TheMonsterMen'', Professor Maxon and von Horn dub Number 13 "Jack". It doesn't stick. When he gets called "Bulan" by the Malays, however, it does.
* ''Literature/MonsterOfTheMonthClub'': Sparrow Earth thinks of her, her sister's and her daughter's respective renamings as meaningful, to represent the family's lifestyle as "children of the Earth". Rilla's less convinced.
** Sparrow Harmony Earth was born Donna Knox, went by Donna Pinowski when she was married, and returned to her maiden name after they split up. Book 3 reveals that "Sparrow" was her husband's nickname for her because she was rather flighty and reminded him of a sparrow in flight.
** Poppy Harmony Earth was, after a string of marriages that each ended in turn, Sally Knox Bailey Hailey Hobbs Street.
** Rilla Harmony Earth used to be Rilla Pinowski.
* ''Literature/TheMoonAndTheSun'': After the Turkish slave Odelette is [[SlaveLiberation freed]], she changes her name to Haleed and becomes a practicing Muslim.
* In Creator/JaneAusten's ''Literature/NorthangerAbbey'', Catherine's younger sister Sally changes her name to... Sarah, for what young lady of common gentility will reach the age of sixteen without altering her name as far as she can? Or dropping one's childhood's family pet name might count as DownplayedTrope.
* In the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series, Touchstone used to be Torrigan, but took the name of a fool after (in his eyes) accidentally helping the betrayal of the royal family. Also, the first book's Big Bad took the name Kerrigor after becoming one of the Greater Dead; his original name was Rogir, [[SdrawkcabName short for Rogirek.]] Chlorr of the Mask took her name after betraying her calling as [[spoiler:an Abhorsen, her real name was Clariel]].
* ''Literature/TheOtherworld'': In ''Industrial Magic'', Hans chose his name because he felt ‘John’ wasn’t an appropriate name for a vampire.
* In Creator/JohnMilton's ''Literature/ParadiseLost'', the narrator comments that fallen angels have lost their names and will get new ones among humanity.
* In ''Literature/{{Psmith}}''[='s=] EstablishingCharacterMoment, he explains to Mike that he [[MyNaymeIs added a silent "P" to his name]] because the name "Smith" [[MrSmith is far too common]]. By that time it's already clear that Psmith is ''not'' a common [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} kind of guy]].
* ''Literature/TheQuestOfTheUnaligned'': In the world of Caederan, those who are aligned to one of the four elemental magics must change their name to reflect that alignment (i.e. Lahana becomes L''[[PlayingWithFire aesh]]''ana.)
** [[spoiler: After Alaric transforms Laeshana from an [[PlayingWithFire aesh]] to a [[LightEmUp orah]], there is some debate as to whether she should change her name to Lorahna. She technically doesn't have to, since orahs are elementally unaligned and unaligned names don't need to reflect anything in particular.]]
* In Creator/GKChesterton's ''The Return of Don Quixote'', at the climax, Michael Herne reveals [[spoiler:that the Severne family are not the ancient noble house they claim to be, having gotten their hands on the title recently and in a legally dubious manner, and their real name is Smith, even though he is in love with the Honourable Rosamund Severne. He leaves, certain he has lost all. Later, he learns that she no longer goes by Rosamund Severne; if he wants to find her, he should ask for "Miss Smith".]]
* ''[[Literature/RedMoonRisingHolt Red Moon Rising]]'': When Rae and Temple are taken into the Kihuut, they are renamed Mayrikafsa and Kalashava.
* In Feist's ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'', the boy Pug is given the name Milamber once he graduates as a Greater Path magician. Interestingly enough he mostly goes by Pug still. The rename was supposed to be meaningful, the fact that it didn't really stick is also meaningful...
* In Creator/StephenHunt's ''The Rise of the Iron Moon'', when Lord Starborn casts off a newborn ship, Commander Black offers her the name Sprite of the Stars; Coppertracks insists, as a steamman, that she be Starsprite.
* Literature/TheShadowhunterChronicles:
** Thanks to his TangledFamilyTree, Jace changes his surname no less than three times. He was raised believing he is the son of Michael Wayland, so he goes by "Jace Wayland" at the start of the series. The first book's ending reveals that he is the son of Valentine Morgenstern, so he (reluctantly) becomes "Jace Morgenstern". Then the third book reveals he isn't after all and is actually the son of Stephen Herondale. For some time afterward, he goes by his adopted family's surname, before settling on "Jace Herondale" in the sixth book as a way to preserve the family name.
** By tradition, mundanes who undergo Ascension take a new Shadowhunter surname. Sophie Collins takes the name "Ashdown" (though she doesn't keep it for long as she marries Gideon Lightwood and changes to his surname shortly afterwards), while Simon becomes "Simon Lovelace", which also doubles as a DeadGuyJunior as he honors his late friend, George Lovelace, who did not survive the Ascension.
** After she escaped from the Circle's uprising and her husband, Valentine, Jocelyn Morgenstern changed her name to "Jocelyn Fray", Fray being the portmanteau of her maiden name, Fairchild, and Tessa Gray's surname, as Tessa helped her settle down in New York. Years later, her daughter, Clary, would change her surname from Fray to [[NomDeMom Fairchild]], as she wants to reconnect with her Shadowhunter identity but not with a father she hates.
** It is stated that warlocks have a tradition of changing their surnames upon being recognized as one. The names are often connected to darkness or evil things, symbolizing their demonic ancestry. However, we have yet to learn any of the old names (even Magnus' is unknown since he loathes to talk about his past).
** The Jace Herondale of Thule changes his name to Janus upon entering this world. (Janus is the Roman god of doorways.)
* In ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'', mages can control a person to a certain degree if they know the person's given name and they don't have a taken name yet. Because of this, everybody chooses a taken name, and most of them are pretty cool.
* In Creator/MichaelFlynn's ''Literature/SpiralArm'' novel ''On the Razor's Edge'', Donovan renames Five as "Pyati", producing much emotion not only for Five but for all his new attendant magpies. [[spoiler:At the end, he tells them he will give them all names, and they beg for their dead comrades to receive them posthumously; when he agrees, they are in tears.]]
* In ''Literature/{{Stargirl}}'' by Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl is constantly renaming herself. She compares it to outgrowing a shirt and finding a new one that fits.
* The titular princess in ''Literature/TheStoryOfADisfiguredPrincess'' was initially named "Kamilah", meaning "perfect child", fitting because she's a princess with restrictions but, after mutilating her face and fleeing to a distant village, she renames herself "Barabel", meaning either "outcast" or "stranger", as she leads her life as something of an outcast and, due to no one recognizing her as a lost princess (one the account of her scarred face) and when she initially moves to a new place, she was a stranger.
* ''Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse'':
** In ''Literature/TheFinalReflection'', all Klingons have a RiteOfPassageNameChange when they choose the career path they will follow in adult life. This is not the only meaningful rename the Klingon protagonist has; by that point in his life, he'd already been renamed once after being adopted out of the orphanage where he spent his childhood, and he subsequently changes his name again following his adoptive father's disgrace.
** In the [[Literature/StarTrekShatnerverse Shatnerverse]] novel ''The Return'', when Kirk and Picard prepare to mount an assault on the Borg homeworld in the Defiant-class USS ''Monitor'', accompanied by Spock, [=McCoy=], and the senior staff of the recently-destroyed ''Enterprise''-D, the captain of the ''Monitor'' has the name on the ship changed to ''Enterprise'' for the mission, musing that it won't show up in the history books but he felt it was appropriate.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'': In the short story ''Literature/{{Orientation}}'', Emperor Palpatine orders the training vessel ''Defiance'' to be renamed ''Obedience'' after the execution of its commander for defying and attempting to assassinate him.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
** When the Rebel Alliance then the New Republic captured imperial warships. Accuser -> Emancipator, Adjudicator -> Liberator, Avarice -> Freedom (three examples are captured Imperial Star Destroyers).
** When a certain character cements their FaceHeelTurn...
--->[[spoiler:"Caedus. My name is Darth Caedus."]]
* In ''Literature/StarWarsThrawnAscendancyChaosRising'', we meet a young but promising Chiss from an obscure family. His name is Kivu'raw'nuru, or Vurawn for short. His superior has him apply for a merit adoption into the powerful Mitth family. After he is accepted, his new names is Mitth'raw'nuru, or Thrawn. After the end of his probation period, the suffix "odo" is added to his name. In the story, we also meet a female cadet with the core name Ziara. Who's this Ziara, you might ask. Well, maybe her full name might provide a clue: Irizi'ar'alani. Eventually, after she makes admiral, her affiliation to the Irizi family is removed, and she becomes simply Ar'alani. Had Thrawn stayed in the Chiss Expansionary Force and actually made admiral, he would likewise have been known as Raw'nuruodo.
* In Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''Literature/{{Sunshine}}'', it's eventually revealed that Sunshine's birth name is Raven Blaise. When her mother cut ties with the Blaise family, she and everyone else stopped using "Raven" and began calling her [[ThePowerOfTheSun Rae]]. By the time the events of the novel occur, she goes by "Sunshine" more than anything else, even within her own family... which is particularly significant since in this setting, a person's [[IKnowYourTrueName true name]] is the one they're known by rather than the one they were given at birth, and [[spoiler:some very old vampires can't even say ''words'' related to sunlight]].
* In ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'', pups are given names based on physical traits or behaviors (such as "Nose" or "Squeak"). When they're older they're renamed by either [[HumansByAnyOtherName longlegs]] or themselves during a NamingCeremony. For example, Lucky was born "Yap" and Lick renamed herself "[[spoiler:Storm]]".
* ''Literature/TechnicHistory'': The human poet Christopher Holm is [[GoingNative adopted]] by a [[TheClan "choth"]] of [[BirdPeople Ythrians]] under the name of Arinnian.
* In ''Literature/ThingsFallApart'', Nwoye takes a new Christian name after he converts. He chooses "Isaac". This is rather significant given [[SacrificialLamb what happened earlier]] to his adopted brother.
* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/TimePatrol'' story "Gibraltar Falls", Manse explains at the end that [[spoiler:Feliz can't return to her own era under her own name, that's recorded history that she never did; she can, however, change her name and shift to a different one. Thomas offers "Mrs. Thomas Noruma".]]
* Creator/JRRTolkien's [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Middle-Earth stories]]:
** In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Minas Morgul and Mirkwood forest both had other names before they were taken over by Sauron's team.
** When Minas Ithil[[labelnote:trans]]Tower of the Rising Moon[[/labelnote]] became Minas Morgul[[labelnote:trans]]Tower of Black Sorcery[[/labelnote]], the fortress-town of Minas Anor[[labelnote:trans]]Tower of the Setting Sun[[/labelnote]] on the other side of the Anduin was also renamed to Minas Tirith[[labelnote:trans]]Tower of Guard/Watch[[/labelnote]]. Tolkien also mentions that Mirkwood (originally "Greenwood the Great") was given a new, third name (Eryn Lasgalen: "Wood of Greenleaves") after the events of ''Lord of the Rings''.
** And people tend to acquire all sorts of names in all his works. Even objects get Meaningful Renames: when the [[AncestralWeapon sword Narsil]] gets reforged, Aragorn renames it Andúril.
** Aragorn's rename that was initiated to hide his identity from the Enemy, 'Estel' ('high hope' in Sindarin), is especially meaningful as he was foreseen, given the fact that Sauron was coming back and the Elves were leaving, to either be the last man of his line or the one to restore it to its former glory. The foresight came at the first from his grandmother Ivorwen, who also saw him wearing a green stone that would be the source of his other Meaningful Rename - Elessar Telcontar (Elfstone Strider). The stone itself was foretold to rightfully belong to one who would bear its name, and Aragorn's position as the HopeBringer is [=Lampshaded=] many times in the story.
** Especially CosmicPlaything Túrin's frequent renames; he hopes they'll be meaningful and he'll escape his fate; it doesn't work. Usually, his new name is a reflection on the latest tragedy to happen to him: i.e. Neithan (the Wronged), Agarwaen (the Blood-Stained), Turambar (Master of Doom). The final name gets an ironic echo--Master of Doom, by Doom mastered. (Typically, readers refer to him as Túrin Turambar when speaking of him.)
** The BigBad of ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Melkor, is given the name Morgoth ("the black enemy") by Fëanor after he steals the Silmarils and killed Fëanor's father. Similarly, Sauron's name before he went evil was (probably) Mairon. ("Sauron" is Elvish for "the Abhorred".)
** Many of Tolkien's bad guys are renamed or otherwise lose their names. Sméagol becomes "Gollum". Gríma becomes "Wormtongue". The Nazgûl are nameless, at least in the core books. Sauron's ambassador has forgotten his own name, and just calls himself "the Mouth of Sauron". Even Saruman ends up as just "Sharkey" (which Tolkien conjectures is from the Orcish ''Sharkû'', "Old Man").
** Several hobbits have been mentioned in the backstory who have adopted a new family name, apparently as a result of becoming leaders or patriarchs. For example, Gorhendad Oldbuck, who led the colonization of Buckland, renamed himself to Brandybuck, and his descendants like Merry use that family name. Samwise Gamgee, likewise, becomes Samwise Gardner by the end of the timeline, which seems to be the result of his work to reforest the Shire, his becoming the master of Bag End, and being the mayor of the Shire for many decades and a known friend of the King.
* ''Literature/TortallUniverse'':
** In ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'', "Claw" is a meaningful rename for [[spoiler:Ralon of Malven]], since he looked like someone did that to him between his first appearance and his attempt to become Rogue. (It's from when a maid threw acid in his face when he tried raping her mistress.)
** Numair Salmalín of ''Literature/TheImmortals'' used to be [[Literature/TheNumairChronicles Arram Draper]] — people assumed/joked that it was because he decided that [[AwesomeMcCoolName the name wasn't cool enough]] for one of the most powerful mages in the world, but actually he changed it to hide from [[EvilOverlord the Emperor of Carthak]], who was [[BringHimToMe hunting him]] after he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere left the Empire]]. (''And'' because it sounded cooler.)
* In ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'', after his FaceHeelTurn, [[spoiler:Nita Qwan]] return to his old name Kevin Orley, which symbolizes his long-forgotten grudge against the Muriens family (the resurgence of which is what motivates his Turn).
%%* In Creator/RuthFrancesLong's ''Literature/TheTreacheryOfBeautifulThings'', Jack calls Jenny "Jenny Wren". If he had thought a little more about folklore, he might not have.
* Literature/TruemanBradley was born Truman. He changed the spelling after he decided to become a detective because a detective exposes truth.
* ''Literature/{{Uprooted}}'': People receive a name in the LanguageOfMagic from a magical artifact when they're formally accepted as new Wizards or Witches. {{Defied|Trope}} by Agnieszka, who refuses a name change because her personal identity is strongly rooted in her home community even after she trains in magic.
* Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': In ''Literature/CaptainVorpatrilsAlliance'', Ivan thinks, at the end, that Miles's children will be old enough to call him Uncle Ivan by the time of his return, and shudders to think of how [[SignificantNAmeShift his identity can be changed]] without his doing anything. Then he reflects on the possibility of "Da" -- which is easier because he would do it.
** Also in the same series Miles at one point reflects that he's not eager for the day that he is greeted as "Count Vorkosigan, sir?" This will signify that his father is dead, and he's the new counts. Happens at the end of "Cryoburn,"
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/{{Ravenor}} short story "Playing Patience", Patience's name was assigned hers by the orphanage in which she lived, as were her sisters', Providence and Prudence. At the climax, she concentrates on her true, original name to keep herself together. Ravenor tells her to keep that name secret and safe, and she chooses to be "Patience Kys".
** In Aaron Dembski-Bowden's novel ''Soul Hunter'', Talos's slave is named Septimus -- and we hear how Primus, Secundus, etc died. When Eurydice is captured, Septimus immediately dubs her Octavia. After Talos [[NiceToTheWaiter rescues her]] from AttemptedRape, she accepts the name.
* ''Literature/WarriorCats'':
** Cat names consist of two parts. The first part stays the same forever, while the second part changes. Kitten names all end in kit (eg Hollykit or Snowkit), apprentice names end in paw (eg Sandpaw or Dustpaw), warrior names can end in anything (eg Tigerclaw or Lionheart), and leader names all end in star (eg Bluestar or Tallstar). The clan leader can also rename elders to fit with any battle scars they might have earned, etc... E.g., a cat who lost an eye becomes One-eye. A leader can also change a young cat’s name, the only known instances being because of deformities (i.e. Deadfoot, Lostface, and Crookedjaw).
** The protagonist of the first several books starts off as a pet cat named "Rusty". When he joins Thunderclan he is renamed to "Firepaw", due to his red pelt color. Eventually that too is changed to "Fireheart" and then "Firestar".
* ''Literature/WarWithNoName'': All the animals pick new names after the [[AnthropomorphicTransformation Change.]] For instance, Sebastian calls himself Mort(e), and Jenna becomes Wawa.
* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'':
** The Laurel Crown of Illian is renamed the Crown of Swords after [[spoiler:Rand conquers the country, to reflect his military focus]].
** The city of Aridhol became Shadar Logoth, or Shadow's Waiting, after it was inhabited by [[FogOfDoom Mashadar]], following its original inhabitants' corruption by [[HumanoidAbomination Mordeth]].
** The thirteen Forsaken, ancient servants of the Dark One, are {{Appropriated Appellation}}s from epithets used against them when they betrayed the Light: Moghedien the Spider, Sammael the Destroyer of Hope, Ishamael the Betrayer of Hope, Lanfear the Daughter of the Night, and so on. Lanfear is an exception in that she chose her own name -- which says a lot about her character.
** Ishamael is a notable Forsaken as he goes through several names that reflect his evolution into [[TheAntichrist Nae'blis]]. First, he's Elan Morin Tedronai, renowned philosopher. Upon swearing service to the Dark One, he became Ishamael, Betrayer of Hope. After deluding himself into thinking he ''was'' the Dark One he became Ba'alzamon, Heart of the Dark. Finally, recognizing that he wasn't the Dark One but completely embracing nihilism, he becomes Moridin, which simply means "Death".
** Also rather notable is the introduction of Faile in the third book, which starts rather well when [[AtrociousAlias she introduces herself as "Blade", unintentionally taking after a horse]] one of the heroes was riding.
** The Seanchan frequently rename as they change their social status. Particularly Egeanin, who is disgraced and becomes Leilwin, and Tuon, who had a different name as a child and becomes Fortuona when she ascends to Empress.
** Similarly, in the last book Mat is given the name 'Knotai' and Min 'Darbinda', though they continue using their original names outside of the Seanchan court.
** Padan Fain goes through a lot of names as well. At first he's just Fain, even after merging with Mordeth's spirit. Later he goes by Ordeith (Wormwood) and Jeraal Mordeth, but still mostly thinks of himself as Padan Fain in his own POV. In the later books, though, as Mordeth's personality becomes more deeply integrated into him and his dark powers expand, he decides he needs a new name. [[spoiler: In the last book, having transcended humanity completely and become a creature of raw dark power loosely attached to his mortal body, he/they/it renames him/their/itself Shaisam]].
* In ''Literature/WhileTheClockChimes'', Tatti becomes friends (with hints of PuppyLove) with Brush, a poor cleaning boy at the invisibles' palace. After [[spoiler:the invisibles are defeated and run away]], she decides to ask her brothers to think up a prettier name for him to mark the start of his new life.
* In ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'', Gregory Maguire has [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Glinda]] give up on trying to make people call her by the Gillikinese name Galinda [[spoiler:as a kind of symbol of mourning after Doctor Dillamond's death]].
* In ''Literature/WideSargassoSea'' by Creator/JeanRhys, a retelling of the story of the MadwomanInTheAttic from ''Literature/JaneEyre'', the protagonist is actually called Antoinette; she gains the name "Bertha" seen in ''Jane Eyre'' as a result of her husband imposing it on her in an attempt to control who she is. On the converse, on a meta level, Rhys's changing the original Bertha's name to Antoinette has a similar effect of changing the character into something she wasn't in the first place, in this case a rounded character portrayed sympathetically and based on her own experiences instead of a random maliciously insane plot device.
* ''Literature/WitchWorld'': In ''The Jargoon Pard'', in the opening, two mothers give children names that their lives may be well-set before them. One does it to claim the boy, since she knows they were switched.
* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' has several examples:
** The supervillain [[spoiler:Madcap]], who upon capture cuts a deal with the authorities to become a superhero called [[spoiler:Assault]] (a move which ticks off [[spoiler:Battery]] for several reasons);
** The superhero [[spoiler:Armsmaster]], who after [[spoiler:being targeted for 'recruitment' into the Slaughterhouse Nine -- a gang of mass murderer supervillains --]] chooses to [[spoiler:escape house arrest with Dragon]], change his name to [[spoiler:Defiant]], and [[spoiler:go hunting the Nine]];
** The supervillain [[spoiler:Skitter]], who, reacting to [[spoiler:the prophecy of the end of the world]], negotiates a deal with the authorities to surrender and become a probationary superhero called [[spoiler:Weaver]];
** The superhero [[spoiler:Weaver]] gets renamed [[spoiler: Kephri, after mind-controlling almost every Parahuman to fight Scion.]][[note]]Kephri is an Egyptian sun god, and fits the Endbringer naming convention[[/note]]
** The supervillain [[spoiler:Glaistig Uaine]] becomes TheAtoner following [[spoiler:the death of Scion]] and takes up the name [[spoiler:Valkyrie]].
* Inverted in ''Literature/YoungWizards'': Nita ''changes'' the [[{{Satan}} Lone Power's]] TrueName to allow a possibility of redemption, [[spoiler: which it takes a few books later]].
* In the second story arc of the ''Literature/GuardiansOfGaHoole'' series, Nyroc, formerly the prince of TheRemnant of the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Pure Ones]], changes his name to Coryn to separate himself from his former life and become an owl of good following his flight from his family.
* Throughout the novel that started it all, only two people refer to the youngest Corleone as "Michael": his father and his wife. To everyone else he's "Mike," except his mom, who calls him the even more diminutive "Mikey." And then he executes (pun intended) his master-stroke in the penultimate chapter. The next time he meets his ''caporegimes,'' they address him as "Don ''Michael,"'' [[Film/TheGodfather the new Godfather]].
** Less portentously, Vito Andolini changes his name to that of his hometown, Corleone, when he immigrates to America. He does this to make it harder for his Sicilian would-be killers to finish their vendetta, but also "...to preserve some tie with his native village. It was one of the few gestures of sentiment he was ever to make." (Averted in the film, which had his name changed by a careless immigration clerk on Ellis Island.)
* Mary Yoo from ''Literature/MiracleCreek'' was known as Meh-hee-yah in Korea. When she moved to America as a preteen, her mother helped her pick out the name Mary, the closest approximation she could think of. Her first months and years in America were so traumatic that she started thinking of the two names as different people - Meh-hee-yah was an outgoing girl who got in trouble for chatting too much and could argue her way out of most punishments, while Mary was quiet, obedient, and alone.
* Georg Jewell from ''Literature/{{Shtum}}'' was born Georg Friedman, but changed it at age ten after his whole family died in UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust. [[spoiler:He picked his name from two sources: "Jonatan's Jewel," his brother's beloved piece of Bohemia glass, and the Jewelly Sanatorium for Autistic Children, where Jonatan spent his final months.]]
-->'''Georg''': I was somebody else, so I should change my name and what else could it be?
* ''Literature/Green2009'': Green is involuntarily named "Emerald" by the court where she is enslaved- she eventually chooses the name "Green" for herself.
* ''Literature/TheBalladOfBlackTom'': Tommy starts going by Black Tom after the death of his father Otis, saying, "My birth name has no more power over me. It died with my daddy."
* ''Literature/TheCatWhoSeries'': When Polly's new cat is introduced in book #10 (''The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts''), he's named Bootsie, and turns out to be a real brat. His behavior, and Polly's towards him, improves once she renames him Brutus in book #19 (''The Cat Who Tailed a Thief'').
* ''Literature/RWBYRomanHoliday'': Neopolitan's original name was Trivia Vanille. However, as a child, she had an imaginary friend called Neo; once she realised that her "imaginary friend" was really the early [[MasterOfIllusion manifestation of her Semblance]], she embraced the alter ego as being a part of herself and took the name for her own. Her appearance is therefore a trifecta of her original self, her imaginary friend's appearance, and influences from her relationship with Roman.
* In ''Literature/TooBrightToSee'', trans boy Bug eventually picks his new name: [[spoiler:Tommy, after his late uncle Roderick's middle name, Thomas]].
* ''Literature/TheMermaidsMirror'': [[spoiler:When the mermaid Melusina went on land to live as a human woman, she started going by Lucy.]]
* ''Literature/TheMer'': Humans who transform into Mer are strongly encouraged to pick a new name to emphasize [[ThatManIsDead the deaths of their human selves]]. Shona's name means "God is gracious" because she's grateful to Him for her life under the ocean. Will named himself after the only thing he had left after the loss of everything from her former life. Val, previously named Elizabeth, gives herself a name short for Valiant or Valor.
* ''Literature/TheMermansChildren'':
** The merman's youngest daughter Yria has always been weak, and her siblings worry that she won't be able to survive a long journey. She takes after her human mother Agnete enough to pass for human, so they leave her on land with Father Knud to be raised as a human girl. The archdeacon renames her Margrete and arranges for her to be baptized.
** [[spoiler:In Dalmatia, all the merfolk take on new names when they convert to Christianity and gain mortal souls. Vanimen becomes Andrei, and Eyjan becomes Dagmar.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'':
** At the end of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'', [[spoiler:Aya renames herself Amunet "the Hidden One". Amunet is also the Egyptian goddess of air and invisibility. The name means "the female hidden one" or "one who is hidden"]].
** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'', after losing both of her children in one night and exiling herself from Sparta, [[spoiler:Myrrine]] started going by Phoenix, symbolizing her intent to rebuild her life from ashes.
* ''VideoGame/BattleForWesnoth'': Midway through the ''Secrets of the Ancients'' campaign, Ras-Tabahn tells Ardonna about how Alduin mages would get a new name when they complete their studies. Since Ardonna is a free mage now, she decides that she is not the ordinary girl Ardonna anymore and gives herself a new name: Ardryn-Na.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', we learn that [[spoiler: the real Ansem the Wise]] renamed himself [=DiZ=], or "Darkness In Zero" after going into exile following [[spoiler: Xehanort doing research on the heart and destroying Radiant Garden, which was renamed Hollow Bastion. Xehanort himself infamously took ''Ansem's'' name after banishing him]].
** The Nobodies in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' also get a meaningful rename: their real/former names anagrammed and an "X" added to it. It's then revealed as a ''further'' meaningful rename in that BigBad Xemnas was influenced into adding not an "X", but a "χ" (Greek letter for "chi", or, "key"), in reference to the "χ-blade".
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSkyTheThird'', Kevin's decision to change his Dominion title at the end of the game is meaningful on its own, and not only because it's the first time in the history of the Gralsritter than anyone has done that. What he changes it to is even more meaningful as his new title is adapted from Rufina's own.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': While all player characters are subject to HelloInsertNameHere, most of them gained meaningful renames as part of the plot:
** Marle's real name is [[spoiler: Nadia]] and she came up with the pseudonym when she introduced herself to Chrono so [[KingIncognito she wouldn't be recognized as the princess]].
** Robo was (re)named when the party first met him. He was originally [[spoiler: Prometheus]] and then gained the name/alias [[spoiler: R66-Y]] as a [[spoiler: infiltration unit for Mother Brain]].
** Frog's original name is [[spoiler: Glenn]], but he acquiesces to being nicknamed as such by Lucca.
** Magus, true name [[spoiler: Janus]], is either a pseudonym or a title he gained.
* Garnet in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' takes up the new name HelloInsertNameHere (Dagger by default) early on in the game both to conceal her identity and to represent the beginning of her casting aside her previous identity as a sheltered princess. Later on in the game, it's revealed [[spoiler: 'Garnet' is one as well since her real name is Sarah and she was adopted by the Queen]].
* In ''VideoGame/SuperLesbianAnimalRPG'', Melody, a trans woman, explains to her girlfriend Allison why she chose the name she did when she transitioned. She thought of a "melody" as being the centerpiece and most important part of a song, and wanted a name that gives her confidence in who she wants to become, not just in becoming a woman but also becoming an important part of her adventuring guild with her friends.
* In ''VideoGame/WingCommander'', Marcus Chen was formerly a reckless pilot known as "Ripper"; many of the pilots who emulated him ended up dead. He eventually became a more cautious pilot, and for setting an example to others, became known as "Bossman".
* In ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'', like the ''Lord of the Rings'' example above, the cities all have SickeninglySweet names before you capture them and transform each into {{Mordor}}, along with an appropriate rename.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', some Forsaken (playable undead) have decided to change their name to reflect the fact that they have drastically changed. But the best example is the black dragon Neltharion, who changed his name to "Deathwing" in ''Literature/TheWarOfTheAncients'' after his betrayal of the other dragonflights.
** In an inversion, Thrall got his name from his upbringing as a slave. After becoming Warchief of the Horde, he eventually (in ''Burning Crusade'') travels to his homeland and learns that his original name was Go'el. He decides to continue using "Thrall" as his name as a constant reminder of the suffering his people went through, even rebuking a shaman who addresses him by his birth name. In ''Cataclysm'', he changes his name back to Go'el due to his role/destiny as a shaman first (and not the Warchief), no longer a slave to the influence of others.
** Technically, the rename of Neltharion to Deathwing is the result of a StableTimeLoop, as it was first accidentally uttered by a time traveler. Then again, this time traveler (along with two others) have also made changes to the timeline, so it's not exactly a stable loop. By the same token, Neltharion's artifact Dragon Soul is renamed to Demon Soul by the same time traveler after its true purpose is revealed.
** [[DueToTheDead To honor the memory of those who were killed by the Scourge]], the remnants of the High Elves renamed their race the Blood Elves.
* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', the quarians incorporate their assigned ship into their names; for young quarians, their first assignment and name change is part of their RiteOfPassage. This comes up in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' when one of your allies is reassigned to your ship without her knowledge as part of a plot to try her for treason, and is renamed "Tali'Zorah vas ''Normandy''"; when the trial is over, [[AppropriatedAppellation she keeps the name]].
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', you can speak to a Quarian engineer who was [[HeroicSacrifice mortally wounded]] fighting [[RobotWar the Geth]] to [[HoldTheLine allow his crewmates time to escape]]. After he dies, Tali renames him for the planet he died on: Dorn Hazt vas [[FightingForAHomeland Rannoch]].
** Krogan must complete the Rite in order to enter adulthood and gain a place in krogan society. When Grunt completes the Rite, his name is changed to Urdnot Grunt, marking him as having earned a place as one of Clan Udrnot's warriors. Those Krogan who become their clan’s shaman surrender their name completely and are only addressed as Clan-name Shaman.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'': With Metal Gear REX in Liquid Snake's possession, Liquid intends to fulfill Big Boss's dream of a world which had a place for soldiers. Thus renaming Shadow Moses to Outer Heaven.
-->"From today... call this place... 'Outer Heaven'."
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'': Big Boss, after finally embracing the name "Big Boss" in [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker the previous game]], once again drops it and dubs himself Punished (Venom) Snake after losing his Mother base and MSF troops, as well as his left arm, to XOF and Cipher. [[spoiler:However it turns out that Venom was actually one of the real Big Boss' most trusted soldiers who was surgically altered to look like him. By the time that Venom learns this, his deeds have enhanced the legend of "Big Boss" and eventually agrees to serve as his "phantom", turning the legacy of Big Boss as the world's greatest soldier into a secret legacy shared by two men. Venom would keep up his appearance of Big Boss until [[VideoGame/MetalGear1 Solid Snake killed him in the original Outer Heaven]], whereupon the original took the name back for [[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake the sequel]].]]
* In ''VideoGame/BlazeUnion'', it's explained that both Gulcasa and Emilia were forced to use fake names by Gulcasa's mother in order to masquerade as humans. Over the canon route of the game, both of them discard those names as a way to cast off their weaknesses and [[IAmWhatIAm be true to the way they were born]]. In Gulcasa's case, it's a powerful statement of will, and also his real name has a much harsher sound than his former name "Garlot"; Emilia's name means "to excel" whereas her fake name meant "beloved", which fits her drive to stop being looked at as the TagalongKid instead of someone actually capable of making a difference.
* ''VideoGame/FableII'''s example can be summed up in three words: [[spoiler: Call me Hammer]].
* At the end of ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'', Jak asks the Precursors to call him by his real name, [[spoiler:Mar, when they offer him to come with them]]. It doesn't stick, and come ''VideoGame/JakXCombatRacing'' he's (obviously) back to his old name.
* ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'' has a meta example. The title screen features the full name: ''Bravely Default: Where the Fairy Flies'' or '' Bravely Default: Flying Fairy''. After [[spoiler: Airy is revealed to be the BigBad]], the title screen changes slightly: [[spoiler: some letters are removed, spelling "Airy lies" or "Lying Airy" instead]]. Could double as an InterfaceSpoiler if another player stumbles upon it by accident.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'': Lightning, original name [[spoiler:Claire Farron (Eclair in the Japanese release)]], chose her new alias after the premature deaths of her parents, and the heavy responsibilities (getting a job, maintaining a household, raising her 12-year-old sister) that came with them. It's also indicative of her emotional detachment, which began as a way of being strong for Serah, but has since wrecked their relationship. Probing a bit deeper reveals that "Lightning" was originally her [[NomDeGuerre Guardian Corps callsign]], but her detachment meant that "Claire" soon became [[ThatManIsDead who she used to be]], to the point that even her sister Serah calls her by Lightning.
* In ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', Sakuya Izayoi was given that name when she entered Remilia Scarlet's service, and her original name has not been mentioned. Sakuya can mean "Flowering Night", "Last Night", and "Night of the New Moon". Izayoi can mean "Sixteenth Night" and "Not progress forward at all". All of these relate to her TimeMaster abilities.
** This is the case with Yukari Yakumo as well. The kanji in her given name simply means "[[PurpleIsPowerful purple]]", however the [[AlternateCharacterReading reading means]] "edge" or "boundary". Her family name on the other hand hints at the connection to her human doppelganger in the outside world, Maribel Hearn. Both are named for a late 19th-early 20th century author named Lafcadio Hearn, who changed his name to Koizumi Yakumo after becoming a Japanese citizen.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'': Leon Magnus, [[spoiler: twice.]] His original name was Emilio Gilchrist/[[spoiler: Katrea]], but he changed it due to hating his father and wanting to distance himself from him. [[spoiler: His second rename, Judas, is given to him after he's brought back from the dead. It also counts as FauxSymbolism, as he betrayed his original friends before his death.]]
* In ''The Third Age'' total conversion mod for ''[[VideoGame/TotalWar Medieval II: Total War]]'', based on ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', when Gondor captures Minas Morgul, the name changes to Minas Ithil (its original name).
* A meta example with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV.'' At E3 2013, the trailer for the long in DevelopmentHell ''Final Fantasy Versus XII'' ended with this line:
-->The legend meets its match. But, the world is ever changing... [[WhamLine For the fifteenth coming.]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonNest'': Rose renames herself as Rosalinde after [[spoiler:she did a FaceHeelTurn and becomes a member of the Dragon Cultists]].
* Mangle from ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2'' was originally known as "Toy Foxy." However, after being dismantled by toddlers over and over, the company decided to just leave [[AmbiguousGender them]] as a 'build-it-yourself' attraction. The result of this decision is how Mangle earned their name. [[BodyHorror And it shows]].
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'' introduces us to Springtrap. A hazardous mechanical mascot costume hybrid formerly known as "Spring Bonnie." His lethally faulty ''spring''locks are what led to him being decommissioned and renamed, as he was clearly deemed a ''trap'' by the staff.
* In ''VisualNovel/TheHouseInFataMorgana'', [[spoiler:Michelle]] renames themselves [[spoiler:Michel]] to signify that they're actually [[spoiler:male.]]
* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', [[spoiler:Gwyn the Lord of Sunlight]] becomes [[spoiler:Gwyn Lord of the Cinder]] after sacrificing the Lord Soul that granted him his powers over light and becoming kindling for the First Flame. The name change highlights HowTheMightyHaveFallen. In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', Aldrich is introduced as the Saint of the Deep. When he is fought as a boss proper, he has taken on a new title [[spoiler:Aldrich the Devourer of Gods -- fitting since he has devoured Gwyndolin and is using him as a "face".]] The same game also has Alva the Wayfarer, a character known only in lore in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', show up as an invader named Alva Seeker of the Spurned. [[spoiler:This is because he lost his beloved witch Zullie and has been seeking her by invading other worlds.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' is the first Soulsborne game to have these title-changes occur to boss subtitles in the middle of the boss fight, as in the DLC [[spoiler: Ludwig the Accursed returns to being Ludwig, the Holy Blade when he has a RestorationOfSanity]]. ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' has this happen several more times, with [[spoiler: the God-Devouring Serpent becoming Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, Godfrey, First Elden Lord becoming Hoarah Loux, Warrior, and Malenia, Blade of Miquella becoming Malenia, Goddess of Rot]]. Outside of boss fights, there's Godrick the Golden (last of the Golden Lineage) becoming Godrick the Grafted (because he dismembered hundreds of people and stuck their limbs on himself), and Godwyn the Golden becoming [[spoiler:Godwyn, Prince of Death upon being half-killed during the Night of Black Knives]].
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', Ganon, the BigBad of the whole ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' series, is almost consistently referred to as "Calamity Ganon." Not "the calamity, Ganon," but "Calamity Ganon" as a whole proper noun. Previous incarnations of Ganon(dorf) were given fancy extra titles such as "Prince of Darkness," "Great King of Evil," and "Dark Lord," but this incarnation of Ganon is considered to be such a destructive entity that "Calamity" has come to be considered part of its proper name.
* In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'', the raider gang known as the Forged operate out of an iron foundry and have a fondness for [[KillItWithFire flame-based weapons]]. Their leader Slag even forces all initiated members to change their names to something associated with fire, heat or burning. When someone refused, Slag threw him into the iron furnace.
* Nathan Drake, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'', was born Nathan Morgan. He and his brother were forced to go on the run as teens and took the surname Drake to honor their mother (a historian) who believed that UsefulNotes/SirFrancisDrake had heirs.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona3'', the group of shadow-hunters the protagonist works with are known as the Specialized Extra-curicular Execution Squad (S.E.E.S.). Near the end of the game, after they decide to [[spoiler: face the supposedly unbeatable entity [[FinalBoss Nyx]], who will bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, against the advice of [[ApocalypseMaiden Ryoji, who will unwillingly bring forth Nyx]],]] the Fool social link (which represents the bond with your party members) is maxed out, and the Judgement social link is initiated, re-christening the group as [[spoiler: the Nyx Annihilation Team.]]
%% Persona 4 does this too but I don't know the context. If you have beaten the game, please add it here.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' has a case of this, though only if the player [[AllThereInTheManual checks the Chronicle option]] repeatedly as the game progresses. Ramza starts the game with his regular name of Ramza Beoulve, but after Chapter 1, he changes his name to his mother's surname, Ruglia, to distance himself from his family after everything that happened in the first chapter and his disgust with his brothers. Later, he returns to his name of Beoulve when he stops hiding from the past and follows his own path. Interestingly, both cases of this come with a SignificantWardrobeShift.
* Creator/{{SEGA}} of Australia initially was tasked with creating the ''SEGA Reborn'' series, a group of reboots that would be connected through a hub world. While SEGA of Australia shuttered and the project was shelved, one of the games, ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe Reborn'', had their prototype released for SEGA's 60th anniversary under the name ''Golden [[{{Pun}} Axed]]''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' has a few, most of which are [[AllThereInTheManual hidden in the lore]]:
** Most of the original [[{{Transhuman}} Awoken]] underwent something like this when they were reborn in the Distributary. For example, the human Uldwyn Sov became the Awoken Uldren Sov.
** Most Guardians undergo this, though they may not be aware of it, as they are [[BackFromTheDead resurrected]] with no memory of their past. Unless the Guardian finds some evidence to point to their previous name, most take a new one.
** All three of the Hive's rulership did something similar when they made their pact with the [[EldritchAbomination Worm Gods]]. The clever Sathona became Savathûn, the martial Xi Ro became Xivu Arath, and the curious Aurash became Auryx. Auryx would undergo a second one when he learned the power to Take, becoming Oryx.
** One of the first Risen to be called a "Guardian" was called Rezyl Azzir, but towards the end, he took another name. [[spoiler: After an encounter [[TheCorrupter Xyor, the Unwed]], Azzir became a [[FallenHero monster]] that [[HopeCrusher slaughtered villages]] and [[HeroKiller permanently killed other Guardians]], and took the name [[TheDreaded Dredgen Yor]], which meant "Eternal Abyss" in a forgotten language.]]
---> ''"Same meat, same bone, but [[ThatManIsDead so very different]]."''
** The lore reveals that the [[MouthOfSauron Emissary of the Nine]] has undergone several of these. [[spoiler: She was born as the human Nasya Sarwar, and when reborn as an Awoken in the Distributary she became Nasan Ar. After returning to the solar system and heading to Earth, she died and was resurrected as a Guardian, taking the name Orin. Finally, she sought out the Nine and was turned into their Emissary, surrendering her old identity and self completely.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', it was revealed that the character Jesse [=McCree=] actually had the birthname Cole Cassidy, but took an alias when he became an outlaw. After officially rejoining Overwatch, he decided that the first step of letting go of his criminal past would be to take back his original name. [[labelnote:Real-life reason]][=McCree=] was [[{{Tuckerization}} named after a Blizzard dev]], who was fired after he was found complicit in sexual harassment in the company. The in-universe story was a way to avert SuddenNameChange while still removing the tribute.[[/labelnote]]
* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'': it eventually comes out that the BigBad, Zachary Comstock, was not born with that name. He took that name after being baptized and "reborn" as a new man. [[spoiler:His birth name was Booker [=DeWitt=], and he is an AlternateTimeline version of the Booker the player is playing as.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV'': Krohnen's backstory establishes him as having changed his name from [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters2001 K9999]]]] after cutting ties with his former employers NESTS. When Ángel calls him by his old name, he gets particularly snappy:
-->"Ángel, the name's Krohnen. Next time you screw that up, you'll regret it."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': Given that [[MadBomber Jinx]] of ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' is introduced in the [[AnimeOftheGame show]] as TagAlongKid Powder, it's a ForegoneConclusion that something dramatic has to happen to cause her to change her name. Her older adopted brother Mylo calls her [[TheJinx a jinx]] for her bad luck initially, which she resents. [[spoiler: It takes Powder accidentally killing most of her adopted family for her [[CoolBigSis sister Vi]] to condemn her as a jinx as well. Powder being seemingly abandoned by Vi and then her subsequent [[HappilyAdopted adoption]] by [[BigBad Silco]] causes her to adopt Jinx as her new name, accepting her destructive tendencies.]]
* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' focuses not on Tulip (who got her number down to zero and went home) but on her reflection (who was freed from the Chrome Car). The reflection of Tulip does their best to distance themselves from her, changing their clothes and hair, but don't choose a name until the end of the season. [[spoiler: She chooses the name Lake, as a lake was the first part of the real world she ever saw.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Raine officially rebrands the Bards Against The Throne as Covens Against the Throne, since it now includes not only the founding bards, but also witches from other covens.
* Happens a LOT in the various incarnations of ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', due to upgrades, new altmodes, new continuities...
** Probably the most famous is Hot Rod becoming Rodimus [[BigGood Prime]] in the movie upon opening the Matrix of Leadership.
** Megatron becoming [[GRatedMentalIllness Galvatron.]] In the first instance (''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'') it's up for debate as to whether he's even the same person as Megatron.
** In that vein, many recolored versions of the same toy are marketed as upgraded versions even if they never appeared in the show, occasionally with five-sentence backstories explaining why they're a different color.
** The original cast of ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' was implied to have taken their known names around the time they got stranded on the planet. Most of the names are references to their new beast modes, but the captains - "Optimus Primal" and "Megatron" - instead take names after the [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 Generation One]] leaders. (Or, alternately, Megatron takes his from Cybertronian scripture, suggesting the G1 Decepticon did the same.)
*** Rampage was known as "Protoform X" until he was MadeASlave by Megatron, who renamed him. He would later admit that the new name suited him.
** Orion Pax becoming Optimus Prime, though he generally has this change made for him, rather than being the one who decides to make it.
*** The Aligned continuity puts a spin on this, in which it's revealed in the ''Covenant of Primus'' [[spoiler:that Optimus Prime is the real name of "Thirteen," the last of the thirteen original Primes created by Primus. After the Fall of the Primes, he willingly entered the Well of Allsparks so that he may be reborn as an ordinary Cybertronian in order to better understand the needs of the next generation. It then reveals that he was reincarnated into Orion Pax. When the humble data clerk Orion Pax accepted the Matrix of Leadership, he regained his memories as one of the thirteen original Primes, and retook his name as Optimus Prime.]]
** When Optimus Prime rescues and rebuilds several Autobots after his own resurrection, Bumblebee checks out his updated form and comments that he's "like a new gold bug." Optimus decides that Goldbug will be his new designation to go with the new body.
* Skips from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' always skips rather than walking. It turns out his real name is not Skips, but Walks. He changed it because he got tired of everybody asking him why he skipped everywhere instead of walking. Or, at least, that's what he says at first. A later episode shows the real reason: [[spoiler:It was the name he chose when he was reborn as an immortal as his way of memorializing the woman he loved, who he always skipped with.]]
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', after acquiring the last PlotCoupon in her quest, Barbra Streisand [[InTheNameOfTheMoon announces her transformation]] into a HumongousMecha by saying ([[BilingualBonus in Japanese]]) "From now on, my name is... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mecha Streisand]]!"
** In the DocumentaryEpisode "[[Recap/SouthParkS16E6IShouldHaveNeverGoneZiplining I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining]]", when the boys' attempt to escape the ziplining tour ends them up in a horseback riding tour, the show becomes "[[LongTitle I Should Have Never Thought Horseback Riding Would Be Any Better Than Ziplining]]". When the boys decide to ditch that tour in favor of a boat ride for themselves, it becomes "I Should Have Never Got On A Goddamn Boat".
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': At the very end of "Jellyfish Hunter", the blue jellyfish referred to as "Ol' No-Name" by [=SpongeBob=] lets itself get caught, allowing [=SpongeBob=] to rename it "Friend".
* Nobody Smurf in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' gets one in the form of Somebody when he rescues his fellow Smurfs from the evil prankishness of Mystico the goblin.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Nightmare Moon fits this fairly well, as Princess [[LargeHam Luna]] was known by this name after becoming a FallenAngel. [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Assuming they're actually the same individual]]; one of [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW the tie-in comics]] portrayed it as full-on DemonicPossession, although their canon status is uncertain.
** According to "The Perfect Pear", the Apple siblings' mother used to be called Pear Butter but changed it to Buttercup (the AffectionateNickname given to her by Bright Macintosh when they first met) after marrying into the Apple family. Also, Chiffon Swirl changed her name to Cup Cake when she married Carrot Cake.
** It's quite common when turning evil, with Fizzlepop Berrytwist calling herself Tempest Shadow, and Twilight Sparkle calling her evil alter-ego "Midnight Sparkle" in the ''Equestria Girls'' spinoff.
** In one shared nightmare between Princesses Celestia and Luna, Celestia's fallen self has renamed herself "Daybreaker".
* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': A ShowWithinAShow featured a host named Fred Gazorninplat. Garfield told Odie the host changed his name to take the job and previously went by the name ''Sam'' Gazorninplat.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2003}}'' series has the Battle Nexus' Daimyo's son, who gives himself the title of "The Ultimate Ninja" after he (wrongly) believes he's defeated Leonardo in mortal combat. However, since he like all the Battle Nexus natives has no actual name, this is less a case of someone renaming themselves than it is a case of naming themselves period.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer tried to do this when he changed his name to Max Power for one episode. (He also tried to get Marge to change her name, giving her the options [[spoiler: Chesty La Rue, Busty St. Clair, or Hootie Mcboob]]).
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has a GeniusBonus in how all of the writing is actual Chinese writing and can be translated. In season one, Zuko's name was written with the characters for "resurrect rule" or "revived law". When he became a fugitive in season two, his name on the [[http://atla-annotated.tumblr.com/post/16687554099/never-give-up-never-surrender-translation-of wanted posters]] was written with the characters for "ancestor robber", which is meant to be insulting. In season three, when Zuko is once again seen as good by the Fire Nation, his name is written more flatteringly again.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'': [[RobotGirl XJ9]] renamed herself Jenny in her desire to be accepted as a teenager instead of being treated as a machine. Nora sticks to calling her [=XJ9=] but will call her Jenny during a heartfelt moment.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' sees Fancy Dan take up the name "Ricochet" after gaining PoweredArmor. Ox decides to still keep the same codename and [[CompositeCharacter Shocker is still called by his nickname "Montana"]] out of costume.
* ''WesternAnimation/BabyLooneyTunes'': Once when Daffy made fun of his name, Bugs started to go by the name Bruce.
* In ''WesternAnimation/PeterAndTheMagicEgg'', Tobias Toot renames himself Tinwhiskers after he turns himself into a machine.
* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'':
** "In the Shadows of Mystacor" reveals that in the past, Shadow Weaver used to be called Light Spinner. She changed her name when she made a FaceHeelTurn and joined the Horde.
** In "Destiny, Part 2", viewers learn that [[spoiler:Hordak initially did not have a name, being a mass-produced clone soldier in Horde Prime's army, and that "Hordak" was what he named himself after coming to Etheria. Horde Prime expresses disgust when he points out that Hordak had given himself a name.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'' puts quite a lot of emphasis on character's chosen names, and what it means to them to be referred to as such.
** Eugene insists on being called Eugene, and any other character refusing to abide by this in lieu of his old name, Flynn Rider, is normally a sign that they're not an ally or otherwise trustworthy person. When a character stops referring to him as Flynn Rider and begins calling him Eugene, this usually signifies a completed HeelFaceTurn from an enemy into an ally.
*** Season 3 episode "Return of the King" reveals that [[spoiler: Eugene's real birth name is actually Horace. Like as with other characters, Edmund's insistence on calling Eugene by this name illustrates the tension between them and Edmund's unwillingness to accept Eugene for who he is. By the end of the episode, Edmund has come around and started using his son's preferred name, pointing to a huge positive development in their relationship.]]
** Similarly to Eugene, Lance identifies with his chosen name and gets upset when referred to by his birth name, Arnwaldo Schnitz.
** The two thief sisters befriended by the main cast refuse for the first two seasons to tell anyone their real names and are instead referred to as "Angry" and "Red," the nicknames given to them by Eugene and Lance, for the duration of this time. [[spoiler: In Season 3, when "Red" is struggling with constantly feeling overshadowed by Angry and tired of not being listened to, she refuses to go through with the ritual to cure her lycanthropy and breaks down, yelling that she never even liked the nickname "Red" and just went along with it because that's what everybody else wanted to call her. She transforms into her monstrous wolf form and runs off into the forest in a rampage. The only thing that is able to calm her down is her sister apologizing for not recognizing her emotional needs and finally opening up to the rest of the cast (and the audience) by calling her by her real name.]]
-->'''"Angry"''': [[spoiler: Catalina, are you there? It's me, Kiera.]]
* ''[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'': Keldor's face was melted off by acid. Hordak saved his life at the cost of his head now being a skull floating above his shoulders. Hordak then declared his new name is Skeletor and he accepted it.
* ''WesternAnimation/MastersOfTheUniverseRevelation'': Evil-Lyn reveals that her birth name is just "Lyn", but she changed it when she joined Skeletor and became a villain.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': In Season 2, it's revealed that Gumball is just the main character's nickname, and in Season 3, he discovers his real name is Zach, he quickly becomes an arrogant TotallyRadical [[{{Jerkass}} jerk]], but then it's revealed that [[SplitPersonalityTakeover Zach is his alternate personality who is taking over]], who is also [[SelfServingMemory changing his memories to turn Gumball's past failures into victories]], [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind Gumball has a fight against Zach in his mind]], Gumball wins and erases his evil personality, and the episode ends with him legally changing his name into Gumball.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': PlayedForLaughs when Gil is mutated into a FishPerson and declares that his name is now "Gill" with two "L"s.
* In ''WesternAnimation/CentralPark'', Season 1 "[[Recap/CentralParkS1E10AFishCalledSnakehead A Fish Called Snakehead]]", when Bitsy meets Mayor Whitebottom's likability consultant, Ashley, she reveals her previous name was Debra but changed it because, according to her, nobody likes a Debra.
-->'''Helen:''' My mother's name was Debra.\\
'''Ashley:''' And?\\
'''Helen:''' Hmm.
[[/folder]]

* After he joins the ''Anime/BlackLagoon'' company, Revy renames Rokuro Okajima to “Rock”, in order to reflect that he’s now a mercenary and no longer just a salaryman.
* ''Manga/HaouAiren'':
** After killing his asshole dad at the age of 14, a Triad hitman named Li Shen Wong renounced his old identity and started calling himself "Uo Hakuron".
** Hakuron's Japanese mistress Kurumi Akino gets the Chinese name "Qiuye Laishi", which is [[AlternateCharacterReading the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation]] of the Japanese kanji for her "Akino Kurumi" name, and Fuuron renounces to his former name of Lu Zhaoming as he becomes TheDragon to Hakuron.
* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'', The Book of Darkness, previously known as the Tome of the Night Sky before it got corrupted, is renamed "Reinforce" by Hayate for being one who supports and protects others. Bonus points for her being a Unison Device, one specifically designed to boost the wielder's power by [[FusionDance merging with her]].
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Sasuke renames his team from "Snake" to "Hawk" when he [[spoiler:changes his goal to destroying Konoha]]. This also ties in with Sasuke's earlier mention of the story of a snake that sought to fly by raising a baby bird, only to get eaten instead, as well as [[spoiler:Tobi]] suggesting that Sasuke would one day stop being a snake and take flight as a hawk. Later, it's also shown that this reflects his change in {{summon|Magic}}: since [[spoiler:Orochimaru was permanently sealed]] he couldn't use snakes anymore, so he switched to hawks.
** Also [[spoiler:Nagato]] tends to go by the name "Pain", which he took on to reflect his belief that the only way to prevent war is to teach the world suffering, but also uses it to refer to himself and [[spoiler:his six bodies]].
** Guy calls himself the "Green Beast of Konoha", referring to his ability to open the Seventh Gate[[note]]his body emits a glowing green sweat when the Seventh Gate is opened[[/note]]. During his battle with [[spoiler:Madara]] he declares his green days are over and it is time to become the "Red Beast of Konoha", [[spoiler:meaning he will open the Eighth Gate to battle Madara, dying as a result]].
** Tobi himself has a name that's a pseudonym; his real name is [[spoiler:Obito Uchiha]]. According to the flashback chapters, Tobi is the real name of a Zetsu clone who tended to his needs. Said clone acquired the nickname "Guruguru" because it has a spiral-shaped head (''guruguru'' is the Japanese onomatopoeia for spirals), and likely inspired the human Tobi to don a spiral-shaped mask.
* In ''Manga/MuhyoAndRoji'', [[spoiler:Chiyo Sakura]] renames herself "Pansa" after the time she saw pansies when [[spoiler:Roji gives her an extra application form]]. She takes on the name when she [[spoiler:joins Ark in order to try to get closer to Roji after being rejected as a candidate for Muhyo's assistant]].
* Scar of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' once had a name, but he discarded it long ago, believing that he no longer deserved it. [[spoiler:Used again at the end of the series when he decides to help the remaining Ishvalans rebuild their country. When General Armstrong asks him what his real name is, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness he smiles for the only time in the series]] and says that he doesn't need one anymore, and that General Armstrong is free to call him whatever she wishes.]]
* In ''Anime/HaibaneRenmei'', at the end [[spoiler:Reki]]'s name changes in meaning from 'one who was run over' to 'stone' to symbolize her ability to overcome her struggles. The context of the 'stone' being 'a stepping stone for those who need help' - she devoted her life to helping others, first trying to "buy" redemption for her perceived sins, but eventually simply because she liked doing it, thus getting the said redemption.
* Fujimiya Ran in ''Anime/KnightHunters'' starts using the name of his comatose little sister Aya when he becomes an assassin to pay her hospital bills and get revenge on the man who injured her. Sources vary as to the exact circumstances involved; in the anime, he makes the decision almost immediately at her hospital bedside. In the ''An Assassin And White Shaman'' manga, however, it's more of an AppropriatedAppellation - Yoji begins calling him "Aya" after hearing him say the name in his sleep since up until that point Ran has refused to give ''any'' name to his new teammates.
** Tsukiyono Omi goes back to using his birth name Takatori Mamoru after Weiss breaks up and states that [[ThatManIsDead Omi is dead]]. Kisaragi Takeru (Izumi Sena) from ''Gluhen'' and Edward R. Krotznik (Chloe) from ''Side B'' also work under different names, but we're not told much about their decisions to do so, aside from the fact that Chloe took his name from a girl he went to school with.
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': In a flashback, it's revealed that Kenshin was originally named "Shinta", but his mentor changed it because he felt Shinta to be too wimpy a name for a swordsman.
* Parodied in ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' when Nagi vows to stop being a {{hikikomori}} and renames herself ''Nagi [[UsefulNotes/Xbox360 360 Elite]]''.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Captain Kenpachi Zaraki originally had no name at all. He decided to give himself a name that meant something to him to combat the pain of being nameless. He came from the Zaraki district so used Zaraki as his surname and took the title for the strongest shinigami in a generation (the Kenpachi) for his first name, hence Kenpachi Zaraki. Eventually, he earned the title Kenpachi properly by killing the 11th division Kenpachi in a duel and replacing him.
** Yachiru Kusajishi was also nameless. When Kenpachi named himself, he also gave Yachiru her name. Her surname was taken from the Kusajishi district she originated from and her first name was the name of the only person Kenpachi ever admired. [[spoiler: The identity of the mysterious "Yachiru" was eventually revealed to be the very first Kenpachi of the Gotei 13, Kenpachi Yachiru Unohana, currently known as the Fourth Division Captain, Retsu Unohana. In other words, Kenpachi named both himself and Yachiru after TheMedic captain.]]
** Captain Commander Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. He was originally known by the name Eijisai Shigekuni Yamamoto because of the shape of a scar on his forehead. After the scar was rescarred in battle [[spoiler: against Choujirou Sasakibe]] he was renamed Juujisai Shigekuni Yamamoto. However, he renamed himself Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto [[spoiler: because Sasakibe felt too awkward calling him Juujisai after having caused the scar, so Yamamoto gave himself a name Sasakibe would feel comfortable using.]]
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': [[spoiler:Any MagicalGirl that becomes a witch gets a new name representing their despair, reflecting how they've stopped being a full human, and are only an embodiment of their despair.]]
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', Graham Aker's obsession with Setsuna eventually culminates in Aker renaming himself to "Mister Bushido" and adopting a samurai mindset focused on honorably defeating his enemy on equal grounds (on one occasion, he had Setsuna at his mercy but spared him because the latter's machine broke down during the fight; Setsuna later returned the favor).
* The ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'' side-story prequel manga ''Fight 7th'' reveals that after failing to reach the 7th Gundam Fight Finals in time (due to being busy stopping a terrorist group from disrupting the Fight), Shuuji Kurosu, the Gundam Fighter for Neo-Japan, is dismissed by his country. He decides to take his talents to [[spoiler:Neo-Hong Kong]], and renames himself [[spoiler:Master Asia, and through further training, also takes the name ''Tohofuhai'' (Undefeated of the East)]].
** In the anime proper, Master Asia, upon appearing at the opening ceremonies of the Gundam Fight Finals, declares his intention to win and retain the title of Gundam of Gundams for Neo-Hong Kong, and once he accomplishes that, he will truly be Undefeated of the East, West, North, South, and Central, and will declare himself "Super Asia". The drama CD ''Gundam Fight: Round 3'' parodies this, as the movie version of Master Asia declares that he already ''is'' Undefeated of the East, West, North, South, and Central, resulting in confusion from the other characters in the movie, and catcalls from the audience, particularly the real Chibodee, much to the real Master Asia's chagrin.
* Free from ''Manga/SoulEater'' gave himself the name after escaping the Witches' prison (and thus becoming "Free"), with whatever name he may have held before that passing unmentioned.
** ''Manga/SoulEaterNot'' reveals that academy students can choose their own names - so Soul Eater and Black*Star were not born with those names, they chose them.
* ''Literature/SorcererStabberOrphen'': ''"From now on Krylancelo is dead! I will be known as Orphen!"''
* In ''Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea'', Ponyo takes to her new name like a duck to water, even insisting that her father call her it.
* In ''Manhua/RavagesOfTime'', although the name was used at least twice before, Liaoyuan Huo's HeelFaceTurn, a case of BecomingTheMask, this cemented in his HeroicVow in chapter 387: "[[spoiler:Zhao Yun]] swears to protect the Liu family!"
* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Erza is an orphan and does not know what her last name is. When they first met, Jellal gave her the last name "Scarlet" after her red hair, so that it would be easy to remember.
* In the ''Manga/OokuTheInnerChambers'' universe, women that take a position of power gain a 'manly' name. Initially this happened because they were trying to hide that Shogun Iemitsu was dead and the person that posed as him was a woman, but after Iemitsu the Younger reveals herself and women started openly becoming family heads, they took masculine names, to the point that a few generations later, only Shogun Yoshimune questions why this is so. Oftentimes the new name is derived from the reigning shogun's name (such as Yoshimune's name being derived from Shogun Tsunayoshi) with those that will indisputably become the next shogun, whether by birth or adoption taking a name that begins with the character 'Ie-' after the Tokugawa dynasty's founder Ieyasu.
** Likewise, men in the Ooku adopt more 'feminine' names upon entering, particularly the concubines that father Tokugawa heirs. This started originally when Iemitsu the Younger renamed the men in order to insult them but as heirs started being born it became traditional.
* ''Franchise/KagerouProject'':
** Azami was given her name by Tsukihiko, the first human who treated her like a person. Before that, she'd only been referred to as 'Monster'.
** Ene's name is derived from her former human name, [[spoiler:'''En'''omoto Taka'''ne''']]. It began as her online name, and she adopted her Ene persona to avoid [[spoiler:Shintaro recognising her, for fear he would sink further into despair if he knew she'd died]].
** Konoha used to be [[spoiler:Ko'''kono'''se '''Ha'''ruka]]. Like Ene, his name started as his online name but became his identity after [[spoiler:dying]].
** Tsubomi (Kido), Shuuya (Kano) and Kousouke (Seto) switched to LastNameBasis as a part of cementing their status as a gang, partly because it sounded cool, and partly because it meant [[spoiler:leaving their childhood in the Tateyama household behind]]. However, Kano has a habit of still calling Kido "Tsubomi", much to her chagrin.
* Before coming to the mansion, Finny from ''Manga/BlackButler'' was called [[YouAreNumberSix Number 12]] all his life. From what we've seen of his backstory, it wasn't until Ciel gave him the new name of Finny that he began to overcome his past as an [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke experimental]] HumanWeapon.
* In ''Manga/FushigiYuugiByakkoIbun'', one of the biggest seals of Nirusha and Reipin's InterGenerationalFriendship is how he renames her "Neiran". [[spoiler: It's also his case since Nirusha's actual name is Raseisen... and his ''Senshi'' name is '''[[TheReveal Miboshi]]'''.]]
* In ''Manga/PingPong'', [[spoiler: Kong Wenge in the epilogue. After he made the Japanese Olympic team, he became a citizen of the nation and took the name Tsujido Wenge, after his high school ping pong team]].
* In ''Manga/ShouwaGenrokuRakugoShinjuu'', Kyoji is renamed Yotaro by his master Yakumo. Yotaro in rakugo slang means "fool", but can mean AntiHero. He could be either, depending on how you perceive the character.
* In ''Manga/Brave10'', in the interests of having a [[OneSteveLimit One Rokuro Limit]], [[KidSamurai Mochizuki Rokuro]] volunteers for a rename upon joining up with the Braves and Yukimura chooses to bestow him with his childhood name, Benmaru. Funnily enough, the other Rokuro is against it because it's not proper for a lord to give his name to a delinquent orphan. [[spoiler:This turns out to be foreshadowing for Benmaru's second meaningful rename as the historical "Sanada Daisuke" when Yukimura adopts him as his heir in the sequel.]]
* [[SweetPollyOliver Taki Ren]] takes the name Taki Rentarou to study at Melite as suggested by the director when he realized she was [[spoiler:the daughter of an old friend who had died of tuberculosis 15 years ago. Mr. Taki had told the director he would name his unborn child Ren if she was a girl and Rentarou if he was a boy because adding -''tarou'' makes names more masculine in Japanese]].
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'': Black Knight Bruford briefly reverts to his original honorable self thanks to being hit by Jonathan's Ripple. Right before the Ripple destroys him for good, he passes on his sword "Luck" to Jonathan. He also renames the sword "Luck & Pluck" (adding the letter "P" in blood next to the engraved "Luck") to acknowledge Jonathan's courage.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'': In the past, Giorno Giovanna was born Haruno Shiobana. When he was 4-years-old, his mother married an Italian man and they moved to Italy. There his name was changed to Giorno Giovanna to make him fit in with his new home.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': [[spoiler:Emporio defeating Enrico Pucci causes a ResetButton that erases Pucci and his created universe as a whole, creating a newly restored universe and permanently altering the lives of the main cast (who had previously died in the final battle). The ResetButton ''also'' changes [[TheHero Jolyne Cujoh's]] name to Irene, which symbolizes two things. The first is that despite Jolyne and her allies being brought back, they are still significantly different due to their life experiences being much different (in short, they're the same people in terms of biology and basic personality, [[LossOfIdentity but not experience]]). The second is that Irene no longer has the letters in her name that make her a [=JoJo=] (her original name being '''Jo'''lyne Cu'''jo'''h), symbolizing that there's no need for the Joestar bloodline to continue their fight with evil. With Pucci RetGone, DIO's legacy has now ended with his death in 1989, several years before Jolyne/Irene's birth]].
* Tohru and Kanna Kamui in ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' both take Kobayashi's family name as their own after moving in with her. Tohru wouldn't mind taking it as her ''married'' name, but this also represents both dragons' divorce from their fantasy-medieval home reality and their FamilyOfChoice dynamic with Kobayashi herself. Especially notable as Kanna goes by Kobayashi Kanna, not keeping the Kamui component.
* Lily Hoshikawa in ''Anime/ZombielandSaga''. Originally a StageName, she officially adopted it sometime during her career in showbiz due to being [[spoiler: a transgender girl]].
* In ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'', as punishment for their '''highly unjust''' actions against Naofumi, King Aultcray and Princess Malty are renamed by the Queen of Melromarc as [[spoiler:Trash]] and [[spoiler:Bitch]] respectively to match their true natures. The former eventually accepts the name, while the latter just grows worse from there.
* ''Anime/CrossAnge'': Any of the [[UnSorcerer Norma]] who are sent to the PenalColony Arzenal have their names forcibly changed to one-word names, usually a shortened version of their name, to reflect that they lose everything of their old lives. For example, Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi became Ange and Alektra Maria von Loewenherz became Jill. They only regain their original names when they die, as they are honored by having their original names written on their tombstones.
* In ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'', Carlos Santana was taken in by the owner of the Bara FC and legally adopted, and during that time he was forced to wear the Bara surname. When he turned 17, he revealed during a press conference all the abuse his adoptive father submitted him to and announced he was going to retake his original surname, in the memory of the loving parents who raised him until their untimely deaths.
* In ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'', after Satoru Mikami [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin died and reincarnated as a slime]], the first friend he made in that world was the Storm Dragon Veldora. To signify their friendship, Veldora proposes that they each give each other names. Veldora is given the surname Tempest, based on his epithet, and this surname is combined with Rimuru, a name that sounds as cute and non-human as Satoru now looks, to get Rimuru Tempest. The Tempest part also ends up appropriate due to how Rimuru's actions in the new world end up shaking up the natural order.
* ''Manga/HinowaGaCrush'': When Hinowa was killed in battle, her daughter Hinata renamed herself Hinowa and took her place, wanting her mother's name to be known worldwide.
* In ''Literature/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'', Richard's assumed last name "Ranasinghe" was given to him by his mentor.
* In ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'':
** "William James Moriarty" assumes his name after murdering the original William James Moriarty and passing his body off as his own.
** Irene Adler also gets a rename after faking her death and assuming the name [[spoiler:James Bond]], sharing the first name with James Moriarty and the last name taking from her relationships and connections to friends.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Subverted [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]] when [[spoiler:Big Mom's Homie, Zeus, permanently fuses with Nami's Clima-Tact]], he asks her to give him a new name to complete his change in allegiance. However, he hates Nami's new name, [[spoiler:Cotton (or Fluff), so he decides to keep being called Zeus.]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* In some societies (the Cherokee, for instance), a person is given a name when they're born, then receives a new name upon being recognized as an adult. Often the new name reflects some aspect of their personality or social role. In pre-modern/non-Western societies with very high infant and child mortality, this custom may have originated because many babies would not live to become functioning members of society.
* In ancient China, men adopted style names upon reaching adulthood, and emperors were referred to by their ruling era, with a new name granted posthumously. Indeed, it was socially taboo for somebody to call somebody else of the same generation by their birth name.
* In pre-Meiji Japan, it was common to give a baby a short, easy-to-remember, and auspicious name that would be used throughout childhood and then to create a full-length adult name when the person came of age. Childhood names were customarily written with a single kanji while adult names used two or more. It was common for an older family member or a social superior to honor the person coming of age by "gifting" them a kanji from their own adult name to incorporate. A person might be renamed more than once in their lifetime, in honor of major events like inheriting a title or taking Buddhist monastic vows. The custom began among the nobility and the warrior classes (the first to adopt true surnames in place of patronymics or epithets) and eventually spread to the merchant and peasant classes as well.
* During the Japanese colonial periods in Taiwan and Korea, Taiwanese and Koreans were 'advised' to change their names from the original Chinese and Korean style to Japanese, which many proceeded to do, in part to avoid potential discrimination against those with native names.
* People who convert to a new religion sometimes change names to reflect their new faith. This seems to be particularly prevalent with Western converts to Islam. Famous examples include boxing legend UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli (formerly Cassius Clay), American football player/sportscaster [[UsefulNotes/NFLOffensivePlayers Ahmad Rashād]] (Robert Moore), basketball players Creator/KareemAbdulJabbar (Lew Alcindor) and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson), singer/songwriter Yusuf Islam (Music/CatStevens), or in an earlier century, General Abdallah Menou (Jacques Menou de Boussay). Nation of Islam members often replace their surname with an X as a rejection of their "slave name" before taking on an Arabic name (most notably UsefulNotes/MalcolmX, who was born Malcolm Little). Islam does not require this[[note]]Generally speaking, although it is encouraged if your pre-conversion name is problematic for Muslim theology or would cause confusion; e.g. a convert from Hinduism named Krishna might want to change his name to avoid honoring a Hindu god (who from a Muslim perspective is a false god), and a convert from Christianity named Christian might want to change his name to avoid confusing people unnecessarily. On the other hand, there's no principled reason in Islam to require someone with a name outside these categories to change their names; if someone named Edward (an Old English name meaning "rich protector") or Maria (a Biblical name of a woman celebrated in Islam, albeit not as the Mother of God) or Theodore (a Greek name meaning "given by God") or Indira (a Sanskrit name meaning "beauty" or "splendor") wanted to keep their name after converting, that should be fine. Indeed, several non-Arabic, non-Biblical pre-Muslim names have become quite popular as "Islamic" names (most notably Rostam, a pre-Muslim Persian hero whose name was adopted by Arabic-speakers; it's particularly popular in Egypt, though Egyptians usually pronounce it "Rostom").[[/note]] and the choice is supposed to be voluntary (although some were duped or misled into believing otherwise): Creator/DaveChappelle has been a Muslim since 1998, but did not change his name and while Music/SineadOConnor has changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat after converting to Islam in 2018, she still uses her birth name as her stage name.
* Jewish converts to other religions: 19th-century German theologian Johann August Wilhelm Neander (Greek for "new man") used to be David Mendel before he was baptized. German poet Creator/HeinrichHeine used to be Harry Heine before he converted to Christianity. Some Jewish converts retain the ''meaning'' of their name, but translate it to other language. ''Baruch'' Spinoza became ''Benedictus'' Spinoza after baptism. Both names mean "blessed" - Baruch in Hebrew and Benedictus in Latin.
* It's customary for Jewish children to get a ceremonial Hebrew name at birth, in addition to their common name. Thus, people who convert to Judaism as adults must give themselves a Hebrew name, though it's not so much Meaningful Rename as Meaningful Additional Name, or perhaps [[IKnowYourTrueName True Rename.]]
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subud Subud]], a "spiritual movement" that started in Indonesia in the 1920s and gained a following in America in TheSixties, advises its members to change their first names if they feel it doesn't reflect their inner self. This was really just a carryover from Indonesian culture, where people will sometimes change their name following an illness or misfortune, to signify a new beginning. Notable Subud members who did this were [[Music/TheByrds Byrds]] leader Roger [=McGuinn=] (formerly Jim [=McGuinn=]), comedian/writer/singer/[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} voice actor]] Lorenzo Music (originally Jerry Music) and actor/musician Creator/HamiltonCamp (previously Bob Camp).
* Western and Central European princesses who married into the House of Romanov had to become members of the Russian Orthodox Church and that usually entailed changing their name, partly because of the limited number of given names officially recognized by the Orthodox Church. However, princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst did not choose the existing Russian form of her name (Sofya) when she married the heir to the Russian throne, but instead became Katherine (Yekaterina), later Empres [[UsefulNotes/CatherineTheGreat Catherine II (the Great)]].
* French Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, Prince of Ponte Corvo, was elected heir to the throne by the Swedish Estates. He had to join the established Lutheran church, and in the process changed his name to the more Swedish Karl Johan, later king Karl (Charles) XIV. "Johan" is Swedish variant of French "Jean".
* Roman Catholic Church
** [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Popes]] usually take a new name upon being elected pope. This custom started with Pope John II in 533, who, prior to becoming pope, was named Mercurius. He felt it inappropriate for a Pope to be named after a Roman god. While it is a custom, it is not a hard and fast rule, and men elected to the papacy are free to use their birth name if they desire. However, this has not happened since the brief reign of Pope Marcellus II in 1555, and every man since then has used a new name upon election.
*** In 1978, Albino Luciani departed from tradition by being the first man to use a double name by combining the names of his two immediate predecessors when he decided to be called John Paul I. After his very short reign, his [[UnexpectedSuccessor successor]] took the name John Paul II to honor all three men.
*** Upon his election as Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio decided to use the papal name ''Francis''. This was the first time in several hundred years that a man had taken a Papal name that had not been used previously. It was also the first time in several hundred years that the Pope did not have an ordinal number after his name. (John Paul I specified that he would be known as the first when asked what he would be called). Pope Francis will only be called Francis I if and when a future Pope takes the name ''Francis''.
** Catholic nuns often take a new name upon taking their final vows.
** Less significantly for the purposes of this trope, Catholic teens take a saint's name upon receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, although these days their Confirmation name may often in fact be the same as their birth name (if they happened to be named after a saint); even if it is not, they tend to continue to be addressed by their birth name in practice, so this last one isn't nearly as good an example of this trope.
* Other real-life examples for monarchs (as well as more fictional examples) can be found in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regnal_name Regnal Name]] article on [[Website/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]].
* In European nobility the title(s) held within a certain family can take precedence over the family name, including when the holder(s) sign papers, etc. This works to such an extent that sometimes the original name is widely forgotten (for instance, outside of Britain not too many people recall that the Duke of Marlborough's family name is Churchill). The change from one name to another can indicate an individual's position within the family hierarchy. To use a fictional example to illustrate this real-world phenomenon, in P. G. Wodehouse's Blandings novels, there is the Threepwood family headed by Clarence, Ninth Early of Emsworth, who is colloquially referred to as Lord Emsworth and would sign letters "Emsworth". His elder son, his prospective heir, is Lord Bosham, holder of a minor Threepwood title that presumably was born by his father while the Eight Earl of Emsworth was still alive.
** A real-world example from France: In the house of Bourbon-Condé, a side-branch of the royal house of France, the head of the family was the Prince of Condé (referred to as simply "Monsieur le Prince" at the royal court) and his prospective heir was the Duke of Enghien.
** Also the Cavendish family of England—the head of the family is the Duke of Devonshire, and his eldest son is (traditionally) the Marquis of Hartington (though for some reason he may also style himself 'Lord Cavendish'.)
** When UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte became Emperor, he made his brothers and his brother-in-law Joachim Murat take Napoleon as a second name when he made them monarchs of other countries, clearly a reminder of just who put them on their thrones. When he also started to award titles of Duke and Prince to various marshals, generals, and ministers, he also was very punctilious to use these new titles instead of the family names. It was very noticeable that except in cases where it could not be avoided (e. g. Marshal Kellerman, Duke of Valmy, who was too old to have served under Napoleon) he generally gave the generals titles referring to battles in which they had served under his command rather than independently. Thus Marshal Masséna was made Duke of Rivoli and later Prince of Essling rather than e. g. Duke of Zurich (a very important battle Masséna won in 1799 before Napoleon's coup d'état).
* Lots of Communist revolutionaries did this.
** UsefulNotes/JosefStalin was born as "Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili", later Russified the name to "Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili", took the secret name "Koba" during the Bolshevik Revolution, and then changed to "Stalin" ("Man of Steel") to symbolize his power, his distancing himself from his Georgian heritage, and his new Soviet identity. The notable part is that, apparently, "Stalin" is grammatically incorrect since noun formation doesn't work like that in Russian--but would ''you'' say so to Stalin? (He'd probably say, [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem "Well, now it does!"]])
** [[UsefulNotes/VladimirLenin Vladimir Ilyich Lenin]] was born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, though it doesn't appear to be a symbolic change (it was just one of several pen names he used to dodge the [[SecretPolice Okhrana]]). Indeed, when the Soviets went around [[PleaseSelectNewCityName went around renaming cities after Bolshevik leaders]], they freely renamed Simbirsk (Lenin's hometown) "Ulyanovsk"--a name it retains even [[UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia after the fall of the Soviet Union]].
** Lev Bronstein changed his name to UsefulNotes/LeonTrotsky (conveniently hiding his Jewish identity) when escaping from Siberia for the first time. The name, incidentally, was a joke--at the time it would heave been seen as a typical "backwards provincial Ukrainian" name, and Trotsky (by his own telling) took it from a guard at a prison he had been held at in Odessa.
** Yugoslavia's [[UsefulNotes/JosipBrozTito Tito]], formerly Josip Broz.
** Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh (meaning "he who brings the light", who used 2 or 3 other meaningful names, including Nguyen Ai Quoc, or Nguyen the Patriot),
** China's Sun Yat-sen, born Sūn Démíng, used several other names during his life.
* Various Palestinian leaders, many of whom liked using the ''kunya'', or Arab inverse {{UsefulNotes/Patronymic}}, i.e. calling yourself "Abu [name of eldest son]" (where "Abu" means "father of"). Often the son was fake, adding an extra level of confusion (e.g. Yasser Arafat went by "Abu Ammar", but had no son by that name); other times, the name was real (e.g. Mahmoud Abbas, a.k.a. Abu Mazen, whose eldest son really was named Mazen).
* Some people who changed their identity to escape from Nazi persecution [=and/or=] fight in the Resistance retained their new names afterwards:
** French general Jacques-Philippe Leclerc was born Philippe Francois Marie, comte de Hauteclocque.
** Social Democratic (West) German federal chancellor Willy Brandt was born Herbert Frahm.
* The brothers Darius Paul Bloch and Marcel Bloch (both from a Jewish family, though Marcel at least converted to Catholicism) were both members of the French Resistance. (Marcel was actually sent to the concentration camps in 1944 for being an ethnic Jew and also for refusing to cooperate with the occupation.) Darius was an armor general and gave himself the Resistence ''nom de guerre'' "Chardasso", from the French "''char d'assault''" for "tank"; his brother, an aerospace engineer, adopted "Dassault" based on this. After the war, they both formally changed their surname to "Dassault", giving rise to France's premier military aviation company.
* In a somewhat humorous example, NFL player Chad Johnson changed his name to Chad [[GratuitousSpanish Ochocinco]] in the mistaken belief it was the Spanish word for his jersey number, eighty-five. In fact it translates as eightfive. Ochenta y cinco is eighty-five in Spanish. (He would later change his name back to Johnson.)
* Honduran player Carlos Pavón Plummer changed the order of his last names when he finally decided he would recognize his father at age 36. I wonder how commentators will feel about calling him by a different last name now that he is more or less ending his career (though he could further cement his legend status by scoring in the World Cup).
* Christopher [=McCandless=] renamed himself Alexander Supertramp after he graduated from college, gave away all his money, and decided to wander the country, as documented in the book and film ''Into the Wild''.
* Several cities have [[PleaseSelectNewCityName more than one name reflecting each time they have been conquered]]. Sometimes it might be advisable to be careful which name you use, as that reflects who the "legitimate" owner is and the locals might be touchy.
** [[UsefulNotes/SaintPetersburg Sankt-Peterburg]] was renamed Petrograd during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI to become less "German" and more "Russian",
** [[{{Egopolis}} Leningrad]] to honour the father of the Soviet Union, and then after the fall of communism, it became Sankt-Peterburg again.
** After the so-called battle of Hastings, the place where it actually had happened (Senlac) became Battle, after the battle of Minden (1759) the nearby village of Tonhausen ("clay-houses") was renamed Totenhausen ("dead men's houses"), and Eschenbach, home of the medieval poet Wolfram of Eschenbach, is now called Wolframs Eschenbach.
** A well-known American example is the city of UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}}, formerly Nieuw Amsterdam.
** The Northern Irish city formerly known as Londonderry. It was originally called Derry (Gaelic: Doire), but was officially renamed during the 17th century, although until the 1960s both names were generally used interchangeably. Since then Unionists (Protestants) typically prefer to call it by its original name, and that name is still used on most maps. Nationalists (Catholics) disapprove of the use of the word 'London' in the name, and insist on calling it 'Derry'. Because of the still politically charged nature of the area, and lingering memories of the troubles, one must be careful of what name is used. Local radio announcers have resolved the issue by calling the city London/Derry, pronounced "London-Stroke-Derry", or "Stroke City".
** The city of Byzantium was renamed to "Nova Roma" (New Rome), but was widely known as Contantinopolis (Modern, Constantinople, the City of Constantine). Currently, it is known as "Istanbul", the Turkish form of a Greek phrase (''eis ten polin", to "TheCity") that was used during the Byzantine era. However, during the Ottoman period, it was known as "Konstantiniyye" (the Turkish form of "Constantine"), even in official texts.
* During the French Revolution a number of place-names were changed because they included references to royalty or specific kings, running from streets and places (e. g. the Place de la Concorde, formerly Place Louis XV in Paris) to cities and islands (e. g. Réunion, formerly the Isle de Bourbon). Many of these renamings survive to this day. During the Reign of Terror, there were also renamings of cities, etc. that rebelled against the revolutions once these rebellions were suppressed. Thus Lyon became ''Commune affranchie'' ("liberated community"), Toulon ''Port-de-la-Montagne'' ("port of the mountain", a reference to the radical ''Montagnards'' in the national convention), Marseilles ''Ville-sans-nom'' ("city without a name") and the dapartment of the Vendée ''Vengée'' ("avenged") for a time.
* Many noblemen who supported the French Revolution -- or at least wanted to pretend they did -- dropped the aristocratic-sounding "de" from their name or fused it with the rest, and abandoned their seigneurial names in a similar fashion: examples include Louis-Nicolas Davout (formerly d'Avout), Louis-Antoine Desaix (des Aix de Veygoux) and Etienne Bordesoulle (Etienne Tardif de Pommeroux de Bordesoulle). For most of them, the change stuck even after the Restoration.
* In UsefulNotes/NaziGermany hundreds of towns and villages, especially in East Prussia and Silesia, were renamed because their names were too obviously Slavic or Lithuanian in origin. In the case of northern East Prussia, which became part of the Russian Federation after World War II, all towns and villages then got all-new Russian names rather than reverting to the old Lithuanian and West Slavic names, partly to set off the Kaliningrad from neighboring Lithuania (then the Lithuanian SSR).
* Lithuanian capital Vilnius went through several phases of this. While the historical capital of Lithuania, it was, by the beginning of the 20th century, a mostly Polish-speaking city with largely Jewish population surrounded by mostly Belarusian countryside. It was also known by several different names among various ethnicities. It officially became Vilnius, the Lithuanian version, once the Lithuanians took it over when Poland was defeated in 1939 by the Germans and the Soviets. In a peculiar concession to Lithuanian national sentiment, Soviets officially kept the name Vilnius even in Russian references after annexing Lithuania later that year, rather than Vilna as it was previously known to the Russians.
* Renamings of streets etc. are one of the most common forms of meaningful renames, reflecting changing attitudes to historical figures and events. East Germany went through two big waves of this, first under the Nazis, then under Soviet occupation and during the GDR.
** World War II-era renamings in Russia (and Russian controlled territories) became the basis of the following joke: A Russian Guide in Moscow says to a visiting British military officer in 1942: "This is Eden Hotel, formerly Ribbentrop Hotel", "We are on the Churchill street, formerly Hitler street", "The Beaverbrook railway station, formerly Goering railway station." The British officer: "Thank you, comrade, formerly bastard!"
** A recent example from West Germany: In 2012 a referendum was held in Münster in Westphalia to rename the ''Hindenburgplatz'' in front of the university building (and former episcopal palace) to its pre-World War 1 name ''Schlossplatz'' ("palace square") in view of Hindenburg's crucial role in helping Hitler to power.
** In the 1970s Glasgow City Council renamed a street 'Nelson Mandela Square' in honour of the ANC leader, then still in prison. [[TakeThat It just happened to be the street where the South African Consulate is located...]]
** After 1870, most Italian cities with a cathedral renamed the main street going to said church after September 20, the date [[UsefulNotes/WarsOfItalianIndependence the Italian troops occupied Rome and ended the Papal opposition to the unification]]. A rare exception is Rome itself, that instead renamed after the date the street starting at Porta Pia, the gate in the walls the Italians broke through.
* Many early Zionists replaced their names with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebraization_of_surnames Hebrew names]], to erase remnants of their life in exile and to show their commitment to a new Jewish nation. This turned into an official policy during the administration of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (originally Grün), when all state officials were ordered to Hebraize their surnames. And while new ''olim'' (immigrants) to Israel today often retain their surnames, many if not most will change their given names to their Hebrew names (famous ''refusenik'' Anatoly Sharansky kept his surname but adopted the Hebrew name Natan upon emigrating to Israel).
* Many immigrants to the United States [[NaturalizedName changed their names]] either to blend in better in their new surroundings or to avoid majority prejudices against their particular ethnic group (or out of exasperation with Anglophones trying to pronounce it properly). There is a myth that many immigrants were assigned new, usually British-sounding names by immigration officials at Ellis Island, but this is untrue; at most, some of them might have inadvertently anglicised the spelling or pronunciation and the new arrivals decided to [[SureLetsGoWithThat just go with it]] for simplicity's sake.
** Also happened to the US-born children of immigrants. For just one notable example, Lukasz Musial, a Polish immigrant to Pennsylvania whose original family name was Musiał (the last letter of which does not exist in English), and his wife Mary gave their fifth child the names Stanislaw Franciszek. However, when the boy was enrolled in school, his name was officially anglicized to Stanley Frank Musial. Yes, ''that'' [[UsefulNotes/HistoricalPeopleToKnowInMLB Stan Musial]].
* Slaveholders would often give a newly acquired slave a new name, which could involve the given name and the family name (often the slave-owner's own).
* A lot of people are called by the name their parents gave them as kids, but as they get older, they'll start going by their middle name or a nickname for any number of reasons.
* The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, being a very German name, was not that popular an appellation in Britain during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. It became even less popular when the German air force started bombing raids against London using their Gotha bomber. As a result, in 1917 they changed their name to UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor, of whom you have probably heard.
** This was reportedly in response to Creator/HGWells' complaint about Britain's "alien and uninspiring" court. George V is said to have said, "[[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne I may be uninspiring, but I'll be damned if I'm alien]]!"
** Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw took a more cynical view of this in the 1919 preface to his play ''Heartbreak House'':
--> "Tearing the Garter from the Kaiser's leg, striking the German dukes from the roll of our peerage, changing the King's illustrious and historically appropriate surname for that of a traditionless locality, was not a very dignified business; but the erasure of German names from the British rolls of science and learning was a confession that in England the little respect paid to science and learning is only an affectation which hides a savage contempt for both."
** Speaking of the royal family, it will eventually become the house of Mountbatten-Windsor; the Mountbatten name is also the result of a similar Meaningful Rename when Lord Battenberg caved in to British Germanophobia during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI (funnily enough, they did not rename Battenberg Cake in Britain). On the other hand, the royal house of Belgium, another branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha with grievances against German, did not change its name and continues to use it to this day.
*** They ''did'' technically change the name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Belgium, it is used in official documents and identity cards, though it is still called its original name by everyone.
* British monarchs haven been known to take different regnal names from time to time.
** After the death of King George V, his elder son Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David ruled as King Edward VIII, despite having gone by the name David most of his life with his family and close friends. Similarily, his brother Albert Frederick Arthur George decided to rule as George VI in honor of his father upon his brother Edward's abdication despite having gone by the name "Bertie" among his friends and family.
** This was averted in the case of George VI's daughter Elizabeth, who said she would continue to use the name Elizabeth once she became Queen.
** Prior to the death of Elizabeth II there was speculation that Charles would use the regnal name ''George VII'' in honor of his grandfather, and to avoid association with the two previous English Kings named Charles. However, after Elizabeth's death in 2022 Charles averted this by deciding to reign as King Charles III.
* During World War II, references to Axis countries became illegal in Brazil. Hence two teams known as Palestra Italia, founded by immigrants, changed their names - one in São Paulo became Palmeiras to retain the logo with a "P", while one in Belo Horizonte became Cruzeiro to keep the blue uniforms.
* In the 20th century, members of ethnic minorities in various European countries either chose to adopt a name more in keeping with that of the majority ethnicity or were compelled to do so. With frontiers moving on a few occasions, this could happen more than once to the same family.
** The phenomenon is somewhat older. For instance, when Corsica's bid for independence was defeated and the island indisputably became part of the Kingdom of France, the small nobleman Carlo Buonaparte frenchified his name to Charles Bonaparte and his sons Giuseppe, Napoleone and Luciano officially became Joseph, Napoléon and Lucien (even though they continued to use the Italian forms at home for years). This move was looked upon as a [[LesCollaborateurs sell-out]] by Corsican nationalists, while in later years some of Napoléon's enemies would treat it as foul imposture by someone who wasn't really French at all and therefore pointedly referred to him as ''Buonaparte''.
** A recent example of this was the late Turkish weightlifting great born in Bulgaria as Naim Suleimanov. During his early weightlifting career, Bulgaria forced all of its Turkish minority to change their names, and he then became Naum Shalmanov. After defecting to Turkey not long before UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag, he took back his original given name and Turkicized his family name, thereby becoming Naim Süleymanoğlu.
* Averted by town of Wolfsburg, Germany. The town hosts the gigantic factories of Volkswagen AG and was originally founded by the Nazi Party, and named simply ''Stadt des [=KdF=]-Wagens'' (Town of [=KdF=] Cars). The British occupation changed the name in 1945 to Wolfsburg after a nearby castle to de-Nazify the town. In this case, a meaningful name was changed into something non-meaningful.
* A district of India held a renaming ceremony for [[http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-10-22/India-women-names/50869628/1 285 girls named Unwanted]] ("Nakusa" or "Nakushi" in Hindi) in an effort to fight gender discrimination caused by religious restrictions and the expense of marrying off a daughter.
* Almost without exception, this is the case for UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} people. Often this will involve taking the name of someone they respect (real or fictional). It can be a MeaningfulName in addition to Meaningful Rename if the name is something like the other gendered name their parents picked out or carries some other significance (although a SobriquetSexSwitch is a lot rarer than most cisgender people seem to believe). This is also often part of the legal process of being recognised as their actual gender (in countries where human rights have sufficently progressed to allow it). This naturally also leaves them with the inverse of this trope; their deadname (so called because -- depending on how cheerful you feel -- it's linguistically dead, like Latin, or because it's the name you're buried under if you die before you can change it[[note]]or write a will[[/note]]).
* In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, especially in Germany, it was quite fashionable for people to show off their erudition by changing their names to a Latin or Greek name that was either a direct or loose translation of their original name (e. g. ''Neander'' (Greek: new man) for ''Neumann'', ''Agricola'' (Latin: peasant, farmer) for ''Bauer'') or something with a similar sound. Thus Jean Cauvin became Johannes Calvin(us), and one of Martin Luther's closest collaborators interpreted his name ''Schwarzert'' as ''Schwarz-Erd'' ("black earth") before translating it into Greek as ''Melanchthon''. Martin Luther himself looked at this with some amusement and said that if he ever did this himself, he would call himself ''Eleutherius'', a name that sounds like an elaboration of ''Luther'' and is based on Greek ''eleutheria'' ("freedom").
** The man now known as Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart is listed in the original baptismal record as Joannes Christophus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; since this document was written in Latin, it is not clear if 'Theophilus' means that his third name was actually 'Gottlieb' (which means the same thing) or 'Theophil'. When he first travelled to Italy, he discovered the Italian form of the name, 'Amadeo', and started using that, although he soon preferred using the French form 'Amadé'. He never did use Amadeus, though, and people who knew him well enough apparently just called him Wolfgang (or derivations thereof).
* When [[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion writer Gary Keillor]] starting submitting stories to magazines he changed/"extended" his first name to Garrison because it sounded more distinguished.
* Civil rights activist UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr was born with the name Michael King, as was his father. The elder King changed both their names in honour of Martin Luther when the younger King was five years old -- King Jr. grew up to become a Protestant preacher.
* The [[LegionOfLostSouls French Foreign Legion]] used to require applicants to sign up under a different name, though this is now optional.
* After the fall of UsefulNotes/FascistItaly during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the destroyer ''Camicia Nera'' ("Blackshirt") and the battleship ''Littorio'' ("Lictor") were renamed ''Artigliere'' ("Artilleryman") and ''Italia'', as the previous names were too closely associated with the Fascist regime.
* During the Turkish War of Independence, three provinces, Maraş, Urfa and Antep, saw some of the heaviest fighting. After independence in 1923, these provinces had honorary titles added to their official names, becoming Kahramanmaraş (Maraş the Heroic), Şanlıurfa (Urfa the Glorious) and Gaziantep (Antep the Veteran[[note]]This title should not be considered DamnedByFaintPraise in comparison with the others. Although the direct translation for "Gazi" is "Veteran", it generally refers to someone heavily injured in the line of duty, similar to a Purple Heart recipient, and therefore denotes significant respect in the Turkish culture[[/note]]). Unlike most examples in PleaseSelectNewCityName, the shorter and longer versions are both acceptable, though the longer versions are considered more formal.
* Carl Linnaeus, the naturalist who invented taxonomic nomenclature, ''would'' have been named Nilsson as per Scandinavian tradition, had his father not adopted this trope to complete his enrollment paperwork at the University of Lund. Needing ''something'' to put down as a "family name", Nils chose "Linnaeus" in reference to a gigantic linden tree that grew on the family property.
** Carl is better known in modern Sweden as ''Carl von Linné'', which is what he called himself after being knighted. His family kept changing their surname as they gradually moved up from one social class to another, Nilsson being a farmer's name, Linnaeus being a scholar's name, and von Linné being an aristocrat's name.
* Black civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael adopted the name "Kwame Ture" (in reference to African leaders Kwame Nkrumah and Ahmed Sékou Touré) in order to link his own name to his pan-African ideals, as he rejected the idea that black people should just integrate into white institutions. He passed down the name "Ture" to his children too.
* An inverse of the example from the film ''Film/AirForceOne'' happened when Richard Nixon resigned. Nixon was onboard Air Force One when his resignation took effect and Ford was sworn in. The pilot then radioed the air traffic controllers to officially change the plane's call sign from Air Force One to SAM 27000 (the standard call sign used for the plane when it wasn't transporting the president).
* J. D. Vance, most notable as the author of ''Literature/HillbillyElegy'', did this when he married his Yale Law classmate Usha Chilukuri in 2014. The future author, whose last name before the wedding was Hamel, did not want to use the name of the stepfather who had abandoned him and saw a chance to symbolically start a new life. He and his wife took the name of the grandparents who had largely raised him.
* NBA player Enes Kanter, effectively rendered [[TheStateless stateless]] by his former home of Turkey[[note]]he was born in Switzerland while his Turkish father was doing university research, and had only held Turkish citizenship[[/note]] in 2017 due to his activism against the country's leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, did this when he became a US citizen in November 2021. While he kept his original name, he legally adopted the new surname of Freedom, obviously symbolizing his feelings upon gaining a new home country.
* The custom of "quốc tính" - "surname of the nation", i.e. the family name of the king, since the king is the father of the nation - appeared briefly in Vietnamese history during the Lý and Trần dynasties. It was awarded to people who made great contributions to the ruling dynasty. For example, Lý Thường Kiệt was born Ngô Tuấn (or Quách Tuấn, depending on the source), renamed Ngô Thường Kiệt as an adult, and awarded the surname Lý for his military successes and wise counsel. This was stopped in 1467 (the Lê dynasty), and Emperor Lê Thánh Tông allowed descendants of the people awarded surnames to return to their original names.
** The custom of renaming continues, after a fashion, to this day. Initially, children were referred to with simple, if not plain "no one sane would actually call your child that" names, in order to avoid attracting demonic attention. It was believed that demons liked children with beautiful names, and would kill the children. They would be addressed with fancier names upon adulthood. The rigors of this custom have relaxed, as children nowadays can get "home names" like Puppy, Kitty, or even foreign-sounding names. However, as compulsory education came into effect, children had to be addressed by their legal names at school. HilarityEnsues (or aggravation) annually for teachers, because many parents forget to teach their first-graders to respond to their legal names.
* The high school located in San Anselmo, California (north of San Francisco) had a ridiculously convoluted example of this. It had been UsefulNotes/SirFrancisDrake High School, home of the Pirates, since 1951, named for the street it's located on, which was named in honor of Drake because of his 1579 voyage to the nearby coast. In 2020, concern over Drake's connection to the slave trade led the school district to remove his name from the school, temporarily renaming it High School 1327[[labelnote:explanation]]Its address is 1327 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.[[/labelnote]] while taking suggestions for a new name. A long list was whittled down to eight names, including Creator/GeorgeLucas High School (Lucas is a longtime resident of San Anselmo) and San Anselmo High School.[[labelnote:*]]The district indicated that it didn't like this name, because the school's attendance area included other towns besides San Anselmo, and, having a saint's name, even in Spanish, might seem non-inclusive to non-Catholic students[[/labelnote]] Finally it came down to two finalists: Bon Tempe (the name of a nearby reservoir) and Olema Trail (the old name for the route of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in the language of the Miwok people). But Miwok representatives objected to having their language used for the school's name, so Olema Trail was eliminated. With only Bon Tempe left standing, three other names were quickly added to the list: Cascade, Oak Valley and Archie Williams, the latter being an African-American Olympic runner who later taught at the school. In May 2021 it officially became Archie Williams High School, home of the Falcons.
* One of the most notorious headlines of 2021 was a story about a promotion by a sushi chain in Taiwan. The condition was that the person who wanted free sushi for themself and their five friends [[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56442439 had to change their name to "Salmon"]]. Almost 200 people complied and at least one person [[https://www.todayonline.com/8days/eatanddrink/newsandopening/man-stuck-salmon-dream-name-after-changing-it-sushiro-free-flow was stuck with his new name]], as Taiwan law only allows three name changes in a lifetime. (No word on what Mr Chang's previous renames were though.)
* When he decided to abandon traditional Ancient Egyptian religious practices and institute [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atenism Atenism]] as Egypt's state religion, Pharaoh Amenhotep IV ("Amun is satisfied") changed his name to Akhenaten ("Effective for the Aten") to demonstrate his change of faith. After his death, a backlash against Atenism took place, leading his son Tutankhaten ("Living image of Aten") to instead adopt the name Tutankhamun ("Living image of Amun") to show that he wouldn't continue his father's hated religious policies.
* Following their purchase of Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, Creator/{{Disney}} proceeded to rename the film company to 20th Century Studios as a way [[RenamedToAvoidAssociation to distance the studio from its former owner Fox Corporation]], who own the television networks Creator/{{FOX}} and Creator/FoxNews.
* Guthrum the Old, one of the leaders of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Heathen_Army Great Heathen Army]] of (mostly Danish) vikings who invaded England in the 9th century, ended up converting to Christianity as part of the peace terms upon his defeat by UsefulNotes/AlfredTheGreat. This frankly was actually in Guthrum's interests, as he had wanted to become King of East Anglia, which title the same peace treaty allowed him to claim. Upon his conversion, he adopted the name "[=Æthelstan=]", which--interestingly--wasn't specifically Christian (it's an Old English name meaning "noble stone" or (less literally) "gem/jewel"),[[note]]It's cognate with the (stereotypically Jewish) German surname "Edelstein"[[/note]] but ''was'' very Anglo-Saxon/English, suggesting his choice had as much to do with ingratiating himself to his new subjects as to his new faith.
* When Music/KellyClarkson went through a divorce, she went through an extreme case of TheMaidenNameDebate: instead of just changing back from her ex's surname, she removed it altogether, [[https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kelly-clarkson-finalizes-legal-name-change-to-kelly-brianne-details/?fbclid=IwAR0HYdVNkfEKIv-hcHW-nUb0cCYkeYIE9ErVlpULdB91VJgBO0MLuGXxpTo and her legal name is now Kelly Brianne]].
* Supposedly happened ''three times'' to an unfortunate man living in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France (French [[UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar up to 1870]] when Germany took over, then French again after 1918, then German again between 1940 and 1944, has remained French since): His original name was Gare, but the Germans who took over mispronounced it as "Vahre", which became his new name. When the French reclaimed it ''they'' misheard it as "Vache" (cow). The WW2 Germans then addressed him as Kuh (cow in German). When the region returned to the French, Mr. Kuh was now known as Mr. Ass (as "kuh" sounds like "cul").
* The Swedish zoo Skansen had a famous King Kobra named Sir Väs (the Swedish name of Sir Hiss from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973''. Then Sir Väs escaped from his terrarium in the fall of 2022, forcing the aquarium portion of the zoo to close down the better part of the week he was missing. Once he was located and returned home he was renamed Houdini.
* Eric Blair combined the name of England's patron saint and the name of a river near his home in Suffolk in adopting the PenName of Creator/GeorgeOrwell.
* Creator/GSCGameWorld renamed the upcoming sequel to ''VideoGame/{{STALKER}}'' from ''Heart of Chernobyl'' to ''Heart of Chornobyl'', to do away with the Russian pronunciation and use the Ukrainian one instead, since there's been considerable consolidation of UsefulNotes/{{Ukrain|e}}ian patriotism in the wake of the mass scale invasion by UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} that started in 2022.
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** Jedi younglings who come from a famous family are given new names to prevent them from finding out who their birth families were and reforming an attachment. This is one of the things that makes it more difficult for Anakin to find out what became of Padme's sister after she was taken by the Jedi.

* A relatively minor example in ''Fanfic/MyMother''; Leia has never had a middle name, but when Padme reveals that she would have given her the middle name of 'Shmi' after her paternal grandmother if she had the time, Leia's acceptance of that name is the first sign to Padme that Leia is coming to accept her father's side of the conflict.

** The rulers of Naboo take a new name when they ascend to the throne, which is how Padme Naberrie became Queen Amidala. Even after her time as queen is over, she's still Padme Amidala.

** Oddly enough, [[spoiler: Lord English changed his name to that from Caliborn after he suffered his first-ever defeat at the hands of Jake English, Jade's post-Scratch son.]] [[ArcWords Weird]] [[TimeyWimeyBall Plot]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext Shit]] applies.

* ''Film/TheHolyOffice'': Luis de Carvajal changes his name to José Lumbroso (=the one who burns in his faith) after King David tells him to in a vision.