History Main / NameMeaningChange

'''Grant Ward:''' It means someone really wanted our initials to spell out "shield".

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

--> '''Maria Hill:''' What does S.H.I.E.L.D. stand for, Agent Ward?
--> '''Grant Ward:''' Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
--> '''Maria Hill:''' And what does that mean to you?
--> '''Grant Ward:''' It means someone really wanted our initials to spell out "Shield."

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', [[Characters/{{Runaways}} Nico Minoru]]'s Staff of One was originally named because it could only cast any spell once. In ''ComicBook/RainbowRowellsRunaways'', it's revealed that the name actually comes from the fact that it's powered by an entity called The One. The same series also retconned the origin of the Gibborim's name; apparently, they're not really fallen angels (as the name implies) but three godlike beings who happen to be named Gib, Bo, and Rim.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', ComicBook/NicoMinoru's Staff of One was originally named because it could only cast any spell once. In ''ComicBook/RainbowRowellsRunaways'', it's revealed that the name actually comes from the fact that it's powered by an entity called The One. The same series also retconned the origin of the Gibborim's name; apparently, they're not really fallen angels (as the name implies) but three godlike beings who happen to be named Gib, Bo, and Rim.

* ''ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}'' originally stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division; 30 years later, it became Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate; and, in the current [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse and probably most famous incarnation]] (see "Live Action TV" folder below), Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': What the [[BroughtToYouByTheLetterS "S" on Superman's chest originally meant]] changes from version to version. Originally, it was simply an "S" inside of a shield-like logo which obviously stood for the character's chosen codename. When his costume as a whole was later retconned to be derived from traditional Kryptonian fashion, the "S" was also retconned to be a family crest that belonged to the House of El. Later still, the family crest itself was revealed to mean "Hope" in the Kryptonian language, and that meaning has remained ever since.

* Black Canary's superhero name took on a different meaning when the "Canary Cry" was introduced in the '60s.

* In the 2004 film adaptation of ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'', "Manchurian" is used in reference to an in-universe corporation, rather than the region in China as in the original novel and film.

* In the original tale of ''Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast'', Beauty received her nickname because she's so beautiful. In Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''Literature/BeautyARetellingOfBeautyAndTheBeast'', when she first learned the meaning of her real name, Honour, as a child, she said she would rather be named Beauty, and from then on everyone called her that, even after she became a homely teenager.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', UNIT stood for United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, however after the advent of the new series in 2005 this was revised to Unified Intelligence Taskforce due to the fact that the real life UN was less than pleased with being associated with the fictional organization.

* King County in Washington State was originally named after former vice president William R. King, but in the 1980s was renamed after Martin Luther King. Partly because [[VicePresidentWho hardly anybody remembered William R. King]], and partly because the people who did remember him remembered him for being a virulent racist and possibly being UsefulNotes/JamesBuchanan's secret lover.

* King County in Washington State was originally named after former vice president William R. King, but in the 1980s was renamed after Martin Luther King (partly because [[VicePresidentWho hardly anybody remembered William R. King]], and partly because the people who did remember him remembered him for being a virulent racist and possibly being UsefulNotes/JamesBuchanan's secret lover).

* In the original tale of ''Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast'', Beauty received her nickname because she's so beautiful. In Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''Literature/BeautyARetellingOfBeautyAndTheBeast'', when she first learned the meaning of her real name, Honour, as a child, she said she would rather be named Beauty, and from then on everyone called her that.

* In ''Film/StarTrek2009'', Leonard [=McCoy=] gets his nickname "Bones" after joking that all his wife left him in the divorce were his bones. This is a change from [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the original TV series]], in which it's an old Civil War nickname (and [=McCoy=] is from Georgia). "Bones" from "sawbones" i.e. battlefield amputations.

* King County in Washington State was originally named after former vice president William R. King, but in the 1980s was renamed after Martin Luther King (partly because [[VicePresidentWho hardly anybody remembered William R. King]], and partly because the people who did remember him remembered him for being a virulent racist and possibly being UsefulNotes/MillardFillmore's secret lover).

* King County in Washington State was originally named after former vice president William R. King, but in the 1980s was renamed after Martin Luther King.

* In Anime/BorutoNarutoNextGenerations, Orochimaru named his ArtificialHuman child Mitsuki with the characters "Mi" meaning [[AnimalMotifs snake]] and "Tsuki" meaning vessel because he was empty and without his own will. Upon Mitsuki asserting his own personality and goals he changes the second character in his name to the character "Tsuki" meaning moon and leaves his father to find his sun to learn what it really means to be human.

** Brainiac's name was originally just a portmanteau of "brain" and "maniac". After the word became a slang term for genius, it was retconned to be a an abbreviation of '''Brain''' '''i'''nter'''a'''ctive '''c'''onstruct.

Contrast MeaningfulRename. When this happens to a phrase rather than a title, it's HaveAGayOldTime.

Contrast MeaningfulRename. When this happens to a phrase rather than a title, it's GayOldTime.

Contrast MeaningfulRename.

* In the original continuity of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', Leonard [=McCoy=] gets his nickname "Bones" because it's an old Civil War nickname (and [=McCoy=] is from Georgia). "Bones" from "sawbones" i.e. battlefield amputations. In the Kelvin timeline it's from a (rather lame) joke from [=McCoy=] himself: all his wife left him in the divorce were his bones.

May also be a case of PermanentPlaceholder if the title/name was originally meant to be replaced but kept once a fitting reason to keep it came along.

!!Examples

[[AC: Comic Books]]

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]

* In Series/DoctorWho UNIT stood for United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, however after the advent of the new series in 2005 this was revised to Unified Intelligence Taskforce due to the fact that the real life UN was less than pleased with being associated with the fictional organization.

[[AC: Real Life]]

* King County in Washington State was originally named after former vice president William R. King, but in the 1980s was renamed after Martin Luther King.