History Main / OnlyKnownByTheirNickname

[[SisterTrope Related to]] EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep, but that is about people being referred to exclusively by their jobs or what they're best known for doing. Also related to StageNames. Does not include {{Fan Nickname}}s, {{secret identit|y}}ies, or explicit pseudonyms. Also doesn't include people who [[MeaningfulRename give themselves new names following an act of self-reinvention]], and [[ThatManIsDead stop responding to their old name]] (e.g. [[Literature/HarryPotter Voldemort]]). Exceptionally badass examples of this trope fall into the RedBaron. Obvious and common contractions, i.e. someone's full name being William but introducing themselves as Bill, don't really count either.

* The title characters of several series:
** ''Radio/FibberMcGeeAndMolly''
** ''The Whistler''
** ''The Shadow''
** ''Boston Blackie''
* Also, some supporting characters
** Eddie "Rochester" Anderson of ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram''.
* Columbus "Lum" Edwards of Radio/LumAndAbner.
* Radio/TrueCapitalist: "[[CatchPhrase I am your host, the man they call Ghost.]]"
* ''Radio/NewDynamicEnglish'' gives last names to every character from the courseware Module 1-4 except for Kathy.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname/FanFic

** On the surface, ''Disney/TheLionKing'''s Scar appears to be named after his scar, but [[AllThereInTheManual in a semi-canon]] [[Literature/TheLionKingSixNewAdventures novel series]], it's revealed that his given name was "Taka." This isn't much better, however, as it's Swahili for ''dirt/trash'', which goes to show [[TheUnfavorite his status in the family]].

** Tramp from ''Disney/LadyAndTheTramp'' has a rather strange name. [[JustifiedTrope He is a homeless stray though, so he probably named himself, since no human named him.]] Later it's subverted, since that becomes his name (minus "The") once he's adopted. This is also an example of EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep, because one of his old flames wrote a song about him called "He's a Tramp," and the name stuck.
** ''Disney/{{Dumbo}}'''s name is actually Jumbo Jr. He doesn't seem to mind the cruel nickname he's given, but his mother certainly does (at least at first).
** When it comes to the members of ''Disney/BigHero6'', Hiro and Fred are normal names, and Baymax is a {{robot name|s}}. But Wasabi, [=GoGo=] Tomago, and Honey Lemon? They're nicknames given to them by Fred. AdaptationNameChange is in play for Wasabi and [=GoGo=]; in the original comics it was "Wasabi No-Ginger" (and it was unclear it was if that was a nickname or his real name), and Jamie Chung ([=GoGo=]'s voice actress) says that the latter's real name is [[spoiler: Ethel]] instead of "Leiko Tanaka." Given that, like the other two, Honey Lemon was {{Race Lift}}ed, it's unlikely "Aiko Miyazaki" is her real name, either.

* ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'':
** ''Everyone'' except [[OnlyOneName Junpei]] is eligible for this trope in ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors''. The nine players of the [[DeadlyGame Nonary Game]] decide to create nicknames for themselves based on their bracelet numbers, and then there's Zero, their kidnapper, whose name is also fake, and a couple more characters who also receive nicknames temporarily for the sake of explaining their deaths until the others figure out their real ones. Ultimately, we get to know all their real names except for [[NoNameGiven Seven]]. Clover is a DoubleSubversion: [[RealNameAsAnAlias her real name actually is Clover]], [[spoiler: and using her real name turns out to bite her in the ass, showing just ''why'' the characters were using aliases to begin with.]]
** ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'':
*** Zero III is usually called Zero Jr, to differentiate him from the actual mastermind of the Nonary Game, who also calls himself Zero (and players call him Zero Sr.) Zero Jr's official name is [[spoiler: Lagomorph]].
*** K claims he doesn't remember his name so the players just call him K. [[spoiler: Depending on the timeline K is either Kyle Klim (who actually has amnesia) or Akane Kurashiki (who is faking it)]],
** Q from ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'' is for most of the game only called such. [[spoiler: The real Q's name is Delta, and the name of the person [[PlayingThePlayer the player believes to be Q]] is Sean]].

* Zen and 707's real names (Hyun Ryu and Luciel Choi, respectively) in ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'' are mentioned in the prologue, but V (himself an example of this trope) is nearly the only one to use them. There's also a double-nested example with [[spoiler:707: a player who does the Casual Story first will probably assume that Luciel is his real name, but the Deep Story reveals that Luciel is actually his baptismal name and Saeyoung is his true birth name.]]
* ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'':
** It's revealed in her introduction that Rosé Mulan isn't the woman's real name, but her {{stage name|s}}. Whatever it actually is doesn't get revealed.
** Up until all his quests are done and he formally introduces himself, D-Man is only known as such. The nickname came about [[spoiler:by him shortening Desk Man, since he was a desk editor for a magazine in life.]]

** ''Disney/{{Dumbo}}'''s name is actually Jumbo Jr. He doesn't seem to mind the cruel nickname he's given, but his mother certainly does.

* Many, ''many'' characters from ''[[Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale]]'', though several of them may not even have real names to begin with.
* Duck from ''[[Podcast/TheAdventureZoneAmnesty]]'' was this for the vast majority of the podcast, until episode 35 revealed his real name was [[spoiler:Wayne]]. However, several people in universe still haven't heard his real name by the end, thus still fulfilling this trope.

* Many, ''many'' characters from [[Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale]], though several of them may not even have real names to begin with.
* Duck from [[Podcast/TheAdventureZoneAmnesty]] was this for the vast majority of the podcast, until episode 35 revealed his real name was [[spoiler:Wayne]]. However, several people in universe still haven't heard his real name by the end, thus still fulfilling this trope.

** On the surface, ''Disney/TheLionKing'''s Scar appears to be named after his scar, but [[AllThereInTheManual in a semi-canon]] [[Literature/TheLionKingSixNewAdventures novel series]], it's revealed that his given name was "Taka." This isn't much better, however, as it's Swahili for ''dirt/trash''. His parents obviously loved him. {{Not}}!

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

** Lumpy, originally from ''[[Franchise/WinnieThePooh Pooh's Heffalump Movie]]'' and later ''My Friends Tigger & Pooh'' and a couple of other Disney ''Pooh'' works has the full name of Heffridge Trumpler Brompet Heffalump the Fourth. However, he can (almost) never remember it, so everyone just calls him "Lumpy."

[[folder:Pinballs]]

* ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'' Trilogy:
** ''Everyone'' except [[OnlyOneName Junpei]] is eligible for this trope in ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors''. The nine players of the [[DeadlyGame Nonary Game]] decide to create nicknames for themselves based on their bracelet numbers; and then there's Zero, their kidnapper, whose name is also fake; and a couple more characters who also receive nicknames temporarily for the sake of explaining their deaths until the others figure out their real ones. Ultimately, we get to know all the real names except for [[NoNameGiven Seven]] and [[OnlyOneName Lotus]].\\\
It should be noted that Junpei's companions make a DoubleSubversion out of this trope: Junpei gives them arbitrary nicknames in his head, and then they proceed to say their names... The ''code'' names based on their bracelet numbers. On the other hand, Clover zig-zags this trope by subverting it three times: [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep her real name really is Clover]].

*** Zero III is usually called Zero Jr, to differate him from the actual mastermind of the Nonary Game Also calling himself Zero(and players call him Zero Sr.) Zero jr's official name is [[spoiler: Lagomorph]].
*** K claims he doesn't remember his name so the players just call him K. [[spoiler: Depending on the timeline K is ither Kyle Klim or Akane Kurashiki]],
** Q from ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'' is for most of the game only called such. His real name is [[spoiler: Delta]].

*** "Taka" is also Swahili for "to want/to wish". This was most likely the intended meaning.

* All the Servants in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' continue using only their class names long after their true identities are revealed. It can be a bit awkward to refer to an apparently teenaged girl by the term "Saber". The only one who is commonly referred to by name is Gilgamesh, who is often called Archer by Saber.

[[folder:Music -- Work]]
* The main character of {{Music/Savatage}}'s ''Music/StreetsARockOpera'' is known only by his drug dealer nickname "DT Jesus". The "DT" stands for both "de-tox" and "downtown". The AllThereInTheManual story provides another nickname unused in the lyrics, "the Savior on Avenue D".
* Music/TheWhiteAlbum is the name people usually use to refer to the album "The Beatles" (1968).
* ''Music/MTVUnpluggedInNewYork'' is generally referred to as "Unplugged In New York".
* The nameless [[TheHero main hero]] in "The Emerald Sword Saga" by ''Music/RhapsodyOfFire'' is referred to [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard many titles]] such as [[TheChosenOne Warrior of Ice]], the Man from Loregard, [[GrimUpNorth the Nordic Warrior]] and [[MasterSwordsman the Swordmaster]].
* The protagonist of Music/MelanieMartinez's ConceptAlbum, "Cry Baby", is only ever referred to as that. According to the song "Cry Baby" she received the nickname because she cried a lot as a child. The music video however implies that is ''literally'' her name, as her older brother wrote that on her birth certificate (though it's possible they changed it later).

[[folder:Music -- Musicians]]
* Ace Frehley, formerly of Music/{{Kiss}}. Only his wife addresses him by his real first name, Paul.
* Bruce Dickinson of Music/IronMaiden his real first name is Paul.
* Music/{{Korn}}:
** The bass player, Fieldy. Most people don't know his real name is Reginald Arvizu.
** To a lesser extent, Korn's guitarists James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head" Welch.
* Music/EvelynEvelyn is a performance art duo supposedly made up of ConjoinedTwins, both named Evelyn. Their official names are Eva and Lyn Neville, but during their HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood nobody ever bothered to remember which one was which, so the twins themselves can't remember either.
* Canadian SynthRock band Music/TheBirthdayMassacre have stage nicknames; while some members just use their real names (Owen, formerly O-en Falcore and Nate) some band members' real names are not public knowledge (Rainbow and Chibi, as well as former members Aslan and Dank).
* When asked about his name in an interview, Christian Lorenz, keyboardist of Music/{{Rammstein}}, responded that his nickname Flake is his proper name.
* Angel guitarist (and the inspiration for Music/FrankZappa's song, "Punky's Whips") Punky Meadows. Sounds a lot better than his real first name of Edwin.
* Ian "Lemmy" Kilmeister of Music/{{Motorhead}}.
* Music/JohnnyGuitarWatson: The word "Johnny" and the word "guitar" in his name, derived from the film ''Film/JohnnyGuitar'', are practically the official way of referring to him in the press.
* 1920s {{Blues}} singer Robert Hicks also worked as a cook at a Georgia barbecue restaurant, so his record label combined this with EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep and billed him as Barbecue Bob.
* Alecia Moore, better known as Music/{{Pink}}.
* Tre Cool (Frank Edwin Wright III) and Mike Dirnt (Michael Pritchard) of Music/GreenDay. Averted by Billie Joe Armstrong, whose name really ''is'' Billie Joe.
* Many BlackMetal artists' pseudonyms become more well-known than their real names: More people are probably familiar with original Mayhem guitarist's pseudonym "Euronymous" than his real name, Oystein Aarseth.
* Stefani Joanne Angelina "Music/LadyGaga" Germanotta.
* Rappers too numerous to mention.
* [[Music/MileyCyrus "Destiny Hope Cyrus"]], who later officially changed her name to "Miley Ray Cyrus."
* Charles Hardin Holley aka "Music/BuddyHolly". Without the e.
* Gordon "Music/{{Sting}}" Sumner.
* John Simon Ritchie [[spoiler: Sid Vicious]] -- His death certificate had Simon and John around the wrong way.
* Saul [[Music/GunsNRoses "Slash"]] Hudson.
** Slash bandmate Michael "Duff" Mckagan.
* Ron "Pigpen" [=McKernan=] of the Music/GratefulDead.
* Michael "Flea" Balzary of the Music/RedHotChiliPeppers.
* Music/RingoStarr: Richard Starkey is the only [[Music/TheBeatles Beatle]] not known under his real name. [[Music/PaulMcCartney James Paul McCartney]] used his middle name "Paul" to distinguish himself from his father.
* Music/OzzyOsbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler of Music/BlackSabbath; their real first names are John, Frank and Terence, respectively.
* Thomas "Fats" Waller. Not to mention [[Music/FatsDomino Antoine "Fats" Domino.]]
* Salvatore "Sonny" Bono. Politician as well as singer.
* Paul "Bono" Hewson and Dave "The Edge" Evans of Music/{{U2}}.
* William "Smokey" Robinson.
* Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer. American actress and singer.
* Alvis "Buck" Owens.
* Andrew "Greedy" Smith from Australian band Mental As Anything.
* Marvin Lee Aday is much better known as Music/MeatLoaf.
* Zakk Wylde of Music/BlackLabelSociety his real name is Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt.
* Music/{{Pantera}} Abbott Brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. They real name is Darrell Lance Abbott and Vinnie Paul Abbott.
* Music/{{Godsmack}} drummer Shannon Larkin, his first name is James.

[[folder:Pinballs]]
* The movie-within-a-game of ''[[Pinball/LightsCameraAction Lights... Camera... Action!]]'' names the main characters after playing card ranks — "Ace" (TheHero), "King" (BigBad), "Queen" (CampGay), "Jack" (TheDragon), and "10" (TheChick).

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* Just about every {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er ever. [[DoNotCallMePaul Has a trope named after]] the two Pauls, Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/TheBigShow, who only go by their ring names.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Series/SesameStreet'':
** Snuffy's real name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus. Even though almost everyone on the series refers to him by his nickname, his mother usually refers to him by his real name.
** Cookie Monster, whose real name was eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:Sid.]]
** "My name is Guy Smiley, and they call me Guy Smiley because I changed my name from Bernie Liederkrantz!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Redcloak from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. He gives himself and his one-eyed brother Right-Eye easy-to-remember nicknames after witnessing their soon-to-be-partner Xykon murdering a lizardman for having an [[TheUnpronounceable Unpronounceable]] OverlyLongName. Sort of evolves into a MeaningfulRename over time.
* "Fox" Maharassa of ''Webcomic/FriendlyHostility'' [[BerserkButton reacts with violence]] to being called by his real name -- "Kailen". WordOfGod is that this is due to years of having to listen to people mispronounce it (it's supposed to be something like "Ka-ee-len", not "Kay-len".)
* Riff from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' is actually named "Riffington." No one except his mother has ever actually called him that, except to tease him.
* ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'':
** Syrus "The Virus" Zuviel is generally only referred to as Virus, unless the person referring to him is either far lower-ranking or far higher-ranking.
** Ryoushi Nekittou ("Rogue") is only called Ryoushi by other Daemon Hunters.
* Smic from ''[[http://www.jaydenandcrusader.com Jayden and Crusader]]'' is known to all, including his girlfriend, as Smic, which is an abbreviation, apparently, of Strange Man in Cupboard. His real name is Sir Reginald Vladimir Gregory Maximillian Augustus Posthumus Alexander Nicholas Derby, the third Earl of Derbyshire. Apparently the name Smic was adopted for convenience.
* ''Webcomic/PathToGreaterGood'' - the mannequin-like creature which apparently saved Tobi writes "3" as its answer to any question... so that's what Tobi calls it.
* In ''Webcomic/SoDamnBright'', Anxiety's name is actually Ana Cortez, but "only relatives are allowed to call [her] that."
* [[Webcomic/CrowbarBenson "Crowbar" Benson]]. His real first name is unknown to readers, due to the fact that he is only ever referred to by his nickname.
* K from ''Webcomic/{{Blip}}''. Her full name is unknown to the readers, and even to her boyfriend.
* ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'':
** [=PeeJee=], whose real name is Penelope Jennifer Shou. Aubrey and Jason's daughter, Pamela Joycelyn Chorde, is called [=PamJee=] or "Little [=PeeJee=]" after her.
** [[OverlyLongName Shazam Wil-Wheaton Dowden-Patel's]] name is usually shortened either some variant of his first name (usually by his father) or middle name (by his mother).
* Vauxhall from ''Webcomic/ATaleOfFiction'' is known only as 'Room' to his roommate Harper for a very long time.
* In ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'', Jason "Fooker" Barker is initially known only by his nickname to Ki until she interviews at GPF.
* Vulture of ''Webcomic/MyLifeAtWar'' (at least we think that isn't his given name) and to a lesser extent Big Al.
* Used as a major plot point when [[Webcomic/SluggyFreelance Teddy Weddy]] becomes a character in ''Webcomic/OneOverZero'', as speaking his real name will awaken him from the dead. [[spoiler:He finally comes alive when Zadok realizes his real name was Theodore.]]
* A variation in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''. Jade's penpal ([[spoiler: Jake English]]) was only known by his initial, J. After his full name was revealed, J itself turned out to be a nickname for him from one of his friends. Similarly, other characters referred to [[spoiler: Roxy Lalonde]] and [[spoiler: Dirk Strider]] by [[LastNameBasis their last names]], their initials, [[spoiler: Ro-Lal for Roxy and Di-Stri and Bro for Dirk]] before their proper introductions. This is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by the narration.
** As revealed on [[http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005520 this page]], "Doc Scratch" is only a nickname.
** "Lord English" is likewise pointed out to just be a title, and is what the character was known as for the majority of the comic. His true name is eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:Caliborn]].
* Shroomy is the only ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland'' character whose real name doesn't show up in the official [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/newbiestuff/electricwonderland.html bios]].
* In ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty'', the title character is only known by his nickname. He once [[https://twitter.com/CommanderKitty/status/3564273957 tried]] to reveal his real one on [[CharacterBlog Twitter]], [[TheUnreveal only to run out of space]].
* In ''Webcomic/{{Life}}'', the male lead is not actually named Edward -- but Felicia, and everyone who knows him through Felicia, calls him that.
* Shadowpalm in ''Webcomic/LsEmpire'' is an example played for laughs. When your [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 1709 year old brother]], who has known you his entire life, doesn't even know your real name, you qualify.
* There is a minor villain in ''{{Webcomic/Roommates}}'', who introduced herself as "Odile", when she debuted in an arc based heavily on ''Theatre/SwanLake'' (and ''{{Film/Inception}}'') so this isn't her name, it was her [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep part]]. She kept the name for convenience later so it's more this trope nowadays.
* ''Webcomic/KarinDou4koma'': Inukai Suzume is almost exclusively known by her [[PunnyName punny nickname]], Catherine ("[[NonhumanHumanoidHybrid Fire-bird-dog]]" �> "Ka-Tori-Inu" �> "Catherine")
* Buddy Champ Oven from ''WebComic/{{Precocious}}''...sorta. [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep That's actually his]] [[RuleOfFunny full name.]] [[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2009/05/23 Blame his dad Joseph.]]
* Amical, Curio, Adrestia and Flux from [[{{Webcomic/Morphe}} morphE]] are only known by their Mage names. Also, Asia Ellis didn't choose a Shadow name with the others because Asia is not her birth name and so cannot be [[IKnowYourTrueName magically used against her]].
* In ''Webcomic/GoGetARoomie'' Roomie and WOC have not had their real names revealed to date.
* ''Webcomic/MenageA3'' has some minor examples:
** Zii notes in [[http://www.ma3comic.com/strips-ma3/i_just_blew_it an early strip]] that her real name is Suzi, but nobody ever calls her that. Strictly speaking, "Zii" is just a contraction of her real name, but it's unusual enough to count.
** Everybody calls [=DiDi=] solely by that nickname -- except Sandra, who usually calls her Desirée. Again, "[=DiDi=]" is a sort of contraction of her real name, but it's both slightly unusual and [[GagBoobs highly descriptive]].
** A one-character-only version; Gary was originally referred to by Yuki solely as "Violator-San". However, after he gave her flowers (made out of [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mushrooms]] and drum sticks), she started [[FirstNameBasis calling him by his real name]]. [[http://www.ma3comic.com/d/20110407.html Or not.]]
* Zig Zag from ''Webcomic/SabrinaOnline'' has only got angry a few times, one of which was when Sabrina addressed her as 'Miss Zumbrowski'. She very firmly established that her name is ''Zig Zag'', and that Zumbrowski was just the name she gave the IRS.
** She seems to have got it changed by deed poll. Later in a courtroom a lawyer questions the fact that they're calling her Zig Zag and she states she "...has the paperwork and everything".
* In ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'', [[http://dragondoctors.dhscomix.com/archives/comic/ch-2-page-19 "Sarin" was a nickname given to a poisonous bully of a child at an orphanage]] -- and although Sarin [[HeelFaceTurn learned better than to continue being that person]], she never actually told anyone her birth name until [[spoiler:[[http://dragondoctors.dhscomix.com/archives/comic/ch-17-page-45 she proposed to Mori]]]] (and she still goes by 'Sarin').
* In ''Webcomic/TheSilverEye'', Melete Dolan is referred to as "Blue" or "Blue Dolan" by everyone except Bhatair.
* The villain of the "Identity" arc in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' is only known by his forum handle. He actually tries to announce his real name several times, but no-one cares. Even when other characters who know his real name arrive, they never actually use it.
* The Dreaming Dome teachers in ''Webcomic/AliceAndTheNightmare'' do give their names at the beginning of the lesson, but after that, both them, other characters and the narrative refer to them as Dee and Dum.
* Assistant in ''Webcomic/{{Gloomverse}}''.
* Cog Kleinschmidt from ''Webcomic/{{Clockwork}}'' goes exclusively by the nickname his sister gave him as a baby, as it has more meaning attached to it than his real name for him after his father and sister began calling him it.
* The {{Super Soldier}}s from ''WebComic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'' don't have "real" names so much as serial numbers, so they mostly go by self-selected monikers. For example, the main character's serial number is "D37-9E-B52", so he called himself [[Music/TheB52s Rock Lobster]] (it was both more humble and more accurate than "Love Shack"), and his siblings/batchmembers/squadmates are "D37-9E-A53" (Ace), "D37-9E-J37" (Jet) and "D37-9E-C47" (Cat). Jet is HappilyMarried to V47-KR-A43 (Angel). However, Rock Lobster is very rarely referred to by either name or serial number. Most people adress him by as "Commander" or, more fully "Commander Badass".
* In ''Webcomic/TheBackOBeyond'', Sawbones is only ever referred to by his job title.
* In ''Webcomic/TheBoyfriendOfTheDead'' due to Ghost Amnesia N has no idea what his name was while alive. He does have a business card with his face on it, but a combination of being ripped up then taped back together and covered in bloodstain's has rendered it illegible, save for the first letter of his name: "N". [[OneLetterName So that's what they call him]].
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'':
** Played with when Dimo and Violetta describe the Storm King's favorite weapons. Dimo calls the sword "Slasher" and the mace "Smasher", while Violetta corrects him with "Archimedes' Lever" and "The Platonic Solid". They both agree that both weapons were extremely powerful, and their full abilities were unknown.
** It's a long time before the reader learns that "Grandmother's" actual given name is [[spoiler:Terebithia]].
** The old fighter who used to ride with the Jägers and is now a sandwich maker is called 'Old Man Death' which is unlikely to be his given name but the only other thing he's addressed as (by his granddaughter) is 'Grandpa'.
* In ''Webcomic/ValAndIsaac'', only Minnow's parents and sometimes her girlfriend really call her "Melody", and Space Dread's true name is completely secret (the setting's BlackMagic works on IKnowYourTrueName, and apparently Space Dread's real name is worth a ''fortune'' to some of her enemies).
* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': To various degrees. Dabbler, Harem, Anvil, Math, Mr. Amorphous, Achilles, Jiggawatt, and Varia all primarily use their superhero identities in common conversation, but Maxima, Brook (Heatwave), Hiro (Super Hiro), Adrian, and Vance all use their civilian names more. And of course, none of them have ''secret'' identities. Sydney falls somewhere in the middle, with the press generally referring to her as "Ms. Scoville," her coworkers referring to her as Sydney, and her fans using Halo.
* Magical Girls in ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'' often have nicknames or titles that they go by when "on the job", but typically use their real names among themselves or when not transformed. One exception to this is Heartful Punch, who prefers to go by her Magical Girl title, or HP for short, over her real name, Kokoro, because she doesn't like how cute her real name is. It's treated almost like a BerserkButton by other characters, who call it the "Forbidden Name" and Undine is the only person with permission to use it. One character who approaches HP realizes she doesn't even ''know'' her real name and ends up calling her "Miss Punch". Even the comic website's character sheet calls her "Heartful Punch a.k.a. Kokoro" when everyone else has it the other way around.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* [[BirdPeople Avianaut]], the BigBad of ''WebAnimation/StarshipGoldfish'', in his own words he doesn't have a name for himself, but other people call him that so that's what he uses.
* The Whisperer in ''Roleplay/{{Enigma}}''. Very few even know what he looks like (or what manner of feline he is), let alone his actual name.
* Vex and Vax in ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' don't usually get called by their full names (Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan) unless they're being officially addressed, and [[OverlyLongName Percival Frederickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III]] just goes by Percy. Gilmore is also this, by way of LastNameBasis.
* In ''WebVideo/EchoChamber'', [[BestKnownForTheFanservice Porn Girl]] is always "Porn Girl". For that matter, [[MysteriousEmployer Mr. Administrator]] [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep seems to be the only one of the main cast]] who isn't TheDanza.
* In ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', after Frank [=DuFresne=] makes his introduction, his teammates declare his name too hard to remember, so for the rest of the series he's only been known as "Doc." [Grif's] Sister is an even worse case, since her real name Kaikaina was first revealed in external materials. Most of the Freelancer agents are only known by their codenames, though we do know the first names of some of the more relevant ones - Tex is Alison, Washington is David, Wyoming is Reginald, etc. Sarge fell under this trope for a long time, until Season 14 revealed that HisNameReallyIsBarkeep.
* In the [[Website/{{Chooseyourstory}} CYS]] story-game WebOriginal/{{Eternal}}, your abusive teacher is initially known only as Mistress. Even after her real name is revealed, she is still often referred to as Mistress.
* [[WebVideo/RedPandaAdventures The Red Panda]] is never referred to by his real name, even in his secret identity.
* Does [[WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog Captain Hammer]] have a civilian name? Who knows?
* In ''WebVideo/TheGuild'', most of the characters prefer to be addressed by the names they use in the game they all play. We, the audience, still don't know the real name of Tinkerballa, a.k.a. Tink.
** Spoiler! As of season 5, we do. It's [[spoiler: April Lou, which is why she hid it.]]
* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': The Custodes that the Emperor has chosen as his confidante is only known to the other Custodes as... [[EmbarrassingNickname little Kitten]].
* Several WebVideo/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum agents work this way, picking [[AwesomeMcCoolname whatever sounds cool]]. Agents adopted from badfics also tend to have to change their names. Within RealLife this is because of copyright issues in case the badfic author sees it and gets annoyed, and within the canon the characters tend not to want to be reminded of their badfic-related pasts.
* Everyone in The Literature/BinderOfShame is known by a [[MeaningfulName Meaningful Nickname]], to protect their real-life identities.
* Calling [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation Yahtzee]] "Ben" is good way to piss him off.
* In WebVideo/PhilthonJones, it's always "Jones", never James.
* The [[LetsPlay Let's Players]] of LetsPlay/TippingForties have all taken to using their real names rather than online handles with the exception of Micheal aka bandunk, who is generally referred to as bandunk with the exception to the OnceAnEpisode greeting.
** Conversely, the LetsPlay/FreelanceAstronauts all call each other by their respected handles (Maxwell Adams, Evek, Ferr, and pipes!!). Of course, every once in a while, they'll slip up (either in a moment of IsThisThingStillOn? for Evek or {{Angrish}} for pipes!!), and that's when their Ustream erupts in chatter.
* WebVideo/EpicMealTime's Muscles Glasses.
* Abused in the ''Roleplay/MSFHighForum'', with [=NPCs=] of Mitchell. There's a good reason, though. He's terrible with names!
** Examples include Snuggles, the hug-happy Kappa; Apprentice, the apprentice demonslayer; and The Mysterious Deviling, a Deviling cowgirl.
* The Mallers from ''AudioPlay/WereAlive'' seem fond of this. Latch, Scratch, Bricks, and Puck are all nicknames or may be nicknames. The Colony also has Gatekeeper who names himself after whatever job he has at the time.
* On the game music podcast ''Podcast/NitroGameInjection'', co-host Suraida never goes by her real name on the air.
* Odd example in Website/SomethingAwful's Spring/Summer[[WebcomicTime (/Fall/Winter]] 2011) Ghost Story Thread: The [[http://nothotbutspicy.com/para/50fa3/ "Site Kilo-29"]] (finished on SA) and [[http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3402557&userid=64773 "Cursed Snoopy"]] (after the pictures; apparently abandoned?) epics by users 50 Foot Ant and[=OneWhiteWhisker=]. Because these eerie stories are framed as actual events, they're always referred to as Fifty or Sgt. Ant and Whisker (son of Mr. and Mrs. White) by characters within the story but only as covers for their real names. Which makes the time when Sgt. Ant actually shouts [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "I AM THE FIFTY FOOT ANT!"]] extra hilarious ("Sgt. Ant, are you calling yourself an ant?").
* The protagonist of ''Literature/LovelaceOneTwo'' is named Andrea Gannett-Moore, but everyone -- students and teachers alike -- calls her Andi.
* [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/art/Bunny-in-her-Proper-409443930 Bunny]] is, well, referred to as, well, Bunny but, according to [[http://tokiandcowiki.wikidot.com/wiki:bunny-rabbitwright her profile]], her real name is Ethelinda Berniece Rabbitwright. However, her real name or rather shorter forms of her name have been mentioned in some stories. Naturally, people merely refer to her as "Bunny" or, as Toki or Doki calls her, Usagi. Her little sister's name is Madgeline and she is generally known as Madgie.
** We also have this with [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/art/Jinx-and-Spin-213888113 Jinx and Spin]], to which Amoridere states their real names are [[Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg Jinxers]] and Spinner respectively.
** Toki-Doki Rose [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/art/Toki-Doki-Rose-406248626]] is mostly called "Rose", even by her mother. However, that could be because the "Toki-Doki" part isn't really apart of her name any more than it probably is a title or an optional extension, which is something that, apparently, doesn't have to be apart of her name.
* If certain comments are to be believed, a rather large number of [[LetsPlay/JackSepticEye JackSepticEye's]] subscribers don't seem to realize his real first name is Sean.
* [=YouTube=]-based sword enthusiast Björn Kronisch is almost always referred to as either WebVideo/{{Skallagrim}} or Skall.
* Due to ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'' happening mostly inside the game the characters are playing, this is the case of a large majority of the cast. The real names so far known are those of Fantöm (Max Middle), Arthéon (Stanislas Chatelain), Gaea (Gabrielle Jolivet), Omega Zell (Morgan Lavande), Sparadrap (Kevin Lepape), Golgotha (Catherine Mourru), Ystos (Thomas [[spoiler:Lepape]]), Saphir (Elena Penelope Gonagal), Couette (Angélique Fleur), Ivy (Fanny Blanchet) and Judge Dead (Théodore Saquebien). The game creator is the only character only called by his real name. The identity of the player behind a given avatar is a regular source of plot twists.
* From Wiki/{{Killerbunnies}} we have: Computer Virus, her real name is Cassandra Vanessa.
** There is also Visceraline and that is only because her full real name is too long or hard to say.
** Remilia is an interesting case in that she was actually born Fraulein Petersen and "Remilia" was actually name given to her by he adoptive father, taking the name Remilia Fraulein Petersen. However, her real name, "Fraulein" is also in question as per her updated profile
** The Evans Triplets are mostly known by their nicknames being either Fern, Tommie, and Flori or their nicknames Scissors, Chainsaw, and Nails.
** According to their profile, Kamu was originally named Kuma but for some reason decided to go by "Kamu" instead. It's never stated but it could have something to do with the fact that "Kuma" can be easily misspelled as "Kamu"
** Hattie's real name is Harriotte.
** According to her deviantArt description, Milo is generally known by various nicknames, one of which being Mahalo
** Experiment [=XI0014101=] is more often than not called "Marigold" and she ''prefers'' to be called that, over the aforementioned.
** Oleander is normally called nicknames, more commonly Imogene, because, apparently, people can never seem to remember her real name.
** Fae Chantrea's real name is Fleurdelice Belladonna Fae Chantrea Enderstone
** Farahilde is typically called Fabienne or "Fabie"
** We also have Experiment 0099-404 who tends to go by "Mikie" or, rather, "Michealenne"
** Cerise's real name is Hyacinth Angelica Cerise Blumenthal
** Ardith is typically called Ardie.
** Xylona, Cybie, and Bria are actually named Absinthe, Cybele, and Briallen.
** Rudolphina is usually called "Rudie" and her little sister often called "Frie-Rox"
** Greasestain's real name is "Gunhilde"
** Frankie is short for "Francinia"
** Harlie is typically called "Gas" and you can see why
** Racquel is called "Nia"
** Second Liberator's real name is Saoirse Lizanne
* Ered from ''WebAnimation/CampCamp'' is only called by her full name, Meredith, by her parents in "Parents' Day", and even then she tells them to call her Ered.
** "Space Kid" is even bigger example of this trope, for much of the series, Space Kid was the only thing any of the characters called him and when asked, he claimed he was named after his grandfather [[UsefulNotes/{{NASA}} Neil Armstrong]] which of course no one believes, [[spoiler: at least till "Parents Day", where his HonoraryUncle ''Buzz Aldrin'' reveals that he is in fact, named Neil Armstrong Jr.]]
[[/folder]]

* Zakk Wylde of Music/BlackLabelSociety his real name are Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt.
* Music/{{Pantera}} Abbott Brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. They real name are Darrell Lance Abbott and Vinnie Paul Abbott.