History Main / OnlyOneName

* During his time away from WWE, Wrestling/CodyRhodes went by just "Cody" due to WWE owning the rights to the "Cody Rhodes" name until November 2020, when Cody gave up the rights to several WCW event names in exchange for his last name back.

* During his time away from WWE, Wrestling/CodyRhodes went by just "Cody" until November 2020 due to WWE owning the rights to the "Cody Rhodes" name

* Many, ''many'' Creator/{{Nintendo}} characters. As a rule of thumb, with few exceptions, only futuristic main characters are given full names (e.g. [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran]] and [[Franchise/StarFox Fox McCloud]]) Specific examples:

** Callie & Marie from ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' are revealed to be granddaughters to Cap'n Cuttlefish. The Octo Expansion {{DLC}} reveals that his full name is Craig Cuttlefish, making Cuttlefish his surname. By that logic, the Squid Sisters' last name would be Cuttlefish.

* [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged]] in ''VideoGame/SecondLife'': In the early days, like in ''VideoGame/OpenSimulator'', you had to give your avatar both names. [[https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/16-changes-to-display-names-based-on-your-feedback/ From 2010 on]], all you could pick was a first name while Linden Lab forced the family name "[[WhoNamesTheirKidDude Resident]]'' upon you. [[https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/4114-now-available-last-names-in-second-life/ Since 2020]], you've been able to select a family name from a pre-defined list [[{{Freemium}} if you pay extra]].

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'':

* In ''WebComic/YokokasQuest'', most characters have only ever used one name (Grace's bio being the exception), though a few have titles such as "[[StellarName of Eridanus]]" or "[[NamesToRunAwayFrom/ThePerson the Reaper]]".

* In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', there are a number of dumb [=A.I.s=] (dumb in the sense of less advanced, not stupid) with only one name--Sheila the tank, Lopez the robot mechanic, and Andy the bomb. Vic is actually an example of EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep--"VIC" stands for Virtual Intelligence Computer. The Freelancer AIs ([[spoiler:and the full smart A.I. they were fragmented from]]) are also known by just one name, a letter from the Greek alphabet.

** This convention isn't restricted to football in Brazil. Most volleyball players, especially men, are also known by a single name. Mononyms are less universal in basketball, but can also be found - Oscar Schmidt and Hortência Marcari, both members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, are universally known in Brazil by only their first names, and after the player born Maybyner Rodney Hilário made it to the NBA, he legally changed his name to his longtime nickname of Nenê.

*** Bishop and Shard, siblings, were mostly known throughout the '90s by only those names and it wouldn't be until the '00s that the former's first name was revealed to be "Lucas" and "Bishop" was their surname.

** ''ComicBook/XMen'': For decades until his true name was revealed, Wolverine was only known as "Logan." Most of his old friends and enemies still call him that.

* Many, ''many'' Creator/{{Nintendo}} characters. As a rule of thumb, with few exceptions, only futuristic main characters are given full names (e.g. [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran]] and [[VideoGame/StarFox Fox McCloud]]) Specific examples:

** Many of the main party members from the ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}''/''VideoGame/{{MOTHER}}'' series have Only One Name. Jeff's is only inferred from him being the son of Dr. Andonuts.
** Krystal, from the ''VideoGame/StarFox'' series, lacks a surname for plot reasons.

* ''Everyone'' in ''[[VideoGame/Onmyoji2016'' except [[HistoricalDomainCharacter Abe no Seimei, Minamoto no Hiromasa]] and Kijo Momiji, but [[spoiler:Kagura]] deserves a special mention for [[spoiler:never being addressed as ''Minamoto no'' Kagura even after the revelation that she is Hiromasa's sister]].

* ''Literature/{{Pendragon}}'':
** Lampshaded in one of the books, where Bobby says something to the effect of, "What is it with these people? Am I the only one with two names?"

''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Friendship Is Magic]]'' has more two-part than one-part pony names, including just a few acting as surnames but there are plenty of single-part names too, and non-ponies more often have single-part names (Spike, Discord, Zecora).
** Occasional episodes will have characters referred to as "The Sparkle Family" or "Mr. and Mrs. Shy", despite the fact that the particle is not present in those character's individual names.
** One family seems to be an aversion, using the invariable, clearly detached word "Cake" as a surname. Their children each have an individual first name and share this family name ; Mrs. Cake [[AllThereInTheManual apparently changed hers]] and was previously called "Chiffon Swirl".

* Almost everyone in the ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' series, to the point that the only full names given are either AllThereInTheManual (Samos and Keira Hagai, though the canon-ness of this is contested) or most likely a joke (Ozmar Itchy Drawers the Third). The only ones who definitely have a last name are Gol and Maia Acheron.

* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' follows roughly the same naming convention as ''Transformers''. On the odd occasion that we get the names of multiple members of pony families, they'll share a [[ThemeNaming theme,]] if that, with proper surnames being either unknown or unused. ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Friendship Is Magic]]'' has more two-part than one-part pony names, including just a few acting as surnames, but there are plenty of single-part names too, and non-ponies more often have single-part names (Spike, Discord, Zecora).

** Like Shepard of ''Mass Effect,'' Hawke of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is only ever addressed by his/her last name. It's because of the HelloInsertNameHere aspect of character creation, but the game indicates that Hawke ''prefers'' to go by their surname. The only ones who don't call Hawke "Hawke" are, naturally, their family members.

* Raymond Joseph Teller from Creator/PennAndTeller legally changed his name to Teller. This has caused him some trouble with computerized systems that expect a full name, so for those purposes, he uses NFN (No Fucking Name) as a stand-in for a first name. Even his social security card reads "Unknown U. Teller".

** Among FrancoBelgianComics creators there is a particular fashion to use noms-de-plume that are phonetic representations of their initials, a fashion probably started by Creator/{{Herge}} (Georges Rémi) that includes Creator/{{Morris}}, Creator/{{Peyo}}, Jijé, Jidéem, Creator/{{Moebius}} (Jean Henri Gaston Giraud), Marvano (Marc van Oppen), Tibet (Gilbert Gascard) and Creator/{{Achde}} (Hervé Darmenton).

* In UsefulNotes/{{Afghanistan}}, former presidential candidate and politician [[RepetitiveName Abdullah Abdullah]] didn't have a surname initially; he added the extraneous name because western journalists kept pressing him for one.

* Every Gauls in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' only have one name which is fitting since it takes place in antiquity.

** The [[ComicBook/WonderWoman Amazons of Themyscira]]. It also applies to the most famous of them: Princess Diana, at least until she came to America, then adopting the surname Prince. All of the Amazons introduced as Amazons rather than becoming an Amazon over the course of the story have only one name, such as [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Mala, Althea, Dalma, Zoe,]] [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Philippus, Io, Euboea]], [[ComicBook/WonderWomanWarbringer Tekmassa]] and ComicBook/{{Artemis}}. This trope also applies to princesses of other cultures:
*** Koriand'r a.k.a. ComicBook/{{Starfire}}. It's a pattern to all people of her homeworld, Tamaran.
*** Maxima of Almerac, originally a StalkerWithATestTube to Comicbook/{{Superman}}. A Comicbook/DCRebirth storyline, however, implies that "Maxima" is a title.
** When the ComicBook/MetalMen got human [[SecretIdentity secret identities]] towards the end of their original run, Tin and Mercury's identities were known only as "Tinker" and "Mercurio".

* In the ''ComicBook/{{Eightball}}'' short "Gynecology," protagonist Epps was born ''Raymond'' Epps, but had his forename legally excised from all government records, apparently as part of one of his many efforts to reinvent himself.
* Although his gangster pursuers refer to him as "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Stooge]]", the protagonist of Paul Pope's graphic novel ''ComicBook/HeavyLiquid'', is generally known as "S". "[[OneLetterName Why have a name when a letter will do?]]"

** ''Franchise/XMen'': For decades until his true name was revealed, Wolverine was only known as "Logan." Most of his old friends and enemies still call him that.
** Common in ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange''. Justifed in the cases of Dormammu, Umar, Rintrah, and Clea, who all come from other dimensions; not so much with Strange's faithful servant and long-time friend Wong.
** Lyra and Skaar, from ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk''. There's also [[Characters/FantasticFourSupportingCharacters Thundra]], Lyra's mother.
** A few extraterrestrials, like Nebula and Groot.
** ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy:'' For decades, Martinex was just known as Martinex. It wasn't until the 90s he got a surname of "T'naga".
* In the Creator/ValiantComics title ''Shadowman'', there is a humorous exchange between the titular hero's girlfriend and the sister of the villain [[{{Necromancer}} Master Darque]]:

* Gargamel in ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' isn't refered by any other name.

* Music/{{Beck}} (Beck David Hansen).

* Chiun from the ''Literature/{{Destroyer}}'' books, although he did change his name from Nuihc.

* [[Music/{{Bjork}} Björk]]. This isn't an affectation, but the normal way to address her in Iceland; like most Icelanders she doesn't have a family name, as her second name Guðmundsdóttir isn't a surname, but a UsefulNotes/{{Patronymic}} (her father's name is Guðmundur).

* Music/{{Elvis|Presley}} is arguably a subversion -- most people know who you're talking about if you just say "Elvis", but most people also know his last name (Presley). During his career, record sleeves and promotions usually just credited him as Elvis from the late 1950s onward; his movies and the actually ''labels'' of the records he released, always credited him by his full name.

* Music/{{Oliver}}, whose full name was William Oliver Swofford. It was his record producer's idea for him to drop his first and last name; it was done without his consent on the record labels, and initially he was angry about it. He believed it to be "crude and contrived" to use only one name, but eventually he warmed to his professional moniker.
* Music/PharrellWilliams is near-universally known as simply "Pharrell".

* Almost all characters in ''Anime/{{Aggretsuko}}'' seem to only have one name, which usually are of the ALizardNamedLiz or ADogNamedDog variety. One glaring exception is a minor character in the TBS shorts whose name is [[TheDanza based on their voice actress's]].
* Ennis is the only character with no last name in ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'', being an [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent Homunculus]] made by Szilard Quates. The light novels reveal that she eventually does acquire a last name after a number of decades: [[spoiler:[[HappilyMarried Prochainezo]]]]

* Kino of ''Literature/KinosJourney''. It's not even their original name, but one adopted from another traveler.

* In ''Literature/LordMarksmanAndVanadis'', only nobles and royalty have surnames, while commoners like the maid Titta only have one name.

* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': The vast majority of characters are like this. Most of the family names that are given, have to do with TheClan {{Ojou}} Reina Lawrence is from, revealed later in the web novels.

* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'':
** The titular character's name is just "Shana", and she [[NoNameGiven didn't have even that]] before Yuuji named her [[TheyCallHimSword after her sword]]. Which is strange, as all other Flame Hazes have full names.
** Most (if not all) [[DemonicInvaders Crimson Denizens]] have only one name. Semi-justified by them being not human.

* ''Literature/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': This is used to reflect social status: Just like in medieval Japan, nobles have family names, while commoners don’t.

* ''VideoGame/RiverCityGirls'': Due to WordOfSaintPaul: The student [=IDs=] included with Limited Run Games' physical release of the Switch version confirm a few extra details about Kyoko and Misako: they're both seniors, they're both 18, they're in different-- but neighboring-- classes, and their names really are just "Kyoko" and "Misako".
* In general, Japanese adaptations of ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' have a translation convention which causes this trope. To prevent same-name issues when people are on LastNameBasis--Chinese surnames are short, often homophonous, and are relatively few--the characters' first and last names would be mashed together and treated as if it was a last name. For example, Liu Bei (Bei of the Liu family) would be call Ryuubi (not Ryuu Bi as it should be), and when Japanese etiquette requires LastNameBasis, he would be called Ryuubi-san, rather than Ryuu-san. No, the naming convention in ''Manga/IkkiTousen'' wasn't an invention but rather a existing convention. Additionally, these will also refer the characters by their courtesy names (a unique name given later in life according to Chinese tradition). For example, Zhuge Liang is usually referred to as "Konmin", a Japanese rendition of Kongming, Zhuge Liang's courtesy name.

** [[RecurringElement The series of characters known as "Cid".]] Excluding the ones in the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI first]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyII second]], tenth, and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI eleventh]] games, most Cids have full names. There's Cid Haze (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII III]]''), Cid Pollendina (''IV''), Cid Previa (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV V]]''), Cid Del Norte Marquez (''VI''), Cid Highwind (''VII''), Cid Kramer (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII VIII]]''), Cid Fabool IX (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX IX]]''), Cidolfas Demen Bunansa (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII XII]]''; there's also a "second" Cid present in Al-Cid Margrace), Cid Raines (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII XIII]]''), Cid nan Garlond (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV XIV]]''), and Cid Sophiar (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV XV]]''; he additionally has a granddaughter named [[LegacyCharacter Cid]]ney Aurum, [[DubNameChange whose name was changed to Cindy outside of Japan]]). A few notable Cids from the spin-offs have their own full names too, like Cidolfus Orlandeau from ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics Tactics]]''.