Line #91 Main/OnlyKnownByInitials


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
2	[[quoteright:292:[[Literature/TheHobbit https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hobbit-cover_2_712.jpg]]]]
3
4	Some people are OnlyKnownByTheirNickname, others are on LastNameBasis, while some people are primarily known to the public by their initials or their initials plus their last name. The reasons may vary. Perhaps they have an EmbarrassingFirstName they'd rather not use, and maybe they have an OverlyLongName that needs to be abbreviated. Others may think it sounds classier, and some may prefer the fact that it is more gender neutral.
5
6	This was particularly common among RealLife English male writers of the early 20th century, especially academics like A.J. Ayer (philosopher) and A.J.P. Taylor (historian). You do still find some English writers who go by initials today, possibly because of the resulting intellectual associations - like A.N. Wilson or D.J. Taylor.
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8	It's also sometimes found with Real Life ''female'' writers, often to [[MoustacheDePlume hide (or at least make less obvious) the fact that they are female]].
9
10	----
11	!!Examples include:
12
13	[[foldercontrol]]
14
15	[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
16	* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Lelouch's otherworldly immortal companion is known by the initials C.C. (pronounced C-two). She has a SpearCounterpart in V.V. (likewise pronounced V-two), a mysterious child [[spoiler:old enough to be Lelouch's uncle.]]
17	* ''Manga/CoolShockBT'': The series leaves B.T.'s name to his initials, owing to his narrator buddy Koichi's refusal to give out his full name.
18	* In the English dub of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', while the characters' Japanese names are retained as their full names, the [=DigiDestined=] exclusively call each other by nicknames. Takeru Takaishi is the only one to use his initials, preferring to go by T.K.
19	* The dub of ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' has J.P., likewise known as Junpei in the Japanese version.
20	%%* ''Anime/AngelBeats'' has the American TK.
21	* T.R. (Thomas Riley) Edwards from ''{{Anime/Robotech}}''. Some sources erroneously assume that he has a hyphenated last name (it's true that Riley is usually a last name). However, if this was the case, he would be properly known as T. Riley-Edwards.
22	* V.T. (Victoria Terpsichore) from the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "[[Recap/CowboyBebopSession7HeavyMetalQueen Heavy Metal Queen]]" makes money charging people to guess her name, until Spike works out who she is.
23	* In the first season of ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'', an early rival of Ash/Satoshi's is a kid called Akira, renamed as A.J., who managed a Sandshrew and is based on one of the Youngsters of ''Videogame/PokemonRedAndBlue''. Also, he appears as TheCameo in the opening of the season 2 (''Adventures on the Orange Islands'') and as a character in the manga ''Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu''.
24	* ''Anime/BakutenShootBeyblade'' has another A.J. in A.J. Topper, one of the two dub-original combat commentators. While his colleague Brad Best even has a second name, Aloysius, A.J. Topper is just A.J. Topper. And there are more initials-only characters: Mister B, Doctor B, Doctor K, and J. J's even less than initials-only, because his initial has to be deduced from the fact he's got a "J" embroidered on his shirt.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	%%[[folder:Comedy]]
28	%%* The Gumby Theatre "Cherry Orchard" sketch from ''Another Creator/MontyPython Record'' features L.D. Gumby, M.J. Gumby and R.S. Gumby in starring roles.
29	%%[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Comic Books]]
32	* ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'': BA (Boris Alphonso) Felton. B.A. considers his given name to be both an EmbarrassingFirstName and EmbarrassingMiddleName, and prefers to go by B.A. His mother and his cousin Sara both call him Boris Alphonso when they are angry with him.
33	* ''ComicBook/LoriLovecraft'': PrivateDetective R.C. Bowman. Even his lover Lori only knows him as R.C. In ''Into the Past'', it is revealed that his middle name is Chandler, [[Creator/RaymondChandler which very strongly suggests what his first name might be]].
34	* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'': TC is only referred to by that.
35	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson is commonly addressed as M.J.
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Fan Works]]
39	* Originating on Website/{{Twitter}}, a common practice among the ''VideoGame/BungoToAlchemist'' fandom is to abbreviate the names of authors based on Japanese syllables (think "dzi", "aktgw", etc.) to differentiate them from real authors and not muck up search results.
40	* In ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', A.J. from the ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'' becomes a RecurringCharacter, with the sidestories [[NamedByTheAdaptation revealing his full name is Akira Jouda]], but the narration and most characters refer to him as A.J., the only exceptions being his parents.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
44	* Mary Kate from ''WesternAnimation/Epic2013'', frequently only referred to as M.K.
45	* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Aaron T. and Aaron Z., having the same first names, are usually referred to by just their last initials.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
49	* ''Film/{{Abominable}}:'' Whatever CJ's initials are short for is never revealed. Given that she's the only Chinese-American in her circle of friends, it's possible that she dropped her full name in an attempt to fit in better.
50	* DC from ''Film/ThatDarnCat'' is only once referred to by a censored version of his full name, not counting the title, and is never referred to by his real full name, on account of it being profane.
51	* ''Film/TenaciousDInThePickOfDestiny'': JB (Creator/JackBlack) and KG (Kyle Gass), usually pronounced by turning them back into names: Jables and Kage.
52	* ''Film/RearWindow'': L. B. Jeffries is called "Jeff" by anyone who would be on a first name basis with him.
53	* ''Film/ThereWillBeBlood'': The main character refers to his young son as H.W., a point of DeliberateValuesDissonance and a subtle note at the emotional distance between father and son.
54	* J.J. [=McClure=] from ''Film/TheCannonballRun'' films. Everybody calls him J.J., including his HeterosexualLifePartner and his LoveInterest.
55	* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/DownWithLove''. When Barbara meets the high-ups of the company publishing her book for the first time, they introduce themselves as E.G., C.B., C.W., J.B., J.R. and R.J. When Barbara replies with "Okay!", E.G. says that [[{{Pun}} O.K.]] couldn't make it, he and T.B. are having breakfast.
56	%%* T. S. Quint from ''Film/{{Mallrats}}''.
57	%%* J. F. Sebastian from ''Film/BladeRunner''.
58	%%* Sheriff J. P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum) in ''Film/ElDorado''.
59	* ''Film/RaisingArizona'': H.I. [=McDunnough=] is called "Hi" by everyone. We only learn his actual name when he writes a letter saying goodbye to his wife, signing it "[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Herbert]]."
60	* In ''Film/{{Crossworlds}}'', [[RetiredBadass A.T.]] is only ever referred to by his initials, except at the very end, when the Queen calls him "Alex". We still don't know what the "T" stands for.
61	* In ''Film/ThankYouForSmoking'', Nick's boss is only known as BR, which he started being called while in Vietnam. As Nick puts it, "everyone who knew what it means are all dead." In the book the film is based on, his full name is mentioned early on but everyone still refers to him as BR.
62	* ''Film/AndyWarholsBad'' has characters credited as P.G., R.T., L.T. and S.F.
63	* ''Film/Tremors6AColdDayInHell:'' [[TheMedic Dr. D]]'s full name is never mentioned.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Literature]]
67	* PK Pinkerton in ''Literature/TheWesternMysteries'', is only known by the initials PK or by the nickname Pinky, as part of the author's attempt to create AmbiguousGender.
68	* Subverted with Mr. A.E. Pessimal from ''Literature/{{Thud}}'', as this is actually his full name.
69	* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}: Literature/LastSonOfKrypton''. One of Lex Luthor's henchwomen is named Barbara Tolley, but insists on being called "B.J." even though her middle name is Arabella.
70	* Also subverted with BKR, the villain of ''Literature/RodAllbrightAlienAdventures''. This is his whole name, and none of the other aliens seems to think it odd.
71	* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TheNumberOfTheBeast''. One of the characters is named D.T. ("Deety") Burroughs. She goes by her initials because she's embarrassed by her real first and middle names: Dejah Thoris (her father Jacob was a fan of the ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'' books).
72	* ''Literature/SnowCrash'': Y.T. just goes by the initials of her nickname, Yours Truly. One incidental character hears it as "Whitey."
73	* TS Garp in ''The World According to Garp.'' He's officially [[DeadGuyJunior named for his father]]--except his mother [[WeHardlyKnewYe never knew his father's first name]], only his army rank. "TS" stands for "Technical Sergeant." Everyone just calls him Garp. (In TheFilmOfTheBook, teen Garp tries to convince his girlfriend that it stands for "Terribly Sexy.")
74	* Members of the V.F.D. in ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' are referred to only by their initials to preserve anonymity. This results in complications, as ''[[Literature/LemonySnicketTheUnauthorizedAutobiography The Unauthorized Autobiography]]'' demonstrates during a transcript of a meeting, and in ''The Penultimate Peril'' when a total of three characters have the legitimate and undisguised initials [[spoiler:J.S.]].
75	%%* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', R.A.B. [[spoiler:Regulus Arturus Black]]
76	* In the ''[[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Wizard of Oz]]'' books, the wizard reveals that "O.Z." is actually part of his initials. His parents named him Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, noting that it isn't longer simply because they ran out of names. He abbreviated it to Oz because using all his initials would spell out O.Z.P.I.N.H.E.A.D., and he wouldn't attract the right kind of attention calling himself a pinhead. The movie ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful'' names the character Oscar Diggs, but makes no reference to his many middle names or the nickname.
77	* In ''Literature/LeftBehind'', Tyrola Mark Delanty is referred to as T.
78	* In the Creator/DaleBrown novel ''Day of the Cheetah'', J. C. Powell is a hotshot test pilot known for pulling off impossible maneuvers. "J. C." are not his initials, but only his mother calls him "Roland". After one incident, an officer is heard to exclaim ''"Jesus Christ!"'', to which J. C. replies with a totally deadpan "Thank you, Sir." Hence...
79	* In the ''Literature/VenusPrime'' series, one of the major characters is Prof. J.Q.R. Forster. It's not until the last book that anyone bothers to ask him what the initials stand for, at which point he reveals that they don't actually stand for anything; his parents couldn't decide on a name, so they gave him initials as placeholders.
80	* Literature/JPBeaumont, protagonist of a series of mystery novels by Creator/JAJance, always introduces himself (to suspects, etc.) as "J.P. Beaumont"; almost never using his given names (which are Jonas Piedmont). His friends usually call him "Beau".
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
84	* Actress Creator/AJCook has the A.J. for Andrea Joy, her two first names. If well she appears in various movies like ''Film/TheVirginSuicides'' and ''Film/FinalDestination2'', she's more known for her roles in TV series like ''Series/TruCalling'' and ''Series/CriminalMinds'', her most known role as the special agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau.
85	* ''Series/AndiMack'' has T.J. Kippen. In "We Were Here", it was revealed that T.J. stands for “Thelonious Jagger.”
86	* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' has GOB (George Oscar Bluth).
87	* ''Series/BJAndTheBear'' has the titular character with this nickname, having the real name of Billie Joe (B.J.) [=McCay=].
88	* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' has J.J. which stands for "Jennifer Jareau."
89	* ''Series/{{CSI}}'' has D.B. Russell. Probably due to his first name being [[EmbarrassingFirstName Diebenkorn]].
90	* ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'':
91	** JT ([[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James Tiberius]]) Yorke.
92	** KC Guthrie. Unlike JT, KC's full name has never been revealed, but {{Fanon}} is that it's Creator/KirkCameron Guthrie.
93	* ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'' has [[MeaningfulName B.P. Richfield]]. In "Earl's Big Jackpot", it's revealed that his first name is Bradly.
94	* ''Series/FullerHouse'' has C.J. Harbenberger which stands for "Connie Jane."
95	* ''Series/FullHouse'' has D.J. Tanner which stands for "Donna Jo."
96	* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'' has P.J. Duncan, the first-born son of the Duncan family. In "Can You Keep a Secret?", it is revealed that PJ's initials stand for Potty John. It was supposed to be Patty John, after his grandfather Patrick John, but Bob was so frazzled when signing the birth certificate that he wrote "Potty John" instead.
97	* ''Series/GoodTimes'' has J.J. which stands for “James Junior.”
98	* ''Series/HighSchoolMusicalTheMusicalTheSeries'' has E.J. Caswell. In "The Real Campers of Shallow Lake", it was revealed that E.J. stands for "Elton John" when E.J.'s cousin Ashlyn calls E.J. by his full name "Elton John Caswell."
99	* ''Series/{{JAG}}'' has A.J. (Albert Jethro) Chegwidden. Prior to the season four episode "War Stories" his staff didn't know what A.J. was short for.
100	* ''Series/JakeAndTheFatman'' has J.L. (Jason [[EmbarrassingMiddleName Lochenbar]]) [=McCabe=], the titular Fatman. He reveals his full name only to his estranged son in the episode where the two are stranded on an uninhabited island.
101	* ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' has JK (pronounced Jake). In #36, his real name is turned out to be [[spoiler:Kaizou Jingu]].
102	* ''Series/{{MASH}}'' has B.J. Hunnicut. Lampshaded in an episode where Hawkeye tries to learn what "B. J." stands for, only to find "B. J." on all of his friend's military records. When Hawkeye asks who would name their kid "B. J.", then B. J. answers "My mother, Bea Hunnicitt, and my father, Jay Hunnicutt."
103	* The "Batsman of the Kalahari" sketch from the last series of ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' sends up the tendency of cricketers to be known by their initials. Some of the players include V.E. Pratt, M.J.K. Pratt, B.B.C.T.V. Pratt, and Y.E.T.A.N.O.T.H.E.R. Pratt.
104	* ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' has G. Callen, later being revealed to stand for [[spoiler:Grisha.]]
105	* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' has two: T.J. Johnson from ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'' and ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'', and RJ from ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury''. Their full names are Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson (as revealed in the "Forever Red" team-up episode), and Robert James (revealed by a children's book and never used on the show), respectively.
106	%%* ''Series/QueerAsFolkUS'' has Melanie and Lindsay's (and Michael's, since he's the biological dad) daughter, J. R. (Jenny Rebecca).
107	%%* ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' has D.J. Connor which stands for "David Jacob."
108	* ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' has A.C. Slater. It was revealed that A.C. stands for "Albert Clifford."
109	%%*''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' has J.D. which stands for "John Dorian."
110	%%*''Series/SimonAndSimon'' has A.J. Simon. A.J. stands for "Andrew Jackson."
111	* ''Series/TheATeam'':
112	** B.A. Baracus (played by Creator/MrT). We know from the pilot episode that his given first name is "Bosco", and that "B.A." is shorthand for his nickname, "Bad Attitude", but eventually it is revealed that his full name is "Bosco Albert Baracus".
113	** H. M. ("Howling Mad") Murdock.
114	* Played with in the pilot of ''Series/TheBeverlyHillbillies'': Mr. Drysdale gets a call that the gardeners he'd hired to spruce up the mansion he'd procured for his newest, biggest client ("J.D. Clampett") were being held at gunpoint by "outlaws"[[note]]The Clampetts themselves, who thought the mansion was a prison and that the gardeners were part of a jailbreak.[[/note]] When he gets to the jail where the "outlaws" are being held, he grabs one of them by the collar and demands to know what they did with J.D. Clampett.
115	-->'''Jed:''' [Annoyed] I'm Jed Clampett, and I'd appreciate it if you'd let go of my Sunday shirt! [[note]][[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness This is as angry as we see him get in the entire series.]][[/note]]
116	* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'' has Boss Hogg who regularly went by initials "J.D.", which stood for "Jefferson Davis".
117	%%* ''Series/TheLatestBuzz'' has D.J.
118	* ''Series/TheNanny'' has C.C. Babcock goes by her alliterative initials, as does much of her family (sister D.D., mother B.B.). Her full name ([[spoiler:Chastity-Claire Babcock]]) isn't revealed until the finale.
119	* ''Series/TheWestWing'' has Claudia Jean Cregg is nearly always referred to as C.J. Cregg. The rare exceptions are usually either formal occasions or wry comments.
120	%%* ''Series/VRTroopers'' has J.B. Reese.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Music]]
124	* ZP Theart, former lead singer of Music/DragonForce. Rumour has it that "ZP" is legally his first name, though.
125	* Music/Starflyer59. On ''The Fashion Focus'', ''Leave Here a Stranger''[[note]]''Everybody Makes Mistakes'' was released between these two albums, and it didn't follow this pattern[[/note]], and every album since then, the various band members have just been credited by their first initial and last name.
126	* Music/{{Poison}} guitarist CC [=DeVille=].
127	* Music/JCChasez of Music/{{NSYNC}}. His real name is Joshua, but during his audition for ''The New Mickey Mouse Club'', there was another cast member named Josh, so he was dubbed "JC" and has gone by it since.
128	* CJ (Christopher Jospeh) Ramone of Music/TheRamones.
129	* From Music/BackstreetBoys, there's AJ [=McLean=], the [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Bad Boy]] of this famous BoyBand group from TheNineties. The AJ is for his given names, Alexander James.
130	* DJ Bonebrake, drummer for LA punk band Music/XUSBand.
131	* k.d. lang. Although in some lyrics to her songs she refers to her actual first name (ex. "The Mind of Love": ''"Where is your head, Kathryn?"'')
132	* Music/SoulCoughing's M. Doughty, although once the band broke up, he started releasing solo albums as Mike Doughty.
133	* D. Boon of Music/{{Minutemen}} (short for Dennes)
134	* J. Mascis of Music/DinosaurJr
135	* The rock pop duet Music/AlyAndAJ, a [[BandOfRelatives sister duo]] in which one of them, Creator/AJMichalka, has the AJ for Amanda Joy.
136	* Music/MichaelJackson has as [[IHaveManyNames one of his many]] [[RedBaron nicknames]], he's called just as "MJ", which makes a double reference with UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan in the videoclip of his single "Jam" in TheNineties.
137	* Andrew W[ilkes-]. K[rier], American rock musician/songwriter/producer.
138	* K. T. (Kay Toinette) Oslin, country singer/songwriter.
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	%%[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
142	%%* PJ from ''ComicStrip/TheFamilyCircus''
143	%%* R.J in ''ComicStrip/OverTheHedge''
144	%%* B.D. and J.J. from ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}''.
145	%%* Title character from ''ComicStrip/{{BC}}''.
146	%%[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Other]]
149	* In Joy Wilt Berry's "Human Race Club" series of LP's (also known as the "No More..." series), Abraham Lincoln Jones (the second-in-command) is known as "A.J.".[[note]]It's listed as his "nickname", which all the other members have (including [[AuthorAvatar Ms. Joy Berry (AKA: "Ms. Berry")]]).[[/note]]
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
153	* Wrestling companies are/were generally referred to by their initials. [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF/E]] (World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment), Wrestling/{{WCW}} (World Championship Wrestling), Wrestling/{{ECW}} (Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling), [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] (American Wrestling Association), [[Wrestling/UniversalWrestlingFederation UWF]] (Universal Wrestling Federation), [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] (Total Nonstop Action), [[Wrestling/RingOfHonor ROH]] (Ring of Honor), [[Wrestling/ProWrestlingGuerilla PWG]] (Pro Wrestling Guerrilla), AEW (Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling)...
154	* Wrestling/CMPunk says it stands for "Chick Magnet".
155	%%* WWF jobber [[Wrestling/JustinCredible PJ Walker]], (Peter Joseph, his real first and middle names)
156	* Wrestling/JimRoss, who became "Good Ol' JR" when he came to the Wrestling/{{WW\|E}}F and is almost exclusively addressed as such since.
157	%%* Wrestling/{{ECW}} wrestler CW Anderson.
158	%%* 80's wrestler DJ Peterson.
159	%%* JT Southern, who wrestled in WCW, Memphis and other territories.
160	%%* WCW wrestler JW Storm (Jeff Warner, his real name)
161	%%* Rapping WCW wrestler PN News (Paul Neu, his real name)
162	* TL Hopper, the wrestling plumber (the initials stood for "Toilet Lid")
163	* Wrestling/AJStyles is a famous wrestler who has a successful career, first in indies, Wrestling/RingOfHonor and [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]], to star actually in Wrestling/{{WWE}}. As well as his nickname, the AJ is for his real name, Allen Jones.
164	* Wrestling/AJLee (not related with Styles, by the way) was a female wrestler famous for being in WWE between 2009 and 2015 and she's the actual wife of Wrestling/CMPunk. Just as Styles, the AJ is her real name, but in this case her TwoFirstNames: April Jeanette.
165	* Wrestling/RobVanDam is generally addressed as RVD, oftentimes even PunctuatedForEmphasis.
166	* Parodied by Wrestling/JeffJarrett, who addresses himself as the uninitialized "Double J".
167	* The wrestler known in WWE as Big Cass (as in Wrestling/EnzoAndCass) has gone by W. Morrissey (real name William Morrissey) since leaving WWE.
168	* JTG of Cryme Tyme. It is unknown what the letters stand for, but his real name is Jayson Paul, which the J in his ring name implies.
169	* Wrestling/MontelVontaviousPorter (real name Hassan Hamin Assad, born Alvin Burke Jr.) is often referred to as MVP.
170	[[/folder]]
171
172	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
173	* G.T. Overley, BadassDriver of the titular hero team in ''TabletopGame/{{Crimestrikers}}''. She uses her initials because she's embarrassed by her real name, [[EmbarrassingFirstName Gretchen]] [[EmbarrassingMiddleName Tallulah]].
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Theater]]
177	* Archibald [=MacLeish=]'s modern take on [[Literature/BookOfJob the story of Job]]: Job (and the play) is called J.B.
178	[[/folder]]
179
180	[[folder:Video Games]]
181	* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'': K.K. Slider uses initials as his stage name both normally and as DJ K.K., and they likewise appear on most titles of his songs. It's a play on Totakeke, his Japanese (and implied true) name.
182	* The ''VideoGame/DangerGirl'' video game adaptation introduces a new member of the girls, the Canadian mechanic JC, whose real name is never revealed.
183	* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' has J.C. Denton, which is actually a code name. This is a hold over from the development when it was an ambiguous name to support the option for a female PC (it was latter dropped to lack of space for the voice acting for her and the he/she brother/sister lines) and as a SignificantMonogram.
184	* ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'' has [[PlayerCharacter the Rookie]]; the only traces of any kind of name he has are the initials J.D.
185	%%* C.J. (Carl Johnson), from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas''.
186	%%* B.J. Blazkowicz of the Videogame/{{Wolfenstein}} series. His first name is William, often shorted into Bill.
187	%%* ''VideoGame/DungeonFighterOnline'' has the Slayer trainer, G.S.D.
188	%%* M. Bison, E. (Edmond) Honda and T. (Thunder) Hawk in "Franchise/StreetFighter"
189	%%* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' has D.I.J., a [[NiceMice mouse]] who is intelligent enough to keep a diary.
190	* ''VideoGame/RiotCity'' have the evil Drug Cartel called the MID Corporation. At no point do you find out what MID stands for.
191	* Your character from the arcade ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' series only has a descriptor of "Challenger", and you enter three initials to name him when starting play.
192	* Similarly, the protagonists of ''VideoGame/{{Cadash}}'' have a name entry screen that only allows three characters, mostly likely meant to be the player's initials, owing to its arcade roots.
193	* ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' has [[StealthPun C. Q.]] [[PunnyName Cumber]], the conductor of the Deepsea Metro.
194	[[/folder]]
195
196	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
197	* TJ Hess from ''VisualNovel/{{Echo}}'' is almost always referred to as "TJ" or "Teej" by his friends and peers, his full name being "Tobias Jedidiah Hess". He's also occasionally called "Toby".
198	[[/folder]]
199
200
201	[[folder:Webcomics and Web Original]]
202	* [=PeeJee=] from ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive''. Well, she's Penelope-Jennifer, but no one calls her so.
203	%%* T.C. "[[CasanovaWannabe The Playah]]" from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive''.
204	* Dielle from ''Webcomic/{{Rhapsodies}}'' ''(Fortunately for her "D.L." [[http://rhapsodies.wpmorse.com/?p=2089 sounds]] [[http://rhapsodies.wpmorse.com/?p=2979 French.]])''
205	* AJ Downs of ''WebVideo/TwitchPlaysPokemonCrystal''. No-one's exactly sure what the AJ stands for.
206	* OJ from ''WebAnimation/InanimateInsanity'', which obviously stands for [[AnthropomorphicFood Orange Juice]].
207	* ''ComicStrip/AJAndMagnus'' is about a young boy and his dog, a modern revision of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' but with two fathers. We find out his full name [[https://www.gocomics.com/aj-and-magnus/2016/04/09 in 2016]], via FullNameUltimatum[[note]]It's "Alexander Johnathan Parker"[[/note]]. We find out later he's named after [[spoiler:both of his biological parents. His bio mom's name was "Alex"]]
208	* ''Webcomic/TheLessThanEpicAdventuresOfTJAndAmal'': TJ only ever goes by his initials and [[OnlyOneName doesn't give a surname]], which, overall, is the least notable element of his MysteriousPast.
209	* ''Literature/TheDayTheMusicDied'': Author Damon Lars Eldrich is usually referred to by his fans as DLE.
210	[[/folder]]
211
212	[[folder:Western Animation]]
213	* WesternAnimation/TopCat is often (but not always) known as TC.
214	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', the protagonist's little sister D.W. (short for Dora Winifred) is only ever addressed by her initials unless her parents are issuing a FullNameUltimatum. Lampshaded in an episode where she gets lost in the White House and her parents are describing her to security:
215	-->'''David:''' Her name is D.W.\
216	'''Security:''' That's it? Initials? You didn't give the kid a whole name?"\
217	'''David:''' Um, well...sweats nervously
218	%%* One of the cartoons from The Disney Afternoon had the initials of D.W. (which goes by the official superhero name of ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', who is really Drake Mallard, his alter ego in disguise). LET'S GET DANGEROUS!
219	%%* J.T. Marsh from ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad''.
220	%%* A.J. from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''.
221	%%** Head Pixie is often referred to as H.P.
222	* PJ Pete ([[RepetitiveName Pete Pete Jr.]]) on ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'', because [[OneSteveLimit he shares his father's name]] and they are both very prominent (and [[SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan very different]]) characters. His father calls him "Junior" instead on a very small number of occasions, but even when he's yelling at him (which is ''a lot'') he chooses the initials route and reserves the other for those rare occurrences where he's being or pretending to be affectionate with him.
223	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
224	** In ''Island'' DJ is only ever addressed as such, which his real name being unknown. Later on in the series it's revealed that his initials stand for "Devon Joseph".
225	** The 2023 reboot has MK. Unlike DJ, MK's name is revealed the minute she is introduced: Mary Kate.
226	* JB ([=McBride=], the Judge) from ''WesternAnimation/BraveStarr''. ''Nobody'' knows what her initials mean!
227	* I.M. Weasel and I.R. Baboon from ''WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel''. Also count as {{Punny Name}}s.
228	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
229	** Applejack is often called AJ by her friends.
230	** There's also A.K. Yearling, author of the ''Daring Do'' book series [[spoiler:and she's eventually revealed to be Daring Do herself]].
231	* ''WesternAnimation/BlazeAndTheMonsterMachines'': The other human protagonist of the series and companion of Blaze is called AJ, who's OnlyKnownByHisNickname.
232	* T.J. Detweiller from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' has the T.J. as his nickname and ''only'' name to hide his EmbarrassingFirstName: ''Theodore'' Jasper.
233	* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' has the minor reoccurring character M.F. Thatherton, a rival propane dealer to Hank with questionable business ethics. According to WordOfGod, it stands for "Milton Farnsworth" but that's never said in the series proper. One gag has the two of them competing for a potential client with Hank suggesting a more profane meaning.
234	-->'''Hank:''' (to the client) The "M.F." stands for...
235	-->'''Thatherton:''' (interrupting) [[CurseCutShort "My Friend".]]
236	[[/folder]]
237
238	[[folder:Real Life -- Writers]]
239	%comment% Note: When adding new examples, please list the person's full name after their initials, in order to preserve consistency.
240	* Male
241	** [[Creator/AAMilne A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne]]
242	** A. E. (Alfred Elton) van Vogt
243	** [[Creator/CSLewis C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis]]
244	** [[Creator/DJMacHale D. J. (Donald James) MacHale]], director and author of ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'' Series and the ''Literature/MorpheusRoad'' trilogy.
245	** [[Creator/EBWhite E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White]], author of ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'' and ''Literature/StuartLittle''.
246	** [[Creator/EECummings E. E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings]]
247	** E. E. (Edward Elmer) "Doc" Smith of ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' fame.
248	** [[Creator/GKChesterton G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton]]
249	** [[Creator/GeorgeRRMartin George R.R. (Raymond Richard) Martin]] - creator of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''.
250	** [[Creator/HGWells H. G. (Herbert George) Wells]]
251	** [[Creator/HPLovecraft H. P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft]]
252	** J. B. S. (John Burdon Sanderson) Haldane
253	** [[Creator/JDSalinger J. D. (Jerome David) Salinger]]
254	** J. D. (James David) Vance, author of ''Literature/HillbillyElegy''. His two previous names also fit this trope: James Donald Bowman and James David Hamel.
255	** J. F. (Jesse Franklin) Bone
256	** J. M. (John Marc) [=DeMatteis=], writer of ComicBook/KravensLastHunt and ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational.
257	** [[Creator/JRRTolkien J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien]]
258	** [[Creator/PGWodehouse P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse]]
259	** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.A.R._Barker M. A. R. (Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman) Barker]], creator of the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekumel Empire of the Petal Throne/Tekumel]]'' TabletopRPG setting.
260	** S. P. (Sterner St. Paul) Meek
261	** Creator/SPSomtow, Thai-American sci-fi writer and composer, is a subversion: Somtow is actually his given name, and his full name is Somtow Papinian Sucharitkul.
262	** S. W. Erdnase, author of ''The Expert at the Card Table''. Bonus points for Erndase's true identity remaining a mystery to this day.
263	** [[Creator/TSEliot T. S. (Thomas Stearns) Eliot]]
264	** W. E. B. Griffin, American writer of military and detective fiction, was born William Edmund Butterworth III. (He also wrote under [[IHaveManyNames 11 other pseudonyms]] ''and'' three variations of his real name.)
265	* Female writers (who may be [[{{MoustacheDePlume}} using initials to hide their sex]])
266	** [[Creator/CJCherryh C. J. (Carolyn Janice) Cherryh]], who also added a gratuitous 'h' to her last name to make it seem less feminine.
267	** [[Creator/CLMoore C. L. (Catherine Lucille) Moore]]
268	** C. V. (Cicely Veronica) Wedgwood - historian
269	** D. C. (Dorothy Catherine) Fontana - television writer
270	** [[Creator/JKRowling J.K. (Joanne) Rowling]] - she indeed used initials to hide her sex; she doesn't actually have a middle name. However, the "K" in her name does stand for "Kathleen", which she took from her paternal grandmother's name.
271	** J. M. Dillard - really Jeanne Dillard Kalogridis
272	** [[Creator/KAApplegate K. A. (Katherine Ann) Applegate]], author of ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', ''Literature/{{Everworld}}'' and ''Literature/{{Remnants}}''. More specifically, K. A. is used when Katherine and her husband Creator/MichaelGrant write together. For her other books, she is credited as Katherine Applegate.
273	** "K. C. Hunter" from the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode where Sisko hallucinates that he's a sci-fi writer in TheFifties is an homage.
274	** [[Literature/TheHouseOfNight P.C. (Phyllis Christine) Cast]]
275	** P. C. (Patricia Christine) Hodgell, author of the ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath''
276	** P. L. Travers (''Literature/MaryPoppins'' series) - really Helen Lyndon Goff
277	** S. E. (Susan Eloise) Hinton of ''Literature/TheOutsiders'' fame.
278	[[/folder]]
279
280	[[folder:Real Life -- Other Famous Individuals]]
281	* Back when Lord Baden-Powell formed the Boy Scouts, a bunch of girls wanted in on the fun too. But they couldn't sign up using their real names because they were, you know, girls. So they signed up using their initials (and [[SweetPollyOliver dressed like boys]] when they were accepted in.) Eventually, the girls got their own group, the Girl Scouts, and much later the Boy Scouts started accepting girls.
282	* There're many sportsmen that use this as a nickname, various of them from baseball (A. J. Burnett and A. J. Pierzynski), American football (A. J. Haglund and A. J. Hawk), race drivers (A. J. Allmendinger and A. J. Foyt) and basketball (A. J. Price, and UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan is usually known as MJ).
283	* Famous US President UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson was also known as A.J. Also, there're other politicians with this nickname like Andrew Johnson.
284	* A. J. (Alan John) Buckley, actor
285	* UsefulNotes/{{Indycar}} racing has had a few such as A.J. Foyt, A.J. Allmendinger, and J.R. Hildebrand.
286	* Creator/BrigitteBardot: If you said ''B.B.'' in the Fifties and Sixties everyone knew you were referring to her.
287	* Creator/BJWard, a famous voice actress known for her roles as [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo Velma Dinkley]], [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Betty Rubble]] and WesternAnimation/JanaOfTheJungle, uses the "BJ" for her two first names: Betty Jean.
288	* [[Creator/CCHPounder C. C. H. (Carol Christine Hilaria) Pounder]], actress
289	* CC (Carsten Charles) Sabathia (Jr.) - retired pitcher for several MLB teams, most notably the New York Yankees. Unlike most examples of this trope, he chooses not to use periods.
290	* Madame C.J. Walker (took her husband's name: Charles James Walker; real name Sarah Breedlove), fashion designer, social activist.
291	* D. B. (Daniel Bernard) Sweeney, actor
292	* D. L. (Darryl Lynn) Hughley, actor, comedian and political commentator
293	* [[Creator/DWGriffith D. W. (David Wark) Griffith]]
294	* G. W. (George William) Bailey, actor
295	* J. Blakeson, a British director
296	* J. C. (James Cash) Penney (Jr.), founder of the American department store chain now doing business as [=JCPenney=]
297	* J. C. (John Carlo) de Vera, a Filipino actor
298	* J. E. B. (James Ewell Brown) Stuart
299	* J. E. (Josh Eric) Sawyer, game designer behind VideoGame/IcewindDale and VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas. However, he does go by Josh Sawyer as well.
300	* [[Creator/JJAbrams J. J. (Jeffrey Jacob) Abrams]], current director of the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' and ''Franchise/StarWars'' movie franchises.
301	* J. J. (Justin James) Watt, superstar NFL defensive lineman. Not to mention his younger brother T. J. (Trent Jordan), superstar NFL linebacker. {{Averted\|Trope}} by middle brother Derek John, NFL fullback, who goes by... Derek.
302	* [[Creator/JKSimmons J. K. (Jonathan Kimble) Simmons]], actor known for ''Film/{{Whiplash}}'', ''Film/{{Juno}}'', and his portrayal of [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy J. Jonah Jameson Jr]].
303	* JM J Bullock, who is only JM J because Jim J Bullock was already registered with the [[UsefulNotes/UnionsInHollywood Screen Actors Guild]][[labelnote:*]]now merged into SAG-AFTRA[[/labelnote]].
304	* Jill Price, the first diagnosed [[PhotographicMemory hyperthymestic]], was originally identified as "AJ."
305	* J. P. (John Pierpont) Morgan, American financier
306	* J. T. (James Thomas Patrick) Walsh, character actor.
307	* K. C. (Kristina Cassandra) Concepcion, a Filipino actress.
308	* Subverted with late professional basketball player and coach K. C. Jones. "K.C." ''is'' his real name.
309	* Creator/LouisCK, born Louis Székely (pronounced "SEE-kay").
310	* L. (Lafayette) Ron Hubbard, creator of Scientology
311	* Inverted with actress Creator/MaggieQ. "Q" stands for "Quigley".
312	* Creator/MNightShyamalan - real name Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan; the "Night" was substituted for his middle name just [[RuleOfCool to sound cool]].
313	* [[Creator/OJSimpson O. J. (Orenthal James) Simpson]], athlete
314	* P. K. (Pernell-Karl Sylvester) Subban, defenseman for the NHL's New Jersey Devils (and previously the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens), who [[AcronymConfusion happens to share his initials]] with an ice hockey special team (penalty kill) to the amusement of color commentators.
315	* P. T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum, founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus
316	* P. Z. (Paul Zachary) Myers
317	* RJ Barrett, Canadian NBA player. In his case, the "RJ" stands for Rowan Jr., his full name being Rowan Alexander Barrett Jr.
318	* S. E. (Sarah Elizabeth) Cupp, political commentator
319	* T. K. (Thomas Kent) Carter, actor
320	* W. C. Fields - real name William Claude Dukenfield, American comedian and actor
321	* W.C. (William Christopher) Handy, Father of the Blues.
322	* W.E.B. (William Edward Burghart) [=DuBois=], sociologist and co-founder of the NAACP.
323
324	[[/folder]]
325

Context Main / OnlyKnownByInitials