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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 6 | ->''Bloober swims underwater with its children. It has a relative, the Scattering Bloober, whose children scatter in all directions.'' |
| 7 | -->-- Description of an enemy, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' |
| 8 | |
| 9 | ->''Bloopers love laughing at other Bloopers' bloopers. No one wants to end up on the Blooper reel.'' |
| 10 | -->-- Description of the exact same enemy, ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' |
| 11 | |
| 12 | It may be [[InconsistentDub a translator's mistake]], a [[ManualMisprint typo]], or the author [[FlipFlopOfGod might have had a better idea]], but sometimes, a specifically named character or concept introduced in a work of fiction can come to be called by a totally different name later on, often with no explanation at all, or even an implication that [[{{Retcon}} their name had]] ''[[{{Retcon}} always]]'' [[{{Retcon}} been that]]. Needless to say, this tends to confuse the audience (sometimes making them think the two names refer to two different things), and authors should try to avoid it. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | SuperTrope of InconsistentDub (when it refers to translations). Related to RememberTheNewGuy. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Not to be confused with MeaningfulRename, when the change of name is justified in-universe. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | ---- |
| 19 | !!Examples: |
| 20 | |
| 21 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 24 | * ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': |
| 25 | ** The living mirror ayakashi was called "Ungaikyo" throughout her and Snegurochka's introductory arc. Afterward, "Ungaikyo" became the name of her ''species'', and her personal name is "Une". |
| 26 | ** In the English version, omokage have a sudden and temporary name '''loss''' when the translation company changed along with the magazine. The former always leaves the term in romaji, whereas the latter initially replaces it with varying generic descriptions like "another self" or "part of [Suzu]". |
| 27 | * ''Anime/BakuganBattlePlanet'' had the "Awesome Ones" suddenly change their name to the "Awesome Brawlers" with no explanation starting with the ''Armored Alliance'' season. |
| 28 | * ''Manga/BootyRoyaleNeverGoDownWithoutAFight'': Haebaru Misora's father's given name is initially said to be Shunji, but the description of his death in chapter 41 changes it to Tatehito. |
| 29 | * In ''Manga/DragonBall'', Emperor Pilaf's dog henchman was originally named Soba when he debuted in the manga. [[AdaptationNameChange His name was changed to Shu in the anime]], which then carried back to the manga after Creator/AkiraToriyama forgot that he'd previously named the character. He gets this treatment in the original English dub of the anime, being called "Shao" for roughly the first half of the dub, then switching to Shu at some point with no explanation. |
| 30 | * [[RecurringExtra Maki]] from ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' initially had her last name listed as "Ichijo" on the list of test scores in chapter 31. When the chapter was released in tankobon format, it was changed to "Shijo". She introduces herself as the latter when she's properly introduced in chapter 98. |
| 31 | * ''Manga/KoreWaKoiNoHanashi'' initially had the characters go by their kanjis' way of reading the name for translation, resulting in our leads being Makuzu and Akio, with Hata as his editor. Then the furigana were shown and the names were appropriately changed to Shinichi, Haruka and Oogaki, respectively. |
| 32 | * The ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series is pretty bad at settling in on the [[SpellMyNameWithAnS official English spellings]] of characters' names (made worse by the fact that after the second season, all characters technically speak [[AliensSpeakingEnglish a form of English adopted by]] the HumanAliens). In particular, the deuteragonist of ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'' went from her name being spelled as "Einhart", to "Einhalt", to "Einhald" in the ''official'' art, before finally settling on "Einhard" in the anime adaptation of the manga. |
| 33 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': |
| 34 | ** Translations from Japanese to Chinese to Malay in the first few chapters of the manga rendered Sasuke's name as Saju, which is odd since the anime had already been dubbed in Malaysia right before the dubbed manga release, and used Sasuke instead. Fixed in the later chapters though. |
| 35 | ** Shino's father wasn't named in his initial manga appearance, but the databooks called him "Shibi", which the anime used in credits and filler scene. Then he appeared again in the manga after almost a decade, and was called "Gen". |
| 36 | ** When Naruto was learning how to summon toads, the contract scroll had the name "Arashi Kazama" as the last name listed before Naruto, which was implied to be the name of the Fourth Hokage. However, the Fourth Hokage's name would later be revealed to be "Minato Namikaze". WordOfGod later explained that Minato had bad handwriting, so the name on the scroll ended up looking like "Arashi Kazama". |
| 37 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': |
| 38 | ** In the English dub of ''Anime/TheLegendOfThunder'', the characters Eusine and Jackson who had appeared in the anime previously were now named Eugene and Vincent. |
| 39 | ** In an Orange Islands episode, video game character Lorelei of the Elite Four [[AdaptationNameChange was known as Prima]] because the game's version of her English name [[LipLock was too long for the lip flaps of her Japanese name ("Kanna")]]. |
| 40 | ** The protagonist Jimmy (based off the player character in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'') had also previously been referred to as "Yoshi", while Marina (based off the female player character in ''Crystal'') was referred to as "Dani". Meanwhile, these days in the English game continuity, the character that Jimmy was based off of is known as "Ethan" (revealed in ''[=HeartGold and SoulSilver=]'') while Marina's is "Kris" (revealed on the box for ''Crystal''). |
| 41 | * ''Manga/RaveMaster'': |
| 42 | ** A case of InconsistentDub occurs in the manga translation. In the first volume or so, Haru's sword is referred to by its Japanese name, the Ten Commandments. Every volume after instead calls it the Ten Powers. |
| 43 | ** Done again when the translator changed, with the Mystic Realm/Makai World and Star/Stellar Memory. |
| 44 | * In the anime ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'', the main character's last name was incorrectly pronounced "Tenjuu" in the first few episodes of the English dub, and later corrected to "Tenjou". The dub also had other examples of mispronunciation and scripting errors in the first arc, which were settled after the production went on a hiatus before dubbing the rest. |
| 45 | * ''Anime/SailorMoon'': |
| 46 | ** TheNineties English dub had Chibiusa's friend Momoko initially named "Melissa" when she appeared in the second season. However, when later seasons rolled around (and a switch in production companies and writers came), she was renamed "Melanie" ("Melly" for short). |
| 47 | ** Motoki's girlfriend Reika was initially named "Rita Blake" in her first dub appearance, but had her original name retained in the dub of ''[=SuperS=]''. |
| 48 | * For the first five episodes of the English dub of ''Anime/SherlockHound'' Professor Moriarty’s second henchman is called George, but afterwards from the sixth episode onwards he is called Todd. |
| 49 | * ''Franchise/YuGiOh'': |
| 50 | ** When the card game first debuted in the manga, it was called "Magic & Wizards." When Kaiba returned, the game was called "Duel Monsters." Both versions of the anime keep it as Duel Monsters from the start, but in the Toei anime, the backs of the cards have a logo with the initials "[[OrphanedReference MW]]" on them. |
| 51 | ** Spell cards were originally called "Magic Cards," but this was changed possibly due to a fear of a potential lawsuit from the makers of ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering.'' |
| 52 | ** The first appearance of Celtic Guardian in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' had him be referred as "Elf Swordsman." Curiously enough, Elf Swordsman was Celtic Guardian's Japanese name. |
| 53 | ** In the [[Manga/YuGiOh manga]], Dark Necrofear was initially introduced as Dark Necro''philia'' in ''Weekly Shonen Jump'', but her name was changed after one issue. |
| 54 | * The titular character in ''Manga/Cyborg009'' originally had the civilian name of "Joe Muramatsu", but at some point Shotaro Ishinomori decided upon him being named "Joe Shimamura". Reprints of the manga had any early instance of "Muramatsu" corrected to "Shimamura", to fix that lapse in continuity. |
| 55 | * Occurs frequently in the English version of ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' thanks to being an InconsistentDub (and further hurt by SpellMyNameWithAnS and JapaneseRanguage); monsters often change from their dub name to their original Japanese name or vice-versa between installments. One of the better-known examples was a knight Digimon who was "Crusadermon" in ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' and "[=LoadKnightmon=]" in ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'', which doesn't even make sense (better translations of it from Japanese would be "[=LordKnightmon=]" or "[=RhodoKnightmon=]"). Justified since each installment is its own universe and own continuity, but it's still jarring. |
| 56 | ** This was actually [[LampshadeHanging caught]] at one point. Whenever Armadillomon [=ArmorDigivolves=] to Digmon, he would refer to himself as "The Drill of Power", despite using the Armor [=DigiEgg=] of Knowledge. When the dubbers realized he was supposed to be saying "The Drill of Knowledge", his next [=Digivolution=] had him say that, followed by, "I used to say 'The Drill of Power', but I think this makes me sound smarter!" and he uses that term for the remainder of the series. |
| 57 | * For most of ''Manga/{{Yuureitou}}'' a character's name was thought to be "Rika" by fans. It wasn't until near the end that fan translations changed it to the correct "Reiko". |
| 58 | [[/folder]] |
| 59 | |
| 60 | [[folder:Asian Animation]] |
| 61 | * In the Lookus English dub of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', for the first two episodes, the character Miss Peach does not refer to herself by that name like in the later episodes, but by "Peach I." instead. |
| 62 | * ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'' character Eggy was named Lanlan (懒懒) in the original Chinese when he was introduced. It later got changed to Dandan (蛋蛋). |
| 63 | [[/folder]] |
| 64 | |
| 65 | [[folder:Comics]] |
| 66 | [[AC:Creator/DCComics:]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | * ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': |
| 69 | ** The original ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} had her alias written as two hyphenated words, "Bat-Girl;" as a result, fans still debate if she counts as the "first Batgirl" or not. Also, her name was Elizabeth 'Betty' Kane, but Post-Crisis the spelling was changed to "Bette." |
| 70 | ** [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie Brown]]'s mother was named "Agnes Bellinger" when she originally appeared in Detective Comics, but her name was later changed to "Crystal Brown." According to Scott Beatty (who was the first to rename her), he had asked DC editors about the name of the mother but no one could remember, leading to an accidental name change that stuck. |
| 71 | ** While ComicBook/PoisonIvy's civilian name was initially established as Pamela Isley, Gerry Conway inexplicably gave her the name of "Lillian Rose" when he wrote her origin in World's Finest #252. Post-Crisis, Neil Gaiman would re-establish the Pamela Isley name (along with overhauling her origin). |
| 72 | ** ''ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}}'' when Sebastian Ives returned as a recurring character late in the series run his first name was changed to Martin. Since most character only refer to him using his last name it didn't come up much and ''ComicBook/RedRobin'' changed his name back. |
| 73 | ** ComicBook/TwoFace was originally introduced as "Harvey Kent". They changed his name to Harvey Dent so there'd be no confusion with [[ComicBook/{{Superman}} that other fellow.]] |
| 74 | ** Harvey Dent's wife is generally known as Gilda, but was renamed "Grace" in a 1989 ''ComicBook/SecretOrigins'' story and the name carried over to her animated counterpart in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. All later comic appearances switched her name back to Gilda. |
| 75 | * ''ComicBook/BlackCanary'': The original Black Canary, Dinah Drake-Lance, was later referred to as ''Diana Drake'' by some writers (Chuck Dixon in particular), presumably to help differentiate her from her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. Though it didn't always stick and she's usually "Dinah". |
| 76 | * ''ComicBook/BlueBeetle'': In his Pre-Crisis appearances and early Post-Crisis stories, Ted Kord's full given name was Theodore. During Chuck Dixon's run on ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', his name was revealed to be Edward (with "Ted" as a nickname, like Ted Kennedy). Later writers would try to reconcile the differences by listing his name as "Theodore Edward Kord," but his most recent posthumous appearances had the name as "Theodore Stephen Kord." |
| 77 | * ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': |
| 78 | ** Barry Allen's name used to be Barrence, but was eventually changed to the more common Bartholomew. |
| 79 | ** Wally West's father was originally named Bob West in all of his Pre-Crisis appearances. Post-Crisis, he was suddenly renamed to Rudolph West. ''The Life Story of the Flash'' gives his full name as Robert Rudolph West. |
| 80 | ** Iris West's father was introduced as T.H. West in ''Flash'' #134 (1963), but was Ira West from then on. |
| 81 | ** The wife of Captain Frye of the Central City PD was named Thelma, except for issue #337 when she was referred to as Lorraine. |
| 82 | * ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': |
| 83 | ** Carol Ferris's father was originally named Willard, but from his second appearance onward, he was renamed Carl. |
| 84 | ** Creator/JuddWinick’s run revealed that John Stewart had a younger sister named Rose who died in a car accident back when he was still a kid. Years later, this became a fairly significant plot point in Creator/PhillipKennedyJohnson’s ''ComicBook/GreenLanternWarJournal'' series, but with John’s sister renamed Ellie. |
| 85 | * ''ComicBook/{{Huntress}}'': |
| 86 | ** In her first origin and early appearances the Post-Crisis Huntress' full name was "Helena Janice Bertinelli". In her revised origin and later profiles, her name became "Helena '''Rosa''' Bertinelli". |
| 87 | ** Post-Crisis Huntress' parents were named Guido and Carmela in her original 1989 origin, but their names were later changed to Franco and Maria by the time of Greg Rucka's retelling in the ''Cry For Blood'' miniseries. |
| 88 | * The ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'' tie-in to ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' inexplicably refers to Jakeem Thunder as "Jamal Thunder." |
| 89 | * Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/TheMultiversity'' introduced Earth-8, a pastiche/homage to the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. The ComicBook/XMen stand-ins from that universe were initially called the G-Men, but when they reappeared in ''ComicBook/FlashForward'', they were now called the Zen-Men, the name of their counterparts in the pre-Flashpoint ''Lord Havok and the Extremists'' miniseries. |
| 90 | * Sometime after ''ComicBook/PlasticMan'''s son Luke became the hero Offspring in main DC continuity, some writers had slipped up and referred to him as "Ernie" (the name of the Offspring from ''The Kingdom'' continuity). This was later explained away as Ernie being his middle name. |
| 91 | * ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'': |
| 92 | ** Billy Batson's deceased parents were originally referred to as "Merrill" and "Jocelyn" in the Pre-Crisis days, but modern origins have his father named "Clarence Charles 'C.C.' Batson" (after Captain Marvel's creator, C.C. Beck) and his mother named "Marilyn". |
| 93 | ** ComicBook/KidEternity originally had NoNameGiven, and was only ever referred to as "Kid." Eventually some CanonWelding with ''Shazam'' made him Freddy's brother, Christopher "Kit" Freeman. |
| 94 | * ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Superman's middle name has variously been given as Jonathan, Jerome or Joseph, with the latter apparently being the "official" one. (Jonathan, of course, is his adoptive father, while the other names are from his RealLife creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.) Jerome ends up being Lex Luthor's middle name. |
| 95 | * ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': Chimera, a minor character in the ''ComicBook/TeamTitans'' era, originally had her full name given as "Sanjeet Rey." However, a later card set by DC called her "Sanjeet Gupta". Even later in the title's (short) run, Chimera gave her name as "Sanjeet Bhatia". |
| 96 | * In the DC weekly series ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', an Asian magic user by the name of "Terri Thirteen" appeared as part of the Croatoan detective society. Post-52 continuity would clarify that this was actually meant to be Traci Thirteen, a pre-existing character (and Doctor Thirteen's daughter). It appears there was some editorial oversight that lead to the name slip-up. |
| 97 | * ''ComicBook/{{Vixen}}'': Vixen's name was originally given as [="Marilyn MacCabe"=] in her 1978 mini-series, which had been scrapped and reprinted in an anthology titled ''"Cancelled Comic Calvacade"''. After her official debut in Action Comics, her name was revised to [="Mari Jiwe McCabe"=] and has stuck that way ever since. |
| 98 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' |
| 99 | ** Diana's friend ComicBook/EttaCandy has had her middle name vary from being "Marie" to "Olive". This changing middle name can be used to differentiate some of the Ettas from different universes, but it doesn't always stay consistent in each one. |
| 100 | ** The Holliday Girl Roberta "Bobby" Strong, who appeared througout the Golden Age in ''ComicBook/SensationComics'', ''ComicBook/{{Wonder Woman|1942}}'' and ''ComicBook/ComicCavalcade'' was called '''Bee''' Strong in a later issue of ''Comic Cavalcade'' with no explanation. |
| 101 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': The name of the Holliday College Dean is usually given as Sourpuss, but is in an issue where her desk is shown it's written as Strikt. |
| 102 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie]]'s best friend Georgia (who goes by George) had the surname "Redmond", but a later writer inexplicably gave her last name as "Neville". |
| 103 | |
| 104 | [[AC:Creator/MarvelComics:]] |
| 105 | |
| 106 | * ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'': In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, Dr. Druid (who predates The ComicBook/FantasticFour) was originally called Dr. Droom. When he was reintroduced, his name was changed to avoid confusion with Doctor Doom but no 'in-universe' reason is given for the change. |
| 107 | * ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': ''Fantastic Four Unlimited'' #1 featured a backup story about T'Challa's grandfather, who was the ComicBook/BlackPanther of Wakanda back during UsefulNotes/WorldWar2. The character was called Chanda in this story, but later appearances (most notably Reginald Hudlin's ''Black Panther'' run and the ''Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers'' limited series) would call him Azzuri instead. |
| 108 | * ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': |
| 109 | ** When Creator/StanLee forgot the Hulk's alter-ego is named Bruce Banner and started calling him Bob Banner, it led to a retcon where his full name is "Robert [[MiddleNameBasis Bruce]] Banner." |
| 110 | ** In ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk1968'' #294, Banner is up against a CorruptCorporateExecutive named Max Stryker. Then Hulk is conscripted into the ComicBook/SecretWars1984; when he comes back in issue #295 Stryker is now called Max Hammer. |
| 111 | * ''ComicBook/{{Thanos}}'': Early on in Thanos' history, it was established that his mother was a dark-haired woman named Sui-San. Due to an error on Creator/SteveGerber's part, ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' #105 instead depicted her as a blonde named Kazantra. A few subsequent [[AllThereInTheManual handbooks]] have tried to reconcile the discrepancy by suggesting that Kazantra and Sui-San were [[DecompositeCharacter two different people]], but the inconsistency was never mentioned in-canon again. |
| 112 | * ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': Though it was some time from his introduction that Frank Castle's family were named, his daughter was originally named "Barbara". Later on, there were certain issues where she was referred to as "Christie" instead. Even later, during Garth Ennis' run, his daughter is named "Lisa". Strangely, this was never a problem with his son, who is always referred to as "Frank Jr". A tombstone partially glimpsed during the "Franken-Castle" arc seems to show that her full name is "Lisa Barbara Castle". |
| 113 | * ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Creator/StanLee called Peter Parker Peter ''Palmer'' a few times, but at least that was forgotten. |
| 114 | * ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'': Kenny "King Kong" [=McFarlane=] was initially referred to as "Clifford Harlan", although his given name switched between Clifford and Kenny for a bit before Bendis finalized the name. |
| 115 | * ''ComicBook/XMen'': |
| 116 | ** The names of Cannonball's younger siblings are famously inconsistent. For instance, the redheaded, second oldest Guthrie son was called "Josh" when he first showed up in ''ComicBook/NewMutants'', but later became known as "Jay" when he joined the cast of ''ComicBook/NewXMen'' years later as the hero Icarus. His dad has also variously been called "Thomas," "Ty" and "Zeke" depending on who is writing. |
| 117 | ** Skin from ''ComicBook/GenerationX'' was named Angelo Espinosa. When the character was KilledOffForReal some time later, it was stated that his name was Angelo Torres. |
| 118 | |
| 119 | [[AC:Other Publishers:]] |
| 120 | |
| 121 | * ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'': |
| 122 | ** Archie's mother was originally named "Mary" in ''ComicBook/ArchieComics''; however, in the 80s or 90s (before ''Literature/HarryPotter'') she was renamed "Hermione." |
| 123 | ** Josie changed surnames during the {{retool}} from ''She's Josie'' to ''ComicBook/JosieAndThePussycats''. Her surname was "[=McCoy=]" initially but was changed to "Jones". |
| 124 | * In ''ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac'' Devi's best friend was named "Tonja." In ''ComicBook/IFeelSick'' her name is "Tenna." |
| 125 | * In the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse and related cartoons, the rarely-seen mother of Huey, Dewey and Louie was originally named "Dumbella." Since then she's mostly called "Della," though Carl Banks called her "Thelma." (Her relationship to WesternAnimation/{{Donald|Duck}} has also switched from cousin to twin sister.) |
| 126 | * ''ComicBook/JewGangster'' begins with Reuben watching Monk Greenberg kill a man for failure to repay his loans. However, when Reuben starts working for Monk, his name is given as Monk ''Shapiro'' instead. Either there are [[InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals two burly men named "Monk"]] in the Jewish mob, or Joe Kubert made a mistake in the script. |
| 127 | * In ''ComicBook/PS238,'' [[CaptainPatriotic US Patriot Act]]'s real name seems to have switched from [[http://ps238.nodwick.com/comic/10012007/ Dillon]] to [[http://ps238.nodwick.com/comic/09042013/ Darnel]]. |
| 128 | * Trailbreaker of ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' starts going by "Trailcutter" between the 6th issue and the Annual issue. The real world explanation is that Hasbro could not use the original name for toys. The in-universe reason was not revealed until his Spotlight issue. |
| 129 | ** Bluestreak's name was changed to "Silverstreak" and then back to "Bluestreak" for similar trademark reasons. This has not been given an in-universe reason. |
| 130 | ** This is a fairly common phenomenon for Transformers in general due to having to work around trademarks. |
| 131 | * ''ComicBook/TheBeano'' renamed Fatty from the Bash Street Kids in May 2021. From now on, he's called Freddy, and supposedly always had been (he was previously a case of NoNameGiven, OnlyKnownByHisNickname). Apparently, they didn't want kids thinking it was OK to call their friends Fatty, so they changed it so as to not set a bad example. Times have changed since 1954 when the Bash Street Kids first appeared! In December, the same thing happened to Spotty, who became Scotty after it was revealed (by his mother) that his real name was James Scott Cameron. |
| 132 | [[/folder]] |
| 133 | |
| 134 | [[folder:Fanfic]] |
| 135 | * Happens to two characters near the beginning of ''Fanfic/{{Austraeoh}}''. Ironhoof is first introduced as "Stonehoof", and another character's name vacillates between "Sun Plate" and "Iron Plate" before settling on "Gold Plate". |
| 136 | * In ''Fanfic/BoysUndSenshado'', Yakuin Takuma's nickname is "Yakuma" in Chapter 2, but "Yakota" in Chapter 7. |
| 137 | * In the infamous fanfic ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'', one character is called both "Professor Trevolry" and "Professor Sinister" interchangeably. In ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' Professors Trelawney and Sinistra are two separate characters, but in the fic it's clearly meant to be the same person. |
| 138 | * In ''[[Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic My Brave Pony: Starfleet Magic II]]'', the newly militarized MLP cast is called the [[TheSomethingForce Friendship Force]]. In ''My Brave Pony: Starfleet Magic III'', they are now called "Friendship is Magic"... at least until the Website/DeviantART rewrite, where they have always been called [=FiM=]. |
| 139 | * ''[[Fanfic/WelcomeToTheWorldOfPokemon Red With Rage]]'' changes the name of Red's Kangaskhan to [[BilingualBonus Garura]] to avoid the naming clashes in the fight she was about to have with Giovanni's Kangaskhan. |
| 140 | * ''Fanfic/StarkitsProphecy'': At the end of Chatper Forr [=GayStripe=], Graystripe asks [=StarGleam=] who she picks. [=Starpaw=] doesn't get her warrior name until chapter 9. |
| 141 | [[/folder]] |
| 142 | |
| 143 | [[folder:Film -- Animation]] |
| 144 | * In ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', is the feather-duster's name Fifi (the name used in the second direct-to-video sequel), or Babette (the name used in the stage musical), or Plumette (the name used in the 2017 live-action remake)? |
| 145 | * ''Franchise/{{Cars}}'': |
| 146 | ** A minor villain from ''Cars 2'' whose first name appears to be Fred alternates between the surnames "Fisbowski" and "Pacer." |
| 147 | ** Similarly, Sal Machiani (a yellow three-wheeled truck seen in Italy) is referred as "Ape" in one of the film's promotional posters. |
| 148 | ** Yet another minor villain, Petrov, alternates between the surnames "Trunkov" and "Oilski." |
| 149 | * In ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp'', the title characters' four children [[NoNameGiven were not given names]] when they were introduced at the end of the movie. The official comics gave them the names "Scamp", "Fluffy", "Ruffy," and "Scooter". Fluffy and Ruffy were both female and named for old girlfriends of Tramp's. [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Fluffy generally took after her mother's personality and was never interested in Scamp's mischief while Ruffy was much more of a tomboy]]. Scooter, the last one to be named, was male and had a shy, sensitive personality. In the 2001 sequel, ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'', Scamp retained his name while [[GenderFlip Scooter became female]]. His sisters were named "Annette", "Collette", and "Danielle". |
| 150 | * In [[ComicStrip/ComicZoneLiloAndStitch some comics]] printed in ''Magazine/DisneyAdventures'' around ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''[='=]s release, the red-haired girl with glasses who mocks Lilo was called Jenny. She was named Mertle Edmonds in the film, however. |
| 151 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' combines this with a GenderFlip. Simba and Nala's cub at the end of the movie is unnamed, though staff members called him "Fluffy". A [[Literature/TheLionKingSixNewAdventures series of books]] released shortly after the film was released made him into "Kopa". The direct-to-video sequel ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' made the cub into a female named "Kiara", though [[WhatCouldHaveBeen early in development]] she had a twin brother which could have explained the cub from the original. ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' reuses Kiara, but she also has a younger (non-littermate) brother named "Kion", who is an {{expy}} of Kopa. |
| 152 | * In Creator/RalphBakshi's animated adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'', producer Saul Zaentz suggested that the antagonists "Saruman" and "Sauron" sounded too alike and would confuse audiences, so the former was renamed to "Aruman"... except that during routine mid-development rewrites, screenwriter Peter Beagle changed the name back to "Saruman". As a result, the movie repeatedly alternates between calling the character "Saruman" and "Aruman" for no rhyme or reason, ironically making things even more confusing. |
| 153 | * In Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967'', the little village girl that Mowgli meets at the end of the film wasn't referred to by her name at all, and [[NoNameGiven was credited as "The Girl"]] in the film's opening credits. Early spin-off material for the film, such as the "New Tales from The Jungle Book" stories in the Disneyland Magazines that were published in the 70s gave her the name "Sari". When [[AscendedExtra she became one of the main characters]] for the 2003 sequel, ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2'', she was given the name "Shanti", and that name has stuck ever since. |
| 154 | * The Coachman from ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' was referred as "Barker" in the film's subtitles when he finally brings several boys which he kidnapped (including Pinocchio himself) to Pleasure Island. However, the subtitles start to refer him as "Coachman" again when he and some gorilla-demon-looking-things start to round the now-transformed boys into crates headed for either the salt mines or the circus. |
| 155 | * The antagonist of ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' was eventually subject to "Sudden Name ''Removal''". The Evil Queen's name was originally given as Grimhilde in tie-ins. Over the years, Disney has stopped using that name and only refers to her as "the Evil Queen" (or just "the Queen," if you get her autograph at a Disney park). This is treated oddly in the ''Literature/ATaleOf'' books where her own book has her as just "the Queen" but Maleficent's book has her as "Grimhilde". |
| 156 | * ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'': |
| 157 | ** Miriam's surname was Wexler in the "Nobody Like U" music video; however, according to the film's page on Pixar's website, her surname is Mendelsohn. |
| 158 | ** Similarly, Priya's surname was Dewan in the "Nobody Like U" music video; however, according to the film's page on Pixar's website, her surname is Mangal. |
| 159 | [[/folder]] |
| 160 | |
| 161 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 162 | * "Jack" from ''Film/PitchBlack'' suddenly has a proper feminine name, "Kyra," in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' and is only ever referred to as such after the initial clarification. |
| 163 | * Brawl from ''Film/{{Transformers|2007}}'' is for some reason referred by the name "Devastator" in the actual movie, but by his real name in the merchandise. The ''real'' [[CombiningMecha Devastator]] doesn't appear until the climax of ''[[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen Revenge of the Fallen]]''. |
| 164 | ** Similarly, Wheeljack and Mirage from ''[[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon Dark of the Moon]]'' are both referred in-film as "Que" and "Dino", respectively. |
| 165 | * The teaser trailer for ''Film/NineteenFortyOne1979'' features Creator/JohnBelushi as Wild Wayne Kelso. In the film, he's Wild Bill Kelso. |
| 166 | * In their climactic fight in ''Film/ANewHope'' Obi-Wan calls Darth Vader just "Darth", implying it is his actual given name. Later films established "Darth" as a title given to all Sith Lords following Bane's Rule of Two, and that Vader's real name, [[ItWasHisSled of course]], is Anakin Skywalker. |
| 167 | * In the original ''Film/{{Alien}}'' film and all media before ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', the [[MegaCorp Weyland-Yutani Corporation]] was called '''Weylan'''-Yutani. |
| 168 | [[/folder]] |
| 169 | |
| 170 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 171 | * ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' has some promotional material that named the protagonists' parents, but when the books named them later several turned out to be different. [[TheLeader Jake]]'s parents go from Greg and Nikki to Steve and Jean, [[TheHeart Cassie]]'s go from John and Aisha to Walter and Michelle, and [[CommanderContrarian Marco]]'s go from Jeremy and Laura to Peter and Eva. [[TheBigGuy Rachel]] is exempt, perhaps because her parents were named in an early book, though one of them spells her sister Sara's name as "Sarah." Note that [[Series/{{Animorphs}} the TV series]] went with the names from the promotional materials. |
| 172 | ** One of the auxiliary Animorphs from late in the series is called Timmy in his first appearance and Tuan in a subsequent appearance. In a series well known for its continuity errors, WordOfGod confirms that Timmy and Tuan are the same character. |
| 173 | * Brother Bear from ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'' used to be known as "Small Bear" before his younger sister, Sister, was born. |
| 174 | * In the New Testament of ''Literature/TheBible'', the Book of Acts mentions "Saul, who was also called Paul" right in the middle of a not-especially-remarkable episode in Saul's missionary journeys. The narrative then completely abandons the name Saul, and the apostle is exclusively called Paul for the rest of the book. Biblical scholars believe that he used "Paul" to emphasize his status as a Roman citizen when his missionary work expaned beyond Palestine and into the wider Graeco-Roman world. |
| 175 | * In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}} Legends #9: Shadows in the Sky'', long time BigBad Makuta's true name is revealed to be Teridax on one page and Teridak on another. The former was confirmed correct. |
| 176 | * During the ''{{Literature/Dinoverse}}'' book ''Raptor Without A Cause'', a noble Acrocanthosaurus is nicknamed Green Knight and called such. Early in the very next book, it's suddenly mentioned that he's called Green Knight or "G.K. for short" and the longer form doesn't come up once. |
| 177 | * Towards the end of the "Wyrmberg" segment of ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', Liessa suddenly becomes Lianna. Given the Pernese influence of the Wyrmberg, it was suggested that this might be an intentional parody of the example below, but Creator/TerryPratchett says no, it's a mistake at the printers. |
| 178 | * In ''Dragonflight'', the first ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' novel, the leader of the "old-timers" is T'ton, and Weyrwoman Kylora is Pridith's rider. In subsequent books, the names are T'ron, Kylara and Prideth. |
| 179 | * ''Literature/TheDragonKnight'': In the first book, one of Jim's companions is the wolf Aragh. In all subsequent books, his name is Aargh. |
| 180 | * ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has a handful of examples. One of the vampire Bianca's girls is named as Paula in the first book, and alternately called Paula and Rachel in a later book. [[WordOfGod Word of Jim]] has been that one was a stage name, or that Harry just got the name wrong. The Merlin is also addressed by different names, Alfred once, and all later times as Arthur. |
| 181 | * There's a villainous goblin in the last [[Literature/TheEdgeChronicles Edge Chronicles]] book whose name is either Yellowtusk or Yellowtooth. At one point, it changes between the two ''mid-scene''. |
| 182 | * The third book of the ''Literature/PitDragonChronicles'' has cave people who go unnamed. In the fourth one, written [[SequelGap twenty-two years later]], the cave people are called "trogs" as if that's been their name all along. This is the least of a host of {{Series Continuity Error}}s. |
| 183 | * ''Literature/EverybodyLovesLargeChests'' has the God of Chaos, whom for simplicity's sake we will simply call "Bob." See, when it comes to Bob, this trope is ''enforced.'' Each and ''every'' time his name is invoked, his name, gender, and even title will change without warning (e.g. "Gertrude, the Goddess of Improbability"), whether within the narration or from within another character's own thoughts. Even the other gods aren't immune to this. And the thing is, whoever's hearing it will ''still'' know whom it means, assuming they know who Bob is at all. Some of Bob's followers consider it a good omen if they try to invoke his name and chance upon a particularly silly one. |
| 184 | * ''Literature/{{Fablehaven}}'': |
| 185 | ** In the first book, Grandpa Sorenson addresses Kendra and Seth's mother as "Kate". However, in ''Grip of the Shadow Plague'' (book 3), her name is stated to be "Marla". ''Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary'' (book 4) attempts to fix this disrepency by having Kendra address her mother as "Marla Kate Sorenson" in a note, implying that Kate is her middle name. |
| 186 | ** At one point in the first book, Grandma Sorenson addresses Seth by his full name: "Seth Andrew Sorenson". In ''Grip of the Shadow Plague'', Grandpa calls him "Seth ''Michael'' Sorenson". It's unclear as to whether "Andrew" or "Michael" is correct. Worth pointing out is that "Michael" is the middle name of Seth and Kendra's father, as Kendra's note (mentioned above) refers to him as "Scott Michael Sorenson". |
| 187 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': |
| 188 | ** Up until Literature/HarryPotter finds out the actual name of the creatures that guard Azkaban, a wizarding prison, everyone refers to them as "the Azkaban Guards." After he experiences their happiness-draining power and is told their name, Dementors, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' no one refers to them as the Azkaban Guards ever again. |
| 189 | ** This happens even more jarringly with the Death Eaters: for the first 3 books, they are simply referred to as "Voldemort's followers" and variants. Once the term and its definition is explained to Harry in ''Goblet of Fire'', no one calls Voldemort's men anything other than Death Eaters. |
| 190 | ** ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'' introduces a Death Eater named Augustus Rookwood. In the U.K. edition of the next book, his first name is "Algernon." The U.S. edition and all later books change it back. |
| 191 | ** A meta example: WordOfGod statements had long established that Hermione's middle name was "Jane," which the fifth book also established as [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Umbridge]]'s middle name. Perhaps [[InvokedTrope invoking]] the OneSteveLimit, the final book makes Hermione's middle name "Jean" instead. |
| 192 | ** In the first Hungarian edition of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', Cornelius Fudge's name was [[DubNameChange changed]] to "Cornelius Badarus". In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', where the character was introduced in person, his name got translated as "Cornelius Caramel." Later editions of the first book fixed the inconsistency and used the name "Caramel" consistently over the series. |
| 193 | ** In the American editions, the head of the [[{{Magocracy}} magical government]] was called the Minister ''of'' Magic, while in the U.K. editions it was the Minister ''for'' Magic. The ''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'' script didn't bother to make the shift, confusing some American readers. |
| 194 | * In the Project Gutenberg text of ''The Haunted Hotel'' by Creator/WilkieCollins, Lord Montbarry's eldest daughter's name changes from Lucy to Marian between chapters. The same slip is present in the French edition. |
| 195 | * ''Literature/{{Pale}}'' was originally named Poof, but after posting the first chapter Creator/{{Wildbow}} received feedback regarding the word's status as a homophobic slur in the UK. The title was then changed to ''Pale'' to avoid any UnfortunateImplications, especially after his previous work received some criticism for its portrayal of LGBT people. |
| 196 | * Chapter 3 of ''Literature/PinkiePieAndTheRockinPonypaloozaParty'' mentions Sweetie Drops, while one of the bonus activity pages lists Bon Bon. These are two formerly [[AdaptationNameChange separate]] official names of one pony, though she doesn't appear in the book herself. The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic cartoon]] later established that [[spoiler:"Sweetie Drops" is her real name, but she's a secret agent and her code name is "Bon Bon". Everypony knows her by the latter name]]. |
| 197 | * The title character of ''Literature/{{Psmith}}'' was called "Rupert Psmith" in his first two books, but became "Ronald" in the last book, ''Leave It to Psmith''. This was probably done to [[EnforcedTrope enforce]] the OneSteveLimit, as that book was a {{Crossover}} with another Wodehouse series, ''Literature/BlandingsCastle,'' which includes a Rupert Baxter. On the other hand, Psmith doesn't like being called "Rupert," and if he was willing [[PsmithPsyndrome to change his last name]]... |
| 198 | * ''Literature/{{Poirot}}'': In ''Literature/TheMurderOnTheLinks'', Hastings falls in love with a girl named Dulcie Duveen and it is implied that he will marry her in the future. In ''Literature/TheABCMurders'', while talking about his wife, Hastings calls her "Bella". Now Dulcie does have an identical twin sister named Bella, but she gets engaged to someone else at the end of ''Links'', and this is probably just an instance of Agatha Christie forgetting the name of her characters. |
| 199 | * ''Literature/RainbowMagic'': |
| 200 | ** Charlotte was originally [[Literature/RainbowMagicCharlieTheSunflowerFairy the Sunflower Fairy]]'s name. ''Rainbow Magic'', being a UK-based series, commonly introduces new fairies to celebrate new additions to UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily, and when Princess Charlotte was born, the Sunflower Fairy's name changed to Charlie, while the name Charlotte went to the Baby Princess Fairy. |
| 201 | ** When France and Italy reprinted the original series, they changed almost all of the fairies' names, for instance Garance[[note]][[Literature/RainbowMagicRubyTheRedFairy Ruby]]'s French name[[/note]] became Capucine. |
| 202 | * ''Literature/RamonaQuimby'': Mrs. Quimby's maiden name is Haswell in ''Beezus and Ramona,'' but in ''Ramona Forever'', it's Day. |
| 203 | * ''Literature/ReuhurinteenAlaAste'': |
| 204 | ** In the original series, Aapeli Käki's grandma is named Hilma, but in the SequelSeries, her name is Martta. |
| 205 | ** The first book states that Kamu's real name is Kalevi Musikka, but in a later story, he's called Kai. This confusion is likely because Kaiku's real name is Kai Kurki. |
| 206 | * Literature/SherlockHolmes character John H. Watson is randomly referred to as 'James' by his wife in one book. [[WildMassGuessing It's theoretically possible that this is supposed to be because his middle name is 'Hamish', the Scottish form of James, and his wife just uses it as a pet-name]]... but it's more likely that Arthur Conan Doyle just screwed up, as he similarly did with the location of Watson's bullet-wound and a few other details. |
| 207 | * Elwë Singollo in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''. He's referred to as Elwë in his early chapters, then disappears for a couple thousand years, and then is called (Elu) Thingol. Because characters in the Silmarillion weren't already hard enough to keep track of. A similar thing happens with Melkor/Morgoth, but there, at least, there's a fairly obvious renaming instance. |
| 208 | ** Elwë's example makes sense because, while the Noldor dwelt in Valinor and he was left behind building a kingdom in Doriath, the Elvish languages diverged, as long-separated languages do. (According to WordOfGod this was at least partly intentional: the Elves incrementally modified their languages according to taste.) ''Singollo'' and ''Thingol'' are the resulting forms of the ancestral ''Thindacollo''. Speaking of Morgoth, the Quenya form of his new handle is ''Moringotto''. |
| 209 | * In ''Literature/SwallowsAndAmazons'', the little sister of the Walkers is known as "Vicky" the entire first book. The sequels promptly change her name to "Bridget". The explanation given in-story is that baby Bridget looked like "Queen Victoria in old age" and was jokingly nicknamed "Vicky", but the resemblance and the nickname ceased when she grew older. (In real life, author Arthur Ransome was basing several of the characters on real children, and Bridget was the name of their younger sister. When she got old enough to comment on the first book, she disliked the fact that her name had been changed, and Ransome fixed things up for her.) |
| 210 | * Tom Turner in Creator/JulesVerne's ''Literature/RoburTheConqueror''. When he's mentioned again in the StealthSequel, [[spoiler:Literature/MasterOfTheWorld]], he's inexplicably ''John'' Turner. |
| 211 | * In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, there are a couple, all due to author error: |
| 212 | ** Owlfeather of [=WindClan=]'s name mysteriously changes to Owlwhisker. |
| 213 | ** The outcasts in Moonrise introduce themselves by their full names, two of them being "Rock Where Snow Gathers" and "Bird Who Rides The Wind". The full names are only mentioned once; they go by their nicknames "Rock" and "Bird" for the rest of the book. In the next book, their full names have changed to "Rock Beneath Still Water" and "Bird That Sings at Dusk". Bird appeared again in later books, and the authors attempted to fix their mistake; she is now "Bird That Rides The Wind". |
| 214 | ** They considered doing this with Bluestar's mother in ''Bluestar's Prophecy''. She was mentioned with the name Moonflower in ''Secrets of the Clans'', but that was considered to be something of a mistake because the moon is significant to the Clans and they really wouldn't name a kit after it (it was a new author that had written said book). When working on ''Bluestar's Prophecy'' they intended to rename her Duskflower, even answering an "ask Erin" question on warriorcats.com using that name, but in the final book she appeared with her original name, Moonflower. Vicky later explained that at the time she answered it they were planning on changing the name, but they ultimately decided to keep the original name since it had already appeared in the books, and just have the "moon" name be a one-off thing. |
| 215 | [[/folder]] |
| 216 | |
| 217 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 218 | * In ''Series/TwentyFour'' the villainous Cheng Zhi was originally called "Cheng Gao" in his first appearance. When he showed up again a few episodes later it was changed to "Cheng Zhi," and stayed that way for all of his future appearances. |
| 219 | * ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'': in one episode, it's revealed that Mr. Lucas's first name is Dick. In other episodes where it comes up, it's James. |
| 220 | * ''Series/{{Baywatch}}'': |
| 221 | ** Eddie's real name was originally stated to be "Edgar Kramer," but he was called "Edward" in a later appearance. |
| 222 | ** The governor is called Neil Dixon in his first appearance and George Dixon in his second. |
| 223 | * The ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'' episode "Friends For Life" introduced a little bunny who was known as simply [[ADogNamedDog Rabbit]]. In the Season 3 primere, however, her name is revealed to be Christine. |
| 224 | * ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': In "The Maternal Capacitance", Penny tells Leonard's mother that her father's name is "Bob". When Penny's father first appears in "The Boyfriend Complexity", his name is "Wyatt". |
| 225 | * On ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'', Topanga states that her mother's name is Chloe in season one but in a later season her mother's name is Rhiannon. |
| 226 | * When Carole gives birth at the end of Series 2 of ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'', it's to a boy and a girl, with a Series 3 episode giving the boy's name as Tom. When the child gets another individual mention in Series 5, he had been retconned into a girl and is referred to as Jessica for the rest of the series. |
| 227 | * ''Series/Charmed1998'': When Leo first mentions his bosses, he refers to them as "A group of elder whitelighters, called the Founders." In all subsequent episodes, they're called "the Elders." |
| 228 | * ''Series/{{Columbo}}'': When Sgt. Wilson made his first appearance in Season 2, he was Frederic Wilson; when he returns in Season 5, he's now John J. Wilson. |
| 229 | * ''Series/TheCosbyShow'': Cliff Huxtable's full first name was originally "Clifford," but it was later changed to "Heathcliff." One episode during the transition featured Claire awkwardly referring to him as "Heathclifford". Also, Theo was referred to as "Teddy" a few times in the first season. |
| 230 | * Happened twice on ''Series/{{CSINY}}''. |
| 231 | ** One of the recurring detectives was called Jennifer Angell at one point but was always credited as Jessica Angell. |
| 232 | ** In a flashback of Mac's, Christine calls her late brother (who was Mac's partner) "Steven," but he's otherwise consistently referred to as "Stan." |
| 233 | * ''Series/DadsArmy'': |
| 234 | ** Mrs. Fox's name was given as Marcia in the episode "Mum's Army", and Mildred in the final episode. |
| 235 | ** Mr. Bluett's first name was initially Norman and later became Sidney. |
| 236 | * ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'': Mrs. Hayfer's first name was said to be "Alice" in "Honor Council". In "Vicious Tiberious", it's now "Linda". |
| 237 | * ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'': |
| 238 | ** The twin sons of Ray and Debra were called Gregory and Matthew in the pilot. In the series they became Geoffrey and Michael. Apparently Ray Romano didn't want the twins in the show to have exactly the same names as his real-life twins. |
| 239 | ** Amy's brother was named Russell when he first appeared in a Season 4 episode, but when he returned in Season 7 ([[TheOtherDarrin with a new actor]]), he was now called Peter. |
| 240 | * The ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' character Lorna Lynley was suddenly renamed Lana after her first appearance, to avoid referencing a real person. |
| 241 | * ''Series/{{Friends}}'': In the first episode the fiancé Rachel abandons at the altar is called Barry Finkle. Starting with the second episode his surname is changed to Farber which sticks for all subsequent appearances and mentions. |
| 242 | * On ''Series/FullHouse'', Uncle Jesse's surname was originally Cochran in season 1; the name was changed later to Katsopolis to reflect Stamos's Greek heritage at his request. |
| 243 | * ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero'''s secret identity was initially "Ralph Hinkley," but then after a guy named Hinkley tried to shoot then-president Ronald Reagan in real life, he was referred to as either "Ralph" or "Mr. H" and the nameplate on his office was shown as "Ralph Hanley." Eventually they started calling him Hinkley again. |
| 244 | * On ''Series/HereComeTheBrides'', the CircuitJudge is named Judge Young in one episode and Judge Weems in another. |
| 245 | * ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver'': |
| 246 | ** Fred Rutherford's wife is named Geraldine in Season One. Her name is Gwendolyn from Season Two onward. |
| 247 | ** In his first appearance in "Beaver and Gilbert," Gilbert's surname is Gates. His surname is Bates in all of his subsequent appearances, with the exception of "Beaver's English Test" in which Mr. Blair refers to him as "Mr. Harrison." |
| 248 | * On ''{{Series/MASH}}'', recurring psychiatrist character Major Freedman is given the first name Milton in his first appearance before becoming Sidney from his second appearance onward. |
| 249 | * In the Psychiatrist Milkman sketch on ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', Mrs Ratbag's name changes to Mrs Pim with no notice. Which is to say, in the beginning of the sketch she's called Mrs Ratbag and later on she's called Mrs Pim, but it's the same character. |
| 250 | * On ''Series/TheOfficeUS'', Pam Beesly's surname was spelled in three different ways in the first two seasons; she also originally had the middle name Jean (seen when she shows the camera her wedding invitation), but later on, it was changed to Morgan (first heard when Jim fakes a proposal). |
| 251 | * ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': |
| 252 | ** Marty's Malt Shop, the restaurant across the street from Madison High School, goes by a different name in its first radio appearance ("The Model School Teacher"). Subsequent appearances have the local hangout go by the name "Marty's Malt Shop". This includes the television remake of "The Model School Teacher", simply entitled "The Model Teacher." |
| 253 | ** Sherry's Department store has a similar backstory. In the store's first appearance, "Surprise Party", Madison's department store goes by a different name. In subsequent episodes, "Sherry's" prevails, including the television remake of "Surprise Party", "The Birthday Bag." |
| 254 | ** In the third season, Madison High School's principal rival, "Clay City High School", is suddenly redubbed "Henry Clay High." |
| 255 | * ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': |
| 256 | ** In "Double Helix", Dr. Nodel's first name is Martin. In the sequel "The Origin of Species", his first name is Eric. |
| 257 | ** In "Valerie 23", the Innobotics Corporation executive Charlie's surname is Rogers. In the sequel "Mary 25", it is Bouton. |
| 258 | * In ''Series/ThePartridgeFamily'', Shirley's father is named Fred Renfrew in the first two seasons and Walter Renfrew in the last two. |
| 259 | * ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'': |
| 260 | ** A pricing game known as "Now and Then" (where one must guess whether the prices of grocery items are their current price or one from an old supermarket flyer, the titular "now" and "then" prices) had its title changed to "Now ''or'' Then", for almost no apparent reason. |
| 261 | ** Another pricing game, "Check Game" (where the contestant writes the amount that would, when added to the price of a prize, equal a stated amount of the prize[[note]]currently in the $8000-$9000 range[[/note]] and if the combined total is within the required range, the contestant wins both the prize and the cash) was originally known as "Blank Check" from 1981 until 1986, when Dan Enright threatened a lawsuit due to having been the producer of a short-lived 1975 game show known as ''Series/BlankCheck'', with the game adopting its current name in early 1987. |
| 262 | * On ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'', David was called "Kevin" in his first appearance. |
| 263 | ** Roseanne even makes a callback to it in a later episode. "David's not even his name! You just made it up." |
| 264 | * In the pilot episode of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' Jerry calls Michael Richard's character "Kessler", who we all know is called "Kramer" for the rest of the series. This is later given [[MythologyGag a nod]] in "The Betrayal" during a flashback to Jerry and Kramer's first meeting, where Jerry asks if the latter's name is "Kessler, right?" before being corrected. |
| 265 | * Two female monsters from ''Series/SesameStreet'' suffered from this. A female pink monster who was originally named Mooba was inexplicably renamed Google, and a female green monster who was originally named Google was inexplicably renamed Phoebe. |
| 266 | * ''Series/Space1999'': Sandra Benes goes by that name for the entire first season and the first episodes of the second season. After her absence from the cast for part of the second season, she is renamed to Sahn, with no explanation given. This could simply be a pet name for "Sandra", but in late season two episodes her name tag says "Sahn", with no surname. A possible explanation is that the producers wanted to portray her as an Asian rather than a European (the actress was half English, half Burmese and could pass as both). |
| 267 | * ''Series/StargateSG1'' had a minor character go through this twice. "Chevron Guy" started as a [[MauveShirt glorified extra]] who did nothing but call out which chevrons on the stargate had engaged, so his name wasn't seen as important to the show, but he stuck around long enough to become an AscendedExtra by season 4. Initially he wore the nametape "Norman Davis", but then Creator/RichardDeanAnderson (Jack O'Neill) [[ThrowItIn ad-libbed his name as "Walter"]] in "[[Recap/StargateSG1S4E162010 2010]]". Then "Walter Davis" was changed to "Walter Harriman" because he shared his name with [[BackedByThePentagon an actual US Air Force sergeant]]: the name Harriman was apparently picked because Creator/DonSDavis (General Hammond) called him "Airman" in "[[Recap/StargateSG1S1E19ThereButForTheGraceOfGod There But for the Grace of God]]", which sounded like "Harriman" because of Davis's accent. |
| 268 | * In the [[Recap/StarTrekS1E3WhereNoManHasGoneBefore second pilot]] episode of ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' crewman Mitchell, possessed of near-omnipotent alien powers, fights Kirk and creates an open grave with a tombstone reading "James '''R.''' Kirk". This would normally be a minor matter but given how many times Kirk later introduces himself as "James '''T.''' Kirk" it's actually quite jarring. |
| 269 | * In two first-season episodes of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' Deanna Troi called William Riker "Bill", but eventually she joined everybody else in calling him "Will." |
| 270 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': {{Downplayed}}. Both ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediSurvivor'' were in production simultaneously, with the former coming out first and simply calling the organization "The Path". However, a year later, ''Survivor'' would exclusively call the organization "The Hidden Path". It's only an extra word's difference, but the way ''Survivor'' exclusively refers to it by it's given name is still notable. |
| 271 | * ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'': Dr. Herb Melnick's first name was originally Greg, but was changed once he and Judith became engaged. |
| 272 | * ''Series/YoungSheldon'' |
| 273 | ** Coach Wilkens' first name was originally "Roy", but was later changed to "Wayne". |
| 274 | ** In his first appearance, Dr. John Sturgis says that his middle name is "Whitney". In a later episode, he says his full name is "John Burgess Sturgis". |
| 275 | ** Georgie's girlfriend Jana originally had the last name "Owens". It was later said to be "Boggs". |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[folder:Newspaper Comics]] |
| 279 | * When Chic Young's ''ComicStrip/Blondie1930'' debuted, Blondie was a 1930s flapper with the cognomen Boopadoop. After marrying Dagwood Bumstead in 1933, she bore him two children: a son, Baby Dumpling, and a daughter, Cookie. Today, Baby Dumpling is called Alexander. |
| 280 | * One of the more baffling continuity errors in ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'' was when Pete Roberts inexplicably and abruptly had his surname retconned to "Reynolds." Notably, the official website's character sheet still uses his original name. |
| 281 | * ''ComicStrip/{{Crabgrass}}'': Miles, one of the two protagonists, was originally named Curtis. It lasted for about 3 months before it was changed to Miles, with the in-universe explanation that Curtis is his middle name that he tried to use for a while since moving to Crabgrass Drive. |
| 282 | * ''ComicStrip/MadamAndEve'': When she was first introduced, Mother Anderson was given the first name "Abigail". Her twin sister Edith was introduced in 1995; afterwards, the two characters swapped names, with "Edith" being the character in the comic and "Abigail" as the visiting twin. |
| 283 | [[/folder]] |
| 284 | |
| 285 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 286 | * Although name changes in ProfessionalWrestling occur often due to gimmick changes, sometimes names are changed for no apparent reason. Case in point, [[Wrestling/JohnMorrison John Hennigan]] officially debuted on WWE Raw as Johnny Blaze, but was changed to Johnny Spade the very next week with no gimmick change[[note]]possibly because of a trademark dispute with Creator/MarvelComics[[/note]]. It would become Johnny Nitro just a few weeks later, but this name would eventually get a change in gimmick. |
| 287 | * In August 2015, the WWE unveiled a trio of Divas that were originally given the team name Submission Sorority. Unbeknownst to them, anyone who Googled the name after the announcement wound up being directed to [[http://www.tmz.com/2015/08/06/wwe-divas-name-submission-sorority-porn-series-hazeher/ multiple video links from HazeHer]], a hardcore porn/fetish website controlled by pornsite operator [=BangBros=]! As a result, the group's name was [[http://www.tmz.com/2015/08/07/wwe-submission-sorority-change-name-porn-paige-charlotte-becky/ changed to the more generic PCB]] (the initials of the three wrestlers, Paige, Charlotte and Becky) within a week. Funnily enough, web traffic to [=BangBros=]' porn websites shot up 56% the night of the announcement, with a 35% increase in subscriptions. |
| 288 | * In 1996, Wrestling/RobertSwenson was brought into WCW in order to job to Hulk Hogan along with the rest of the Alliance to End Hulkamania. Swenson was initially referred to as the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution Final Solution]]. He was quickly renamed the Ultimate Solution. |
| 289 | [[/folder]] |
| 290 | |
| 291 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 292 | * In the Creator/MarxBrothers' radio show ''Beagle, Shyster and Beagle'' Waldorf T. Beagle's name was changed to Waldorf T. Flywheel (and the show renamed ''Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel'') because a real lawyer named Beagle threatened to sue. InUniverse it was explained that Flywheel had gotten divorced and went back to his original name. |
| 293 | [[/folder]] |
| 294 | |
| 295 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 296 | * [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in a Creator/MontyPython stage sketch in which there's a bartender who's called (and answers to) different names by all of his customers. |
| 297 | [[/folder]] |
| 298 | |
| 299 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 300 | * One of Franchise/{{Barbie}}'s sisters had her name changed from "Kelly" to "Chelsea" in 2010. |
| 301 | * Happened to numerous minor ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' characters, species and concepts following the infamous 2001 Maori controversy, where Maori cultural representatives complained that Toys/{{Lego}} had misused their language. The very culturally sensitive Tohunga (name of the [[{{Hobbits}} small island folk]]) had to be changed to Matoran, while many other names [[MyNaymeIs received altered spellings]]. At first this was handled as a MeaningfulRename, only for later material to pretend the altered names were the originals. Some names were dropped with no in-universe explanation, Kuna became bog snakes, Hoi became shore turtles, while Mukau became "Mata Nui cows" not because of legal reasons, but because the writers simply disliked that it was a pun on "moo-cow". Curiusly, three bird names (Kewa, Kahu and Goko-Kahu) that were declared unusable in 2001 and replaced with the name Gukko were reintroduced as canon subspecies of Gukko birds in 2008, likewise with no clear reason. |
| 302 | * This is a frequent thing with Franchise/{{Transformers}} due to Hasbro's control over various name Trademarks lapsing. Nowadays their generally stick "Autobot" in front of the name so they can use it, although this doesn't always apply. |
| 303 | ** One of the earliest example is the Autobot Jetfire who was renamed "Skyfire" for [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the G1 cartoon]] and redesigned, often believed to be due to legal issues ''somewhere'' since he came from the Anime/{{Macross}} toyline unlike the other Takara toys |
| 304 | ** G1 Characters often get renamed toys due to their original Trademark lapsing. Hot Rod had all his toys released under the alternate name Rodimus for a long time before he became "Autobot Hot Rod". Trailbreaker and Bluestreak were renamed Trailcutter and Silverstreak as noted above. For the Combiner Wars toyline the Arialbots Fireflight and Slingshot became "Firefly" and "Quickslinger", while the Stunticon Wildrider became "Brake-Neck". |
| 305 | ** This is why the yellow KidAppealCharacter in the ''Anime/UnicronTrilogy'' was named Hot Shot instead of Bumblebee, the Shockwave-inspired chracter in ''Anime/TransformersEnergon'' was named "Shockblast". |
| 306 | ** The Unicron Trilogy's switching back and forth between Megatron and Galvatron every series was so Hasbro could uphold their trademark on both names. |
| 307 | [[/folder]] |
| 308 | |
| 309 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 310 | * An industry example: It is pretty common for new consoles to have "working titles" while they are in development, but then receive their final name upon release. Nintendo tends to do this the most often, as they don't use the same numbering schemes as Sony or Microsoft. Examples include: |
| 311 | ** Project Reality > Nintendo Ultra 64 > Platform/Nintendo64 |
| 312 | ** Dolphin > Platform/NintendoGameCube |
| 313 | ** Revolution > Platform/{{Wii}} |
| 314 | ** Project Cafe > Platform/{{Wii U}} |
| 315 | ** NX > Platform/NintendoSwitch |
| 316 | ** Sega Mark V > Platform/SegaGenesis |
| 317 | ** PS-X > Platform/{{PlayStation}} (PSX was still used as a shorthand among western gaming publications until Sony released a DVR version of [=PS2=] with the same name) |
| 318 | * In ''VideoGame/BionicCommando2009'', Spencer has a move called "DeathFromAbove", where he descends from a great height and strikes the ground ''hard''. For some reason, it was renamed "Bionic Bomber" in ''Ultimate VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. |
| 319 | * In the ''VideoGame/{{BioShock}}'' series, Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum was named ''Bridgette'' Tenenbaum in [[VideoGame/BioShock1 the first game]] as seen when entering her apartment, but was {{retcon}}ned to Brigid in the AlternateRealityGame for ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' and used from then on. |
| 320 | * In ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'', Tiny Tiger's name is originally Taz Tiger. This can be seen in the NTSC version of the game where, in his boss fight, if you pause the game, you can see that name in the HUD. |
| 321 | * ''VideoGame/DetectivesUnited II'' has a brief, odd example about a third of the way through the game. James has gone to investigate something happening at St. Mary's Orphanage; however, when he runs into trouble, Agent Shade sends Anna Gray to help him, saying that "something happened to him at Schneider's hotel." After this conversation, the orphanage returns to its original name and no explanation is offered for the temporary change. Likely it was a script edit which never got rectified. |
| 322 | * The Tutorial Pig from ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' got the much more memorable moniker Professor Chops in the sequel, ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' after Creator/RetroStudios realized that fans had reacted negatively to such a prominent character having a bland, plainly descriptive name. When he got a trophy in ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', the trophy's actual name ended up as Tutorial Pig, while the description refers to him as preferring the name Professor Chops. |
| 323 | * The heroes in the original arcade version of ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' were known as Hammer and Spike, although the NES version later established their names to be Billy and Jimmy Lee. The manual for the Platform/SegaMasterSystem version tried to reconcile this difference by establishing that "Hammer" and "Spike" were actually Billy's and Jimmy's nicknames, but the nicknames were never used again in any subsequent game in the series. |
| 324 | ** The manual for the Master System version also switched the names of Jeff and Willy for some reason. |
| 325 | ** In ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} & Double Dragon'', Machine Gun Willy was inexplicably renamed "Roper" (which was actually the name of one of the recurring mooks in the first game). The fact that Technos didn't develop this game most likely led to this inconsistency |
| 326 | * In the ''Compilation of VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Aeris's name was changed to Aerith. (The Japanese name "エアリス" could properly be translated as either, but "Aerith" was the name intended by the developers.) |
| 327 | ** Several ''Final Fantasy'' games that were localized for North America in the nineties would receive [[VideoGameRemake remakes]] and [[UpdatedRerelease updated ports]] that had several name changes for the monsters, items, places, magic spells, among other things. This resulted in more accurate translations and consistency with [[RecurringElement terms and elements used throughout the series]], starting with the localization of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' in 1999. |
| 328 | ** ''Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions'' was hit with this trope hard, but it was definitely for the better. It is the updated [[Platform/PlaystationPortable PSP]] port of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' for the Platform/PlayStation. The original ''Tactics'' had a bad translation, naturally followed by several mistranslated names. When ''The War of the Lions'' came around, it fixed ''everything''. Just look at [[https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Tactics_translations this list of names that were changed]]. |
| 329 | * When ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' starting to be released worldwide, the NTSC site of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Blazing Blade/"Fire Emblem"]]'' referred to [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Celice]] (the accepted name at the time) as Serlis. While it was likely to avoid confusion with [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Celica]], he was called that in the ''Nintendo Power'' article (in the same article, they called Sigurd "Zigludo.") In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', he's now called Seliph. |
| 330 | * The change in localizer from Natsume's ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' to [=XSeed=]'s ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' led to some of this: |
| 331 | ** The Harvest Sprites became Nature Sprites. |
| 332 | ** In ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons2014'', the Harvest Goddess became Mother Gaia. In ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsFriendsOfMineralTown'', she's referred to as the Harvest Goddess. |
| 333 | ** ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsFriendsOfMineralTown'' uses a TruerToTheText translation and does away with the {{Dub Name Change}}s from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' and ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature''. Ann is changed to Ran, Mary is changed to Marie, Elli is changed to Elly, etc. |
| 334 | * Mary's name was [[SpellMyNameWithAnS originally translated]] as "Maria" in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' but became "Mary" in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature''. "Mary" is the name used in every other appearance. Her Japanese name is [[DubNameChange Marie]]. |
| 335 | * A character in ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy'' is [[NoNameGiven referred to]] as Jak's uncle, but in all later released material is instead known as the explorer. |
| 336 | ** Erol's name from ''[[VideoGame/JakIIRenegade Jak II]]'' changed to Errol in ''[[VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander Jak 3]]''. A {{fanon}} explanation is that the extra ''r'' refers to [[spoiler:"robot", reflecting his cybernetic 'enhancements']]. |
| 337 | * ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy'': In ''[[UpdatedRerelease We ♥ Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie]]'', the fuzzy Cosmic Cousin Colombo was abruptly renamed Njamo. |
| 338 | * In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters XIV'' one of the new characters is a Brazilian ninja named "Banderas Hattori". Brazilian fans complained that "Banderas" is a Spanish name, so in later trailers the devs changed it slightly to "Bandeiras", which fits the Brazilian name more. |
| 339 | * ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': |
| 340 | ** Infamously, Ado from ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'' was ''possibly'' renamed to Adeleine in ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards''. Officially, it's ambiguous whether they are the same character or not, but the 20th Anniversary guidebook ''Pupupu Taizen'' does acknowledge that it seems likely, even pointing out that "Ado" could be a nickname for "Adeleine". |
| 341 | ** This has happened to other subjects fairly often throughout the series, but is most often the result of InconsistentDub over time. |
| 342 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy'' was originally referred to by his Japanese name of "Stafy" in [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga two]] [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros cameos]] he made prior to one of his games being brought over to the US. |
| 343 | * In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', the aquatic creatures that populate Hyrule are called "Zolas". They would become "Zoras" in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' and subsequent games (except for the strategy guide for ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening''). |
| 344 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': |
| 345 | ** The "Jr Trainer ♀" became the "Picknicker" and the "Jr Trainer ♂" became the "Camper". Their Japanese names were also changed, but for trademark reasons. The "Girl Scout" became the "Picnic Girl" while the "Boy Scout" became the "Camp Boy". |
| 346 | ** The "Cooltrainer" was renamed "Ace Trainer". |
| 347 | ** The "Gambler" class in [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the first generation]] has always been called that in Japanese, but was {{bowdlerize}}d to "Gamer" in ''[[VideoGameRemake FireRed and LeafGreen]]'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' and to [[PrivateDetective PI]] in ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' solely because of the trenchcoats they wear, even though all their dialogue still refers to gambling. |
| 348 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonStadium'' contains different Trainer Class names from the main games, often because of length limitations. For example, "Youngster" trainers are "Lad" trainers. |
| 349 | ** The master of Mt. Battle in ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'''s story mode and ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness'' is the same person, but ''Colosseum'' gave him a DubNameChange to Somek while ''XD'' kept his Japanese name of Battlus. |
| 350 | * In ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002'', when the titular duo uses Ratchet's ship to get off of Veldin, Clank begins telling Ratchet his "real name", a serial number that begins with "B5429671", although Ratchet jerked the ship before he could continue and gave him the nickname most people know him by. Years later, in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime'', Clank's father Orvus refers to him by a different number: "XJ-0461". |
| 351 | * In ''[[VideoGame/SilentHill4 Silent Hill 4: The Room]]'', the Hope House Orphanage (mentioned in [[VideoGame/SilentHill3 the previous game]]) is now a visitable location in-game... except it's called the "Wish House Orphanage" instead. |
| 352 | ** The original article that mentioned it as the "Hope House" '''actually reappears''' in ''The Room'', [[{{Retcon}} with the changes to "Wish House" implemented]]. |
| 353 | * ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': |
| 354 | ** Dr. Eggman is always called "Dr. (Ivo) Robotnik" in the US version of earlier games. However, starting with ''Sonic Adventure,'' this was changed so that he is now always called by his Japanese name, "Dr. Eggman". Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' [[spoiler:when Classic Tails refers to Classic Eggman as Robotnik and he comments how no one calls him that anymore.]] The official consensus is that "Ivo Robotnik" (but just "Robotnik" in Japan, with his first name being "unknown") is his real name and "Eggman" is a nickname. |
| 355 | ** Amy Rose was called Princess Sally in the American ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'' manual as a feeble attempt at tying into [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM the cartoon]]. Needless to say, the very next game reverted it back to Amy. Incidentally, she first appeared in [[Manga/SonicTheHedgehog Shogakukan manga]] under the name "Eimy", and had the nickname "Rosy the Rascal" in the Japanese ''Sonic CD'' manual and ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters'' before the idea was dropped. |
| 356 | ** Similarly, Fang the Sniper's dub name, Nack the Weasel, was only used in [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogTripleTrouble his debut game's]] English localization. [[VideoGame/SonicDrift Subsequent]] [[VideoGame/TailsAdventure game]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogTripleTrouble appearances]] reverted it back to his Japanese name, possibly because he's actually supposed to be a wolf/jerboa hybrid. Starting with ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'', his name is changed again to "Fang the Hunter", with the previous names being justified as aliases he uses to escape the law. |
| 357 | ** Mecha Sonic from ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' was given [[InconsistentDub many different and inconsistent dub names]], including Metal Sonic. When he was featured as part of a ''VideoGame/LegoDimensions'' expansion pack, it was reverted to his Japanese name. |
| 358 | * The Biggy Man from ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' was originally known as the Piggy Man. A strategy guide misspelled his name and this variant of the name was popularized enough to made its way into the 2010 remake of the series. |
| 359 | * The setting of ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' is "Dinosaur Planet". The planet was later renamed "Sauria" in ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault''. |
| 360 | * ''Videogame/StreetFighter6'' renames the Mad Gear member Eliza from ''Videogame/FinalFight2'' "Elissa," seemingly to [[OneSteveLimit avoid confusion with]] Ken's wife Eliza. |
| 361 | * ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': |
| 362 | ** Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s own mascot character, Mario, was originally called the "Jumpman" in the instructions for the arcade version of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', although this was never meant to be a finalized name. The game's designer, Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto, was considering naming him "Mr. Video" for awhile until Nintendo of America suggested they call him "Mario" after Nintendo of America's landlord, Mario Segale, and the name was officially used in ''Donkey Kong Junior''. |
| 363 | ** The squid [[{{mook}} enemy]] from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' was initially called "Bloober" until ''VideoGame/PaperMario''; since then, it has been "Blooper". |
| 364 | ** Princess Peach had been called Princess Toadstool in America, until ''VideoGame/YoshisSafari'', wherein she was given her original Japanese name. ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' reverted her name back to Toadstool before ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' decided to use both names, giving her the full name and title of Princess Peach Toadstool. Since then, the name Toadstool has fallen into disuse and Peach is now her name globally. |
| 365 | ** ''VideoGame/MarioParty4'': The Baby Bowsers from the previous ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' games are renamed Koopa Kids in North America, and Mini Bowsers in Europe and Australia. The new name has stuck ever since in the series. |
| 366 | ** Fawful from the ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi Mario & Luigi]]'' series was given ''three different names'', one for each game he appears in, in European Spanish (though not Latin American Spanish, which always uses Fawful). He starts out as "Esbirro Jijí" ("Minion Heehee"), similar to Cackletta's European Spanish name, which is "Bruja Jijí" (it translates to "Heehee Witch") in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Superstar Saga]]''. Then, he was given the North American name "Fawful" for ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Partners In Time]]'', and finally, his name was changed to "Grácovitz" in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Bowser's Inside Story]]'', which is based off of "Gerakobits" (his name in Japan). This can give the impression that it's a different character in each game, as if there is an Esbirro Jijí ''species'' or these "[[SarcasmMode three characters]]" just happen to be InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals. |
| 367 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'': |
| 368 | ** Between ''Warcraft III'' and its expansion pack "The Frozen Throne" a year later, Furion Stormrage had his name expanded to ''Mal''furion with no explanation. The in-universe reason is that Furion was just a nickname, but it doesn't explain why everyone used it exclusively, and why they all suddenly stopped using it. |
| 369 | ** Various units gained different names as well; Owlbears were renamed Wildkin, while Ballistae, Catapults, Steam Tanks and Gyrocopters became Glaive Throwers, Demolishers, Siege Engines and Flying Machines respectively, with completely new models and attacks. The Steam Tank, Ballista and Gyrocopter were changed to distance them from the machines of the same name from ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'', and units like Owlbears and the Boots of Elvenkind (changed to Boots of Quel'thalas) were copyrighted by Wizards of the Coast, and thus had to be changed to avoid litigation. |
| 370 | * ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': In the transliteration from RTS to MMORPG, other names were changed as well. |
| 371 | ** The human nation of Azeroth became known as Stormwind, which was until then the name of its capital city. It was most likely done because Azeroth is also the name of the continent ''and'' the world where the plot takes place. Said continent was also eventually renamed Eastern Kingdoms, and Azeroth now exclusively refers to the planet. |
| 372 | ** Illidan's fortress, the Black Citadel, became the Black Temple and was moved to a different location in Outland. The structure in the original place is named Hellfire Citadel. It could be something of a DecompositeCharacter, but Hellfire Citadel is canonically not the Black Citadel. |
| 373 | ** Following Jesse [=McCree=] being fired from Blizzard after sexual harassment charges, several [=NPCs=] and locations that were [[{{Tuckerization}} named after him]] were renamed. The most significant was Mac'Aree, one of the major cities on the eredar/draenei homeworld of Argus, being renamed to Eredath. |
| 374 | [[/folder]] |
| 375 | |
| 376 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 377 | * George's original super hero name in ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'' was "Spark". It was later changed to "Blitz" with only a tiny bit of LampshadeHanging acknowledging the change. |
| 378 | * Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}'s DumbBlonde friend originally had the name "Tiff". In 2012, Peter Paltridge changed her name to "Taffeta Sparks", or "Taffy" for short. |
| 379 | * ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Andi (short for Andromeda) was named Sally in her first appearance as a random side character, but when she returned as a plot-relevant character she got a less throwaway name. The older comic [[OrwellianRetcon got edited to reflect this]], and the author [[https://twitter.com/RichBurlew/status/506304691412955137 joked about it on Twitter]]. |
| 380 | * ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'': |
| 381 | ** [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Davan]]'s ex-girlfriend who appears in the first strip was referred to by a different name which was later changed to "Gia." Previous strips were [[OrwellianRetcon changed to match the new name]]. (Given that the early strips were based off the author's real life, it's possible the actual ex took offense.) |
| 382 | ** [[DrivenToSuicide Scotty]]'s parents were [[http://somethingpositive.net/sp08222003.shtml originally]] named Tom and Lois. In a [[http://somethingpositive.net/sp01152015.shtml later strip]], they're Roger and Myra. |
| 383 | * ''WebComic/{{Spinnerette}}'': Tiger's daughters' names were inexplicably changed from Michelle and Holly to Chloe and Amelie in Issue 38. |
| 384 | [[/folder]] |
| 385 | |
| 386 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 387 | * Several ''Website/{{Neopets}}'' species changed names early on: |
| 388 | ** Acara was originally called "Tigren'". |
| 389 | ** Bruce started out as just an image of the celebrity Bruce Forsyth named "Bruce Forsyth". The name was shortened to "Bruce" due to legal issues and eventually they were redesigned into penguins. |
| 390 | ** Buzz started out as a winged eye named "Fleye". |
| 391 | ** Gelert was originally known as "Polypup". |
| 392 | ** Jubjub was originally "Jibjib". |
| 393 | ** Kacheek was originally "Badeek". |
| 394 | ** Kau started out being named "Macy Gray". Similar to Bruce, they were humanoid and based off a real celebrity. |
| 395 | ** Kyrii started out as the fuzzy and ball-like "Fuzio". |
| 396 | ** Mynci started out as a human named "Mellish", based on a friend of the creators. |
| 397 | ** Quiggle was originally named "Frogstomp". |
| 398 | * When WebVideo/ObscurusLupa reviewed ''Witchcraft 7: Judgement Day,'' she noticed how the first vampiric victim's name changed from "Sally" to "Rachel" at one point. As a result, she spends the review calling her "Sally-Rachel." |
| 399 | * Anna, one of the main characters in ''Blog/TheRaptureLogs'', was named Jane until about halfway through Act III, when "creative difficulties" with the person on whom the character was based necessitated the name change, which was [[{{Retcon}} applied retroactively]] through the archives. |
| 400 | * ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged'' has fun with the [[MacGuffin Silver Imperial Moon crystal]], which is never called the same way twice, even by the people looking for it. |
| 401 | * Two thirds of the way through ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqXwpKwNOm4 Ace Attorney but AI tries to create dialogue and improves!]]'', the Judge suddenly declares that Miles Edgeworth's name is now Gregory Kotsopolis. Shortly thereafter, Apollo Justice introduces himself as Henry Galaxy, and Dick Gumshoe's name starts being spelled Gumshower. |
| 402 | [[/folder]] |
| 403 | |
| 404 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 405 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': |
| 406 | ** [[RetiredBadass Billy]]'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4LlKiHlz3A song]] mentions him "cast[ing] [[OmnicidalManiac the Lich King]] down." However, ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' already had a villain with that name, so by the time this villain showed up, he was [[WritingAroundTrademarks simply called]] "[[SpellMyNameWithAThe the Lich]]." |
| 407 | ** There are [[http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Renamed_Characters other examples]] of production changes; even [[KidHero Finn]] was originally called "[[{{Tuckerization}} Pen]]" in the pilot. |
| 408 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': |
| 409 | ** Stan Smith's full first name has been said to be "Stanley", "Stanford" and "Staniel" at various points. They seem to have settled on "Stanford" as of the episode "Hayley Was a Girl Scout?", where Stan's full name is said to be "Stanford Leonard Smith" in court. |
| 410 | ** Tuttle's first name was originally "Bob", but was later changed to "Al", possibly because he shared the same name as Bob Memari. His late wife was referred to as "Betty" initially, but a photo of her tombstone showed her name to be "Lisa". Like her husband, her name was likely changed because Stan's mother is also named "Betty". |
| 411 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': In the Goodfeathers cartoons, the green Girlfeather who dates Pesto was named "Molly" in the closing credits of her debut in "Girlfeathers," but renamed "Kiki" in "Pigeon on the Roof." |
| 412 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': |
| 413 | ** Francine's cat Nemo was originally named "Mimo". |
| 414 | ** Mrs. [=MacGrady=]'s first name had been established as "Sarah", but was renamed "Leah" in honor of writer Leah Ryan. |
| 415 | ** Mr. Haney's first name was originally "Herb", but was later changed to "Francis". |
| 416 | ** Mr. Ratburn's first name is "Nigel", but an early episode had his mother call him "Emil" in a flashback. |
| 417 | ** Muffy's butler Bailey was referred to as "James" in his first appearance. He was likely renamed because another character named James, one of D.W.'s classmates, would end up becoming more prominent. |
| 418 | * In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Flying Bison are later referred to as Sky Bison. It could be possible that both terms are correct, though, since many animals have multiple common names. Considering they are also referred to as Wind Buffalo by a Fire Nation tourist, that seems likely. |
| 419 | * ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': |
| 420 | ** A strange example; some late-1930s shorts featured a character called Egghead, occasionally portrayed as a recreational hunter. In one cartoon, ''A Feud There Was'', he was called "Elmer Fudd". Through the years, the character changed ''radically'', becoming the stuttering, bald, bumbling hunter we recognize today, known ''exclusively'' as Elmer Fudd--one character become another by way of an altered name. |
| 421 | ** While not mentioned onscreen, Tweety was called "Orson" on his original model sheet for 1942's ''WesternAnimation/ATaleOfTwoKitties''. This came full circle in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSylvesterAndTweetyMysteries'', where Tweety meets a bird named Orson who looks just like his original naked design. |
| 422 | ** Sylvester was unnamed in his first few appearances, then went by "Thomas" in ''WesternAnimation/TweetiePie''. |
| 423 | ** In his first appearance in ''Odor-able Kitty'', WesternAnimation/PepeLePew was called "Henry" and [[{{Fauxreigner}} wasn't actually French]]. And on his model sheet for the cartoon, he was called "Stinky". |
| 424 | ** Beaky Buzzard was called "Killer" is his first two cartoons. |
| 425 | * The 2006 revival of ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'' had an inconsistency concerning the first name of the villain Dr. Catorkian. The Catatonian scientist refers to himself as Cantankerous Catorkian in "Manchurian Charley", while "Bringing Up Vinnie" has him give his full name as Phineas P. Catorkian. |
| 426 | * Three from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': |
| 427 | ** Due to a translation mix-up, the supercomputer was originally called the "supercalculator" in the English dub. This was later corrected. |
| 428 | ** The fictional band The Subsonics was changed to The Subdigitals when it turned out there was a ''real'' band called The Subsonics. |
| 429 | ** Kankrelats were called "Roachsters" in the first season. They were latter given their original French name. |
| 430 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' pilot "No Smoking", the villain is explicitly called the Devil. For the series, his official name became "[[{{Bowdlerise}} the Red Guy]]" (though he almost always goes by an alias in-show). |
| 431 | * ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Meg had been referred to as "Megan" a few times in the early seasons. However, in the episode "A Fist Full of Meg", it is revealed in a CutawayGag that Meg's legal first name is "Megatron" due to Peter tampering with her birth certificate (making this a literal case of Sudden Name Change, since she was indeed supposed to be named "Megan"). |
| 432 | * In the first ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'' short, ''WesternAnimation/FelineFollies'', Felix was named "Master Tom". He was also a PartiallyCivilizedAnimal instead of a FunnyAnimal. |
| 433 | * On ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', Wilma's maiden name was given as "Pebble" in one or two earlier episodes before they settled on "Slaghoople". |
| 434 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'': |
| 435 | ** The character Mo-Ron was referred to as Bo-Ron after his first appearance, allegedly because network censors were concerned that use of the word "moron" was offensive. Lampshaded in the episode "Freak-a-Panel," where, when Lord Bravery refers to him, he says "Mo-Ron or... Bo-Ron, whatever." |
| 436 | ** Also, for some reason, Dexter's cat Mr. Chubbskins is renamed Mr. Chubbikins after [[OriginsEpisode "The Chip."]] |
| 437 | * In the pilot for ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle,'' specifically the Super Chicken segment, Super Chicken's secret identity was Hunt Strongbird Jr. It became Henry Cabot Henhouse III when the series premiered. |
| 438 | * The second season of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeExtreme'' changed Ballistic's name to Eagle Eye because of a law forbidding children's shows from using characters with firearm-themed names. |
| 439 | * WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}'s original name was "Dippy Dawg". He also went through a period of being called "George Geef". It's possible that this was supposed to be his real full name, and 'Goofy' was a nickname, based off of its similarity to his surname. However, Disney tends to maintain these days that his full name is "Goofus D. Dawg" - which retroactively explains the Dippy Dawg thing, but makes 'George Geef' completely inexplicable. His full name has also been written as "Goofy Goof", especially in ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' and followups, where his son is consistently called "Max Goof". |
| 440 | * For the 2015 revival of the 2007 ''WesternAnimation/{{George of the Jungle|2007}}'' series, Magnolia and Ursula's names were switched for no explicable reason. |
| 441 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatNorth'': Debbie's surname is stated to be Gladu in her first appearance, though it's later changed to Van (pronounced Vün) |
| 442 | * On theatrical short of ''WesternAnimation/TheItsyBitsySpider'', the teacher and the little girl Itsy befriends were unnamed. When it became a series, they became Miss Adrienne and Leslie [=McGroraty=] respectively. |
| 443 | * Mei Li, the pig princess from one episode of the ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'', was known as "Pei Pei" in some promotional media. |
| 444 | * On ''WesternAnimation/{{MASK}}'', this happened very often. |
| 445 | ** The '57 Chevy shared by Hondo [=MacLean=] and Buddie Hawks was called either Hurricane or Night Stalker. (And no, these names were not exclusive to one or the other.) |
| 446 | ** Buddie's mask was called either Penetrator or Vibrator. ([[UnfortunateNames Yeah, I know.]]) |
| 447 | ** The driver of the Slingshot was named either Ace Riker or Ace Striker. His mask was called either Boomerang or Ricochet. |
| 448 | ** Bruno Sheppard's vehicle is called either Stinger or Scorpion. |
| 449 | * ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013'': |
| 450 | ** WesternAnimation/MinnieMouse's name is short for "Minerva Mouse" according to a 1942 comic story. The short ''The Fancy Gentleman'' has her as "Minifred". |
| 451 | ** In the same short, Mickey's full name is mentioned as "Michel Francois Mouse". It's normally "Michael Theodore Mouse". |
| 452 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': |
| 453 | ** Pony Joe, a one-scene character from [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver "The Best Night Ever"]], had his name out-of-nowhere revised to Donut Joe when he reappeared with a bigger role in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E24MysteryOnTheFriendshipExpress "MMMystery on the Friendship Express"]]. Since both names were only used once each (he's called just "Joe" most of the time), it isn't clear which name is correct; "Donut Joe" is newer, but "Pony Joe" had also been used by [[OfficialFanSubmittedContent fan-designed]] licensed [[TheMerch merchandise]] beforehand. |
| 454 | ** The character "Coco Pommel" had her name changed to "Miss Pommel" in 2015 starting with the merchandise. The first toy released for her was under the name Coco Pommel, but due to legal reasons and the Coco Chanel company, the toys from the 2016 Explore Equestria lineup had her name changed to Miss Pommel. She was also called Miss Pommel for the 2016 ''My Little Pony'' [=McDonald's=] Happy Meal promotion. Starting in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E10TheSaddleRowReview the episode "The Saddle Row Review"]] she is called Miss Pommel in the show. |
| 455 | ** Speaking of Coco Pommel, the character "Suri Polomare" is called Buttonbelle in the 2015 Cutie Mark Magic lineup, and was called that in the 2016 Happy Meal promotion. |
| 456 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'': |
| 457 | ** In Season 1, Miss Chatterbox's pet bird is called "Featherhead". In Season 2, it's "Featherbrain". |
| 458 | ** Mr. Persnickety was renamed to Mr. Fussy in Season 2 (which was his original name in the books anyway). |
| 459 | * Several minor characters in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' have used different names on-screen than have been used in various off-screen canon: |
| 460 | ** Mr. Burns name was originally just "Montgomery Burns". [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E4TwoCarsInEveryGarageAndThreeEyesOnEveryFish "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"]] changed it to "Charles [[MiddleNameBasis Montgomery]] Burns" because the whole episode is based on ''Citizen Kane''. |
| 461 | ** Homer's mother's name was supposed to be "Penelope Olsen" according to the ''Simpsons Family Album". When she appears in "Mother Simpson", this name is only [[MultipleIdentityIDs one of many]] she went under while on the run from the law, and it's [[UnnamedParent not actually specified]] which if any was real. In subsequent episodes she is always "Mona Simpson" (the first name mentioned in "Mother Simpson"). |
| 462 | ** Snake was called "Jailbird" in scripts before characters started calling him by the name "Snake" in episodes. This has been lampshaded many times in subsequent episodes, including his home mailbox reading "Snake, aka Jailbird" or a flashback of his previous life as a successful archeologist where he refers to himself as "Professor Jailbird." |
| 463 | ** In his first appearance in "Bart the Murderer", the real name of Fat Tony was stated to be William Williams. From "The Homer They Fall" onward, it was Anthony D'Amico. |
| 464 | ** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E25WhoShotMrBurnsPartOne Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One]]", Principal Seymour Skinner's diploma shows his name as "W. [[MiddleNameBasis Seymour]] Skinner", [[EveryoneIsASuspect because]] the letters "W/[[SixIsNine M]]" and "S" were major clues. No future episode would acknowledge this. (By contrast, on-screen text also showed Moe's last name as "Szyslak", which stuck.) |
| 465 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfSuperman''. In several early episodes (e.g. "The Deadly Dish") Lex Luthor's henchman was named Blinky. In the first season 3 episode "Luthor's Lethal Laser" the henchman's name was changed to Kinky, with no explanation. |
| 466 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePatrickStarShow'': |
| 467 | ** Patrick's prehistoric ancestor has been known as Caveman Patrick, Cave Patrick, Cave Pat, and Patrick [=CaveStar=]. [[EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference He also has three separate designs over the course of the series.]] |
| 468 | ** For a while, the show flip-flopped between the local LorreLookalike being named Slappy or Laszlo. It was finally decided to be Slappy in "Mid-Season Finale". |
| 469 | * When King Features produced made-for-TV ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' cartoons in the early 1960s, Bluto was renamed Brutus due to the company mistakingly thinking Paramount owned the rights to the name.[[note]]It later emerged that the name ''did'' originate in the comic strip, thus making King Features the owner.[[/note]] After King Features realized their mistake Brutus was retconned as Bluto's twin brother. |
| 470 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'': |
| 471 | ** In the Brazilian dub of the episodes featured in ''WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow'', Bubbles is dubbed "Denguinho" and Buttercup is called "Lindinha". In the series proper, Bubbles is "Lindinha" and Buttercup is "Docinho". Blossom averts this by being "Florzinha" in all stories. |
| 472 | ** The Brazilian dub of "Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" renames Townsville as "Cidadelândia" while the city retains its original name in the other episodes. |
| 473 | * In ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' Natasha's last name was either Fatale or Nogoodnik in different episodes. |
| 474 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': |
| 475 | ** In the pilot, Grandpa Lou Pickles was named Stu Pickles, Sr. |
| 476 | ** Chaz was referred to by his proper name "Charles" in the early episodes. |
| 477 | * ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has often fallen prey to this trope, mostly due to a rushed production schedule, though this has stabilized with major characters in recent years. The reuse of background character assets and a handful of stock names being oft reused complicates the issue. |
| 478 | ** Though most of the dads have remained consistent, [[MyBelovedSmother Sheila]], [[OnlySaneWoman Sharon]] and [[AbusiveParents Linda]] were all referred to as "Carol" at one point or another before their final names stuck. It eventually became AscendedFanon for Kenny's mom. |
| 479 | ** Butters' father kept switching between 'Chris' and Stephen' for his first five seasons; since the tenth season, he's almost exclusively been Stephen, with one slip-up. |
| 480 | ** The boys' extended group of friends changed surnames in the middle seasons -- [[TokenMinority Token]] went from "Williams" to "Black,"[[note]][[MeaningfulName Because why be subtle about it?]][[/note]] and it was later revealed that his first name is spelled "Tolkien", [[StandUpComedy Jimmy]] went from "Swanson" to "Valmer," which came up as a meta-joke, and [[TheGenericGuy Clyde]] went from "Goodman" to "Donovan" to "Harris" and back to "Donovan" over several years. [[StepfordSmiler Butters]] was also known as "Swanson" in his very earliest appearance (and before that, was intended to be named "Puff-Puff"); the "Swanson" can be heard in one episode, without it being clear who is being addressed, but the storyboards identify it as Butters. |
| 481 | ** The girls were especially prone to this, given how OutOfFocus they are. For example, "Red" was long known by this name among the crew and fans, but was "Rebecca" and "Bertha" at various points, then went back to "Red" when she started to become more prominent. Theresa was originally Molly. Powder was initially Sally Turner. Annie's surname has changed multiple times - once reported as Polk, this was later seen as a misspelling of Faulk, before it was given as Knitts in ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'', while the commonly-used Nelson in-series around the same time. |
| 482 | ** Heidi Turner first appeared as "Marcy" in the fourth season, with different parents, and with her important role in a few future seasons, there's some dispute whether to count "Marcy" as an early Heidi appearance or not. |
| 483 | ** Zigzagged with Detective Harrison Yates, who has been referred to in scripts as 'Detective Harris' but was first identified on screen as 'Sgt. Harrison Yates'. The latter name went unused in-series for almost a decade, and when 'Harris' was used in-series twice in a short run, promotional materials switched to it... but reusing a running gag from his debut necessitated the return to 'Yates', which has stuck since, though 'Harris' still sometimes appears. |
| 484 | ** The other police officers arguably fall into this; a small fan effort to identify them as characters was gradually foiled as new episodes reused the same names being used to refer to different officers interchangeably. Yates seems to refer to all of his colleagues as "Mitch", to which any officer may appear; the names Murph(e)y, Harris, Brown, Adams, and Jarvis have all been used for multiple police/detective characters. |
| 485 | ** Another example with a minor child character is Peter Mullen, who was first known as Leroy; his name was changed to 'Peter Mullen' in an episode late during production on ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth,'' which referred to him as 'Leroy Mullen', a compromise given there were multiple 'Petes' in the show and game. (Early production assets also called him "Reginald".) The sequel reverted to 'Peter Mullen', however. |
| 486 | ** Though extremely minor characters, news anchors are almost all referred to as "Tom" (and reporters often "Chris") but sometimes the same anchor will be given a name for a single appearance, such as the original Tom being Dan Akawa in one instance, though this was treated as an error/goof. Tom Thompson was also introduced as Paul Harris. |
| 487 | ** Despite the Dr. Doctor tag he is often referred with, the show's main doctor for the first ten seasons is identified on his degree and by a colleague in the film as Dr. Horatio Gouache. The use of this degree as a prop for other characters has made this a confusing example. |
| 488 | ** A pudgy girl with glasses has been called Lorraine Berger until the season 17 episode "The Hobbit", where she became Lisa. |
| 489 | ** {{Meta}} example: In the "Jesus vs. Frosty" short that ''South Park'' is ultimately based on, the proto-[[TokenEvilTeammate Cartman]] character was named "Kenny" and the others (including the one who would become [[CovertPervert Kenny]]) were [[NoNameGiven unnamed]]. |
| 490 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' |
| 491 | ** LongRunner that it is, has suffered from this on occasion - sometimes it's not terribly noticeable or important, such as the Invisible Boatmobile being called the Invisiboat for one episode, and Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's hideout being known as either the Mermalair or the Mercave but sometimes they'll do something like call Sandy Cheeks "Sandy Squirrel." |
| 492 | ** Several background fish have also had several name changes. |
| 493 | ** Barnacle Boy's first name was originally said to be "Kyle" in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V", but was later changed to "Tim" in "Mermaid Man Begins" [[TheDanza to match the name of his actor]] Creator/TimConway. |
| 494 | ** "Krusty Katering" introduces a snooty rich woman named Ms. Mildred. In later appearances, she's renamed "[[PreppyName Lady Upturn]]", and has the same design, house, and voice. ''WesternAnimation/KampKoral'' calls her "Missy" instead. |
| 495 | ** In "[=SpongeBob=] on Parade", Perch refers to the Empty Head Society as the "Nitwitting Club". Since [[IAmNotShazam the episode they're from is called]] "The Nitwitting", it's likely a {{Blooper}}. |
| 496 | * ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'': |
| 497 | ** In the duo's first appearance in ''WesternAnimation/PussGetsTheBoot'', Tom was a NearlyNormalAnimal cat named "Jasper" while Jerry was unnamed. |
| 498 | ** The little grey mouse that accompanies Jerry has been called both "Nibbles" and "Tuffy" over the years. |
| 499 | ** Several shorts featured a trio of alley cats that served as Tom's rivals or friends. The black cat was normally called "Butch", while the orange cat was called "Lightning" in ''Old Rockin' Chair Tom''. The latest direct-to-video movies call them [[PunnyName Tin, Pan, and Ali]]. |
| 500 | ** Spike the Bulldog has been called "[[OneSteveLimit Butch]]" and "Killer" a few times. |
| 501 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama,'' Sasquatchanakwa is just called "the Yeti" in later seasons. |
| 502 | * Shockwave from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' was given the name "Chugway" in the subtitles for the episode "Autoboot Camp." |
| 503 | * When ''Polly and the Zhu Zhu Pets'' was renamed to ''WesternAnimation/TheZhuZhus'', the main character's name was changed from Polly to Frankie. |
| 504 | * Downplayed with Squishington from ''WesternAnimation/BumpInTheNight'', who was given two completely different full names, which were even inconsistent on whether Squishington was the character's given name or his surname. The episode "Sock It to Me" had Squishington give his full name as Squishington A. Peabody, while the later episode "Love's Labor Bumped" has Mr. Bumpy claim that his full name is F. Lee Squishington. |
| 505 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' episode "Solar Power Rover", Beep the rover was originally named Shep until Jet found out that she was actually named Beep. |
| 506 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}}'': One of Madeline's friends was originally named Simone but later became Ellie. |
| 507 | * In ''WesternAnimation/WhateverHappenedToRobotJones'', Robot's friend Mitch was given two different surnames. The episode "Scantron Love" has Ms. Kavendash refer to him as "Mitchell Davis", while "Hookie 101" has him listed with the last name "Freemen" when Principal Madman looks at a list of students and realizes that Robot and his friends have decided to skip school today. |
| 508 | * On ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'', Muttley was given the name Sniffer on early model sheets. Also, Peter Perfect's car the Turbo Terrific was first called the Varoom Roadster and the Ant Hill Mob's Bulletproof Bomb was the Roaring Plenty, which actually were used in the Gold Key Comics issues of the show. |
| 509 | ** Conversely in the second season ''WesternAnimation/LaffALympics'', Rottens team captain Mumbly was identified as Muttley, due to the characters bearing resemblances to each other. |
| 510 | [[/folder]] |
| 511 | |
| 512 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 513 | * A great many streets and highways will change their name as you drive down them for no apparent reason. This can be very confusing and cause you to get lost. The reason tends to be things like it used to be two streets that were combined or you crossed a state or county line, or in suburbia a normally main street is given a different name based on the flora that ostensibly grows there when it passes through a residential area. |
| 514 | ** The same street can, of course, also be renamed following the death of a public figure or important event. In places with ethnic tension, this can become very political as power changes hands. A good example is Quebec, where many formerly English-named streets were gradually named for prominent francophone Québécois figures (e.g. in Montreal, Dorchester --> René-Lévesque; Maplewood --> Édouard-Montpetit) or official English versions disappeared (Mountain --> Montagne; St. Lawrence --> Saint-Laurent). |
| 515 | * Can happen to people, especially (but not always) when inheriting a new noble title -- [[Film/TheKingsSpeech Prince Albert, Duke of York]] becoming [[KingBobTheNth King George VI]] would be a well-known example. |
| 516 | ** [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Popes]] also traditionally take a new name when elected. |
| 517 | ** Monks and nuns often take a new name to use in their religious life. |
| 518 | ** In many cultures, a person can change their legal name with (usually) little trouble. |
| 519 | ** In fact, just watch the confusion when someone with a long-established [[EmbarrassingFirstName name]] or [[EmbarrassingNickname nickname]] decides they want to be called by a different one -- you might be "Rich" to your college friends, but you'll always be "Dickie" to your family. |
| 520 | * Countries change names regularly for various reasons, often because of a revolution, the redrawing of borders or the use of an endonym to replace an exonym. For example, Siam --> Thailand; Abyssinia --> Ethiopia; Persia --> Iran, etc. |
| 521 | * Professional sports teams do this occasionally. Reasons include: |
| 522 | ** When a team moves, if the name does not quite match the new location. Montreal Expos --> Washington Nationals; Houston Oilers --> Tennessee Titans. |
| 523 | ** Increased cultural sensitivity. Washington Redskins --> Commanders; Cleveland Indians --> Guardians |
| 524 | * Website/ThisVeryWiki does it with changing names of trope pages all the time. |
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