History Main / NamedByTheAdaptation

** While it's a common fact that Nintendo considered several names for the game's protagonist (such as Jumpman, Rescue Man, and Mr. Video) before deciding on Mario after Mario Segale, the game's heroine was originally an unnamed "lady" (although one ad for the Game & Watch version named her Louise) until the name Pauline was given in the show's ''Donkey Kong'' shorts.

* ''VideoGame/CaptainCommando'': The official manga gives the titular captain the civilian name Mars Carlisle and provides Ginzu/Sho and [[TheRival his rival]] Yamato with last names (Takegami and Mikagura, respectively). The English UDON translation gives Hoover/Baby Head the full name "Hoover J. Estefan," in turn treating "Baby Head" as a codename.

* In the original graphic novel of ''ComicBook/TheCrow'', Eric and Shelly's last names went unmentioned. [[Film/TheCrow The film]] gave them the surnames of 'Draven' and 'Webster' respectively.

* The two principal characters in Vercors' novel ''Literature/LeSilenceDeLaMer'' are known only as "the uncle" and "the niece", but were given the names André and Jeanne Larosière, respectively, in the [[Film/LeSilenceDeLaMer2004 2004 TV film adaptation]].

** Fred's wife (or fiancée, in some versions) is named Bess in ''Film/AChristmasCarol1938'', Janet in ''Film/AChristmasCarol1984'', Clara in ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol' Emily in ''Film/AChristmasCarol1999'', Sally in ''Film/AChristmasCarolTheMusical'', and Hela in ''WesternAnimation/ScroogeAChristmasCarol'', which [[RaceLift portrays her as East Indian]].

* ''ComicBook/StarTrekIDW'': "Burly Cadet #1" from the 2009 film (the guy who gets into a fight with Kirk in the bar and later becomes Head RedShirt) is claimed as the reboot verse's counterpart of Lieutenant Hendorff from the ''TOS'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E5TheApple The Apple]]". This was subsequently confirmed in ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness''.

** The original 1987 arcade game, released as ''Top Secret'' in Japan, initially had no named protagonist and wasn't meant to be a sequel or spinoff to anything. Since ''Top Secret'' couldn't be used outside Japan due to [[Film/TopSecret an unrelated comedy film]], the game was retitled ''Bionic Commando'' overseas, after Capcom's 1985 top-down shooter ''VideoGame/{{Commando}}''. The sales flyer for the U.S. version, in particular, would go on to claim that the protagonist of the game is none other than Super Joe from the original ''Commando'' after being given a bionic arm in order to justify the title, despite the fact that the so-called "bionic arm" was simply a grappling hook attached to the player character's otherwise normal arm.

* The ''Literature/WorldsOfPower'' novelization of ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' renames Rad Spencer into Jack Markson. Presumably this was because unlike the Japanese manual, the U.S. manual never mentions his name, effectively turning him into a nameless protagonist until the very end, so it's an easy fact to overlook. And even then, they only use his first name and they spelled it [[InconsistentSpelling Ladd]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'': The title originally referred to the player's spacecraft when the game was originally released for the arcades. When the Famicom version was released later on, the ship was renamed the Vic [=VipeTherer=] (or the Warp Rattler in some localizations) and "Gradius" now referred to the player's home planet.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'': The title originally referred to the player's spacecraft when the game was originally released for the arcades. When the Famicom version was released later on, the ship was renamed the Vic VipeTherer (or the Warp Rattler in some localizations) and "Gradius" now referred to the player's home planet.

** [[NoFullNameGiven Antoine]], the musician who was turned into a vampire by Lestat in the ''The Vampire Lestat'' novel, remained unnamed until ''Prince Lestat''. His {{Gender Flip}}ped TV counterpart Antoinette Brown announces to the crowd at the Azalea her full name in her introductory scene in "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E3IsMyVeryNatureThatOfADevil Is My Very Nature That of a Devil]]".
** There's no vampire named Bruce (whom Claudia meets in "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E5AVileHungerForYourHammeringHeart A Vile Hunger for Your Hammering Heart]]") in ''Literature/TheVampireChronicles'', although their dialogue hints that he's [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Killer]], the leader of the Fang Gang.

* ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'': The two-part episode "Cult Patrol"/"Paw Patrol" adapts the Cult of the Unwritten Book arc of Grant Morrison's run on [[ComicBook/DoomPatrol the original comic]], naming the titular Unwritten Book Elliott Patterson when he was unnamed in the original arc.

* And Gareth Lestrade in ''Series/{{Elementary}}''.

** The game's own remake, rather bluntly titled ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'', expands on some of the members of AVALANCHE. In partiular, the character originally only known as Jessie is given the surname Rasberry.
** Mrs Strife, Cloud’s mom despite appearing in flashbacks and ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' was only known as “Cloud’s mom” for a decade and half until ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' finally gives her the first name Claudia (fun alliteration with her son’s name). “Claudia” comes from her character design documents in the original ''FFVII''.
** Likewise Mr Lockhart, Tifa’s dad had no name in the original game either despite appearing prominently in the Nibelheim flashbacks. ''Remake'' officially names him Brian (like Claudia based on his concept art) and the ''Remake'' novel ''Trace of Two Pasts'' even gives Tifa’s mom a name as well: Thea.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFight'': Cody and Belger became known as Cody Travers and Horace Belger in the [=PS2=]/Xbox spin-off game ''Final Fight: Streetwise''.

* ''VideoGame/GrimmsNotes'': Many characters who went unnamed in their fairy tales of origin got a made-up name in this game. For example: Kodjia ([[Literature/AlibabaAndTheFortyThieves the leader of the forty thieves]]), Han, Esel, Katze, Hund ([[Literature/TheBremenTownMusicians the Bremen Town musicians]]), Noemi and Dorothée ({{Literature/Cinderella}}'s stepsisters).

* ''Film/{{Tron}}'': The [=ENCOM=] computer world in the movie was never given a name, in contrast to The Grid in [[Film/TronLegacy the sequel]].[[note]]The "gaming grid" that Kevin Flynn was sent to was just one part of the world in the original movie.[[/note]] In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', a copy of the unnamed world was dubbed "Space Paranoids."