History Main / Namedar

* The Pokédex in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games and anime will provide names for Pokémon who were previously undiscovered. Justified in most cases as Pokémon are named after the noises they make and the ones that don't can talk and will say their names when asked. There are a few rare species that don't make any specific noise and don't talk, however. In these cases, what a Pokédex says goes.

*** According to the [[Film/{{Transformers}} movies]] they picked names they liked or closest fit their real names in the process of learning English. Whatever his Cybertronian name is, it's likely to be close or in the feeling of Bumblebee.

** For that matter, in the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E1AnUnearthlyChild first episode]] of the series, Susan claims that the name "TARDIS" is one that she'd made up on the spot based on how the machine works, but later we find that it has become the universally accepted name for such machines. (This has prompted a number of [[{{Fanon}} fan theories]] about Susan's past.) When asked about this, one writer simply said "She was a very influential young lady."

*** Could be chalked up to TranslationConvention with Susan being the first person to give a [=TARDIS=] a name in English, the [[TranslatorMicrobes Translation Circuit]] could always make humans hear it as [=TARDIS=]
*** It's worth noting that in the ''Literature/FactionParadox'' spin-offs, Time Lords call their vehicles timeships with [=TARDIS=] just being the name of the one that The Doctor owns. Although this may be more to do with WritingAroundTrademarks, since they don't call themselves Time Lords either.

When it turns out the nickname isn't the real name after all, it may lead to AccidentalMisnaming. On the other hand, characters independently deducing a particularly unlikely name may be played for comedy via StrangeMindsThinkAlike. Also related to EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep (where everyone calls the character by profession because they don't know his name). It may turn out that HisNameReallyIsBarkeep.

* In ''Comicbook/XMen''#4, Scarlet Witch took her name as an AppopriatedApellation after a supersitious peasant calls her that after seeing her use her powers. ''Comicbook/ScarletWitch2015'' reveals that this is a hereditary title in the Maximoff family.

* In ''Comicbook/TheBooksOfMagic'', Dr. Occult's other half refuses to tell Tim Hunter her name, saying he needs to find her a name, as a test. Tim [[LineOfSightName sees a rosebush]] and decides to call her "Rose". Rose Psychic is impressed, but doesn't tell him he was ''right''.

* Averted in Greg Egan's ''Diaspora''. Among the people studying some newly-discovered organisms is a small group that decides to call them "Wang's Carpets". It doesn't matter what anyone else might choose to call them since their mental translation software would automatically make the substitution as necessary. We're manifestly in on the group because from that point on everyone appears to use the term. (Wondering what if anything they call themselves proves to be the wrong question.)

* In ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', [[TheOneGuy Rinnosuke's]] ability tells him the name and function of any object just by looking at it. This is pretty useful, seeing as he deals in objects from the outside world that most anyone else in Gensokyo wouldn't know about. Unfortunately, the info isn't perfect; his power doesn't tell him how to ''work'' the danged things, or where to find fuel for them, etc. For example: his power told him that an iPod can "store and play a lot of music", but he has no clue how to store music or make it play (and he doesn't know how to use a computer without ''shorting them'', so he's SOL anyway). And he thought a UsefulNotes/GameBoy was an ArtifactOfDoom because his power told him that it "Controls everything; making people fight, starting wars, and possibly even destroying worlds". What it neglected to tell him is that all the stuff it controls is ''imaginary''.

* The Pokédex in the Franchise/{{Pokemon}} games and anime will provide names for Pokémon who were previously undiscovered. Justified in most cases as Pokémon are named after the noises they make and the ones that don't can talk and will say their names when asked. There are a few rare species that don't make any specific noise and don't talk, however. In these cases, what a Pokédex says goes.
* Played with in ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity''. Grieving Mother's [[NonameGiven lack of name]] and unassuming appearance on the world map (dressed in dirty greys in a dirty, grey village) might make an inattentive player assume she's a generic village NPC until talking to her. ([[InterfaceSpoiler Except that she's clearly marked on the map with text, as only potential party members are]].) Later, an option comes up in early conversations with her to ask her why she's known as Grieving Mother. She'll point out she never actually called herself that (or anything), but accepts it as an apt title.

* Apparently, Namedar is an inherent ability of Goblin Shamans in the pseudo-[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]] world of ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}''. When a new goblin is born, the Shaman somehow predicts their future traits, skills, talents, and/or fate, and gives them an appropriate name. Which can be quite unfortunate if you name happens to be 'Dies Horribly'. Amusingly, [[{{Minmaxing}} Minmax]] the Barbarian displays some Namedar-like skills early on when he fights Complains Of Names...though guessing his name was made somewhat easier by the fact that Complains Of Names was complaining about his name at the time.

* In the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'', the ten-year-old Ben names gives his [[SuperSpeed Kineceleran]] form the PunnyName "[=XLR8=]". Ben doesn't even know the name of the species at this point, let alone anything about their culture or even anything about aliens in general. Fast forward seven years to ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', where other Kineceleran characters have similar looking names such as K8-E and N-8. This seems to be a fluke, however, as he didn't manage to stumble upon a culturally appropriate name for any of his other alien forms.

* In ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'', Rulers have a Class Skill called True Name Discernment, which lets them automatically identify other Servants. Some Servants like Mordred have the ability to conceal themselves from it, though.

[[folder:Film — Fan Works]]

* In the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'', the ten-year-old Ben names gives his [[SuperSpeed Kineceleran]] form the PunnyName "[=XLR8=]". Ben doesn't even know the name of the species at this point, let alone anything about their culture or even anything about aliens in general. Fast forward seven years to ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', where other Kineceleran characters have similar looking (but less punny) names such as K8-E and N-8. This seems to be a fluke, however, as he didn't manage to stumble upon a culturally appropriate name for any of his other alien forms.