History Main / MiddleNameBasis

* ''Webcomic/VenusEnvy'': Zoe is transgender and her birth name is "Alex". Upon changing her name, she made her middle name to "Alexis". Her parents still sometimes call her by her old name, but it's passed off as this.

* In the ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' oneshot ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/8964301 Pyrophobic]]'', in order to get around the OneSteveLimit the mother of the Zelda from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', who is also named "Zelda", goes by her middle name (Heather).

* Like many Catholic families, Saints Louis and Zelie Martin of Lisieux, France gave all of their nine children either Marie or Joseph for a first name. Only one was actually known as Marie. The others (Pauline, Leonie, Celine, and Therese, plus the four who died in infancy) were addressed by their middle names.

* Like many Catholic families, Saints Louis and Zelie Martin of Lisieux, France gave all of their nine children either Marie or Joseph for a first name, plus one or more individual middle names. Only one was actually known as Marie. The others (Pauline, Leonie, Celine, and Therese, plus the four who died in infancy) were addressed by their middle names.

* Like many Catholic families, Saints Louis and Zelie Martin of Lisieux, France, gave all of their nine children either Marie or Joseph for a first name, plus one or more individual middle names. Of the five sisters who survived to adulthood, only one was actually known as Marie. The others were addressed by their middle names.

* Basketball star Stephen Curry goes by his middle name instead of "Wardell" — perhaps to differentiate himself from his father, former basketball player Dell Curry.

** Following in her sister's footsteps, Mary Fanning actually chose to go by her middle name [[Creator/ElleFanning Elle]].
* Creator/CelineBuckens' actual first two names are "Amelie Margaret"

* Music/PaulMccartney of Music/TheBeatles is actually (Sir) James Paul [=McCartney=].

* [[Creator/JRRTolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien]] went by "Ronald" and reportedly disliked the name "John."

** Dale Earnhardt's full name was Ralph Dale Earnhardt. He went by 'Dale' to distinguish himself from his father Ralph. The same goes to Dale's second son Dale Earnhardt Jr.

* Basketball star Stephen Curry goes by his middle name instead of "Wardell".

* Faustus Crange Horselady from ''Webcomic/HeIsAGoodBoy'' simply goes by "Crange".

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* ''Comicbook/IncredibleHulk'': The SecretIdentity of the Hulk is Robert '''Bruce''' Banner, known exclusively to everyone who knows him as "Bruce" (unless he goes by an alias to hide). This is a result of SerendipityWritesThePlot, as Creator/StanLee often used to forget the character's name and [[SuddenNameChange alternated]] between calling him "Bruce Banner" and "Bob Banner". After realizing the mistake, the name we know as was established as his real full name.

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* In an episode of ''Series/ArseneLupin'', the titular GentlemanThief disguises as a spanish crook with a lot of middle names. As he explains to a gangster, how close a friend is determines by which name they're to call him; after the gangster saves him from a poisoned wine bottle, he answers "call me Gomez" (i.e "you're promoted").

[[folder: Literature ]]

* In the Literature/HonorHarrington series, Gloria Michelle Samantha Evelyn Henke goes by "[[GenderBlenderName Mike]]" or "Michelle"among her friends. It's one of the perks of having an OverlyLongName.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' Tarvek answers to his middle name because he shares his first name, Aaronev, with his father. Tarvek is the fifth Prince of Sturmhalten named Aaronev Sturmvoraus.

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''WebOriginal/AchievementHunter'':

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

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* ''Comicbook/IncredibleHulk'': The AlterEgo of the Hulk is Robert '''Bruce''' Banner, known exclusively to everyone who knows him as "Bruce" (unless he goes by an alias to hide). This is a result of SerendipityWritesThePlot, as Creator/StanLee often used to forget the character's name and [[SuddenNameChange alternated]] between calling him "Bruce Banner" and "Bob Banner". After realizing the mistake, the name we know as was established as his real full name.

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[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

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* Mr. Burns from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is usually referred to as such. When people refer to him casually, they use his middle name, Montgomery, rather than his given name, Charles.

This is often used as a way of [[EmbarrassingFirstName covering]] [[SamusIsAGirl up]] their first name but is also frequently used when [[OneSteveLimit multiple characters share a name]]. Some people (especially men) share a parent's name so they go by their middle name in order to avoid confusion.

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Index: NamingConventions

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