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* in the run-up to [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie]], numerous 7-Eleven Stores in North America renamed themselves Kwik-E-Mart with Simpsons themed signage on and inside the building. After the movie promotion was over the names returned to 7-Eleven
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* in In the run-up to [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie]], [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie The Simpson's Movie]], numerous 7-Eleven Stores in North America renamed themselves Kwik-E-Mart "Kwik-E-Mart" with Simpsons themed signage on and inside the building. After the movie promotion was over the names returned to 7-Eleven
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Kwik-E-Mart
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* in the run-up to [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie]], numerous 7-Eleven Stores in North America renamed themselves Kwik-E-Mart with Simpsons themed signage on and inside the building. After the movie promotion was over the names returned to 7-Eleven
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Pizza Hut Hut
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* Pizza Hut is changing its name to [[https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/pizza-hut-changes-name-for-super-bowl-2019 Pizza Hut Hut]] for Superbowl LIII
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* When Music/BigAudioDynamite unveiled a new lineup in 1991 (featuring only [[IAmTheBand leader Mick Jones]] from the previous "classic" lineup) with the release of ''The Globe'', they called themselves "Big Audio Dynamite II". On the following record, ''Higher Power'', in 1994, they changed their name again to "Big Audio". On the record following that, ''F-Punk'', they changed back to "Big Audio Dynamite".
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* Ty England released his third album ''Highways & Dance Halls'' under the name Tyler England, but has gone back to Ty.
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Wrestling moves
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* During the early 90's in WCW, Standards and Practices required certain moves or activities to have less aggressive terms. Most famously were announcers would say an "International Object" was illegally used. This practice thankfully ended once Eric Bischhoff become Executive VP.
* Wrestler's moves and finishes are commonly renamed with a new persona and reverted back once out of said persona.
* Wrestler's moves and finishes are commonly renamed with a new persona and reverted back once out of said persona.
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!!Examples
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* [[Comicbook/RedHoodTheLostDays Jason Todd]] picked up the Red Robin costume and name while traveling the multiverse only to return to being the Red Hood sometime after returning home.
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* [[Comicbook/RedHoodTheLostDays [[ComicBook/RedHoodTheLostDays Jason Todd]] picked up the Red Robin costume and name while traveling the multiverse only to return to being the Red Hood sometime after returning home.
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[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
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[[folder:Live-Action Television]]TV]]
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[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
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* Many Sports Venues have a title sponsor that is added to the name, and once the sponsorship ends the original name reappears if no sponsor is found. Frequent Examples would include Dolphins Stadium after sponsorship ending with Pro Player and Sun-Life (the stadium is now sponsored by and with the name Hard Rock) and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum after [=McAfee=] and Overstock/O.co Deals ended.
** College Bowl Games have a similar sponsorship issue. A sign the Bowl Game is struggling is if the game reverts back to an original name.
** College Bowl Games have a similar sponsorship issue. A sign the Bowl Game is struggling is if the game reverts back to an original name.
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* Many Sports Venues have a title sponsor that is added to the name, and once the sponsorship ends the original name reappears if no sponsor is found. Frequent Examples would include Dolphins Stadium after sponsorship ending with Pro Player and Sun-Life (the stadium is now sponsored by and with the name Hard Rock) and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum after [=McAfee=] and Overstock/O.co Deals ended.
**ended. College Bowl Games have a similar sponsorship issue. A sign the Bowl Game is struggling is if the game reverts back to an original name.
**
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** Similarly the Los Angeles Angels played at "Chavez Ravine" instead of Dodgers Stadium for their home games between 1962-1965.
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** When the New Orleans Hornets relocated temporarily to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, the teams official name was New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
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* Many countries, especially those under authoritarian dictatorships, will [[IstanbulNotConstantinople rename themselves]] only to revert back a few years later under new leadership. Famous 20th Century Examples would include Congo (Zaire) and Cambodia (Kampuchea).
** This extended to major cities, like Saint Petersburg (Leningrad), České Velenice (Gmünd-Bahnhof, Czechoslovakia), Santo Domingo (Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic), Bandar-e Anzalī (Bandar-e Pahlavi)
** This extended to major cities, like Saint Petersburg (Leningrad), České Velenice (Gmünd-Bahnhof, Czechoslovakia), Santo Domingo (Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic), Bandar-e Anzalī (Bandar-e Pahlavi)
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* Many countries, especially those under authoritarian dictatorships, will [[IstanbulNotConstantinople rename themselves]] themselves only to revert back a few years later under new leadership. Famous 20th Century Examples century examples would include Congo (Zaire) and Cambodia (Kampuchea).
** Thisextended [[PleaseSelectNewCityName can also happen to major cities, cities]], like Saint Petersburg (Leningrad), České Velenice (Gmünd-Bahnhof, Czechoslovakia), Santo Domingo (Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic), Bandar-e Anzalī (Bandar-e Pahlavi)
** This
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Russia was a constuitent republic of the USSR
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* Many countries, especially those under authoritarian dictatorship, will rename themselves only to revert back a few years later under new leadership. Famous 20th Century Examples would include Russia (USSR), Congo (Zaire), and Cambodia (Kampuchea).
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* Many countries, especially those under authoritarian dictatorship, dictatorships, will [[IstanbulNotConstantinople rename themselves themselves]] only to revert back a few years later under new leadership. Famous 20th Century Examples would include Russia (USSR), Congo (Zaire), (Zaire) and Cambodia (Kampuchea).
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* Neville Staple of Music/TheSpecials became Neville Staples for the couple of years he was in Music/TheFunBoyThree, then reverted to the singular Neville Staple when they broke up.
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* Music/MarthaAndTheMuffins changed their name to "M + M" in 1984, partly to reflect a line-up change (shifting from a full band to a core duo of '''M'''artha Johnson and '''M'''ark Gane plus guests) and partly as CreatorBacklash against a whimsical name they felt no longer suited them. A couple of albums later they decided the original name was better after all, and returned to it.
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* Music/MassiveAttack shortened their name to "Massive" for the single release of their SignatureSong "Unfinished Sympathy", because it came out at the time of the First Gulf War and radio stations weren't keen on playing bands with words like "Attack" in their names.
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** British popstar Music/{{Cheryl}} went from being Cheryl Tweedy (her birth name) to Cheryl Cole, to Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, before settling on a mononym.
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* Music/TheWho had already settled on the name before their manager persuaded them to release their debut single under the name "The High Numbers". They reverted to their preferred moniker after the single flopped. When it was reissued many years later to promote the ''Film/{{Quadrophenia}}'' movie, it was again credited to The High Numbers as a kind of MythologyGag, and became a minor hit with that credit.
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* When Wrsetling/LanceStorm won titles in the later years of WCW, he would rename the titles he won to the "Canadian Heavyweight Championship", "100 Kilos and Under Championship", and "Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title" instead of US, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore titles respectively. Generally this change was reverted back to the old name once he or his stable lost the strap.
* The WWWF/WWF/WWE Women's Title had been the highest female championship in the promotion from 1956 until 2010 when it was merged with and renamed the Divas Championship. In 2016, during the start of the Women's Revolution, the Title was renamed back to the WWE Women's Championship.
* The WWWF/WWF/WWE Women's Title had been the highest female championship in the promotion from 1956 until 2010 when it was merged with and renamed the Divas Championship. In 2016, during the start of the Women's Revolution, the Title was renamed back to the WWE Women's Championship.
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* When Wrsetling/LanceStorm Wrestling/LanceStorm won titles in the later years of WCW, he would rename the titles he won to the "Canadian Heavyweight Championship", "100 Kilos and Under Championship", and "Saskatchewan "[[FunWithAcronyms Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title" Title]]" instead of US, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore titles respectively. Generally this change was reverted back to the old name once he or his stable lost the strap.
* The WWWF/WWF/WWE Women's Title had been the highest female championship in the promotion from 1956 until 2010 when it was merged with and renamed the Divas Championship. In 2016, during the start of the Women's Revolution, the Title was renamed back to the WWE Women'sChampionship.Championship, as the term "Diva" had fallen out of favor with WWE fans and management.
* The WWWF/WWF/WWE Women's Title had been the highest female championship in the promotion from 1956 until 2010 when it was merged with and renamed the Divas Championship. In 2016, during the start of the Women's Revolution, the Title was renamed back to the WWE Women's
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* Music/AlyAndAJ changed their name to 78violet (pronounced "seventy-eight violet") when they returned to making music in 2012, but they only released a single song before going on a hiatus again. They then made a more substantial comeback in 2017 and changed their name back to Aly & AJ.
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* The WWWF/WWF/WWE Women's Title had been highest female championship in the promotion from 1956 until 2010 when it was merged with and renamed the Divas Championship. In 2016, during the start of the Women's Revolution, the Title was renamed back to the WWE Women's Championship.
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* The WWWF/WWF/WWE Women's Title had been the highest female championship in the promotion from 1956 until 2010 when it was merged with and renamed the Divas Championship. In 2016, during the start of the Women's Revolution, the Title was renamed back to the WWE Women's Championship.
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[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
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[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
[[/folder]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
[[/folder]]
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* Parodied as a RunningGag by the last four seasons of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce''. The show became ''Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1'', ''Aqua Something You Know Whatever'', ''Aqua TV Show Show'', and ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Forever'', all without changing any of the actual content.
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Wwe women's Championship
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* The WWWF/WWF/WWE Women's Title had been highest female championship in the promotion from 1956 until 2010 when it was merged with and renamed the Divas Championship. In 2016, during the start of the Women's Revolution, the Title was renamed back to the WWE Women's Championship.
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Players who changed name and went back
* Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals legally changed his name to Chad OchoCinco to match his uniform number (85) for a few seasons before legally changing it back.
* Is it Hakeem Olajuwon or Akeem Olajuwon? His name was rather inconsistent.
[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
* Is it Hakeem Olajuwon or Akeem Olajuwon? His name was rather inconsistent.
[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
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[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
[[/folder]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
[[/folder]]
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fixing
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* When Lance Storm won titles in the later years of WCW, he would rename the titles he won to the "Canadian Heavyweight Championship", "100 Kilos and Under Championship", and "Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title" instead of US, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore titles respectively. Generally this change was reverted back to the old name once he or his stable lost the strap.
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* When Lance Storm Wrsetling/LanceStorm won titles in the later years of WCW, he would rename the titles he won to the "Canadian Heavyweight Championship", "100 Kilos and Under Championship", and "Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title" instead of US, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore titles respectively. Generally this change was reverted back to the old name once he or his stable lost the strap.
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addition
* On their last record before they disbanded in 1994, the Music/NewKidsOnTheBlock shortened their name to '''NKOTB'''.
* For one album, Music/TheJGeilsBand shortened their name to just "Geils". They changed it back on the following record.
* For one album, Music/TheJGeilsBand shortened their name to just "Geils". They changed it back on the following record.
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* Rapper Sean Combs can't seem to stick with a stage name for too long....''Puff Daddy....Puffy....Sean "Puffy" Combs''....
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* Rapper Sean Combs can't seem to stick with a stage name for too long....''Puff Daddy....Puffy....Sean "Puffy" Combs''....Combs, P. Diddy, ''....
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city name changes
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** This extended to major cities, like Saint Petersburg (Leningrad), České Velenice (Gmünd-Bahnhof, Czechoslovakia), Santo Domingo (Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic), Bandar-e Anzalī (Bandar-e Pahlavi)
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* The Oakland Raiders, LA Chargers (their first season was in LA before moving to San Diego in 1961),and LA Rams changed the name of the franchise to their new city upon relocation and returned the team to the old cities' names upon franchise return.
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* The Oakland Raiders, LA Chargers (their first season was in LA before moving to San Diego in 1961),and 1961), and LA Rams changed the name of the franchise to their new city upon relocation and returned the team to the old cities' names upon franchise return.
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* Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds were known as the Redlegs for a few years in the 1950s during that era's RedScare.
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* When Music/{{Madonna}} was into Kabbalah, she wanted to be called "Esther" but it never took and everyone kept on calling her Madonna.
* Rapper Sean Combs can't seem to stick with a stage name for too long....''Puff Daddy....Puffy....Sean "Puffy" Combs''....
* Rapper Sean Combs can't seem to stick with a stage name for too long....''Puff Daddy....Puffy....Sean "Puffy" Combs''....
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* On ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', Jerry retires temporarily. When he returns to work, he reveals that his name is actually Gary and they've been saying it wrong all this time. He asks that they call him Gary from then on. Instead, April starts calling him "Larry" and the others join in. In the final season (which takes place three years after the previous one by which time the character is now called "Terry"), he becomes the mayor of Pawnee and they decide to restore his real name of Gary.
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* On ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', Jerry [[ButtMonkey Jerry]] retires temporarily. When he returns to work, he reveals that his name is actually Gary and they've been saying it wrong all this time. He asks that they call him Gary from then on. Instead, April starts calling him "Larry" and the others join in. In the final season (which takes place three years after the previous one by which time the character is now called "Terry"), he becomes Donna intentionally "misprints" his name as "Gary" on a wedding seating chart and the mayor rest of Pawnee and they decide to restore the cast seize on it as another hilarious name change ''again'' (having forgotten it's his ''actual'' name). He tears up a little at ''finally'' being called by his real name of Gary.by his best friends.
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Angels name and Stadium Name
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** Similarly the Los Angeles Angels played at "Chavez Ravine" instead of Dodgers Stadium for their home games between 1962-1965.
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* The LA Angels played most of their first 5 seasons with this name, until renaming themselves the California Angels during the season of 1965 as they were to move to Anaheim. In 1997 the team became the Anaheim Angels, and after winning the world series became "The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" for contractual obligations on their lease. Since 2016, without leaving the stadium in Anaheim, they are back to the LA Angels.
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Country Names
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* Many countries, especially those under authoritarian dictatorship, will rename themselves only to revert back a few years later under new leadership. Famous 20th Century Examples would include Russia (USSR), Congo (Zaire), and Cambodia (Kampuchea).
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AFL - Net 10 wireless AFL
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* The 2012-14 seasons the Arena Football League were officially known as The Net 10 Wireless Arena Football League.
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Created from YKTTW
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One of many ways to breathe new life into something is to change its name. Sometimes the old name is an ArtifactTitle that no longer fits, or it's just not hip enough for the audiences of today. Maybe it's a MeaningfulRename to signify personal growth or a life-changing event.
But for whatever reason, the name change doesn't fit. Fans may find that the old name fit better than the new one, or was more recognizable, or more iconic. Or maybe the event that precipitated the name change wasn't as life-changing as previously thought. Or maybe nostalgia takes over. So the name gets changed back.
This trope can also apply for when a name change is part of a publicity stunt and is intentionally short-lived. See also SuddenNameChange for when a name is changed but doesn't change back.
----
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Advertising]]
* International House of Pancakes (better known as IHOP) faced a backlash in 2018 when they announced they were going to change the name of their restaurant chain to "IHOB" (with the "B" standing for "Burgers") to emphasize their burger selection. The name change turned out to be temporary, as they returned to the IHOP name a month later.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' was revamped in 1988 as a weekly anthology series, and was renamed ''Action Comics Weekly''. The format change was dropped a year later, and the book's title was returned to normal.
* ComicBook/BlackPanther was created just before the Black Panther organization. For a short time T'Challa changed to "Coal Tiger" to avoid UnfortunateImplications, but this didn't last long.
* [[Comicbook/RedHoodTheLostDays Jason Todd]] picked up the Red Robin costume and name while traveling the multiverse only to return to being the Red Hood sometime after returning home.
* The Golden-Age ComicBook/{{Starman}} villain The Mist went by the name "Nimbus" in the Will Payton ''Starman'' series, but was back to calling himself The Mist by the time of the Jack Knight series.
* Post-Crisis, the first ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' series was renamed ''Adventures of Superman'' with issue #424, while a second ''Superman'' series was launched. Following ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', the second ''Superman'' series was cancelled, and the original title returned to the name ''Superman'' with issue #650.
* Beast Boy changed his name to "Changeling" when he joined the ComicBook/TeenTitans in 1980. This change lasted about twenty years, before he went back to the Beast Boy name.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
* The main character on ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero'' was originally named Ralph Hinkley, but after the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr., the character's last name was temporarily changed to "Hanley" during the first season. It was reverted back to "Hinkley" by Season 2.
* On ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', Jerry retires temporarily. When he returns to work, he reveals that his name is actually Gary and they've been saying it wrong all this time. He asks that they call him Gary from then on. Instead, April starts calling him "Larry" and the others join in. In the final season (which takes place three years after the previous one by which time the character is now called "Terry"), he becomes the mayor of Pawnee and they decide to restore his real name of Gary.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': "Weekend Update" went through a number of name changes (including "SNL [=NewsBreak=]" and "Saturday Night News") when Dick Ebersol produced the show in the early 1980s, but returned to its original name when Lorne Michaels returned as producer in 1985.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Music]]
* Kajagoogoo shortened their name to "Kaja" before breaking up in 1985, but went by their original name when they reunited in the 2000s.
* For a time in the 1990s, Music/MCHammer dropped the "M.C." from his name and went by just "Hammer".
* When he first started in the record business in the mid-1970s, John Mellencamp's name was changed to "Johnny Cougar" by his then-manager. After achieving some success, he was able to refer to himself as "John Cougar Mellencamp" beginning in 1983. Finally, in 1991, he dropped the "Cougar" completely and recorded using his given name.
* Music/{{Prince}} changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993. The public resorted to calling him "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince" until he finally went back to his original name in 2000.
* In 1971, Dionne Warwick added an "e" to the end of her last name on the advice of an astrologer friend, but removed it after a few years.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* It is very common for wrestlers to change their name when moving from one promotion to another, either because that promotion owns the character (WWE and WCW were the most common) or because the wrestler tired from that persona. Notable name changes within the same promotion would include:
** Mick Foley started with the Mankind gimmick in the WWF in the Mid-90s. After a few years, he added a persona called Dude Love, later returning to his Indy/WCW/ECW gimmick of Cactus Jack, and eventually interchanging all 3 with just himself as Mick Foley.
** Owen Hart started, and tragically ended, his career in the WWF as the Blue Blazer.
** Ric Flair and Arn Anderson were in many versions of the Four Horseman in the NWA and WCW.
** [[Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon Stephanie McMahon]] became Stephanie [=McMahon=]-Helmsley when she [[{{Kayfabe}} married]] Triple-H until returning to her maiden name after the divorce (though [[Main/LifeImitatesArt something else happened off-screen]]).
** The WWF had crowned various wrestlers as "The King" and would wrestle as so until either losing the crown or not winning the next "King of the Ring" tournament. This included Harley Race, Mabel, Owen Hart, "The Macho King" Randy Savage, and Jim Duggan.
* The Legal Name of WCW under Ted Turner/Turner Television/Time Warner/AOL-Time Warner was always "Universal Wrestling Corporation" (Technically still in existence today under the New AT&T), while the on air name of the company would go from Georgia Championship Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance (Jim Crockett Promotions), World Championship Wrestling, and WCW Inc.
* When Lance Storm won titles in the later years of WCW, he would rename the titles he won to the "Canadian Heavyweight Championship", "100 Kilos and Under Championship", and "Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title" instead of US, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore titles respectively. Generally this change was reverted back to the old name once he or his stable lost the strap.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Sports]]
* Many Sports Venues have a title sponsor that is added to the name, and once the sponsorship ends the original name reappears if no sponsor is found. Frequent Examples would include Dolphins Stadium after sponsorship ending with Pro Player and Sun-Life (the stadium is now sponsored by and with the name Hard Rock) and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum after [=McAfee=] and Overstock/O.co Deals ended.
** College Bowl Games have a similar sponsorship issue. A sign the Bowl Game is struggling is if the game reverts back to an original name.
* A special case existed for Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. After the Giants won Super Bowl XXI; the Stadium was renamed Giants Stadium. However, Jets home games referred to the stadium under the original name, The Meadowlands (sometimes as the New Jersey Meadowlands). Signage for Jets games would also remove any mention of "GIANTS" (Except for the side of the stadium) including home games against the Giants. This practice was discontinued when both teams moved to Metlife Stadium in 2010.
* Because of Olympic Sponsorship Rules, host cities have to remove sponsorship names and signage from venues until after the games.
* The Oakland Raiders, LA Chargers (their first season was in LA before moving to San Diego in 1961),and LA Rams changed the name of the franchise to their new city upon relocation and returned the team to the old cities' names upon franchise return.
** When the New Orleans Hornets relocated temporarily to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, the teams official name was New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
* For decades, The University of Hawai'i named male teams the Rainbow Warriors and female teams the Rainbow Wahine. In 2000, because of University wanting a shorter name ([[Main/GayPanic and absolutely nothing to imply being gay]]) sport teams were allowed to drop Rainbow from the title. This practice ended in 2013.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Numberjacks}}'' episode "Being 3", Three gets turned into a four so the Numbertaker, who was taking threes, wouldn't take her. She starts calling herself Four, but since this series needs a three to work and [[OneSteveLimit there's already a character named Four]], she got turned back into a three and was called Three again.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Real Life]]
* Happens to women who change their last name when they get married, but revert to their maiden name when the marriage ends. Some noteworthy celebrity examples include:
** Creator/RoseanneBarr changed her name to "Roseanne Arnold" after marrying Creator/TomArnold, then to "Roseanne" when the marriage ended, then eventually went back to "Roseanne Barr".
** Creator/KaleyCuoco was briefly named "Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting" during her short-lived marriage to Ryan Sweeting.
* In 2003, angered at France for not agreeing with their decision to go to war in Iraq, the American House of Representatives decided to stop serving French Fries and French Toast and instead referred to them as "Freedom" Fries and "Freedom" Toast. This was then reversed in 2006.
* Heiress Patty Hearst referred to herself as "Tania" during her time with the Symbionese Liberation Army.
* The Republican Party was founded in 1854 and Abe Lincoln won the White House in 1860. For his reelection in 1864, the party's name was changed to the National Union Party. Once Abe was assassinated and Andrew Johnson was impeached (but narrowly not-convicted in the Senate), the Party returned back to the Republican Party name everywhere. The major reasons the party adopted this name in the first place was because Johnson was a Democrat and a Southerner from formerly rebellious Tennessee.
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But for whatever reason, the name change doesn't fit. Fans may find that the old name fit better than the new one, or was more recognizable, or more iconic. Or maybe the event that precipitated the name change wasn't as life-changing as previously thought. Or maybe nostalgia takes over. So the name gets changed back.
This trope can also apply for when a name change is part of a publicity stunt and is intentionally short-lived. See also SuddenNameChange for when a name is changed but doesn't change back.
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!!Examples
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[[folder:Advertising]]
* International House of Pancakes (better known as IHOP) faced a backlash in 2018 when they announced they were going to change the name of their restaurant chain to "IHOB" (with the "B" standing for "Burgers") to emphasize their burger selection. The name change turned out to be temporary, as they returned to the IHOP name a month later.
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[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' was revamped in 1988 as a weekly anthology series, and was renamed ''Action Comics Weekly''. The format change was dropped a year later, and the book's title was returned to normal.
* ComicBook/BlackPanther was created just before the Black Panther organization. For a short time T'Challa changed to "Coal Tiger" to avoid UnfortunateImplications, but this didn't last long.
* [[Comicbook/RedHoodTheLostDays Jason Todd]] picked up the Red Robin costume and name while traveling the multiverse only to return to being the Red Hood sometime after returning home.
* The Golden-Age ComicBook/{{Starman}} villain The Mist went by the name "Nimbus" in the Will Payton ''Starman'' series, but was back to calling himself The Mist by the time of the Jack Knight series.
* Post-Crisis, the first ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' series was renamed ''Adventures of Superman'' with issue #424, while a second ''Superman'' series was launched. Following ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', the second ''Superman'' series was cancelled, and the original title returned to the name ''Superman'' with issue #650.
* Beast Boy changed his name to "Changeling" when he joined the ComicBook/TeenTitans in 1980. This change lasted about twenty years, before he went back to the Beast Boy name.
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[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
* The main character on ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero'' was originally named Ralph Hinkley, but after the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr., the character's last name was temporarily changed to "Hanley" during the first season. It was reverted back to "Hinkley" by Season 2.
* On ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', Jerry retires temporarily. When he returns to work, he reveals that his name is actually Gary and they've been saying it wrong all this time. He asks that they call him Gary from then on. Instead, April starts calling him "Larry" and the others join in. In the final season (which takes place three years after the previous one by which time the character is now called "Terry"), he becomes the mayor of Pawnee and they decide to restore his real name of Gary.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': "Weekend Update" went through a number of name changes (including "SNL [=NewsBreak=]" and "Saturday Night News") when Dick Ebersol produced the show in the early 1980s, but returned to its original name when Lorne Michaels returned as producer in 1985.
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[[folder:Music]]
* Kajagoogoo shortened their name to "Kaja" before breaking up in 1985, but went by their original name when they reunited in the 2000s.
* For a time in the 1990s, Music/MCHammer dropped the "M.C." from his name and went by just "Hammer".
* When he first started in the record business in the mid-1970s, John Mellencamp's name was changed to "Johnny Cougar" by his then-manager. After achieving some success, he was able to refer to himself as "John Cougar Mellencamp" beginning in 1983. Finally, in 1991, he dropped the "Cougar" completely and recorded using his given name.
* Music/{{Prince}} changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993. The public resorted to calling him "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince" until he finally went back to his original name in 2000.
* In 1971, Dionne Warwick added an "e" to the end of her last name on the advice of an astrologer friend, but removed it after a few years.
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[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* It is very common for wrestlers to change their name when moving from one promotion to another, either because that promotion owns the character (WWE and WCW were the most common) or because the wrestler tired from that persona. Notable name changes within the same promotion would include:
** Mick Foley started with the Mankind gimmick in the WWF in the Mid-90s. After a few years, he added a persona called Dude Love, later returning to his Indy/WCW/ECW gimmick of Cactus Jack, and eventually interchanging all 3 with just himself as Mick Foley.
** Owen Hart started, and tragically ended, his career in the WWF as the Blue Blazer.
** Ric Flair and Arn Anderson were in many versions of the Four Horseman in the NWA and WCW.
** [[Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon Stephanie McMahon]] became Stephanie [=McMahon=]-Helmsley when she [[{{Kayfabe}} married]] Triple-H until returning to her maiden name after the divorce (though [[Main/LifeImitatesArt something else happened off-screen]]).
** The WWF had crowned various wrestlers as "The King" and would wrestle as so until either losing the crown or not winning the next "King of the Ring" tournament. This included Harley Race, Mabel, Owen Hart, "The Macho King" Randy Savage, and Jim Duggan.
* The Legal Name of WCW under Ted Turner/Turner Television/Time Warner/AOL-Time Warner was always "Universal Wrestling Corporation" (Technically still in existence today under the New AT&T), while the on air name of the company would go from Georgia Championship Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance (Jim Crockett Promotions), World Championship Wrestling, and WCW Inc.
* When Lance Storm won titles in the later years of WCW, he would rename the titles he won to the "Canadian Heavyweight Championship", "100 Kilos and Under Championship", and "Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title" instead of US, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore titles respectively. Generally this change was reverted back to the old name once he or his stable lost the strap.
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[[folder:Sports]]
* Many Sports Venues have a title sponsor that is added to the name, and once the sponsorship ends the original name reappears if no sponsor is found. Frequent Examples would include Dolphins Stadium after sponsorship ending with Pro Player and Sun-Life (the stadium is now sponsored by and with the name Hard Rock) and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum after [=McAfee=] and Overstock/O.co Deals ended.
** College Bowl Games have a similar sponsorship issue. A sign the Bowl Game is struggling is if the game reverts back to an original name.
* A special case existed for Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. After the Giants won Super Bowl XXI; the Stadium was renamed Giants Stadium. However, Jets home games referred to the stadium under the original name, The Meadowlands (sometimes as the New Jersey Meadowlands). Signage for Jets games would also remove any mention of "GIANTS" (Except for the side of the stadium) including home games against the Giants. This practice was discontinued when both teams moved to Metlife Stadium in 2010.
* Because of Olympic Sponsorship Rules, host cities have to remove sponsorship names and signage from venues until after the games.
* The Oakland Raiders, LA Chargers (their first season was in LA before moving to San Diego in 1961),and LA Rams changed the name of the franchise to their new city upon relocation and returned the team to the old cities' names upon franchise return.
** When the New Orleans Hornets relocated temporarily to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, the teams official name was New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
* For decades, The University of Hawai'i named male teams the Rainbow Warriors and female teams the Rainbow Wahine. In 2000, because of University wanting a shorter name ([[Main/GayPanic and absolutely nothing to imply being gay]]) sport teams were allowed to drop Rainbow from the title. This practice ended in 2013.
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[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* At the height of the moral panic about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', devils and demons were renamed in the 2nd Edition as baatezu and tanar'ri. This was reversed in the 3rd edition and the names were {{Retcon}}ed as being of particular races of said devils and demons.
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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Numberjacks}}'' episode "Being 3", Three gets turned into a four so the Numbertaker, who was taking threes, wouldn't take her. She starts calling herself Four, but since this series needs a three to work and [[OneSteveLimit there's already a character named Four]], she got turned back into a three and was called Three again.
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[[folder:Real Life]]
* Happens to women who change their last name when they get married, but revert to their maiden name when the marriage ends. Some noteworthy celebrity examples include:
** Creator/RoseanneBarr changed her name to "Roseanne Arnold" after marrying Creator/TomArnold, then to "Roseanne" when the marriage ended, then eventually went back to "Roseanne Barr".
** Creator/KaleyCuoco was briefly named "Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting" during her short-lived marriage to Ryan Sweeting.
* In 2003, angered at France for not agreeing with their decision to go to war in Iraq, the American House of Representatives decided to stop serving French Fries and French Toast and instead referred to them as "Freedom" Fries and "Freedom" Toast. This was then reversed in 2006.
* Heiress Patty Hearst referred to herself as "Tania" during her time with the Symbionese Liberation Army.
* The Republican Party was founded in 1854 and Abe Lincoln won the White House in 1860. For his reelection in 1864, the party's name was changed to the National Union Party. Once Abe was assassinated and Andrew Johnson was impeached (but narrowly not-convicted in the Senate), the Party returned back to the Republican Party name everywhere. The major reasons the party adopted this name in the first place was because Johnson was a Democrat and a Southerner from formerly rebellious Tennessee.
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