Line #200 Main/SobriquetSexSwitch


1	->''I helped with the relief effort after Scarlet's attack. My name is Sya, but you might remember me as "Symon".''
2	-->-- ''VideoGame/GuildWars2''
3
4	Whether it be due to [[GenderBender gender bending]] or [[{{crossdresser}} crossdressing]], a character will tend to keep their name intact. Seriously, if you suddenly became the opposite gender, you probably wouldn't want to have to remember an entirely different name on top of everything else that you'd be dealing with.
5
6	There will often be more than one way to genderbend a character's name. For instance, let's say we have this excellent character named "Jack", and one day he gets zapped with a lovely genderbend raygun. His feminized name could be "Jackie" or "Jacqueline", either one would be fine. In Japanese media, AlternateCharacterReading is often used to create a name that sounds different, but is ultimately written the same as the original. When fans genderbend a character, it can often be the cause of a fandom war over what the appropriate name would be. In the case where the character in question already has a gender-neutral name, such as "Cameron" or "Jamie", the name is rarely modified.
7
8	This can be TruthInTelevision for UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} people and crossdressers. However, it's much less common than this trope would have you believe (especially in the former case, since a trans person's deadname is often tied to a gender they don't feel comfortable with, and even variations can trigger dysphoria[[note]]as well as make it easy for people to accidentally say or read the wrong name, or [[MaliciousMisnaming "forget"]][[/note]]). It's more common for a trans person to switch to a gender-neutral nickname before they can safely come out. A gender fluid person (someone whose identity moves between two or more points) might also use different names which invoke this trope (whether or not there's any connection to their deadname).
9
10	See also LazilyGenderFlippedName. Contrast with GenderBlenderName.
11
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Advertising]]
18	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSP1r9eCWw This 2019 commercial for Starbucks]] stars a trans boy with the deadname "Jemma." His real name, as revealed when he goes to Starbucks, is James.
19	[[/folder]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22	* ''Manga/BlackJack'': The woman Black Jack once loved, Megumi Kisaragi, got a cancer that required having her uterus removed to save her. After that, she lives like a man, begins to refer to ''himself'' with he/him pronouns, and uses the name "Kei", an alternate kanji reading of his former name "Megumi".
23	* ''Manga/BootyRoyaleNeverGoDownWithoutAFight'': Miya Nekomiya is a trans woman who auditions for the main cast's modeling agency in chapter 52. In chapter 53, [[TransTribulations her father deadnames her as Yoshinari]]. A footnote in the English version helpfully explains that Miya and Yoshinari are alternate pronunciations of the same kanji.
24	* In ''Literature/ChivalryOfAFailedKnight'', Arisuin Nagi is [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} a trans woman]]. The female name which she asks to be called is "Alice", which is actually a play on her surname "Arisuin", which contains "Arisu", the Japanese pronunciation for "Alice".
25	* ''Manga/{{Claudine}}'': Claude's name is only two letters away from his deadname, Claudine.
26	* The intersex but genetically female protagonist of ''Manga/TheDayOfRevolution'' combines this with AlternateCharacterReading when she decides to identify as a girl, as her girl name "Megumi" can be written with the same Kanji as her former boy name "Kei".
27	* An episode of ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' has Nobita wish himself into a reality where he was a girl and everyone calls him "Nobiko".
28	* Masahiko from ''Manga/FamilyCompo'' has used "Masami" while crossdressing.
29	* Trans girl Seiko's legal name in ''Manga/LovelyComplex'' is "Seishiro".
30	* ''Manga/LoveMeForWhoIAm'': Mei Tatebayashi's deadname is "Akira" but she goes by "Mei", which is [[AlternateCharacterReading an alternative reading of the same kanji]], at the cafe. She eventually begins using it full-time.
31	* In ''Literature/MariaWatchesOverUs'', trans girl Alice's name is a play on her surname, Arisugawa.
32	* Makoto from ''Manga/MinamiKe'' goes by "Mako-chan" when DisguisedInDrag.
33	* In ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'', whenever Umetaro Nozaki pretends to be a girl for one reason or another, he uses the name "Umeko".
34	* "Manga/MuraiKunWantsToFuckMizunoKun": Trans man Murai's birth name was "Shiho", but he goes by the similar-sounding "Shion" as a male adult.
35	* ''Manga/MyMonsterSecret'' has Shishido Shiho, a perverted human girl. She also has a SplitPersonality, a ''male'' [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf]] named Shirou.
36	* ''Manga/NozomuNozomi'' has the protagonist RecursiveCrossdressing as a girl, as he's been [[GenderBender transformed into a girl]] but hasn't told anyone yet. His sister, who knows about the crossdressing but not the underlying gender bender introduces him as her cousin "Nozomi".
37	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
38	** It's a RunningGag for Ash to crossdress each series. At least twice he has used "Ashley" but in Japan, where his name is "Satoshi", he used "Satoko" in Kanto and "Satomi" in Unova.
39	** Cilan dressed up as "Cilanor" in the same Unova episode.
40	* Kuranosuke from ''Manga/PrincessJellyfish'' is a [[TheFashionista fashionable]] WholesomeCrossdresser. He befriends a woman named Tsukimi but her and her friends, "the Nuns", are {{NEET}}s who absolutely [[DoesNotLikeMen fear men]]. Kuranosuke goes by "Kurako" around Tsukimi's friends.
41	* Both subverted and played straight in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
42	** In a subversion, the titular character reveals his female form in front of the school for the first time [[RealNameAsAnAlias by blithely introduces "herself" as "Ranma"]]. Even though Akane is worried that his GenderBender secret might be exposed at first, the other students dismiss this as a coincidence. (Note that in the manga, it barely mattered, as Ranma's secret getting out a short time later is a non-issue.)
43	** When hiding from his mother Nodoka, Ranma stays in female form, [[RelativelyFlimsyExcuse pretending to be the Tendō sisters' cousin]] "Ranko".
44	* While most translations of ''Literature/ReZero'' romanize resident crossdressing catboy Felix's pseudonym as "Ferris," it could also be transliterated as Felice.
45	* [[spoiler:Nadeshiko]] from ''Manga/ShugoChara'' is really a boy named "[[spoiler:Nagihiko]]" who was RaisedAsTheOppositeGender.
46	* In ''Anime/StarsAlign'', Shou, Maki's mother's friend, is revealed to be a transgender man. When he was in college he started living openly as a man and went from "Shouko" to "Shou" because it felt more comfortable.
47	* ''Manga/ToLoveRu'':
48	** Subverted by Ren (male) and Run (female): they're an alien whose species changes sex when they sneeze, but [[SharingABody each is mentally distinct]] from the other [[spoiler:and they eventually physically split during puberty]]. The similarity in names is thus more accurately described as ThemeTwinNaming.
49	** The main character, Rito Yuuki, has been [[GenderBender turned female]] several times. The first time, he ends up the house-guest of a classmate who dislikes his regular identity, so he makes up the name "Riko" on the spot. The next time, Lala makes Rito-as-a-girl go on a date with [[LovesMyAlterEgo his friend that fell in love with "her"]], and Rito extends the name to "Riko Yuusaki"--though Lala [[PretendingToBeOnesOwnRelative claims Riko is Rito's relative]], making the different surname unnecessary. Basically everyone else who's seen Rito as a girl knows his real identity, so they've only called him "Riko" a few times [[EmbarrassingNickname to tease him]].
50	* ''[[Manga/TokyoGhoul Tokyo Ghoul:re]]'': When DisguisedInDrag for an undercover mission, Sasaki's undercover name is "Sasako".
51	* ''Manga/WanderingSon'':
52	** UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} CoolBigSis Yuki's birth name is "Hiroyuki".
53	** Makoto requests for Nitori to refer to her as "Mako-chan" not soon after they begin being friends.
54	** Nitori herself ''may'' subvert this. Her given name is "Shuuichi" and in middle school, she wanted to swap names with Takatsuki, who is "Yoshino", but that never happened. When she [[spoiler:begins working at a gay bar]] the owner gives her the name "Lilly" but we don't know if this is her chosen name or not. Mako refers to Nitori by the feminine nickname "Nitorin".
55	* ''Manga/{{Yuureitou}}'':
56	** When DisguisedInDrag, Taichi goes by "Taiko".
57	** [[spoiler:Tetsuo's]] birth name is "[[spoiler:Reiko]]". An AlternateCharacterReading of the kanji is "Akira". In the end of the manga he changes his name from "[[spoiler:Tetsuo]]" to "Akira" once [[spoiler:Taichi]] makes him realize this.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Arts]]
61	* The artist [=PDXJims=] came up with systems of morphs that allowed users to genderbend DAZ's Victoria 4 and Michael 4 figures. These morph sets were sold as "Vittorio" and "Mina", respectively.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Comic Books]]
65	* ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'':
66	** In a 1960s issue we are shown what it could be like if Archie and the others switched genders. Archie is called "Archigail", Reggie is "Regina", "Betty" is "Buddy", and "Veronica" is "Roddy".
67	** "The Great Switcheroo" issue involved [[ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch Salem]] making everyone change sexes. This trope is epidemic. We get "Archie" to "Archina", "Reggie" to "Regina", "Betty" as "Billy", and "Veronica" as "Ron". Several minor characters also get the same treatment. Jughead is the only real exception as his female counterpart goes by "J.J".
68	* Defied in ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' when supervillain Simon Says comes out as transgender and [[HeelFaceTurn takes up the heroic mantle]] of Starbright. She goes by "S" because she hasn't decided on a new name yet, but outright refuses Simone because she doesn't perceive herself as just "Simon but a woman".
69	* In a ''ComicBook/DoctorWhoTitanThirteenthDoctor'' story, Thirteen, the Doctor's first on-screen female incarnation, adopts the Earth alias of "Jane Smith", in contrast to the Doctor's earlier male Earth alias of "John Smith".
70	* The Spanish comic magazine ''El Jueves'' had a story, ''Emilio'', where a girl named "Emilia" pretended to a boy to [[SweetPollyOliver do the mandatory conscription in the Army and be with her boyfriend]].
71	* A 1960s Franchise/{{Superman}} story was named "Claire Kent: Super-Sister" and involved Clark getting genderbent.
72	* Referenced in ''ComicBook/{{Witch}}'' when Irma and Vicky pretend to be boys to play on a boy's soccer team.
73	-->'''Cornelia:''' What should we call you? Irmo?
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
77	* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': In one strip, Garfield claims his uncle Bernard went to the vet one day and came back as his aunt Bernice.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Fan Works]]
81	* JustForFun/{{Bowsette}} was named for being a feminine variant of "Bowser", unlike her inspiration [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros Peachette]] (whose name is a {{Portmanteau}} of Peach and Toadette).
82	* In ''Fanfic/ClairDeLune'', Luna changes his name to "Lune" when he transitions.
83	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' fandom gender-bent fics are [[FandomSpecificPlot unusually common]]. The most famous stories, "John Lane" and "Finn Morgendorffer" play this straight. "Not So Different" [[AvertedTrope Averts]] this, however, by having male Daria named "Jacob Morgendorffer Jr.", nicknamed "Sonny".
84	* ''Fanfic/EigaSentaiScanranger'' has one chapter where the boys have to crossdress in order to destroy the villain's latest scheme (ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext, since they could just blow up the machine, which they eventually do). So to complete the ruse, Vin becomes Victoria, Nick becomes Nicole and Mikey becomes [[OddNameOut Annie May]]. ([[DontExplainTheJoke because he’s a Japanese animation lover]])
85	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12694285/1/A-Fairytale-is-a-Metaphor A Fairytale is a Metaphor]]'' is a non-fantasy AU of ''Ever After High'' where Raven is a trans girl. Her dead name is "Ryland".
86	* ''Fanfic/EyesOnMe'':
87	** Ruby is originally named after her father Reuben. She goes by her current name upon transitioning.
88	** Averted with Jasper, whose deadname is Nonoma.
89	* In a HalloweenEpisode for ''Fanfic/AGameOfCatAndCat'', five people reincarnate as the opposite gender: Leon became E''leon''ora, Mathias became Matilda, Elizabeth became Ezekiel, Stella became Stanley, and Sara became Henry [[note]]Sara means 'princess' and Henry means 'house ruler'[[/note]].
90	* ''Webcomic/HereByAccidentStayingOnPurpose'':
91	** Averted with Chloe, whose deadname is "Timmy".
92	** [[spoiler:Vicky]] transitioned and now goes by "[[spoiler:Micky"]].
93	* ''Fanfic/HowDoIAdmitImFallingApart'': Wave the Swallow used to be called "Wade the Swallow" prior to her transition.
94	* In Rule63 fanart and fanfiction of the main character of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' she/he usually has her [[SdrawkcabName name reversed to Arrok]]. Technically it fits the [[http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Water_Tribe#Customs Water Tribe theme naming of canon]] (double lettering, soft "ahs" and hard "kuh" sounds, ex. Sokka, ''Arnook''), making it a plausible name for a male version of Korra.
95	* The ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Bloom\|Mogatrat}}'' Depicts Max Caulfield as a trans girl. She was originally named "Maxwell" but changed to Maxine after coming out. She says that for a few years she insisted that people only call her "Maxine", but by the time of the fic she's comfortable enough to go by "Max", as she had before coming out.
96	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is heavy on the ThemeNaming and thus the {{fanon}} [[FanNickname names]] for the gender-bent Mane Six are mostly masculine versions of their names. Some people do use other names, but usually fan-artists and fanfic writers keep to certain names: Applejack keeps his name because it's [[GenderBlenderName unisex enough.]] Rainbow Dash becomes Rainbow Blitz, Twilight Sparkle becomes Dusk Shine, Rarity becomes Elusive, Fluttershy becomes Butterscotch, and Pinkie Pie becomes Bubble Berry (or occasionally Berry Bubble). Other common names include Spike becoming either Barbara or Spine(s), Celestia becoming Solaris, Luna becoming Artemis, Discord becoming Eris, Cadance becoming Bolero, and Shining Armor becoming Gleaming Shield. The fanfic ''FanFic/OnACrossAndArrow'' is the reason most of the names are popular.
97	* Parodied in "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/41215680 New Name]]", a ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'' fanfic. After coming out as trans, Bridget acknowledges that she already had a female name, but changes it anyway, to "Bridgette", because she wants to "make it even girlier and more feminine".
98	* ''Fanfic/PokemonCrossing'': Averted for the main protagonist. Holly's deadname is Benedict.
99	* ''Fanfic/RWBYScars'':
100	** [[spoiler:Jaune]] is transgender and his dead name is [[spoiler:[[JeanneDArchetype Joan]]]].
101	** It's revealed in a flashback chapter that Ruby's dead name is [[spoiler:"Crimson"]]. "Ruby" was her parents choice for a girl's name.
102	* ''Fanfic/SoTheTrauma'': After Kim hits her {{gaydar}}, Shego tweaks Drakken's plans so that his synthodrone "Eric" is now a girl named "Erica".
103	* ''Fanfic/ASongOfGrumblingAndCottonCandy'':
104	** Deconstructed. [[spoiler:Pizzazz]] hates [[DoNotCallMePaul being called]] her legal name [[spoiler:"Phyllis"]] because it's too close to her deadname. She went by "Ellen" during high school before going with her current name.
105	** Pizzazz's first girlfriend Alicia was originally her best friend Aaron before she transitioned. However, [[spoiler:it's possible that Alicia never existed]].
106	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13982750/1/Switching-it-Up Switching it Up!]]'', Ryoga goes by "Ryoko" while in female form (ItMakesSenseInContext).
107	* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Whenever Spectra shapeshifts into a male form, she goes by the name 'Spectre'.
108	* ''Fanfic/WithPearlAndRubyGlowing'':
109	** The fanfic interprets [[WesternAnimation/ChickenRun Mr. Tweedy]] as a trans woman. Her deadname is Willard, but she goes by Wilhemina post-transition.
110	** {{WesternAnimation/Shaun\|TheSheep}} is a trans boy, and his deadname (as seen in the chapter in which he comes out and changes his name) is Sarah.
111	** [[WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}} Frufru]] is pregnant and planning to name her new child after [[WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}} DW]] because DW helped her dead child Nadine in her last days; the new baby is a boy so she's naming him Dorian instead of Dora.
112	** Averted with [[WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower Double Trouble]], who goes from Lucien to Bex, Mr Baldwin, who goes from Pearl to Gil, and [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut Riley]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse Lynn Junior]], who already have neutral names and don't change them.
113	* In ''Fanfic/TheWordOfYourBody'', [[AdaptationNameChange Jake is called Jude]], the masculine version of Judith, his dead name.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
117	* Referenced in ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeDawnOfTheDinosaurs'', when Buck mentions [[NoodleIncident the time]] he used a sharpened clam shell to turn a ''T. rex'' into a "T. Rachel".
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
121	* ''Film/ThreeGenerations'': Ray's deadname was the similar-sounding "Ramona".
122	* ''Film/{{Bandslam}}'''s cello player was going to be a boy called Ira, but Elvy Yost impressed enough for the director to cast her as Irene.
123	* ''Film/BetterThanChocolate'': Judy's legal name it turns out is Jeremy.
124	* In ''Film/BoysDontCry'', trans man Brandon Teena got his name by switching the parts of his birth name around.
125	* ''Film/HighAndTight'' - the youngest Olsen sibling was first a boy called Seth, then a girl called Serena, and then back to Seth again.
126	* ''Film/JemAndTheHolograms2015'' changes the original cartoon's villain, Eric Raymond, to a woman named Erica.
127	* ''Film/MyraBreckinridge'': Myra is a trans woman who used to be called Myron; Myron still exists as an imaginary friend of sorts. [[spoiler:In the end, Myron's life as a woman turns out to be AllJustADream.]]
128	* ''Film/Normal2003'' is about a trans woman named Ruth Applewood, previously known as Roy.
129	* ''Film/{{Salt}}'' was going to be about a man called Edwin, to be played by Tom Cruise. After Angelina Jolie convinced producers to cast her, the character's name was changed to Evelyn.
130	* ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'': When musicians Joe and Jerry have to hide from the mob by dressing in drag, Joe goes by Josephine and suggests Geraldine for Jerry. Jerry, however, doesn't like his new name and changes it to Daphne at the last minute, thus [[DefiedTrope defying the trope]].
131	* ''Film/TheTempest2010'' is a {{Gender Flip}}ped version of the Shakespeare play. The male character Prospero is now a woman played by Helen Mirren called Prospera.
132	* ''Film/TheyThem2022'': Alexandra's deadname is Alexander, as the camp staff call her.
133	* ''Film/VictorVictoria'' is a film about a woman named "Victoria" [[SweetPollyOliver pretending]] to be a [[RecursiveCrossdressing female impersonator]] named "Victor".
134	* ''Film/WhatIStandFor'''s soldier Byrne was originally named Stephen, but when the original actor dropped out, they cast a woman to make it Stephanie.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Literature]]
138	* A variation in the third ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' book, where the three aliens [[AerithAndBob Zorx, Klax, and Jennifer]] disguise themselves as human women and respectively call themselves "Zorxette", "Klaxette", and "Jenniferette".
139	* Creator/MarionZimmerBradley's ''Literature/{{Darkover}}'' novel ''Hawkmistress!''. When Romilly [=MacAran=]'s father refuses her an education and orders her into an ArrangedMarriage with an older man, she takes the name Rumal and runs away from home while dressing as a boy.
140	* In Gael Baudino's ''Dragonsword'' series, a troop of male warriors is turned into women by magic; their leader, Marrget, eventually starts going by Marrha, the feminine form of the name. (The most prominent other swapped character does not change names, but conveniently already had a name — Wykla — that easily reads as female to an English audience.)
141	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' - the baby dragon Hagrid wins in a card game is named Norbert by him. The dragon is sent away to live in a colony in Romania, and a few years later Hagrid discovers Norbert was [[YourTomcatIsPregnant actually female]] - so now goes by Norberta.
142	* ''Literature/HowNOTToWriteANovel'' parodies this with a story example mentioning how Josef Mengele fled to South America after the war and began a new life as "Josephine Womengele".
143	* In ''Literature/IAmJ'' the protagonist's name is just "J". His legal name is "Jenifer".
144	* Luna from ''Literature/{{Luna}}'' is a trans girl teenager whose birth name was "Liam". She initially tried out "Lia" but thought it was ''too'' similar for her liking.
145	* The title character from ''Literature/MyraBreckinridge'' by Creator/GoreVidal was originally named Myron.
146	* ''Literature/NemesisSeries'': The series protagonist goes from Daniel/Danny to Danielle/Dani, with her nickname never changing at all besides the spelling. Being called Daniel remains a bitter annoyance nonetheless.
147	* In ''Literature/OzmaOfOz'', Dorothy's pet chicken was originally named "Bill" by her original owner because he thought she was male until [[YourTomcatIsPregnant she laid an egg]]. Then Dorothy renamed her, "Billina".[[note]]Once they enter the regions about Oz, Billina becomes a talking hen, and is one of the characters in the story.[[/note]] Dorothy even mentions that putting "-ina" at the end makes it a girl's name.
148	* In ''Literature/PatienceAndSarah'', Sarah pretends to be a man named "Sam".
149	* A novelization of ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' has her going back in time to Elizabethan days and casting a spell to disguise herself as an actor from then. As the actors of the day were all men, Sabrina is turned into a boy and she gives her name as Samuel. (When she changes herself to a boy in the sitcom, she subverts the trope by calling herself Jack.)
150	* In the first book of ''Literature/TheSevenBlueMountainsOfOz'' trilogy, Princess Amalea wakes up turned into a boy and takes the alias "Amadin" (which most shorten to as "Dinny"). But then it's revealed that Dinny is his true form and Amalea was the transformation.
151	* In ''Literature/TheShakespeareStealer'', Widge's friend Julian turns out to be a girl named Julia, who had been pretending to be a boy so she'd be allowed to act onstage.
152	* ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'': The plot is kicked off when Alanna disguises herself as male to become a knight. She takes the name "Alan."
153	* In ''[[Literature/StregaNona Strega Nona's Magic Lessons]]'', Big Anthony is jealous when he sees Strega Nona teaching magic to a visitor but refusing to teach him because of his spectacular fails with magic in the past. To learn magic from her, he dresses up as a girl and calls himself "Antonia".
154	* ''Literature/TalesOfTheEerieSaloon'': Every character that takes the potion gets this with their new name. Jesse becomes Jessie, Will becomes Wilma, Brian becomes Bridget, Miguel becomes Maggie, Leroy becomes Laura, [[spoiler:Jack becomes Jane, Elmer becomes Emma, Leland becomes Lylah, Forry becomes Flora, Patrick becomes Trisha, and Arnoldo becomes Anna]].
155	* ''Literature/TunnelInTheSky'' features an example where "Jacqueline Marie Daudet" is mistaken for a young boy (in part due to constantly wearing body armor) by a boy during an advanced survival test on a faraway planet. She continues to pretend that she's "Jack Daudet" for weeks, including through some sexist commentary by her survival partner, until the beans are spilled by someone the two of them rescue. For 1955, the premise that girls could do things just as well as men could was pretty advanced.
156	* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': In ''A Civil Campaign'' Lady Donna Vorrutyer goes to Beta Colony and returns as Lord Dono Vorrutyer, for the purpose of petitioning the Council of Counts to confirm him as ''[[HeirClubForMen Count]]'' Dono Vorrutyer.
157	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'':
158	** Chaka: from Anthony 'Tony', to Antonia 'Toni'.
159	** Fey: Nicholas to Nichole.
160	** Tennyo: William 'Bill' to Billie.
161	* There's a children's book called ''When Katy is Keith'' about a young trans boy.
162	[[/folder]]
163
164	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
165	* An episode of ''Series/DanisHouse'' has Dani dress up as a guy and call herself "Dan".
166	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': When the Master [[TheNthDoctor regenerated into a woman]], she changed her name to "Missy", short for the Mistress. This also proved useful for RuleOfDrama, as the audience (and the Doctor) doesn't find out that this "Missy" person is his old archenemy until Missy flat-out tells him for a {{Cliffhanger}} WhamLine at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E11DarkWater "Dark Water"]].
167	-->'''Missy:''' Oh please, ''try'' to keep up. Short for Mistress. Well... couldn't very well keep calling myself the ''Master'', now could I?
168	* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Phoebe suggests that Ross and Rachel name their child after her. When they ask what to do if it's a boy, she suggests calling him 'Phoebo'.
169	* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': Coach Sheldon Beiste changes his first name from "Shannon" after coming out as a trans man.
170	* Israeli {{Telenovela}} ''[=HaAlufa=]'' had a mother and her MTF daughter consult a transwoman about her transition to female for support. She mentions her name used to be Alon, so she changed it to Alona.
171	* ''Series/HannahMontana'': In one episode, Miley disguises herself as a boy and goes by the alias "Milo".
172	* ''Series/TheHouseOfFlowers'': Born José María, after coming out as a trans woman she flipped it around, making it María José.
173	* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'':
174	** In "[[Recap/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS4E21Fallacy Fallacy]]" Cheryl, who's revealed to be transgender, originally had been named Charles by her parents.
175	** Another transgender character from a later episode was named Henry at birth but goes by Hailey after her transition.
176	* The episode of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' "If Boys Were Girls" has Lois imagine what life would be like if her sons were girls. Malcolm is Mallory, Reece is Renee and Dewey is Daisy. Frances is the only one of them to keep the same name (and [[CrosscastRole actor]]) as her male counterpart.
177	* Once on ''Series/That70sShow,'' Hyde mocks Foreman by calling him "Erica." Kelso laughs, says that he's glad that you can't do that to "Michael," only for Hyde to dryly call him "Michelle." They then try to come up with a comeback for him ("Hyde-o...lina?") before Hyde gets annoyed and snaps "It's 'Heidi!'"[[note]]His first name is actually Stephen, but for some reason nobody thinks to call him "Stephanie."[[/note]]
178	* ''Series/TwinPeaks'': One arc involves Dale Cooper expecting the arrival of his acquaintance, DEA agent Dennis Bryson, who is visiting the titular town for a case. When the moment comes, Dale is surprised to discover Bryson has become a trans woman, now going by the name Denise.
179	* ''Series/TwoSentenceHorrorStories'': In "[[Recap/TwoSentenceHorrorStoriesS2E2Elliot Elliot]]" Elliot's deadname was Elsa, quite similar to his now.
180	* Downplayed in ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'': the only similarity between Seven's deadname "Vanya" and his current name "Viktor" is that they both begin with a "V".
181	* An episode of ''Series/USAHigh'' has a gag where Ashley tries to reveal that Winnie actually a man in drag called Winston.
182	* In the '90s Creator/FredSavage sitcom ''Series/Working1997'', Chris Grant (short for "Christina") shows up for an interview to join the office where the show is set. The boss is a known philanderer and "good old boy," so Christina dresses and acts masculine to get on the boss's good side and score the job. HilarityEnsues when her gender is revealed to the main character (but not the boss), and then they all hang out in a sauna. Even more HilarityEnsues after Chris is found out, gets fired, and the office rises up against the boss's unfair hiring practices. In the next round of interviews, he's forced to consider females for the job. The woman he chooses to hire is actually the main character in drag.
183	* ''Series/YoungBlades'' features Jacqueline, alias "Jacques", a woman disguised as a man while on the run for murder. Although in her case, it's a PaperThinDisguise.
184	* In ''Series/TheYoungRiders'' Pony Express rider Lou was really "Louise", and managed to keep her real gender hidden from most of the main characters for nearly the entire first season (and from some of them for even longer.) Potentially TruthInTelevision as the Pony Express deliberately recruited "short and wiry" boys (orphans preferred) to make it easier on their horses.
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	[[folder:Music]]
188	* Music/SClub7 had a series of tie-in magazines that included a fictional story about the band. One issue had their new manager turning out to be a witch who turned the boys into girls. Jon became Joni, and Bradley became Brady.
189	[[/folder]]
190
191	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
192	* Hervor the Elder from ''Literature/TheSagaOfHervorAndHeidrek'' dresses as a man and calls herself "Hervard" to join a group of Vikings, later becoming their leader. It's not until after she has led the Vikings, recovered her [[AncestralWeapon father's sword]] and ventured into a land ruled by giants that anyone works out that she is a woman.
193	* In Greek mythology, a woman named Caenis had an affair with (or was raped by) Poseidon, who granted her a wish in exchange. She asked to be transformed into a man and took the name Caeneus.
194	[[/folder]]
195
196	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
197	* When Harvey Whippleman wrestled in drag to win the Women's Championship, he used the alias 'Hervina'.
198	* Ted [=DiBiase=]'s 1991 feud with Virgil and Rowdy Roddy Piper saw Virgil portray his "sister" Virgilina, as well as Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake as his female counterpart Barbara "The Beautician" Cheesecake.
199	[[/folder]]
200
201	[[folder:Video Games]]
202	* In ''VideoGame/BloodIITheChosen'', one of the chosen, Gabriel, who had been killed in [[VideoGame/Blood1997 the previous game]], gets resurrected in as a woman named Gabriella.
203	* [[spoiler:Erica Anderson]] used to be called [[spoiler:"Eric"]] in ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}''.
204	* In addition to ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' continuing the franchise's long-standing tradition (see the Visual Novels example below) of male historical and/or legendary figures being female in the game, there's also Leonardo da Vinci, who even in the Fate-verse's alternate universe was a man...but chose to be summoned as a woman (resembling his most famous creation, the Mona Lisa) when he became a Heroic Spirit. But as a woman, she still goes by "Leonardo".
205	* An extra in ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' mentions that her name is Sya, but the player might remember her as "Symon". They worked together on the relief effort after Scarlet's attack.
206	* ''VideoGame/LegendOfMana'': A villain named [[spoiler:Alexandra]] has two identities. One is a female [[spoiler:gem thief named Sandra]], and the other is a male [[spoiler:proprietor of a gem shop named Alex]]. It is eventually revealed that the male personality was only a disguise, and once it is no longer useful, [[spoiler:Alexandra]] abandons it completely.
207	* One of the {{Alternate Universe}}s in ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' is a LadyLand where Cave Johnson is apparently a woman named '''Cavina''' Johnson, but his/her voice still sounds the same.
208	* "Birdo" is the species name but also what the 'main' Birdo from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' goes by. It's said she would rather be called "Birdetta", though no one calls her that. In Japan, the species' name is "Catherine", which is feminine, but she likes being called "Cathy".
209	* In ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'', Goro Majima goes by "Goromi" when he dresses up like a woman.
210	[[/folder]]
211
212	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
213	* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', [[spoiler:Saber]] was born with the name [[spoiler:"Artoria" [[SpellMyNameWithAnS (or "Altria")]]]], but when she pretended to be a male in order to conform with the expectations of the throne she gained, she adopted the far more familiar name [[spoiler:"Myth/KingArthur".]]
214	* ''VisualNovel/OneNightHotSprings'': When Haru has to sign a form with her legal name, it's revealed that Haru's deadname is "Haruto".
215	* ''VisualNovel/SecretLittleHaven'': Alex's deadname is "Alexander", and she is later referred to with the more feminine name "Alexandra". However, she's mostly referred to with the gender-neutral nickname "Alex" throughout the game.
216	[[/folder]]
217
218	[[folder:Web Animation]]
219	* ''WebAnimation/MyStoryAnimated'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-lDegynXZo ''I Realised I Wasn’t Trans After Transitioning'']] is about a genderfluid person. Their parents gave them the name "Oliver" but as a child, they transitioned into living as a girl named "Olivia". At age eighteen, they realized they were genderfluid instead of a trans woman. Now they live as "Olive" but use "Olivia" on female days and "Oliver" on male days.
220	[[/folder]]
221
222	[[folder:Webcomics]]
223	* In ''Webcomic/AssignedMale'', trans girl Stephie got her name from her birth name "Stephen".
224	* ''Webcomic/BetweenTheLines2006'':
225	** The trans girl main character is named Dani, her male name was "Danny".
226	** There's a character called Nikki, who Shay was bullied by years ago when she went by "Nicholas".
227	** Shay subverts this trope as her birth name is "Kevin".
228	* ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'' has Joyce's trans sister born (and still known by her fundie family) as Joshua, who posts online as Jocelyn.
229	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive''
230	** When Elliot gets transformed into a girl by the TF gun, he goes by "Ellen". When the Dewitchery Diamond separates them, the female form continues to use that name.
231	** Invoked by a transgender character who casually suggests that Tedd might want to consider the name "Tess". The character introduces himself as "Sam", which he may have shortened from "Samantha".
232	* ''Webcomic/IWantToBeACuteAnimeGirl'': Charon becomes Cheryl, retaining the ch, though the common pronunciations differ.
233	* ''Webcomic/KhaosKomix'': Averted. Charlie does not change her name when she starts to present as a girl. As she puts it, she's always been Charlie, but now it's just in a slightly different way.
234	* ''Webcomic/NextSoundOfTheFuture'': Gumiya's name was "Gumi" before he transitioned. He seems to have taken the "ya" from the "8" in "[=L9Y8=]" ([[GoroawaseNumber "8" can be read as "ya" in Japanese]]), which is part of his [[YouAreNumberSix serial code]].
235	* ''Webcomic/ThePrincess2009'':
236	** Irma is eventually revealed to be non-binary. They sometimes go by "Irving".
237	** Sarah is a trans girl who used to go by "Seth".
238	* ''Webcomic/{{Rain\|2010}}'':
239	** Rain's name is very similar to her dead name, Ryan.
240	** When Rudy crossdresses, he goes by "Ruby".
241	** [[spoiler: Vincent]] used to be [[spoiler: Vivian]].
242	** [[spoiler: Ana's]] birthname is [[spoiler:Aaron]].
243	** Subverted with [[spoiler: Colette, who decides 'Colin' is too similar to be comfortable. He ends up choosing the name Ryan after overhearing Rain use her deadname so she can take Chanel to prom, and is inspired by what he thought was a girl with an androgynous name]].
244	* ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'':
245	** Dillon O'Brien (who also appears in ''Webcomic/MenageA3'') calls himself "Dinah" or "Dilla" when he cross-dresses (although the former choice is originally triggered by him playing ComicBook/BlackCanary on stage).
246	** When Ruby Larose [[SweetPollyOliver disguises herself as a man]], she uses the pseudonym "Rudy".
247	[[/folder]]
248
249	[[folder:Web Original]]
250	* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': In the tale [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/da-capo-al-fine "Da Capo al Fine"]], one of the many things LittleMissAlmighty Sigurros Stefansdottir (also known as SCP-239) does with [[RealityWarper her powers]] is try out being a boy for a year. While doing so, she renames herself Stefan Sigurrosson.
251	[[/folder]]
252
253	[[folder:Western Animation]]
254	* The ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' genderswaps have female Finn as "Fionna" (originally spelled "Fiona"), Marceline as "Marshal Lee", Princess Bubblegum as "Prince Gumball", and in a rare display of an unalliterated genderbent naming, Jake the dog as "Cake" the cat.
255	* In the finale to ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' the character [[spoiler:Nikki]] is revealed to be a male named [[spoiler:Nicholas]].
256	* A meta example occurred in development for ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Azula was originally written as Zuko's little brother "Azul" before being changed to a girl. This change in gender ultimately caused her role to be increased (the early series bible only briefly makes reference to Azula's brother, implying he was a bit role) and is related to Mai and Ty Lee being created.
257	* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': When Gene contemplates transferring schools to get away from [[AbhorrentAdmirer Courtney Wheeler]], Louise tells him that there's an opening at the Catholic school, but he'll have to wear a skirt and go by the name "Eugenia".
258	* In ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' the Joan of Arc clone disguises herself as "John Dark" ("Jeanne d'Arc") to join the hoops team, to give them a fighting chance against their rivals. [[spoiler:The whole thing backfires when Abe hates John, and so in respect of Abe, "he" keeps passing the ball to him, even though "he" could probably score "himself"; so they end up being pummeled again, and don't even score until the last second of the game... which fortunately helps the principal win a bet.]]
259	* In ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', [[spoiler:Heinrich von Marzipan]] is a girl cursed to be a boy. Her real name is [[spoiler:Henrietta]].
260	* When Timmy from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' gets turned into a girl in "[[Recap/TheFairlyOddParentsS2E12TheBoyWhoWouldBeQueen The Boy Who Would Be Queen]]" he uses the name "Timantha". He makes Cosmo and Wanda change into "Cosma" and "Wando" when they make fun of him.
261	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Subverted in "Quagmire's Dad", in which Lt. Dan Quagmire transitions into a woman and takes on the name Ida. When Brian finds out about the sex change, he asks if she chose "Danielle" or "Dana".
262	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' when Leela dresses as a man to join the army, Zapp Brannigan asks "him" what his name is and she replies "Leela.. man... Lee Lemon."
263	* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': One episode featured Mandy disguising herself as a boy to join Billy's baseball team, using the alias "Manfred".
264	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' applied this to numerous characters in the episode "One of the Boys", where Lincoln meets male versions of his ten sisters.
265	** Lori becomes "Loki", Leni becomes "Loni", Luna becomes "Luke", Luan becomes "Lane", Lucy becomes "Lars", Lana becomes "Leif", Lola becomes "Lexx", Lisa becomes "Levi", and Lily becomes "Leon". The only brother whose name remains the same from his correspondent sister is Lynn, due to her GenderBlenderName (she's named after her father).
266	** [[spoiler:Lincoln's female version is named "Linka"]].
267	** The script sheet shows that Bobby's female version (who's never seen nor mentioned at any point in the episode) is named "Bebe".
268	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': In "Slumbering With the Enemy", Mojo Jojo disguises himself as a girl as part of his plan to destroy the girls at a SlumberParty they host. The name he uses is "Mojesha".
269	* ''WesternAnimation/RidleyJones'': Fred the nonbinary bison derived their name from their deadname "Winnifred", the latter which their grandmother keeps calling them because [[InnocentlyInsensitive she's unaware of their transition.]] They eventually get the courage to come out to her and have her call them "Fred", which she wholeheartedly accepts.
270	* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLifeStaticCling'': By TheMovie, Ralph has transitioned into living as a woman named Rachel.
271	* ''WesternAnimation/Rugrats1991'':
272	** Stu enters Tommy into a beauty pageant as "Tanya" in an early episode.
273	** In "Clan of the Duck", when Chuckie and Phil decide to wear dresses for a day after hearing how much fun they are from Lil, Howard takes them to the park. They meet up with two boys named Frankie and Joey, and to prove to them that they're girls, Phil calls himself "Phillian" and Chuckie "Chuckina".
274	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
275	** In a Season 4-episode (which came out back in the early-1990s), Homer mentions having a cousin "Frank" who became "Francine" in 1976. Homer then adds that his cousin eventually joined a cult and renamed herself "Mother Shabooboo."
276	** According to the episode "Holidays of Future Passed", Martin Prince will change their name to "Marsha Princess" as an adult. A future episode {{retcon}}s that though.
277	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
278	** Leopold's [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname nickname]] is "Butters". So when he gets DisguisedInDrag what do they call him? "Marjorine".
279	** In "The Cissy" Eric Cartman claims he's a "transginger" named Erica. Wendy also comes to school as a boy named "Wendyl" to show him a lesson.
280	* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "She's No Lady...", Patrick needs to go into hiding, and [=SpongeBob=] gets the idea of disguising him as a woman named Patricia.
281	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': PlayedWith in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E5HitTheDiamond "Hit the Diamond"]]. When the Crystal Gems are pretending to be humans to trick the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Ruby Squad]], [[TheSmartGuy Pearl]] claims to be "Earl". Obviously "Pearl" is an acceptable human name, too, but they need something that doesn't sound like a [[WizardsFromOuterSpace Gem]] name. She wasn't ''necessarily'' pretending to be male, though Rubies are so gullible and ignorant of humans, she could do so easily. ([[MakingASplash Lapis]], meanwhile, [[CallBack calls herself "Bob"]].)
282	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'': During the Brâkmarian Gobbowl arc, Evangelyne and Amalia are turned into males by a potion and goes by the names "Evangelion" and "Amalius", respectively, to participate in the Gobbowl match.
283	* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'' has Tino, worried that his mother's influence has made him [[MenDontCry too emotional]], imagine himself as a girl named Tina.
284	[[/folder]]
285

Context Main / SobriquetSexSwitch