Line #52 Main/NomDeGuerre


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/TheBeginningAfterTheEnd https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image0_01.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:They have these monikers for a reason: To let their enemies know what they are capable of.]]
3
4	->'''Captain Sarnova:''' Tell them to report back to their Duchess. That's, ah- that's what they call me.\
5	'''PlayerCharacter:''' "Duchess"? You'll have to explain that.\
6	'''Captain Sarnova:''' ''You'' try making it as an officer without getting tagged with a nickname.
7	-->-- ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''
8
9	When a soldier or agent ''has'' a name, but is instead routinely called by a nickname. Especially common amongst pilots for a variety of reasons. The Trope Name [[TropeNamer comes from the French]], and translates to English as "war name" -- compare with the very similar "nom de plume", "PenName".
10
11	There are various reasons why they might do this. If they are members of some secret organization, or can't be entirely confident that their communications are secure, they might go by these alternate names as a way of preventing their identity being discovered by eavesdroppers. Or maybe many people share a name; this makes it clear who is being talked to or about. Being ''given'' such a nickname can be used to indicate inclusion into a circle of close friends or other group. [[NewMeat Newbies]] to the organization might not rate a nickname, or else get saddled with generic names like [[Film/FlightOfTheIntruder New Guy #1 or New Guy #2]].
12
13	TruthInTelevision for many organizations, particularly for aviation branches of the armed forces, where these nicknames are called "callsigns" and also aid in brevity of messages (depending on the equipment being used, if ''one'' guy is talking, ''nobody else'' can until he gets off the channel) and avoid confusion (in combat, or for that matter, in any relatively complicated flying operation such as formation flying or even just landing at a large enough airport, it is very important that everybody knows who is being told to fly at a certain course or to move in a certain direction).
14
15	Needless to say, if you are ''given'' a callsign and you don't like it, then you should keep in mind that TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong, and you can always get a worse one. Said nickname can be directly indicative of the person who has it, or it can be an IronicNickname, or it could refer to a NoodleIncident or some other [[OldShame noteworthy experience]] the person had with his friends.
16
17	Also serves as an InJoke in many of these cases, making it clear to outsiders that there are things these guys know about each other that others don't.
18
19	Related to OnlyKnownByTheirNickname and CodeName, and SquadNickname for groups. Supertrope to RedBaron, where the nickname in question is widely known due to the character's famed (or feared) effectiveness on the battlefield. MustacheDePlume is a variant of this that borders on SweetPollyOliver.
20	----
21	!!Examples
22
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
26	* In ''Literature/BenTo'', to have a nom de guerre is considered a sign that a "wolf" fighter has achieved notable status in the eyes of their peers. Some are given for obvious reasons (Monk, Brunette), some are awe-inspiring (Monarch, Oroubos), some ''sound'' awe-inpsiring but actually have dumb origins (Ice Witch, Beauty by the Lake), and some are just dumb (Pervert).
27	* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', all state alchemists are given titles to be referred to by, following the format "The ____ Alchemist". A few years before the start of the series, Edward Elric was officially made a state alchemist and awarded the title "[[TitleDrop Fullmetal Alchemist]]" due to his [[ArtificialLimbs metal arm and leg]].
28	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
29	** The Marine [[PersonOfMassDestruction Admirals]] each have an epithet based around a color and an animal.
30	*** [[AnIcePerson Kuzan]]: Aokiji (Blue Pheasant)
31	*** [[LightEmUp Borsalino]]: Kizaru (Yellow Monkey)
32	*** [[MagmaMan Sakazuki]]: Akainu (Red Dog)
33	*** [[GravityMaster Issho]]: Fujitora (Wisteria Tiger)
34	*** [[GreenThumb Aramaki]]: Ryokugyu (Green Bull)
35	** Even a few Vice Admirals have epithets in the same style, signifying that [[AlmightyJanitor they were once considered for promotion but didn't quite make the cut]].
36	*** Gion: Momousagi (Pink Rabbit)
37	*** Tokikake: Chaton (Brown Pig)
38	*** Tensei: Kurouma (Black Horse)
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Comic Books]]
42	* Any {{Superhero}}'s name is essentially a NomDeGuerre, and serves essentially the same purpose.
43	* Special mention within comics goes to Hal Jordan, the ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'', who is a former Air Force pilot and later test pilot. His callsign is "Highball", which comes from an old railroad term used to signal that the way was clear for the train to pass without delay, meaning essentially "Full Speed Ahead", fitting with Hal's reckless personality. One of his pilot buddies, Jillian Pearlman, has the callsign "Cowgirl", on account of the cowboy hat she always wears.
44	* ''ComicBook/SgtRock'' gives every member of Easy Company a nickname, which is the only thing they're called from that point on. He does this as a coping mechanism, since Easy loses men often -- it helps soften the blow to think of the dead guy as Cowboy as opposed to remembering his name and thinking about his family.
45	* The above was parodied in Kyle Baker's ''Special Forces'', where the group is made up of incompetents who were recruited to make a quota. The female juvenile delinquent is Felony, and the severely autistic kid is Zone; these are the only ones that matter because [[spoiler: everyone else dies in the first issue.]]
46	* ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'': Many Strontium Dogs seem to go by one.
47	** Johnny Alpha was born [[spoiler: John Kreelman]] but changed his name when he joined the Mutant Uprising.
48	** During his days as leader of the Scotland division of the Mutant Uprising, Archibald "Middenface" [=McNulty=] went under the moniker "The Tartan Terror".
49	* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
50	** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': In the Silver Age ComicBook/SteveTrevor's air force callsign was [=ST9=].
51	** ''ComicBook/SensationComicsFeaturingWonderWoman'': The captain in "Rescue Angel" is only known by his call sign and the main character Lt. Angel Santiago gains hers, Wonder Woman, over the course of the tale.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
55	* Any military action movie featuring pilots is bound to have this, both because it is TruthInTelevision and because it's [[RuleOfCool very cool]].
56	** ''Film/TopGun'' gives us [[MilitaryMaverick Maverick]], [[StayFrosty Iceman]], Merlin, Goose, etc.
57	** ''Film/FlightOfTheIntruder'' has Cool Hand, [[CompositeCharacter Tiger]], [[AllMenArePerverts The Boxman]], [[strike: [[NewMeat New Guy #1]]]] [[IronicNickname Razor]], Dookie, and Rabbit.
58	** ''Film/IronEagle'' doesn't actually feature very many ''actual'' fighter pilots in-plot, the only one we see much of is Chappie, whose callsign is a ShoutOut to General Daniel James, Jr., the first African American fighter pilot in the US Air Force.
59	** ''Film/RedTails'' gives us Lightning, [[IronicNickname Easy]], [[TokenReligiousTeammate Deacon]], [[EmbarrassingNickname Junior]], and numerous others.
60	** And ''Film/HotShots'', in parody, gives us Washout, Mailman, and the cruelly-but-inevitably dubbed [[SacrificialLamb Dead Meat]].
61	----
62	* ''Film/Fury2014'' has all of the older members of ''Fury's'' crew given such names: [[AFatherToHisMen Wardaddy]], [[TokenReligiousTeamMate Bible]], [[SouthernFriedPrivate Coon-Ass]], [[TokenMinority Gordo]], and [[PosthumousCharacter Red]]. [[NewMeat Norman]] eventually earns the name [[spoiler: Machine]] by the film's climax. Notably, members of their tank squad who aren't part of the ''Fury's'' crew are only ever referred to by their actual last name (Binkowski, Peterson, Lieutenant Parker, etc.) rather than a war name.
63	* {{Subverted}} in ''Franchise/TheMatrix''. All of the Zionist rebels have such callsigns (Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, Lock, Switch, Tank, etc.), presumably based on their online handles before they were freed, in the case of people not born in Zion. It's a subversion because it's clear that they consider these their real names because they are the only names they have ever used in the real world. Good thing for them nobody's online handle was pimpdaddy93 or omgpwnz0rz. Native Zionists, for their part, have real names that ''sound'' like they would be online handles, even though they have ''never'' been in the Matrix, due to lacking the [[BodyHorror modifications needed]] to interface with it.
64	* ''Film/TheResistanceBanker''. The protagonist Walraven van Hall goes by the name of "Van Tuyl". This name gets dragged out of a tortured resistance member, but it doesn't mean anything to the Germans then. Even when they finally capture Walraven, it takes the Germans a while to figure out who he is. The Dutch naval officer who first recruits Walraven goes by the name of "Van den Berg", which he admits is not his real name.
65	* ''Film/{{Zulu}}'': Due to the regiment at Rorke's Drift being the South Wales Borderers, there are too many Joneses to use surnames, so they address each other by their service numbers instead. Afrikaaner Corporal Schiess is not amused: "Haven't you rednecks got names instead of numbers?" 716 Jones sets him straight.
66
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Literature]]
70	* In ''Literature/TheAliceNetwork'', the spies Lili and Violette use those names ''all the time'' and are not allowed to know each others' real names. Eve, Lili, and Violette even continue to refer to each other by their Nom De Guerres after their actual names have been revealed and it's pointless, for the simple reason that those are the names that feel true.
71	* ''Literature/TheBeginningAfterTheEnd'': Each of the Lances has their own distinct codename which alludes to their own unique powers. These codenames existed back when the existence of the Lances was kept secret from the people of Dicathen to protect their identities, but since the Lances are revealed to the public during the announcement of the Council, these codenames end up being merely a formality.
72	** Alea Triscan: [[GreenThumb Aureate]]
73	** Varay Aurae: [[AnIcePerson Zero]]
74	** Olfred Warend: [[MagmaMan Balrog]]
75	** Aya Grephin: [[CastingAShadow Phantasm]]
76	** Mica Earthborn: [[GravityMaster Ohmwrecker]]
77	** Bairon Wykes: [[ShockAndAwe Thunderlord]]
78	** [[spoiler:Arthur Leywin]]: [[ElementNumberFive Godspell]]
79	* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' uses {{Meaningful Rename}}s (usually either [[IronicNickname deliberately ironic]] or [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin boringly descriptive]] -- the most sadistically hardass sergeant in the company is named Mercy, while the mage missing an eye is called One-Eye) for much the same reasons as the French Foreign Legion. Wizards always go by nicknames as well, because letting people know your TrueName (simply the name you were born under, in this setting) is tantamount to suicide. The Black Company's commanding officer is always Captain, and his second-in-command is Lieutenant. Whatever names and nicknames they had before taking up the respective positions are immediately forgotten.
80	* In the ''Literature/DeliriumSeries'' book ''Pandemonium'', most people who have left civilization to live in the wilds go by nicknames, such as Raven, Tack, Roach, Blue, and Squirrel. On the other hand, Hunter goes by his real name, although he's no good at hunting.
81	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The human members of the regiment in ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'' all acquire noms de guerre, and are referred to by them for most of the book: Ozzer, Shufti, Wazzer, Lofty and Tonker. The vampire, troll and Igor are just Maladict, Carborundum and Igor, though. (Actually [[spoiler:they have ''two'' noms de guerre since the male names they signed up under [[SweetPollyOliver aren't their real names either]]. And that ''does'' include Maladicta, Jade and Igorina.]])
82	* In ''Literature/TheEmpressGame'', Kayla fights in the arena under a sort of stage name (specifically, a panther-like animal). She doesn't like revealing her real one, and even after she accepts the deal which starts the main plot, she still refuses to disclose her real name to the people she's now working with.
83	* ''Literature/IntoTheLookingGlass'' SpaceMarines (and, later, those who work directly with them on ops) are assigned team names based on a trait, their name, or some event/activity they were involved in at some point (usually [[NoodleIncident an embarrassing one]]).
84	* In "Literature/LifeOfMediocrity", the main characters are given nicknames, as a way to show their personality traits or continually bring up an embarrassing experience. They are only referred to by their real names if someone is mad at them.
85	* In the ''Literature/MythAdventures'' series, Guido comments when he joins the army that once you get saddled with a screwball nickname, you're stuck with it.
86	* Everyone in the Space Legion in Creator/RobertAsprin's ''Literature/PhulesCompany'' series adopts a new name, which makes the Legion attractive to recruits wishing to hide from a shady past. In Phule's case, his real identity is publicly known.
87	* ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'': The Dread Pirate Roberts uses a fake name constantly because The Dread Pirate [[spoiler:Westley]] just wouldn't carry the same sense of dread with it that makes him so effective as a pirate.
88	* The majority of characters in Creator/MatthewReilly's books have callsigns that are used more often than their actual names. It's played straight in the Scarecrow books, where the main characters are all marines, but is played with in the Jack West Jr series. In that case, the team have all been renamed by Lily, the twelve year girl they have spent the past decade raising, and as such they have less than intimidating callsigns. Examples include Fuzzy, Pooh Bear, Noddy, Big Ears and Princess Zoe (formerly Witch Doctor, Saladin, Matador, Gunman and Bloody Mary, respectively).
89	* In ''Literature/SpeakerForTheDead'', the millennium of cultural drift since ''Literature/EndersGame'' has made Ender Wiggin, saviour of humanity, infamous as "Ender the Xenocide." Since he's still alive thanks to TimeDilation, he's gone back to his birth name of Andrew.
90	* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
91	** During the [[Literature/NewJediOrder Yuuzhan Vong war]], Jaina Solo joined Rogue Squadron and gained the callsign "Sticks". (Stick #1 was her X-Wing's control stick. Stick #2 was her lightsaber.)
92	** Some pilots in the Literature/XWingSeries also picked up nicknames, although they used numbers for official callsigns (e.g. "Rogue One" or "Wraith Five", with the squadron name being omitted for brevity unless other friendly squadrons are in play). Notable instances included Garik "[[TheFace Face]]" Loran, Hohass "Runt" Ekwesh ([[IronicName actually huge]], but tiny by comparison to others of his species; most of them are too tall to fit in an X-Wing cockpit), and Voort "Piggy" saBinring (ostensibly a FantasticSlur against his appearance as a Gamorrean, Wedge and Janson reinterpret it in tribute to Jek "Piggy" Porkins, who died in ''A New Hope'').
93	** Later on, after transferring to the Intelligence branch, the Wraiths pick up more typical callsigns, although in classic Wraith fashion: demo expert Kell is "[[StuffBlowingUp Explosion Boy]]", ex-actor Face is "[[GoodLookingPrivates Poster Boy]]", technician Bhindi is "[[PlayfulHacker Computer Girl]]", researcher Arnjak is "[[OmnidisciplinaryScientist Science Boy]]", and so forth.
94	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': In "Prospero Burns" (a novel in the ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' series from the Black Library) one of the Space Wolves is called simply "Bear". This is categorically not his real name, which comes back to save the day when a daemon that uses "the power of true names" to wipe the floor the the Space Wolves faces "Bear" who resoundingly beats the daemon. As a bonus for the long term fans, "Bear's" real name is "Bjorn", aka "Bjorn the Fell-Handed", the oldest living sentient being in the Imperium (being over ten thousand years old by the time of "now", the year 40,000).
95	* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', the Forsaken were given these when they allied with the Dark One, though after 3000 years of being ShroudedInMyth, they survive in infamy long after their true names were forgotten. These include Ishamael ("Betrayer of Hope" in the [[ClassicalTongue Old Tongue]]), Moghedien ("[[TheChessmaster Spider]]"), Semirhage ("[[TortureTechnician Lady of Pain]]"), Be'lal ("[[GreenEyedMonster the Envious]]"), and so on.
96	* The characters involved in the environmental organization from ''Literature/TheOverstory'' are all given mostly tree-themed code names, such as Maple, Mulberry, Doug-fir, and Maidenhair.
97	* ''Literature/UnderTheDome'': Dale Barbara was given the nickname "Barbie" while he was in the army. The nickname came as a shortening of his last name and stuck, even after his discharge.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
101	* The pilots of the Ron D. Moore version of ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica\|2003}}'' are known largely by their call signs, especially when they aren't a main character. For example, Kara Thrace is as likely to be called "Kara" as "Starbuck", but "Crashdown", "Kat", "Racetrack" and other minor characters were identified almost solely by their call signs. This is a more realistic take on how the original show did it in the 70s, where everybody appeared to ''only'' have callsigns.
102	** They were their actual names, after the Lords of Kobol. Hence, in the new series, when President Roslin called Lee Adama "Captain Apollo", he was quick to point out the difference.
103	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
104	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E5RiseOfTheCybermen "Rise of the Cybermen"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E6TheAgeOfSteel "The Age of Steel"]]: "Mrs. Moore" is an alias she adopted to protect her family after she had to go on the run. She tells the Doctor her real name[[note]]Angela Price[[/note]] shortly before her death, and the Doctor later tells it to Jake, asking him to tell her family about her death saving the world.
105	** In an inversion, the Doctor's [[TheNthDoctor incarnation]] during the Time War specifically did ''not'' go by the usual adopted name of "the Doctor". He is identified in credits as the War Doctor, but this probably was not what he actually went by, if anything.
106	* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Harmon Rabb, during his combination TenMinuteRetirement and BackInTheSaddle in the fifth season, usually went by "Pappy" during his time serving aboard the USS ''Patrick Henry'', because he was older than the other pilots. Eventually, the men in his squadron changed his callsign to "Hammer", after his father, a fighter pilot who went MIA during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, because they knew his dad would be proud of his achievements.
107	** Of course, in "Code Blue", when a bad guy in a hospital demands that he identify himself, he claims his callsign is "Zapper". [[{{Pun}} And then zaps the guy with]] [[ImprovisedWeapon a defibrillator.]]
108	* ''Series/{{Phoenix}}''. The members of the Major Crime Squad are routinely referred to by their nicknames, e.g. Peter "Noddy" Faithful, Andrew "Fluff" Saunders, "Laz" Carides and Ian "The Goose" Cochrane.
109	-->'''Noddy:''' Fluff, dump the Goose, back up the Dogs; Flannigan's going after Baz!
110	* PlayedForLaughs on a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch called "Fighter Pilots." The rest of the pilots have predictable call signs like "Wild Card" and "Viper." Creator/WillFerrell's is "Clown Penis." He says he chose it[[note]] a bit of ArtisticLicense; fighter pilots don't choose their own call signs[[/note]] because "when an enemy sees me on his tail, I want him to feel the same way that you'd feel if a clown showed you his penis: confused, unsettled and very, ''very'' scared."
111	* ''Series/SecretArmy'' is about Lifeline, an UndergroundRailroad helping Allied airman return to Britain through Nazi-occupied Belgium. When Lisa Colbert first sets up Lifeline, she takes the codename "Yvette". In Season Two, Albert Foiret takes over Lifeline, but they decide to call him Yvette as well to mislead the Gestapo.
112	* Though he didn't use it in the series, ''Series/StargateSG1'''s Cameron Mitchell used the callsign "Shaft" during his time as an Air Force pilot.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
116	* In ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'', most mages are ProperlyParanoid enough to go by "Shadow Names" and keep their true names secret, since [[IKnowYourTrueName true names have power over their owners]][[labelnote:*]]Specifically, the power to target them with SympatheticMagic, i.e.: the thing that makes careless mages spontaneously combust when they make the wrong enemies[[/labelnote]]. For some mages, the shadow name is a MeaningfulRename and their true names are open secrets; others go to great lengths to UnPerson their previous identities.
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Video Games]]
120	* Named ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' pilots usually have callsigns, either "[Squadron Name] + [Number]" (e.g., Scarface One, Mobius One, Wardog One through Four) or a unique nickname (e.g., Edge, Chopper, Pixy). This also applies to enemy pilots. Especially badass pilots get special names like "Demon Lord."
121	** The PlayerCharacter in ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'' is known as "Mobius One" to friendlies, and "The Ribbon" to enemies.
122	** In ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'', the main character is "Wardog One" to AWACS and ground controllers, [[spoiler: "Razgriz One"]] later in the story, and goes by the callsign "Blaze".
123	** ''VideoGame/AceCombatZero'' has the player flying as "Cipher" for a callsign, and "Galm 1" for squadron reporting. Halfway through the story, you earn the title "Demon Lord of the Round Table", usually shortened to "Demon Lord".
124	** The PlayerCharacter from ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' ends up with five, the most among Ace Combat protagonists. He gets three different callsigns: Mage 2, Spare 15 and Strider 1. His AWACS, flight group, and people talking ''to'' him use his TAC name "Trigger". People, friend or foe, talking ''about'' him refer to "[[TheDreaded Three Strikes]]".
125	* The ''VideoGame/BattleTech'' video game does this with the Mechwarriors available for hire. Interestingly, it pulls names from a pool of potential callsigns when randomly generating available pilots, so 'Spike' might be a black man with an afro in one playthrough and a petite bald Asian lady in the next. Also notable for having quite the spectrum of callsigns, ranging from Hollywood-style cool (Firefly, Reaper) to the gratuitous ShoutOut ([[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Red Comet]], [[Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid Sundance]]). It also has a very large list of callsigns drawing from often-unimpressive or unflattering common words, such as "Wagon", "Jalopy", "Pigeon", and "Sunflower"... which any fighter pilot worth his salt will tell you is very much TruthInTelevision.
126	* Booker [=DeWitt=] from ''Videogame/BioShockInfinite'' obtained his name ("The White Injun") due to the brutality he showed against Native-Americans in the [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans Wounded Knee Massacre]]. Booker sees this as an OldShame and even tried to absolve his sins with a baptism but changed his mind thinking that a "dunk in the river" wouldn't change what he had done. [[spoiler:Comstock, being Booker from another timeline, also obtained this nickname but he went through the baptism and later created [[FloatingContinent Columbia]]]].
127	* Many of the troopers in Task Force 141 in ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty: VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' use callsigns such as Ghost, Roach, and Worm. {{Inverted}}, in that Captain [=MacTavish's=] nickname is "Soap", but the first time anyone ''calls'' him that,[[note]]Captain Price, when he is busted out of a Russian gulag[[/note]] the nearest trooper asks ''"Who's Soap?"''
128	** In ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 3'', Sandman, Grinch, and Truck of Metal team are only known by their callsigns. Derek "Frost" Westbrook is the only one whose full name is given, and [[spoiler: he's also the only one who survives the game.]]
129	** ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII Black Ops 2]]'' has a strange variation. The main protagonist David Mason's callsign is "Section", but he seems to be the only one in the ''whole game'' who's got a nickname or a callsign. Everyone else seems to go by their given last name, including all the fighters in Mason's own squad.
130	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'': As per Guardian Corps protocol, soldiers are not addressed by their given names and instead given callsigns; thus the rose-haired main character goes by "Lightning" for most of the game and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2 its]] [[VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII sequels]]. Snow knows that her family name is "Farron" on account of [[MySisterIsOffLimits dating her sister]], but her real name [[spoiler:"Claire"]] is only mentioned twice in three games.
131	* Many of the ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'' mercenaries have callsigns, rendered like "Carl '[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Reaper]]' Sheppards" or "Kyle '[[ColdSniper Shadow]]' Simmons". If the mercs ever have lines that refer to other mercs, the callsigns are almost exclusively used in favor of the given names. Oddly enough, very few of the callsigns are ironic, though Spider got her name because of her ''fear'' of them.
132	* ''[[Videogame/LostPlanet Lost Planet 2]]'' implements these as badges the players show under their names, such things range from simple "Machine Gun Expert" to tongue-in-cheek jokes regarding the game itself.
133	* Jeff Moreau a.k.a. Joker in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series received his nickname in flight school from an instructor as an IronicNickname since he was a grim young man due to the disorder that made his bones incredibly brittle[[note]]He states that his brittle bone disease is ''massively'' disqualifying for an Alliance pilot, and that he had no choice but to be so good that the Alliance brass would have to give him a commission ''anyway'', explaining his moroseness[[/note]]. Perhaps the first time he smiled was when he graduated top of his class and became the snarky AcePilot that we know and love.
134	* In the 2010 ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'', the members of [[BadassCrew AFO Wolfpack and AFO Neptune]] go exclusively by their callsigns,[[note]]Dusty, Panther, Vegas, and Deuce in Wolfpack, and Voodoo, Preacher, Mother, and Rabbit in Neptune[[/note]] even when introducing themselves to fellow American soldiers such as Sgt. Patterson.
135	** Also, several minor characters are mostly referred to by their callsigns, mainly because they are pilots or aircrew in aircraft. Reaper 31 is the callsign for an AC-130 gunship, and two Apache helicopter crews go by Gunslinger 6 and Gunslinger 11.
136	* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
137	** The series has this for many player characters and bosses, often times not learning their real names. Noteably, different units have different naming conventions. [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater The Cobra Unit]] are named for the emotion they bring into battle (i.e. The Fury, a guy with a [[KillItWithFire flamethrower]]), [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid FOXHOUND]] are named for an aspect of themselves plus an animal (i.e. Vulcan Raven, who is an inuit shaman with a [[MoreDakka minigun]]), and [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfliberty Dead Cell]] uses nicknames in reference to their profession (i.e. Fatman, a MadBomber). The [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots B&B Corps]] use the emotions of the Cobras and the animal name of [=FOXHOUND=], while using the weapons of Dead Cell (i.e. Raging Raven, who wields a grenade launcher and a flight harness). [[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance The Winds of Destruction]] are named after winds (i.e. Mistral, a half-French half-Algerian woman is named after the cold regional winds along the Mediterranean coast of France).
138	** Some other characters, instead of the simple {{Code Name}}s above, have names that change depending on which conflict they're in:
139	*** Revolver Ocelot was known as just "Ocelot" in ''Metal Gear Solid 3'', and brags that in war in Afghanistan he was known as "Shalashaska" (Russian for "prison") due to his specialization in torture.
140	*** Naked Snake's codename was officially changed to Big Boss after killing The Boss, but during ''Portable Ops'' he uses the name "Snake" due to not feeling comfortable being called "Boss" yet.
141	*** One soldier with the real name of Jack was known in the Liberian Civil War by the nicknames "The White Devil" and "Jack the Ripper". In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' he is assigned the codename "Raiden", which in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' he is using as his main name (much to the confusion of Snake, who had apparently learned his real name at some point between the two games and liked to call him by it). By ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', he is still using the name Raiden but the "Jack the Ripper" identity has become a dissociative personality, capable of guilt-free [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge righteous slaughter rampages]] when Raiden's shame is pushed too far.
142	*** One apparently nameless, German-speaking child soldier was nicknamed "the frank hunter" due to his battle tactic being to lure enemies in with beguiling childlike innocence and then stalk and slaughter them with a knife - this eventually became his legal name, "Frank Jaeger". As a soldier in the San Heironymo conflict, he was used in something called the Perfect Soldier Project, becoming nicknamed "Null" due to having his memories wiped. When he joined FOXHOUND he became known as "Gray Fox", and in capacity as a double agent to Snake in ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' he used the name "Snake's No. 1 Fan". In the Shadow Moses conflict everyone, terrified of him, called him "the Cyborg Ninja", but in his capacity as a double-agent to Snake he used the name "Deepthroat".
143	* Used for many of the assassins in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroesIII'', with a few exceptions. Averted for the most part in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'', where they mostly go by their real names.
144	* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' has no CanonName, instead being called by [[HelloInsertNameHere a first and last name of the player's choosing]].[[note]][[Anime/Persona5TheAnimation The anime of the game]] and [[VideoGame/Persona5DancingInStarlight the dancing spinoff game]] both use "Ren Amamiya" as this character's name, but that isn't so much as suggested anywhere within the main game.[[/note]] Instead, he's more commonly known as "Joker," his code name in the Phantom Thieves. When the character appeared in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' as a GuestFighter, he was referred to exclusively by his nom de guerre. There's an implication that Joker is who he ''really'' is, and his mild-mannered self is the mask he puts on.
145	* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'':
146	** The agents of the New Squidbeak Splatoon are assigned numbers as call signs. [[spoiler:Callie and Marie]] are known as Agent 1 and Agent 2, while the player characters have been Agent 3 in [[VideoGame/Splatoon1 the first game]], Agent 4 in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2''[='=]s Hero Mode, Agent 8 in ''Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion'', and... a different Agent 3 in ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' (the previous one got promoted and you inherit their callsign).
147	** Downplayed in ''Octo Expansion'', where alongside Cap'n Cuttlefish, your MissionControl is Pearl and Marina. All three of them have screen names in the chatroom logs (Pearl is MC Princess, Marina is DJ Hyperfresh, and Cap'n Cuttlefish just uses his real name Craig), but otherwise refer to each other by their real names. Justified since this isn't actually a NSS mission, with Pearl and Marina just being outsiders attempting to help you and Cap'n Cuttlefish get back to the surface.
148	* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'':
149	** All playable characters are given a callsign when they unlock starship fighting.
150	** All the members of Havoc Squad excluding their leader Tavis have callsigns they go by over their real names, even in subtitles. They are Gearbox, Fuse, Wraith, and Needles.
151	* ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'': Given the dangerous nature of [[LiminalTime the Hollow Night]], many of the In-Births wandering around in it go by an alias to intimidate threats and make their presence known. Some, like Hyde, just use their own name for this, but others include Linne (Princess of the Night Blade), Gordeau (the Harvester of Greed), Carmine (the Crimson Origins - 'Carmine Prime' itself is also one of these), Hilda (Paradox), Nanase (Windmill), Kei Asuma (Chaos), Byakuya (Predator), Yoshiko (Phonon the Chemeti) and Erika Wagner ([[RedBaron The Crimson Knight]]).
152	* The ''Wing Commander'' [[VideoGame/WingCommander games]], [[Literature/WingCommander books]], [[WesternAnimation/WingCommanderAcademy cartoon]], and [[Film/WingCommander movie]] give us quite a few, including [[ShoutOut Maverick, Iceman]], Angel, [[TheAce Maniac]], Spirit, Paladin, Doomsday, Jazz, Bear, Hunter, Vaquero, Vagabond, [[ShoutOut Hobbes]], Flint, Hawk, [[KnownOnlyByTheirNickname Seether]], Catscratch, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Deathstroke, Starkiller]], etc.
153	** In one of the books, Maverick learns that Maniac was passed over (again) for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. The narration notes that [[IronicNickname Maverick]] quietly agrees with the higher-ups that it was rarely good for a pilot's callsign to directly indicate his state of mind.
154	* In the modern ''VideoGame/XCom'' games, any soldier fortunate enough to reach the rank of Sergeant picks up a random nickname (usually influenced by their class), which you can change at will. Some story characters get pre-determined callsigns, however.
155	** In ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'''s ''Enemy Wihin'' expansion, former triad member Shaojie Zhang comes with the nickname "Chilong" ("hornless dragon"), while the [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming "Furies"]] are a trio of rescued psychics given the callsigns "Alecto," "Megaera" and "Tisiphone." This trope is averted for Annette Durand, however, another way of emphasizing [[MildlyMilitary she's not a professional soldier,]] but a powerful psychic with a grudge against the aliens.
156	** In ''VideoGame/XCOM2'', Central Officer Bradford uses "Central" as his callsign even when he's left MissionControl for the field, while An-Yi Shen similarly goes by "Lily" both on missions and in everyday conversation. Meanwhile the ''Tactical Legacy Pack'' missions reveal that during Dr. Tygan's extraction from ADVENT custody, his callsign was... [[TrademarkFavoriteFood "Hamburglar."]] And in an interesting case, MauveShirt Jane Kelly is given a random callsign if you start the game with the tutorial, but her ''TLP'' prequel missions show that she went by "Quiet" before the events of the game proper.
157	** In both games, the [[ACommanderIsYou Commander]] ''is'' "Commander". In the first game, it's your rank, and as XCOM is a military organization, that's what they call you. In the second game, it's a sign of respect that the MildlyMilitary Resistance continues to call you Commander at all times. It's also a reference to the fact that you're so good at your job of commanding that you can win against very unfair odds and succeed at completely unreasonable tasks.
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	[[folder:Webcomics]]
161	* Callsigns are serious business in ''Webcomic/AirForceBlues'', since it's nominally set in the US Air Force. There's a special ceremony held to confirm main character Ken Dahl as "Barbie" and choose one for Lt. Willows.
162	* Cheerleadra in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' got hers via the internet. As in the internet took the fact that her skirt was vaguely cheerleader-like and ran with it.
163	* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' Lieutenant Krishnamurti is called "Scopes" by the other troops in her Deep 6, as demonstrated [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090121 here by Major Resetti.]]
164	* ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'': Generic Spacefuture {{Super Soldier}}s don't have names, but serial numbers, and use their callsigns as names. Normally this name is a LeetLingo translation of their serial code (so the soldier "D37-9E-A53" is "Ace"), but main character D37-9E-B52 went with a Music/TheB52s reference instead and is called "Rock Lobster" (or by his military rank, which is "Commander Badass").
165	* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Each {{magical girl}} has a unique title that they use while on the job. This name is usually formed by combining the girl's team name with a unique {{them\|eNaming}}atic identifier -- for example, Team Alchemical includes Alchemical Water, Alchemical Fire, and Alchemical Earth, while Team Thrash consists of Knuckle Thrash and Laser Thrash. Given the [[CelebritySuperhero idol culture]] façade that hides the reality of their work as ChildSoldiers, this title functions as much as a magical girl's {{Stage Name\|s}} as it does her call sign.
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder:Web Animation]]
169	* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' has a few, including:
170	** Pretty much all of the Freelancers, most notably [[TheCassandra CT (A.K.A Connie)]] and [[BadassNormal Washington (A.K.A David)]]
171	** [[ConsummateProfessional Locus]], who has taken the name of his armor rather than use his own
172	** A strange example occurs with [[GeniusBruiser Agent Maine]], already a code name, who is referred to by his [[EvilFormerFriend former companions and peers]] almost solely as [[spoiler: "Meta" after [[AIIsACrapshoot Sigma]] takes the reigns.]]
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	[[folder:Western Animation]]
176	* In ''WesternAnimation/GIJoe'' both the Joes and Cobra agents usually only go by their code names.
177	* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': many of the characters, including those previously established from the films, are known by callsigns as well as their real names, but special mention goes to the clone troopers. Every one of them is designated by a number from birth, a "CT" hyphenated with four numbers, much like the droids that they're fighting for most of the series. However, unlike the droids, every clone also has a nickname that they were given or gave themselves for various reasons. One of the more closely-followed clones, CT-5555, is called "Fives", for example, while his squadmate CT-1409 was mockingly nicknamed "Echo" during training because he kept repeating orders that all of them were issued by radio as if they didn't hear them, though most of the other clones' names seem to be arbitrary. This extended to other parts of the franchise as well--one clone in particular, Obi-wan's second-in-command Cody, had previously appeared in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', establishing well before ''The Clone Wars'' that clones had names as well as/instead of numbers.
178	* In ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', when the team are being assigned their superhero names, Jean Grey's codename ends up being... Jean Grey. Beast quips that by the time they got to her they had run out of available codenames (in the comics she was known as Marvel Girl, but hasn't used that name in decades, and in popular culture she's much more commonly known by her real name anyway).
179	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': The episode "Shell of a Man" has Mr. Krabs' shipmates from his days in the Navy: Iron Eye, Muttonchop, Torpedo Belly, and Lockjaw Jones. Back then, Mr. Krabs went by the nickname of "Armor Abs" Krabs.
180	[[/folder]]
181
182	[[folder:Real Life]]
183	* Common in the military, particularly amongst pilots, who use their nicknames as "Callsigns", basically a distinct way of identifying themselves over the radio without using their names. Not only does it help protect your identity from the enemy, but it also helps avoid confusion when your squadron includes three Smiths, five Johnsons, and a couple of Sanchezes. In most militaries, a pilot does ''not'' get to choose his own callsign but has it bestowed upon him by his colleagues. And trying to give yourself a "cool" callsign will probably result in being saddled with a highly uncomplimentary one.
184	* One use of the Trope in a non-warfare context is when writers, artists, or performers use Stage Names or Writing Names (the latter also known as a [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench Nom De Plume]]). See also MoustacheDePlume for female authors using male names.
185	* [[ProfessionalWrestling Hunter Hearst Helmsley]], known to most as Wrestling/TripleH (or "Trip"), real name Paul Michael Levesque. Even his friends call him "Hunter".
186	* Edda van Heemstra, a ballet dancer who supported the Dutch Resistance during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Now better known as Creator/AudreyHepburn.
187	* Practiced by prominent members of the French Army during the ancient regime and still widely practiced by [[LegionOfLostSouls Foreign Legionaries]]. In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, prominent leaders of the Free French (and about every member of LaResistance) adopted Noms De Guerre to protect their families from retribution from the Nazis and LesCollaborateurs. One example is Darius Paul Bloch, who used Dassault as his alias. (Short for "Char d'Assault", French for "Battle Tank".) He legally changed his name to Dassault after the war. His brother took the name as well and used it for his aviation company (today a significant manufacturer of military aircraft--they make the Rafale fighter flown by the [[UsefulNotes/GaulsWithGrenades French Air Force]] and a few othters--as well as business jets).
188	** Speaking of World War II, the famous mime Creator/MarcelMarceau was in the Resistance. "Marceau" was his nom de guerre, he was born Marcel Mangel.
189	* Many French Canadian/Acadian surnames come from colonial soldiers' nom de guerre sticking after their service.
190	* In WWII, members of the Italian anti-fascist resistance leagues used battle names. Following the war, Italian women were eligible to be elected to public office for the first time, and (as most had no political connections except their work in the resistance) almost all of the first female parliament members continued to list their nomme de guerre in their official bios, so that their fellows would remember their deeds in war.
191	* Saloth Sar, better known to the world as Pol Pot. He took that name to lead his guerilla movement, the Khmer Rouge. He may have been trying to imitate Vladimir Illitch Ulyanov (Lenin) or else Josef Vissarionovitch Dzugashvili (Stalin).
192	* The use of Noms de Guerre was part of the self-given rules of the "Brethren of the Coast", the organization of Caribbean [[{{Pirate}} buccaneers]] founded in c. 1640. Thus, buccaneer captains Jean-David Nau, Daniel Montbars and Gerrit Gerritszoon became better known as François l'Olonnais, l'Exterminateur, and Roche Braziliano respectively. The custom of the buccaneers to use noms de guerre was eventually dropped; Henry Morgan never used one.
193	* Creator/EwanMcGregor's brother Colin is a fighter pilot in the RAF. His callsign is "Obi-Two".
194	* The conventional and commonplace Arabic practice of ''kunya'' - which includes geographic or familial identifiers - are often used as this trope by militias and insurgent groups in the Middle East. The standard form is "Abu" (father of)[[note]]A female ''kunya'' would instead use "Umm" (mother of).[[/note]] followed by the name of the firstborn son, followed optionally by "al-(name of hometown)". Jihadis - particularly foreigners - are especially fond of making their kunya as their primary identifier as a way to divorce themselves from their past, "sinful" lives. That the use of a kunya makes it harder for them to be identified in the event of their return is an extra bonus. While many such Nom De Guerre adhere to conventional Arabic norms of the kunya (though often fictional rather than referring to one of the fighter's children), some fighters adopted (or were given) nicknames based on their battlefield exploits. Such examples include Abu Tow[[note]]Literally "Father of Tow (Missiles)"[[/note]] and [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Abu Azrael]].
195	** Non-standard ''kunya'' are a tradition dating back to at least the lifetime of Muhammed, with some of his companions' real names being much less known than ''kunya'' based on their favoriate animals (based on the Arabic tradition of using the ''kunya'' form "Abu [whatever]" to mean "the guy with [whatever]" or "[whatever] Guy"). His best friend and father-in-law Abdul ibn Abi Quhafa is better known as Abu Bakr[[note]]"Father of Camels", or more idiomatically "the guy with the camels" or "Camel Guy"[[/note]], while Abdur-Rahman ibn Sakhr (the most prolific narrator of the ''Hadith'') is known as Abu Hurairah[[note]]"Father of Cats"/"the guy with the kitty-cat"/"Cat Guy". (Significantly, "hurairah" doesn't just mean "cat", it specifically refers to a small female cat, hence "kitty-cat".)[[/note]].
196	[[/folder]]

Context Main / NomDeGuerre