text: %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1483418434027260900%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.%%[[quoteright:211:[[ComicBook/VForVendetta http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/v_1.jpg]]]]->''"Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not "Mr. Lebowski". ''You're'' Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing."''-->-- '''The Dude''' (so that's what you call him), ''Film/TheBigLebowski''This is a character who is primarily, or even only, known by their InSeriesNickname.[[SisterTrope Related to]] EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep, but that is about people being referred to exclusively by their jobs or what they're best known for doing. Also related to StageNames. Does not include {{Fan Nickname}}s, {{secret identit|y}}ies, or explicit pseudonyms. Also doesn't include people who [[MeaningfulRename give themselves new names following an act of self-reinvention]], and [[ThatManIsDead stop responding to their old name]] (e.g. [[Literature/HarryPotter Voldemort]]). Exceptionally badass examples of this trope fall into the RedBaron. Obvious and common contractions, i.e. someone's full name being William but introducing themselves as Bill, don't really count either.Usually, DramatisPersonae will give the full name of such a character first, though the actual script will use the nickname almost exclusively even in the unspoken directions.If the character ''insists'' on the nickname, it's DoNotCallMePaul. If the nickname is actually his ''real'' name, it's HisNameReallyIsBarkeep.----!!Examples:[[foldercontrol]][[folder:Anime & Manga]]* ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'' gives us Kuroyukihime, leader of Nega Nebulus and the main character's love interest. Even her digital ID, supposed to reveal a person's real information and is impossible to hack in-universe, displays her name as Kuroyukihime. One of her friends refers to her as Sa-chan, which is the closest hint it gives us to her real name.* Tokidoki from ''Manga/{{Amatsuki}}'' is almost always known as Toki both inside and outside the story, mainly because his full name is described as "too weird". (It's Japanese for 'sometimes,' and while the Japanese do ''sometimes'' use words for names, just like any other language, that isn't one of them.)* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'':** Ayumu '[[TheIdiotFromOsaka Osaka]]' Kasuga- her teachers, friends, fans... she's the only person who uses her real name. On the class listings for the second year, she initially thinks she is not in Yukari's class, but then sees that her name is listed as "Osaka".** To a lesser extent is Koyomi "Yomi" Mizuhara.** Minamo "Nyamo" Kurosawa is a small example too. Early on in the series, everyone of the main cast switches from referring to her by her last name to referring to her by "Nyamo".* The title character of ''Manga/{{Beelzebub}}'' is simply called Beel, or Baby Beel, by everyone. Justified, as his real name, [[OverlyLongName Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV]] would be a mouthful... and Oga doesn't remember his full name anyway.* Several members of ''Manga/BlackLagoon'''s cast are commonly referred to only by nicknames. The only one of the cast who has a name we actually know is real (and not just a nickname or an alias) is Rokuro Okajima, the main character, whom everyone just calls "Rock". Amongst other examples, "Revy" is a nickname (first name "Rebecca", nothing else known), "Dutch" is a nickname, "Balalaika" is a nickname, and "Hansel and Gretel" are nicknames (but they have no real names anyway).** Balalaika is later given a full name: Sofiya Irininskaya Pavlovena.* ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'' has Yumeno "Q" Kyuusaku (whose real name is never spoken aloud) and Oda "Odasaku" Sakunosuke. Also possibly the case with Mori, as Elise calls him Rintarou, which was the real name of the real-life Mori Ougai, which might imply that it's his real name as well.* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'':** Accelerator notes that he used to have a real name. A normal name. He even tells how many characters were in it (3?) but doesn't reveal what it was. He's only called Accelerator now.** Index too. Presumably she wasn't named Index when she was born, but probably after she was forced to memorize an entire library of knowledge and had the rest of her memory wiped. Whatever the case, "Index Librorum Prohibitorum" is apparently her actual legal name now, as it appears on any form of ID she carries.** Aogami Pierce[[note]]which literally means "the blue-haired guy with piercings"[[/note]] presumably has a real name as well. To us, though, he's just the blue-haired guy with piercings.%%* ''Manga/CodeBreaker'': The head of [[TerroristsWithoutACause Re:Code]] is only ever called "The One Being Sought", which is fine for [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou Ogami]] [[spoiler: who is also his [[CainAndAbel brother]] ]] but sounds a bit odd coming other members of Re:Code ("'The One Being Sought', what are our plans?").* C.C. (pronounced "C-Two") in ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is only known by these initials. The only time her real name was spoken out loud the viewer is only treated with the speaker's vague lip-movements. Supposedly, it had originally been planned that her true identity would have some relevance in the second season. But since ExecutiveMeddling significantly altered season 2, that plan got dropped.* V. T. from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' runs a pool for people guessing her name. Her real name is Victoria Terpsichore. Vicious, the show's main antagonist, never reveals his true name either.* The famed criminal Mister in ''Anime/CoyoteRagtimeShow'' is so called because he has as many aliases and false identities as there are stars in the sky and nobody knows what his real name actually is.* The protagonist of ''Manga/DailyLifeWithMonsterGirl'' is rarely referred to by his real name, Kimihito Kurusu. The girls around him tend to use various nicknames for him, generally some variation of "Darling", "Master" or "Husband".* ''Manga/DailyLivesOfHighSchoolBoys'':** Sanada East's StudentCouncilPresident is only known as "Ringo-chan."** The Literature Girl or "Yassan." Her real name was never released.* The [[AntiHero hero]] of ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' is only known by his CodeName, Hei ("black" in Chinese) [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Black Reaper]], BK-201 (his Messier number), and "Li Shengshun" (or some variation) as his NiceGuy civilian alias. Whatever his real name was we'll probably never know, as he gave it up a long time ago. * We never find out L's real name in ''Manga/DeathNote'' until the 13th, non-story book that explains everything in detail, which only came out well after the main story was over.** Ditto for Matt, although both Mello's ([[spoiler:Mihael Kheel]]) and Near's ([[spoiler:Nate River]]) are revealed late in the story. In fact, many people go by nicknames in the series, since Kira knowing your real name is... problematic, to say the least. L even goes by multiple layers of nicknames.* Nearly everyone on the main cast of ''Manga/DenkiGaiNoHonyaSan'' is known only by their nickname, e.g. Fu Girl, Director, Sensei, Sommelier, and Kameko.* The dub of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' does this to justify the [[DubNameChange changes in names]] despite not trying to hide that most of the characters normally live in Japan; the first episode introduces the main cast listing both their full names and the nicknames derived from them (to varying degrees of plausibility) which the characters are referred to thereafter. It becomes strange when their parents use these nicknames for them, especially "Izzy", which is a of shortening the characters ''last'' name. The other series don't bother with such a thing.* The Gaba Thieves in ''[[Anime/MahoujinGuruGuru Doki Doki Densetsu Mahoujin Guru Guru]]'' make a deliberate point of only ever using nicknames to protect their identities. When Nike and Kukuri briefly join them, the leader Sly immediately gives them codenames. This is taken a step further with Sly himself, who [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep everyone calls "Ookashira"]], essentially meaning "Boss".* Takeshi Goda in ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' is commonly known as Gian. Some of the characters such as Shizuka and Gian's mother still call him Takeshi.* Everyone (both in the show and in RealLife) calls the main erm... "heroine"... of ''Manga/ElfenLied'' "Lucy". The tail end of the manga [[spoiler:reveals her actual name is [[OnlyOneName Kaede]]]].* In ''Manga/{{Erased}}'', the kids all call Jun Shiratori "Yuuki," meaning "courage," since he's always telling them to face their fears and speak their minds.* ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'':** Shien Mushanokoji, the quarterback of the Seibu Wild Gunmen , is only called "The Kid" for several volumes before his name is revealed.** Monta's real name is Raimon Taro, but due to a misunderstanding when he first introduced himself to Sena he's been called "Monta" by everyone but his mother ever since. Even his locker says "Monta" on it.** Additionally, when Sena and Monta set out on the trail of the mysterious third founding Devil Bat, literally all they know about him is his nickname, Musashi, causing them to think he's JerkAss soccer player '''Mu'''ro '''Sa'''to'''shi'''. Musashi turns out to be a guy named Gen Takekura; the nickname is never directly explained, although "Takekura" and "Musashi" are two different ways to read the same kanji (武蔵).** "Buffalo" Ujishima of the Seibu Wild Gunmen. Not that it can be helped, since his actual given name, "Baharou", is pronounced identically to "Buffalo" in Japanese.** Patrick "Panther" Spencer is never called Patrick (or any permutation thereof) by anyone; his name is only mentioned as an answer to a [[FourthWallMailSlot "Devil Bat Spy"]] question.* The Oracion Seis of ''Manga/FairyTail'' all have codenames. Hoteye mentions that his real name is [[spoiler:Richard]], though.** Cobra later tells Kinana that his name is [[spoiler:Erik]] but unlike Hoteye, he continues to use his codename afterward.* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':** Scar gets known as... well... "Scar" due the one he has on the face. He said he abandoned his name, which is never revealed. ** The main antagonist is usually known as "Father" or "the Eastern Sage", though his "true name" is [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep Homunculus]]. More or less. His own 'father' calls him "Dwarf in the Flask".* Nobody in ''Manga/GAGeijutsukaArtDesignClass'' calls Miyabi Oomichi "Miyabi". She's mainly referred by the main cast as "Professor," while Namiko calls her by the AlternateCharacterReading "Masa," and the FacelessMasses calls her "Oomichi-san".* InUniverse in ''Anime/GaikingLegendOfDaikuMaryu''. After [[IdiotHero Daiya]] nicknamed the Crab Bunker "Kani Tank", it is only referred to as its real name during the most serious of moments... [[InsistentTerminology and by Puria all the time]].* ''Manga/GhostHunt'':** Kazuya Shibuya. If you have seen the show but can't recall who that is, it may be because everyone calls him "[[{{Narcissist}} Naru]]" for the entire show.** And [[spoiler:Kazuya Shibuya is not his real name either. It's Oliver Davies]]** There's also Takigawa, who everyone just calls "Bou-san." (Mr. Monk)* Everybody in the Section 9 in ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' save for Chief Aramaki and Togusa, who has a family, only uses a code name or alias; in the ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Stand Alone Complex]]'' episode where their names are shown as suspects to an attempted armed coup their real names have been obscured or corrupted, showing only the familiar aliases.* The villain in ''Manga/GunXSword'' is known only as the Claw, sometimes called "Comrade" by his allies. He rejected his real name long ago and it is never revealed.** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsK'' has confirmed The Claw Man's real name to be Koo Krying Kroo and he's William Woo's father.* From the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise, [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Char]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Aznable]] (at one time, [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Quattro Bajeena]]), [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Zechs Marquise]], and even TheHero [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Setsuna F. Seiei]]. (Real names: [[spoiler:Casval rem Deikun, Milliardo Peacecraft, Soran Ibrahim]])** ''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'' has a twofer with "Touhou Fuhai" (Undefeated of the East), AKA Master Asia (which is arguably just a pragmatic short-hand for the former). Quite often, Domon will refer to him by both titles in quick succession ("Touhou Fuhai Master Asia!") The manga ''G Gundam: Fight 7th'' gives his original name as [[spoiler:Shuji Kurosu]].* All the Zoanoids, some Zoalords, and even Lost Numbers are never given names in ''Manga/{{Guyver}}''. Some just have their model number type as a nickname. Some Zoalords seem to rename themselves after famous figures or fictional literary characters. * The title character of ''LightNovel/HaiyoreNyarkoSan'' introduces herself as [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Nyarlahotep the Crawling Chaos]], adding "People call me Nyarko, but I have a real name". Later novels reveal that her true name is TheUnpronounceable, and even being able to comprehend it is quite a feat.* Since most of ''Literature/HalfPrince'' takes place in a game world a lot of the characters only know one another's screen names. This is most blatant with Prince, who goes well out of his way to keep anyone from learning he's really a female player, the student of his biggest fan, close friend of his kohai, and cousin of his first kiss.* Kyon and his sister in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' - their real names will likely never be revealed. "Kyon" is just an irritating nickname his aunt once gave him and that his sister spread, that ended up sticking despite all his efforts to discourage it. His sister doesn't even get ''that'' much; everyone just calls ''her'' "little sister".** In "The Disappearence of Haruhi Suzumiya", an alternate dimension Haruhi asks Kyon for his name. After wondering whether to give his nickname (which this Haruhi wouldn't know) or his real name (which not even the Haruhi from his dimension would know), he ends up giving the obviously fake name this Haruhi might remember him by: [[MrSmith John Smith]]. She then goes on to call him John.-->'''Kyon:''' When you say John, are you referring to me?-->'''Haruhi:''' Why go with Kyon when John's a much cooler name?* Hajime's younger brother in ''Manga/ICantUnderstandWhatMyHusbandIsSaying'' is almost exclusively referred to by his pen name, [[MoustacheDePlume Mayotama]]. Only his mother calls him Youta.* Gyro Zeppeli from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Steel Ball Run''. His real name is [[spoiler: Julius Caeser]] Zeppeli.* The top eight members of Ragnarok in ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'' have codenames based in Myth/NorseMythology. Only three of them have their full names revealed during the story in which they appear. The three others who [[DefeatMeansFriendship join the Shinpaku Alliance]] don't have their names revealed for another hundred or so chapters.* Mitsune 'Kitsune' Konno from ''Manga/LoveHina''.* ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'' is only known by her CodeName (which has its own sinister backstory), even to her liaisons, the closest thing she has to family. In fact, [[spoiler:she doesn't have any "real" name at all, since she isn't that real herself, in the first place.]]* ''Anime/MazingerZ'':** Boss from this series and the various spin-offs/sequels thereof (''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'', ''Anime/ShinMazinger'', ''Manga/ShinMazingerZero''...). He's claimed that even the author doesn't know his real name.--->'''Boss''': Kabuto's close friend Boss. Even the author doesn't know my real name.** During [[GrandFinale the final arc of the original manga]], Dr. Hell revealed that "Hell" was not his true name but a pseudonym... [[ObviouslyEvil that he nicknamed himself with]].* Quetzalcoatl from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' is almost always referred to by the shortened name "Lucoa", probably because her full name would be quite a mouthful for a Japanese speaker. * In ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', there is the mafia boss named The Baby. [[spoiler:His real name is given TheUnreveal treatment.]]* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':** Yamato's real name is unknown and since his introduction he has just gone by the CodeName Tsunade gave him even after the mission he was given it for ended. Apparently he likes "Yamato" better than his real name, whatever it might be. Readers often confuse "Tenzo" to be his real name, but it's actually just the CodeName he used he worked with Kakashi. Given the more recently-revealed details of his background, it's entirely possible Yamato has no idea what his real name is and simply prefers to go by whatever his current code-name is for convenience's sake.** We eventually find out [[spoiler:A and Killer Bee]] don't go by their real names, but rather nicknames that have been used by [[spoiler:the Raikage and his partner]] through their village's history.* Nodame from ''Manga/NodameCantabile'' rarely gets called by her real name, Megumi Noda.* ''Manga/OnePiece'': ** Franky's real name is Cutty Flam. "Franky" was a name given to him by Iceburg.** Hachi is rarely ever called by his real name "Hatchan", since it sounds very cute.** Edward Newgate and Marshall D. Teach are known almost exclusively as "Whitebeard" and "Blackbeard", respectively.** Most people refer to the Admirals of the Marines by their color-coded alias, and rarely know or use their real names.** During the Paramount War in Marineford, a flashback shows the Pirate King complaining to Whitebeard because everyone's started calling him "Gold Roger" when his real name is [[spoiler: Gol D. Roger]]. By the present day hardly anyone refers to him using that name. The world knows him as the Pirate King Gold Roger.** Many members of the Donquixote family are only known by their given codenames. The four family executives are codenamed for the four card suits; thus, Donquixote Rocinante is almost exclusively referred to as "Corazon", and we never learn Trebol's, Diamante's, or Pica's real names. Some of the underlings are the same way; we are explicitly told that "Buffalo" and "Baby 5" are codenames, but we never learn their real ones.* Kasanoda from ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''. We're given his first name (which is Ritsu), but he's almost always referred to as Kasanoda or some [[AccidentalMisnaming mispronunciation]] of his name.** Mori and Honey as well, except to [[FirstNameBasis each other]].* In ''Manga/PandoraHearts'', legal contractors are often nicknamed after [[OurMonstersAreDifferent their Chain]], such as [[CreepyCrows Raven,]] [[spoiler: who turns out to be [[FutureBadass Gilbert]] post-TimeSkip,]] or [[MadHatter Hatter,]] aka [[BunnyEarsLawyer Xerxes Break.]] [[spoiler: That name is also an alias: his birth name is [[IHatePastMe Kevin Regnard.]]]] And then there is [[SilkHidingSteel Charlotte Baskerville,]] whom everyone started calling "Lottie" after Jack came up with the nickname.* We don't know the full names of the cast of ''Manga/PleaseTellMeGalkoChan''. The names used are merely based on their character archetypes: [[GyaruGirl Galko]], {{Otak|u}}o, {{Ojou}}, and so on.* Ash Ketchum in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' is a downplayed example of this. Team Rocket always refer to him as "the Twerp." They almost never refer to him by his real name and you can probably count the number of times they've ever done so to his face on one hand.* Due to a DubNameChange X and Y are this in translations of ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. Their names are short for "Xavier" and "Yvonne", though in the original version their names are literally "X" and "Y".* ''Manga/SangatsuNoLion''** Hinata is primarily referred to by her shortened name, Hina or Hina-chan.** "Smith" is revealed to be a nickname long after his introduction, when the manga unceremoniously reveals that his real name is Tatsuyuki Misumi.* Kafuka Fura of ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'' is using a false name derived from that of Franz Kafka. At one point there's a flashback to Nami's kindergarten class, and one of Nami's classmates, who looks like a younger Kafuka, is identified by the name An. It seems to be implied that Kafuka's real name is An Akagi, the Japanese title for ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'', in reference to Kafuka's [[ThePollyanna ultra-optimistic personality]]. The name/book title literally means "Red Anne", but is also a pun on "red end" in Engrish, and in both cases, refers to [[KillEmAll what Kafuka is likely to ultimately do to her classmates]].* ''Manga/SchoolLive'':** SenseiChan Sakura Megumi is only ever referred to as "Megu-nee" by the characters, though she wishes they would refer to her as "Sakura-sensei". ** Yuuri is referred to as "Rii" more often than her full name.** [[spoiler:Rii's sister]] is exclusively known as "Ruu".* ''Manga/ShouwaGenrokuRakugoShinjuu'' has the protagonist Yotaro who doesn't even mention his own name, not even when first speaking to his rakugo idol Yakumo. Yotaro is a nickname given to him by Yakumo, and [[MeaningfulRename it means "fool" in rakugo slang]]. Less than halfway through the first episode of the anime, we get a guy from Yotaro's past and only then is this trope averted - his real name is Kyoji.* Oshizu in ''Manga/ToLoveRu''. Her real name is Shizu Murasame, but she likes to be called Oshizu better.* In ''Anime/YokaiWatch'' we have Barnaby "Bear" Bernstein (Gorouta "Kuma" Kumashina in Japan) who is never referred to by his proper name. To a lesser extent eother characters often have shortened versions of their names, like "Eddie" and "Katie". Even Nathan's parents only call him "Nate".* The Pharaoh in the English dub of ''Anime/YuGiOh''. His real name is unknown and is a plot point in the last season, so the only thing his friends can call him is by his title, which they use in lieu of a name, rather than as a respectful gesture or as a title as Ishizu and Shadi would use it.* Ryo Marufuji, the Kaiser, of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX''. There is a time when people call him Hell Kaiser until they call him only Kaiser again.* Only a few characters call Shark from ''Anime/YuGiOhZexal'' by his name Ryoga Kamishiro.[[/folder]][[folder:Comic Books]]* [[ComicBook/BuckyBarnes James Buchanan Barnes]] is almost always referred to as Bucky, or Bucky-Cap (when serving as Captain America). Only his girlfriend ComicBook/BlackWidow refers to him by his first name.* ''Franchise/ArchieComics'':** Jughead Jones'real name is Forsythe.** Similarly, his sister Jellybean Jones. Real name is Forsythia.** Pretty much everyone in the comics goes by a nickname, which usually are just shortened versions of their names (Archie is named Archibald, Betty is named Elizabeth, Moose is named Marmaduke, etc) Only Veronica gets called by her name often, and even then you'll see it as "Ronnie" just as much.* In ''[[ComicBook/TheSandman Death: The Time of Your Life]]'', Foxglove's assistant goes by Boris, but Death calls him by his given name, Endymion. ("I really do prefer Boris, if you don't mind," he tells her.)** Foxglove herself: she's rareley called by her real name, Donna Cavanagh. Even closest people call her Foxglove, or Fox.* Katchoo of ''ComicBook/StrangersInParadise''. Her real name is Katina Choovanski, but those close to her only call her that when they're angry with her or in a very serious mood.** Not just Katchoo: her two half-sisters, the Baker twins, are called Tambi and Bambi, and they're never referred to as anything else. It's not until the two sisters are together on-panel for the first time (many, many issues in) that we find out their real names: [[spoiler: Mary Beth and Sara, respectively.]]* In most ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' stories, regardless of medium, SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker's given name is unknown, even in most stories expounding or referencing his secret origin. One of the few exception is in the 1989 Creator/TimBurton [[Film/{{Batman}} film]], and a subsequent episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', his pre-accident name is Jack Napier; in the more recent comic book arcs "Hush Returns" and "Lovers and Madmen", only the first name "Jack" appears.** In one story his autistic cousin Melvin refers to him as Cousin Ja... but he is interrupted and the Joker tells him "That's not my name anymore, call me Cousin Joker."** Melvin's last name is Reipan, [[SdrawkcabName Napier spelled backwards]].* Richard Grayson (Robin I[=/=]ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}) only goes by Dick. If someone actually calls him Richard there's something seriously wrong.* In ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'', the first president in the series is known only as The Beast. Even his kids call him that. There's also the ever-lovable Bill Chimpfucker. He [[BestialityIsDepraved only did it once]], though.* The first time we see Apollo and the Midnighter of ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'', it is as their civilian names and identities are being erased. (How literally and to what extent this erasure works has been interpreted very differently by different writers: under one writer the Midnighter refers to something his father 'used to say', under another he has no memory of anything before he became a post-human.) When the Midnighter, in his own series, uncovers his old name, [[spoiler:it turns out to be fake. He keeps it anyway.]]* Pretty much every member of GI Joe and Cobra alike in ''GIJoe'', to the point that even after Grunt had left the service to go to college he was uncomfortable being called by his real name and self-identified as "Grunt".* Private Hank the Yank in ''Adventures in the Rifle Brigade'' is listed in official documents as "Private the Yank"; this may have something to do with his apparent inability to articulate himself in words other than "GAWD DAMMIT!"** Lieutenant Milk is also solely referred to by his nickname, "Doubtful", by Captain Darcy.* Agent 355 from ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan''. She served as the titular protagonist's bodyguard for ''years'' before she was comfortable enough to share her old name with him. And she whispered it, so the reader never finds out what it was.** Fitting, as no one knows the real Agent 355's name either.* Disney's Brer Rabbit comics seem to imply that all the animals have actual names, but everyone seems to just refer to everyone as "Brer <Species Name>".* V in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta''.* [[ComicBook/LexLuthor Alexander "Lex" Luthor.]] This serves to distinguish him from the heroic Luthor of Earth-3, who went by Alexander. As did [[FaceHeelTurn his]] [[HeelFaceTurn son]].* The four main [[Franchise/TheFlash Flashes]] are known almost exclusively by shorthand versions of their [[Characters/TheFlash full names]], to the point where most fans and writers aren't aware that those names ''are'' in fact nicknames.** Jay Garrick is actually Jaeon Garrick. But many just assume he shares a name with Homer Simpson.** Especially the case with Barry Allen, who actually has the same full name as his grandson, Bartholomew. (In UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, it was "Barrence"; this was quietly retconned in the '90s.)** Wally's full name is Wallace West.* Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan, whose real name is "Harold" but is never addressed as such, ''ever''.** His friend Tom Kalmaku once had the nickname "[[UnfortunateNames Pieface]]", and he was referred to as such constantly. Political correctness wasn't a big thing at the time.* For the first two decades of her published existence, ComicBook/{{Rogue}} of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' was known just as "Rogue", even to her nearest and dearest (which according to at least one version of her origin published before 2001 was shown to be her nickname before she discovered her powers). Only after the makers of the first movie decided to saddle her with "Marie" did that eventually bleed over into the comics, Creator/ChrisClaremont eventually naming her Anna Marie Raven. (The surname is almost certainly an assumed name; it's identical to the first name of her adoptive mother, Raven Darkhölme aka Mystique).* The ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' villain Bullseye is only known by that name, and when asked for his name, "Bullseye" is what he always responds with. His legal name is "Benjamin Poindexter", but this is [[MultipleChoicePast likely]] a false identity. Turns out his first name is ''Lester'' (again with the nickname being an improvement). ** In ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'', Bullseye's real name is Shelton Pendergrass, but since the NoodleIncident that turned him from an army lawyer into a PsychoForHire, he won't answer to anything but Bullseye.* Many characters in ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}''. We learn the real name of the heroine as late as in volume #3. The real name of her boyfriend Thugboy is still unknown.* In ''ComicBook/YoungbloodJudgmentDay'', Bryce Barstow, formerly the Fisherman, calls his former sidekick Toby King by his old hero name, Skipper - despite being ''his adoptive father''. Toby's a little irritated, but settles the matter by saying he'd prefer his real name in this situation.* The real names of the main characters of ''ComicBook/{{Mingamanga}}'' are Korbinian, Mustafa, Vinh Ngoc and Daniel. They're almost always called Bini, Staffie, Vinnie and Bo.* Sonic from ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' only went by his nickname. He was given the embarrassing middle name of Maurice, and WordOfGod claimed his first name to be Oglivie.* ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'':** Shorty the Squirrel was known by his nickname of [[HairTriggerTemper Shortfuse the Cybernik]].** Tails is never called by his name, except in the Nameless Zone. In the Nameless Zone he is known by his real name "Miles Prower". ** [[spoiler:Oscar the Pig]] is better known by his nickname of [[spoiler: Porker Lewis]].* For a while in ComicBook/XMen, ComicBook/{{Magneto}} had no known name. Then in a flashback story he's referred to as "Magnus", though it was ambiguous as to whether that was his first name, his last name, or an alias. Eventually, his real name was revealed to be "Eric Lensherr". Then later on, it was decided THAT was an alias, then for a while it was "Maybe it's his real name, maybe it isn't". Now a more recent story seems to pretty firmly establish his real-real name as "Max Eisenhardt", but who knows how long that will last.* Grunge of ''ComicBook/Gen13''. Especially notable in that the team's members usually refer to each other by their first names. Of course, Grunge's first name is [[EmbarrassingFirstName Percival]]. * Zigfried is a secondary character of ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures''. Everybody from friends to his sister to his employers call him Ziggy. He even call himself that when meeting new people.* Most of the members of Tomahawk's Rangers in ''ComicBook/{{Tomahawk}}''.* For a decade, ComicBook/ThePunisher was never referred to by his real name, even when he stood trial in ''The Spectacular Spider-Man''. It took until 1985 for his actual name to be established as Frank Castle (born Castiglione).* Franchise/{{Tintin}}. His name fits the familiar Francophone nicknaming pattern of reduplicating a name's syllable, as in "Loulou'' for Louis(e) (first syllable of given name), "Nana" for Anna (second syllable of given name), or "Bébel" for Jean-Paul Belmondo (first syllable of surname). "Tintin" could e. g. be based on Martin, Constantin or Célestin.* ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'':** Very few people know Johnny Alpha's real last name, since both he and his family have very compelling reasons to keep their relationship secret.** "Middenface" [=McNulty's=] given name is Archibald, though you'd have to read the comic quite carefully to figure it out. The only ones to ever refer to him as anything other than "Middenface" are his gran (who calls him Archie) and the good kind of "Wanted"-posters (which refer to him as "[[AddedAlliterativeAppeal The Tartan Terror]]".)* ''ComicBook/{{Aquila}}'': Aquila, the main character's gladiator name, is just Latin for "eagle". His 'brother', another warrior who serves the same hungry goddess, is known simply as The Spartan from his area of origin.* The ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse has Eega Beeva, with most people (and readers) not even knowing that Eega Beeva is actually a nickname. [[JustifiedTrope There's a very good reason]]: Eega's real name, rarely used outside his debut, is [[OverlyLongName Pittisborum Psercy Pystachi Pseter Psersimmon Plummer-Push (with a giant spit on the "Push")]], long enough that Eega ''got winded after saying it twice in a row'', at which point Mickey came up with the nickname.* The eponymous Golden Eyes of ''ComicBook/GoldenEyesAndHerHeroBill'' - if she's got a real name, the [[Creator/NellBrinkley author]] never reveals it.[[/folder]][[folder:Comic Strips]]* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'':** Pig-Pen. Nobody knows his real name; at his first appearance, he actually says: "I haven't got a name... People just call me things... Real insulting things." In one strip, Pig-Pen says that everyone calls his dad "Pig-Pen Sr."** Rerun Van Pelt. When he is introducing himself to his kindergarten class, he reveals that even he doesn't know what his real name is.** As well: Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt.* In ''The Broons'', the three youngest kids are called "the twins" and "the bairn". Maybe their parents got tired of naming kids.* ''[[ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} Thimble Theatre]]'':** Scooner Seawell Georgia Washenting Christiffer Columbia Daniel Boom, usually called Swee'pea** Popeye, upon finding his long-lost father, asks him what their real names are. Pappy doesn't remember.* Doc Boy from ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' hates being called by his nickname, especially by his older brother Jon, but ironically has no known name. His first few appearances said his name is Doc.* Apparently a characteristic of ''ComicStrip/{{Pluggers}}'' according to [[http://joshreads.com/images/15/01/i150129pluggers.jpg this strip]].* In ''ComicStrip/{{Luann}}'', only two of the main character's fellow students in junior college have been identified -- and they are known only as Mr. Jock and Mr. Goth.[[/folder]][[folder:Fan Works]]* ''FanFic/TheImmortalGame'' has [[TheAlcoholic Sir Unimpressive]] and his ArchEnemy [[MookLieutenant the Cadet]].* The ''FanFic/{{Horseshoes and Hand Grenades}}'' sidestory ''Month of Sundays'' has the Rainbow Serpent. She later reveals her name, [[spoiler:Ayida-weddo]], but the story and the other characters (minus Mari) still refer to her as Rainbow Serpent.* ''FanFic/CIAAgents'' has the Leader. The agents call him �Piero� and his code name is Grandell.* Fan stories of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''** In ''FanFic/HomeWithTheFairies'', Maddie almost never uses her full name, Madeline Greene, after she [[TrappedInAnotherWorld falls into Middle-earth]]. There none can guess that Maddie is short for Madeline.** In ''FanFic/HowToSurviveInMiddleEarthWhenYoureATeenagedGirl'', Priscilla Henders changes her name to Cilla, so others can say it. Priscilla is from Texas, and her name is foreign to Middle-earth.* In ''FanFic/MegaManReawakened'', Roll's full name is Rebecca Light, but everyone calls her Roll. * PlayedForLaughs with [[Disney/{{Tangled}} Flynn]] in the Disney/{{Frozen}} fanfic ''Fanfic/ADateWithTheDrumMajor'':-->'''Flynn:''' *to Anna* My name's Eugene� -->'''Rest of the room:''' *in near-unison* Who's Eugene? -->'''Flynn:''' �but everyone here calls me Flynn. --> '''Rest of the room:''' *over-dramatically* Ohhhhhhhh.* Jacob Arrow from ''FanFic/ANewWorldANewWay'' sidestory ''Swarm'' prefers to be referred to by X. Also counts as a OneLetterName.* In ''RolePlay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'', about 80% of the cast goes by a nickname of some sort, either due to personal preference or to protect their identities.* Commander Tess Phohl's real first name "Tesjha" is only rarely used in ''Fanfic/{{Bait and Switch|STO}}''. "Fanfic/TheUniverseDoesntCheat" reveals that "Tesjha Phohl" is itself a shortened form of "Siritesjha sh'Phohlhi".* Hilariously done in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3401052/1/A-Black-Comedy A Black Comedy]]''. Until TheReveal near the end of the story, the mysterious wizard constantly interfering with Voldemort's plans is only known by the name Voldemort gives him: That Fucker.* Ranger Fink of ''FanFic/TheHamsterballShow''. Her real name is ''Rachel'' Fink. Only [[TheProfessor Mr. Raptis]] calls her by this name.** Another nickname of Ranger Fink's is simply "the Fink," which is used interchangeably with "Ranger Fink" by the narrator.* According to Webcomic/KillLaKillAU, Ryuuko is mostly called "Ryuu" by mostly everyone she knows and "Repeat Offender" by the cops. Likewise, we have Seiji, who's real name is "Shinseiji" and her nickname tends to be used more than Ryuuko's. According to ''Meaningful Name'', not very many people know Sukuyo's real name and she is mostly called by a childhood nickname of "Turtle".* From the ''Fanfic/Gensokyo20XX'' series, we have An Yakumo, whose real name is Anohana and the similar occurs for Yume Ni, with her being mostly called "Yu" or "Yu-Ni". Likewise, the same occurs for Maribel and Renko, who are mostly called Merry and Wren.** For a while, Reimu's mother wasn't called by her name; she was called "Mikosan" or, as Yukari called her, "the Slattern". We eventually find out, from WordOfGod, that her name is Reiko.* In ''Fanfic/SoulEaterTroubledSouls'', the real name of Kilik Lung is Kirikou, but everyone calls him Kilik instead. The writer probably did this to acknowledge both the original and the dub name of the character.* In the ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' fanfic ''I See the Stars,'' leisians usually have short names; so when Earth-born, half-leisian Adelaide Weir starts to integrate into the society, she has to find some way to shorten her name. She chooses her old nickname "Ada" and is known as Ada Weir to the point it becomes part of her identity.* Annie Stelman from the ''Series/CriminalMinds'' fanfic "To live again" is actually named Annelise Stelman but nobody ever calls her that.* In one chapter of ''Fanfic/TheRacketRotterChronicles'', Annette finds medication prescribed to "Dennis Racket Jr." [[spoiler: Better known as Shark.]]* The ''[[FanFic/{{Cinderjuice}} Contractually Obligated Chaos]]'' series has the {{original character}}s of the Fairy Godfather and Lady Delphine. These are almost certainly not their real names - the second story more or less says as much for Delphine - but no one has any idea what their real names might be. Among the canon cast members, it's not widely known that Donny's real first name is actually Dobsonfly.* Almost everyone in ''FanFic/TheGift'', is known by a nickname, usually based on their regular name: Johanna Josephine "[=JoJo=]", Louisa Lively "L.L.", and William "B-4" Bates the Fourth, Guinevere Elizabeth "Lizzi" Bates, William "Bill" Bates the Third, Catherine "Cathy" and Amelia "Amy" Rockford, Lilian "Lily" Huysmann, et al. Only Paul and Dawn Ryan don't, likely because they already have one-syllable names.[[/folder]][[folder:Film -- Animated]]* In a couple of Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon examples, there are many characters who are never given real names:** On the surface, ''Disney/TheLionKing'''s Scar appears to be named after his scar, but [[AllThereInTheManual in a semi-canon novel series]] it shows his given name was "Taka", though that isn't much better, as it's Swahili for dirt/trash. His parents obviously loved him. {{Not}}!** Tramp from ''Disney/LadyAndTheTramp'' has a rather strange name. [[JustifiedTrope He is a homeless stray though, so he probably named himself, since no human named him.]] Later it's subverted, since that becomes his name, minus "The", once he's adopted. This is also an example of EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep, because one of his old flames wrote a song about him called "He's a Tramp," and the name stuck.** ''Disney/{{Dumbo}}'''s name is actually Jumbo Jr. He doesn't seem to mind the cruel nickname he spends most of the movie with, but his mother certainly does. ** When it comes to the members of ''Disney/BigHero6'', Hiro and Fred are normal names, and Baymax is a {{robot name|s}}. But Wasabi, [=GoGo=] Tomago, and Honey Lemon? They're nicknames given to them by Fred. AdaptationNameChange is in play for Wasabi and [=GoGo=], given in the original comics it was "Wasabi No-Ginger" and it was unclear it was if that was a nickname and Jamie Chung ([=GoGo=]'s voice actress) the latter's real name is [[spoiler: Ethel]] instead of "Leiko Tanaka" and given like the other two, Honey Lemon was {{Race Lift}}ed, it's unlikely "Aiko Miyazaki" is her real name, either.[[/folder]][[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]* PlayedForDrama in ''Film/AboutElly'' - when Elly [[spoiler: disappears]], a police officer is incredulous that her "friends" know so little of Elly that they don't even know her first name.* Penny Lane in ''Film/AlmostFamous''. Her real name is [[spoiler: Lady Goodman.]]* The titular "Amazing" from ''Film/AmazingGraceAndChuck''. One character he meets says it's kind of awkward calling him that and asks whether he has a real name. Amazing just smiles and says it's "worse".* In ''Film/ApocalypseNow'', with the exception of Lance and Willard, all the main characters are primarily referred to by a nickname fitting their characters: Chief, Chef, and Clean. [[spoiler: Interestingly enough, it's the only two men not referred to by a nickname who make it out of the film alive.]]* Landfill is pretty much only referred to by that name in ''Film/{{Beerfest}}''.** Including his wife... while having sex with his twin brother, who becomes known as Landfill II or just Landfill.* Jeff Lebowski is "The Dude" throughout ''Film/TheBigLebowski''. This is mainly because the name Jeff Lebowski is a plot point.** Of course it's lampshaded throughout whenever he gets angry at someone calling him by his real name rather than simply "The Dude".* ''Film/TheBlindSide'': Michael, at first anyway. After he reveals to Leigh Anne that he doesn't like to be called "Big Mike", she thereafter always calls him "Michael" instead.* Blondie from ''Film/BlondieJohnson'' is never called by her actual name, Virginia.* The bartender with HollywoodTourettes in ''Film/TheBoondockSaints'' is just called "Fuck-Ass", since he says it all the time. He doesn't seem to mind the nickname.* In ''Film/CampNowhere'', 12-year-old Morris Himmel goes by the nickname "Mud". The only people who call him by his actual first name are his father and his love interest.* ''Film/CampXRay'': Much like the "Dollars Trilogy" example below, Private [[spoiler:Amy]] Cole is referred to as "Blondie" by Ali for the majority of the film, despite being played by obvious brunette Creator/KristenStewart.* The Little Tramp in the Creator/CharlieChaplin movies. Other languages call him Charlot or Carlitos.** Chaplin himself referred to the character as "The Little Fellow".* "The Kid" in ''Film/DickTracy'', though at the end [[spoiler:he's given a name: Dick Tracy, Jr.]]* ''Film/DogSoldiers'' has "Spoon" Witherspoon. His first name is never revealed.* The Man With No Name in the ''Film/DollarsTrilogy'' gets a different nickname in each installment of the trilogy (in order "Joe", "Manco", and "Blondie"). His real name is -- obviously -- never given.** Similarly, in ''Film/ForAFewDollarsMore'', the villain is simply known as "El Indio". In ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'', Lee Van Cleef plays a villain simply named "Angel Eyes".* Spider from ''Film/{{Elysium}}''. * E.T. from ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial''. In the cancelled sequel his real name was going to be revealed to be Zrek.* All characters in the thriller ''Film/{{Exam}}'' are referred to by hair colour, ethnicity, or job title, with the exception of the mystical CEO.* Although the main character of ''Film/FallingDown'' is named William Foster, he is rarely referred to as such, and credited as the name on his vanity license plate, "D-FENS".* The named sailors in ''Film/FollowTheFleet'' are known only by their nicknames. The male leads are "Bake" Baker and "Bilge" Smith, and there's another crewman known as Dopey.* In ''Film/{{Gambit}}'', Harry Deane's friend, the art forger, is never referred to as anything other than "the Major".* In ''Film/TheGamersDorknessRising'', the GM's name is Kevin Lodge, but almost everyone calls him Lodge. The newbie player addresses him by his first name, and the rest of the gaming group expresses astonishment at Lodge having a first name.-->'''Joanna:''' Thanks, Kevin. I'll look it over. ''[leaves]''\\'''Mark:''' Kevin? Who the hell is Kevin?\\'''Lodge:''' ''I'm'' Kevin!\\'''Mark:''' Dude, you have a first name?* ''Film/GingerSnaps2Unleashed'': Ghost is only ever referred to as "Ghost". Apparently her grandmother started calling her that when she was 7 as a way to subconsciously stop her from making sudden noises.* In the Japanese horror film ''Film/{{House}}'', the seven girls are referred only by their nicknames, even by family; namely, they're Gorgeous, Fantasy, Prof, Kung Fu, Melody, Sweet, and Mac (that's short for "stomach"). This is the first real clue that these girls are meant to be thought of as more archetypes than actual characters.* The title character in ''Film/HudsonHawk'', who is called that by everyone except his best friend Tommy Five-Tone. Tommy calls him his real name: Eddie.* ''Film/TheHungerGames'': Prim's full name is Primrose, but everyone calls her Prim.* The title character of ''Franchise/IndianaJones''. His real name is Henry Walton[[note]]which is also Creator/GeorgeLucas' middle name[[/note]] Jones, Jr.** And Mutt Williams in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull''. His real name is [[spoiler:Henry Walton Jones III, according to his mother Marian, at least until she married Mutt's stepfather and changed it to Williams.]]* ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''. While it's likely the Nazis know the Basterds' real names, they are mostly called by their nicknames: The Bear Jew, Aldo the Apache, etc.* The Bride in ''Film/KillBill'' is this with respect to the audience--up to a certain point, any references to her by her actual name ([[spoiler:Beatrix Kiddo]]) are censored out.* "Captain" in ''Film/TheKingAndTheClown.'' Might be considered an example of EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep, except he gets the nickname of Captain ''before'' he gets leadership of the performing troupe.* In ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', although the audience does learn that Eggsy�s given name is Gary, he introduces himself to the other Kingsman candidates as Eggsy, and is exclusively referred to as Eggsy by the other characters in the film.* Lampshade hung, of course, in ''Film/LastActionHero'', where a one-note character named Skeezie is actually named just ''Skeezie''; he even gives that as his full name on a police report.* The Film/MarvelCinematicUniverse version of Bucky Barnes is only referred to as "James" about three times throughout the entire franchise. The same exhibition that refers to Steve as "Steven" calls him Bucky. When [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar an interrogator]] calls him James, he (somewhat petulantly) informs him that "my name is ''Bucky.''" Basically, any time the character appears or is referenced [[spoiler:outside of a HYDRA or generic assassination context]] he will almost certainly be referred to as "Bucky", "Barnes" (possibly prefixed by "Sergeant") or "Bucky Barnes", and thanks to [[spoiler:seventy years of brainwashing]] it's [[EpilepticTrees entirely possible that]] [[LossOfIdentity not even the man himself thinks of Bucky as "James Buchanan Barnes" at this point.]]* Every human character in ''Film/TheMatrix'' is known by their hacker handle (Neo, Trinity, Morpheus) rather than their birth name. Only Neo had his name revealed (to the point that ArchEnemy Smith calls him "Mr. Anderson").* Benji from the last three ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleIII Mission]]'' ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol Impossible]]'' [[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation movies]]. Even CIA director Hunley refers to him at one point as "Benji Dunn" instead of "Benjamin Dunn", even though the two of them don't have a particular good relationship and Hunley thinks that Benji has gone rogue at that time. * The whole cast of {{Celebrity Impersonator}}s in ''Film/MisterLonely''.* ''Film/MouthToMouth'': Dog, Tiger, Mad Axe, Manson, and more.* The Tet from ''Film/Oblivion2013'' is named after its [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahedron shape]] and it never gives us its actual classification [[spoiler:other than "[[AGodAmI God]]", that is]].* In ''Ocean's Eleven'' there is "The Amazing Yen" and Basher Tarr.* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides'' Blackbeard's real name is mentioned only once near the beginning of the film, and from that point on he's referred to as either Blackbeard or Captain. Probably a case of TruthInTelevision - A lot more people know the real-life pirate as Blackbeard than Edward Teach.* The Great Kanaka, Starcat, Provoloney and Yo-Yo from ''Film/PsychoBeachParty''.* In ''Film/PurpleRain'', Prince's character is referred to "The Kid" ''even in the credits''. He's never referred to by name, even by his parents. He's still just "The Kid" in the pseudo-sequel ''Graffiti Bridge''.** What's especially weird about this is that almost every other character is [[ShapedLikeItself known by their portrayer's real-life name (or real-life stage name, at least)]].* In the film adaptation of ''Film/LaReineMargot'', the titular character is only called Marguerite during her wedding ceremony. At all other times, people call her by the pet name Margot.* ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'': "[=GraveRobber=], [=GraveRobber=], sometimes I wonder why I even bother..."* In the various incarnations of ''Franchise/RoboCop'', if you run Omni Consumer Products, then chances are very good your name won't be revealed. The head of OCP in [[Film/RoboCop1987 the first]] [[Film/RoboCop2 two movies]] and the woman in charge of it for the first two episodes of ''Series/RoboCopPrimeDirectives'' are only referred to the respective nicknames "The Old Man" and "the Old Woman". The guy who ran it in [[Film/RoboCop3 the third movie]] and the man who ran it in ''Series/RoboCopTheSeries'', however, fall under EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep as they're referred to their respective job titles of "the CEO" and "the Chairman".* ''Film/RockStar'' : Kirk Cuddy refers to all women as "Tottie".* ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' has Red, whose real name is [[spoiler:Ellis Redding]]. It is first said when the prison guards are calling out names for outdoor detail. First time or unobservant viewers will only recognise this when he is directly referred to by real name at the end of the movie.** The book also has him as an Irishman with red hair, giving him two reasons for the nickname. but the movie version has Creator/MorganFreeman playing the role. Morgan Freeman's version [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on it when asked why he's called Red: "Maybe it's 'cause I'm Irish".** You've got to pity poor Fatass from ''The Shawshank Redemption'', who is not only beaten to death his first night in prison, but is stuck with that name in the credits.* Nose Noseworthy in ''Shorts'' - apparently not his actual given name (we assume it comes from his last name), yet he is listed as "Nose" Noseworthy on his episode card and Toby says he's 'a kid that everyone calls Nose', completely avoiding stating his real name. Even his father never calls him by name - or nickname, for that matter - the closest we get is 'son'.* ''Franchise/StarWars'':** Most people in the galaxy refer to him as Jabba [[SpeciesSurname the Hutt]], probably completely unaware of his full name: Jabba Desilijic Tiure. This is never mentioned in the movies, but does appear in the Expanded Universe.*** The EU shows this happens to pretty much every major Hutt crime lord (and there are a lot).** It's [[ImpliedTrope implied]] this may be the case with Rey from ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', due to her name being very similar to the last name of a long-dead Rebel pilot whose helmet she owns, "Ræh", which is visible written on the helmet during the scene where she's wearing it while eating.** Another Sequel Trilogy lead, Finn, as a former First Order stormtrooper, only had a serial number, so a nickname is an improvement.* The five protagonists of ''Film/SuckerPunch'' are referred to only by the nicknames the antagonist, Blue, gives them: Baby Doll, Sweet Pea, Rocket, Amber, and Blondie. Even Sweet Pea and Rocket, who are sisters, don't call each other by their real names.* ''Film/ThankYouForSmoking'': Nick Naylor's boss, BR. He even has that name on his office door.-->"The name, 'BR', came from his tour in Vietnam. The people who know its meaning are all dead."* Goose in ''Film/TopGun''. Everyone, even his own wife, just calls him that. His real name, which is seen on a box, is [[spoiler: Nick Bradshaw]].** This seems to be based on some kind of fact. In the credits about a dozen technical advisors are listed as "<First Name> <Nickname> <Last Name>".* ''U-571'' has Trigger, Rabbit, and Chief, among others. Chief is referred to as such because he's Chief of the Boat, but the others are nicknames.* Ivan Ivanych Naydenov in ''Film/WhiteTiger'' is a patient with no memory and no documents in a Russian military hospital. He is called Ivan Ivanych (like John Johnson) for want of anything better, and is given the surname. Naydenov (meaning "found") because he was found in a tank. * ''Film/WhosSingingOverThere'': Most characters are only known by their description (the Singer, the Hunter, the Bride et cetera). Not very surprising, since they all meet on a bus and don't known each other.* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':** Ororo Munroe is regularly referred to as Storm.** Everyone calls Rogue by her code name. Marie is only used twice in the entire franchise.** ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'': Like his comic book counterpart, Leech is referred to as simply "Jimmy" with no surname given.** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': Psylocke and Angel are only called by their code names. Jubilation Lee goes by her nickname Jubilee in promotional materials.* The main characters of ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'' use the place of their destination in place of their real names to avoid personal attachment. Needless to say [[TrueCompanions it doesn't work.]][[/folder]][[folder:Literature]]* Candlewick (a.k.a. Lampwick in other versions) the troublesome boy Pinocchio befriends from ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio'', in his introduction it is revealed his real name is Romeo and he got the aforementioned nickname because he was so tall and thin.* The AgentZ books give us a minor character who ended up known as "TheIncredibleHulk", as he was overheard slowly reading the words "I... am... The Incredible Hulk" from a comic whilst newly arrived with his family from India and still teaching himself English. What he thought about this nickname is not discussed, but it stuck because nobody could pronounce his given name.* In ''Ark Angel'' of the Literature/AlexRider series. Alex encounters 4 thugs which he nicknames "Combat Jacket", "Silver Tooth", "Spectacle" and "Steel Watch". * AmeliaPeabody's son Ramses. No, a Victorian Age English couple did not name their son after an Egyptian Pharaoh, but you could be forgiven for thinking they did, given how rarely his real name (Walter) is mentioned in the books.* The main protagonist in ''Literature/AmericanGods'' is called Shadow, a nickname he earned when he was young by quietly following adults at the hospital where he spent most of his time. Even in his thirties, he mostly goes by this nickname, occasionally uses an alias, and not once in the entire book is his true name revealed. Toward the end, [[spoiler: after he dies but before his afterlife is decided, he takes an opportunity to learn his role in the grand scheme, and has to pay admission with his own name. When [[ItMakesSenseInContext the personification of Easter brings him back to life]], he remembers what he learned, and remembers having to trade something for that knowledge, but doesn't remember the cost, implying that he no longer realizes Shadow is just his nickname.]]** Though, if any of you really are curious, a follow up short story reveals that his real name is [[spoiler: Balder]]. Which, really, we should've seen coming.** His wife Laura's full name is given early in the book; if she took his surname, it implies that it's [[spoiler:Moon]].* Almost all of Anne and Gilbert's children in L.M. Montgomery's ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' series are known exclusively by their nicknames. Their first child, Joyce, is called "Joy" during her short life. The next child, James, is known as "Jem". Younger twins Anne and Diana go by "Nan" and "Di", for obvious reasons. Youngest child Bertha Marilla goes exclusively by "Rilla".* ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'':** Stacey, treasurer of the club. It wasn't until she moved away that the rest of the club even found out that Stacey was a nickname for Anastasia.** Also Jessi and her siblings. Not too bad for Jessi (Jessica) and Becca (Rebecca), but their poor little brother Squirt; even the ghostwriters rarely remembered that his real name was John Phillip Ramsey ''Jr''.(for example, when Jessi adressed a letter to her parents 'Mr. and Mrs. ''Alex'' Ramsey').** Kristy, Abby, and many minor characters.* The magicians in ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' all use nicknames, because they can't control the demons if they know their true name. The demons would prefer their names not to be known either (so they can't be summoned), but use them nonetheless.* Prince Kheldar is referred to as "Silk" throughout ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', except by those who don't know him well or want to tease him. Garion and Durnik both call Polgara "Pol" almost exclusively, and Garion thinks of Belgarath only as "Mister Wolf" until well into the third book.* Many of Literature/BertieWooster's cronies go exclusively by nicknames; in ''Thank You, Jeeves'', he is amused to finally learn that the first name of his long-time friend "Chuffy" Chuffnell is Marmaduke.* Almost every character in Glen Cook's ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' novels is covered either by this trope or EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep. Justified in-universe as the narration focuses on Company Brothers, who take a new name (usually given by existing Brothers) when they join to symbolically leave their past life behind. In addition, this is SeriousBusiness for wizards, as a sorcerer can lose all his powers by someone invoking his [[IKnowYourTrueName True Name]], motivating the most powerful [[EvilSorceror Evil Sorcerors]] to kill everyone who knows them by anything ''but'' their nickname. This happening to [[spoiler: The Lady and The White Rose]] is even the climax of the third book.** Certain characters in the series take this to extremes.*** When Croaker is asked for his real name to be put on his Commission as General, it takes him a few minutes to remember it. He specifically avoids mentioning it in the Annals (his narration).*** "Stormshadow," is a nickname used to cover a ''different'' nickname that she was known by in the North before faking her death.*** Tobo and the Daughter of Night don't have real names, only nicknames, owing to the peculiar circumstances surrounding their births and childhoods. "Tobo" is explicitly stated to be a nickname given by his mother until she could reunite with his father and they could agree on a real name. By the time that happens, the boy is a teenager. The Daughter of Night was kidnapped at birth and raised as TheAntichrist; her parents never had the opportunity to name her (though her father favors "Chana," her mother argues that it sounds too much like "Kina," the name of the Goddess that the Daughter serves) and her captors have no use for an identity beyond The Daughter of Night. Though the Company does eventually start calling her "Booboo," mostly as a joke.* The VillainProtagonist from ''Literature/TheBuilders'' is only referred to as "The Captain". Not even his crew calls him by his real name.* In ''Literature/TheCatWho'' series, Qwill's girlfriend Polly Duncan is known by most only as Polly. Possibly no one else in Moose County knows that her Shakespeare-loving father named his daughter [[Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream Hippolyta]]. Qwill himself also fits the trope, except that he had his name legally changed; his oldest friend Arch is the only other person in the world who knows that James Mackintosh Qwilleran was born Merlin James Qwilleran.* There are a few of these in the ''Literature/ChaletSchool'' books, the earliest example being (the) Robin (aka Cecilia Marya Humphries). Later on there's {{Bifauxnen}} Tom Gay (real name Lucinda Muriel, and given that she's an extreme {{Tomboy}}, it's understandable why she hates her real name) and Polly Heriot (real name Hildegard).* In ''Literature/ChildOfTheOwl'', Casey's friend (real name Tallulah, after actress Tallulah Bankhead) is known as Booger, due to an incident of picking her nose with a bobby pin back in elementary school. Also, Casey's cousin Pamela is known as 'Pam-Pam'.* Creator/AgathaChristie:** Tuppence Beresford (nee Cowley) from''Literature/TommyAndTuppence''. Her real first name is Prudence, but no-one ever uses it.** Bunch Harmon, Literature/MissMarple's goddaughter in ''A Murder is Announced'', who was "christened Diana by optimistic parents".** Bundle Brent (real name Lady Eileen Brent) in ''The Secret of Chimneys'' and ''The Seven Dials Mystery''. ''Seven Dials'' also has the minor characters Rupert Bateman, who "had been nicknamed Pongo for no earthly reason whatever" at school and is still addressed as such by his schoolfriends, and Vera Daventry, who everyone calls Socks.* In the ''Literature/CircleOfMagic'' series, characters Trisana Chandler and Sandrilene fa Toren normally go by "Tris" and "Sandry".* In the ''Literature/{{Clementine}}'' books, because the protagonist got a "fruit name," she only ever calls her little brother by vegetable names, such as "Pea Pod", "Rutabaga" and "Spinach". She is very careful never to present a scene in which his real name is used, making it a weird case of the character only being known by his nickname. Series author, Sara Pennypacker, when asked for the real name by fans, has rigidly insisted that only she and her two children will ever know the character's real name.* ''Literature/CodeNameVerity'' plays this straight with its main character Queenie, who doesn't reveal her name until the end. [[spoiler: However, when the narrative shifts to her best friend Maddie, Maddie only ever refers to her by her actual name (Julie)]].** Queenie claims she never knew the name of her superior, who she only ever refers to as the Machiavellian Intelligence Officer. [[spoiler: Maddie reveals this to be false, although she doesn't reveal the man's name either, referring to him as John Balliol, the name of the Scottish king Julie's ancestor William Wallace lost his life defending]].* Jebe, the Arrow, in ''[[Literature/{{Conqueror}} Bones of the Hills]]''. His real name is Zurgadai, but in only known as Jebe because of his great skill with a bow.* CuriousGeorge's friend, "The Man With the Yellow Hat", wasn't named [[NamedByTheAdaptation until the animation]].* In the Russian ''Literature/DeathZone'' series, most characters and anyone else living in the Five Zones goes by a nickname. Occasionally, their real first name may be revealed, but the full name will usually stay hidden. For example, the leader of the Order is known by all as Commander Hunter, which is a nickname (in English, in fact) given to him by a neo-Nazi gang shortly before the Catastrophe. Only his closest advisors know that his real first name is Savva. On the other hand, all members of the rival organization known as the Ark are required to adopt a German name by their leader Heinrich Hister, the former head of the above-mentioned gang. Another interesting case is Titanium Vine, whose name is Darling. She was found in a HumanPopsicle tank with no memory of her identity but a tattoo with "DRG" on her shoulder, hence the name.* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':** Despite being HeterosexualLifePartners with him for decades, Fred Colon of fame apparently had no idea Nobby Nobbs's real name is 'Cecil Wormsborough St John Nobbs', or even just his real first name until they went undercover in ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}''. Others may know his name (it presumably appears in the Watch pay accounts) but no one ever calls him it, even city nobles knew him as Nobby.** Discworld also features "Cut Me Own Throat" Dibbler, a purveyor of sausages in a bun of questionable nature, is only ever referred to by his catchphrase, or CMOT, or "Throat", if in a hurry. Eventually, however, in ''Discworld/MakingMoney'', we learn that CMOT are the initials of his actual name and probably [[spoiler: (apart from being told the phrase by a time-travelling Vimes)]] the in-universe reason why he adopted the nickname in the first place.** The [[Film/MadMax strangely familiar]] road-warrior dwarf in ''Discworld/TheLastContinent'':--->'''Mad:''' Most people call me Mad.\\'''Rincewind:''' Just "Mad"? That's an... unusual name.\\'''Mad:''' It ain't a name.** A minor character in ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' is a gang leader called The Artful Nudger ... except to Captain Carrot who calls him William. The Nudger has no idea how Carrot knows his real name - his mother probably wouldn't have known his real name, [[ParentalAbandonment if he knew who she was]] - and anyone else using it would be in serious trouble, but Carrot's ... [[TheCape Carrot]].* ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'':** Tris and Four - Beatrice and [[spoiler:Tobias]] are their real names, respectively.** Nita from ''Allegiant''. Her full name is Juanita.* Cinder from the ''Series/DoctorWho'' novel [[Recap/NewSeriesAdventuresEnginesofWar "Engines of War"]]. The Doctor finds out her real name but the reader doesn't.* In ''Literature/DoraWilkSeries'':** Everyone calls Witkacy by this nickname, and his real name is mentioned perhaps twice across all six books, and only in most official situations.** As, like other demons, only goes by his nickname, because knowing demon's name gives one complete control over them.* ''Literature/DragonQueen'': Trava doesn't get the old man's name, so she just refers to him as the old man.* The title character of ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown''. Real name was Leroy.* Andrew "Ender" Wiggin from ''Literature/EndersGame'', to the point where he can go around inconspicuously as Andrew Wiggin in ''Literature/SpeakerForTheDead''. (Granted, that is 3,000 years in the future due to relativistic time travel, but still...). People do occasionally recognize his name as being the same as "the Xenocide's" (a banker even accuses him of using a false ID when he sees it), but because it is so far in the future no one makes the connection.** Also in the later books of the ''Ender's Game'' saga many of the characters are from Lusitania, where long Portuguese names are the norm, and just about everyone goes my a nickname. These may be ordinary short forms of their names ("Liberdade Graças a Deus Figueira de Medici" becomes "Libo"), translations ("Estevão Rei Ribeira von Hesse" becomes "Quim," pronounced "king") or unrelated and based off of personal characteristics (Lauro Suleimão Ribeira von Hesse" is called "Olhado" due to his cybernetic eyes.) The full names are usually mentioned once or twice, and then ignored.** Then there's Julian "Bean" Delphiki, Jr. However, this is justified because he grew up on the streets and didn't have a name. Due to his size and perceived worthlessness, another street urchin told him that he isn't "worth a bean". Given that he's [[spoiler:a result of a genetic experiment, whose "brothers and sisters" were "terminated" by the MadScientist when he was discovered by the authorities]]. At the end of ''Literature/EndersShadow'', Bean discovers his biological parents and brother ([[spoiler:his best friend from Battle School]]).* In the ''Literature/FancyNancy'' books, Nancy Clancy's little sister's real name is Josephine, but this is only mentioned maybe once. Otherwise, she's always called [=JoJo=].* ''Literature/FlightToTheLonesomePlace'' has Anna Maria Rosalita, Luis Black, and Marlowe refer to Ronnie by his stage name, The Blue Boy. Anna Maria Rosalita calls him Boy Blue while Luis Black sometimes refers to him as brother Blue.* Toby's real name from the novel ''The Floor of the Sky'' is Gwendolyn, the which few people actually know. Apparently, she's been going by that name since she was a toddler (which was indicated to be sixty-nine years ago) when she said, �That sumbitch called me Gwenlum. My name not Gwenlum. My�s Toby.� Said nickname used to be the dog's name.* ''Literature/ForeverGate'': ** 'Hoodwink' is a nickname he earned as a teenage thief.** 'Leader' is the name of TheLeader of the Users. His real name is never given.* Literature/{{Fudge}} in the Creator/JudyBlume books is actually named "Farley Drexel Hatcher". At one point, his mother even insists on his brother calling him nothing but "Fudge". His first kindergarten teacher insists on calling him either by one of his legal names or his initials, resulting in Fudge refusing to co-operate with her and having to be transferred to another class. His baby sister Tamara Roxanne is more commonly called "Tootsie" and they only mention her real name in her introduction.* Many of the deceased kids in ''Literature/{{Ghostgirl}}'' have a "dead name" that they're frequently called. For example, Piccolo Pam swallowed her piccolo, while "Metal Mike" was listening to metal music while taking his driver's test and crashed, which caused him to have metal shards in his head as well.* In ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind'', Bonnie Blue Butler is really Eugenie Victoria, but everyone calls her Bonnie after the Bonnie Blue Flag because she has blue eyes. Likewise, Aunt Pittypat Hamilton's real name (Sarah Jane) is mentioned once early in the book. Both are extremely easy to miss since the nicknames are used so ubiquitously. * Ginevra "Ginny" Weasley from the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series -- when she was taken into the Chamber of Secrets, even the professors referred to her as "Ginny Weasley". For years, fans [[{{Fanon}} assumed]] that "Ginny" was short for "Virginia", but WordOfGod later revealed that her real name was "Ginevra". The only person to ever call her this was an elderly relative in the last book.** This is common with the Weasleys, although most of the time it's pretty easy to guess their full names, as the rest all have traditional English names.** Similarly Voldemort is almost always called "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" by those who fear him, or "The Dark Lord" by those who follow him. Those who neither fear him or follow him call him Voldemort... which isn't his real name anyway. It was exactly the desired effect, as Voldemort wanted is real name to be forgotten. Dumbledore and Harry refer to him as Voldemort, but use his real name in front of him to upset him. Dumbledore is the only person to call him Tom. Harry calls him Riddle [[spoiler:during their final showdown]].** Alastor Moody is known as "Mad-Eye" Moody to most people. When Harry first hears Dumbledore call him Alastor in a crowded room, it takes Harry a few seconds to realize who he was speaking to.** The Hogwarts ghosts: Nearly Headless Nick (his real name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington), Moaning Myrtle (whose first name is Myrtle but last name is unknown), [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Fat Friar]], Grey Lady ([[spoiler:her real name is Helena Ravenclaw]]) and Bloody Baron.* Nearly everyone in ''Literature/{{Haunted 2005}}''.* In ''Literature/HonorHarrington'', Prescott David Tremaine apparently started to be called "[[ShoutOut Scotty]]" on his first day at [[MilitaryAcademy Saganami Island]], and twenty two years and innumerable adventures later he's still never referred any other way.* "Mullet Fingers" from Creator/CarlHiaasen's ''Literature/{{Hoot}}''. He doesn't have egregious amounts of [[TheEighties 80s hair]] growing from his knuckles or anything. He got his nickname by being a FriendToAllLivingThings and having reflexes fast enough to catch a mullet fish with his bare hands.* Foxface from ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' trilogy. Katniss gives her the name on the basis that she looks like a fox, and we never learn what her real name is. More than half the tributes are never named.** In the script of the movie, her name was given as Marissa. Unknown whether Creator/SuzanneCollins considers this canon.* Many of the characters in ''Literature/IClaudius'' are only known by their nicknames (for example, "Caligula" and "Castor"). Roman naming customs were very unimaginative, so several people might have identical or almost-identical names; nicknames make it much easier than trying to figure out which of the eight or nine "Drusus"es someone might be talking about.[[note]]TruthInTelevision; the ancient Romans made use of nicknames for just that reason.[[/note]] In the books, the narrator will usually mention the real name before telling you that that guy will just be known as "Castor" from then on; in [[Series/IClaudius the TV series]], they generally didn't even do that.* There are [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters several]] cases of this in the ''Literature/{{Inkheart}}'' books: We are told that "[[BigBad Capricorn]]" is [[MeaningfulRename a name he gave himself]], but we never know what his real name is. The same with [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Orpheus]] (who gets it double since [[Literature/ArabianNights Farid]] calls him only "Cheeseface"). [[EvilMatriarch The Magpie's]] real name is Mortola, but she is very rarely refered to that way. "[[EvilOverlord The Adderhead]]" and "the Laughing Prince/Prince of Sighs" are names given to them by their subjects. Also the Barn Owl, Nettle, Firefox, Sootbird, the Piper, Flatnose, Cockerell, Cloud-Dancer, and the Black Prince.** Even though it's never mentioned that he might have another name, [[FishOutOfTemporalWater Dustfinger]] could easily be an example of this. Since [[TrappedInAnotherWorld his world]] is full of regular names like [[AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder Roxanne]], [[TheDragon Basta]], and Minerva, it's probably safe to assume that this is a nickname rather than what his parents named him.** [[BlessedWithSuck Mortimer]] is an interesting case of this. While everyone else calls him by his proper name, Dustfinger, Capricorn, and the other [[RefugeeFromTVLand characters from Inkheart]] refuse to call him anything but "Silvertongue", which he doesn't like. He is also known only by a nickname to his daughter, Meggie, who "had never called her father anything but 'Mo'."* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in ''Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William [=McKinley=], and Me, Elizabeth'', in which Jennifer steadfastly ignores a teacher that calls her "Jenny" until she uses her proper name, Jennifer.* Yo-less, Wobbler and Bigmac in the ''Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy''. When Johnny talks to Bigmac's social worker, it takes him a minute to remember that she'd know him as Simon.* Jude's eldest child in ''Jude The Obscure'': his mother didn't bother to christen him and simply called him "Little Father Time". Jude and Sue more or less do the same thing.* In the ''Literature/JudyMoody'' books and the associated ''Stinky Moody'' spin-offs, Stink's real name is James, but this is only very rarely mentioned.* ''Literature/TheKeyToRondo'': Pretty much everyone in Rondo has a nickname, sometimes [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep referring to their occupation or role in society]]. This is well justified by the fact that [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen the Blue Queen]] can control the actions of anyone of whom she knows the birth name.* ''Literature/KillTimeOrDieTrying'' has many of these. Talk-Shout, Indy, Kevin and even the main character who is addressed only as Brad within the club.* Kantorka (means: daughter of the cantor) in ''Literature/{{Krabat}}''. Fortunately, because IKnowYourTrueName also applies (the villain is an evil wizard).* Pagan in Shirley Conran's ''Lace''. Her real name is Jennifer, but she grew up with a nanny who called her "you little pagan" when she misbehaved. Her family eventually started calling her Pagan and the nickname stayed with her throughout her life.* Cameron "Buck" Williams from ''Literature/LeftBehind''. This may be because he ''[[DoNotCallMePaul corrects]]'' anyone who tries to use his actual name. One character's insistence on using his real name rather than "Buck, because he bucks against journalistic conventions" is used as evidence of her unsympathetic nature.** Legit versions of this trope in that series include Albie (who is named for his hometown Al Basrah) and Razor.* One of the main characters in ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'' is known only as Piggy, a nickname he [[EmbarrassingNickname hates]]. His real name is never revealed.* The Rat in ''Literature/TheLostPrince''. His real name, Jem Ratcliffe, is mentioned once when he first introduces himself to the protagonist, and then never again.* In the classic children's novel ''The Machine Gunners'' the son of the cemetery keeper is known only as "Cem". (A throwaway line in one of the sequels reveals that he inherited his father's position and was still known as "Cem" a good thirty years later.)* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'': Most professional soldiers in the series are known only by their nicknames, typically assigned during basic training. Examples include Whiskeyjack, Fiddler, Hedge, Bottle, Stormy, Halfpeck, Iron Bars and many more.* In the SciFi novel ''Literature/{{Malevil}}'', La Menou's actual name is never stated, and she goes by her nickname which means "tiny".* Every character in ''Literature/TheManWhoBroughtTheDodgersBackToBrooklyn'' calls Daniel Malone "Squat", a nickname he picked up while playing as the catcher in neighborhood baseball games as a kid. He points out in the narration that the only person who calls him by his real name is his mother.* Creator/JulietMarillier:** ''Son of the Shadows'': Known as the Painted Man to most, Chief to his men, he has forgotten his own name, until Liadan (the only one to give him an actual name) reminds him.** In ''Daughter of the Forest'', it's the other way around. Everyone knows the male protagonist as Hugh of Harrowfield, except for those closest to him, who call him Red. More straightforward in the sequel, when he has moved to Ireland: everyone calls him Iubdan ('the little man'), so that hardly anyone remembers that he's actually a Briton called Hugh.* Pumpkin in ''Literature/MemoirsOfAGeisha''. Chiyo/[[MeaningfulRename Sayuri]] gave her the nickname within a week of meeting her, never mentions her given name, and goes on to mention that it continues to stick even after she takes a new name as a geisha. Which must ''really'' suck for Pumpkin, because she spends the latter portion of the book [[spoiler:hating Sayuri's guts and deliberately sabotaging her chance with the man of her dreams, since she and Chiyo were forced rivals as girls and Pumpkin's life became very dismal as a result.]]* In the ''Literature/MidnightLouie'' books, Max Kinsella's real name is technically Michael Aloysius Xavier Kinsella, but good grief. It's not much a surprise he took the first of each his names and combined them to become the "Mystifying Max".* In ''Literature/MidnightsChildren'' there is Saleem's sister, the Brass Monkey. She gets the nickname for being a FieryRedhead, but we aren't told her birth name.* Many characters in the ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' trilogy appear to be examples of this trope, but occasionally do go by their real names. Two characters that ''are'' examples are Clubs, who is named for his leg injury, and his nephew Spook, a secondary character in the first book. As he develops both as a character and a member of the thieving crew, he's given the name "Spook" because it's easier to say than his real name, "Lestibournes". He eventually stops using his given name in favor of the one he has earned.** It's revealed that Lestibournes is a nickname itself, meaning something like unwanted child in his slang.* Seth's friend H from ''Literature/MoreThanThis''. His real name is presumably "Harold", but it comes up exactly once and H promptly reminds the speaker [[DoNotCallMePaul not to call him Harold]].* Jace Wayland from ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments''. Jace comes from [[spoiler: the initials for Jonathan Christopher]], which hardly anyone calls him. When his full name is revealed at the end of ''City of Bones'', its significant because [[spoiler:it makes Clary think he's her long-lost brother, who also had the initials J.C.]]* Sticky Washington in ''Literature/TheMysteriousBenedictSociety'' series. His real name is "George", so he insists on people referring to him only by the nickname because he doesn't feel that he can live up to the name of "George Washington". However, none of the officials at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened will use the nickname, because they feel that "if it isn't official, then it can't be real."* Neil Gaiman's short story ''October in the Chair'' features a boy who was bullied by his twin older brothers. They had nicknamed him the Runt and everyone called him this.* In ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'', the KidHero of the first part of the story is known as the Wart. That's what he's called and nobody ever uses his name. [[IAmWho Until he becomes King Arthur.]]* Most of the Firebirds players from ''Literature/OutOfPosition'' are only referred to by their nicknames. Charm and Jaws' real names, for example, have yet to be revealed.* Most people refer to Literature/{{Percy Jackson|and the Olympians}} as Percy, not his full name Perseus.* ThePhantomOfTheOpera's real name is Erik.* Not really a nickname, but Reuven Malter in Chaim Potok's books seems to use his Hebrew name almost exclusively; his "real" first name is Robert, but he's only seen using a few times, and only when dealing with people who aren't Jewish.* Peekay in ''The Power of One'' has some typical English name, but it's never used.* Until the 7th book, JP in ''Literature/ThePrincessDiaries'' series was known only as The Guy Who Hates It When They Put Corn In The Chili.* This is the default state for elves in the Literature/QuantumGravity [[TheVerse 'Verse]]. {{True Name}}s are ''very'' powerful, and so an elf will be known by the last part (usually one-syllable) of his or her name to absolutely everyone except close friends, who will use the first half. [[spoiler:This is subtle foreshadowing of the fact that Sarasilien is not the elf's real name--even though he only has a business relationship with most of his coworkers, he still tells all of them his "real" name.]]* ''Literature/RabbleStarkey'': Rabble's real first name is Parable Ann, but for the most part goes by Rabble. Sweet Ho's full first name was Sweet Hosannah. Rabble called her grandmother Gonmie and only later when she asked her mother how to spell the name did she realize it was Naomi.* ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'' and its AnimatedAdaptation, ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' give us Montague, better known as Duck, a nickname given to him by engines who say he waddles. While he doesn't really, he likes Duck better than Montague.* Beezus from the ''Literature/RamonaQuimby'' series isn't actually named Beezus, she's named Beatrice. Many of the books don't even tell you that! She's named after their mother's younger sister, whom both girls adore.** One of the books mentions that she got this nickname from Ramona's toddler mispronunciation of Beatrice. She seems to be fine with being called so, although there was one episode in another book where some boys at the park took advantage of the fact that it rhymes with "UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}".* In ''Literature/TheRavenCycle'', the main character Blue's DisappearedDad is almost always referred to as "Butternut" by the rest of her family. ** In the second book, we are introduced to The Gray Man. As a hitman, he understandably likes to keep his real name a secret.* Fade from the ''Literature/RazorlandTrilogy'' - his given first name is revealed midway through the first book, but his family name is never given. He refuses to respond to his given name after being taken in by the College enclave.* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'''s vermin are often named with [[UnfortunateNames uncomplimentary descriptions of their physical features]] (possibly reaching its peak in ''Triss'' with the briefly-mentioned "Fatty" and "Stinky"). In ''Loamhedge'' the fan assumption that these were nicknames was made explicit, as the adolescent Redd is told he will soon receive his "proper vermin name".** Urgan Nagru says that he took his official name from the wolf Urgan, whom he claims to have killed and whose pelt he wears. His original name is never revealed. Played with in the OfficialFanfictionUniversity, when his wife Silvamord threatens to tell the students what his real name is.* ''Literature/TheReynardCycle'': Even though the Calvarians snicker at the concept, and know Reynard's real name, they consistently call him "The Fox" when referring to him.* In ''Literature/RumbleFish'', the Motorcycle Boy is only known by this nickname and even his teachers use it. His younger brother is one of the few in the neighborhood that even knows his, unstated, real name.** Ditto Two-Bit Matthews in Hinton's ''Literature/TheOutsiders'', whose real name is known, but only mentioned once by the narrator when introducing him into the story and never again.* ''SacreBleu'' features The Colorman, who tells people that his first name is "The". You find out later that [[spoiler: he was born in 38,000 BC and his name was Two Grunts and a Shrug, which translates to "Poop on a Stick"]]. You can't really blame him.* In ''Literature/ShamanOfTheUndead'' Brittle is rarely called by his surname, Kruszyński, and only Redhead (who herself is an example) ever calls him by his name, and even that happened perhaps once. Even when we're looking through his eyes, narrative still calls him Brittle.* Flick in Creator/JeanShepherd's short stories, of which ''Film/AChristmasStory'' is the most famous adaption. He was based on a real-life childhood friend of Shepherd's whose last name was Flickinger.* In "Literature/TheSixtyTwoCursesOfCaliphArenschadd", the protagonist meets a boy who's reluctant to tell her his real name, so she dubs him 'Tumpkin' on the grounds that she has to call him ''something''. At the end of the story, she finds out who he really is, but the reader doesn't get to learn his real name, because she keeps calling him by the name they became friends by.* In the ''Skyrider'' series by Creator/MelisaMichaels, Skyrider considers this a problem. She thinks it's a cheesy, EmbarrassingNickname, but few people actually know her real name.* Y.T. in ''Literature/SnowCrash''. At first you might assume that they're her initials, but they're actually short for Yours Truly.* Many of the characters in ''Literature/SomeoneElsesWar'', most prominently Lieutenant Panga and Lazy.* In the Jackie French novel ''Somewhere Around the Corner'', Young Jim mishears Barbara when she says her name, leading to her being known as "Bubba" to pretty much everybody in the book, despite her introducing herself as "Barbara" several times (even saying "It's Barbara, really" at one point).* ''Literature/SongAtDawn'': Estela is not the first musician to hide behind a 'songstress's name'. [[spoiler: Even after she's publiclly married as 'Roxane de Montburn' she still goes by 'Estela'.]] * Many characters in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' have nicknames, some of which are self-styled and others less so. Peasants generally don't care about the real names of other peasants, which leads to some people being known exclusively by their nicknames, such as Lommy Greenhands, a mook named Shitmouth, and most famously Hot Pie, among others. Arya becomes this once when traveling to Braavos. She would have invented a new identity at this point, but everyone just called her "Salty", so she went with it.** In ''Literature/TalesOfDunkAndEgg'', we have the inversion of Dunk of Flea Bottom. His young squire Egg([[spoiler:short for Prince Aegon]]) asks if his name is short for Ser Duncan. Dunk briefly thinks that he's been called Dunk for so long he's not sure if it's a shorter version of his name or his true name itself. Nevertheless he decides to style himself, Ser Duncan the Tall.* In ''Literature/TheSouthernReachTrilogy'', all of the characters are initially unnamed. While most of their names are revealed over the course of the trilogy, the biologist's is not; she instead goes by the nickname "Ghost Bird".* The Finn from Creator/WilliamGibson's ''Literature/SprawlTrilogy''.* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':** Several characters in the ''Literature/XWingSeries''. Rogue Squadron has Hobbie Klivian, whose real name is Derek, but no one ever uses it. Wraith Squadron has the most examples -- their full names are in the Dramatis Personae and usually get mentioned the first time they're introduced, but you wouldn't know that Face, Grinder, Piggy, and Runt had any other names, otherwise.** Mitth'raw'nuruodo, aka Thrawn. He went with the short version to make it [[SomeCallMeTim easier]], and it stuck. In his culture, core names are only supposed to be used by friends and family, but he doesn't seem to mind; presumably the over-familiarity is preferable to people continually mangling the pronunciation. One particular mangling comes from Vicelord Siv Kav in the form of "Mitthrawdo", no matter how many times he's corrected. Then again, Siv Kav really doesn't like Thrawn, so this is likely intentional.* Ranger in the ''Literature/StephaniePlum'' books. His full name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso.* Swan and Sister in ''Literature/SwanSong''; Swan's real name is Sue Wanda, but Sister doesn't actually remember her real name * In Creator/JohnSteinbeck's novel ''Sweet Thursday'', a brothel keeper named Flora is known only as "Fauna".* In ''Literature/TheThirteenthTale'', John-the-dig's legal name is John Digence, but Vida insists that if you really knew him, you knew that John-the-dig was his real name.* In Creator/CSLewis's ''Literature/TillWeHaveFaces'', the princesses' Greek tutor is known only as the Fox, due to his red hair (which goes completely gray early on in the story). Only once does a character refer to him by his given name, Lysias.* Creator/JRRTolkien's Middle-earth:** Dwarves in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' don't tell their names to outsiders (their real names are in the Dwarvish language, which is itself secret). Instead, they all go by use-names borrowed from the nearby humans -- like "Thorin" or "Gimli".** [[WhenTreesAttack Ents]]: Entish being what it is, an Ent's full name is essentially the story of their entire life, described in detail -- and since Ents are TheAgeless, that makes for ''long'' and rambling names. Most Ents use fragments of their name rendered into other languages for dealing with "hasty" people -- i.e. "Treebeard" and "Skinbark."** In Bree, Aragorn is known exclusively as "Strider." Not that he ''wants'' his true identity shouted from the rooftops, but this nickname ain't exactly flattering. Nonetheless he adopts it (translated into High Elven as Telcontar) for his dynastic name... for some reason.** Túrin in ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin'' spent his whole life fruitlessly trying to escape the curse [[{{Satan}} Morgoth]] put on his whole family. He figured [[DoNotCallMePaul avoiding his real name]] would help, so every time he fled from his ruined life to go live someplace new, he introduced himself only with [[MeaningfulRename some unpleasant nickname]] he'd just made up on the spot: Neithan ("the Wronged"), Gorthol ("Dread Helm"), Agarwaen ("Bloodstained"), Wild Man of the Woods, and finally Turambar ("Master of Doom"). The Elves in Nargothrond, unsurprisingly not liking Agarwaen, nicknamed him the more flattering Adanedhel ("Elf-Man"), Thurin ("the Secret"), and Mormegil ("Black-Sword") instead. But to his eternal irritation, [[SubvertedTrope his real name wasn't so secret after all]].** Elves are an odd case. To summarize:*** Most of them have two names, a mother-name [[note]]given by their mother[[/note]] and a father-name [[note]]given by their father[[/note]]. Which name they're commonly known by appears to be a matter of personal preference.*** Then, if they were given Quenya names, they Sindarinised those names, so "Tyelkormo" becomes "Celegorm", "Carnistir" becomes "Caranthir" and "Curufinwë" becomes "Curufin", to take some of the sons of Fëanor as examples.*** And in some cases they choose not to be called by either their mother-name or their father-name, and take a new name that they chose for themselves or were given by someone. For example, Finarfin's only daughter decided not to be called "Artanis" (her father-name) or "Nerwen" (her mother-name), but instead called herself "Galadriel", a direct translation of "Altáriel", the name her husband Celeborn gave her.*** And so, in a way, ''every'' Elf is only known by their nickname. Confused yet?* Boots� real name is only mentioned in ''[[Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles Gregor the Overlander]]'', and the crawlers refer to her exclusively as "the princess".* The Orange Man in ''Literature/VenusPrime'' is never given a real name.* Arcie in ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'', though it isn't until the last chapter that the party learns that Arcie isn't his name, it's his initials, R.C., for Reinheart Corallis [=MacRory=].* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, the Tribe of Rushing Water cats all have long names in a NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom style, so they go by the first word of their name - "Bird Who Rides The Wind" is "Bird", for example, and "Jagged Rock Where Heron Sits" is "Jag". There are a couple Tribe of Endless Hunting ancestors named Fall and Slant that are mentioned in ''Sign of the Moon'' whose full name isn't mentioned, so even fans only know them by their nicknames. * Princess Candacis in ''Literature/WhiteAsSnow'' is almost always called Coira, a name her nurse gave her, to the point that her maids instruct a doctor to call her Coira because she won't know who he's talking to if he calls her Candacis.* Boots, Bronx, Ducky, and Frosty from ''Literature/TheWhiteRabbitChronicles''.* In the Indian novel ''Literature/TheWhiteTiger'': Vitiligo-Lips and the landlords. %% This comment was added automatically by FELH2. In case the wording doesn't make sense, rewrite it as you like and tell this troper.* ''Literature/WinnieThePooh': Winnie's name is a nickname for Edward Bear. For that matter, in the Disney series especially, hardly anyone ever calls him "Winnie," instead calling him "Pooh" or "Pooh Bear," and occasionally "Winnie the Pooh."* In Daniel Pinkwater's ''Young Adult Novel'', the protagonist goes by his ''nom de guerre'', Charles the Cat, and the other Wild Dada Ducks do likewise.* In ''Zen and the Art of Faking It'', [[DeadpanSnarker San]] falls in love with a [[ManicPixieDreamGirl girl]] named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Guthrie Woody]], and only realizes that this isn't her real name when an adult refers to her as [[spoiler: Emily]] halfway through the book.** This could also fall under MeaningfulRename since she chose the name herself and rejected the name her [[ParentalAbandonment mother]] gave her. [[MeaningfulRename This happens again]] toward the end and reverses the first when she starts going by her real name again.* Give 'Em Hell and Preacher of ''Literature/TheShadowCampaigns'' are almost always referred to be those monikers. Marcus notes that he sometimes forgets that Preacher has a name that's not "Preacher", and when Janus asks for Captain Vahkerson, it takes everyone a while to figure out he's talking about Give 'Em Hell.* ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheMiraclesDistrict'':** The Bears never refer to themselves by their given names, so Nikita (and the reader) only identifies them by their nicknames.** Mister B doesn't have an actual name, so that's what Nikita always calls him.[[/folder]][[folder:Live-Action TV]]* ''Series/AdamTwelve'' has Sgt. "Mac" Macdonald, the guys' superior.* Series/{{Alf}}'s real name is Gordon Shumway. Not that anyone on Earth calls him that.* On ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'':** George Oscar Bluth II is exclusively called "GOB" (pronounced like Job in the Bible) to differentiate him from his father George Sr.** GOB's youngest brother, whose given name is Byron, is exclusively called "Buster".** Their niece Mae is referred to by everyone as "Maeby".** None of them are ever called by their full, real names - all three names appear briefly on screen in each character's introductory scene in the pilot, but have never even been spoken aloud on the show, an impressive feat of taking this trope to its logical conclusion.** Most viewers probably forget that the latter two are nicknames, to the point that in season 4 when Michael finds a note from "George" his mother [[AsYouKnow reminds him (and therefore the audience)]] that this is Gob's real name.* On ''Series/TheATeam'', we have Templeton "Faceman" Peck, and John "Hannibal" Smith (interesting in that he almost always introduces himself as "Hannibal Smith", as if it's his actual name).** Also, "Howlin' Mad" Murdock. The team referred to him Howlin' Mad pretty consistently in the very first episode, but quickly switched to calling him [[LastNameBasis Murdock]] for the rest of the series.* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''** Most of the pilots (basically all who are not part of the main cast) are only referred to by their callsigns.** Anastasia "Dee" Dualla's first name is only revealed in a short caption when she gives an interview in the episode "Final Cut".** Callandra "Cally" Henderson Tyrol's full name is only revealed [[spoiler: during her funeral service]] in season four.* Detective Constable Alfred "Tosh" Lines in ''Series/TheBill''. After his first two or three episodes, nearly everybody just refered to him as "Tosh".* ''Series/BitchinKitchen'''s Yehezkel "The Spice Agent" Mizrahi, only because no-one knows how to pronounce his actual name.* In ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'' Ben Cartwright's second oldest son Hoss' real name is Eric, this is mentioned on a few occasions and he only goes by his real name during formal events.* In the 1988 TV miniseries version of ''[[Literature/TheBourneSeries The Bourne Identity]]'', the bespectacled leader of the Swiss assassins is simply called "[[ScaryShinyGlasses Gold Glasses]]".** In Robert Ludlum's original novel his nickname is "the owl". (Or it is implied when a subordinate tells [[BigBad Carlos]] "the owl is dead."* Cory in ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld''. Nobody, not even his wife, knows his real name is Cornelius.** Also, the recurring tough-guy character named Harley is revealed in one episode to be really named Harvey.* ''Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}'':** ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':*** Oz's full name, Daniel Osbourne, is only mentioned once in the entire series, [[PutOnABus after he has left town]].*** Angel's name was Liam before he became a vampire; he went by Angelus ("The one with the angelic face") from then on. After he regained his soul he became Angel.*** Xander's short for Alexander. In one episode everyone gets LaserGuidedAmnesia and, having only his driver's license to go on, is temporarily "Alex".*** [[AdamAndOrEve Adam]], who is made up of human and demons parts stitched together. In one episode Buffy sees his human self in a psychic dream; she asks him what his name is, and dream!Adam replies that no one on Earth remembers. *** Spike's name is William. "William the Bloody" is one of his old nicknames, but other than that it's hardly mentioned. *** Violet is only known as Vi, in the TV series. In the comics they made her full name Violet and had her go by that, because comics are written in all caps and they didn't want readers thinking her name was "6".*** "Anne" is a young woman who has drifted between different cults or similar groups over her life and keeps changing her name. We never learn what she was called originally (though according to an original draft of a script, it was supposed to be [[spoiler: Joan]]). ** ''Series/{{Angel}}'':*** Fred, short for Winifred.*** {{Justified|Trope}} for Lorne: "Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan" isn't a very appealing name for a nightclub owner. Previously they called him "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Host]]," so he has two layers of nicknames.*** Angel. He is almost never called Liam. Lilah once called it a "wussy name".* Seymour of ''Series/BurnNotice'' has a henchman whom he only ever refers to as "[[MeaningfulName Jackass]]".* Coach in ''Series/{{Cheers}}''. Somewhat parodied when Coach answers the phone, and when the person on the other end asks for Ernie Pantusso, he asks where that person is. Sam Malone says "That's you, Coach," at which point Coach gets back on the phone and says "Speaking!" While he got his nickname for the obvious reason (he was Sam's coach during his baseball days), he always believed he got it because he always traveled cheap. * We still don't know the full real name of Sarah Walker from ''Series/{{Chuck}}''. In one episode she admitted her first name was Sam, and in another episode that her middle name was Lisa, but her true surname was never revealed. Even after [[spoiler: her marriage to Chuck,]] he still called her Sarah Walker.* On ''Series/{{Coach}}'' there's Micheal "Dauber" Daubinsky. If you refer to him by his given name in the presence of his boss, Hayden will have no idea who you're talking about.* Starburns, one of the other students in Señor Chang's Spanish class from ''Series/{{Community}}''. [[CaptainObvious His sideburns are shaped like stars]].** [[CatchPhrase My name is Alex!]]* On ''Series/CornerGas'' the Mayor is "Fitzy" Fitzgerald.* On ''Series/CriminalMinds'', Jennifer Jareau is known exclusively as J.J., and TeamMom Aaron Hotchner is almost always called "Hotch" by his teammates.* ''Series/{{CSI}}'': D.B. Russell-for obvious reasons, no one calls him Diebenkorn. Except maybe Finn, to tease him once in a while.* Similarly, Mac Taylor's full name has never been used on ''Series/{{CSI NY}}''. Everyone just calls him Mac. WordOfGod says it's [[=McCanna=]].* One ''Series/DharmaAndGreg'' episode introduced Greg's regular poker buddies, including one who had only ever been referred to by generic nicknames for years because ''everyone had forgotten his name''. If they ever knew it in the first place.* ''Series/DoctorWho'':** The Doctor, of course. The new series has confirmed he ''has'' a real name, but only he (and River Song, when she was around) knows what it is, and that's exactly how he likes it.** The Doctor's granddaughter is only referred to as "Susan Foreman", the identity she assumed at Cole Hill School, even though "Foreman" is a punning alias and "Susan" seems a very unlikely name for a Gallifreyan.** The other renegade Time Lords seen, most prominently the Master and the Rani, also fall under this trope.** Among the companions, there are Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet, Romanadvoratrelundar, who's only ever called "Romana" once she's introduced herself fully in her first scene, Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown and Dorothy "Ace" [=McShane=].*** Even the surname [=McShane=] comes from the ExpandedUniverse; in the series Ace admits her real name is Dorothy when she's introduced, and is just "Ace" from then on.** Captain Jack Harkness. Stole his name in the 1940's on the grounds that [[AwesomeMcCoolName it sounded cool]]. Even he might not remember his real name. Certainly, no one else does. Except possibly for Gray.** Subverted with the character of Bannakaffalatta from [[Recap/DoctorWho2007CSVoyageOfTheDamned "Voyage of the Damned"]]: he vehemently rejects any attempt to give him a more manageable nickname and insists everyone says the whole thing.** "River Song" is actually the nickname of [[spoiler: [[KidFromTheFuture Melody Pond]] (translated into the language of the Gamma Forest).]] Even after this is discovered, everyone ''still'' refers to her as River. [[spoiler: Including Amy and Rory, her ''parents''.]]** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E9ForestOfTheDead "Forest of the Dead"]]: Donna's husband inside the computer is named Lee [=McAvoy=]. The fact that he wasn't named that in real life [[spoiler:is one of the reasons why she ends up missing him when everyone is freed from the computer, the other being his [[SpeechImpediment severe stutter]].]]** Amelia "Amy" Pond, who stopped going by her full name after the Doctor told her it was "a bit fairytale".** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E7AGoodManGoesToWar "A Good Man Goes to War"]] features the Thin One and the Fat One, an Anglican married couple, as part of the episode's ChurchMilitant enemy. "We're the thin, fat, gay, married, Anglican marines. Why would we need names as well?"** Series 10 companion Billie "[[TomboyishName Bill]]" Potts, to the point her full first name is not mentioned at all in her first episode.** The Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse also gives us Isabelle "Izzy" Sinclair, Roslyn "Roz" Forrester, Samantha "Sam" Jones, Beatrice "Trix" Macmillan, Thomas Hector "Hex" Schofield, Fitzgerald "Fitz" Kreiner, Destriianatos (Destrii) and Erimemushinteperem (Erimem). (Bernice "Benny" Surprise Summerfield and Charlotte "Charley" Pollard are arguable cases, since both have their original names used with some regularity.)*** A regular character once told Fitz, upon hearing his full name, that he'd thought "Fitz" was his last name.* Turtle on ''Series/{{Entourage}}''. His first name (Sal) was not revealed until season five.* Hoban Washburn (Wash) and Kaywinnit Lee Frye (Kaylee) of ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. Even Wash's own wife never calls him Hoban.* Spike and Wordy are almost exclusively referred to by their nicknames on ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'' rather than as Michaelangelo and Kevin. Plus Juliana is always Jules.* One ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' episode involved Will and his grandmother sneaking out of the house and meeting up with an unseen character known only as The Captain who would then drive them to a Heavy D concert.* DJ Tanner on ''Series/FullHouse''. Her real name is Donna Jo.* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':** Hot Pie. We never learn his real name. ** The Tickler is not known as anything else. The nickname is enough for Jaqen H'ghar, however.** From House Stark, Lord Eddard, Lady Catelyn, and Prince Brandon are mostly referred to as Ned, Cat, and Bran respectively.** Hodor is the Stark's stableboy whose only word is "Hodor". No one knows his real name [[spoiler:until in Season 6 where his real name is Wylis (Walder in the books) and it turns out that Bran Stark warged into his young Wylis during his greenseer dreams while Meera was yelling "Hold the door!" as she and Bran escaped from the White Walkers. As a result, Wylis started to have seizures and yelled "Hold the door!" repeatedly until he said "Hodor!" which led to his mental regression]]. The show writers confirmed that Hodor's name origin from George R. R. Martin himself. * ''Series/GeneralHospital'': Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer, Jr. Mainly to differentiate him from his more famous father, the male half of the [[UrExample original]] SuperCouple. His father himself is only known as "Luke". His nephew Lucas, also named after him, is the only one of the three to avert this. Luke also slightly inverts this, being the only one in town to call the women in his life by their real names rather than the nicknames everyone else uses--sister Bobbie ("Barbara"), niece Carly ("Caroline"), friend Alexis ("Natasha"), and daughter Lulu ("Lesley Lu")--and was the only person on the show to do so.* On ''Series/GilligansIsland'', Gilligan, Skipper and The Professor were their names during the run of the show, while Skipper and The Professor had real names which were only said once on the pilot, [[spoiler: Captain Jonas Grumby for Skipper and Roy Hinkley for The Professor]], while Gilligan didn't even have a name. [[spoiler:Sherwood Schwartz has said it's Willy Gilligan while Bob Denver has said it's Gil Egan.]]* Rory Gilmore's full name on ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' is Lorelai Leigh Gilmore. Her mother named her after herself and she babbles in the pilot to a cute boy:-->'''Rory''': It's my mother's name, too. She named me after herself. She was lying in the hospital thinking about how men name boys after themselves all the time, you know, so why couldn't women? She says her feminism just kind of took over. Though personally I think a lot of Demerol also went into that decision.* From ''Series/{{Glee}}'' there's Noah "Puck" Puckerman, who has only been addressed by his first name by his mother, and Rachel sometimes. Santana Lopez is from [[WrongSideOfTheTracks Lima Heights]] and [[BadassBoast didn't know her name wasn't "Garbage Face" until she was five]].* On ''Series/GoodGirlsRevolt'', Patti is never called Patricia, and her name is only seen once, in the tenth episode, on a list of signatures.* Charlotte "Charlie" Duncan from ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie''.* In ''Series/GossipGirl'', everyone calls Nate Archibald's father "The Captain"... including Nate.* Cappie (and many other Kappa Taus) in ''{{Greek}}''. Beaver's real name is Walter and the series finale reveals [[spoiler: Cappie's full name is Captain John Paul Jones.]]* ''Series/HancocksHalfHour'' featured a story called ''The Reunion'' of Hancock's old army buddies, "Ginger" Johnson, "Chalky" White, "Smudger" Smith and "Kippers" Hancock. Smith arrives first.-->'''Smith''': I'd rather you didn't call me "Smudger", it's not the sort of name I'd like to get known at the bank.-->'''Hancock''': But...it's your name! You haven't got another one, have you?-->'''Smith''': Erm, yes...Clarence.-->'''Sid James''': ''(Characteristic cackle)'' Clarence!* The Fonz, or "Fonzie", on ''Series/HappyDays'' is only seldom referred to by his real name, Arthur Fonzarelli. Richie's mother is the only person allowed to call him Arthur.** Another ''Series/HappyDays'' example: Potsie. He is virtually never referred to by his given name, Warren.** Starting in the second season, "Arnold's" was owned by Matsuo Takahashi (played by [[Film/TheKarateKid Pat Morita]]). Everyone calls him "Arnold", however; he jokes that it was easier and cheaper to answer to "Arnold" than to buy the letter signs to rename the MaltShop "Takahashi's".* In ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'', Paladin isn't the main character's real name. Even people who'd known him since before the Civil War only used that name!* In ''Series/HeyDad'', Nudge's real name is Gerald Noritis, but probably even he doesn't remember.* ''Series/{{Highlander}}'': Duncan 'Mac' [[=MacLeod=]]and Hugh "Fitz" Fitzcairn.* In ''Series/{{House}}'', '''everyone''' refers to the female in the team as "Thirteen". Her real name was shrouded in mystery, until later episodes when her name was revealed to be [[spoiler:Remy Hadley]].-->'''Cuddy''': Dr. Hadley!-->'''House''': See? She doesn't even know your name.* ''Series/ICarly'': ** Sam never gets called by her real name Samantha.** Freddie never gets called by his real name Fredward except by his mother (and Sam when she wants to insult him). ** In the ''iCarly'' movie ''[=iDate=] A Bad Boy'', there's a scene where Sam enters the Shays' house and calls for Carly. She says, "Carly? Carly? Carlotta?" So Carly's real name is Carlotta unless "Carlotta" is the nickname.** Their principal falls into this too, as he goes by Teddy instead of Tedward.** Gibby's name is Orenthal Cornelius Hayes Gibson. His friends didn't know his real name until "[=iStill=] Psycho". Even his mother calls him Gibby.* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' has Mac, whose real name is revealed to be [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Ronald McDonald]].* ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Up until the season 4 episode "War Stories", none of the other main characters knew that the full name of their boss, Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, is Albert Jethro.* ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver'' has Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver.* On ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', Sophie is this, Sophie Devereaux isn't her real name, it is merely her favorite of her many assumed identities. Parker also uses the name [[AliceAllusions Alice White]] fairly often and is known by this name to Peggy, her only friend outside the team.* ''Series/LincolnHeights'': ALL of the main characters are referred to by abbreviated nicknames of their actual names. Edward-Eddie, Jennifer-Jenn, Cassandra-Cassie, Elizabeth-Lizzie, Taylor-Tay. It's a wonder they didn't just give them those names in the first place.* In ''Series/LondonsBurning'', many of the firefighters are invariably referred to by their nicknames (such as Vaseline, Bayleaf, Sicknote, etc).* Hugo "Hurley" Reyes and James "Sawyer" Ford in ''Series/{{Lost}}''.** Locke, Ben and Juliet are the only ones who call them by their real names.** In later seasons, Sawyer is almost exclusively called James [[spoiler: or Jim, when he's working for DHARMA in the 1970's. The fact that he ''doesn't'' use the name "Sawyer" there plays into a scene in "He's Our You".]]* Many of Kelly's boyfriends on ''Series/MarriedWithChildren''.* Benjamin 'Hawkeye' Pierce, Walter '[[HypercompetentSidekick Radar]]' O'Reilly and 'Trapper' John [=MacIntyre=] from ''Series/{{Mash}}''. Averted with BJ - everyone assumes it's a nickname at first, but he apparently is really named BJ, after his parents Bea and Jay. Maybe. Hawkeye refuses to accept that explanation and demands to know what it really stands for. Instead of standing by his answer, BJ gives the same enigmatic reply from earlier, "Anything you like."* Howie from ''Series/MaxAndShred'' is actually named Jill. Alvin "Shred" nicknamed her when she was younger and kept asking him 'how?'* ''Series/MyMadFatDiary'': Chop (real name [[spoiler:Arnold Peters]]) and Danny Two Hats.** Possibly Tix as well - as we don't know if this is her real name or a nickname.* Even in the credits of ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'', Tory's name is given as "Tory Belleci". His real first name is Salvatore.** According to ThatOtherWiki, Jamie Hyneman is "James" on his birth certificate.* On ''Series/TheNanny'', C.C. Babcock is known only by her initials, as is practically her entire family (like her sisters G.G. and D.D., and mother B.B.). In the finale, her name is finally revealed to be [[spoiler: Chastity Claire Babcock]].* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' has Ducky. He occasionally goes by Dr. Mallard or Doctor by those who don't know him (or Palmer, out of respect) but for the most part it's simply Ducky. That's because his full name is Dr. ''[[DonaldDuck Donald]]'' Mallard, by the way. The Mallard is also a species of wild duck.* ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' has Coconut Head, Backpack Boy, and Crony, who never have real names given. Billy Loomer and Lisa Zemo are usually referred to by their last names (though that changes for Lisa in the 3rd season). Tracey and Stacey are referred to simply as the Oboe Twins (they both play the oboe), until they get their ADayInTheLimelight episode. And of course, there's Moze (Jennifer Mosely) and Cookie (Simon Nelson Cook).* One-shot character One-nad from ''Oliver Beene''. Real name was Walter.* Crispo in ''Series/OneHundredThingsToDoBeforeHighSchool''. His name is an acronym of his first and last names, Christian Powers.* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': "Stretch" ([[EmbarrassingFirstName Fabian]]) Snodgrass, and his brother "Bones" (Winston).* ''Series/PeepShow'' has Super Hans (an eccentric wannabe musician and drug addict), Big Suze (a tall, posh woman) and Dobby (a proud female geek). Though we know Dobby and Super Hans' real names by the end of the series, Big Suze's remains a mystery.* [[ThoseTwoGuys Bulk and Skull]] from early ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' seasons. With full names like Farkus Bulkmeier and Eugene Skullovich, you can't blame them much. ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai'' introduces Skull's son, "Spike", but it isn't clear if that's his real name or a nickname.** In ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'', Waldo Brooks is referred to solely as "Dustin."** Also TJ Johnson of ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo''/''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' and RJ of ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'', full names Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson and Robert James. TJ's full name wasn't even revealed until several years after the fact, during a MilestoneCelebration appearance.** Several characters in ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' only go by aliases, and even ''they'' don't know their actual names: Dr. K, Gem, and Gemma were abducted into a government think tank as kids; while Dillon and [[spoiler:Tenaya]] were mindwiped by the Big Bad.* In ''Series/PunkyBrewster'', the title character's real name is Penelope.* Ned in ''Series/PushingDaisies'', although as [[NoNameGiven that's the only name we're given for him]] besides "the pie maker", it's possible that it's actually his birth name rather than an abbreviation.* Staff Sergeant Phillip "Hippy" Roper in ''Series/RedCap''. Everyone calls him Hippy, including his superiors, thanks to his unruly hair.* The Cat in ''Series/RedDwarf'' is only known as "Cat", but as Lister admitted, he doesn't have a name (or he has one he never bothered to divulge).** In the novel ''Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers'', it's explained that the Cat can't grasp the concept of ''needing'' a name; everyone should just know who he is.* Subverted in ''Series/{{Roseanne}}''; Jackie is a nickname, but even she herself wasn't aware of that fact until Bev casually brought it up in conversation. Her real name is either Marjorie or Mary-Jane; Bev can't remember which. Roseanne, as a child, was unable to say the original name and it came out as "My Jackie", which led to her just being called Jackie.** Also used for DJ--> "We've been working so much, I feel like we hardly know our kids. I'm starting to forget what 'DJ' stands for."*** It's "David Jacob", though it almost never comes up after David Healy is introduced (who's also an example, as his name is actually Kevin).* Screech was almost never referred to as Samuel Powers on ''Series/SavedByTheBell'', even by teachers.* John "J.D." Dorian in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''. Only his brother and (late) father call him "Johnny." [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The]] [[AlmightyJanitor Janitor]], whose name we still don't know, although that's more because every time he reveals it, the audience is quickly led to believe he was lying. Turk arguably gets it worse than J.D. ([[RunningGag Being called girls' names not withstanding]]), since only his biological family & his superiors in surgery call him Chris or Christopher, but Dr. Kelso got drunk at his wedding to Carla (Who still calls him by his [[LastNameBasis last name]] after the wedding), subsequently thought his name was ''Turk Turkleton'' & called him that for the rest of the series, with some people picking up on it and calling him by that name on occasion.* Following Navy tradition, most of the characters on ''Series/SeaPatrol'' are referred to by their nicknames - Bomber, Spider, Swain. Some of these make sense in context; RO is the Radio Operator, for example. Some, not so much.* Alluded: We don't know Kramer's first name until season six of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''. It's Cosmo. Also, in the episode when Elaine finds the "Bizarro Jerry", Bizarro Jerry introduces one of his friends by saying, "And this guy, we just call Feldman."* In one episode of ''Series/SevenDays'', Frank runs into a former associate who's referred to only by nickname (can't remember what it is, Bear or something to that effect). At one point when Olga refers to him by his first name, Frank responds by saying that even the character's mother calls him by his nickname.* Mr. Big on ''Series/SexAndTheCity''. We don't learn his first name until the last shot of the series, or his full name until TheMovie. [[spoiler: John James Preston.]]* ''Series/TheShadowLine'' has Gatehouse. Glickman calls him James, but other than that he's universally referred to as Gatehouse -- even by his allies and employers.* An episode of ''Series/SmallWonder'' revealed that Vicki's legal name was Victoria. (The Lawsons probably had to fudge some papers fast.)* Many characters in ''Series/TheSopranos'' are referred to by nicknames (Big Pussy, Junior, etc.).* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'':** It's not entirely certain whether the Wraith even have names. They certainly don't use them around humans, who wind up calling recurring Wraiths things like "Michael", "Todd", and "Kenny". Strangely, the Wraith sometimes use the human-bestowed names in each other's presence as well.*** The ExpandedUniverse says that Wraith have names based on how their minds "feel" to each other, which kind of makes sense for a telepathic race. Amusingly, they're under the mistaken impression that human names have a similar meaning.** Puddle Jumpers. After Sheppard christened it in the pilot, (in reference to a light aircraft and the event horizon of the Stargate), everyone refers to them by that name. The Ancients actually referred to them as "Gate-Ships". Which is what McKay initially called them as well, with no knowledge of the Ancients' name, because [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin they're ships that go through the gate]], but Sheppard vetoed this for not being cool enough.* A famous one would be Commander Montgomery Scott on ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. Everybody just calls him "Scotty". Also Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" [=McCoy=].* In ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', everyone who is on first-name basis with Commander Tucker calls him Trip. His real name is Charles Tucker the Third, the "third" part being where the nickname originated. The ExpandedUniverse novels indicate that even his parents generally use it, which makes sense given that his father had a prior claim to "Charlie" and three generations of Charles Tucker at the same Thanksgiving dinner table would get confusing. Trip also has a younger brother called Bart, which it's reasonable to suppose is short for something or other.* Bobby Singer, on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''--a perfectly ordinary nickname, to be sure, but a man in his sixties being referred to by it more or less exclusively is still worth noting. No 'Bob' or 'Rob,' let alone 'Robert' except when someone or something is going 'Robert Singer, I've heard of you,' or similar sentiments.** Similarly, the only people who call Cas "Castiel" anymore are doing it to be slightly insulting or in an attempt to reinforce the idea that [[OurAngelsAreDifferent he belongs to Heaven, not Earth]] (and specifically not with his TrueCompanions).* Nicknames occasionally crop up in reality shows like ''Series/{{Survivor}}'', and people who choose to go by these (like ''Survivor''[='s=] "Dreamz", "Coach", and "Johnny Fairplay") are usually at least a little full of themselves. (We'll give a pass to "Flight Time" and "Big Easy" on ''Series/TheAmazingRace'', though, as those are essentially their stage names on their day jobs with the Harlem Globetrotters.)** In ''Survivor: Nicaragua'', one of the contestants (Judd) was promptly nicknamed "Fabio", eventually getting "Judd" replaced with "Fabio" in the captions and opening credits. If you missed the first episode, you might never know it wasn't his real name.* In the BBCHistoricalFarmSeries ''Tales from the Green Valley'', archaeologist and presenter Peter Ginn is called by his real name in the first episode. After that, everyone - including the narrator - refers to him as "Fonz" or "Fonzy".* In the ''Series/TeenWolf'' series, Stiles's real first name is unknown, and allegedly very hard to pronounce. "Stiles" is derived from his last name, Stilinski.* ''Series/That70sShow'': "Hello, my name is Fez." It's not really his name, it's just short for "foreign exchange student". Also Reginald "Red" Forman.* In ''Series/TinMan'', the Dorothy expy is known only by her initials "[=DG=]." It's implied in the third act that the "D" really ''does'' stand for "Dorothy" as [[spoiler: she was named for her great-grandmother, Dorothy Gale]].* Some say that he couldn't believe we hadn't mentioned him yet, so he wrote this himself, and that if his real name were known, we'd be able to uncover the secrets of the universe. All we know is, [[TopGear he's called The Stig.]]** Some say his first name really is 'The'....* Bubbles from ''Series/TrailerParkBoys''. His real name his never given on the show (and one episode confirms that Bubbles is a nickname given to him in childhood). It's especially comical when he's arrested or in court and they still only call him Bubbles.** There's also Shitty Bill, who's never given a last name (like almost all the characters on the show sans the Leahey clan), and mostly goes by Shitty.* C.J. Cregg of ''Series/TheWestWing'' is only rarely called by her full name, which is Claudia Jean. And Percy 'Fitz' Fitzwallace.** Not precisely this trope, but it's interesting to note that almost every single West Wing character is called by either a diminutive or a nickname: 'Jed' is short for Josiah Edward, Leo for Leopold (OK, the "Leopold" appears to be a joke by CJ, considering it's only used once and Leo gives his name in a Congressional hearing as Leo), Toby for Tobias, Josh for Joshua, Sam for Samuel, Donna for Donnatella, Charlie for Charles, Abbey for Abigail, Will for William, Joey for Josephine, Amy for Amelia, Andi for Andrea, Danny for Daniel, Ellie for Eleanor, Mandy for Madeline, Debbie for Deborah, Ed and Larry for Edward and Lawrence, Cliff for Clifford, Matt for Matthew...the list goes on.* ''WhiteCollar'' has Neal's partner in crime, "Mozzie". It's not until season five that we learn his real name: [[spoiler:Teddy Winters.]]* Very common in ''Series/TheWire'', considering many of the characters are criminals who only go by their street names. Lampshaded by Omar during this exchange at Bird's murder trial:--> '''ASA Ilene Nathan:''' And do you see the gunman who killed Mr. Gant anywhere in the courtroom today?--> '''Omar Little:''' ''(calling out)'' Ay, yo, what up Bird?--> '''Nathan:''' For the record, you are identifying the defendant, Marquis Hilton.--> '''Omar:''' He just Bird, to me.** The Greek, a crime boss on ''Series/TheWire'', whose real name is never revealed. And he's not even Greek.** There are also a number of characters more commonly known by a street name than by their real name, such as Bodie (real name Preston Broadus), Poot (Malik Carr), Snoop (Felicia Pearson), and Bird (Marquis Hilton). Oddly averted by Marlo Stanfield, the BigBad of the final two seasons; in his first appearance, he's said to have the street handle "Black", but no one ever actually calls him that.** In one notable instance, this actually obscures a fairly important bit of characterization: East Side gangbanger Calvin "Cheese" Wagstaff is only ever referred to by his street name, which helps obscure the fact that he's actually Randy Wagstaff's [[DisappearedDad absent biological father]] (a fact not otherwise made clear).* On ''Series/{{Workaholics}}'', there is Ders, short for Anders.[[/folder]][[folder:Music - Work]]* The main character of {{Music/Savatage}}'s ''Music/StreetsARockOpera'' is known only by his drug dealer nickname "DT Jesus". The "DT" stands for both "de-tox" and "downtown". The AllThereInTheManual story provides another nickname unused in the lyrics, "the Savior on Avenue D".* Music/TheWhiteAlbum is the name people usually use to refer to the album "The Beatles" (1968).* ''Music/MTVUnpluggedInNewYork'' is generally referred to as "Unplugged In New York". * The nameless [[TheHero main hero]] in "The Emerald Sword Saga" by ''Music/RhapsodyOfFire'' is referred to [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard many titles]] such as [[TheChosenOne Warrior of Ice]], the Man from Loregard, [[GrimUpNorth the Nordic Warrior]] and [[MasterSwordsman the Swordmaster]].* The protagonist of Music/MelanieMartinez's ConceptAlbum, "Cry Baby", is only ever referred to as that. According to the song "Cry Baby" she received the nickname because she cried a lot as a child. The music video however implies that is ''literally'' her name, as her older brother wrote that on her birth certificate (though it's possible they changed it later).[[/folder]][[folder:Music - Musicians]]* Ace Frehley, formerly of Music/{{Kiss}}. Only his wife addresses him by his real first name, Paul.* Music/{{Korn}}'s bass player, Fieldy. Most people don't know his real name is Reginald Arvizu.** To a lesser extent, Korn's guitarists James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head" Welch.* Music/EvelynEvelyn is a performance art duo supposedly made up of ConjoinedTwins, both named Evelyn. Their official names are Eva and Lyn Neville, but during their HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood nobody ever bothered to remember which one was which, so the twins themselves can't remember either.* Canadian SynthRock band Music/TheBirthdayMassacre have stage nicknames; while some members just use their real names (Owen, formerly O-en Falcore and Nate) some band members' real names are not public knowledge (Rainbow and Chibi, as well as former members Aslan and Dank).* When asked about his name in an interview, Christian Lorenz, keyboardist of Music/{{Rammstein}}, responded that his nickname Flake is his proper name.* Angel guitarist (and the inspiration for Music/FrankZappa's song, "Punky's Whips") Punky Meadows. Sounds a lot better than his real first name of Edwin.* Ian "Lemmy" Kilmeister of Music/{{Motorhead}}.* Music/JohnnyGuitarWatson: The word "Johnny" and the word "guitar" in his name, derived from the film ''Film/JohnnyGuitar'', are practically the official way of referring to him in the press.* 1920s {{Blues}} singer Robert Hicks also worked as a cook at a Georgia barbecue restaurant, so his record label combined this with EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep and billed him as Barbecue Bob.* Alecia Moore, better known as Music/{{Pink}}.* Tre Cool (Frank Edwin Wright III) and Mike Dirnt (Michael Pritchard) of Music/GreenDay. Averted by Billie Joe Armstrong, whose name really ''is'' Billie Joe.* Many BlackMetal artists' pseudonyms become more well-known than their real names: More people are probably familiar with original Mayhem guitarist's pseudonym "Euronymous" than his real name, Oystein Aarseth.* Stefani Joanne Angelina "Music/LadyGaga" Germanotta.* Rappers too numerous to mention.* [[Music/MileyCyrus "Destiny Hope Cyrus"]], who later officially changed her name to "Miley Ray Cyrus."* Charles Hardin Holley aka "Music/BuddyHolly". Without the e.* Gordon "Music/{{Sting}}" Sumner.* John Simon Ritchie [[spoiler: Sid Vicious]] -- His death certificate had Simon and John around the wrong way.* Saul [[Music/GunsNRoses "Slash"]] Hudson.* Ron "Pigpen" [=McKernan=] of the Music/GratefulDead.* Michael "Flea" Balzary of the Music/RedHotChiliPeppers.* Music/RingoStarr: Richard Starkey is the only [[Music/TheBeatles Beatle]] not known under his real name. [[Music/PaulMcCartney James Paul McCartney]] used his middle name "Paul" to distinguish himself from his father.* Music/OzzyOsbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler of Music/BlackSabbath; their real first names are John, Frank and Terence, respectively.* Thomas "Fats" Waller. Not to mention [[Music/FatsDomino Antoine "Fats" Domino.]]* Salvatore "Sonny" Bono. Politician as well as singer.* Paul "Bono" Hewson and Dave "The Edge" Evans of Music/{{U2}}.* William "Smokey" Robinson.* Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer. American actress and singer.* Alvis "Buck" Owens.[[/folder]][[folder:Pinballs]]* The movie-within-a-game of ''[[Pinball/LightsCameraAction Lights... Camera... Action!]]'' names the main characters after playing card ranks � "Ace" (TheHero), "King" (BigBad), "Queen" (CampGay), "Jack" (TheDragon), and "10" (TheChick).[[/folder]][[folder:Professional Wrestling]]* Just about every {{ProfessionalWrestl|ing}}er ever. [[DoNotCallMePaul Has a trope named after]] the two Pauls, TripleH and The Big Show, who only go by their ring names.[[/folder]][[folder:Puppet Shows]]* ''Series/SesameStreet'':** Snuffy's real name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus. Even though almost everyone on the series refers to him by his nickname, his mother usually refers to him by his real name.** Also Cookie Monster. His real name was eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:Sid.]][[/folder]][[folder:Radio]]* The title characters of several series:** ''Radio/FibberMcGeeAndMolly''** ''The Whistler''** ''The Shadow''** ''Boston Blackie''* Also, some supporting characters** Eddie "Rochester" Anderson of ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram''.* Columbus "Lum" Edwards of Radio/LumAndAbner.* Radio/TrueCapitalist: "[[CatchPhrase I am your host, the man they call Ghost.]]"* ''Radio/NewDynamicEnglish'' gives last names to every character from the courseware Module 1-4 except for Kathy.[[/folder]][[folder:Theater]]* Sky Masterson in ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'', called that because nobody bets higher. In the few moments between "My Time Of Day" and "I've Never Been In Love Before," Sky reveals to Sarah his real name, Obediah Masterson, and says she's the first person he ever told it to.* Little Buttercup in Creator/GilbertAndSullivan's ''Theatre/HMSPinafore''. Her real name, Mrs. Cripps, appears only in the DramatisPersonae.* In ''Theatre/TheMostHappyFella'', Tony addresses his love letters to "Rosabella" because he doesn't know her name. Nobody in the play calls her anything else, until the final scene where she reveals that her real name is (or was) Amy. (This is averted in ''Theatre/TheyKnewWhatTheyWanted'', where Amy is never called Rosabella.)* "Yank", the protagonist of ''The Hairy Ape'' by Creator/EugeneONeill. In one of the later scenes, he gives his name as Bob Smith, "but I been just Yank for so long."* In ''Theatre/TheGirlOfTheGoldenWest'', the title character is known as "the Girl" even in the play's DramatisPersonae; only very rarely is her real name, Minnie, mentioned in dialogue. The opera averts this and has her called Minnie all the time.* The Wreck in ''My Sister Eileen'' and TheMusical ''Wonderful Town''. His name is Ted Loomis, but nobody calls him Ted.-->'''Eileen''': Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Loomis?\\'''The Wreck''': Leave out the mister--call me Wreck.\\'''Eileen''': Wreck?\\'''The Wreck''': That's what they called me at Georgia Tech. I'd have made All American, only I was expelled.* In ''Theatre/BothYourHouses'', GirlFriday HypercompetentSidekick secretary Greta Nilsson is only ever referred to as "Bus". And the play [[NoodleIncident never explains why]].[[/folder]][[folder:Toys]]* ''Franchise/{{Barbie}}'':** No one ever calls Barbie by her full name, Barbara. ** Her oldest younger sibling seems to have a nickname but she's only called "Skipper"[[/folder]][[folder:Video Games]]* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':** N from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. His real name is actually Natural Harmonia Gropius, but he is only referred to as N in the games.** Looker, a reoccurring International Police agent who first appeared in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokémon Platinum]]'', who is only known by his codename.* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':** Tail's real name, Miles Prower, usually [[AllThereInTheManual isn't mentioned in the games at all]]. ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' did, and was the only game to call him "Tails", the quotes representing the fact that it's not his real name. This was a plot point in [[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog one of the cartoons]]. Some two-tailed foxes show up claiming to be Tails' parents, and Sonic realizes later they must be fake because they called him "Tails" right off the bat instead of "Miles", when that was a nickname that Sonic gave him.** Dr. Robotnik gets dubbed by the rest of the ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Adventure|Series}}'' cast as "Dr. Eggman" (which is actually what his name is over in Japan). It's supposed to be an insult (and Robotnik doesn't like it) but by ''Sonic Adventure 2'', he doesn't seem to care. In fact, he refers to himself as "Dr. Eggman" and has ever since, which earns him a spot on this trope. As of ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', [[LampshadeHanging nobody calls him Dr. Robotnik anymore]].* The ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series does this a lot, though in all cases, the character's real name is eventually revealed, or in some cases, revealed first. For example: Apollo Justice in the fourth game is continually referred to as " Herr Forehead" by the prosecution, much to his dismay.** They have fun with this in the first game, where a screechy old lady is known only as "old bag" the first few times you speak with her. When she's finally called in to court, she introduces herself as Wendy Oldbag.** Sister Bikini and Valant Gramarye's names are just self-imposed nicknames. [[NoNameGiven The real ones are never revealed.]]* The Postal Dude in ''VideoGame/{{Postal}}'' has no other name. When he pays a traffic ticket in the second game, the cop tells him, "And let that be a lesson to you, Mr.... The Dude."** The game seems to hint at his full name really being ''The Postal Dude, Jr.''. [[spoiler:Same with his dad - his grave is labeled "T. Dude Sr."]]* Most of the cast of ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' has this to varying degrees.** One character, Beat, will be sent into a rage if anyone actually refers to him by his real name.*** Except in [[AlternateUniverse Another Day]], where he tries to introduce himself by his real name but changes his mind, presumably because it's too complicated to pronounce.** Nearly every major character has a nickname; notable exceptions include Shiki, and usually Sanae Hanekoma ('Coffee Dude' and 'Mr. H') Some characters are referred to by title, such as The Composer or The Conductor, but usually only before you find out who they are. Even Shiki's stuffed cat, Mr. Mew, is given a nickname of sorts by the main character - 'Piggy'* The street fighter (no, not that ''Franchise/StreetFighter'') Shen Woo from ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters The King of Fighters 2003]]'' has an unknown real name; "Shen Woo" (roughly translated, it means God of Fighting) is a nickname he picked up while growing up in Shanghai.** Likewise, if K' (pronounced K-dash) ever had a name other than that before the experiments, it's never come up.* Double H from ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' is only ever known by his code name. In one cutscene, he does get addressed as "Hub," but for all we know, that could just be another nickname.* "Soap" [=MacTavish=], the British playable character from ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 4: VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' is never given a real name, and all of his squadmates refer to him exclusively by his nickname. Captain Price even points it out in the training mission, remarking, "What kind of a name is 'Soap', anyway?" Presumably, being a SilentProtagonist, Soap wasn't able to correct him. In the sequel he's just Captain [=MacTavish=], but ''Modern Warfare 3'' confirms that Soap's first name is John.** [[spoiler:Price]] still calls him Soap. Which confuses the hell out of the [=TF141=] RedShirt in the room when you break him out.--->'''Worm''': Who the hell's Soap?* Wilhelmina "Billie" Church from ''VideoGame/CliveBarkersJericho''. She despises her birth name, as her father, [[spoiler:who, amongst other things, raped her,]] was the only person to use it.* Nikolai "Sledge" Slidjonovich from ''VideoGame/QuakeIV''. Pretty much every character, except for Strauss, refer to him exclusively by his nickname.* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':** John-117 and Thel 'Vadam are better known by their rank/titles: the Master Chief and the Arbiter. In fact, it took until the very end of ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' for Chief to be called by his real name in the games; even afterward, he's still mostly called some form of "Master Chief".** In fact, all of the Spartans are ''legally'' known only by serial number (Master Chief is "SPARTAN-117"). Their previous identities were erased upon their conscription, and they only use their original first names among very close friends (in other words: each other and Dr. Halsey), with Cortana eventually growing close enough to Chief to use his real name too.** The protagonists of ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'' and ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' are respectively referred to in-game only as "The Rookie" and "Noble Six"; while ''ODST'''s website reveals that the former has the initials "J.D.", the latter is simply known as "SPARTAN-B312".* Lady in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3'' is only called her real name, Mary, by her father [[spoiler:Arkham]] on three occasions. By the end of the game, she's abandoned her name altogether.* Lady in ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts: From The New World'' is actually [[spoiler: Grace Garland, Johnny's sister]]. Killer, from the same game, would probably be closer to EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep.* Shadow in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. His real name is Clyde, [[spoiler:with most [[{{Fanon}} people believing]] his last name is "Arrowny"]], but it's never used outside of flashbacks.* The ninja in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' goes by Edge utterly and exclusively. Considering his real name is [[spoiler:Edward '''Geraldine''']], one can't really blame him.* When you first recruit him in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Red XIII more or less tells you to call him whatever the hell you want. It's not until later on that he tells you his real name is [[spoiler:Nanaki]], but even afterward he's still called whatever you named him.* Similarly to Red XIII's case, Garnet in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' is introduced by her given name, but once she goes incognito, the player chooses a new one, by which she is called almost exclusively for the rest of the game, even long after she's come out of hiding.** This trope is zigzagged by the fandom; many players keep the name "Garnet" when she goes incognito because they think it's a much better name than "Dagger," which is her stock alias. Later, however, you find out that this still counts; [[spoiler: Garnet isn't her real name either. It's Sarah.]]* There's also Lightning in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', her real name is revealed late game to be [[spoiler:Claire Farron]].* Due to HelloInsertNameHere, the commentators in ''BackyardSports'' only refer to custom players by their nicknames.* Likewise, the protagonists of ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' games are only known by their RedBaron nicknames in the subsequent games: the Eternal Champion in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'', the Agent in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', the Nerevarine in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', the Champion of Cyrodiil in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', and Dovahkiin in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''.* [[EmbarrassingFirstName Jethro]] "Jet" Bradley in ''[[VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh Tron 2.0]]''. In the spin-off comic, he even insists the psychiatrist call him "Jet."* In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', [[spoiler:[=MegaMan=].exe's real name is Hub Hikari]]. ''Anime/MegaManNTWarrior'' excised this part of his character.* Both Brooklyn Luckfield and Ricarla Borgnine of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' are only ever addressed as "Bullet" and "Carla", respectively. In the case of the former, Bullet prefers people address him as such; for Carla, it's perhaps a case of "it's easier to say your name that way".* An unnamed tavern/sauna owner in ''VideoGame/LittleBigAdventure 2'' is known in the fan community as "Masher". This is because when the player attempts to enter the women's sauna, one woman yells out "Masher!", which is a little known slang word a sexual pervert.* Four of the seven playable characters in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''-- Marle, Frog, Robo, and [[spoiler: Magus]]-- go by pseudonyms (unless the player [[HelloInsertNameHere gives them their real names instead]]. [[spoiler: They are, respectively, Princess Nadia Guardia, Sir Glenn, R-66Y a.k.a. Prometheus, and Prince Janus Zeal.]]* Virtually every character in the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series uses a pseudonym, often a code name chosen by the character or a superior. This phenomenon is referenced explicitly in the first game when Meryl asks Solid Snake his name, and he answers that, after a week on the battlefield, "no one has a name". Several characters' real names have been revealed, but they may also be pseudonyms, such as Big Boss's supposed real name [[spoiler:John Doe]]. Snake in particular is only referred to by his real name of David twice in the whole series.* Lord Roth from ''VideoGame/InfiniteSpace'', whose title is bestowed upon him for his accomplishments. His aide Nele calls him "Hartwig" on multiple occasions, but it is never known whether it is part of his real name or just another nickname.* La Volpe (The Fox) from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII''. The novelisation ''Renaissance'' gives him the name Gilberto, but this has not made it to game-level canon.* Ratohnhaké:ton from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' is known to everyone as Connor, as his name is difficult to pronounce. This has been lampshaded by no less than two people in game.* Lots and lots of these guys in VideoGame/{{STALKER}}. To name a few from across the series (retrieved from the [[http://stalker.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page STALKER wiki]]), namely those from ''Call of Pripyat''; Barge, Beard, Grose, Grizzly, Black, Hatchet, Hawaiian, Hook, Jackal, Joker, Knuckles, Skull, Sledgehammer, Ridge, Scout, Owl, Nimble, Nitro, Mace, Splinter, Snag, Bonesetter, Spartacus, Spirit, Sultan, Trapper and Tuna. And that's just one of the so far three games.* Very many people in ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol''. For one, Mike Thorton is stated to be a nickname/alias, and the main character's true name is never revealed. Albatross, Sis and SIE are some other examples.* VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss has a few** Tear: Mysterica** Guy: Gailardia** Van: Vandelseca** Three of the God-Generals*** Dist: Saphir*** Legretta: [[spoiler:Giselle]]*** Largo: [[spoiler: Badaq]]* ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'' has its protagonist referred to only as "Starkiller", his codename. This is a plot point in the novelization, as not even Starkiller himself knows his real name until late in the story, where it is revealed as [[spoiler:Galen Marek]].* VideoGame/TexMurphy, given his nickname as a kid due to the shape of a hole he left in the ceiling after being ejected off a malfunctioning hobby horse. We never do find out his real first name.* ''VideoGame/TokyoXtremeRacer'' plays up this trope with every rival you face in every of its installment; their nicknames are generally first shown up as [[CodeName B.A.D. (Battle Ability Decision) names]] when you decide to race them. However, if you have defeated them and go to check their profiles, their real names have been listed there, thus averting this trope afterwards.* In ''Franchise/DragonAge'', neither Isabela nor Anders are known by their real name. WordOfGod states that Anders is apparently called that because he is [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/304/index/6511895/3 from the Anderfels]], while Isabela's real name, and the reason she goes by "Isabela", is simply [[http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/5118004%26lf%3D8/1#5120696 unknown]]. Fenris from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is only known by a nickname for the bulk of the game; his real name ([[spoiler:Leto]]) is revealed in his personal quest in Act 3, and he subsequently orders everyone not to call him that, because "Fenris" is the only life he can remember.** [[spoiler: "''Those Who Speak''" recently revealed Isabela's birth-name to have been "Naishe", but she stopped going by it after her mother sold her into slavery when she refused to join her in converting to the Qun. As such, Isabela considers "Naishe" to have [[ThatManIsDead died a long time ago]].]]** Played with in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' with The Iron Bull. While you learn his real name/title during his personal mission, no one except his fellow Qunari call him Hissrad, [[spoiler:especially not if he becomes Tal-Vashoth.]] He claims that nicknames are pretty common under the Qun, since everyone's "real" names are strings of numbers used for breeding purposes, or titles given to them to signify their job and rank. Further played with by the fact that almost everyone (except Cole) ends up shortening his name to just "Bull" when they address him. *** The Iron Bull's mercenary company, the Chargers, are also only known by nicknames - Krem, Dalish, Stitches, Grim, Skinner, and Rocky. Krem, who is the second-in-command, signs formal documents as Cremisius Aclassi, but is never actually called anything but Krem by other characters.* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' has the head of Cerberus, an elusive and secretive figure only known as "The Illusive Man".** The tie-in comic series ''ComicBook/MassEffectEvolution'' reveals that his name is [[spoiler:Jack Harper]].** To the people of Omega, [[spoiler:Garrus Vakarian]] is known only as [[VigilanteMan Archangel]].* The main characters in ''VideoGame/PaydayTheHeist'' are only known by their on-the-job aliases: Chains, Hoxton, Dallas and Wolf. Due to their line of work, this combines with DoNotCallMePaul in order to maintain their anonymity.** Due to various - mostly out-of-game - reasons, the people portraying Chains and Hoxton didn't reprise their roles in the sequel. Even though this necessitated the (unchanged) masks being inherited by new members to the team - such as Hoxton now being an American - the four aliases don't change.* In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'', Starlow's name is mentioned maybe three times: the prologue, the ending, and when she runs into Peach almost exactly halfway between. By the time you hear it again, you're probably long into the habit of just calling her "Chippy".* All ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' protagonists are known by a specific nickname given to them, since the player picks their actual name. ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}'' had the Vault Dweller, ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' had The Chosen One, ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' had the Lone Wanderer and ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' had the Courier.** It's more common then you'd expect in ''Fallout'' games, actually. Fallout: New Vegas has Rose of Sharon Cassidy, better known as Cass, [[spoiler: Edward Sallow, aka Caesar]], most of Caesar's Legion does this, with Joshua Graham being one of the few exceptions.* In ''VideoGame/OddworldStrangersWrath'', the main character is only ever known as "Stranger", with his real name never being revealed. This is probably intentional on Stranger's part as [[spoiler:he's a Steef (a centaur-like creature), and does everything he can to keep it a secret. This includes running around with two legs bound together, and being prepared to undergo (most likely complicated and ''unanesthetized'') surgery.]]* From ''VideoGame/WingCommander IV'' comes a pilot by the callsign of "Seether". His record was blanked by Confed, and the only person who recognized him by his [[ExplosivePropulsion Mine shockwave riding trick]] couldn't remember his real name, so his callsign is the only identifier.* The protagonist of the American campaign in ''VideoGame/BattleZone1998'' is referred to only by his call sign, (Cmdr) Grizzly One, while all the ''other'' characters are named. The protagonist in the Soviet campaign is only ever called "Comrade". The sequel, ''Battlezone II: Combat Commander'' averts this, naming the new protagonist - Lt. John Cooke.* B.B., one of Max's two contacts after he goes undercover in the first ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' game. Max lampshades it when he meets him in person for the first time in the third act:-->'''Max:''' Right, what's it stand for anyway? [[spoiler:[[BigBadFriend Backstabbing]] [[TheMole Bastard]]?]]* A fair sum of ''Videogame/PunchOut'' characters are only known by their stage names while the others have short versions of their names (for example "Joe" is rarely someone's full name).* In ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'', the main character is always referred to as Douchebag by the boys, no matter [[HelloInsertNameHere what you put down as his name]]. Later on, he can upgrade this to Sir Douchebag or Commander Douchebag.* The title character of ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'' is only referred to by his codename.* "Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys": The security guard who sends you pre-recorded messages over the phone is nameless, but has been given the nickname "Phone Guy" by the fanbase. [[Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 The sequel]] features a character named [[spoiler:Fritz Smith]], and gives conflicting evidence as to whether or not he is Phone Guy.** Likewise, "Purple Guy" is another security guard [[spoiler:and, essentially, the BigBad of the series.]] This was eventually [[AscendedFanon adopted by Scott himself]] for ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddysWorld''. However, in the AlternateContinuity that is ''Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheSilverEyes'', he does have a name: [[spoiler:William Afton.]]*** It turns out that there's a ''second'' Purple Guy in ''VideoGameFiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'', though the game refers to him as "Eggs Benedict". His real name is [[spoiler:Michael Afton (son of the aforementioned William Afton)]], but he goes by another nickname these days, [[spoiler:Springtrap.]]* It's probably easier to count the number of characters in both ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'' and its sequel who ''aren't'' only known by their nicknames, or go by names that could easily be psuedonyms (such as the Fans in ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'', some of which wear the same type of masks as Jacket did in the first game and just so happen to go by the same names).* In ''VideoGame/NightInTheWoods'', Germ's real name ''might'' be Geremy, but nobody actually knows for certain. He just showed up one day, really.* The Kid from ''VideoGame/{{Bastion}}'' is only ever referred to as such, even when everyone else gets a name. [[LemonyNarrator Rucks]] even lampshades how he hadn't even asked him for his name before sending him out on the main quest of the game.* In the forensics portion of ''[[Videogame/TraumaCenter Trauma Team]]'', your partner character introduces himself as FBI Special Investigator Navel, which is heavily implied by Naomi's dialogue to be an alias. She never calls him by it, and throughout the rest of the game, she only ever refers to him by her own nickname for him, Little Guy.* Unless you read his database profile, you'd never know that ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' Buck's name was actually [[EmbarrassingFirstName Bambi]] Hughes. Not that it makes him any less horrifying of a person by a long shot.* ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'': "Clank" is just a nickname Ratchet came up with early in [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002 the first game]]. Clank's real name is eventually revealed in ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime A Crack In Time]]'', but few characters ever refer to him by it.* Several of the hunters in ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'', for various reasons.** Hyde's real name was classified when he enlisted as a Chemtrooper, though WordOfGod has revealed that it's [[spoiler: Eugene Walters]].** Đorđe �ivković just goes by Lazarus. His specific motives are unexplained, but it's likely out of professional pride as the last Lazarus Man.** The pilot of the ship and resident robot is named 1Z27FHV047FBPQ40-a. Since no one wants to bother saying that he's gone by one nickname or another since his activation. Currently he calls himself Bucket but he used to be RR-40a.** [[ShellShockedVeteran Slim]] himself doesn't know his own name due to repressing his memories, but a line of dialogue points to it being [[spoiler: Alex]].* ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'': All over the place: You have Sun On Yee leaders "Big Smile" Lee, "Two Chin" Tsao, "Broken Nose" Jiang, "Pockmark" Cheuk and "Uncle" Po, the exceptions being Winston Chu and "Dogeyes" Lin, who is occasionally referred to by his birth name (Samuel). Outside the Sun On Yee, there's the Big Bad of the ''Nightmare At North Point'' DLC, known as "Smiley Cat" (much to his chagrin, as he'd much rather be known as "Big Scar" Wu), the aging freelance hitman "Old Salty Crab", the two drugs wholesalers "Four Finger" Wu and "Popstar", street racers Ace and Hotshot, the 18K snitch "Naz" Singh and the all-round slimeballs "Ponytail" and "Johnny Ratface".* ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns'':** In ''Dead Man's Switch'': Party members Coyote and Dodger, bartender Cherry Bomb and janitor Johnny Clean. ** In ''Dragonfall'': Party members Glory, Eiger and Blitz, BTL addict Simmy Kim, drug dealer Zaak Flash, "Mr. Johnson" Green Winters and information broker Alice.** In ''Shadowrun Hong Kong'': Party members Gaichu, [=Is0bel=] and Racter, rigger-turned-street-doc "Ten-armed Ambrose" Rokatansky, underworld hard-asses "Kindly" Cheng and "Strangler" Bao, tech whiz "Maximum Law", Whampoa elder Magpie, weaponsmith "Spider" Shen and street mage "Crafty" Xu.* A lot of the main cast of ''VideoGame/Overwatch'' are mainly referred to by their nickname or codenames:** Tracer - Lexi Oxton** Soldier: 76 - Jack Morrison** Reaper - Gabriel Reyes** Pharah - Fareeha Amari** Widowmaker - Amélie Lacroix** Mercy - Angela Ziegler** D.va - Hana Song** Junkrat - Jamison Fawkes ** Roadhog - Mako Rutledge** Symmetra - Satya Vaswani ** Sombra's real name is currently unknown.[[/folder]][[folder:Visual Novels]]* All the Servants in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' continue using only their class names long after their true identities are revealed. It can be a bit awkward to refer to an apparently teenaged girl by the term "Saber". The only one who is commonly referred to by name is Gilgamesh, who is often called Archer by Saber.* ''Everyone'' except [[OnlyOneName Junpei]] is eligible for this trope in ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors''. The nine players of the [[DeadlyGame Nonary Game]] decide to create nicknames for themselves based on their bracelet numbers; and then there's Zero, their kidnapper, whose name is also fake; and a couple more characters who also receive nicknames temporarily for the sake of explaining their deaths until the others figure out their real ones. Ultimately, we get to know all the real names except for [[NoNameGiven Seven]] and [[OnlyOneName Lotus]].\\\It should be noted that Junpei's companions make a DoubleSubversion out of this trope: Junpei gives them arbitrary nicknames in his head, and then they proceed to say their names... The ''code'' names based on their bracelet numbers. On the other hand, Clover zig-zags this trope by subverting it three times: [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep her real name really is Clover]].* M in ''VisualNovel/ShikkokuNoSharnoth'' is never called anything but that. [[spoiler:He claims not to actually have a name. If he had a name, it would be James.]]* Ciel in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}''. Her real name is Elesia, which is referenced roughly equally relating to her as to her Nightmare in Kagetsu Tohya: One scene.* The servants in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' are all referred to by names ending with the character for "sound" (pronounced "on", "non" or "ne"). Shannon's actual name is Sayo, and Kanon's is Yoshiya. [[spoiler: And then there's the servant who is only known as Yasu. [[AmbiguousGender His/her]] full name is confirmed in the manga to be Sayo Yasuda, further establishing that Shannon and Yasu are the same person.]]* Zen and 707's real names (Hyun Ryu and Luciel Choi, respectively) in ''VisualNovel/MysticMessenger'' are mentioned in the prologue, but V (himself an example of this trope) is nearly the only one to use them. There's also a double-nested example with [[spoiler:707: a player who does the Casual Story first will probably assume that Luciel is his real name, but the Deep Story reveals that Luciel is actually his baptismal name and Saeyoung is his true birth name.]][[/folder]][[folder:Web Comics]]* Redcloak from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. He gives himself and his one-eyed brother Right-Eye easy-to-remember nicknames after witnessing their soon-to-be-partner Xykon murdering a lizardman for having an [[TheUnpronounceable Unpronounceable]] OverlyLongName. Sort of evolves into a MeaningfulRename over time.* "Fox" Maharassa of ''Webcomic/FriendlyHostility'' [[BerserkButton reacts with violence]] to being called by his real name -- "Kailen". WordOfGod is that this is due to years of having to listen to people mispronounce it (it's supposed to be something like "Ka-ee-len", not "Kay-len".)* Riff from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' is actually named "Riffington." No one except his mother has ever actually called him that, except to tease him.* ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'':** Syrus "The Virus" Zuviel is generally only referred to as Virus, unless the person referring to him is either far lower-ranking or far higher-ranking.** Ryoushi Nekittou ("Rogue") is only called Ryoushi by other Daemon Hunters.* Smic from ''[[http://www.jaydenandcrusader.com Jayden and Crusader]]'' is known to all, including his girlfriend, as Smic, which is an abbreviation, apparently, of Strange Man in Cupboard. His real name is Sir Reginald Vladimir Gregory Maximillian Augustus Posthumus Alexander Nicholas Derby, the third Earl of Derbyshire. Apparently the name Smic was adopted for convenience.* ''Webcomic/PathToGreaterGood'' - the mannequin-like creature which apparently saved Tobi writes "3" as its answer to any question... so that's what Tobi calls it.* In ''Webcomic/SoDamnBright'', Anxiety's name is actually Ana Cortez, but "only relatives are allowed to call [her] that."* [[Webcomic/CrowbarBenson "Crowbar" Benson]]. His real first name is unknown to readers, due to the fact that he is only ever referred to by his nickname.* K from ''Webcomic/{{Blip}}''. Her full name is unknown to the readers, and even to her boyfriend.* ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'':** [=PeeJee=], whose real name is Penelope Jennifer Shou. Aubrey and Jason's daughter, Pamela Joycelyn Chorde, is called [=PamJee=] or "Little [=PeeJee=]" after her.** [[OverlyLongName Shazam Wil-Wheaton Dowden-Patel's]] name is usually shortened either some variant of his first name (usually by his father) or middle name (by his mother).* Vauxhall from ''Webcomic/ATaleOfFiction'' is known only as 'Room' to his roommate Harper for a very long time.* In ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'', Jason "Fooker" Barker is initially known only by his nickname to Ki until she interviews at GPF.* Vulture of ''Webcomic/MyLifeAtWar'' (at least we think that isn't his given name) and to a lesser extent Big Al.* Used as a major plot point when [[Webcomic/SluggyFreelance Teddy Weddy]] becomes a character in ''Webcomic/OneOverZero'', as speaking his real name will awaken him from the dead. [[spoiler:He finally comes alive when Zadok realizes his real name was Theodore.]]* A variation in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''. Jade's penpal ([[spoiler: Jake English]]) was only known by his initial, J. After his full name was revealed, J itself turned out to be a nickname for him from one of his friends. Similarly, other characters referred to [[spoiler: Roxy Lalonde]] and [[spoiler: Dirk Strider]] by [[LastNameBasis their last names]], their initials, [[spoiler: Ro-Lal for Roxy and Di-Stri and Bro for Dirk]] before their proper introductions. This is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by the narration.** As revealed on [[http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005520 this page]], "Doc Scratch" is only a nickname.** "Lord English" is likewise pointed out to just be a title, and is what the character was known as for the majority of the comic. His true name is eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:Caliborn]].* Shroomy is the only ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland'' character whose real name doesn't show up in the official [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/newbiestuff/electricwonderland.html bios]].* In ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty'', the title character is only known by his nickname. He once [[https://twitter.com/CommanderKitty/status/3564273957 tried]] to reveal his real one on [[CharacterBlog Twitter]], [[TheUnreveal only to run out of space]].* In ''Webcomic/{{Life}}'', the male lead is not actually named Edward -- but Felicia, and everyone who knows him through Felicia, calls him that.* Shadowpalm in ''Webcomic/LsEmpire'' is an example played for laughs. When your [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 1709 year old brother]], who has known you his entire life, doesn't even know your real name, you qualify.* There is a minor villain in ''{{Webcomic/Roommates}}'', who introduced herself as "Odile", when she debuted in an arc based heavily on ''Theatre/SwanLake'' (and ''{{Film/Inception}}'') so this isn't her name, it was her [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep part]]. She kept the name for convenience later so it's more this trope nowadays.* ''Webcomic/KarinDou4koma'': Inukai Suzume is almost exclusively known by her [[PunnyName punny nickname]], Catherine ("[[NonhumanHumanoidHybrid Fire-bird-dog]]" �> "Ka-Tori-Inu" �> "Catherine")* Buddy Champ Oven from ''WebComic/{{Precocious}}''...sorta. [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep That's actually his]] [[RuleOfFunny full name.]] [[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2009/05/23 Blame his dad Joseph.]]* Amical, Curio, Adrestia and Flux from [[{{Webcomic/Morphe}} morphE]] are only known by their Mage names. Also, Asia Ellis didn't choose a Shadow name with the others because Asia is not her birth name and so cannot be [[IKnowYourTrueName magically used against her]].* In ''Webcomic/GoGetARoomie'' Roomie and WOC have not had their real names revealed to date.* ''Webcomic/MenageA3'' has some minor examples:** Zii notes in [[http://www.ma3comic.com/strips-ma3/i_just_blew_it an early strip]] that her real name is Suzi, but nobody ever calls her that. Strictly speaking, "Zii" is just a contraction of her real name, but it's unusual enough to count.** Everybody calls [=DiDi=] solely by that nickname -- except Sandra, who usually calls her Desirée. Again, "[=DiDi=]" is a sort of contraction of her real name, but it's both slightly unusual and [[GagBoobs highly descriptive]].** A one-character-only version; Gary was originally referred to by Yuki solely as "Violator-San". However, after he gave her flowers (made out of [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mushrooms]] and drum sticks), she started [[FirstNameBasis calling him by his real name]]. [[http://www.ma3comic.com/d/20110407.html Or not.]]* Zig Zag from ''Webcomic/SabrinaOnline'' has only got angry a few times, one of which was when Sabrina addressed her as 'Miss Zumbrowski'. She very firmly established that her name is ''Zig Zag'', and that Zumbrowski was just the name she gave the IRS.** She seems to have got it changed by deed poll. Later in a courtroom a lawyer questions the fact that they're calling her Zig Zag and she states she "...has the paperwork and everything".* In ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'', [[http://dragondoctors.dhscomix.com/archives/comic/ch-2-page-19 "Sarin" was a nickname given to a poisonous bully of a child at an orphanage]] -- and although Sarin [[HeelFaceTurn learned better than to continue being that person]], she never actually told anyone her birth name until [[spoiler:[[http://dragondoctors.dhscomix.com/archives/comic/ch-17-page-45 she proposed to Mori]]]] (and she still goes by 'Sarin').* In ''Webcomic/TheSilverEye'', Melete Dolan is referred to as "Blue" or "Blue Dolan" by everyone except Bhatair.* The villain of the "Identity" arc in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' is only known by his forum handle. He actually tries to announce his real name several times, but no-one cares. Even when other characters who know his real name arrive, they never actually use it.* The Dreaming Dome teachers in ''Webcomic/AliceAndTheNightmare'' do give their names at the beginning of the lesson, but after that, both them, other characters and the narrative refer to them as Dee and Dum.* Assistant in ''Webcomic/{{Gloomverse}}''.* Cog Kleinschmidt from ''Webcomic/{{Clockwork}}'' goes exclusively by the nickname his sister gave him as a baby, as it has more meaning attached to it than his real name for him after his father and sister calling him it.* The {{Super Soldier}}s from ''WebComic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'' don't have "real" names so much as serial numbers, so they mostly go by self-selected monikers. For example, the main character's serial number is "D37-9E-B52", so he called himself [[Music/TheB52s Rock Lobster]] (it was both more humble and more accurate than "Love Shack"), and his siblings/batchmembers/squadmates are "D37-9E-A53" (Ace), "D37-9E-J37" (Jet) and "D37-9E-C47" (Cat). Jet is HappilyMarried to V47-KR-A43 (Angel). However, Rock Lobster is very rarely referred to by either name or serial number. Most people adress him by as "Commander" or, more fully "Commander Badass".[[/folder]][[folder:Web Original]]* The Whisperer in ''Roleplay/{{Enigma}}''. Very few even know what he looks like (or what manner of feline he is), let alone his actual name. * Vex and Vax in ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' don't usually get called by their full names (Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan) unless they're being officially addressed, and [[OverlyLongName Percival Frederickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III]] just goes by Percy. Gilmore is also this, by way of LastNameBasis.* In ''WebVideo/EchoChamber'', [[BestKnownForTheFanservice Porn Girl]] is always "Porn Girl". For that matter, [[MysteriousEmployer Mr. Administrator]] [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep seems to be the only one of the main cast]] who isn't TheDanza.* Sarge of Machinima/RedVsBlue. (Although this later turns out to be a case of HisNameReallyIsBarkeep.) Most fans probably don't remember Doc's real name ([=DuFresne=]), since it was only mentioned once or twice. Sister's name (Kaikaina) is only revealed in external materials. Most of the Freelancers are likewise known only by their codenames, though several of the more important ones do get revealed (Tex is Alison, Washington is David, and Wyoming is Reginald).* In the [[Website/{{Chooseyourstory}} CYS]] story-game WebOriginal/{{Eternal}}, your abusive teacher is initially known only as Mistress. Even after her real name is revealed, she is still often referred to as Mistress.* [[WebVideo/RedPandaAdventures The Red Panda]] is never referred to by his real name, even in his secret identity.* Does [[WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog Captain Hammer]] have a civilian name? Who knows?* In ''WebVideo/TheGuild'', most of the characters prefer to be addressed by the names they use in the game they all play. We, the audience, still don't know the real name of Tinkerballa, a.k.a. Tink.** Spoiler! As of season 5, we do. It's [[spoiler: April Lou, which is why she hid it.]]* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': The Custodes that the Emperor has chosen as his confidante is only known to the other Custodes as... [[EmbarrassingNickname little Kitten]].* Several WebVideo/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum agents work this way, picking [[AwesomeMcCoolname whatever sounds cool]]. Agents adopted from badfics also tend to have to change their names. Within RealLife this is because of copyright issues in case the badfic author sees it and gets annoyed, and within the canon the characters tend not to want to be reminded of their badfic-related pasts.* Everyone in The Literature/BinderOfShame is known by a [[MeaningfulName Meaningful Nickname]], to protect their real-life identities.* Calling [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation Yahtzee]] "Ben" is good way to piss him off.* In WebVideo/PhilthonJones, it's always "Jones", never James.* The [[LetsPlay Let's Players]] of LetsPlay/TippingForties have all taken to using their real names rather than online handles with the exception of Micheal aka bandunk, who is generally referred to as bandunk with the exception to the OnceAnEpisode greeting.** Conversely, the LetsPlay/FreelanceAstronauts all call each other by their respected handles (Maxwell Adams, Evek, Ferr, and pipes!!). Of course, every once in a while, they'll slip up (either in a moment of IsThisThingStillOn? for Evek or {{Angrish}} for pipes!!), and that's when their UStream erupts in chatter.* WebVideo/EpicMealTime's Muscles Glasses.* Abused in the ''Roleplay/MSFHighForum'', with [=NPCs=] of Mitchell. There's a good reason, though. He's terrible with names!** Examples include Snuggles, the hug-happy Kappa; Apprentice, the apprentice demonslayer; and The Mysterious Deviling, a Deviling cowgirl.* The Mallers from WereAlive seem fond of this. Latch, Scratch, Bricks, and Puck are all nicknames or may be nicknames. The Colony also has Gatekeeper who names himself after whatever job he has at the time.* On the game music podcast NitroGameInjection, co-host Suraida never goes by her real name on the air.* Odd example in Website/SomethingAwful's Spring/Summer[[WebcomicTime (/Fall/Winter]] 2011) Ghost Story Thread: The [[http://nothotbutspicy.com/para/50fa3/ "Site Kilo-29"]] (finished on SA) and [[http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3402557&userid=64773 "Cursed Snoopy"]] (after the pictures; apparently abandoned?) epics by users 50 Foot Ant and[=OneWhiteWhisker=]. Because these eerie stories are framed as actual events, they're always referred to as Fifty or Sgt. Ant and Whisker (son of Mr. and Mrs. White) by characters within the story but only as covers for their real names. Which makes the time when Sgt. Ant actually shouts [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "I AM THE FIFTY FOOT ANT!"]] extra hilarious ("Sgt. Ant, are you calling yourself an ant?").* The protagonist of ''Literature/LovelaceOneTwo'' is named Andrea Gannett-Moore, but everyone -- students and teachers alike -- calls her Andi.* [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/art/Bunny-in-her-Proper-409443930 Bunny]] is, well, referred to as, well, Bunny but, according to [[http://tokiandcowiki.wikidot.com/wiki:bunny-rabbitwright her profile]], her real name is Ethelinda Berniece Rabbitwright. However, her real name or rather shorter forms of her name have been mentioned in some stories. Naturally, people merely refer to her as "Bunny" or, as Toki or Doki calls her, Usagi. Her little sister's name is Madgeline and she is generally known as Madgie.** We also have this with [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/art/Jinx-and-Spin-213888113 Jinx and Spin]], to which Amoridere states their real names are [[Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg Jinxers]] and Spinner respectively. ** Toki-Doki Rose [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/art/Toki-Doki-Rose-406248626]] is mostly called "Rose", even by her mother. However, that could be because the "Toki-Doki" part isn't really apart of her name any more than it probably is a title or an optional extension, which is something that, apparently, doesn't have to be apart of her name.* If certain comments are to be believed, a rather large number of [[LetsPlay/JackSepticEye JackSepticEye's]] subscribers don't seem to realize his real first name is Sean.* [=YouTube=]-based sword enthusiast Björn Kronisch is almost always referred to as either WebVideo/{{Skallagrim}} or Skall.* Due to ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'' happening mostly inside the game the characters are playing, this is the case of a large majority of the cast. The real names so far known are those of Fantöm (Max Middle), Arthéon (Stanislas Chatelain), Gaea (Gabrielle Jolivet), Omega Zell (Morgan Lavande), Sparadrap (Kevin Lepape), Golgotha (Catherine Mourru), Ystos (Thomas [[spoiler:Lepape]]), Saphir (Elena Penelope Gonagal), Couette (Angélique Fleur), Ivy (Fanny Blanchet) and Judge Dead (Théodore Saquebien). The game creator is the only character only called by his real name. The identity of the player behind a given avatar is a regular source of plot twists.* From Wiki/{{Killerbunnies}} we have: Computer Virus, her real name is Cassandra Vanessa.** There is also Visceraline and that is only because her full real name is too long or hard to say. ** Remilia is an interesting case in that she was actually born Fraulein Petersen and "Remilia" was actually name given to her by he adoptive father, taking the name Remilia Fraulein Petersen. However, her real name, "Fraulein" is also in question as per her updated profile** The Evans Triplets are mostly known by their nicknames being either Fern, Tommie, and Flori or their nicknames Scissors, Chainsaw, and Nails.** According to their profile, Kamu was originally named Kuma but for some reason decided to go by "Kamu" instead. It's never stated but it could have something to do with the fact that "Kuma" can be easily misspelled as "Kamu"** Hattie's real name is Harriotte. ** According to her deviantArt description, Milo is generally known by various nicknames, one of which being Mahalo** Experiment [=XI0014101=] is more often than not called "Marigold" and she ''prefers'' to be called that, over the aforementioned.** Oleander is normally called nicknames, more commonly Imogene, because, apparently, people can never seem to remember her real name.** Fae Chantrea's real name is Fleurdelice Belladonna Fae Chantrea Enderstone ** Farahilde is typically called Fabienne or "Fabie"** We also have Experiment 0099-404 who tends to go by "Mikie" or, rather, "Michealenne"** Cerise's real name is Hyacinth Angelica Cerise Blumenthal** Ardith is typically called Ardie.** Xylona, Cybie, and Bria are actually named Absinthe, Cybele, and Briallen.** Rudolphina is usually called "Rudie" and her little sister often called "Frie-Rox"** Greasestain's real name is "Gunhilde"** Frankie is short for "Francinia"** Harlie is typically called "Gas" and you can see why** Racquel is called "Nia"** Second Liberator's real name is Saoirse Lizanne[[/folder]][[folder:Western Animation]]* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': The eponymous character is only referred to as Gumball, but it's only in "The Promise" that it's stated to be a nickname. In "The Name" his full name is revealed (to both the audience and himself) to be Zach Tristopher Watterson [[spoiler: but by the end of the episode "Gumball" [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep has legally become his actual name.]]]]* Steven Anita Smith from ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''.* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'':** Everyone refers to the title character's sister as D.W., when her real name is Dora Winifred (after her grandmother). This is lampshaded in a later episode when she goes missing in the White House.--> '''Dad''': Her name is D.W.--> '''White House Guard''': That's it? Initials? You didn't give the kid a full name?** Also, there's the Brain. His real name is Alan. His classmates are often confused when he is called this.** There's also Mary Alice "Muffy" Crosswire and Shelley "Binky" Barnes. Binky is an interesting case in that he had ''forgotten'' his name was "Shelley", as he's been referred to exclusively as "Binky" most of his life.* ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'':** Dodie and her little brother Hoodsey are only called "Deidre" and "Robert-Joseph" by their mother. ** Mipsy is referred to by her nickname by everyone but her teachers.* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':** [[ProfessionalKiller Combustion Man]], whose name Sokka made up. He has a real name, but it is never revealed. Zuko knows it, but doesn't divulge it; when Sokka calls him Combustion Man, Zuko replies, "Well, that's not his name, but--" before getting interrupted.** A lot of the people in Jet's gang ([[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Duke]], Pipsqueak, Longshot, Sneers).** And of course, the Cabbage Man.* Similarly, Batman in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' is only seen and referred to by his superhero identity. However, this only applies to him; all of the other superheroes are often seen as their secret identities and called by their real names. This is even reflected in the credits, as everyone else is credited as "Superhero name/SecretIdentity" (e.g. Jaime Reyes/The ComicBook/BlueBeetle) but he's just credited as "Batman". The exception is in "Chill of the Night!" when Bats confronts Joe Chill, and declares, "I...am Bruce Wayne!"* ''Belphegor'', from the series of the same name. He's well known under the name "Belphegor" and everyone, himself included, always refers to him as such. He also goes to great lengths to prevent people from seeing his face or finding out his real name. Understandable, since he's a wanted criminal.* Unlike Daedalus Boch [[ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames never being called "Doodlebug"]], Junkyard Dog in ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'' falls here, never being referred to by his real name, Tucker Long.* In ''WesternAnimation/BooBoomTheLongWayHome'' has the titular main character, Boo-Boom. His real name is Filippo, but pretty much the entire series he is only known by his nickname Boo-Boom, which was given to him by his five animal companions since they don't know his real name he is unable to tell them due to having become TheSpeechless. * On ''WesternAnimation/{{COPS}}'', both the Cops and the Crooks are virtually never referred to by their real names, only their code names and aliases. This is especially notable in the case of PJ "Longarm" O'Malley; his father and son are both recurring characters, and even they only ever call him Longarm. Only Bulletproof has his real name, Baldwin P. Vess, mentioned more than once.* A character from ''WesternAnimation/ComboNinos'' is known as "Old Head". It's revealed in one episode that his real name is Bernie.* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' practically everyone calls Michael Jackson Mackenzie "[[SatelliteCharacter Mack]]" or ([[EmbarrassingNickname to his annoyance]]) "Mack-Daddy;" the one exception is his girlfriend, [[ExtracurricularEnthusiast Jodie]]. Likewise, Charles Ruttheimer III is "Chuck" to himself and his cousins but "[[ExtravertedNerd Upchuck]]" to everyone else.* On [[Creator/DisneyChannel Disney Junior's]] ''WesternAnimation/DocMcStuffins'', everyone refers to the titular character as "Doc," even her parents. Her real name, Dottie, was only mentioned during the series' first episode.* Presto from the ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons'' cartoon series. His nickname precedes the kids' journey into the Realm.* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'':** "Double D" (Eddward) is referred to that way by everyone bar his parents, due to being best friends with two guys with incredibly similar names. He's also called "Edd".** Also Eddy's brother is only referred to as such, even in the credits for TheMovie. Despite rumors, the creators haven't really given him a name as of now.** Both Ed and Eddy count too, for the same reason as Double D - they're all named "Ed(d)ward".* Megan, Christopher and Stewart in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. Meg's been called Megan a few times, mostly early on. Then again, "A Fistful of Meg" implied her real name was [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Megatron]] after Peter wrote it on her birth certificate.* Frankie (Frances Foster) and Bloo (Blooregard Q. Kazoo) from ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' are almost always referred to by their respective nicknames by everyone. It's justified at least in Bloo's case, since he was made up and given that name by Mac, when the latter was three years old. Nobody would stick to a name a very little kid gave him. Notably, [[AntiquatedLinguistics Mister Herriman]] does not abide by this, and calls them "Miss Frances" and "Master Blooregard," respectively.* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':** "That Guy" from the episode "Futurestock". WordOfGod says his real name is Steve Castle.** There's also Nibbler. Who, for brevity's sake, goes by Nibbler because, as he puts it, "In the time it would take to pronounce one letter of my true name, a trillion cosmoses would flair into existence and sink into eternal night."** Bender Bending Rodríguez a.k.a. Bending Unit 22** "Clamps" is revealed in "Silence of the Clamps" as Francis X. Clampazzo. It would be interesting if the X is for Xavier, to make him named after the founder of the Jesuits.* On ''WesternAnimation/GoldieAndBear'', Golidlocks generally goes by "Goldie" and TheBigBadWolf goes by "Big Bad" and has the real first name of [[EmbarrassingFirstName Aloysius.]]* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':** [[SeekerArchetype Dipper]], after his [[DistinguishingMark Big Dipper-shaped birthmark on his forehead]]. His birth name was unknown for the entire series, and was only revealed to be [[spoiler:Mason Pines]] in a book released months after the series ended.** Also Soos, which according to his driver's license, is short for Jesús (hay-SOOS).* "Piff" from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''. Billy calls him this because he refuses to speak on account of his high-pitched voice.* El Toro in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures''. "El Toro Fuerte" is the full name, though this may not be his real name. While we're on subject, how about Uncle?* All The Misfits and The Stingers from ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' go exclusively by their StageNames. Pizzazz outright gets mad when called "Phyllis", and when visiting Philly Roxanne insists her old friends call her "Roxy."* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' has Jamie "Peep" Two-Squirrels.** This caused Heloise to get her hopes up when she started receiving love notes from a secret admirer with the initials "J.2.S."...* Race Bannon of ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' fame. In the ''[[WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures Real Adventures]]'' episode "Race against Danger" he tells Jonny his real name, and Jonny's understandably flabbergasted. "''Roger?!''" The name "Roger" had been used in the classic series.* ''WesternAnimation/KickButtowski'':** Kick, Mouth, and [[NoNameGiven Emo Kid]].** Pantsy is presumable not the given name of Mouth's older brother, either. Maybe it's a family thing.* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' has Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt. Lucky got his nickname from an incident at Costco when he'd injured himself tripping on pee-pee in the restroom. He sued the store and received a cash settlement.* In ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicalAdventuresOfQuasimodo'', Quasi's real name is Jacques de Bernassac, but everyone calls him Quasimodo.* ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'': The main hero, Coop, is only ever called that, even by his own mother. His last name is shown to be Cooplowski, but no first name is given.* Pickles in ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}''. At least we assume it's a nickname. In a world where Murderface's last name REALLY IS Murderface, it's possible that's his birth name (his parents and brother have been in the show several times and have only called him that).* The unknown masked man seeking revenge on Mike Chilton in ''WesternAnimation/{{Motorcity}}'', [[TheFaceless whose identity was never revealed]] is nicknamed "Red" by Texas.* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':** Pinkamena Diane Pie, better known to everyone as [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Pinkie]] [[GenkiGirl Pie.]] She's the OddNameOut when it comes to the main characters because "Pinkie" is a nickname instead of her full name.** Mi Amore Cadenza is always called "Cadance". Even Twilight, who she babysat as a teen and was good friends with, didn't realize the mare her brother was marrying was Cadance.* In ''Franchise/MyLittlePonyG3'' Spike had the full name of "Kenbroth Gilspotten Heathspike", though everyone still just called him Spike.* Moose (Margaret Rose) Pearson from ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn''.* Ferb from ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb.'' It's short for--[[TheUnReveal oh, there's that thing I was looking for]]. Given a ContinuityNod later when his ''sister'' admits she doesn't know. Dan Povenmire said he would reveal what Ferb is short for if someone guessed. [[https://twitter.com/DanPovenmire/status/633114492788838400 It's "Ferbs."]]* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite'' is only ever called by her real name, "Wisp", in her origin. Characters refer to her as either "Rainbow" or "Rainbow Brite". It's possible she [[ThatManIsDead gave up]] her name when she joined the Color Kids.* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'':** TJ is this way. The T is for Theodore; the J stands for an EmbarrassingMiddleName. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed to be Jasper.]]** Spinelli is known by her last name, but that's because her first name is Ashley and in the ''Recess'' world, the Ashleys are a group of shallow {{Valley Girl}}s, and Spinelli is a tomboy who hates girly things.* Lots of characters from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' fit this trope:** Adults -- Andrew "Drew," Stuart "Stu" and Didila "Didi" Pickles, Elizabeth "Betty" DeVille, Charles "Chas" Finster, and Randall "Randy" and Lucille "Lucy" Carmichael.** Kids -- Thomas "Tommy" and Dylan "Dil" Pickles, Charles "Chuckie" and Kimiko "Kimi" Finster, Phillip "Phil" and Lilian "Lil" DeVille, and Susanna "Susie" Carmichael.*** It's averted for Charlotte and Angelica Pickles, Howard DeVille and Kira Finster. Although Betty does sometimes Howard "Howie" and Charlotte "Char," and in one episode, an adult referred to Angelica as "Angie."*** About the only time Phil and Lil's full names get used are when Lil and Phil themselves (respectively) feel like mocking each other. "You're doing it wrong, ''Phil''-lip." "No I'm not, ''Lil''-li-an."* Jack of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''. We never learn the true name of the Samurai Warrior. The only reason he earned the name Jack, was because he impressed some jive-talking bystanders immediately upon entering the future. Jack adopted the nickname. * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':** Krusty, Sideshow Mel and Sideshow Bob might be borderline examples of this; while they do have full names (Krusty's is Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski, Mel's is Melvin Van Horne and Bob's is Robert Underdunk Terwilliger), they're rarely used on the show (Krusty's ''full'' name is never used; the most we hear is Herschel Krustofski).** We're forgetting the most important one: Bartholomew "Bart" Simpson.** Margaret "Maggie" Simpson and Marjorie "Marge" Simpson.** Comic Book Guy was given the canon name Jeff Albertson in "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", but you'd be forgiven for not knowing it. The subtitles for the 20th season [=DVD=] box set label him simply "Jeff". Interestingly, voice actor Hank Azaria has stated that the person upon whom he based Comic Book Guy's voice was a college dorm mate that everyone knew as "F". * ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'':** Shaggy's name is "Norville Rogers".** Scooby as well. In at least some incarnations it's short for Scoobert.* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has Leopold "Butters" Stotch. Kenneth 'Kenny' [=McCormick=], Stanley 'Stan' Marsh, and Eric Cartman (who is only ever called Eric by his mother, various teachers, Butters and sometimes Jimmy) count too.* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': ** Unlike on ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' or the [[ComicBook/TeenTitans source comics]], the heroes never call each other by their civilian names as seen in the comics (which has led to much debate among fans as to ''which'' of the many boys who have filled the role of Robin is the Robin on ''Teen Titans''). The only exceptions (unless you count Cyborg using his last name, "Stone", as an alias while going undercover in season 3) are Beast Boy and Starfire, both called their real names by relatives. If you're wondering, their names are Garfield Logan and Koriand'r, respectively. Raven, well, that's actually her given name (many mistake her name for being "Rachel Roth" but that was an alias). It's actually a little unusual that they never use their real names considering they're best friends. Starfire's a direct translation and B.B. appears to be fleeing the onus of [[EmbarrassingFirstName Garfield]], but this would imply Dick doesn't trust the rest of the team enough for them to know his real name and Cyborg has emotionally distanced himself from "Victor Stone".** Although one could probably speculate that because Larry, the Robin fanboy from another dimension, has a real name of Nosyarg Kcid ([[SdrawkcabName Dick Grayson backwards]]), and he and Robin share DNA...* In ''WesternAnimation/TheTelebugs'', Arcadia is so called because she always gets the high scores in video games. Her true name is never revealed.* The title characters of the animated series ''This One and That One'' about two twin anthropomorphic cats are called this because when they were really young and running around the house, their Dad said to their Mom "You get this one, and I'll get that one!" The names stuck.* In addition to Duck's example (see the Literature folder), ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' also gives us Gerald, better known as Gator, as his sloping water tanks make him look like an alligator.* ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' has resident GadgeteerGenius "Brains", whose real name is only mentioned in one episode. (It's "Hiram Hackenbacker", by the way.) [[WesternAnimation/ThunderbirdsAreGo The reboot]] has {{Race Lift}}ed him into a BollywoodNerd, so presumably this is no longer canon.* Babs Bunny from ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' is in fact named Barbara Anne Bunny. Calling her by her full name [[DoNotCallMePaul is an easy way to get on her bad side.]]* Rock and Spud from ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace''. While Rock could be his real name, Spud almost certainly isn't.* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', apparently ''everyone'' in the Autobot military goes by a nickname given to them by their drill sergeant. For example, one bot was shown to be good with stingers (small, electric weapons), he was named "Wasp", and when a certain yellow bot fails to show him up with the same weapon, he's considered a bumbler, and from that he gets the name "[[KidAppealCharacter Bumblebee]]".** Most of the Transformers in ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' are assumed to be going by nicknames they made up based on their alt-modes (Rattrap, Cheetor, Scorponok, etc). This got somewhat confusing when comics were made about them before they gained their alt-modes, which took pains to avoid mentioning their in-series names (at least, for characters who chose their new names onscreen).* Both Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!! from ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}''. The former's full name is Blinkous Galadrigal, and only Vendel ever calls him such, and the latter's is Argumont, only referred to by Aaarrrgghh's species' queen.* ''WesternAnimation/UnderGrads'': Parker "Nitz" Walsh, Gimpy and Mump. Nitz's real name is mentioned a few times over the series, with Nitz himself claiming in the pilot to have forgotten how and when he acquired that name. No elaboration is given for Gimpy or Mump, whose real names are not revealed.* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Nobody ever calls Dr. Venture "Thaddeus." It's always "Rusty" (his childhood nickname) or "Doc", which is funny since he never actually finished college. (He has an honorary doctorate from a university in Tijuana, Mexico.) There are several others whose real name we know, but who go by their nickname 99.9% of the time: the Monarch (Malcolm,) Dr. Girlfriend/Dr. Mrs. the Monarch (Sheila,) Phantom Limb (Hamilton,) and Sgt. Hatred (Courtney.) Henchman #21 also counts, though he has spent more time going by his real name (Gary) than any of the previously listed characters have.* Robin and ComicBook/{{Superboy}} in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', unlike the rest of the team. Robin because Batman insists that his identity is kept secret and Superboy because he doesn't have any other name. Artemis is a special case where her real name is Artemis, but the others (except possibly Robin, who goes to her school) don't know that. Rob's actually a double example: except for Wally, the team only knows him as "Robin," and his civilian friends and family only call him "Dick." This is something fanfic writers seem to get wrong: they constantly refer to him as "Richard" (he's even listed as "Richard G." on FanFiction.Net's character select drop-down), but the only time canon he's ever referenced his given name is during his back story flashback in the tie-in comics. ** When Superboy starts school, he takes the name "Conner Kent."[[/folder]][[folder:Real Life]]* There are a lot of royals from the Antiquity until the 18th century who share similar first names like Henry, Charles, Edward, Philippe, Maria, Mary, Gustav, George, John. To keep them apart ancient historians came up with self-invented nicknames for these people that usually describe their characters (UsefulNotes/RamsesII the Great, UsefulNotes/CyrusTheGreat, UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, UsefulNotes/PompeyTheGreat, Philippe the Good, Charles the Bold, John the Fearless, Louis the Pious, Akbar the Great, UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionHeart, Suleiman the Magnificent, William the Conqueror, Ivan the Terrible, UsefulNotes/PeterTheGreat, UsefulNotes/CatherineTheGreat, UsefulNotes/RobertTheBruce, UsefulNotes/FrederickTheGreat, UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler,...), mental state (Johanna the Mad), race or ethnicity (Philippe the Arab, UsefulNotes/ShakaZulu, Louis the German,...) or a notable physical appearance (Pippin the Short, Charles the Bald, Charles the Fat, Frederick Barbarossa (''Red Beard'')) or age (UsefulNotes/WilliamPittTheElder, UsefulNotes/WilliamPittTheYounger, Louis the Child,...). These names were definitely '''not''' used during the royals own lifetime. In many cases the epithet ''the good'' or ''the bad'' is now contested by modern historians, because they were often applied to judgments and standards of people in later centuries. For instance, UsefulNotes/MaryTudor, nicknamed ''Bloody Mary,'' may have executed a lot of people during her reign, but [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]], who was often called ''Good Queen Bess,'' didn't shy away from executing people either.* UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}: Caligula was his nickname and literally means ''little boot.''* [[UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun Attila (the Hun)]] is known by the name ("little father") that the Goths gave him. His real name is lost to history.* Some historical characters are nicknamed after the place they were born or grew up in:** UsefulNotes/EleanorOfAquitaine was from Aquitaine, France.** Creator/LeonardoDaVinci was from Vinci, Italy.** Godfrey of Bouillon was from Bouillon, nowadays Belgium, but back then France.** Maria of Burgundy was from Burgundy, France.* Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar is better remembered as ''El Cid'' ("The Lord")* Arthur Wellesley is much better known as UsefulNotes/TheDukeOfWellington.* Creator/CharlieChaplin: His official name is Charles Spencer Chaplin, but everyone -- even serious encyclopaedia -- refer to him as "Charlie" Chaplin.* Creator/ChuckJones: Nobody refers to him as "Charles M. Jones."* Many outlaws of any kind can known by their nicknames instead of their real name as they gain notorierity.** Edward Teach was nicknamed ''UsefulNotes/{{Blackbeard}}'' and is still better known under this name.** UsefulNotes/BillyTheKid: Actually named William H. Bonney, but nicknamed ''Billy the Kid'' because he was a teenager when he went around committing his crimes.** UsefulNotes/CalamityJane: Martha Jane Cannary was nicknamed ''Calamity Jane'' because of her tough image.** Dentist, gambler and gunslinger Dr. John Henry Holliday is primarily remembered by his nickname "Doc".** UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper was nicknamed that way, because nobody ever knew his identity.** Serial killer Donald H. Gaskins Jr. was called "Pee Wee" or "Junior Parrott" so often that he was a teenager when he first heard his real name. "Pee Wee" or piss, referring to his shot stature which leads him to become bullying victim.* Creator/BuffaloBill: William F. Cody lives on in the public consciousness as ''Buffalo Bill'', a name derived from his talent for shooting bisons and buffaloes and exploited during his WildWest shows.* Many athletes can get nicknames because their feature and performance.** James "Big Cat" Williams.** Orenthal James "OJ" Simpson.** Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone. Billiards player.** Adam "Pacman" Jones. He tried to tell media to stop using it, but no one listened.** George Herman [[UsefulNotes/BabeRuth "Babe" Ruth.]]** Lawrence "Yogi" Berra.** Denton True "Cy" Young. "Cy" was short for "Cyclone", because he threw real hard.** Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr. Basketball player.** Eldrick "Tiger" Woods. Golfer. ** Lawrence Jones, recently-retired third baseman for the Atlanta Braves, is more familiarly known as "Chipper."** Early NASCAR star Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts.** German football player (soccer that is) and contestant for "[[UnnecessaryRoughness most gruesome foul of all time]]" Harald "Toni" Schuhmacher.** Several racehorse trainers have been known to fans only by nicknames, including Grover "Buddy" Delp, Claude "Shug" [=McGaughey=] III, and Hubert "Sonny" Hine.** Too many Brazilian football players to list are known only by their ''noms-de-foot'', to name just three: Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), Tostão (Eduardo Gonzalves de Andrade), and Zico (Arthur Antunes Coimbra). Many may be self-chosen, though. A few enter FirstNameBasis (''Ronaldo'' Luiz Nazário de Lima and ''Marta'' Vieira da Silva).*** This isn't restricted to football in Brazil�many people in other sports are known by single names. To name just three examples, volleyball player Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho[[note]]"Filho" is not a family name, but rather the equivalent to "Junior" in English[[/note]] is better known as Giba; women's basketball legend ''Hortência'' de Fátima Marcari entered FirstNameBasis; and men's basketball player Maybyner Rodney Hilário became known as Nenê, and eventually adopted that as his ''full legal name.''*** Many Spanish football players also become known by just one name, such as Xavi (full name Xavier Hernández i Creus), Guti (José María Gutiérrez Hernández) and Raúl (full name Raúl González Blanco). A few players from other countries also become known by only one name, such as the Ivorian Gervinho (Gervais Yao Kouassi) and the Serbian-born American Preki (Predrag Radosavljević).** While most MixedMartialArts fighters have a nickname in addition to their actual name, many are billed with their nickname in place of part of their actual name. This is particularly common with Brazilian fighters.*** Mirko Cro Cop instead of Mirko Filipovic. He was an actual Croatian anti-terrorism officer.*** Renan Barão instead of Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado. "Barão" means "Baron."*** Cezar Mutante instead of Cezar Ferreira. "Mutante" means "mutant" and refers to the ''ComicBook/XMen.''*** Rony Jason instead of Rony Mariano Bezerra. "Jason" refers to the villain of the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' franchise.** Many well known boxers, such as James "Buster" Douglas, Rocco "Rocky" Marciano, James "Bonecrusher" Smith and Donovan "Razor" Ruddock are commonly referred to by their nickname.* George Creator/OrsonWelles. Even ''he'' didn't know his first name was "George" until he was in elementary school.* Ali Hassan al-Majid, former holder of multiple defense -- and intelligence-related offices under Saddam Hussein in Iraq, was nicknamed ''Chemical Ali'' by Iraqis for his use of chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels, a nickname that was picked up by media throughout the world, especially the U.S.* Muhammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Saddam's information (read: propaganda) minister at the time of the Gulf War, was nicknamed ''Baghdad Bob'' in the American press and ''Comical Ali'' in the British press.* Many astronaut examples include:** Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom.** Charles "Pete" Conrad** and Harrison "Jack" Schmitt.** Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton.** Thomas Kenneth "Ken" Mattingly II.** Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. Later took the name by deed poll.* An interesting case: In many historical cultures it has been custom to call certain things (most especially animals) by euphemism (the Greeks referring to the Erinyes as Eumenides or "The Kindly Ones" is one such example, TheFairFolk is another) to avoid their attention. A particularly interesting case is the word "bear" (and it's variations in other Germanic languages) that is precisely such a euphemism. Only, we have no idea what the original name was. Bears are ''literally'' only known by their nicknames.** Swedish has another case: The Swedish word for Wolf is ''Varg'' which originally meant "murderer", and was used as a euphemism for ''ulv'' (which is the same word as "wolf") nowadays ''ulv'' is a dead word while ''Varg'' is the one commonly used to describe the species.* Early Soviet leaders used this quite often. In several cases, this started before the Soviets came to power, as an attempt to mask their true identities from the then-current authorities.** Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov - "[[UsefulNotes/VladimirLenin Lenin]]" (probably from the River Lena).** Iosev Vissarionovich Djugashvili - "UsefulNotes/JosefStalin" (from the Russian word for steel).** Lev Bronstein - "UsefulNotes/LeonTrotsky" (he supposedly took the last name of one of his jailors).** Vyacheslav Skriabin - "Molotov" (from the Russian word for hammer).* Subcomandante Marcos, the leader of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (a Mexican rebel movement fighting for the rights of the indigenous people) is only known by his NomDeGuerre.* There are also several German politicians which are regularly referred to by their nickname instead of their first name, like the [[strike:governor]] former first burgomaster of Hamburg ''"Ole" von Beust'' and former Minister of Foreign Affairs ''"Joschka" Fischer''. Former German chancellor ''Willy Brandt'' was born ''Herbert Frahm'', but exclusively used the name of his undercover identity as a resistance fighter when he returned to Germany after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.* A couple of Latin American examples: Luiz Inácio da Silva is always known as ''Lula'' -- to the point of adding it to his actual legal name -- and Ernesto Guevara is much more famous as ''Che.'' And one ''norteamericano'' example: When was the last time you heard someone refer to President ''William'' Clinton?** The best Presidential example is [[UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr]]. He was the first President to officially sign documents with his nickname rather than his full name. Back during his days there were even official news agencies and TV channels who refused to name him "Jimmy" Carter, because it sounded so childish.** Averted, though (at least in his political career) by Barack "Once Called Himself Barry" Obama.** Not limited to presidents, either. When a certain young American-born Indian (South Asian, not [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans Native American]]) named Piyush was growing up in Baton Rouge, he regularly watched reruns of ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' after school, and strongly identified with the family's youngest son. He grew up to become a U.S. congressman, two-term governor of Louisiana, and Republican presidential hopeful. While his legal first name remains Piyush, everyone calls him Bobby Jindal.* One of the most famous Spanish guerrilla leaders of the war against Napoleon was Don Juan Martin Diaz, known as ''el Empecinado''. After the war he got royal permission to use his nickname instead of "Diaz".* In historical China, men (and sometimes women) received courtesy names at age 20. Elders could still use your birth name, but everyone else had to use this courtesy name. This means that many Chinese historical figures are only referred to by their nicknames - [[UsefulNotes/{{Daoism}} Laozi]], most of the characters in Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms, Chiang Kai-Shek, and Sun Yat-Sen for example. Confucius is a double-example: his birth-name was Kong Qiu, his courtesy name was Zhongni, and he is most often called Kong Fuzi ('Great Master Kong'), which Matteo Rici [[AltumVidetur Latinised]] to 'Confucius.'* Creator/SpikeMilligan (real first name Terrence).* Happen a lot on {{MMORPG}}s unless the person happens to use their real name. Many times no or little effort is made to learn real names.** Also happens with certain subcultures, including online ones, where someone can be known for years just by one's "handle" or "con name." Some [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom furries]], for example, go to the extent of having alt Facebook accounts named under their fursonas and address themselves at meets under those names. If the name sounds human enough they may well not even be questioned.* Some Christian saints are known by their "nicknames", for instance the apostles (Simon called) Peter, Andrew and Thomas (Greek words meaning "the Rock", "the Manly" and "the Twin"), and St. Francis of Asisi (real name: Giovanni Battista Bernardone, his nickname Francesco means "Frenchy").* A number of old families have two names, an older one and another they acquired later (which can be a simplified form of the former), these can be linked by the word "called" (''dit'' in French, ''genannt'' in German). Examples are Napoleon's marshal Claude Victor-Perrin ''dit'' Victor and the Prussian liaison in Wellington's HQ during the Waterloo campaign, general Karl von Müffling ''genannt'' Weiss.* Some Minnesänger and mastersingers are known primarily or only known by their nicknames, most famously Tannhäuser (i. e. "the man from Tannhausen").* Famous painters: Creator/SandroBotticelli (Alessandro die Mariano Filipepi, named after the goldsmith to whom he had been apprenticed), Canaletto (Antonio da Canal), the other Canaletto (Bernardo Bellotto), El Greco (Dominikos "the Greek" Theotokopoulos), three male artists called Tintoretto ("the little dyer", a nickname of the family, whose original name is Robusti) and a female one from the same family called "la Tintoretta."* In most Polish video game magazines, all the editors sign themselves, and refer to each other with nothing but nicknames. There are many long-time readers who don't know the names of their favorite writers.* Edward Michael 'Bear' Grylls.* Norman "Boomer" Esiason.* Most of the cast of ''Series/JerseyShor[[/folder]]