History Main / AdaptationNameChange

* [[WesternAnimation/TheSnowQueen1995 A 1995 adaptation]] of ''The Snow Queen'' renames Gerda and Kai as Ellie and Tom.
* The '80s English dub of [[Animation/TheSnowQueen1957 the classic 1957 Russian film]] based on ''The Snow Queen'' renames Gerda and Kai as Yvette and John (though the original '50s dub keeps the original names).
* In ''Literature/HortonHearsAWho,'' the main antagonist is called Sour Kangaroo. In the Chuck Jones cartoon, she's Jane Kangaroo. The CGI film makes her NoNameGiven, occasionally referred to as "the Kangaroo" or similar.

* Mrs. Frisby to Mrs. Brisby in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'', due to [[WritingAroundTrademarks the Frisbee (the toy)'s name being copyrighted.]]

* Mr. and Mrs. Dearly from ''Literature/TheHundredAndOneDalmatians'' were changed to Roger and Anita Radcliffe for Disney's ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians''. Later adaptations give them the given names from the movie and the surname from the book. Also, Saul Badun becomes Horace, and Lt. Tib becomes Sgt. Tibbs (with that particular cat also getting a sex change in the process).
* ''WesternAnimation/MarvelRisingSecretWarriors'' sees ComicBook/SpiderGwen called Ghost Spider instead of ComicBook/SpiderWoman. In a piece of RetCanon, ''ComicBook/MarvelAFreshStart'' would see Gwen take up the "Ghost Spider" codename.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'': In the original legends, the titular character's full name is Hua Mulan, however in the Disney adaptation, her family name is Fa, the Cantonese equivalent.

*** Han later gets ''another'' switch to "Zeppo", and then later kills a stormtrooper that the GM hadn't given a name to. He interprets this as him now having no name at all.

** Like the ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' entry above, the show changes Yelena Belova's codename to Crimson Widow so that there aren't two characters called "ComicBook/BlackWidow" in the same series.

** Goldie went from "Glittering Goldie" to "Goldie O'Gilt".

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'': Instead of being a man named Otto Octavius, Comicbook/DoctorOctopus is a [[GenderFlip woman]] named Olivia “Liv” Octavius.

* While [[{{expy}} not exactly]] the same character, Anna from ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' is based off Gerda from ''Literature/TheSnowQueen''. She was even [[WhatCouldHaveBeen named that in earlier scripts]], while Kristoff was named "Kai," the original Gerda’s best friend. (The original Kai's role in the story is split between Elsa and Kristoff, who also correspond to the Snow Queen and the Robber Girl, respectively.) The names "Gerda" and "Kai" are instead given to two minor servants in the castle as a MythologyGag. Meanwhile, Sven is based on Bae from the original story.

** Following from the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'', Cassandra Savage is either a renamed version of Scandal Savage or an {{Expy}}, depending on fan interpretation.

* In the upcoming manga series ''Manga/UnicoAwakening'', [[ContinuityReboot a re-imagining]] of Creator/OsamuTezuka's [[Manga/{{Unico}} Unico series]]. Chao the cat ([[DubNameChange "Katy"]] in the English dub of [[Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico the 1981 movie]]) has been renamed to "Chloe". According to Samuel Sattin, it's a combination of her English and Japanese names.

*** In the official Sega of America backstory, Doctor Ivo Robotnik was the SuperpoweredEvilSide of kindly scientist Doctor Ovi Kintobor. Here Doctor Robotnik (note the lack of "Ivo") was simply the pseudonym of an evil scientist whose real name was Julian.

* In ''Anime/BabyFelixAndFriends'', Martin the Martian (a bit-player from the WesternAnimation/JoeOrioloFelixTheCat TV Felix the Cat cartoons) had his name changed to Marty, likely to keep people from confusing him with [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Marvin the Martian.]]

* ''Franchise/{{Lupin III}}'':
** A flashback chapter of [[Manga/{{Lupin III}} the manga]] gives Lupin's rival the name of "Heitaro Zenigata", while the anime always calls him "Koichi Zenigata."

* In Italian opera based on source material from other languages, it's common practice for the characters' names to be changed to their Italian equivalents. For example, when ''Scénes de la vie de bohéme'' became ''Theatre/{{La Boheme}}'', Rodolphe, Marcel and Musette became "Rodolfo," "Marcello" and "Musetta." This even applies to historical figures: Donizetti's [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Tudor]]-themed operas feature the likes of "Anna Bolena," "Enrico VIII," and their daughter "Elisabetta I." And in some cases, the characters receive completely new names, as in the above-cited ''Theatre/{{La Traviata}}''.

* Likewise, [=ToyBiz=]'s ''Comicbook/GenerationX'' toyline changed Orphan-Maker's name to "The Protector" because his real name was deemed too violent.
* [=ToyBiz=]'s ''Comicbook/XMen'' line changed Holocaust's name to Dark Nemesis, [[NoSwastikas for obvious reasons]] (though prior to becoming Holocaust, the character ''was'' known as Nemesis). The Nemesis name was subsequently used for other merchandise, such as the TabletopGame/HeroClix game and Creator/{{Hasbro}}'s Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure of the character.
* [=ToyBiz=]'s ''Comicbook/SilverSurfer'' action figure line renamed Comicbook/{{Nova}} "Super Nova" to avoid confusion with the then-current Frankie Raye version of Nova, who was also featured in the line.
* Hasbro's toy line for the first ''Film/{{Iron Man|1}}'' movie included a black, heavily-armed Iron Man armor called the "Stealth Operations Suit." Despite the name, it was clearly meant to be a Comicbook/WarMachine figure, with the bio even specifying that the suit was piloted by Rhodey instead of Tony. Presumably, the name was changed to avoid stepping on anyone's toes in case [[Film/IronMan2 the sequel]] went with a different design for the War Machine armor.

* Between the 3DS release of ''VideoGame/{{Fairune}} 2'' and it's Switch release in ''Fairune Collection'', the second region of the game was renamed from Snowy Fields to White Lands.

* Ultimate Comicbook/SpiderWoman is called "Spider-Girl" in ''[[VideoGame/LegoAdaptationGame Lego Marvel's Avengers]]'', even though she never used that name in the comics.

** In the comics, Dr. Morgan Michaels was merely an anglicized alias used by [[Comicbook/{{Morbius}} Michael Morbius]]. Here, it's apparently his real name.

** Comicbook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}'s real name is Geheneris Hala´son Mahr Vehl rather than the shorter Mar-Vell, much like in the Comicbook/UltimateMarvel comics.

** Like the ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' entry above, the show changes Yelena Belova's codename to Crimson Widow so that there aren't two characters called "Comicbook/BlackWidow" in the same series.
** Similarly, the ''Secret Wars'' season briefly adapts part of Jason Aaron's ''Comicbook/{{Thor|2014}}'' run, where Jane Foster became the new Thor after lifting Mjolnir. To avoid having two Thors in the cast, the show had Jane take on the name Thunderstrike after being given an enchanted mace by Odin (allowing the original Thor to keep Mjolnir).
** Comicbook/BlackPanther's grandfather is named T'Chanda rather than Azzari (or Azzuri). In Fantastic Four Unlimited #1 (March 1993) by Roy Thomas (scripts) and Herb Trimpe (art), T'Challa's grandfather's name is Chanda.

** Owlman's evil MirrorUniverse version of the [[Comicbook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]] is called the Injustice Syndicate rather than the Crime Syndicate of America.

* ComicBook/CaptainAtom is renamed from "Nathaniel Adam" to "Nathaniel Adam'''''s'''''" (note the "s") in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' and ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice.'' Creator/GregWeisman, original co-writer of the "Nathaniel Adam" version of the character and partially responsible for both of those last two examples, notes that the "correct" version always [[TwoFirstNames felt artificial]].

** Comicbook/{{Zatanna}}'s name is "Zee," with Zatanna being her superhero codename. In the comics, "Zatanna" ''is'' her real name, while "Zee" is a nickname.
** Comicbook/{{Raven}} is introduced as "Rachel." In the comics, her name is [[OnlyOneName just "Raven"]], but she sometimes uses "Rachel Roth" (with "Roth" being her mother's surname) as a civilian name.

** Comicbook/{{Pepper|Potts}}'s real name is changed from Virginia to Patricia.

** When the Comicbook/XMen guest-starred, they were renamed the Allies for Peace.

** [[Comicbook/BlackCat Felicia Hardy]]'s parents had their names changed: her father went from "Walter Hardy" to "John Hardesky" and Lydia Hardy had her first name changed to "Anastasia".

** Comicbook/{{Darkseid}}'s Parademons were referred to as "Paradrones" in order to placate the censors. Likewise, the Boom Tubes are called "Stargates".

** Mary Marvel is renamed Sergeant Marvel, though due to DC having officially changed Captain Marvel's name to Comicbook/{{Shazam}} in the years between the show’s cancellation and [[UnCancelled revival]], her superheroic alter ego is only ever called "Sergeant" both onscreen and in the credits. WordOfGod has stated that Captain Marvel Jr. also would’ve been renamed Lieutenant Marvel had his cameo not been cut, though it’s unknown what he’ll be called if he ever does appear in future seasons thanks to the aforementioned decision to stop using the word "Marvel." This effectively sidesteps the issues of Mary Marvel using her real first name and Captain Marvel Jr. being unable to actually say his codename[[note]]Unlike Captain Marvel and Mary, who would say "Shazam" to use their powers, Captain Marvel, Jr. had to say "Captain Marvel"[[/note]].

** In the ''[[Comicbook/TheOutsiders Outsiders]]'' comics, Halo was originally known as Violet Harper, while "Gabrielle Doe" is an alias. Here it's basically reversed: she's [[AdaptationalNationality a Quraci]] with the birth name Gabrielle Daou but renames herself "Violet Harper" after deciding that ThatWomanIsDead.

** The son of Comicbook/{{Aquaman}} and Comicbook/{{Mera}} has his name changed from Arthur, Jr. to Artur.

* J.Lo from ''Literature/TheTrueMeaningOfSmekday'', became Oh in the film adaptation ''WesternAnimation/{{Home}}''.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* O'Brien from ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' is renamed O'Connor in the 1956 film adaptation, likely to avoid confusion with the actor Edmond O'Brien, who plays Winston in that film.
* ''Film/AllTheTroublesOfTheWorld'': Ali Othrnan's character is {{Gender Flip}}ped and renamed Barbara Hammond.
* In ''Film/AnAmericanChristmasCarol'', all of the ''A Christmas Carol'' characters were given new names. Ebenezer Scrooge becomes Benedict Slade, Bob Cratchit becomes Thatcher, and Jacob Marley becomes Jack Latham.
* The films based on ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'' do this constantly:
** In the 1945 film:
*** General John Gordon Mackenzie became General Sir John Mandrake.
*** Antony Marston became Nikita Starloff.
*** Judge Lawrence John Wargrave became Judge Francis J. Quincannon.
** In the 1965 film:
*** Vera Claythorne became Ann Clyde.
*** Philipp Lombard became Hugh Lombard.
*** General John Gordon Mackenzie once again became Sir John Mandrake.
*** Judge Lawrence John Wargrave became Judge Arthur Cannon.
*** Antony Marston became Michael Raven.
*** Thomas and Ethel Rogers became Joseph and Elsa Grohmann.
*** Emily Brent was replaced with an entirely new character, an actress named Ilona Bergen.
** The 1974 film is the biggest offender. The only name that version left unchanged was Dr. Armstrong's.
*** General John Gordon [=MacKenzie=] became General Andre Salve.
*** Antony Marston became Michel Raven.
*** Vera Claythorne became Vera Clyde.
*** Philipp Lombard became Hugh Lombard.
*** Judge Lawrence John Wargrave became Judge Arthur Cannon.
*** William Henry Blore became Wilhelm Blore.
*** Thomas and Ethel Rogers became Otto and Elsa Martino.
*** Emily Brent was once again replaced by an actress named Ilona Morgan.
* In ''Film/AmericanPsycho'', Paul Owen, Marcus Halberstam and Timothy Price in the novel become Paul Allen, Marcus Halberstram and Timothy Bryce in the film.
* ''Film/{{Annie 2014}}'':
** Oliver Warbucks is renamed Will Stacks.[[note]] This is likely because "Warbucks" was originally a MeaningfulName, referring to the fact that he got rich from the American manufacturing boom during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. This wouldn't have translated very well to the [[TheNewTens 2010s]] SettingUpdate, so his surname was changed to "Stacks", a slang term for dollar bills.[[/note]]
** Miss Agatha Hannigan gets her first name changed to Colleen.
* ''Film/ArtemisFowl'':
** The name of the Fowl family's ship is changed from ''Fowl Star'' in [[Literature/ArtemisFowl the books]] to ''Owl Star'' here.
** The Council from the books, is renamed The Executors here.
* ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'':
** Confusingly, BigBad Durand Durand is called Gronf II in the comics, while Barbarella's ally Professor Ping is called Durand (just one).
** Strickno was renamed Mark Hand.
* Roddy Doyle's ''Barrytown Trilogy'' is an interesting example. ''Film/TheCommitments'' averted this trope, but when ''Film/TheSnapper'' and ''The Van'' were adapted, due to a rights issue, the Rabbitte family is renamed for both films, though Colm Meaney plays the father in all three films.
* ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'':
** Barbara Gordon receives a name change to Barbara Wilson as she is now Alfred's niece instead of Jim Gordon's daughter.
** Retroactively for Bane. The film gives him the name "Antonio Diego", which was NamedByTheAdaptation at the time, though the comics would later that King Snake, real name Edmund Dorrance, is his father.
* The movie adaptation of ''Film/{{Beaches}}'' changes quite a few character names:
** Cecilia "Cee Cee" Bloom becomes Cecilia Carol Bloom, with her nickname ("C.C.") now coming from both her first and middle names. Still a minor change compared to the rest of the cast.
** Roberta "Bertie" White is renamed to Hillary Whitney, with "Hil" being used as an occasional nickname.
** Bertie's daughter is named "Nina Rose Barron" in the original novel, but the film gives her the name of "Victoria Cecile Essex".
** In the case of minor characters, Cee Cee's love interest John Perry is renamed John Pierce. Bertie's ex-husband also changed from Michael Barron to Michael Essex, and her Aunt Neet [[note]]Given as shorthand for "Anita"[[/note]] became Aunt Vesta.
* In ''Literature/{{Beastly}},'' Kyle's housekeeper goes from a Latina named Magda to [[RaceLift a black Jamaican]] named Zola. [[spoiler:[[DecompositeCharacter And her real name isn't "Kendra," either]]]].
* ''Film/BeautyAndTheBeast2017'' names the FrenchMaid feather duster Plumette and the opera-singing wardrobe Madame de Garderobe, despite the fact that the 1994 stage musical named them Babette and Madame de la Grande Bouche. (Neither character is named in [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast the original animated film]], though the direct-to-video midquel ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeastBellesMagicalWorld'' names the feather duster Fifi.)
* ''Film/BicentennialMan'': {{The film|OfTheBook}} makes a number of changes to character names from "Literature/TheBicentennialMan", especially to the robotics company that built Andrew. Instead of robots all being built by United States Robots and Mechanical Men (US Robots), Andrew was built by North American Robotics ([=NorthAm=] Robotics), with current CEO Dennis Mansky instead of robopsychologist Merton Mansky. The reason behind Andrew's InSeriesNickname also changes; Little Miss doesn't pronounce "[=aNDRoid=]" properly and says "Andrew" instead. Some of the Martins also change names; Sir changes from Gerald to Richard and Little Sir (Little Miss's son) changes from George Martin to Lloyd Chaney.
* The film adaptation of ''Film/TheBigShort'' changed many of the names from the book, including Baum, Vennett, Shipley, Geller and Rickert; of the central characters, Michael Burry and Baum's employees all kept their real names. Since the characters' roles and behavioral traits didn't change in the adaptation, it's very easy to decipher who's who.
* In ''Film/TheBigSleep'', Terrence "Rusty" Regan" is renamed Sean Regan.
* In ''Film/BlueIsTheWarmestColor'', Clémentine becomes Adèle.
* ''Film/BrideAndPrejudice'' did this with the characters due to the SettingUpdate and change of location to India.
** The Bennets are now the Bakshis. Elizabeth Bennet is Lalita Bakshi. Jane, Mary and Lydia Bennet become Jaya, Maya and Lakhi.
** Fitzwilliam Darcy is just plain Will Darcy. His sister Georgiana is renamed Georgina and is nicknamed Georgie.
** Mr. Bingley and Caroline Bingley are now Mr. Balraj and Kiran Balraj.
** Mr. Collins is Mr. Kohli.
** Charlotte Lucas is Chandra Lamba.
** And, for absolutely no reason, George Wickham is renamed Johnny Wickham.
* The TV movie ''Film/InBroadDaylight'', based on Harry N [=MacLean's=] TrueCrime book about the murder of town bully Ken [=McElroy=], changes everyone's names. [=McElroy=], for example, was renamed Len Rowan.
* ''Film/{{Cabaret}}'' changes the main character's name from Cliff Bradshaw to Brian Roberts.
* ''Film/CaptainAmerica1990'' changes the Comicbook/RedSkull's name from Johann Schmidt to Tadzio de Santis, as he is Italian instead of German. Cap's love interest is also called Sharon Cooperman instead of [[Comicbook/{{Agent 13}} Sharon Carter]].
* Several versions of ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' change the name Scrooge's former fiancée Belle, whose name is only mentioned once in the book anyway. ''Film/{{Scrooge|1951}}'' (1951) calls her Alice, ''Film/{{Scrooge|1970}}'' (1970) and ''WesternAnimation/MickeysChristmasCarol'' both call her Isabel, and ''Film/AChristmasCarolTheMusical'' calls her Emily. The latter choice was made because composer Music/AlanMenken already had [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast another musical with a heroine named Belle.]]
* ''Film/Cinderella2015'':
** If one goes by [[WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}} the animated Disney film]], Cinderella was actually the girl's real name: the narrator introduces her at the beginning as her father's "little daughter Cinderella." In ''Film/{{Cinderella 2015}}'' (though it's following many other versions of the story), Ella is her real name, with 'Cinderella' being the nickname her step-family gives to her.
** Likewise, the prince is here named Kit, as opposed to "Prince Charming."
** Drizella's name is [[SpellMyNameWithAnS spelled]] "Drisella".
** Jaq the mouse became [[GenderFlip a female]] named "Jaqueline".
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'': Nea So Copros (which presumably refers to [[UsefulNotes/{{NorthKorea}} ''all'' of]] [[UsefulNotes/{{SouthKorea}} Korea]]) becomes [[MegaCity Neo Seoul]]. While the book makes it clear that none of the names he goes by are real, Hae-Joo Im is named Hae-Joo Chang in the film, as his film version is a CompositeCharacter of Im and Chang.
* ''Film/ColorOutOfSpace2020'': Nahum Gardener becomes Nathan Gardener. His children's names are also changed: Thaddeus becomes Benny and Zenus is now Jack, while the middle son Merwin is [[GenderFlip gender flipped]] into [[Literature/TheDunwichHorror Lavinia]].
* In the film adaptation of ''Literature/ConfessionsOfGeorgiaNicolson'', Ellen was to have been renamed to Namita to match the ethnicity of her actress; but they changed it back after fan demand.
* In the film adaptation of ''Literature/TheConformist'', Lina Quadri becomes Anna, possibly to avoid confusion with the character of Lino.
* In the film adaptation of ''Film/{{Congo}}'', Munro's name is changed from Charles Munro to Munro Kelly.
* ''Film/TheCrow'': Sherri became Sarah in the film, in addition to her increased role.
* In the 1934 film adaptation of Creator/JBPriestley's ''Dangerous Corner'', the Caplan family became the Chatfield family and Olwen Peel became Ann Beale.
* ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'' sees:
** Roscoe "Fixer" Sweeney is renamed Fallon.
** Jack Murdock's boxing nickname is changed from "Battlin' Jack" to "The Devil".
** Comicbook/{{Elektra}}'s father, Hugo Kostas Natchios, is renamed Nicholas Natchios.
* Roland Daggett is renamed John Daggett in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.
* ''Film/DayWatch'' renames Kostya's father from Gennadiy to Valeriy, making him TheDanza, as the character is played by Creator/ValeriyZolotukhin. His job is also changed from a well-off interior decorator to a poor butcher.
* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
** ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' has Comicbook/LexLuthor named after his father, whereas prior depictions of his dad had him named "Jules" or, after ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', "Lionel". By extension, this appears to Luthor himself as while the ComicBook/PostCrisis and ComicBook/New52 incarnations were named "Alexander" (pre-Crisis Earth-1's Lex was short for "Alexis" and Earth-2's was short for "Alexei"), they weren't named after their dads and thus weren't "Lex Luthor Jr."
** ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': As part of her RaceLift, Dr. Poison's name is changed from Princess Maru in the comics to Isabel Maru in the film.
** In ''Film/Aquaman2018'', Black Manta is named David Kane rather than David Hyde. This is an unusual example -- in the comics, he was long only known by his first name. The movie [[NamedByTheAdaptation made up a surname]], only for the comics to come up with a different answer while it was in production.
** In the Comicbook/HarleyQuinn comics, Harley has a pair of pet hyenas named Bud and Lou. In the ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' movie, however, she has [[AdaptedOut a single]] hyena named Bruce.
** ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'':
*** Arm-Fall-Off Boy has his moniker changed to the ''slightly'' less immediately ridiculous "The Detachable Kid" ([=TDK=] for short). It's still bad enough that Rick Flag and Harley Quinn immediately mock it. His real name was also changed from "Floyd Belkin" to "Cory Pitzner". These were likely done due to a combination of the character being an adult member of the Suicide Squad instead of a teen member of the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes and the fact his creator, Gerard Jones, plead guilty to owning child porn.
*** Implied with the original Ratcatcher. His real name is Otis Flannegan in the comics. While we never find out his name, his daughter's last name is Cazo suggesting it is his as well.
* The American film adaptation for ''Manga/DeathNote'' changes Light's surname to "Turner" instead of "Yagami" and Misa's full name to "Mia Sutton."
* ''Film/DeathWish'':
** The main character, Paul, has his last name changed from "Benjamin" in [[Literature/DeathWish the book]] to "Kersey". This was retained for ''Film/DeathWish2018''. Thanks to being a DivorcedInstallment, ''Film/DeathSentence'' completely changed his name to "Nick Hume".
** Paul's daughter had this twice over as she was married and has taken her husband's last name of "Tobey" in the book.
* In ''Film/DrWhoAndTheDaleks'' the Doctor, along with becoming a human scientist, is now referred to as Doctor Who.
* In ''Film/DoubleIndemnity'', the novel's Walter Huff becomes Walter Neff in the film, for some reason. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Dietrichson were Mr. and Mrs. Nirdlinger in the novel; the latter choice was specifically because Creator/RaymondChandler and Creator/BillyWilder (the film's screenwriters) thought that Nirdlinger was too silly a name for such a serious story.
* In ''Film/Ebenezer1998'', while Scrooge's name is the same, Jacob Marley becomes Jacob Marlowe, Belle becomes Rebecca, and "Cratchit" is spelled "Cratchitt."
* In ''Film/Emma2020'' (2020), the housekeeper of Mr Knightley's estate Donwell Abbey is called Hodges in the book. In this movie, she's called Mrs Reynolds. (Incidentally, it's the name of the housekeeper of Pemberley in another Austen's book, ''Pride and Prejudice''.)
* The film version of ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' changes Montag's wife Mildred to Linda.
* {{Subverted}}: ''Film/FantasticFour2015'' intended to change ComicBook/DoctorDoom's real name from "Victor Von Doom" to "Victor Domashev"; when word got out and fans reacted negatively, however, reshoots changed it back.
* In the American live-action ''Film/FistOfTheNorthStar'' movie, Jagi is renamed Jackal, the name of an unrelated villain in the manga. While not related to Kenshiro here, the [[AllThereInTheScript script confirms]] he is indeed Jagi and the [[RecursiveImport Japanese dub]] goes back to Jagi, complete with RoleReprise from the anime.
* An example of WhatCouldHaveBeen: In Creator/WesCraven's unfilmed ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic'' script (Which was rejected by Creator/VCAndrews) the Dollangangers inexplicably became the Chapmans.
* In Universal's classic ''[[{{Film/Frankenstein1931}} Frankenstein]]'', Dr. Victor Frankenstein is renamed Dr. Henry Frankenstein. This is a bit confusing since there is a different character in the film named Victor.
* In the original ''Literature/FreakyFriday'' novel the girl is named Annabel Andrews, and her mother is Ellen. The [[Film/FreakyFriday1976 1976 film]] and [[Film/FreakyFriday1995 1995 remake]] stick to this. In the [[Film/FreakyFriday2003 2003 remake]], they're Anna and Tess Coleman, and in the [[Film/FreakyFriday2018 2018 musical]], they're Ellie and Katherine Blake. The 2003 film also renames Ben and Boris as Harry and Jake, and the film musical changes the names of Ellie's friends from the stage version.
* Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard of ''Film/TheFugitive'' was named ''Philip'' Gerard (and was a Police Lieutenant) in ''Series/TheFugitive''.
* Gunnery Sergeant Hartman of ''Film/FullMetalJacket'' was named Gerheim in the original novel ''The Short-Timers''.
* In the 1940 UK film adaptation of ''Gas Light'', Jack Manningham becomes Paul Mannen, and Bella Manningham is therefore Bella Mannen. [[Film/{{Gaslight}} The 1944 US adaptation]] changed nearly everyone's name, most notably Jack is Gregory Anton and Bella is Paula Anton. In addition, Alice Barlow becomes Alice Alquist, Detective Rough becomes Inspector Cameron, and Louis Bauer becomes Sergei Bauer.
* In the film version of ''Film/TheGeneralsDaughter'', the title character's name is changed to Elizabeth from the novel's Ann.
* In the original ''Manga/GhostInTheShell'' manga, it was strongly suggested (and explicitly said so in the [[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex first TV series]]) that Motoko Kusanagi was a pseudonym rather than the protagonist's actual name. In the [[Film/GhostInTheShell live-action movie]], [[spoiler: Motoko Kusanagi was explicitly the protagonist's birth name before she was kidnapped and placed in a cybernetic body]]. In a double example, [[spoiler: she's renamed "Mira Killian" by her captors after they erase her memories]].
* In ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'', some characters had real-name changes from their previous toy/comic/cartoon counterparts:
** Breaker: from Alvin R. Kibbey to [[RaceLift Abel Shaz]]
** Heavy Duty: from Lamont A. Morris to Herschel Dalton (which carried over to ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades'' as well)
** TheBaroness: From Anastasia [=DeCobray=]/Cisnarova to Ana Lewis, though as the Baroness she's taken on the [=DeCobray=] name through marriage.
* The protagonist of ''Literature/GoAskAlice'' is unnamed however a line suggests that she's named "Carla". The name of the book is actually an AliceAllusion. The MadeForTVMovie changed her name to "Alice".
* Franchise/{{Godzilla}}:
** ''Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzillaII'': A strange [[InvertedTrope inversion]]. [[Characters/{{Godzilla}} Rodan]]'s name was left as "Radon" (his Japanese name) for the English version.
** Franchise/MonsterVerse:
*** The films' {{novelization}}s have a couple instances of this: Jerry Boyd in the opening scene of ''Film/Godzilla2014'' has his first name changed to Oscar, and [[Characters/MonsterVerseUSGovernmentAndMilitary Senator Williams]] in ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' is instead named Senator Claire Godine.
*** This trope is ZigZagged with [[Characters/MonsterVerseKingGhidorah Mechagodzilla]] in ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'' in relation to previous ncarnations of the character. InUniverse, it's called the Mecha by Apex Cybernetics, and it gets christened as Mechagodzilla by a shocked Josh Valentine when Team Godzilla witness it (although one of Apex's screens call it "[=MechaG=]").
* The evil armored bear, Iofur Raknison, had his name changed to Ragnar Sturlusson in ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'' because it sounded too similar to the hero bear, Iorek Byrnison.
* In the film version of ''Literature/GoneBabyGone'', Remy Broussard becomes Remy Bressant.
* Many of the characters in ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'' had their names changed in the movie. Henry has his real-life last name, but:
** Jimmy was a Burke in real life. Conway, his mother's maiden name, was used after his sister threatened to sue the filmmakers.[[note]]For the same reason, Jimmy's son Jimmy Jr., a minor character in Pileggi's book and the only real-life survivor of the Lufthansa heist crew besides Henry and Jimmy, is completely excised from the film[[/note]]. Paul Cicero was Paul Vario in real life. Tommy [=DeVito=] was based on the real life Tommy [=DeSimone=].
* ''Film/{{Grease}}''
** Sandy Dumbrowski became Sandy Olsen, in part due to Olivia Newton-John being cast in the role (and the character being changed to Australian).
** Roger was renamed Putzie.
** Miss Lynch was changed from a teacher to a principal, thus becoming known as Principal [=McGee=]
** Eugene Florcyzk had his surname changed to Felsnic.
** The Burger Palace Boys become the T-Birds.
* In ''The Moving Target'', the novel that was adapted into Creator/PaulNewman film ''Film/{{Harper}}'', the character was named Lew Archer. The producers changed the character's name to Lew Harper because they bought the rights to the novel, but not the character of Lew Archer, who was the star of a series of detective novels.
* ''Film/{{Hulk}}'' sees Bruce Banner's parents get in on this:
** Brian Banner, Bruce's father, renamed "David" likely as an homage to [[Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977 the series]], where (as mentioned below) Bruce himself went by "David." ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' might've {{RetCanon}}ed this a bit as the version of Brian in that universe has "David" as his middle name.
*** As mentioned in the comics section, his name was originally DW Banner, as he debuted in the TV series three years earlier than in comics, so it's an adaptation of an adaptation. Or not, if the "D" in "DW" stands for "David" (it was never clarified what the initials stand for).
** His mother was renamed from "Rebecca" to "Edith".
* ''Film/IMonster'' changed the names of its main characters to Charles Marlowe and Edward Blake, because it was attempting to be a TruerToTheText adaptation of a novel whose original twist would have been instantly recognizable if they'd been called by their original names: [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]. (The supporting characters Lanyon, Utterson, and Poole keep their names from the novel, presumably because anybody familiar enough with the novel to recognize those names would spot what was going on in any case.)
* An odd example occurs in ''Film/IShotJesseJames''. Given how many of the characters were [[HistoricalDomainCharacter real-life people]], it stands out when Edward Capehart O'Kelley was changed to John Kelley for the film. However, it should be noted that while his first name was blatantly changed, many publications of the era dropped the O in “O’Kelley”, so [[DatedHistory the writers may have thought that his last name actually was “Kelley”]].
* In the short story "Literature/ImpossibleDreams" by Tim Pratt, the main characters are Pete and Ally. In the short film adaptation, their names have been changed to Daniel (Mitkovsky) and Shiri.
* ''Film/InspectorGadget1999'':
** A retroactive case is the title character. The film gave him the real name of "John Brown", whereas in 2018, it's be revealed his canonical real name is Augustin Tamare.
** The film gives Dr. Claw the name of "Sanford Scolex" with "Claw" serving as a nickname. Canonically, Dr. Claw isn't an alias, but his real name, with his first name being "Edward".
* In the various film adaptations of ''Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau'', Edward Prendick has been named Edward Parker (''Film/IslandOfLostSouls'' 1933), Andrew Braddock (''Film/TheIslandOfDrMoreau1977'') and Edward Douglas (''Film/TheIslandOfDrMoreau1996'').
* ''Film/JamesBond'':
** ''Film/CasinoRoyale1954''[[note]]The first screen adaptation of a Franchise/JamesBond novel, released in 1954 as a television movie/episode of the anthology series ''[[Series/{{Climax}} Climax!]]''[[/note]]:
*** James Bond's first name was changed to the more [[AdaptationalNationality American-sounding]] Jimmy.
*** Felix Leiter's first name was changed to Clarence.
** ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'':
*** In the film adaptation, Red Grant's real first name is Donald. In the original novel, it's Donovan.
*** The [=MacGuffin=] was renamed from Spektor to Lektor, presumably to avoid confusion with SPECTRE.
** In ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', Domino's real name is changed from Dominetta Vitali to Dominique Derval [[AdaptationalNationality due to her being French rather than Italian]].
*** Also counts for the non-Creator/EonProductions remake, ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'', in which she's named "Domino Petachi", and her brother goes from François Derval to "Jack Petachi". While we're at it, Emilio Largo becomes "Maximilian Largo" and Fiona Volpe becomes "Fatima Blush". And Q, Major Geoffrey Boothroyd in the Eon series, becomes "Algernon".
** In ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', we find out that Ernst Stavro Blofeld is actually an alias, and that Blofeld's real name is Franz Oberhauser.
* ''Film/JurassicPark1993'': "John Arnold" in the books becomes "[[Characters/JurassicPark1993 Ray Arnold]]" due to the OneSteveLimit. According to supplementary materials his full name is John Raymond Arnold, or Ray for short.
* ''Film/KamenRiderTheFirst'' changes [[Series/KamenRider Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider-2]]'s real name to Katsuhiko Yano. "Hayato Ichimonji" is simply the alias he uses after being brought BackFromTheDead by Shocker.
* In ''Film/KickAss'':
** John Genovese is renamed Frank D'Amico.
** Red Mist's civilian identity, Chris Genovese, is renamed Chris D'Amico.
** Eddie Lomas is renamed Rasul.
** In ''Film/KickAss2'', Colonel Stars is renamed Colonel Stars and Stripes, since he's a CompositeCharacter and there is no Lieutenant Stripes. His dog is also renamed from Sophia to Eisenhower.
** A deleted scene on the DVD/Blu-Ray has Colonel Stars and Stripes call his dog Sophia -- and explain to Dave that it's ''her'' secret identity.
* The movie ''Film/KingRalph'' was a loose adaptation of the Emlyn Williams novel ''Headlong''. The novel's equivalent of the main character Ralph Jones was named Jack Green (nee Sandrig), while the movie renames Jack's advisor William "Willie" Millingham to Sir Cedric Willingham and the conniving Sir Godwin Rodd to Lord Percival Graves.
* ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'':
** Gary London becomes Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, his mother Sharon becomes Michelle. His Uncle Jack is no longer his uncle, and is renamed Harry Hart.
** Secret Agents become referred to by codenames derived from Arthurian legend, so they might retain their names if they aren't ever called by their real ones. Chester King's closest counterpart is a man called Sir Giles in [[ComicBook/TheSecretService the comic]].
** In the original comic, the characters serve in a fictional version of the British Secret Service and openly refer to themselves as such. In the film, they're a part of the Kingsman Intelligence Agency, which operates independently of all governments and in strict secrecy.
* In ''Film/TheLastManOnEarth'', the first adaptation of Richard Matheson's ''Literature/IAmLegend'', [[Creator/VincentPrice Vincent Price's]] character's surname was changed from Neville to Morgan.
* The hero of ''Literature/TheLeatherstockingTales'' is Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo, which is difficult for a modern person to even say without giggling. In ''Film/TheLastOfTheMohicans'' he becomes Nathaniel Poe.
* ''Literature/TheLincolnLawyer'': Investigator Raul Levin becomes Frank Levin, judge Connie Fullbright [[GenderFlip becomes]] Jameson Fullbright, and Jesus Menendez becomes Jesus Martinez.
* Banzai and Ed from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing'' are renamed Azizi and Kamari in [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019 the 2019 remake]]. This is due to their original names not meshing with the African setting. (Although Banzai actually ''is'' Swahili for "lurk," despite also being a Japanese war cry. With Ed, of course, [[OddNameOut not fitting in is kind of the joke]].)
* The masochistic dental patient in ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors'' was named ''Wilbur Force''; while he was AdaptedOut of [[Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors the subsequent]] ScreenToStageAdaptation, he was restored in [[Film/LittleShopOfHorrors the film version]], where he was renamed ''Arthur Denton''.
* ''Film/TheLittleVampire'':
** Anton Bohnsack is renamed Tony Thompson.
** Rüdiger Von Schlotterstein is renamed Rudolph Sackville-Bagg. His younger sister Anna keeps her first name, but his older brother Lumpi der Starke is renamed Gregory Sackville-Bagg.
** Rüdgier's parents Ludwig der Fürchterliche and Hildegard die Durstige are renamed Frederick and Freda Sackville-Bagg.
* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing'', a minor character at Bilbo's farewell party is named Everard Proudfoot. In the books, he is named Odo Proudfoot. (Also in the books, the character named Everard was a Took -- and a young hobbit, while Odo is an old hobbit. Everard Took does not appear in the film.)
* In the 1998 ''Film/{{Madeline}}'' film, the boarding school cook's name is changed from Mrs. Murphy to Hélène, and Lord Cucuface becomes Lord Covington, with "Lord Cucuface" as a nickname the girls give him behind his back.
** The town changes from Marmota to Marmora.
* ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' features a few when compared to ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'':
** Philip's father has been changed from Hubert to John.
** The three fairies are named Flittle, Knotgrass, and Thistletwit instead of Fauna, Flora, and Merryweather. (Though since they're also AdaptationalDumbass, so fans prefer to think of them as separate characters entirely.)
** Aurora's name is always "Aurora", as opposed to the Fairies raising her as "Briar Rose."
** Diaval, the raven, was originally called Diablo.
** Aurora's mother is either named Beatrice or Leah in canon (there are contradicting sources, but {{fanon}} leans towards the latter). Here she is named "Leila".
* In both the original novel of ''The Maltese Falcon'' and the famous 1941 film adaptation, FemmeFatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy is introduced going under the alias of Miss Wonderly. In the lesser-known [[Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1931}} 1931 version]], Ruth Wonderly is the character's actual name.
* In the stage version of ''Theatre/MammaMia'', one of Sophie's potential fathers is called Bill Austin. Due to the character being played by Creator/StellanSkarsgard in the film adaptation, his name is changed to Bill Anderson.
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** The Infinity Gems are known as the Infinity Stones. Similarly, the Cosmic Cube was renamed the Tesseract.
** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'':
*** Comicbook/{{Drax|The Destroyer}} is the character's real name, as opposed to the comics, where his name is Arthur Douglas and Drax is a CodeName. This is keeping with the AdaptationSpeciesChange Drax went through, going from a human that was turned into a living weapon in the comics to an alien for the film.
*** Carina Tivan, the human-looking daughter of the Collector in the comics, is changed to a red-skinned alien simply known as "Carina" in the movie.
** ''Film/AntMan1'':
*** [[ComicBook/AntMan Henry Pym]]'s daughter has her name changed from "[[ComicBook/MarvelComics2 Hope Pym]]" to "Hope Van Dyne," Van Dyne being [[NomDeMom the maiden name of Hope's mother and Pym's wife, Janet]].
*** Scott's ex-wife is called Maggie rather than Peggy, likely to avoid confusion with [[Series/AgentCarter Peggy Carter]]. It helps that both Peggy and Maggie are nicknames derived from Margaret.
** ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'':
*** A weird case for Ulysses Klaue/Klaw. In the comics, his birth name is Ulysses Klaue, before he anglicized it to Ulysses Klaw. However, in the movies he doesn't change his birth name at all.
*** ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'s [[spoiler: kids have their names changed from Callum, Lewis, and Nicole to Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel]].
** In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', Miriam's dead son has his name changed from Damian Sharpe to Charlie Spencer.
** ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' subverts the trope in two memorable instances.
*** Peter's love interest "Liz" turns out to be [[spoiler: the daughter of Adrian Toomes ("The Vulture")]], presumably meaning that her name is [[spoiler: Liz Toomes rather than Liz Allan]]. But since the movie strictly adheres to OnlyOneName with the teenage characters, her full name is never actually said.
*** Peter's quirky female classmate, who is hinted to be [[BettyAndVeronica a possible future love interest]], turns out to be nicknamed "[[Comicbook/MaryJaneWatson MJ]]"--but it stands for "Michelle Jones", not "Mary Jane". According to WordOfGod, Michelle is meant to be a [[CanonForeigner wholly original character]], despite having the same nickname as Mary Jane Watson.
** In ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'', [[Comicbook/{{Killmonger}} Erik Killmonger]]'s American name is changed to Erik Stevens, with Killmonger being a military nickname. His Wakandan birth name is still N'Jadaka though.
** In ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', the Black Order are called "the Children of Thanos". Additionally, Black Dwarf is renamed "Cull Obsidian."
** In ''{{Film/Captain Marvel|2019}}'':
*** Carol's cat is called "Goose" rather than "Chewie," changing the homage from ''Franchise/StarWars'' to ''Film/TopGun''.
*** Carol's Air Force callsign is changed from "Cheeseburger" to [[spoiler:"Avenger," with Comicbook/NickFury using it as the inspiration for his future superteam]].
*** [[spoiler:Due to ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}'s GenderFlip, she went by "''Wendy'' Lawson" on Earth, not "Walter."]]
** In ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', it's heavily implied that [[spoiler:"Quentin Beck" is an alias used by ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} to further his superhero backstory, whereas in the comics, it's his real name. His collaborators only address him as "boss", and his real name, if it is indeed something else, is not revealed.]]
** ''Film/BlackWidow2021'': [[spoiler:Comicbook/{{Taskmaster}}'s name is changed from Anthony "Tony" Masters to [[GenderFlip Antonia]] Dreykov.]]
** In ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'', Shang-Chi's sister is named Xialing instead of [[Literature/FuManchu Fah Lo Suee]]. The reason for this was because Marvel [[ExiledFromContinuity no longer has the rights]] to the Fu Manchu characters, [[EnforcedTrope requiring this trope]].
* Some character from ''Literature/TheJungleBook'' get their names changed in ''Film/{{Mowgli}}'':
** Chil the kite is referred to [[WordOfGod by Serkis]] as Rann, although his name is never spoken in the film. Interestingly, this was his initial name in the earliest editions of the book, making this an unusual example of reverting a name change that had already happened.
** Mowgli's mother wolf Raksha has her name changed to Nisha.
** John Lockwood is essentially Buldeo with a name change plus RaceLift (from Indian to British).
* In ''Film/MysticRiver'', Jimmy Marcus becomes Jimmy Markum.
* ''Film/TheMazeRunnerSeries'', based on ''Literature/TheMazeRunner'' books:
** WICKED[[note]]World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department[[/note]] from the books, became WCKD[[note]]World Catastrophe Killzone Department[[/note]] in the films although the pronunciation remained the same.
** In books, the Gladers' names are revealed to be false names implanted in their brains when they were first taken in by WICKED, with their real names going unrevealed. There are three exceptions revealed in the prequels: ''The Kill Order'' reveals that Teresa was originally [[spoiler:Deedee]] and ''The Fever Code'' reveals that Thomas and Sonya were [[spoiler:Stephen]] and [[spoiler:Lizzy]] respectively. However, ''Film/{{The Maze Runner|2014}}'' lacks the reveal about the Gladers' names being false, and ''Film/MazeRunnerTheScorchTrials'' has a flashback where Thomas's mother calls him "Thomas" before he's handed over to WCKD, and in a later scene Teresa, having recovered her memories, mentions a memory of her own mother calling out "Teresa" long before she was ever taken by WCKD. All of this suggests that the names they've been using are their real names - which is implied to be true for the other Gladers as well.
* ''Film/TheMcKenzieBreak:'' Almost every character has one or both of his names changed (Willi Modherson becomes Willi Schulter, etc.). The exceptions are Colonel Perry, Unger the TunnelKing, and BanteringBaddieBuddies Schmidt and Hochbaer.
* ''Film/MonsterMash1995'' was loosely based on the hit song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett of the same name as well as Pickett's stage musical ''Theatre/ImSorryTheBridgeIsOutYoullHaveToSpendTheNight'', with some of the changes including characters going by different names.
** The male lead is named Scott instead of John.
** The mummy Music/ElvisPresley was just a generic mummy in the original stage musical, with the mummy's servant Dr. Abdul Nasser reinterpreted as Elvis' fictional manager Hathaway.
* ''Film/MortalEngines'':
** The small mining town eaten by London at the beginning of the story is called Salthook in [[Literature/MortalEngines the book]], but Salzhaken here.
** The town of Speedwall from the novel, is renamed Scuttlebug for the film.
* When Literature/NancyDrew got her first movies in the 1930s, her long-suffering boyfriend Ned Nickerson inexplicably had his name changed to "Ted" for reasons likely lost to time.
* ''Film/Nightfall1988'':
** There is still an Aton and Sor from the original story, but they are [[AdaptationPersonalityChange wildly different from their original characterization]] and [[OnlyOneName no longer have last names]].
** The ''[[TomesOfProphecyAndFate Book of Revelations]]'' has also been changed to the ''Book of Illumination'', to match with the temple being the Temple of Illumination.
** The city's original name is Saro, and the planet was named Lagash, but in this film, [[NoNameGiven everyone calls it the city or our planet]].
** Because this film only has half as many stars, they are named based on their colour (white, red, and yellow) instead of Greek letters.
* ''Film/Nightfall2000'': When adapting the story into a movie, the planet was renamed Aeon, the cast of characters was essentially replaced entirely, while still retaining the conflict between science and religion.
* Lucas Corso of ''Literature/TheClubDumas'' becomes Dean Corso in the film adaptation, ''Film/TheNinthGate''.
* ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}'' is an adaptation of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'', however to avoid having to ask for permission and pay royalties the characters names were changed. Thus Dracula was renamed Orlok, Jonathan Harker was renamed Thomas Hutter, Mina Harker was renamed Ellen Hutter, Renfield was renamed Knock, Van Helsing was renamed Bulwer, and Seward was renamed Sievers.
* ''Film/OfficialSecrets'': The real Katharine Gun's husband is named Suat Gün. No explanation is given for the change to "Yasar". (Also, the real Katharine Gün uses an umlaut on her married name, but the real-life press left it off, as does this film.)
* ''Film/OurLadies'':
** Kylah's band is called Thunderpup, the name it originally had in ''Literature/TheSopranosWarner'' before she joined and changed it to Lemonfinger.
** Orla's last name changes from Johnstone to Johnson.
* ''Film/PainkillerJane'': Jane's last name changes from Vasko to Browning in this movie.
* ''Theatre/PerfectPie'':
** Marie's last name changes from Begg to Beck.
** Francesca becomes Francesca Prine, when in the play she had OnlyOneName.
** Marie's date's name becomes Don Rayford instead of Donny Neilson.
* ''Film/{{The Phantom|1996}}'' has the Phantom's archnemesis being Kabai Sengh of the Sengh Brotherhood, where in [[ComicStrip/ThePhantom the comics]] it's Kabai Singh of the Singh Brotherhood.
* In ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'' Ulysse becomes Taylor.
* ''Film/PunisherWarZone'':
** While Jigsaw retains his codename, his first name (Billy), and his original nickname ("the Beaut"), his last name is modified from "Russo" to "Russoti".
** Don Massimo Cesare had his first name changed to "Gaitano".
* ''Film/TheRelic'':
** Dr. Gregory Kawakita gets renamed into Greg Lee.
** Jullian Whittlesley, [[spoiler:[[WasOnceAMan the monster's human identity]]]], is renamed John Whitney.
** The monster in the novel is called the Mbuwn, with the Kothoga being the tribe where it originated. In the film, the monster is the Kothoga and its tribe goes unnamed.
* In ''Film/RoboCop2014'', Omni Consumer Products was changed to "[=OmniCorp=]". [[spoiler: In the end, it's later revealed that it's part of OCP]]. Some characters also got their names changed.
** Alex Murphy's wife and son are changed from Ellen and Jimmy to Clara and David.
** Bob Morton, the man in change of the [=RoboCop=] project was changed to Dennett Norton.
** Anne Lewis has become an [[RaceLift African-American]] [[GenderFlip man]] named Jack Lewis.
** Sgt. Reed was {{gender flip}}ped into a woman named Karen Dean, though [[spoiler: [[AdaptationalVillainy Dean being a]] DirtyCop might've also played a role.]]
** Clarence Boddicker had become Antoine Vallon.
* ''Film/{{Rosita}}'' is loosely based on the opera ''Don César de Bazan''. "Don César" ("Don" being a honorific) became "Don Diego" and "Maritana" became "Rosita".
* In the film version of ''Film/{{Shane}},'' Bob becomes Joey and Luke Fletcher becomes Rufus Ryker. For added confusion, the character called Frank Torrey in the film plays the same role that Ernie Wright does in the book...but Frank Torrey is the name of a ''different'' character in the book.
* In ''Film/SilentHill'' Cheryl Mason is named Sharon Da Silva and Pyramid Head is credited as Red Pyramid.
* In ''Film/TheSleepingCardinal'', Holmes refers Moriarty as 'Professor Robert Moriarty'. In the original ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' canon his first name was James (same as his two brothers).
* In ''Film/SpiderMan1'', the pro wrestler Peter defeats in his origin story is named Bone Saw [=McGraw=] rather than Crusher Hogan.
* In [[Film/{{Stardust}} the film]] of ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'', Captain Johannes Alberic of the skyship ''Perdita'' becomes Captain Shakespeare of the skyship ''Caspartine'' ... or rather, Creator/RobertDeNiro plays an entirely different character who serves the same role in the plot.
* Blanka's ending in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' revealed that his real name is Jimmy. The [[Film/StreetFighter live-action movie]] makes him a CompositeCharacter with Charlie Nash, resulting in his name being changed to Carlos "Charlie" Blanka.
* In ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' and ''Film/SupermanII'', the character Faora from the comic books is renamed to Ursa. In ''Film/ManOfSteel'', the character's name is changed back to Faora. To add to the confusion, "Faora" and "Ursa" [[DecompositeCharacter have become two separate characters]] in the comics.
* In ''Film/SuperMarioBros'', Mario's girlfriend is called Daniella rather than Pauline. However, the [[AllThereInTheScript script]] reveals that her full name is "Daniella Pauline Verducci."
* One film adaptation of ''Literature/SwallowsAndAmazons'' changes Titty's name to Kitty, and another changes it to Tatty. [[HaveAGayOldTime It's not hard to see why]].
* Capt. Stein becomes Capt. Staros in Terrence Malick's ''Film/TheThinRedLine''.
* In'' Film/{{Transformers}}'' Spike Witwicky is renamed Sam Witwicky. His father Sparkplug, is renamed Ron. The reason why was given by the writers that the movie versions don't share the same backgrounds as mechanics/oil rig workers as their [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers original counterparts]].
** There are also inconsistencies regarding some robot names across media. The tank-Decepticon called Brawl from the first movie was accidentally referred to by his working name of Devastator in the film itself, although other media such as the toys used the correct name (and the real Devastator appeared in [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen the sequel]]). From the third film, Mirage and Wheeljack are renamed to Dino and Que respectively.
** In ''Age of Extinction'', the Pteranodon Dinobot is named "Strafe" instead of the traditional name of "Swoop", since the creators considered him to be too far altered from previous Swoops to be considered the same character. The ''Triceratops'' Dinobot was also renamed from "Slag" to "Slug" because the former is a curse word in Britain.
* In ''Film/TheTreasureOfTheSierraMadre'', Robert Lacaud becomes Robert Cody.
* ''Film/TwilightZoneTheMovie'': In "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", the protagonist's name is John Valentine. The protagonist was named Arthur Jeffrey Wilson in the short story and Robert Wilson in the [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E123NightmareAt20000Feet original episode]].
* ''Ubu Król'', a 2003 Polish movie based on ''Theatre/UbuRoi'', changed the names of Poland and Lithuania to Foland and Fithuania.
* ''[[{{Literature/Valis}} Radio Free Albemuth]]'': The film changes Fremont's first name and middle initial to Richard J.
* ''Film/VampireAcademy'':
** The character Ralf Sarcozy is renamed to "Ray" in the film. His role is essentially the same.
** The teacher Mr. Nagy is renamed to "Mr. Meisner". His role is mostly the same, trying to humiliate students by reading their secret notes aloud. Only instead of a note by Rose and Lissa (as in [[Literature/VampireAcademy the book]]), he reads a note from Mia.
** A minor name change. The character Camille Conta is renamed to "Camilla Conta" in the film.
* In ''Film/VForVendetta'', Adam Susan becomes Adam Sutler, Sulter being intended to be a Portmanteau of Susan (Adam's original last name) and [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]] according to the other wiki.
* In ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'', the second team of superheroes had its name changed from the Crime Busters to the Watchmen. Amusingly, it's a longstanding [[IAmNotShazam misconception]] that the team actually ''was'' called the Watchmen in the comic, so the movie may have just made a bigger headache for readers in its attempt to streamline things.
* ''Film/TheWitchesOfEastwick'':
** [[BigBad Darryl van Horne]]'s first name is [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Daryl]] in the film, while most of the other characters get new last names:
*** Alexandra Spofford to Alexandra Medford
*** Jane Smart to Jane Spofford
*** Sukie Rougemont to Sukie Ridgemont
*** Clyde and Felicia Gabriel to Clyde and Felicia Alden
* ''Film/TheWizardOfOz1925'':
** Dorothy's true name is "Dorothea", not "Dorothy Gale".
** King Krewl is changed into Prime Minister Kruel.
* The character known as the "Tin Woodman" in ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' was renamed simply the "Tin Man" in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. Nor is his real name from the book series, "Nick Chopper," ever mentioned.
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** In the film series, [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesMagneto Magneto]]'s real name is Erik Lehnsherr and an alias he uses is Henryk Gurzsky. While in the comics, Magneto's birth name of "Max Eisenhardt" wouldn't be revealed until 2008's ''X-Men: Magneto Testament'', "Erik Magnus Lehnserr", originally presumed to be his real name, was retconned to be an alias in the immediate aftermath of ''Operation: Zero Tolerance'' in the '90s.
** [=MacTaggert=] is [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesHumansOriginalTimeline Moira]]'s maiden name instead of Kinross. She got married and divorced within the 21-year gap between ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' and ''Film/XMenApocalypse'', and she is referred to as Agent [=MacTaggert=] before her marriage and after her divorce.
** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' also features the character named Angel Salvadore/Tempest in the comics. Here [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname we're never told her real name]], but "Angel" is a stage name that she adapts as a code name. This is made more confusing since the film series [[OneSteveLimit previously featured]] Warren Worthington, the ''X-Men'' character who is ''actually'' called "Angel" in the comics.
** ''Film/X2XMenUnited'': [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesXMenOriginalTimeline Pyro]]'s name is changed from St. John Allerdyce to the Americanized John Allerdyce, and [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesWeaponXOriginalTimeline Jason Stryker]] is based on Jason Wyngard.
** ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'': Silver Fox has her name changed to the more Canadian-sounding "Kayla Silverfox." She was also apparently given a RaceLift, as she's played by the very light-skinned Lynn Collins, who claims to have distant Native ancestry, but otherwise looks nothing like Silver Fox. This trope is also {{implied}} with [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesBrotherhood Victor (Sabretooth)]], as the credits lists his father's name as Logan whereas the comic Sabretooth's name was Victor Creed.
** ''Film/TheWolverine'': Mariko's fiancé has his name changed from "Noburo Hideki" to "Noburo Mori," possibly because, although an actual Japanese name, Hideki is a given name, not a family one.
** [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesXMenNewTimeline Quicksilver]]'s real name is changed from "Pietro Maximoff" to the more Americanized "Peter Maximoff" -- presumably due to the fact that the film version of Quicksilver was raised in the U.S. while his comic counterpart grew up in Eastern Europe, although a supplementary website (25 Moments) and the Italian dub both still refers to him as Pietro. The same Name Change was also applied to [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesXMenOriginalTimeline Colossus]].
** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': Magneto had a daughter named Anya in the comics, but her name is [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesOtherMutantsNewTimeline Nina]] in the movie-verse.
** ''Film/{{Logan}}'':
*** Since Sarah Kinney was adapted out, Laura doesn't have a surname spoken on-film, and the closest we possibly get is "Howlett," when Logan introduces her as his daughter. Additionally, since X-23 became an entire project rather than a single clone, her designation is X23-23.
*** [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesTransigen Rictor]] doesn't go by Julio Richter at all, and is [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Only Known By His Nickname]].
[[/folder]]

* In ''Film/TheRelic'', Dr. Gregory Kawakita gets renamed into Greg Lee.

** [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials Tirac]]'s name was changed to Tirek, a [[AscendedFanon fanmade spelling]].

* ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'': The episode "Sleeping Beauty" had some characters' names changed. The titular character from ''Sleeping Beauty'' had her name changed to Princess Strawberry Rose, Prince Charming had his name changed to Huckleberry, and Maleficent was just called the "Brambleberry Fairy".

* ''WesternAnimation/Strawberry Shortcake'': The episode "Sleeping Beauty" had some characters' names changed. The titular character from ''Sleeping Beauty'' had her name changed to Princess Strawberry Rose, Prince Charming had his name changed to Huckleberry, and Maleficent was just called the "Brambleberry Fairy".

* The ''VideoGame/TakAndThePowerOfJuju'' animated series changed the names of some of the characters who originated from the video games.

** John Lockwood is essentially Buldeo with an AdaptationalNameChange plus RaceLift (from Indian to British).

** The Sinister Six was called the Insidious Six. Creator/FoxKids censors felt that the word ''sinister'' sounded too menacing for a children's program (even though another Fox Kids program, ''WesternAnimation/XMen'', had Mister Sinister as a villain).