History Main / OnlyOneName

* In ''LightNovel/EndoAndKobayashiLiveTheLatestOnTsundereVillainessLieselotte'', commoners like her don't have surnames, following pre-industrial European (and [[WeAllLiveInAmerica Japanese]])) customs. [[spoiler:Ceases to be this after she's been adopted by Marquis Bruno later on.]]

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' series, most of the protagonists in the games usually just go by their first name or a nickname, with only a handful of characters so far having full names, from ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' onwards[[note]]Nisha Kadam, Timothy Lawrence, Aurelia Hammerlock, Zane Flynt, Mozerah "Moze" Andreyevna[[/note]]. Handsome Jack's last name has also never been established, with his company ID in ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' just listing him as "Jack".

** Since people are used to the fact doctor titles are usually attached to surnames, it became a common wrong assumption that Brief is the last name of Dr. Brief's family, but like everybody else, his only name is Brief. That didn't stop the dub or ''Film/DragonballEvolution'' to mispread that misinformation.

** [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Gaara]] and his siblings Kankuro and Temari don't seen to have surnames either; some people use "of the Sand/Sabaku no -" like a surname (though that's really just an epithet which applies solely to Gaara), or just call them [[FanNickname the Sand Siblings]]. In fact, no one in the Hidden Sand Village has a surname; apparently the culture of the Land of Wind never adopted them. [[spoiler:Temari later becomes "Temari Nara" when she marries Shikamaru Nara, but that's because her husband is from the Hidden Leaf Village.]]

* Same was in Russia, where up to the 15th/16th centuries even the nobles mostly made do with bynames and patronymics, and commoners started to acquire surnames in mass only after emancipation of the serfs in the late 19th century. Before that, only those living in cities would bother with it.

* Another real-life example: [[Creator/MrT Mister T]] was born Lawrence Tureaud, but had his name legally changed. 'Mister' is now his first name.
** And wrestler [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior Jim "Ultimate Warrior" Hellwig]] (of Wrestling/{{WWE}} fame and Wrestling/{{WCW}} infamy) has legally changed his name to "Warrior".
** So has Joanie Laurer, better known as Wrestling/{{Chyna}}. In both her and Warrior's case, it was an example of LoopholeAbuse. WWE trademarks wrestler's names, and wrestlers are forbidden from using them once they leave the company. However, they can't ban somebody from using their actual legal name, so they legally change them in order to do so.

* Another culture where only one name is common is UsefulNotes/{{Afghanistan}}. Former presidential candidate and politician [[RepetitiveName Abdullah Abdullah]] didn't have a surname initially; he added the extraneous name because western journalists kept pressing him for one.

** There are only a handful of playable characters in this series who ''don't'' abide by this rule: Sol Badguy ([[ThatManIsDead ori]][[MeaningfulRename gin]][[AppropriatedAppellation ally]] Frederick Bulsara), Ky Kiske, Millia Rage, Chipp Zanuff, Axl Low, Kliff Undersn, Anji Mito, Jam Kuradoberi, Sin [[spoiler:Kiske]], Leo Whitefang, Kum Haehyun, Goldlewis Dickinson, and Happy Chaos (which is an alias he adopted during ''REV 2''; his original name remains unknown). Justice too, on account of TheReveal ([[OpenSecret sort of]]) in ''Xrd'' that she's [[spoiler:Sol's girlfriend Aria, who was given the last name Hale in materials following ''Xrd''[='s=] release]]. Originally, there was a pretty good balance in terms of "full names vs. only one name" but it started to go out the window from ''X'' onward, not helped by a majority of characters [[ShoutOut/GuiltyGear being named after]] rock bands and musicians (ex. Music/{{Testament}}, Music/{{Slayer}}, [[Music/BrianEno I-No]], [[Music/FrankZappa Zappa]], etc.) due to AuthorAppeal on the part of Creator/DaisukeIshiwatari.

** Due to mishearing a line from the ''GGX Drama CD'', several English-speaking players believed Johnny's last name to be Sfondi, [[{{Fanon}} which then circulated throughout the Western fandom]]. Officially, it's just Johnny.

** Jiraiya is revealed to have been found as a baby as the SoleSurvivor of a destroyed village during the First Ninja War. Since nobody knows anything about his family, he doesn't have a last name. Subverted later when [[TheMaidenNameDebate he marries Tsunade and takes on the Senju surname]].

* Wrestling/{{WWE}} has a strange habit of giving a large number of their Divas only one name. While wrestlers going by only one name have always been pretty common (even now, there's Wrestling/{{Fandango}} and Wrestling/{{Ryback}}), they, at least, are distinct titles, whereas the Only One Name Divas are usually rather generic first names, such as Wrestling/{{Maryse}}, Wrestling/{{Layla}}, Maria, Wrestling/{{Melina}}, Maxine, Wrestling/{{Natalya|Neidhart}}, [[Wrestling/TenilleDashwood Emma]], and Wrestling/{{Paige}}. Also noticeable is that the WWE fanbase has actively revolted against this, often using a CanonName, such as names they used in developmental, to the extent that WWE has actually started using them again, as has happened with Cameron Lynn, Wrestling/CharlotteFlair, Wrestling/{{Naomi}} Knight (or not), and Wrestling/AJLee. (In Charlotte's case, she started out using only "Charlotte", despite being acknowledged on-screen as Wrestling/{{Ric|Flair}}'s real-life daughter.) There's a variant where a Diva will only have a first name, but one that's in two parts, such as Summer Rae and Eva Marie.
* Even male wrestlers have a tendency to have their names shortened down further and further. In recent years, [[Wrestling/BigELangston Big E]] (Langston), (Antonio) [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli Cesaro]], (Alexander) Wrestling/{{Rusev|AndLana}}, (Adrian) [[Wrestling/AdrianNeville Neville]], Wrestling/{{Elias}} (Samson), [[Wrestling/LaSombra Andrade]] (Cien Almas), (Mustafa) [[Wrestling/MustafaAli Ali]], and (Matt) [[Wrestling/MattRiddle Riddle]] have all had chunks of their names lopped off after debuting, with the prevailing theory being that smaller names are easier to work with from a marketing standpoint (easier to format onto merchandise, etc.).

* Franchise/FinalFantasy:

* [[BigGood Ozpin]] and [[BigBad Salem]] from ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' don't have any last names and [[spoiler:neither did [[{{Reincarnation}} Ozma]]]]. Their lack of surnames and color theme naming hints at [[spoiler:the fact that they're both immortals who were born before the Great War and, in fact, the last survivors of Remnant's original population after the gods wiped out all life and started over the planet]].
** There was much confusion in the fandom as to whether Neo's name was "Neo Politan" or "Neopolitan". The guidebook finally confirmed it to be the latter, and Nora mentions Neo by full name in Volume 7, spelled as "Neopolitan" in the subtitles. Prior to the guidebook, ''VideoGame/RWBYAmityArena'' and ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'' had used "Neo Politan"; in ''Amity Arena'''s case, they cited the internal documents Creator/RoosterTeeth had given the development team.

** Even today, the Japanese imperial family have no surname, a tradition that has been upheld since its creation. In Japan, calling emperors (and other royalty figures, but mostly the emperors) by their given name is considered disrespectful, so Naruhito (the current emperor) is simply called "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor"; his father Akihito, who abdicated in his son's favor in 2019, is ''Jōkō'' ("Retired Emperor") until his death, at which time he will become Emperor Heisei, after the era he reigned; and Hirohito is called Emperor Shōwa, after the era of his reign. Royal women who marry a commoner (which, post-1945, is everyone but their family) take her husband's surname, but they also lose their royal status, since the common men cannot marry into the imperial family.

* A rare actual example of this in a Western country: Canadian soccer player Quinn only has one name. Legally, Quinn is their last name, with no first name, as official documents show. Said player was born Rebecca Quinn, but dropped the first name after coming out as transgender and non-binary.

* ''VideoGame/DanceCentral'': Most of the characters only have a first name or nickname they go by. {{Subverted}} with three characters that later had their full names revealed. Oblio, whose last name is [[spoiler:revealed to be Tan]], Dare (last name Batheson), and MacCoy (real name Oleksander Macko).

* ''Everyone'' in ''[[VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}} Onmyōji]]'' except [[HistoricalDomainCharacter Abe no Seimei, Minamoto no Hiromasa]] and Kijo Momiji, but [[spoiler: Kagura]] deserves a special mention for [[spoiler: never being addressed as ''Minamoto no'' Kagura even after the revelation that she is Hiromasa's sister.]]

* [[Creator/SquareEnix Square (Enix)]] just can't decide whatever characters need surnames, or not:
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' has several characters that fit this trope: Rydia, Tellah, Palom, Porom, and [=FuSoYa=].
*** [=FuSoYa=] is almost certainly a compound name that is essentially two or three names with no spaces between then, both due to the camelcase and the fact that he has a brother named [=KluYa=].
*** This can also be because Rydia, Tellah, Palom, and Porom are commoners, and thus do not have last names in this medieval world unlike Cecil, Rosa, Kain, Edward, Yang, and Edge (whose full name is Edward Geraldine) who are of the higher class.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', on the other hand, gave almost EVERY character a surname (Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough, etc...), though Sephiroth and his father Professor Hojo remain notable exceptions.
*** One character in the Compilation actually got an upgrade from this to a MeaningfulName, going from just Lazard in the Japanese version to Lazard Deusericus in the English Version. Meaningful because [[spoiler:Deusericus is the Latin rendering of Shinra (both meaning "Silken God"), hinting that Lazard is in fact the bastard son of President Shinra]].
*** Zack didn't acquire an official last name until he got his own game ''VideoGame/CrisisCore''.
*** Numerous characters like Kunsel, Tseng, Rude, Reno, Elena, Bugenhagen, Palmer, Scarlet, Nanaki, Seto, Heidigger, Elfe, Fuhito, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie and so on are known only by one name, although given the pattern of first/last name with the major human characters, it's quite possible that many of the secondary characters' last or first names simply haven't been disclosed. Jessie was named Jessie Rasberry in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake''.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', almost every major character has a last name. Terra Branford, Celes Chere, Kefka Palazzo, and so on. Notable exceptions would be the Esper race, who have only the one last name. Maduin, Ramuh, Shiva, etc. And also more minor playable characters such as Mog, Gogo and Umaro, as well as Shadow, which is an alias anyway. Also, most of these are not mentioned within the game itself, save the brothers Figaro (Edgar and Sabin), but are seen in the closing credits, i.e. "Cyan as Cyan Garamonde," "Terra as Terra Branford," "Relm as Relm Arrowny," etc.
** The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' series mixes this up a bit. Most of the major characters like Ramza, Ezel, Marche, etc. have surnames, but everyone else does not. In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'', Luso Clemens is the only character (besides Ezel) who has a surname, but everyone else has only a first name or a nickname.
** [[spoiler:Frimelda Lotice, Ghi Yelgi, Al-Cid Margrace, and Syrenead Sie Hyskarias]]
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' is the other extreme: No surnames in Spira! But hey, in a country where you can call your goth-child "Lulu", does it really matter? Tidus, who comes from a really BIG city hasn't got a last name either, but that's due to [[HelloInsertNameHere his name being an extreme case of "optional"]] (so extreme that other characters [[HeyYou only refer to him as "You"]]).
*** Members of the Ronso and Guado tribes have it as a surname, some of whom are related (Seymour Guado is Jyscal Guado's son), but it is never treated as such.
** For the most part, last names are never mentioned for [=PCs=] in ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games. They may be listed in [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental material]], but they are never actually used in the games themselves. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is another notable exception; fans are likely to remember lines such as "I'm Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca!" and "Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca! Just how far will you go for power? Does your lust for Nethicite consume you?" And yet, just to mix things up again, several characters, including Vaan, Penelo and Fran, don't have stated last names, even in supplementary material. (Balthier is an alias.)
** The series of characters known as "Cid". Excluding the ones in the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI first]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyII second]], tenth, and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI eleventh]] games, most Cids have full names. There's Cid Haze (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII III]]''), Cid Pollendina (''IV''), Cid Previa (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV V]]''), Cid Del Norte Marquez (''VI''), Cid Highwind (''VII''), Cid Kramer (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII VIII]]''), Cid Fabool IX (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX IX]]''), Cidolfas Demen Bunansa (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII XII]]''), Cid Raines (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII XIII]]''), and Cid nan Garlond (''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV XIV]]''). A few notable Cids from the spin-offs have their own full names too, like Cidolfus Orlandeau from ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics Tactics]]''.
** ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', finally, allowed the Disney characters to keep their last names, but eliminated those of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' characters, save for Squall's surname, "Leonhart" -- it becomes his first name (which was further pared down to "Leon" in the English releases). The original ''KH''-characters themselves are surname-less, like in ''FFX''.
*** Squall is still known as such by some of the other characters in the games, and it's explained that [[ThatManIsDead he only goes by Leon because of some sort of tragedy]] and will go back to using Squall when his homeworld is back to normal. Why he didn't go back to Squall in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' is another question altogether, but it's probably since his homeworld isn't back to normal yet.
** In ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' the only people with surnames are [[spoiler: Schala]] Kid [[spoiler: Zeal]], [[spoiler: Lucca]] Ashtear, and General Viper.
* Trolls [[note]]not internet trolls, but the original creatures from folklore, etc.[[/note]] in ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' games supposedly only have one name, with possibly the name of their tribe added (for example Vol'jin of the Darskspear tribe), but this is contradicted by many troll [=NPC=]s having a last name.
** The vast majority of draenei don't seem to have last names either. However, they seem to make up for it with titles (paladins are "Vindicator [Insert Name]," for example) and sobriquets (such as "Stormglory").
** Also the vrykul, who sometimes get titles to go with their names (Svala, the first boss of Utgarde Keep, is turned into a Valkyr and dubbed "Svala Sorrowgrave" by the Lich King).
** For that matter, orcs in Warcraft lore generally only have one name. They'll identify themselves by IAmXSonOfY, but it's supposed to be very rare for the to earn sobriquets. Sobriquets do get passed down family lines, but only upon death and only to one descendant (there's only ever one Hellscream or Doomhammer at a time), and it's possible for an orc who inherited their sobriquet to earn a different one. Still, the majority of them fall under this trope; even one of their most iconic heroes, Thrall, hasn't been given a sobriquet.

* ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5'' does this. We have Ulala, Pudding, Jaguar, Purge...

* [[GadgeteerGenius Maximilian]], aka Max, one of the protaginist of ''VideoGame/DarkChronicle''. The other, [[ActionGirl Monica Raybrant]], averts this trope.
* "[[Franchise/RatchetAndClank Ratchet]]." And that's it. Sort of justified by him [[ParentalAbandonment not knowing his real parents]]. Or would that be "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Everyone Calls Him Ratchet]]" instead? "Clank" is also an example, it was even made up on-screen (the Future Trilogy confirms his real name as [[spoiler: XJ-0461]]).
** According to [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction Tachyon]], "Ratchet" is not even his real name.
* [[MysticalWaif Anne]] and [[FairyCompanion Piko]] in ''VideoGame/MitsumeteKnight'' ; and all characters save for [[TheHero Christopher [=MacLeod=]]] in ''Mitsumete Knight R : Daibouken Hen''.
* Tomomi in the ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' series; she's notable for being the sole case of this in ''the whole franchise''.
* Many ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' characters, the most famous being Cirno. The vast majority are in the {{Ret Con}}ned PC-98 games though, so it could be attributed to EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, until both ''Undefined Fantastic Object'' and ''Double Dealing Character'' added two examples each.
** We also have this with Chen, who still doesn't have her last name revealed, even when Ran Yakumo and Chen come up in the same sentence, though that could have more to do with that she is probably regarded to be more as a pet.
* ''In general'', Japanese adaptations of ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' would have a translation convention which would cause this trope. To prevent NamesTheSame issues when people are on LastNameBasis--Chinese surnames are short, often homophonous, and are relatively few--the characters' first and last names would be mashed together and treated as if it was a last name. For example, Liu Bei (Bei of the Liu family) would be call Ryuubi (not Ryuu Bi as it should be), and when Japanese etiquette requires LastNameBasis, he would be called Ryuubi-san, rather than Ryuu-san. No, the naming convention in ''Manga/IkkiTousen'' wasn't an invention but rather a existing convention.
** They will also refer the characters by their courtesy names (a unique name given later in life according to Chinese tradition). For example, Zhuge Liang is usually referred to as 'Konmin', a Japanese rendition of Kongming, Zhuge Liang's courtesy name.
* [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Rock]], Roll, and Blues, as well as Bass in the original generation, and Axl and the Navigators Alia, Pallette, and Layer in the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series. The titular character is Mega Man X, and his teammate is Zero. Also most of the characters in the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' series.
** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the [[ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics Archie Comics]], where at least Rock (and likely Roll and Blues) share the last name of Light after [[FatherlyScientist their creator]] Thomas Light.
* {{Parodied|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/LEGOBatman 2'', where a receptionist demands Batman's and Superman's names despite them being '''in full costume'''. Batman says he's only got one name (i.e. Batman), "like Madonna."
* Most characters in the ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' fit this trope, which is to be expected since they're taken from classic fairy tales. Averted by two sisters, however, whose parents' tombstones are seen in the first game and are engraved with the family name of Stewartson.
* Everyone in ''VideoGame/WorldsDawn'' has only one name. Of course, the town itself is positively tiny, and the OneSteveLimit is firmly in place, so there's no need to differentiate Bob Smith from Bob Fisher.
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'': None of the Velvet Room attendants have a surname. Justified, since none of them are actually human despite their appearance. Also, in ''VideoGame/Persona4'', [[spoiler:Teddie never adopts a surname even after gaining a human form]].
* As a rigid game mechanic, every playable character in ''VideoGame/TheSims'' series must have a first and last name. However, some [=NPCs=] aren't meant to be playable and can get away with having only one name:
** None of the service [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/TheSims1'' have last names, such as Brigit the Maid and Freddy the Pizza Dude.
** Ghosts Bernard and Mimsy who roam the Von Haunt Estate in ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' are given the last name Shallot in surrounding lore, but in-game they are simply called by their first names. If the player cheats to edit them in Create-A-Sim, both their first and last names will be completely blank.
** More examples can be found on [[https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Sims_with_no_last_name The Sims Wiki.]]
* Characters in ''VideoGame/LittleDragonsCafe'' don't have surnames.
* It'd be easier to list the characters in that actually have surnames in ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', as demons and angels generally lack such, but even most of the human characters aren't shown to have any surnames.
* ''VideoGame/TheHeartPumpsClay'': The witch, Mara is never given a last name. Mara's {{golem}}, Bud, doesn't have one. Crow, a TalkingAnimal, doesn't have a last name.
* ''VideoGame/PsyCard'': You never learn the surname of any character, or whether they have them at all. Many of them sound like nicknames, though.
* ''VideoGame/OkikuStarApprentice'': The titular Okiku.
%%* ''VideoGame/TheOther'' series' protagonists and other characters:
%%** ''VideoGame/TheOtherAirisAdventure''
%%** ''VideoGame/TheOtherRosiesRoadOfLove''
* ''VideoGame/TrickAndTreat'': Amelia, due to being a magical {{familiar}}, doesn't have one.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfArise'': Dahnans, being slaves, universally only have one name. Zephyr exposes Shionne as a Renan (the people who enslaved the Dahnans) when he calls her by her full name.
* Most named characters in ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'' do not have a surname, no matter human or animal/mob. The most that some of them have going for them are epithets or titles, e.g. the [[spoiler:Old]] Order of the Stone are Gabriel the Warrior, Magnus the Rogue, Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer, and Soren the Architect. The main ''possible'' exception are the [=YouTuber=] characters, since they are [[AsHimself based on and voiced by real-life content creators]], but it is never stated whether the names of the creators themselves (e.g. the "D" in [=LDShadowLady=] hints towards her initials in real life) also apply to the characters they portray.

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** The Master Chief is only known as John-117. The closest thing we have to a family name for him is this MIT prank claiming that he's actually [[http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/by_year/2007/halo3_john_harvard/ John Harvard]].
** This sort of thing applies to every SPARTAN-II SuperSoldier; because all of them were "recruited" and brainwashed by the military as children, none of them remember their family names, which were replaced by designation numbers. The only SPARTAN-II who even uses a surname is Kurt-051, who was given the last name of Ambrose as a cover when he was assigned to trained the [=SPARTAN-IIIs=]. However, expanded universe material have gradually revealed the original surnames of more and more [=SPARTAN-IIs=]: so far, we know of [[spoiler:Kurt M. Trevelyan, Naomi Sentzke, Frederic Ellsworth, Linda Pravdin, Kelly Shaddock, Douglas Rutland, Jerome Cable, and Alice Treske]].
** Lower-ranking Covenant races, like [[SlaveMooks Grunts]] and [[SpacePirate Jackals]], are not officially allowed to have surnames, due to the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Elites]]' belief that names are a privilege for only the worthy. On the other hand, the [[KillerSpaceMonkey Brutes]] don't seem to care for surnames to begin with. All that being said, the splintering of the Covenant after ''VideoGame/Halo3'' has seemingly led to many Elite warlords relaxing the old naming restrictions, considering that a few Grunt [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'' actually have official surnames.
** In ''Literature/TheForerunnerSaga'', the long-dead Yprin Yprikushma is the only character in the entire trilogy to have a surname; neither the highly-advanced Forerunners nor [[spoiler:the prehistoric remnants of the once-advanced human and San 'Shyuum civilizations]] seem to use them, period.
* ''VideoGame/HeavensVault'': Timor, a human, where other humans have been known to have surnames.
* Both ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' games have many examples. Every Jedi Master ever given a name, Kreia, the Handmaiden's name ([[spoiler:Brianna]]), the Disciple's name ([[spoiler:Mical]]), Mira, Juhani, Malak, Revan, all of the Wookies, and more.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' averts this with everyone except for Legion, Jack, and ([[spoiler:until he joins Clan Urdnot]]) Grunt. Then again, except for Ashley, Kaidan, and a few formal situations involving Tali, almost nobody's last name is ever mentioned. Due to limitations on the system, the player character is only ever called by his/her last name, Shepard.

* Most characters in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''. Kalina Ann appears to be the sole exception, but it's not even clear if "Ann" is her maiden name or a middle name, or even if "Kalina" is really the [[ICallItVera rocket launcher's own name/model]]. The name of Dante's father, Sparda, has occasionally been used in the context of a family name, but whether it really is is unknown.
** That said, Dante joins the ranks of given name + UsefulNotes/{{patronymic}}, with demons frequently referring to him as "Dante, Son of Sparda". Same may be said about Vergil, too.

* Seth and Kane in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'': In the first briefing of the Nod campaign, Seth introduces himself as "Seth... just, 'Seth'." Likewise, the news report at the end of the GDI campaign refers to Kane as Nod's "single-named" leader.
** You also have Boris. Averted, for the most part, in ''Red Alert 3'', where every named Russian character may be only known by one name but has a full name (minus patronymic) listed in the manual. Played straight with Emperor Yoshiro and Crown Prince Tatsu, but it's typical for Japanese emperors to only have one name (e.g. Hirohito, Akihito).

* Eisen and Inori of the original ''VideoGame/HarukanaruTokiNoNakaDe'' are examples of this, for different reasons: Eisen is a monk and the emperor's half-brother, while Inori lacks a family name on the account of his low origins -- justified by the fact that [[TrappedInAnotherWorld Kyou]] is based off [[JidaiGeki Heian Period Japan]], so those who ''do'' possess family names are either of noble origins or from our world. On the other hand, the Oni don't appear to have last names either.

* Most [=NPC=]s in the ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' games don't have both a first and last name. Deckard Cain, Zoltun Kulle, and Haedrig Eamon are some of the few exceptions.

* Almost everyone in the ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' series, to the point that the only full names given are either AllThereInTheManual (Samos and Keira Hagai, though the canon-ness of this is contested) or most likely a joke (Ozmar Itchy Drawers the Third). The only ones who definitely have a last name are Gol and Maia Acheron.

* Many characters in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' have only one name and a title, and the few that do not are usually related to another NPC. For example, Kia Min, a student in Chapter 1, is the niece of a merchant in the Lotus Assassin fortress.

* ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' features multiple characters with only one referred name. The list includes, but is not limited to [[TheSilentBob Quote]], [[GlassCannon King]], [[FriendlyEnemy Balrog]] and [[WickedWitch Misery]]. Don't get us started about many of the other [=NPC=]s.
* ''VideoGame/EagleEyeMysteries'' gives us minor character Sergio, who declares he is like Madonna and Cher and has no last name, when asked on one occasion. This causes another character, Silvia Torres, to suspect him in a later mystery of being a criminal and the mystery's guilty party. [[spoiler:He's innocent]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'', Crow's real name is Khovalyg. Justified, as he's of Mongolian heritage and the ''etsgiin ner'' [[note]]a patronymic, similar to the original style of names like Johnson[[/note]] is largely insignificant even in modern usage.

* Everyone in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' and ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' has one name each, with the only two exceptions being Luka Redgrave and his father Antonio.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' series, most of the protagonists in the games usually just go by their first name or a nickname, with only a handful of characters so far having full names, from ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' onwards[[note]]Nisha Kadam, Timothy Lawrence, Aurelia Hammerlock, Zane Flynt, Mozerah "Moze" Andreyevna[[/note]]. Handsome Jack's last name has also never been established, with his company ID in ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' just listing him as "Jack".
* Foxy, Fay and May from ''VideoGame/HarvestTown'' have no surnames, unlike the other [=NPCs=] in the game. Foxy is a justified example, since she's a fox-spirit, but there is no real explanation why Fay and May only goes by their first names when everyone else have surnames.
* It'd be easier to list the characters in that actually have surnames in ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', as demons and angels generally lack such, but even most of the human characters aren't shown to have any surnames.
* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'':
** There are only a handful of playable characters in this series who ''don't'' abide by this rule: Sol Badguy ([[ThatManIsDead ori]][[MeaningfulRename gin]][[AppropriatedAppellation ally]] Frederick Bulsara), Ky Kiske, Millia Rage, Chipp Zanuff, Axl Low, Kliff Undersn, Anji Mito, Jam Kuradoberi, Sin [[spoiler:Kiske]], Leo Whitefang, Kum Haehyun, Goldlewis Dickinson, and Happy Chaos (which is an alias he adopted during ''REV 2''; his original name remains unknown). Justice too, on account of TheReveal ([[OpenSecret sort of]]) in ''Xrd'' that she's [[spoiler:Sol's girlfriend Aria, who was given the last name Hale in materials following ''Xrd''[='s=] release]]. Originally, there was a pretty good balance in terms of "full names vs. only one name" but it started to go out the window from ''X'' onward, not helped by a majority of characters [[ShoutOut/GuiltyGear being named after]] rock bands and musicians (ex. Music/{{Testament}}, Music/{{Slayer}}, [[Music/BrianEno I-No]], [[Music/FrankZappa Zappa]], etc.) due to AuthorAppeal on the part of Creator/DaisukeIshiwatari.
** Testament is an unusual case, as he's actually the adopted son of Kliff (Testament is presumably the name he was given after [[WasOnceAMan his conversion into a Gear]]), meaning his surname would logically be Undersn via adoption. Despite his fondness for his father even after losing and regaining his memory, Testament's [[MisanthropeSupreme low opinion of humans]] and probable lack of legal status (on account of [[FantasticRacism being a Gear]]) most likely explain why he never reclaimed his last name.
** Since she never knew her parents, Dizzy only goes by, well, "Dizzy." Though by ''Overture'' she could arguably be called Dizzy [[spoiler:Kiske]], and later material suggests her full birth name should be something along the lines of Dizzy [[spoiler:Hale-Bulsara]].
** Due to mishearing a line from the ''GGX Drama CD'', several English-speaking players believed Johnny's last name to be Sfondi, [[{{Fanon}} which then circulated throughout the Western fandom]]. Officially, it's just Johnny.
** The original Valentine of ''Overture'' was succeeded by three new Valentines in ''Xrd'' (Ramlethal, Elphelt, and Jack-O'). This could retroactively indicate LastNameBasis was in play (as Valentine appears to be a SpeciesSurname for any [[CloningBlues clones]] of [[spoiler:Aria]]), though it's equally possible that her name was simply Valentine.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'':
*** In the Japanese version and the NES version's English localization, it applied to Ragnar, but no longer does in the DS remake's English localization, where he was given a last name ([=McRyan=]).
*** The third chapter's protagonist was just Torneko in the Japanese version and just Taloon in the NES version's localization, but this trope no longer applies to him in the DS remake, in which he's referred to as Torneko Taloon.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': Subverted with Pankraz in the English script, despite being from a series where this trope is very common. Of course, his last name (Gotha) is only mentioned when he's telling some guards who he is.

* ''VideoGame/HelensMysteriousCastle'': Every named character provides only one name.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' averts this with everyone except for Legion and ([[spoiler:until he joins Clan Urdnot]]) Grunt. Then again, except for Ashley, Kaidan, and a few formal situations involving Tali, almost nobody's last name is ever mentioned. Due to limitations on the system, the player character is only ever called by his/her last name, Shepard.

[[folder:Toys]]
* While Franchise/{{Barbie}} has a last name ("Roberts") and even a middle name ("Millicent"), not many people even know she has a last name.
* All of the ''Franchise/{{Bratz}}'' characters only have first names (except for Burdine Maxwell and other [[CanonForeigner characters that were created for the]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Bratz}} TV show]]).
* Also applies to the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' and ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' franchises mentioned in Western Animation.
[[/folder]]

* Most characters in ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'' have only one name, usually ending with "-tchi." There is an exception to the one-name rule, though -- Makiko, for some reason, has actual first, middle, and last names (Madeleine Kirie Dotchine).

** There are only a handful of playable characters in this series who ''don't'' abide by this rule: Sol Badguy ([[ThatManIsDead ori]][[MeaningfulRename gin]][[AppropriatedAppellation ally]] Frederick Bulsara), Ky Kiske, Millia Rage, Chipp Zanuff, Axl Low, Kliff Undersn, Anji Mito, Jam Kuradoberi, Sin [[spoiler:Kiske]], Leo Whitefang, Kum Haehyun, and Goldlewis Dickinson. Justice too, on account of TheReveal ([[OpenSecret sort of]]) in ''Xrd'' that she's [[spoiler:Sol's girlfriend Aria, who was given the last name Hale in materials following ''Xrd''[='s=] release]]. Originally, there was a pretty good balance in terms of "full names vs. only one name" but it started to go out the window from ''X'' onward, not helped by a majority of characters [[ShoutOut/GuiltyGear being named after]] rock bands and musicians (ex. Music/{{Testament}}, Music/{{Slayer}}, [[Music/BrianEno I-No]], [[Music/FrankZappa Zappa]], etc.) due to AuthorAppeal on the part of Creator/DaisukeIshiwatari.

* Junko, the mangaka responsible for ''Manga/KissHimNotMe'' and multiple BoysLove manga.

* A rare actual example of this in a Western country: Canadian soccer player Quinn only has one name. Legally, Quinn is their last name, with no first name, as official documents show.

** There are only a handful of playable characters in this series who ''don't'' abide by this rule: Sol Badguy ([[ThatManIsDead ori]][[MeaningfulRename gin]][[AppropriatedAppellation ally]] Frederick Bulsara), Ky Kiske, Millia Rage, Chipp Zanuff, Axl Low, Kliff Undersn, Anji Mito, Jam Kuradoberi, Sin [[spoiler:Kiske]], Leo Whitefang, and Kum Haehyun. Justice too, on account of TheReveal ([[OpenSecret sort of]]) in ''Xrd'' that she's [[spoiler:Sol's girlfriend Aria, who was given the last name Hale in materials following ''Xrd''[='s=] release]]. Originally, there was a pretty good balance in terms of "full names vs. only one name" but it started to go out the window from ''X'' onward, not helped by a majority of characters [[ShoutOut/GuiltyGear being named after]] rock bands and musicians (ex. Music/{{Testament}}, Music/{{Slayer}}, [[Music/BrianEno I-No]], [[Music/FrankZappa Zappa]], etc.) due to AuthorAppeal on the part of Creator/DaisukeIshiwatari.