Line #59 Main/RenamedToAvoidAssociation


1	->''"Originally Levi didn't have a name, he was just child soldier #11. But then I realized Eleven is a character in ''Series/StrangerThings'' so I tried to come up with a name with similar ring to it (was so used to Eleven at that point) So he became Levi."''
2	-->--'''Platform/{{Twitter}}''' post by '''Miro Haverinen''', developer of ''VideoGame/FearAndHungerTermina''
3
4	What does a creator do when they've got a perfectly fine character, but then an unrelated big and famous intellectual property comes along with an iconic character who shares the same name as the creator's character? Or a celebrity with a similar moniker becomes very famous? A common response is to change their character's name.
5
6	While not all creators do this, there are some benefits to renaming your character in response to a more famous one who shares their name:
7	* Avoiding legal disputes. It doesn't matter who came first; two things sharing the same name has the potential to get thorny. If one creator is significantly smaller than the other, renaming their character may be a lot less of a hassle than fighting it out. WritingAroundTrademarks might be utilized.
8	* Getting around the JustForFun/OneMarioLimit. An incredibly popular character or person is likely to monopolize this name. A Google search, for example, is more likely to return results about the more famous one and deprive the lesser-known one of attention. Renaming to a unique name can circumvent this, while also avoiding confusion from people who mix up the characters.
9	* Avoiding thorny associations with the newer name-user, especially if they are controversial, too adult for your family-friendly character or, in the case of real people, well-known political figures. If the notoriety is recent, this is a method of DistancedFromCurrentEvents that can also avoid accusations of RippedFromTheHeadlines.
10
11	If done while adapting a character (perhaps from an obscure source material that predated the newer, more famous name-using work/person/group), overlaps with AdaptationNameChange. It can also overlap with DubNameChange if a character's name is well-known in a foreign region thanks to a different work/person/group. No matter the reason, '''the two parties must be unrelated for this to apply.''' Tweaking the name of someone or something to create an {{Expy}} or FictionalCounterpart of them does not count. If a character has a CodeName just for the heck of it (for example, a superhero who does not have much of a SecretIdentity), a subtle way is to drop the codename and have the character use just his real name.
12
13	See also OneSteveLimit, which usually prevents characters sharing a name ''within the same work'', and PostReleaseRetitle.
14
15	----
16	!!Examples:
17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
20	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': The MadDoctor usually known simply as [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Doctor]] was initially intended to have the real name of "Maruta Shiga". This was changed to "Kyudai Garaki" after it was pointed out that the old name was a reference to Japan's infamous Unit 731.
21	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
22	** In planning stages, Sanji was initially named Naruto (as he is a chef, and "naruto" are a type of fish cake). He was renamed as not to overshadow the release of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''.
23	** Buggy the Clown was originally named "Boogie", but Creator/EiichiroOda realized the name was already taken after watching ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Audio Play]]
27	* Case #1 of ''AudioPlay/TheMorgueFiles'' was revamped with an expanded story and a new name to the main character. Originally based off of "Ticci Toby" (Tobias Erin Rogers), he [[https://at.tumblr.com/davidnearofficial/the-morgue-files-case-1-the-blood-red-sky/0bhkwf6vksr6 was removed to avoid association with his original creator]] and rewritten as Tobias Adams.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Board Games]]
31	* When British quiz show Series/{{Mastermind}} was made into a board game in 1983, it was renamed to "The Quizmaster" to avoid confusion with the unrelated code-breaking board game Mastermind.
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:Comic Books]]
35	* ''Creator/DCComics'':
36	** ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}}: Deathstroke's alias was initially "Deathstroke the Terminator". This was quietly shortened in the '80s after ''Film/TheTerminator'' essentially monopolized the term.
37	** ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Supporting speedster Max Mercury was initially named Quicksilver, but the character dropped into obscurity after the Golden Age. By the time the character was rebooted in the '90s, Creator/MarvelComics had already made significant mileage with ''their'' speedster named ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}}, and so the character was renamed.
38	** ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'': During the ComicBook/New52, DC Comics finally renamed their Captain Marvel ''Shazam'' (which was the book's ''title'' prior to the rename, and the trope namer for IAmNotShazam) after decades of the character [[CaptainMarvel coexisting]] with Creator/MarvelComics's ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel\|MarvelComics}}.[[note]]Shazam predated Mar-Vell, but by the time DC snapped up the former Marvel had already trademarked the "Captain Marvel" name.[[/note]] This rename coincided with [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]]' rise to popularity as Marvel's new Captain Marvel.
39	** The lead character of ''ComicBook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'' was originally called Roger Rabbit. ''Literature/WhoCensoredRogerRabbit'' came out in the middle of the comic's run, and he started going by his middle name, Rodney, instead. (Notably, the book is about comic characters rather than animated cartoons, and also in this version Roger is [[AdaptationalHeroism much less likable]] than his [[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit movie counterpart]].)
40	* ''Creator/MarvelComics'':
41	** ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'': For a brief period of time, Black Panther was renamed "Black Leopard" to avoid associations with the Black Panther Party of the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement. He eventually went back to the old name because [[OlderThanTheyThink the character had the name first]].
42	--->'''T'Challa''': I contemplate a return to your country, [[ComicBook/TheThing Ben Grimm]], where the latter term has ''political'' connotations. I neither condemn nor condone those who have taken up the name, but T'Challa is a law unto himself. Hence, the new name -- a minor point, at best, since the panther is a leopard.
43	** ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': An InUniverse example: [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]]' black father was called UsefulNotes/JeffersonDavis, like the Confederate president who owned slaves. In ''ComicBook/MilesMoralesSpiderMan2018'' #22 by Creator/SaladinAhmed, [[TookTheWifesName he changes his name to Jeff Morales]], [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude wondering]] why his parents called him Jefferson Davis in the first place and pointing out how tainted it is.
44	** ''ComicBook/ProjectSuperpowers'': The series revived several [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroes, but had to rename them to avoid confusion with several more popular modern characters who had arisen in the meantime. Thus, Daredevil became "Death-Defying Devil"[[note]]''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}''[[/note]], Blue Beetle became "Big Blue"[[note]]''ComicBook/BlueBeetle''[[/note]], Yellowjacket became Jack[[note]]one of the names used by Hank Pym, best-known as ComicBook/AntMan[[/note]], and Hydroman became Hydro[[note]]Hydro-Man (with a hyphen) is a ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain[[/note]].
45	* ''ComicBook/{{Miracleman}}'' was initially named "Marvelman", as a CaptainErsatz of the original Captain Marvel (the "Shazam!" one mentioned above). After the series was rebooted decades later, a dispute arose with Creator/MarvelComics (by then a major player in the comics industry) and forced the name change. (Ironically, Marvel would eventually buy the rights to ''Miracleman''.)
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
49	* ''ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUS'' and ''ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUK'' just coincidentally happened to both release on the ''exact same day'' in 1951 (the US version released roughly 4 hours ahead), necessitating retitling in some regions.
50	** The UK version would eventually rename itself to ''Dennis the Menace & Gnasher'' to international publications to give more attention to Dennis' dog Gnasher, who was already serving as something of a {{deuteragonist}} anyway. It's still known as just "Dennis the Menace" in the UK though.
51	** Italian translations also had to make up something to distinguish them. The dub of the 80s cartoon adaptation of the US Dennis [[DubNameChange renamed him "Danny"]] while UK Dennis kept his name in the dub of his cartoon. In the comics the opposite happened: US Dennis kept his name, but the short-lived translation of UK Dennis renamed him "Mino".
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Fan Works]]
55	* Downplayed in ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'' fic ''{{Fanfic/Luminosity}}'', which features Jacob Black's sister Rebecca as a minor character. She's not renamed, but the fic has her exclusively go by "Becky", presumably to avoid putting readers in mind of Music/RebeccaBlack.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
59	* In the [[DubNameChange Hungarian dub]] of ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', Bartok the bat, the villain's animal sidekick, was renamed "Bartek", to avoid association with famous Hungarian composer Music/BelaBartok.
60	* PlayedWith regarding ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''. Per WordOfGod, the titular Beast's name is Adam, making him Prince Adam. However, it's not usually brought up in official media outside of an occasional nod at the parks or in merchandise due to the fact that Mattel already has a Prince Adam of their own: the true identity of He-Man of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse'' fame.
61	* When ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' was originally going to be the more serious ''Kingdom of the Sun'', the spoiled, selfish Emperor was meant to be named "Manco". After it was reworked into the screwball comedy that it is today, the Emperor's name was changed to "Kuzco" because, according to Creator/DavidSpade, Manco (or マンコ) is the equivalent of "pussy" in Japanese.
62	* ''WesternAnimation/MegamindVsTheDoomSyndicate'': Megamind's sidekick, originally named Minion in the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'', is renamed Ol' Chum here (and by extension, ''WesternAnimation/MegamindRules'') due to the existence of Creator/{{Illumination}}'s [[Franchise/DespicableMe Minions]], who even debuted the same year as ''Megamind''.[[note]]Illumination and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation are now both owned by Creator/NBCUniversal, though they weren't at the time of their original movies, so the issue is less likely legal concerns and more a matter of marketing.[[/note]] InUniverse, he explains he had to change his name due to a cease-and-desist order from the restaurant Mr. Minion's Meatcicles.
63	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' (both the movie and the character) was renamed to ''Vaiana'' in most of Europe and parts of Asia to avoid a trademark conflict with a cosmetics brand. The movie was further renamed ''Oceania'' in Italy (while the character is still "Vaiana"), which is believed to be a move to disassociate with famous porn actress Moana Pozzi.
64	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' is based on a book called ''Literature/MrsFrisbyAndTheRatsOfNIMH'', starring a mouse named [[ProtagonistTitle Mrs. Frisby]]. The film changes her name to Mrs. Brisby because the original name sounded to similar to "Frisbee", the name of a popular toy in the 1980s.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}'' was originally meant to be titled ''War Wizards'', but was changed before release as a personal request from Creator/GeorgeLucas to Creator/RalphBakshi as to not cause confusion with his upcoming feature, ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]''. Bakshi accepted it as a trade of favors, as Lucas let Bakshi borrow Creator/MarkHamill while he was on set to do voicework for ''Wizards''.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]
69	* Following the precedent set by the stage version, film adaptations of ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'' change the name of General [=MacArthur=] to avoid associations with UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur.
70	** ''Film/AndThenThereWereNone1945'', released at the tail end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, changed his name to Mandrake.
71	** He is called Romensky in the 1989 film version.
72	* ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'': Wallace's wife in ''The Wallace'', which the film is based on, was named Marion Braidfute. Her name was changed to Murron [=MacClannough=] to avoid confusion with Maid Marian of Myth/RobinHood fame.
73	* The books ''Film/NannyMcPhee'' was based on named the titular character "Nurse Matilda". To avoid confusion with ''Film/{{Matilda}}'', also a magic-user, the character underwent an AdaptationNameChange to "Nanny [=McPhee=]" for the movies.
74	* When ''Film/SASRedNotice'' was released on Creator/{{Netflix}}, the streamer retitled it ''SAS: Rise of the Black Swan'' to avoid conflict with its own release, ''Film/RedNotice''.
75	* In ''Franchise/StarWars'' media starting from Season 2 of ''Series/TheMandalorian'', the name of the starship used by Boba Fett, the ''Slave I'', was no longer mentioned due to rising cultural sensitivity to the word "slave".
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Literature]]
79	* Creator/AstridLindgren's ''Literature/{{Emil}}'' was re-christened "Michel" in Germany due to there being another popular Emil in children's literature, the title character from Creator/ErichKaestner's ''Literature/EmilAndTheDetectives''.
80	* There is a ''Literature/GreatGusliar'' story named ''Lyonechka-Leonardo'', about a ChildProdigy who is forced to conform to normal standards. In his published comments for the story, Creator/KirBulychev recalls that, as Lyonechka is a pet name form for Leonid, the Soviet censors decided it was somehow a stealth mockery of Leonid Brezhnev, and Bulychev was forced to rename the main character Lyoshen'ka (short for Alexey).
81	* An InUniverse example appears in the novel ''Literature/SmallSteps'', when singer Kathy Spears uses the stage name Kaira [=DeLeon=] because of Music/BritneySpears.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
85	* ''Series/{{Alf}}'' had an InUniverse example. Lynn's dating a musician and Willie and Kate allow him to store his band's instruments in the garage. While he's stowing the instruments, they ask him how his band's doing. He says they had to change their name recently because they discovered there was another band with that name. He holds up the bass drum which bears the band's new name...which was also used by [[Music/TheDoors a previously existing band]].
86	* Brazilian comedy group Casseta & Planeta aired in their show {{Parody Commercial}}s [[AcmeProducts of varied products and services]] sold by Tabajara Organizations. Some organizations already named Tabajara (it's the name of a native tribe), most notably a Usefulnotes/SaoPaulo college, were forced to rechristen themselves as Tabajara started to become a pejorative shorthand for questionable quality.
87	* The name of the title character of ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero'' was briefly changed from Hinkley to Hanley [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents following the attempted assassination]] of UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan by John Hinckley. It was reverted back after a few months.
88	* ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'': Zari Tomaz is an adaptation of a superheroine named Isis (who was originally from ''Series/TheSecretsOfIsis'' and then adopted as a ''ComicBook/BlackAdam'' character), but the "Isis" codename was dropped as by then the name was also used to refer to a terrorist organization.
89	* ''Series/RedDwarf'': When Rob Grant and Doug Naylor adapted their radio sketch series ''Dave Hollins: Space Cadet'' for television, they decided to change the main character’s last name to Lister, as a football player by the name of Dave Hollins had become famous.
90	* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' features an inversion of this. Creator/JohnDeLancie elected to reprise his role as the omnipotent trickster Q in spite of the existence of the conspiracy organization Qanon (also known as "Q") because he wanted to reclaim the title from the group and make it associated with something fun again.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Music]]
94	!!Artists
95	* British heavy metal band Marseille was originally named AC/DC, until they found out an [[Music/{{ACDC}} Australian hard rock band]] already took that name.
96	* Downplayed with the British TwoTone band and the American PowerPop band both named "the Beat". The former was known as "the English Beat" in North American markets, and the latter was billed as "Paul Collins' Beat" (after frontman Paul Collins) when they performed in Europe.
97	* Music/Blink182 were forced to change their name from just "Blink" by an Irish group of the same name.
98	* In the 1960s, one young British man named David Jones took on a StageName to avoid confusion with another British singer, Davy Jones of Music/TheMonkees. That stage name? Music/DavidBowie.
99	* From '91-'95 there were two groups known as the Dust Brothers; one was an already successful US writing/production duo, and the other was an upstart UK duo who used the name as a homage to the first group. When the UK pair went on their first international tour, the US pair threatened legal action, and so the UK band renamed themselves Music/TheChemicalBrothers.
100	* In 1989, an upstart Californian punk band changed their name from Sweet Children to Music/GreenDay to avoid confusion with another local band called Sweet Baby.
101	* Music/HavalinaRailCo were initially named just Havalina, but expanded their name to avoid confusion with another California band, The Havalinas. Where things get funky is, years later HRC felt the need to change their name once more after several members departed, and they believed The Havalinas had disbanded by that point, so they felt it was safe to shorten their name to just Havalina again. Which just led to confusion a few years later when a completely unrelated Mexican band formed, also calling themselves Havalina.
102	* Post-metal band Music/{{Isis}} broke up in 2010 and reunited for a one-off show in 2018. During their downtime, the name (or rather the abbreviation) became associated with a certain extremist group, therefore by the time the band got back together, they went under the name Celestial, after their debut album.
103	* Rapper and ElectronicMusic producer Kitty started out as Kitty Pryde, but shortened her name because of associations with the [[ComicBook/KittyPryde Marvel Comics character of the same name]].
104	* The CountryMusic duo Music/MaddieAndTae would likely have been known as Maddie & Taylor if not for the fact that there was already [[Music/TaylorSwift a world-famous young, female country superstar named Taylor]], and so Taylor Dye abbreviated her first name to Tae to avoid confusion.
105	* Music/TheSmiths guitarist Music/JohnnyMarr changed the spelling of his surname from "Maher" to avoid confusion with the drummer of fellow Manchester band Music/{{Buzzcocks}}, also named John Maher. Ironically, after The Smiths broke up, drummer Mike Joyce joined the Buzzcocks.
106	* The late 80s Californian [[ChristianRock Christian]] new wave band Morella's Forest was the debut for brothers Ronnie Martin and Jason Martin. They recorded one album, ''Tales'', but it disappeared onto [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment the Shelf of Album Languishment]] for a few decades. Jason Martin eventually left to start Music/Starflyer59, and Ronnie Martin eventually rebranded himself as Music/JoyElectric--and around that same point in the 90s, another band named Morella's Forest popped up, a completely unrelated Christian indie band from Dayton, Ohio. This new Morella's Forest even signed to the same record label as both Joy Electric and Starflyer and released four albums. Fast forward a few decades, and Ronnie Martin once again acquired the original master tapes from ''his'' Morella's Forest album. Ronnie and Jason finally released ''Tales'' in 2021--and to reduce confusion with the Ohio Morella's Forest, they released the album under the slightly tweaked name "Morellas Forest 1988".
107	* DrumAndBass artist Muzz was originally called Muzzy before renaming in January 2020 to avoid association with the BBC show ''WesternAnimation/MuzzyInGondoland''.
108	* The Christian SkaPunk band The O.C. Supertones got hit with this twice:
109	** When they first signed to a record label[[note]]Well, they were ''originally'' originally named Saved, but that whole period is OldShame for everyone involved. Their record label demanded they get a better name as a prerequisite to signing them.[[/note]], they were briefly just The Supertones. Then they realized there was already a surf band named The Supertones, so they stuck their hometown (Orange County, California) at the beginning of their name to distinguish themselves.
110	** They initially wanted to name their fifth studio album ''Truth Soul Rock & Roll'', then found out that another Christian band, The Elms, also had an album by that title scheduled to come out ''on exactly the same day''. So the O.C. Supertones retitled their album ''Hi-Fi Revival'' before release.
111	* During the SurfRock craze of the '60s, two separate bands called themselves The Surfaris. There was a relatively obscure band from Orange County, California--and there was the band from Glendora, California, who had the mega-hits "Wipeout" and "Surfer Joe". The legal dispute over the name resulted in the Orange County band getting forced to change their name, in spite of the fact they had it first. So they rebranded themselves The Original Surfaris.
112	* Music/VanHalen went through a lot of potential band names when they were first starting out; one of those names was Genesis, which they decided not to use after learning that [[Music/{{Genesis\|Band}} a band from the UK]] was already using that name.
113	!!Works
114	* Music/SheenaEaston's "9 to 5" was retitled "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" when it was released in the US and Canada to avoid confusion with the Music/DollyParton song of the same name. Incidentally, they both topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 within three months of each other in 1981.
115	* The traditional hymn "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" features a verse referencing a story in [[Literature/BooksOfSamuel I Samuel]] where the prophet Samuel erects a monument to the assistance God had given them thus far in their war against the Philistines. Older versions feature the line "Here I raise my Ebenezer"--Ebenezer being Hebrew for "stone of help", the name Samuel gave his monument. Nowadays most people, even the devoutly religious, are more likely to associate the name with [[Literature/AChristmasCarol a certain Dickens character]], leading to various rewrites of the verse that omit it.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
119	* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' started out in its first, mostly lore-free edition as [=BattleDroids=], which promptly got FASA an angry letter from Creator/GeorgeLucas due to his trademarking the word "droid." Not wanting to risk a legal battle with him, FASA immediately changed the name.
120	* An interesting example in ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy''. Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, happens to share a name with Marvel's Malekith, who is ALSO the leader of the dark elves. With Marvel's rise to even higher fame, and power of Disney, Games Workshop renamed Malekith to Malerion in the shift to ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'', and the character has not had a major story focus since ''Age of Sigmar'' dropped.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Theater]]
124	* In ''Film/AChristmasCarolTheMusical'', Scrooge's [[TheOneThatGotAway former fiancée]] Belle is renamed Emily, after her original actress Emily Skinner, to avoid association with Belle from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', which also features a score by Music/AlanMenken.
125	* The 1943 stage adaptation of ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'' changed General [=MacArthur=]'s name to General [=McKenzie=], as by that time General UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur was playing a prominent role in the Pacific Theater of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Toys]]
129	* Toys/HeroFactory's flagship character was originally named William Blaze, but he was renamed to William Furno to avoid confusion with Billy Blazes of ''WesternAnimation/RescueHeroes''.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Video Games]]
133	* In 2021, Creator/ActivisionBlizzard became involved in a major sexual harassment lawsuit, and had a few characters, objects and places renamed, mainly in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' and ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. They have since made a stance on not naming characters after real people going forward.
134	** ''[=WoW=]'' developer Alex Afrasiabi (the biggest offender targeted by the lawsuit) had a number of [=NPCs=] named after him in the game (including "Fras Siabi", "Field Marshal Afrasiabi", "Lord Afrasastrasz", etc). All were renamed.
135	** Jesse [=McCree=] from ''Overwatch'' was named after the Blizzard developer of the same name as a PermanentPlaceholder. His name was also linked to the lawsuit, and because he's a major character in one of their franchises, Blizzard decided to write an explanation for his name change, [[RealitySubtext saying Jesse McCree has always been his criminal alias]] and he decides to use his real name to [[ReformedCriminal come clean for good]]. His new name was finalized to Cole Cassidy.
136	* ''VideoGame/FearAndHungerTermina'': Levi was initially only going to be referred to as [[YouAreNumberSix "Eleven"]], but the creator eventually settled on his final name after finding out about Eleven from ''Series/StrangerThings''.
137	* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroesIII'' features the major antagonist Damon Ricotello, who was renamed from Damon ''Riccitiello'' from predecessor ''VideoGame/TravisStrikesAgainNoMoreHeroes''. In both cases, the character is [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed a very targeted caricature]] of former Creator/ElectronicArts CEO John Riccitiello, so it seems the change was made to avoid potential legal retribution.
138	* Piston Honda from the NES version of ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' was renamed Piston Hond''o'' in the Wii installment, likely to avoid any legal trouble with the Honda motor company and/or E. Honda from ''Franchise/StreetFighter''.
139	* ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryI'' was originally named ''Hero's Quest'', but was renamed to avoid confusion with the tabletop game ''TabletopGame/HeroQuest''.
140	* ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'' is a MOBA featuring Gods from various mythologies duking it out in an arena. One of them is the Egyptian Goddess Isis, which also unfortunately had the same name of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State terrorist organization]] later. Thankfully, said Goddess has several alternate spellings, therefore, she later got name changed into one of those spellings: Eset.
141	* ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' was originally going to be named Pete, but the name was changed due to Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Film/PetesDragon1977'' as the team feared Disney may sue them for the similarities (as Spyro was also originally going to be green).
142	* ''Franchise/StreetFighter''
143	** [[Characters/StreetFighterI Ken]] did not have a last name until action figures based on the second game were released, at which point it was felt prudent to add the surname "Masters" so there would be no confusion with the Ken of Mattel's ''Franchise/{{Barbie}}'' line of toys.
144	** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' introduced a boxer character named Mike Bison, [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed obviously intended to be]] a pastiche of Creator/MikeTyson. When the game was released outside Japan, he was renamed Balrog[[note]]Three of the boss characters had their names swapped around to accommodate this: in Japan there was Mike Bison the boxer, Balrog the claw fighter and Vega the final boss. They became Balrog, Vega and M. Bison respectively for the international release.[[/note]] both to avoid a potential lawsuit as well as distance the character from the rape charges Tyson was facing at the time. The change has persisted with all international releases in the series since.
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	[[folder:Western Animation]]
148	* For the first four seasons of ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'', the spy agency the protagonists work at is called ISIS. When the acronym become one of the ones used by the Islamic State, the fifth season begins with the agency being dissolved. The same main cast would form varying groups/companies from then on, but never use the ISIS name again.
149	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' gained its subtitle a ways into production after the creators learned of the film ''Film/{{Avatar}}''.
150	* For ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'', Ezran was originally going to be named Ezra, but was changed because the name Ezra was already being used by the lead character of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''.
151	* In pre-production, Mateo from ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' was originally named Marco, but this was changed to avoid further similarities with one of the main characters of fellow Disney cartoon ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'', who was also a Latino boy in a red jacket named Marco.
152	* An early promo of ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'' introduced the six-member squad of superheroes lead by Buzz Bunny. After the creators learned that "Buzz Bunny" was also the name of a women's personal vibrator in the United Kingdom, the character was renamed Ace Bunny.
153	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
154	** Starlight Glimmer was originally going to be named Aurora, but was renamed as Creator/{{Disney}} had a lock on the name Aurora from ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' and related properties.
155	** Coco Pommel was soon renamed to a formal Ms. Pommel due to the series getting a complaint from the estate of fashion designer Coco Chanel.
156	* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderbirdsAreGo'': The character Tin-Tin from ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' was renamed Tanusha (nicknamed Kayo) to avoid confusion with ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}''.
157	[[/folder]]
158
159	[[folder:Real Life]]
160	* [[NaturalizedName Naturalization]] is, more often than not, used as a way to avoid association with group of origin. Particular examples include Germans and Japanese migrants after WWII, or Russian migrants after the end of the Cold War.
161	* The [[UsefulNotes/UnionsInHollywood Screen Actors Guild]] does not allow duplicates in its roster, so some actors have to be credited as something else to avoid overlapping with a more established actor. Also true with Equity in the UK.
162	** Michael John Douglas took on the StageName of Creator/MichaelKeaton to distinguish himself from actor [[Creator/MichaelDouglas Michael Kirk Douglas]] and talk show host Mike Douglas (birth name Michael Delaney Dowd, Jr.).
163	** Creator/ElizabethBanks changed her surname to distinguish from Creator/ElizabethMitchell.
164	** Creator/MichaelJFox added the "J." middle initial because there was a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Fox_(American_actor) Michael Fox]] (he actually does have a real middle name, Andrew, but went with [[MysteriousMiddleInitial the mysterious middle initial "J"]] in homage to actor Creator/MichaelJPollard and to avoid the obvious "Michael, a fox" jokes).
165	** This became an EnforcedTrope in the mid-to-late '30s. Before then, there apparently were fewer regulations, until [[MistakenIdentity a number of public scandals occurred that implicated the wrong people]]. This included an incident where an actor known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_%22Stage%22_Boyd William "Stage" Boyd]] was caught numerous times with illegal alcohol (during Prohibition) and drugs. Each time it made the papers, the "Stage" was omitted, accidentally accusing the completely unrelated matinee idol [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Boyd_(actor) William Lawrence Boyd]], eventually unjustly ruining his career. Fortunately, the latter Boyd was able to bounce back, taking the role of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopalong_Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy]], a role he came to relish to the point he played the character exclusively to the end of his career (even famously refusing the role of Moses in ''Film/TheTenCommandments1956'', as he felt that audiences wouldn't take the film seriously if Hoppy was Moses...).
166	** Even then, there are some that slip by; for example, Creator/{{Peyton List\|1986}} (born in Boston in 1986) and [[Creator/PeytonList1998 Peyton Roi List]] (born in Florida in 1998) once stayed in the same hotel when the latter guest-starred on ''Series/AsTheWorldTurns'' while the former was starring on the show as Lucy Montgomery, creating great confusion as they received daily call sheets and voicemails for each other. Years later, they both starred in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanHush'' (the older Peyton as Poison Ivy and the younger one as Batgirl), with the younger one being credited with her middle initial added in to differentiate the two.
167	** As a UK example, Creator/DavidTennant was born David [=McDonald=], but there was already an actor with that name. The "Tennant" came from his fandom of Music/PetShopBoys, whose frontman is named Neil Tennant.
168	* Creator/PeterDavison (born Peter Moffett) adopted a StageName in order to avoid confusion with director Peter Moffatt. The two worked together on ''Series/AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall1978'' and later again on ''Series/DoctorWho''.
169	* Creator/CharlesBronson originally went by the name of Charles Dennis Buchinsky, and had a number of film credits to that name before he changed his surname to Bronson in 1954 at the suggestion of his agent, who feared that his Eastern European surname would damage his career due to UsefulNotes/TheHollywoodBlacklist and the [[UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy McCarthy]] {{witch hunt}}s that were going down at around that time.
170	* Creator/AlbertBrooks is a stage name not because of SAG rules, but because his real name is the same as physicist UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein.
171	* Creator/JoeHill is the son of Creator/StephenKing. In order to avoid accusations that he's riding on his father's coattails (and to avoid the {{Narm}} of a horror writer named "Joe King"), Hill uses a shortened form of his middle name, Hillstrom, as his last name.
172	** Similarly, Creator/NicolasCage chose to go by a stage name instead of his birth name of Nicolas Coppola because he wanted to succeed on his own merits and avoid accusations of {{Nepotism}} due to who [[Creator/FrancisFordCoppola his uncle]] is.
173	* Proving how commonplace this is, [[Creator/TheMarxBrothers Harpo Marx]] changed his first name from "Adolf" to "Arthur", leading to an [[PopCultureUrbanLegends understandable misconception]] that he didn't want association with [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler you-know-who]]. In fact, he changed his name back in 1911, before either World War and nobody had even heard of Hitler at the time; it was as simple as Harpo absolutely hating the sound of the name, insisting on going by "Ahdie" before changing it. Decades later, Harpo no doubt realized the king-sized bullet he had dodged.
174	* When Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, they renamed it Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios, to show that that it was now fully divorced from the Fox Corporation that owns the TV channels Creator/{{Fox}}, Fox Sports, and Fox News. Fox Searchlight was likewise renamed to Searchlight Pictures, and 20th Century Fox Television reverted to its early-'90s name 20th Television.
175	* The New York town of Sing Sing renamed itself Ossining to lower the stigma related to the Sing Sing Correctional Facility located there.
176	* In 1752, the UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}} town of Salem Village changed its name to Danvers to distance itself from not only the nearby ''city'' of Salem, but also the legacy of [[SalemIsWitchCountry the Salem Witch Trials]] of 1692, as it was Salem Village - not the modern city of Salem - that saw the origins of the Witch Trials.
177	* The [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]]'s Washington Wizards had, throughout their history, [[IHaveManyNames did this]] ''twice'':
178	** The first instance of this was when they were established in UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} in 1961, when they were named the Chicago Packers in reference to the city's meatpacking industry. However, the nickname was highly unpopular due to it being the same as the Green Bay Packers - TheRival to the city's NFL team, the Chicago Bears. As a result, the Chicago Packers changed their name to the Chicago Zephyrs the following season before relocating to UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}} a year after ''that'' in 1963 and changing their name to the Baltimore Bullets.
179	** The second instance was in 1997, when they rebranded as the Wizards. To provide context, in 1973, the then-Baltimore Bullets relocated to UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC and kept the "Bullets" nickname until 1997. The reason for ''this'' name-change was due to D.C.'s high crime rate during UsefulNotes/TheNineties and the then-owner of the team, Abe Pollin, felt it was rather inappropriate to associate the franchise with gun violence.
180	* Similarly, the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Houston Astros]] were originally called the Houston Colt.45s, however, they were renamed following a cease and desist from the gun manufacturer of the same name.
181	* Film director Christopher Joseph Columbus goes by the shorter "[[Creator/ChrisColumbus Chris]]" to not be confused with [[UsefulNotes/ChristopherColumbus the famous historical figure]]. That didn't stop him from naming his production company 1492 Pictures after the year the historical figure found the Americas.
182	* Creator/RussellTDavies added the "T" to his name because Creator/TheBBC already employed a Russell Davies, the presenter of ''Brain of Britain'' and several Radio 2 and 3 programmes. Weirdly, both Russells actually go by their ''middle'' name, being Stephen Russell Davies and Robert Russell Davies, respectively.
183	[[/folder]]

Context Main / RenamedToAvoidAssociation