Adaptation Name Change in Live-Action TV.
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- The 100:
- From "The Colony" in the books to "The Ark" on the show.
- People who survived the nuclear winter are called "Earthborn" in the books while the show calls them "Grounders."
- 12 Monkeys: Dr Kathryn Railly from the film becomes Dr Cassandra Railly on the show.
- In the radio series The Adventures of Champion (based on Gene Autry's horse), the human characters were young Ricky West and his Uncle Smoky. In the TV version they were young Ricky North and his Uncle Sandy.
- Bodies (2023):
- Maggie Mae "Maplewood" Belwood from the comic becomes Iris Maplewood in the show.
- Alfred Hillinghead's comic counterpart was named Edmond Hillinghead.
- The Boys (2019): Hughie's adopted father in the comic is named Alexander. The man who might be his biological father is Joe. Here it's Hugh Sr.
- Bridgerton: In keeping with their Race Lift, the books' Sheffield sisters are renamed Sharma in the show. "Kate" in particular goes from a nickname from "Katherine" to "Kathani". The name Sheffield is instead their mother's maiden name (she is called Lady Mary Sheffield Sharma).
- Casino Royale (1954): In this 1954 TV adaptation of Casino Royale, Felix Leiter was called Clarence Leiter.
- Classics Dark and Dangerous: "The Ugly Little Boy":
- Edith Fellowes becomes Edyth Fellows, as seen on her resume.
- Dr Hoskins loses his first name and ends up with Last-Name Basis because this adaptation cuts several minor plot elements.
- Timmie's proper name in the original story is Timothy, but the scene where Nurse Fellows names him is completely different, so she only gives him the Affectionate Nickname.
- Cristal: Went through a Cultural Translation, as each had a different dialect compared to the original Venezuelan telenovela:
- Mexican version El privilegio de amar changed most of the names: Victoria Ascanio became Luciana Duval; Alejandro Ascanio became Andrés Duval; Luis Alfredo became Victor manuel; Priest Ángel de Jesús became Priest Juan de la Cruz (in this case, retained the Christian motif in both versions). Basically, only (co-)protagonist Cristina kept the same first name, altough the surname was different.
- Brazilian version, also named Cristal, kept most of original names intact, with minor adjustments to fit Portuguese language names, with exception of male protagonist Luis Alfredo, renamed as João Pedro.
- Daisy Jones & The Six: Some surnames change from page to screen:
- Eddie Loving becomes Eddie Roundtree.
- Camila Martinez becomes Camila Alvarez.
- In keeping with the character's Latino ethnicity in the show, Warren Rhodes becomes Warren Rojas.
- Dirty Dancing: Baby Houseman becomes Baby Kellerman, daughter of the resort owner, while the rest of the Housemans are Adapted Out. Penny's last name changes from Johnson to Rivera, and Penny gets a Race Lift to match her Latina actress.
- Dracula (2020): Abraham Van Helsing from Dracula becomes Agatha Van Helsing in the TV show.
- The Dresden Files: When The Dresden Files was adapted into a TV series, Lt Karrin Murphy was changed to Connie Murphy, as there was an actual Karen Murphy in the Chicago Police Department. Additionally, Harry's mentor Justin DuMorne in the novels was renamed to Justin Morningway and made Harry's maternal uncle, possibly to make it more likely that he would raise Harry after his parents' deaths.
- Elementary: Sherlock Holmes' primary Friend on the Force in this adaptation is Captain Gregson, based on a minor character from the original Doyle canon. Early promotional material and reviews indicated that he shared the original character's full name, Tobias Gregson, but his first name was not used on screen until the second season which revealed his name was now Thomas Gregson.
- Emerald City: In the Land of Oz books, the Wizard of Oz's real name is Oscar Diggs. Vincent D'Onofrio's portrayal of the Wizard on the other hand, is named Frank Morgan (and named after the actor who portrayed the Wizard in the 1939 film).
- Fate: The Winx Saga: Faragonda from Winx Club becomes Farah Dowling here.
- Flash Gordon (2007):
- In this version, the protagonist's real name is Stephen, with "Flash" being a nickname he got from his father for being a fast runner. In fact, Flash's real name becomes a plot point in the pilot, when his mother is mind-controlled to call him and ask him to come home, calling him "Flash" in the process. He realizes something's wrong, as his mother always calls him by his real name.
- Ming the Merciless is now Ming the Benevolent Father, although he's still quietly called "the Merciless" behind his back.
- The Ghost and Mrs. Muir: In the original novel and The Film of the Book, Mrs Muir's first name is Lucy. In the TV series, it is Carolyn.
- While the Korean adaptation of The Good Wife gives its cast new names to match their new nationalities, white family attorney David Lee appears in this remake as... Korean divorce attorney David Lee.
- High Fidelity: Rob's last name once again is changed, this time from Fleming to Brooks.
- Interview with the Vampire (2022): Due to Gender Flip, the name of The Vampire Chronicles character Antoine was changed to Antoinette for the TV incarnation. The latter is also given the surname Brown, whereas the former lacked a full name.
- Johnny And The Bomb: In The BBC's adaptation of Johnny and the Bomb, Sir John becomes Sir Walter. This is a double example as it turns out Walter is Wobbler's real name, while in the books it's Stephen and he took Johnny's name as a pseudonym when Trapped in the Past.
- In the TV series of Lockwood & Co., George Cubbins is instead named George Karim, likely to reflect the ethnicity of the actor playing him.
- In The Magicians (2016), Janet from the novels becomes Margo. Though it's implied that her name was Janet in a previous iteration of the "Groundhog Day" Loop.
- My Big Fat Greek Life: Nia Vardalos's character in My Big Fat Greek Wedding was named Toula, but renamed to Nia for the TV series in order to match the actress.
- In the unaired New Warriors pilot, the man who would eventually go on to become M.O.D.O.K. was named Ernest Vigman rather than George Tarleton.
- Night Man: In the TV series, Johnny's father is called Frank rather than Edward, like in The Ultraverse.
- Once Upon a Time: A Secondary Adaptation of Disney characters based on fairy-tale characters.
- "James Hook" was an alias in the original book, but the narrator refuses to reveal their real name, implying that to do so would cause a scandal. In Disney's Peter Pan, "Captain Hook" is the real name of the character; he was named "James Hook" even before he had a hook. However, in the television show, it comes full circle as Captain Hook is an alias and his real name is Killian Jones.
- "Prince Charming" is more of a generic title, the original story doesn't necessarily have a name for him at all. In Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he's never named onscreen (if it comes up, the name is Ferdinand). However, in the television show, the prince's actual given name is David (though he briefly went by his dead brother James's name as well, before completely disowning King George), and "Prince Charming" is just something Snow White calls him, sarcastically at first and then genuinely.
- Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit: The TV adaptation changed Jeanette's name to Jessica, possibly to detract from the autobiographical elements of the story.
- Out of this World (1962):
- "Little Lost Robot":
- The NS-2 series robots are never called by their model number, and their In-Series Nickname is spelled "Nester" instead of "Nestor".
- United States Robots & Mechanical Men are instead called the Universal Robots Corporation.
- In the adaptation of The Cold Equations, Marilyn Lee Cross's name is shortened to simply Lee Cross.
- In the adaptation of Impostor, Spence Olham's name is changed to Robert Carter.
- "Little Lost Robot":
- The Plot Against America: In the original novel, author Philip Roth named the main character after himself and the members of the character's family after his own. He asked the showrunners of the miniseries to change the names because he was only comfortable with them being used when he had full authorial control over them.
- Poirot: In the television adaptation of Five Little Pigs, Carla Crane's name becomes Lucy.
- The Princess Wei Young: In the novel Wei Yang's stepmother's maiden name is Jiang and her personal name isn't revealed. The series renames her Chiyun Rou.
- RoboCop: The Series saw a number of characters from the original film trilogy get their names changed outside of Alex Murphy/RoboCop himself and his son Jimmy.
- Anne Lewis became Lisa Madigan
- Sgt Reed became Sgt Stan Parks
- Alex's former wife and Jimmy's mother, Ellen, had her first name changed to Nancy.
- The Old Man became the OCP Chairman.
- Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace: The real Empress Xiaojingxian's personal name was Duoqimuli. The series renames her Yixiu.
- Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Some of the characters changed names between the TV movie and the television series; Sabrina Sawyer was changed to Sabrina Spellman, Marnie became Jenny, and Katy LaMore became Libby Chessler.
- The Secret Agent: In this 2016 BBC mini-series of Joseph Conrad's novel (The Secret Agent), the main character's first name is changed from "Adolf" to "Anton". The source material was written in 1907 and therefore the name is a complete coincidence.
- Scoundrels (2010): In the West family, only Wolf and Cheryl maintain their original names from their Outrageous Fortune counterparts. Van is changed to Cal, Jethro is changed to Logan, Pascalle is changed to Heather, and Loretta is changed to Hope.
- Shadowhunters: Madame Dorothea, from City Of Bones 2007, is given the surname Rollins and the nickname Dot when adapted to television.
- In the 2003 Setting Update of Sparkling Cyanide, Agatha Christie's recurring character Colonel Johnnie Race becomes Colonel Geoffrey Reece. Victor Drake becomes Mark Drake. Iris's love interest is named Carl "Fizz" Fitzgerald, but is so different from Anthony Browne in the book it makes more sense to think of him as a completely different character.
- Spartacus: Blood and Sand:
- The real name of the first seasons's Big Bad, Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, is Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Batiatus.
- The real life son of the final Big Bad Marcus Licinius Crassus was named after him. The show renamed him Tiberius to avoid the One-Steve Limit.
- Subverted with Agron. At first it seemed that he is the German Rebel Leader Castus with a different name, but Castus appeared as a Sixth Ranger in the final season, thus making them a Decomposite Character instead.
- The Summer I Turned Pretty: Laurel's last name is Dunne in the books. Due to the Conklin family's Race Lift, it is changed to Park.
- Supernatural: Dorothy from Land of Oz appears in one episode with the last name Baum, although her last name is Gale in the books. Though this is justifiable since she's depicted as L. Frank Baum's daughter in this series
- In Stargate SG-1, Daniel's wife's name is changed from Shau'ri to Sha're, in contrast with the film. Presumably they thought it would be easier to say.
- O'Neill's son's name is changed from Tyler to Charlie.
- The Twilight Zone (1959):
- In "Time Enough at Last", Henry Bemis' wife is named Helen. In the short story by Lynn Venable, her name is Agnes.
- In "Perchance to Dream", the protagonist is named Edward Hall. In the short story by Charles Beaumont, his name is Philip Hall.
- In "What You Need", Pedott's ability to see the future is taken advantage of by Fred Renard. In the short story by Lewis Padgett (the pseudonym of the writing team C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner), their names are Peter Talley and Tim Carmichael.
- In "Elegy", the caretaker of the cemetery asteroid Happy Glades and the most rational crewman are named Jeremy Wickwire and Professor Kurt Meyers respectively. In the short story by Charles Beaumont, their names are Mr. Greypoole and Mr. Friden.
- In "The Chaser", Roger Shackleforth is madly in love with Leila. In the short story by John Collier, their names are Alan Austen and Diana.
- In "Shadow Play", the newspaper editor and Henry Ritchie's wife are named Paul Carson and Carol respectively. In the short story "Traumerei" by Charles Beaumont, their names are Max Caplan and Ruth.
- In "The Jungle", Alan Richards, whose wife's name is Doris, is cursed by an African tribe called the Kekouyu. In the short story by Charles Beaumont, Richard Austin, whose wife's name is Mag, is cursed by the Bantu, a real life collection of ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa.
- In "To Serve Man", the protagonist is named Michael Chambers. In the short story by Damon Knight, his name is Peter.
- In "In His Image", the respective names of the protagonist, his creator, his fiancée and his supposed neighbor are Alan Talbot, Walter B. Cummings, Jr., Jessica Connelly and Agatha Cook. In the short story "The Man Who Made Himself" by Charles Beaumont, their names are Peter Nolan (a tribute to Beaumont's friend and fellow writer William F. Nolan), Walter B. Ryder, Jr., Jessica Lang and Jenny Cook.
- In "Printer's Devil", Douglas Winter, the editor of The Dansburg Courier, is visited by the Devil under the name Mr. Smith. In the short story "The Devil, You Say?" by Charles Beaumont, Richard Lewis, the editor of The Danville Daily Courier, is visited by the Devil under the name Mr. Jones.
- In "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville", the protagonist is named William J. Feathersmith. In the short story "Blind Alley" by Malcolm Jameson, his name is Jack Feathersmith.
- In "Passage on the Lady Anne", the McKenzies' names are Toby and Millie. In the short story "Song for a Lady" by Charles Beaumont, their names are Jack and Sally.
- In "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", the protagonist's name is Robert Wilson. In the short story by Richard Matheson, his name is Arthur Jeffrey Wilson.
- In "Number 12 Looks Just Like You", the names of the protagonist, her mother and her psychiatrist are Marilyn Cuberle, Lana Cuberle and Dr. Rex respectively. In the short story by Charles Beaumont, their names are Mary Cuberle, Zena Cuberle and Dr. Hortel.
- The Twilight Zone (1985):
- In "Shatterday", Peter Jay Novins' alter ego does not have any other name to distinguish him from the original Novins. In the short story by Harlan Ellison, the original Novins decides to call him "Jay."
- In "A Matter of Minutes", the protagonist's name is Michael Wright. In the short story "Yesterday Was Monday" by Theodore Sturgeon, his name is Harry Wright.
- In "Dead Run", the former member of the Celestial Bureaucracy who has himself been condemned to Hell is named Gary Frick. In the short story by Greg Bear, his name is Charlie Frick.
- In "Devil's Alphabet", the seven members of the Devil's Alphabet Society are Andrew, Brian, Cornelius, Deaver, Eli, Frederick and Grant. In the short story "The Everlasting Club" by Arthur Gray, Alan Dermot, Charles Bellasis, Henry Davenport, Francis Witherington, James Harvey, William Catherston and one unnamed man are the seven members of the titular society. Dermot and Bellasis correspond to Grant and Frederick, respectively, but it is not made clear with respect to the other five.
- In "Shadow Play", the district attorney is Mark Ritchie, Adam Grant's fellow prisoners are Flash, Jimmy and Munoz and the priest who visits him before his execution is Father Grant (as he is his father in the real world). In the original episode, their names are Henry Ritchie, Jiggs, Coley, Phillips and Father Beaman respectively.
- In "The After Hours", the protagonist's name is Marsha Cole. In the original episode, it is Marsha White.
- The Walking Dead (2010):
- Caucasian Thomas Richards was Race Lifted into a Hispanic, thus became Tomas. Oddly, his new last name isn't revealed.
- The Chalmers family became the Chambler family.
- The Marauders became the Claimers, though it may or may not be a case of Named by the Adaptation whom the members played straight.
- Chris, The Leader of The Hunters, became Gareth.
- Paul "Jesus" Monroe, the unofficial leader of the Hilltop became Paul "Jesus" Rovia. This was likely done to avoid confusing him with the Monroe family in the show.
- Granted, it was only in-universe speculation in the original comic, but Watchmen (2019) sees Hooded Justice's real name be revealed to be Will Reeves, not Rolf Müller -- though that's not the only change.
- The White Queen: The TV adaptation of The Cousins' War Series renames Elizabeth Shore to Jane Shore, avoiding confusion with the two main characters already named Elizabeth (and because "Jane" is the name she used in Real Life and is better known by as a historical figure).
- The 1989 ITV adaptation of The Woman in Black changes the main character's name to Kidd, apparently because Nigel Kneale saw the name "Arthur Kipps" as a reference to the H. G. Wells character of the same name, and as a Wells fan, felt it was inappropriate.
- Yo soy Betty, la fea: The many different Foreign Remakes usually change the characters names (but keeping the tendency of having a nickname of the "shortened first name" type for the protagonist). The protagonist's name was originally Beatriz "Betty" Aurora Pinzón Solano.
- La Fea Más Bella: This Mexican remake features Leticia "Letty" Padilla Solis de Mendiola.
- Bela, a Feia: This Brazilian remake of Yo soy Betty, la fea features Anabela "Bela" Palhares (an Ironic Nickname, as "bela" means "beautiful" in Portuguese). Her name was originally Beatriz "Betty" Aurora Pinzón Solano.
- Ugly Betty: Beatriz "Betty" Aurora Pinzón Solano keeps her original first name (but not the surname) in this American remake, being named Beatriz U. "Betty" Suarez.
- The Dutch Lotte featuring Lotte Pronk.
- The German Verliebt en Berlin featuring Lisa Plenske.
- The Flemish Sara featuring Sara De Roose.
- The Wheel of Time (2021):
- One of Alanna Mosvani's Warders, Owein, gets his name changed to Maksim (another Warder character by the name is introduced later), as it was deemed too close to Owyn, Thom's nephew, to avoid creating confusion.
- A downplayed example might have happened with Mat, whose name is short for Matrim in the books, but which seems to be his full name in the series.
