Playing With / Meaningful Rename

Basic Trope: A person takes a new name due to feeling themselves changed. Alternatively: a place or object is renamed due to some significant change taking place.

• Straight:
  • Betty Smith the junior school teacher becomes a Dark Action Girl and changes her name to Mary Read.
  • Green Street in Troperville becomes the birthplace of a great scientist Bob Jones. It is renamed Bob Jones Street in his honor.
  • The Big Bad has a sword called Heroesbane. The Hero steals it and renames it Villainsbane.
• Exaggerated:
  • Everyone renames themselves whenever their life changes in any way.
  • It is obligatory for a famous person's birthplace to be renamed in their honor.
  • Every single thing owned by the Big Bad gets renamed.
• Downplayed:
  • Betty Smith moves to Hungary, becomes a Hungarian citizen and legally renames herself Kovács Erzsébet.
  • Betty Smith gets married and becomes Betty Tropers.
  • Betty Smith changes her name because she's hiding.
• Justified:
  • Betty feels she has started a new life and it ought to reflect in her name.
  • Betty was bullied because of her name and changes her name to distance herself from those unpleasant memories.
  • Betty shares her name with a well-known celebrity, politician or, worse, criminal.
  • Betty is a transgender man and changes his name into Mark Read to reflect his gender identity.
  • Betty was embarrassed with her name and didn't want to see it on her driver's license or passport.
• Inverted: "My life has changed so much. My name is the only thing that stays the same!"
• Averted:
  • Betty's name remains Betty even after becoming a Dark Action Girl.
  • The name Green Street remains Green Street even as the birthplace great scientist Bob Jones.
  • The name of the Big Bad's sword remains Heroesbane despite it falling into the hands of The Hero.
• Defied: "You think I should change my name just because of something? Sorry, but my current name is what defines me."
• Invoked: Betty Smith's best friend Bob encourages them to change their name after becoming a Dark Action Girl in order to cope because the cognitive dissonance of both of her roles is too much for her to mentally handle.
• Played For Laughs:
  • Betty Smith renames herself after her favorite heroine. The problem is that her favorites change daily, so she's Aravis on Monday and Éowyn on Tuesday and Arya on Wednesday...
  • Green Street is the birthplace of the heroic Bob Peoplehater and is now Peoplehater Street.
• Played For Drama: "I thought you were Betty Smith." "She is no more."