Significant Name Shift

Will: Daddy-o! What's up?
Lou: Will ... uh, some business came up that I have to handle, so we're gonna have to put our trip on hold ... just for a couple of weeks ... or maybe a little longer.
Will: [trying not to look dejected] Yeah, yeah, that's cool ... whatever...
Lou: Look, I'll call you next week, and we'll iron out the details. It was great seeing you, son.
Will: You too. Lou.

— The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

How a person refers to someone reveals how they see the person they're talking to. Which means when the name, nickname, or title they use changes, their feelings about them often have, too. A Significant Name Shift is all about the decision — whether or not they were invited to use a nickname, the character's choice to acknowledge a change with a new form of address is what holds weight in this trope.

Unlike a Meaningful Rename, these names and titles aren't new. Shifting from Last-Name Basis to First-Name Basis doesn't usually indicate a change in anyone's identity, but it will signal that characters have grown close enough to drop formalities. A kid calling their stepfather "Dad" instead for the first time shows they've accepted them as their full parent.

When a character calls someone something more informal than they have before or adopts an Affectionate Nickname, this will usually show the new closeness and the trust between them. Relationship Upgrades are often signaled this way. But switching to strict formal terms will show a break in the relationship or an attempt to put distance between them.

In the case of Malicious Misnaming, usually from bullies/antagonists in the form of butchering a characters' names in favor of a mocking-nickname or a less-than flattering similar-sounding name: Having them call the characters by their proper name without any mocking undertones is a sign they've grown to respect their adversary, grown fond of them them, or even cement their new friendship.

For characters with titles/rank/authority, characters only calling them by their first name without any mention of their rank (Captain/Master/etc.) often indicates the later characters' not acknowledging the status, usually feeling they haven't "earned" the prestige, haven't "proven themselves" in their eyes, or they just simply dislike them. Having characters later on call them by their title/rank (example calling them "Captain" instead of what they previously called them) shows they finally learned to respect them/realize they did earn that title.

A name shift can also be used to reaffirm a character arc. A prince may have had his coronation at the beginning of a story, but it's when The Good Chancellor finally calls him "Your Majesty" that he truly becomes king.

This trope is easily Lost in Translation. Russian names, for example, have extensive sets of diminutives, each with their own nuances often lost on those not familiar with Russian culture. East Asian languages like Japanese come with incredibly complex systems of honorifics — most of which have no English translation at all, even though a small shift between them can be hugely insightful to the relationship.

Compare Insistent Appellation, You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious, Calling Parents by Their Name, Outgrowing the Childish Name, and Hey, You!. Sometimes invoked via Don't Call Me "Sir".

Contrast Given Name Reveal, which might overlap, but is most often this trope's inverse.

Truth in Television, of course, but no need for real-life examples: it's simply too common.

Examples:

open/close all folders

Anime & Manga

In Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, the members of the group of friends known as the Super Peace Busters used nicknames on each other in the past, but they drifted apart after Meiko "Menma" Honma's death, and most are on a Last-Name Basis in the present. As they reconnect, they start using their nicknames again, such as when they start talking through their issues in the final episode.
Ao Haru Ride: Kou calls the main character Futaba instead of Yoshioka in the last volume once they start dating and he's no longer trying to play cool in front of her.
Assassination Classroom: Karma and Nagisa refer to each other by their first names as Nagisa's parents are separated so he doesn't want any confusion and Karma just likes his name. However, they add on suffixes when talking to each other, demonstrating they aren't that close. It turns out that Karma has always sensed Nagisa's bloodlust and distanced himself from his friend out of fear. Once they resolve their issues, the two drop the suffixes to show their closeness.
In Chapter 40 of Asteroid in Love, Mai Inose reunites with Keiko Izumi, her Childhood Friend, while studying at the local library. While Keiko starts off calling Mai the more informal "Mai-chan," within a few panels Keiko starts calling Mai "Inose-san," when Keiko learns Mai is still into maps and urban exploration, something that was their common childhood hobby, but now Keiko sees it as childish and embarrassing.
Baccano!: Inverted. Due to being considered legally dead, Claire purchases the name Felix Walken so he can marry Chané without issue. He then refuses to allow anyone to use his original name, save for Chané, demonstrating his love for her, though it is ironic as she is mute.
Black Butler: When first summoned, Sebastian simply calls Ciel "master." After a chat with Tanaka where he notices Ciel being referred to as the more affectionate "young master" he immediately starts using that instead.
Bleach:
- During Soi Fon's flashback, when she starts working under Yoruichi, she starts off calling her "Commander," but Yoruichi insists that she call her "Yoruichi-san" instead, resulting in Soi Fon proposing "Yoruichi-sama" as a compromise. After Yoruichi defects from Soul Society to help her friend Urahara, Soi Fon drops the honorific from her name, bitter about Yoruichi defecting and not taking her along. After Yoruichi defeats Soi Fon, and Soi Fon tells Yoruichi about how her departure affected her, Soi Fon starts using "-sama" on Yoruichi again.
- The first time we see Isshin and Ryuken talk to each other, Ryuken calls Isshin "Kurosaki", which is his last name. Isshin looks weirdly happy about it and remarks that it's the first time Ryuken called him that. In the final arc of the manga, it's revealed that Kurosaki was actually the surname of Isshin's wife Masaki, which he took after their wedding, and that she and Ryuken were first cousins and used to be betrothed to each other. Back then and for quite some time afterwards, Ryuken called Isshin "Shiba" (his original surname), so the fact that he calls him by his cousin/ex-fiancee's surname now means that he has finally accepted him as part of his family.
- In the "Turn Back the Pendulum" arc, Shinji Hirako, then Captain of the Fifth Division, called his lieutenant Sousuke Aizen by his first name, Sousuke, since many captains refer to their lieutenants by their first names. When Aizen betrayed Shinji and revealed that he was the culprit behind the hollowification incidents, Shinji switched to calling him "Aizen" while revealing that he had never trusted Aizen and had only chosen him to be his lieutenant to keep tabs on him.
- In the epilogue, Ichigo calls Orihime by her first name, after spending the entire series on a last-name basis with her, as they are now a married couple.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Syaoran calls Sakura anything but her name. He doesn't use her real name until the episode they're locked in an elevator together and Sakura falls through a mysterious hole. He's so shocked that he yells for her, calling her "Sakura", and when she floats back up by using the Float card, she acknowledges the change with happiness. Because of this, Sakura feels obliged to refer to Syaoran formally as "Li-kun". The moment he finally refers to her by first name, she asks if she can do the same, leading her to gleefully call out "Syaoran-kun" any moment she can.
In The Case Files of Jeweler Richard, Richard has called his mother by her first name for over twenty years because she didn't like being called "Maman" (they're French)—it made her feel old. However, she's forgotten this incident entirely and is now hurt by the distance between them. Once they work through their relationship, Richard calls her "Maman" again, which inspires Seigi to call up his own mother and change from calling her by her first name "Hiromi" to "Mom."
Food for the Soul:
- When Mako Kawai and Shinon Ogawa were friends in elementary school, they called each other by the nicknames "Oshinko" and "Makocchi." When they meet again in college, Mako calls Shinon "Oshinko," only to find that Shinon considers it an Embarrassing Nickname, and so switches to "Shinon-chan." That being said, Mako still refers to Shinon as "Oshinko" in her thoughts.
- While most of the members of the Food Culture Research Club are on a First-Name Basis or use nicknames, Mako is initially on a Last-Name Basis with Kurea Furutachi despite getting along with her. At the end of Episode 7, after Mako notices that Kurea is the only member of the club who doesn't have a long-time friend in it^note, Mako shares how she didn't have any friends in middle or high school, and says she hopes they can make memories together in the club. Kurea agrees, then calls Mako by her first name without honorifics for the first time, with Mako responding in kind by calling her "Kurea-chan."
- Mako was also more briefly on a Last-Name Basis with Nana Hoshi, a long-time friend of Tsutsuji Higa who had also met Shinon and Kurea before, when Nana joined the club in Episode 4, as their initial interactions were highly awkward due to both being uncomfortable around strangers. Despite this, Nana helps Mako do well on a test, resulting in them calling each other "Makocchan" and "Nana-chan," respectively.
Food Wars!: Flashbacks show that Satoshi Isshiki and Nene Kinokuni called each other by their given names when they were children. However, as they grew up they started calling each other by family names, mostly due to Nene growing resentful of how Satoshi quickly took into the arts and crafts that she took years to master through hard work.
Get Backers:
- Ban refuses to refer to anyone by their actual names until he's decided to respect them. He begins calling Ginji by name soon after they became partners.
  Ginji: ...That's when Ban-chan started using my name, and you know how bad he is at remembering names!
  Paul: You know that's not true—he actually remembers everyone's names. He's just not willing to use 'em.
- Similarly, Ginji switches from "Midou-kun" to "Ban-chan" after their first recovery mission together.
In The Girl I Want is So Handsome!, Rei Miyamoto initially dislikes Hinami Ayukawa, a newcomer to the basketball team, for being clumsy, so she initially refers to her as "First-year." Eventually, Hinami hears some upperclassmen badmouthing Rei and stands up for her, causing Rei to become impressed and start calling Hinami "Ayukawa" from this point forward.
Haikyuu!!: Oikawa is prone to nicknaming other people and often uses them as Terms of Endangerment for his rivals like Hinata (who he calls "chibi-chan" ("shrimpy", "shorty-pie"). This changes later when the two surprisingly bond after teaming up in a casual match during the Time Skip; before parting ways, Oikawa switches to calling his rival by his first name Shouyo, signifying their new-found friendship as well as the new respect he's gained for the latter.
Hope You're Happy, Lemon: Suzuka notices that "Sunao" (Lemon) calls Kogahara by the unusually intimate "Natsumin". Of course, the real Sunao had just told him the secret, so this was more of a way for Suzuka to reveal to Lemon that he knew.
During the beginning arc of Inuyasha, the title character initially refers to Kagome as some constant variation of the word "you", punctuating their strained relationship. After she helps him kill their first dangerous enemy, however, he switches to using her name.
Jujutsu Kaisen: After spending the entire series pointedly avoiding it, Ryomen Sukuna finally deigns to say Yuji's name as part of his last words.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War: This trope is discussed in Chapter 144. When Kashiwagi calls Kaguya "Kaguya-chan" for the first time, Kaguya observes that Kashiwagi changes how she refers to Kaguya from time to time. Kashiwagi started out calling Kaguya "Kaguya-sama" as a distant admirer, then "Shinomiya-san" as an acquaintance, then "Kaguya-san" as a familiar but still polite address similar to what Fujiwara calls Kaguya, then finally became the first of Kaguya's friends to use "-chan" on her.
Little Butterfly: After Kojima and Nakahara have been dating for a while, Nakahara's last name changes after his escape from Abusive Parents. Kojima decides that he should call Nakahara by his given name despite Nakahara being okay using his abusive family's name casually. Nakahara also agrees to call Kojima "Yuki" to show their closeness. Kojima ends up being too embarrassed to completely go through with it, but Nakahara is much more shameless.
Lyrical Nanoha:
- At the end of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's, Fate goes from calling Lindy "Admiral Lindy" (or "Lindy-san" around people who don't know about the TSAB), to "Mom," acknowledging that she's accepted Lindy's offer to adopt her.
- In the spinoff manga to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS, Subaru and Teana are initially on a Last-Name Basis at the academy, with Subaru calling Teana "Lanster-san" and Teana calling Subaru "Cadet Nakajima" the few times she uses her name. At the time, Teana wasn't especially fond of Subaru, considering her reckless and unreliable, and didn't have much of a desire to be friends with her. After Teana meets Subaru's older sister and learns more about her reasons for wanting to join the TSAB, she switches to calling her "Subaru," whereupon Subaru starts calling her "Tea." Teana's excuse is that she needs a way to keep Subaru separate from her sister, but it's clear that she's closer to Subaru.
In Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, following their official defection from the Earth Alliance military, Mu la Flaga makes a point of calling Murrue Ramius "Murrue-san" instead of "Captain." The two of them lay the Will They or Won't They? to rest in the following episode and continue to call one another by name instead of by rank for the rest of the series.
My Hero Academia,
- Izuku's childhood bully, Bakugou, refers to him with the insult "Deku" throughout the series, meaning "useless" - until Bakugou's character arc leads him to the long-awaited apology; at this moment and ever since, he refers to Izuku by his real name.
- For much of the series, Uraraka, a hero in training, refers to Himiko Toga by her full name or just "Toga." Toga is one of the few people the normally polite Uraraka refers to without honorifics, since she doesn't feel the need to show that courtesy to a villain. However, Uraraka soon comes to sympathize with Toga, and eventually switches to calling her "Himiko-chan," similar to how she calls her close friend Tsuyu "Tsuyu-chan."
Moriarty the Patriot:
- William shifts from "Mr. Holmes" to "Sherly" once Sherlock saves his life and he feels he finally has a chance to be proper friends with him.
- Louis, who has always been rather frustrated with Sherlock's existence and not gotten along well with him, finally accepts Sherlock's presence and begins to trust him after Sherlock saves William's life, and he switches over to "Sherlock-san" which is about as informal as he gets with anyone.
- Louis doesn't call Albert "older brother" until after their first murder together, when he finally accepts Albert as family. Later, he changes from "nii-sama" to "nii-san" for the first time, putting him on the same level as William for the first time.
In New Game!, Nene Sakura and Tsubame "Naru" Narumi initially get along well, and Naru calls Nene "Nenecchi" at the latter's invitation. However, Naru is offended to learn that Nene mainly got hired due to connections, and starts calling her "Sakura-san" instead to distance herself from her. Later on, Nene helps fix some of the bugs that were discovered in Naru's minigames, and says that while she disliked Naru at first, she learned about how hard Naru worked to overcome her mother's opposition to her working in the game industry. Naru, however, says that was no excuse to treat Nene so poorly and apologizes, whereupon Nenecchi once again invites Naru to use her nickname and Naru accepts.
One Piece:
- When she first joins the Straw Hat Pirates, Robin refers to the other members by their position on the ship, such as calling Nami "Miss Navigator" or Zoro "Mr. Swordsman", only ever calling Luffy by name. She does this to keep her distance from the crew, assuming that they will eventually betray her like so many other people she thought she could trust. Once the Straw Hats risk their lives to rescue her from CP9, she realizes that she's safe with them and starts calling everyone by name.
- Luffy himself also has a habit of calling villains by certain nicknames due to not wanting to be bothered to remember their real names. However, the moment a villain does something that angers Luffy even further, he stops calling them by the nicknames he's given them and starts to take them much more seriously.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt: Throughout the show, Panty only refers to Brief as "Geek Boy". In the finale of Season 2, after Brief delivers his Shut Up, Hannibal! speech to Ramie, Panty was so impressed, she called him by his actual name for once.
Pokémon the Series:
- Lt. Surge in Pokémon: The Original Series calls Ash "Baby" until he's defeated in the rematch, after which he finally calls him by name.
- Bea in Pokémon Journeys: The Series doesn't bother to remember the names of those she's battled until they've proven themselves a Worthy Opponent.
The Quintessential Quintuplets: During the first half of the story, Nino rarely refers to Fuutarou by name proper, and when she does she uses his family name Uesugi without honorifics, evidencing her hostile attitude towards him. On the second half, after she falls in love with him she switches to the Affectionate Nickname "Fuu-kun", which doesn't go unnoticed by the rest of her sisters.
Revolutionary Girl Utena: When Utena wins her first duel with Saionji, Anthy stops referring to Saionji as -sama and starts using -senpai to indicate she no longer has any obligation to be subservient to him.
In Sound! Euphonium, there's a fateful moment when Reina and Kumiko hike up a mountain together. Before this, they refer to each other as "Kousaka-san" and "Oumae-san"; afterwards, they drop the honorifics and become much closer, referring to each other by first name only.
A Silent Voice: Shouya Ishida mostly calls Shouko Nishimiya by her last name. The only time he calls her by her first name is when she is about to commit suicide; while desperately pleading her to stop (she is deaf, so his effort is in vain), he shouts out "Shouko!".
The Summer You Were There:
- At first, Shizuku and Kaori are on a Last-Name Basis, calling each other "Asaka-san" and "Hoshikawa-san," even after they start a fake relationship. When Kaori asks to use Shizuku's first name during their Aquarium Date, Shizuku reluctantly says yes but continues to use Kaori's surname. Kaori switches back to calling Shizuku "Hoshikawa-san" after the date, and it's implied that Shizuku is disappointed by the change. A few chapters later, Shizuku asks Kaori to call her by her first name, showing that she's become closer to Kaori.
- In elementary school, Shizuku and Ruri used each other's first names with the -chan honorific, as Shizuku sought to help Ruri, who was falling behind due to her absences. Their relationship was ruined as Shizuku gradually started verbally abusing and outright bullying Ruri, and by the time Shizuku was forced to acknowledge what she was doing, Ruri was already traumatized. When Shizuku meets Ruri again years later in order to apologize, she makes a point of politely calling Ruri "Ichinose-san." Ruri, despite wanting nothing more to do with Shizuku, continues calling her "Shizuku-chan." Eventually, Ruri asks if she and Shizuku can start over so she can get over her trauma, and Shizuku, accepting, switches back to calling her "Ruri-chan."
In Tiger & Bunny, Barnaby finally starts calling Kotetsu by his given name instead of "Old Man" after they wrap up dealing with Jake Martinez to show his trust and faith in his partner.
In Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-, Sakura and Syaoran are childhood friends and are on First-Name Basis with each other. After Sakura loses her memories, she calls him Syaoran-kun. This becomes a plot point when a villain tries to trick Syaoran by conjuring an illusion of Sakura, and he notices the trick when she calls him without the honorific.
In Yes! Pretty Cure 5, after fighting for a whole episode, Rin and Karen used each others' first names as an indication of having developed respect for each other.

Comic Books

Batman: Ra's al Ghul refers to Bruce Wayne/Batman as "Detective," basically complimenting him as a Worthy Opponent. Though often disparaging of the Robins, at various points he's referred to them as "Detective" when they manage to thwart him (though it tends to come off as less friendly).
Chick Tracts: In "Born Wild," a young boy named Dexter disrespectfully calls his mother "Connie" until he converts to Christianity, at which point he starts calling her "Mom" and apologizes for his behavior.
Transformers (2019): After quietly scheming behind the scenes, Megatron launches a coup and takes over much of Cybertron's government. When Autobot leader Sentinel Prime is killed during an attempt to rally people against the coup his old friend Orion Pax inherits the Matrix of Leadership and is renamed Optimus Prime. Megatron insistently refers to him as "Orion Pax", declaring him a sham and refusing to treat him as an equal... until he's completely outplayed and realises that now he's lost his chance for a quick victory. Only then does he start referring to his archfoe as "Optimus Prime".

Fan Works

Abraxas (Hrodvitnon): In this Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) fanfiction, San goes from calling Ghidorah's other two heads "Elder Brother" and "Eldest Brother" respectively to mainly simply referring to them as the "right head" and "middle head" respectively, symbolizing his disownment of them as his post-Heel–Face Turn Character Development since fusing to Vivienne Graham progresses.
The Best Case Scenario, if you're being "realistic": After the HSPC's corruption is exposed and the World Heroes Association revokes Japan's membership in the WHA in response, the Japanese government decides that the only way to salvage their global reputation is by scrapping their Hero System entirely and rebuilding from scratch, incorporating former heroes into regular emergency services. From this point forward, many former Pro Heroes start going by their regular names. Those who choose not to do this, like All Might or Sir Nighteye, are generally refusing to accept that Nothing Is the Same Anymore and fighting to restore the Hero System despite its toxicity and flaws. To further add to the point, All Might asks to only be referred to as Toshinori Yagi once he gives up on restoring hero society.
A Christmas Carol for Yui: Aside from the author's existing tendency to address Sword Art Online characters in the narration by their real names or usernames based on location, there's two particularly heartbreaking examples in the Christmas Yet to Come chapter. Kazuto is only referred to as "Kirito" in the narration until observer!Yui realizes that he's the Star King, the copy of Kirito's Fluctlight who remembers spending 200 years in Underworld; past that, he's referred to as "the king", save for one moment when he hugs future!Yui back before he's Driven to Suicide. Shortly thereafter, observer!Yui stops herself from calling Asuna-as-Yet-to-Come "Mama" as she realizes this is the Star Queen's lost Fluctlight, and the narration follows suit by referring to the Ghost as "the queen".
Cinderella: The TRUE Sequel:
- By the time Lady Tremaine reveals her covert manipulation of events over the past 20-30 years during the final battle, Cinderella can hardly bring herself to call Tremaine "STEP-mother" any longer, nevermind "mother".
- And as Cinderella moves in to defend the other royals from Tremaine's final blow, she refers to her only as "Lady Tremaine".
Danganronpa: Paradise Lost: Noriko Aino almost always refers to Daisuke Hiyori with honorifics as "Daisuke-kun". Right before she's executed for murder, after attempting to kill Daisuke for rejecting her, she addresses him by his full name.
In Despair's Last Resort, Kazumi and Arata use surnames on most characters, but make two noticeable exceptions. Kazumi calls Shizuka, the girl for whom she harbors an unrequited love, by her first name just before the latter's execution and for the rest of the story. Arata starts calling Takara by her first name as a show of respect after she manages to prove his guilt.
Everyday Craziness in Pontypandy: When Gabby's mother is introduced in "Unreal Estate", she mainly refers to her daughter as Gabriella. At the end, when she finally learns to understand and accept her daughter, she calls her Gabby.
everything I have ever learned: Given the recurring motif of I Know Your True Name and the importance of identity in the Tatooine slave culture that Luke was raised in, this pops up a lot in the chapter dedicated to Return of the Jedi.
- After realizing his true heritage, when Luke meets Obi-Wan's Force ghost again on Dagobah, he switches to calling him by his actual name instead of his alias of 'Ben'.
  When he sees Ben in physical form again for the first time since Hoth, Luke has a new address for him, too. It seems right, now. He is the Free Skywalker. He calls people by their names.
  "Obi-Wan," he says. "Why didn't you tell me?"
- During the final confrontation on the Death Star 2.0, the narration interchanges between referring to Vader by his title and as Luke's father. The moments leading up to his Heel–Face Turn use exclusively "his father", and it's at his moment of redemption when the narration switches to "Anakin Skywalker" instead of "Vader".
The Great Dual Substitute Turnabout: Canon Phoenix is weirded out by the way certain characters refer to him in the Prosecutorverse, which emphasises how different his counterpart's life is. For example, Gumshoe calls him "sir" instead of "pal" (because the prosecutor Phoenix is his superior), and Franziska calls him "Phoenix" or "Nick" in private instead of his full name (because they're adoptive siblings).
Iris Hawthorne: Ace Attorney: For most of "Turnabout Family", Pearl calls Iris the overly-formal "Mystic Iris". However, at the end, she starts calling Iris "Big Sis" after Pearl decides to live with her.
In Ma Fille, throughout most of the story, Katrina refers to Von Kaiser as Vikky or Viktor. However, when he gets engaged to her father, she begins to call him Vati (German for "daddy"), showing that she immediately accepts him as her stepfather.
In Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Makoto initially refers to Yuuto Kiba by his surname. However, in the third "volume", as Kiba runs off after Excalibur is said to have been stolen, he addresses him as Yuuto when he confronts him, referring to him as such from then on out as his friendship with him has deepened.
The Mountain and the Wolf: The Wolf has no more respect for Tyrion than anyone in Westeros when they meet, referring to him as half-man or halfling. Later, apparently impressed at Tyrion's willingness to negotiate with his sister unarmed, the Wolf invites Tyrion to a Drinking Contest where he's the only one still standing at the end, and drunkenly answers the Wolf's questions, admitting he once beat a man to death with a shield and personally unchained two dragons. From then on the Wolf refers to him as Shield-slayer, even to other characters, as a term of genuine respect.
In many My Hero Academia fanfics, protagonist Izuku Midoriya stops seeing his childhood bully Katsuki Bakugou as a friend. The change is often shown by having Midoriya switch from calling Bakugo by the Affectionate Nickname "Kacchan" to calling him "Bakugo."^Explanation
Orderly, a Worm fanfic, features a number of chapters and partial chapters from the perspective of the twelve year old superhero Vista, known in her civilian identity as Missy Biron. And "Missy" is what she generally calls herself … but only until she accidentally lets that name slip while in costume to Jacqueline, the protagonist, while complaining about being treated as incapable.
"Ugh, they never let me do anything. It's always, 'you'll stick to the prescribed ridiculously boring routes and like it missy', 'no you can't carry anything to protect yourself, don't be silly missy' and.."
Then she caught herself. Probably embarrassed to be caught ranting. But it happens, and I could see her feelings were genuine. Honestly, if people were calling me "missy" I'd feel extremely condescended to, and I said as much:
"It's just such a patronising and charged thing to call a girl. Really, even if you can't use an honorific properly there's no call to just butcher it into one of the classic infantilising diminutives."
A weird look crossed what I could see of her face. Maybe she'd been using hyperbole. Whatever it was, I stayed quiet, and let her feel things out herself. Sometimes that's all you can do. In hindsight it wasn't my best work, but it was my best point of connection I had.
Through most of Raphael's Big Mistake, Taylor refers to the turtles by the full version of their names. When she starts thinking of them (and calling them) by the shortened versions, it's a sign that she's started to soften towards them.
The Rigel Black Chronicles: When Lily and Severus briefly encounter each other, after a painful history and a broken childhood friendship, she awkwardly tells him that, "It's good to see you, Severus," but he shows no emotion and addresses her in return as "Mrs Potter" instead of "Lily", which makes her flinch.
Surrender: The Marauder's Map shows everyone's real names on it. Early in the story, it shows Tom as Lord Voldemort. After Tom takes a vow to love Harry forever and never kill or torture anyone again, the map starts showing his name as Tom Riddle, signifying that he is no longer the Dark Lord.
Played with in Sword Art Online Abridged, where Suguha tries to draw a hard distinction between the real world and VR and thus swaps between addressing her Friend With Benefits Nagata by his real name in the former and his username Recon in the latter. After they have their Relationship Upgrade, she switches over to only addressing him by his real name regardless if they're playing the game or not (barring a single line of dialogue when she's talking to someone who only knows him as Recon).
True Potential: In Chapter 98, after learning everything her grandfather Yoshikane did in relation to Danzō, Hinata starts referring to him by his first name rather than as "Grandfather", indicating she no longer has any respect for him to refer to him as such.
Turnabout Communication: When Himeko Kishi confronts Apollo Justice for the first time, she refers to him by his full name in a blunt and confrontational manner. After he defeats her, she starts referring to him as Sir Justice.
Vow of Nudity: Fiora subtly takes advantage of this trope when trying to convince Gren to join her in a risky gambit against the gnoll warband threatening their tribe. The 'G' in Gren's name was originally a prefix signifying his youth, he would have ritually shed it had he not horrifically botched his coming-of-age attempt and gotten exiled from the clan. By calling him 'Ren' during her persuasions, she reminds him of the adult name he could have had, manipulating him to take this chance to regain his honor in the eyes of their clan.
In Where Talent Goes to Die, protagonist Kaori Miura is delighted to meet her favorite author Sae Edogawa, and initially addresses her as "Sensei," a term of respect for authors. After the second trial, Miura shifts to "Edogawa-san," having come to see Edogawa as more of an equal. By the end of the fic, the two call each other "Kaori" and "Sae" without honorifics, showing that they've become best friends, and eventually, girlfriends.
A Woman In Uniform:
- At the start of the fic, Makoto and Haru use their standard modes of address- "Haru" and "Mako-chan"- in private, but call each other "Okumura-san" and "Niijima-san" in public to keep their relationship secret. Over time, they gradually shift to calling each other "Haru-san" and "Makoto-san," even in private. This change is partly because they've gotten used to the formality and partly as an acknowledgment that their relationship has changed, now requiring sacrifice and commitment, and being based on mutual respect as well as love.
- In the years since the end of Persona 5, Futaba has started calling Sojiro "Dad" rather than "Sojiro."
- Discussed in "To Absent Friends." Futaba notes that the normally polite Makoto and Haru stopped using "-kun" on Akechi after they learned of his treachery, but resumed using it after they learned Shido planning on disposing of him, showing that they have some sympathy for him.
- Haru and her father's old friend Mariko Hyodo switch from calling each other "Mari-san" and "Haru-chan" to "Mariko-san" and "Haru-san," in part because this is Mariko's way of acknowledging that Haru has grown up.

Film — Animation

The Bad Guys: During the gala, when Wolf calls Foxington "Diane", it's a clear sign his opinion of her has considerably changed.
Chicken Run: Ginger and Rocky Rhodes spend much of the movie calling each other different names—the former calls the latter "Mr. Rhodes" as a matter of formality, while the latter alternates between calling the former "babydoll" and "dollface"—but finally use each other's real names when, in a rare moment of vulnerability, Ginger thanks Rocky for saving her life.
Despicable Me 3: Throughout the film, the girls always call Lucy by her first name. At the end, however, as she tucks Agnes into bed, Agnes says, "I love you, Mom." Lucy is stunned; while she refers to herself as the girls' mother and likewise calls them her daughters, the look on her face shows that it's not until this exact moment that it finally sinks in. She's not just a mother — she's a mom, and the three girls sleeping in their beds are truly hers.
Lucy: I'm a mom... I'm a mom!
Early in The Lion King (1994), little Simba is always excited to hang out with "Uncle Scar" (who really doesn't share the sentiment). Closer to the end, when grown-up Simba returns from his exile and sees how the Pride Lands have been corrupted, he's furious at Scar, no longer calling him "Uncle". He also begins to refer to his parents as "Mother" and "Father" instead of "Mom" and "Dad" (who, unlike with Scar, he isn't angry at or anything), with the change likely being a way of showing that he's grown up.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Initially, Foreman Spike gives the Mario Bros. derisive nicknames like "Stupid Mario Brothers" at the Punch-Out Pizzeria or "Subpar Mario Brothers" in his review of their plumbing business as a way to belittle them. Once Mario and Luigi save him and the rest of Brooklyn from Bowser and his army, he leads the citizens to cheer for the heroic duo and refers to them as the Super Mario Brothers.

Film — Live-Action

In Ever After, Prince Henry calls Danielle by her name for the first time, instead of the alias she used for half the movie, after they have truly fallen in love.
Forrest Gump: Since he was his superior officer during the Vietnam War, Lt. Dan Taylor addresses Forrest Gump as "Gump". After they leave the army, they eventually become friends and business partners, and when their shrimping business succeeds, Lt. Dan shifts to a First-Name Basis towards Forrest, saying "Forrest, I never thanked you for saving my life.".
Hidden Figures inverts the usual narrative "last name to first name" shift. For most of the film, Dorothy Vaughan is addressed by her NASA supervisor, Vivian Mitchell, by her first name, a sign of seniority and power imbalance between them. At the end of the film, Dorothy is promoted to supervisor, and the latter starts calling her "Mrs. Vaughan", as they are now equals.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It's an important moment when Indiana's father addresses him by name for the first time, having spent the entire movie calling him "Junior". And not just his given name (which they share), but the one his son has chosen for himself.
Henry: Indiana...Indiana...let it [the Holy Grail] go.
In Looper, Cid insists on calling Sara by her first name throughout the film. In the climax, she's finally able to talk him down from a telekinetic blowup, and afterward he finally calls her "mom".
Marvel Cinematic Universe:
- Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are initially on a last-name basis with each other, but after they start teaming up, they've switched to calling each other with their first names. There's a poignant moment in Captain America: Civil War, where, after Tony learns that his parents were killed by Bucky, he seethes in Tranquil Fury and coldly asks "Rogers" if he knew, and poor Steve looks as if he's been slapped in the face.
- A blink-and-you-miss-it case occurs in Captain America: Civil War. Tony has been bantering with Peter Parker and calling him by an assortment of diminutive nicknames: "Spider-Boy", "Spiderling", and so on, and Peter has been getting rapidly more flustered. Then Tony threatens to tell Aunt May about Peter's spider-powers. Peter webs Tony's hand to the doorknob and orders him - orders Tony Stark — "Don't tell Aunt May." Tony looks back at him with obvious respect and says simply, "Okay, Spider-Man."
Men in Black (1997): Throughout the movie, Agent Kay calls Agent Jay nicknames like "sport", "slick", and "kid", despite his objections. However, in the end, when Kays informs Jay he intends to retire from the MIB, and after he gives him the neuralyzer (after telling him he'd get it "when you grow up") to wipe away his memories of his service in order to protect the agency's secrecy, he says "See you around, Jay."
In A New Hope, Han Solo dismissively calls Luke Skywalker "kid". He first calls him by name when Luke is dragged into the trash compactor by the dianoga and nearly eaten. As their friendship develops and they become more like peers, Han calls him "kid" less and less - by Return of the Jedi, with Luke a full Jedi Knight, he only does it once, and it's more affectionate than anything.
Wicked: For Good: Played for Drama by Boq, who almost calls Elphaba by her name… until he remembers that her Grimmerie not only shrunk his heart but also turned him into the Tin Man. He ends up calling her "the Witch" to show just how furious and angry he is over what she indirectly did to him.
In the entire James Bond film series, the only time Q ever calls James Bond "James" instead of "007" is in On Her Majesty's Secret Service on Bond's wedding day. It's a sweet moment where Q admits that while they haven't always gotten along, Q will always be there if Bond ever needs anything.

Literature

In 10 Things to Do Before I Die, Ted Burger's best friend Mark calls him "Ted" for the first time near the end of the book, and when Ted is astonished, he says, "Yeah, well, Burger died, dude," and recaps Ted's character arc.
Adachi and Shimamura: Shimamura's friends Akira Hino and Taeko Nagafuji, who have known each other since they were young, used to call each other "Tae-chan" and "Akira," but over time, switched to "Nagafuji" and "Hino." Hino ponders whether this means they're growing apart.
The African Queen: Miss Sayer and Allnutt start out as bare acquaintances but gradually grow closer over the course of their journey together. After a quantum leap in their relationship, Miss Sayer decides that it's now appropriate for them to be on a First-Name Basis — which means she's going to have to ask Allnutt what his first name is, since she's never had occasion to learn it before. For the rest of the novel, they're "Rose" and "Charlie".
Artemis Fowl:
- It's a turning point in Artemis and Holly's relationship when Holly finally calls Artemis by his first name instead of "Fowl" or "Mud boy" (the fairy term for humans being Mud Men); much later, she calls him by the Affectionate Nickname "Arty".
- When Artemis' father is reunited with his family after years of imprisonment by The Mafiya, he's unhappy to realize how formal Artemis is with him (calling him "Father"), remembering that he was very distant back then and tries to change back to how he was.
Axtara: In the first book, Banking and Finance, Princess Mia regularly refers to her father's financial minister and longtime friend Fendall Derin as "Uncle Fen". But when it's revealed that Fendall had been covertly stealing tax money from the kingdom — which leads to Fendall running off after this is discovered — she loses her affection for him and refers to him as just "Fendall" (though there are several times in Magic and Mischief when she catches herself initially calling him "Uncle").
The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The eponymous demon insists on calling Nathaniel by his true name after inadvertently finding it out early in book one, but at the end of book two, shortly before Nathaniel de-summons him, he calls him by his "John Mandrake" public identity for the first time. Bartimaeus intends this as an insult: the formerly idealistic Nathaniel has sold out and become just like every other magician.
The Belgariad:
- Garion's Character Development is indicated by the way he thinks of his companions, particularly Belgarath and Polgara. Throughout the first two books, Garion calls Belgarath "Grandfather" or "Mister Wolf" and Polgara "Aunt Pol", because those were the first names he learned for them. At the end of book two, Garion discovers his own powers of sorcery and begins to learn more about the events going on around him, and thereafter they are "Belgarath" and "Polgara".
- Zakath, the emperor of Mallorea, typically calls Garion by his formal name of "Belgarion," since he's Overlord of the West and King of Riva. However, after Garion gives Zakath an impressive (and effective) "The Reason You Suck" Speech to convince him to end his war of revenge against Taur Urgas (who is dead) and return home, Zakath starts calling him "Garion," signifying that their relationship is becoming less "rival monarchs" and more "friends".
By Any Other Name (2013): At first Holly dislikes Joe. She thinks of him as 'Emo Boy', and doesn't start thinking of him by his name until she gets to know him.
In Cal Leandros, Cal was named "Caliban" by his abusive mother as a reference to the monster in William Shakespeare's The Tempest. His older brother, Niko, refuses to call him anything but "Cal" until he accepts his little brother might have some monstrousness from his Half-Human Hybrid heritage after all.
The Dark Artifices: Emma has been calling Julian "Jules" since they were kids. When they have sex, and later admit their feelings for each other, Emma calls him Julian. Then, upon learning about the curse on parabatai who fall in love, she tells him she loves Mark, not him, and goes back to calling him Jules. Julian starts hating it and missing when she called him Julian.
In The Dresden Files, Harry originally called the leader of the Alphas Billy, starting when they first meet in Fool Moon. In Turn Coat, he realizes that the college boy he met all those years ago has matured and starts referring to him in his own mind as Will.
Harry Potter:
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the narration, which is presented from Harry Potter's point of view, refers to Sirius Black as "Black." Harry believes Sirius Black to be a dangerous criminal who was working under Voldemort and who betrayed his parents. After Harry learns the truth, the narration becomes somewhat inconsistent. By the final chapter, it refers to Sirius exclusively by his first name and this continues throughout all remaining novels.
- Harry also initially calls Remus Lupin by his last name, since he's introduced to him as a professor. This continues for some time after Harry learns that Lupin, like Sirius, was one of his father's best friends. By the events of Deathly Hallows, however, he now calls him "Remus".
- Severus Snape mostly calls Minerva McGonagall by her last name, but in Deathly Hallows, when he becomes Hogwarts' Headmaster, he calls her Minerva.
- For most of the series, Harry refers to Molly Weasley as Mrs. Weasley, but towards the end of the series, when he stops thinking of her as "a friend's mother" in favor of "future mother-in-law", the narration refers to her as Molly.
InCryptid: After Artie Harrington Came Back Wrong, he starts going by Arthur instead of Artie, as a way to separate himself from the man whose body he inhabits.
The Left Hand of Darkness: The main characters Genly and Estraven use honorifics for each other in the first part, as Genly is unsubtle about disliking Estraven, but shift to Last-Name Basis when they undertake a dangerous mission together. A combination of Fire Forged Friendship and the intimacy of Telepathic communication make them switch to First-Name Basis. The first shift is Discussed as Estraven pointedly acknowledges that they're allies, not friends.
Estraven: No, call me by my name. If you can speak inside my skull with a dead man's voice then you can call me by my name!
Legacy of the Dragokin: Taurok's full name is 'Finn Taurok' but he is always referred to by his last name in the first book. After he becomes a good guy, the narration switches to his first name. This means that he's on a First-Name Basis with the audience.
Lily and Dunkin: At the beginning of the book, trans girl Lily is delighted when her mom calls her Lily instead of Tim.
Martins Mice by Dick King-Smith: At the beginning, the baby mice call Martin "Uncle Marty", but when they grow older and start wanting to move out of the bathtub, they begin calling him "Mart" instead. This shows that they've lost most of the adoration they once held for him.
In the historical novel The Mermaid, Levi Lyman is one of the few people who call P.T. Barnum by his middle name, Taylor, instead of by his last name. When Levi starts calling him Barnum, Amelia realizes Barnum is losing Levi's friendship.
The Moon and the Sun: At first Marie-Josèphe thinks the captured mermaid is a dumb beast, and thinks of her as the sea monster. Once she realizes that she's actually a sentient being, she starts thinking of her as the sea woman. Later she dubs her Sherzad, after the sea woman's mispronunciation of "Scheherazade."
Myth Adventures: Aahz initially calls Skeeve "apprentice" because, well, Skeeve is his apprentice. Once they incorporate as M.Y.T.H. Inc., he starts calling him "partner" to indicate their newfound equality—and Skeeve's (temporary) change in priorities. "Skeeve" only comes out on rare, serious occasions.
In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy doesn't address his lady-love as "Elizabeth" until after she's agreed to marry him, in accordance with Regency convention. Before that, he calls her either "Miss Bennet" or, when she's with her older sister Jane, "Miss Elizabeth".^note But once they are engaged, he is free to use her first name alone.
"Redemption Cairn": After Jack kills Kratska and saves Coretti and Claire, Coretti calls him by his first name for the first time.
A Song of Ice and Fire: Jaime and Brienne initially they refer to each other with derogatory nicknames ("wench"/"Kingslayer"), but as they travel together they begin to develop respect for each other as knights and begin to use formal honorifics ("ser"/"my lady") and eventually actual names, though Jaime reserves "wench" as an Insult of Endearment when Brienne is being particularly honorable.
The Stormlight Archive:
- In Rhythm of War: Raboniel, Lady of Wishes, grants Navani Kholin the right to address her by name rather than by title or honorific when Navani solves a scientific problem that had stumped Raboniel for millennia. With how important titles are to the Fused, it's an exceptionally rare honour to a Worthy Opponent.
- In Wind and Truth, Commandant Kushkam initially dislikes and distrusts Adolin Kholin, but reconsiders and offers his first name Zarb when Adolin proves his worth and honor in battle.
  Kushkam: You like to use first names. I'm Zarb, Adolin. I appreciate what you did today.
Temeraire: Laurence shifts from his usual Last-Name Basis to First-Name Basis with two of his True Companions. His Number Two goes from "Granby" to "John" between the first and second book, recognizing their Fire Forged Friendship and that Laurence is loosening up a bit; his close friend goes from "Tharkay" to "Tenzing" by the sixth book after helping Laurence through his Darkest Hour.
In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Francie calls Katie "Mother" instead of "Mama" after she discovers that her love interest has been lying to her (he's already engaged). Hearing this, Katie recalls the moment that she did this with her own mother and realizes that Francie isn't a little girl anymore.
For most of The Underland Chronicles, Gregor's baby sister Boots refers to him as "Ge-go", since she can't pronounce his name yet. Around the third book it changes to "Gre-go", and in the final scene of the series, after they leave the Underland for the last time she can finally say his name right, showing how they're both growing up.
Vorkosigan Saga:
- In Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, Ivan thinks, at the end, that Miles's children will be old enough to call him Uncle Ivan by the time of his return, and shudders to think of how his identity can be changed without his doing anything. Then he reflects on the possibility of "Da" — which is easier because he would do it.
- When Miles's grandfather dies, making his father the new Count Vorkosigan and Miles himself the heir, the Vorkosigan staff start referring to Miles as Lord Vorkosigan. He actually first learns of his grandfather's death when he is first addressed as "Lord Vorkosigan, sir?" Later, Miles reflects that he'll likely and unfortunately learn about his father's death when someone says "Count Vorkosigan, sir?", which does indeed happen at the end of Cryoburn.
The Woman Who Did: When Herminia Barton and her Love Interest Alan Merrick first meet, they call each other Miss Barton and Mr Merrick. After Alan calls her Herminia for the first time, she immediately recognises the significance and is pleased. She calls him Mr Merrick a few more times and then switches to Alan.

Live Action TV

Arrow: John Diggle is almost always "Diggle" or "Dig" to everyone, with only his wife Lyla calling him by his first name. In later seasons, as he becomes a brother to Oliver in all but blood, the latter starts calling him "John" more and more, with Felicity (who eventually marries Oliver and thus John's effective sister-in-law) following suit.
Breaking Bad: Jesse always calls Walter "Mr. White" since he used to be his chemistry teacher, and their relationship in the early seasons remained that of a mentor and apprentice. However, as Walter grows increasingly ruthless and betrays Jesse's trust over and over, their relationship grows progressively strained until finally breaking down completely in the final season. The last time they ever address each other, Jesse calls him simply, "Walt."
Bridgerton: In season 2, in the end of episode 5, when Anthony decides to call off his plan to marry Edwina after an unpleasant dinner with the Sheffields, Kate desperately convinces Anthony to keep his promise to marry Edwina by calling his name; indicating her seriousness and insistence (despite the fact that they've revealed their mutual feelings) as she fears it'd break her sister's heart. In the final episode, Anthony calling Kate "Kathani" — her full, Indian given name, which she never uses in England and which is never used by anyone else, including her beloved sister and her stepmother — is an indication of their relationship upgrade as it signifies his sincere love for her and acceptance of everything about her.
- Used for dramatic effect in between these episodes when Kate flees after she and Anthony sleep together. Anthony arrives at the Sharma home, and is told Kate isn't there, and what's more, one of the horses is gone. Anthony chases her down, attempting to get her to stop by calling "Miss Sharma" after her. When she attempts to jump a stone wall at the edge of the property, the horse balks, and she's thrown from it. Anthony drops all pretense of Regency-era propriety, letting out a stranged "Kate" as she crumples to the ground.
CSI: NY: When Lindsay joins the team in early season 2, Danny starts out picking on her by consistently calling her "Montana" after her home state, which annoys her to no end. Then they begin dating and by the middle of season 3, she's come to accept it as an Insult of Endearment, and even signs a note to him with the nickname. By the time they're expecting a child in season 5, he has dropped it and only calls her "Lindsay," "Linds" or "Babe." He does call her "Montana" one final time, though, but it's lovingly then, to get her attention while she's hospitalized and groggy from a concussion early in season 9.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: When Will's father comes back into his life, Will doesn't feel right calling him "Dad", or "my dad" when talking to other people. As the two spend time together, Will eventually starts calling him "Dad". At the end, when his father cancels their plans to go on a cross-country trip, Will's last words to him are "You too. Lou."
General Hospital's Laura is overjoyed when her long lost son Nikolas calls her "Mother" for the first time, meaning that he finally sees her as that. It lasts all of two seconds when he learns that she faked her death and let him grieve for months.
House of Anubis: Throughout season 2, Eddie was struggling with his conflicting feelings over his father, Mr. Sweet, exemplified by how he called him "Eric" and lashed out against him at any opportunity. When they finally made up, the change was signified by Eddie calling him "Dad".
Kamen Rider Ryuki: Inhabitants of Ore Journal office usually call Shinji Kido by his last name or as a dumbass/idiot/some variation. After he earned their respect with bravery in a hostage situation, they mostly switch to calling him by his first name.
Kamen Rider Ghost: Proper villain etiquette in Kamen Rider usually involves calling the other side by either rider designation or full name. Alain has done the former for Makoto by adressing him as "Specter" and the latter for Takeru, referring to him as "Tenkuji Takeru". His Heel–Face Turn is punctuated by switching to using only first names for both.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid:
- Emu used to be a pro gamer nicknamed "M", but no one calls him that anymore. No one but Nico, who spent six years (the whole time since his retirement) holding a grudge against him for the single defeat in her otherwise perfect winning streak. She starts calling him "Emu" after moving past her grudge.
- Hiiro spent most of the story condescendingly referring to Taiga as "unlicensed doctor" to highlight the failure that ruined Taiga's life and that Hiiro himself is still holding a grudge over. When they acknowledge and make peace with each other's faults and issues, Hiiro switches to calling Taiga "Doctor Hanaya" as a sign of respect.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Before episode 5, Halbrand always referred to Galadriel as the "Elf". But in this episode, after hearing Galadriel's Freudian Excuse, he finally starts to refer to her as Galadriel, showing a significant shift in their relationship. Galadriel and Halbrand grow closer and more personable for the rest of the season.
Lucifer (2016):
- Lucifer nearly always calls Chloe Decker "Detective" (he does call her "Chloe" a couple of times in the pilot, but this is before he learns that she can resist his temptation, intriguing him). When Dan, who is a Shipper on Deck, tells him that couples usually refer to each other by their first names, he counters by saying that "Detective" is more romantic. By season 6, when the two are an out-and-out couple, he exclusively calls her by her first name, with Chloe lampshading that it still feels weird hearing him call her like that, after years being used to "Detective".
- In the first season, Lucifer calls Dan "Detective Douche" to disrespect him, but after he willingly gives up his job to absolve Lucifer, he calls him "Detective Espinoza". From season 2 onwards, he usually calls him "Daniel", though he does revert to "Detective Douche" when Dan is being especially mean to him.
Invoked and Played for Laughs on Married... with Children episode "The Dateless Amigo". After Al created an odd and ultimately unsuccessful invention called "Shoe Lights" that embarrassed the family, when looking for Bud's approval and asking "Son?", Bud coldly tells him that "It's 'Bud' to you".
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Upon Vader saying that Anakin Skywalker, his past self, is beyond saving from the Dark Side, Obi-Wan begins exclusively addressing/referring to his former pupil as Darth Vader, or just by his title, continuing to do so by A New Hope.
Obi-Wan: (tearing up) Anakin...
Vader: Anakin is gone. I am what remains.
Obi-Wan: (sobbing) I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Anakin. For all of it.
Vader: ...I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn't kill Anakin Skywalker. I did. The same way I will destroy you!
Obi-Wan: Then my friend is truly dead. Goodbye, Darth.
Power Rangers:
- Power Rangers Operation Overdrive: Mack genuinely loves his father Andrew Hartford, but the two have a complicated relationship, as Andrew has always coddled his son and hidden him from the world, especially after having found a magical crown that alerts evil aliens to its presence. Mack eventually becomes a Ranger to fight these aliens. Andrew and his butler throughout the series drop hints that there's something unusual about Mack. Then the episode "Things Not Said" reveals Mack is a robot. After learning this Mack questions his existence, and during the episode "Home and Away Part 2," Mack stops refering to Andrew as "dad" and calls him "Mr. Hartford."
- Power Rangers RPM: Throughout the series, Dr. K refers to Ziggy, the Green RPM Ranger, as only "Ranger Operator Series Green". However, by the series finale, she and Ziggy have become a couple, the threat from Venjix is over and the Ranger Powers aren't needed any longer, so she starts to call him by his real name.
In the final episodes of Robin Hood (BBC), after they're forced to work together, Robin and Guy of Gisborne slowly shift from a Last-Name Basis (Gisborne refers to Robin as "Locksley" or "Hood") to a First-Name Basis; it's not expressly commented upon and neither seems consciously aware that they're doing it.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Worf initially only calls Deanna Troi "Counselor Troi", but when they start dating in later seasons, he begins calling her "Deanna".
Throughout the first season of Ted Lasso, Rebecca exclusively refers to her second-in-command by his surname, Higgins, as a sign of her personal detachment from AFC Richmond as a whole. Once her Heel Realization kicks in and she abandons her plan to destroy the club from within, the season finale has her call Higgins by his first name, Leslie, and she continues to address him on a First-Name Basis for the rest of the series.
In That '70s Show, originally everyone calls Steven Hyde by his last name. Jackie, however, starts calling him "Steven" when she becomes romantically interested in him.
Three Kingdoms: In several ways.
- Sometimes it's used to show how someone has undergone Rank Up, like Cao Cao originally being addressed as "Master" or "Lord" by his subordinates, but by the end of his life is addressed as "Your Highness" as Prince of Wei.
- Sometimes used to show contempt, as seen when several characters throughout the show's run address or refer to Cao Cao as "Cao Ah-Man", using his childhood name as an insult. Xu You, an old friend of Cao Cao, makes the mistake of publicly addressing him by the name (a huge faux pas in that culture) after helping him defeat Yuan Shao. Xu Chu, one of Cao's generals, winds up killing him in a fit of rage for the disrespect.
- Is sometimes inverted to show which relationship is stronger. Zhuge Liang and his older brother Zhuge Jin serve different lords. During their final meeting, Zhuge Liang is now the Chancellor of the state of Shu while Zhuge Jin has a comparatively low rank as a diplomat. Despite this, they still address each other as "Eldest Brother" and "Second Brother" respectively. They even do this in the presence of their lords during informal chats, but during formal events or discussing official business properly use their titles (e.g. "Chancellor Zhuge"). ^note
- Cao Zhi pulls this after his older brother Cao Pi becomes Emperor of Wei. Xu Chu is sent to bring him to court (he refused to attend when summoned by Pi), but when Xu addresses him as "Young Master" Zhi sneers that his proper title ought to be "Your Imperial Highness" and refuses to go along until Xu addresses him in that way. Pi orders his execution almost as soon as he arrives, though he's eventually talked down.
Trace: In the very first episode, a four-parter "The Pit Snake's Bite", Rogozina and Kruglov address each other in the most official manner possible — either as "Comrade Colonel" and "Comrade Major" respectively or at best by name and patronymic, a sign of the extremely frosty and distrust-filled relationship they have. In the fourth part, he ends up Taking the Bullet for her, whereupon she immediately switches to his first name's diminutive version "Kolya". The antidote she has developed saves his life in turn, and after he is healed he likewise begins to call her by her name's pet version, "Galya". From then on, they mostly call each other by these pet versions when alone and (try to) stick to "name and patronymic" (the most neutral option) in public, and are absolutely devoted to each other (with a romantic relationship hinted at occasionally).

Manhwa

Doom Breaker: Eurydice had Georgios refer to her by her name instead of "Royal Highness" after he presented the Dragon Heart to her and before she reciprocated his feelings.

Theatre

If/Then plays with the trope, chronicling two separate timelines following Elizabeth's move to New York. In the one where she focuses on love and family, she adopts the nickname "Liz", and in the one where she focuses on her career, she adopts the nickname "Beth".
In Ladies in Black, the central character's name is Lesley, but she doesn't like the name and takes the opportunity to rebrand herself as 'Lisa' when she gains a new circle of acquaintances. The moments at which Lisa's mother and (some time later) her father accept and start using her new name stand in for them accepting and beginning to support her hopes for her future.
A Very Potter Musical plays this for laughs. Quirrell initially insists on calling Voldemort (who currently resides on the back of his head) things like "my Lord" and "my Dark King". Voldemort exasperatedly points out that "I watch you wipe your butt daily. You can call me Voldemort, we're there! We've reached that point!" Quirrell's response, "Yes, my—Voldemort", foreshadows how their relationship will grow and deepen throughout the play.

Video Games

Fate/Grand Order:
- During the battle against Lostbelt King Zeus, Ares pulls a Heel–Face Turn and decides to fight on your side along with the Roman god Romulus-Quirinus. The Lostbelt King acknowledges this betrayal by calling Ares with the Roman version of his name.
- In the event "GUDAGUDA Ryouma's Close Call", Ryouma finds himself in the bottom of the ocean where Oryou rests, and a mysterious voice calls him "human" and commands him to kill her for the safety of the country. However, as the conversation goes on, the voice realizes that Ryouma and Oryou simply love each other too much to hurt each other or the world, and so they address Ryouma by his full name and entrust Oryou to him, even giving him their blessings.
Fire Emblem
- In Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, Florina, a Childhood Friend of Lyndis, typicaly calls Lyndis by the Affectionate Nickname "Lyn." At the end of Lyn's Story, Florina, who has become a knight in service of House Caelin, starts calling Lyn "Lady Lyndis" instead. Lyn reluctantly accepts it, but if she and Florina achieve an A support, she'll notice that Florina has gone back to using her nickname and express approval.
- Fire Emblem Engage: In Hortensia's supports with Veyle, it's shown that she's the only cast member besides Alear, Veyle's elder sibling, as well as Veyle's other half-sibling Nel who doesn't use the "Lady" title on Veyle, a dragon, out of rudeness due to the role Veyle's evil personality played in killing Hortensia's father. She starts doing so in their A support as a sign that they're starting to become friends. She also starts off calling Sombron "Lord Sombron" due to being a worshipper of the Fell Dragon, while refusing to call Sombron's enemy Lumera "Queen Lumera." If spoken to after a battle in Gradlon Temple, though, Hortensia will suggest razing the temple for "what Sombron did to [...] Queen Lumera."
Goodbye Volcano High: Fang's mother Sabah refuses to accept Fang's nonbinary gender identity, and intentionally deadnames them throughout the game. This is used to highlight the emotional disconnect between the two of them, with Fang not thinking she loves them or takes them seriously. She finally calls them "Fang" in episode 8 in their last phone conversation, when showing pride in Fang before their end-of-the-world concert.
Granblue Fantasy: It's shown in the flashbacks of "What Makes The Sky Blue" that Sandalphon referred to Lucifer as "Lucifer-sama", with the "-sama" honorific signifying that Lucifer was his superior and that he respected him. Sandalphon dropped the honorific after he rebelled due to his respect and admiration for Lucifer shifting a bitter hatred, or so he made it seem. He begins to use the honorific for Lucifer again from "Paradise Lost" onwards after accepting Lucifer back into his heart.
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-: Ima and Kako usually refer to each other as "Brother Dearest" and "Sister Dearest". But when they go through Character Development and Ima agrees to stop coddling Kako as much, he insists they start calling each other by their names now.
Inazuma Eleven:
- Tenma is one of the few characters largely addressed by his given name, but only his closest peers and the managers call him like that at first. As his Character Development changes him from a Naïve Newcomer to a key part in the team, all his teammates begin to call him by his given name.
- Tenma and Tsurugi in particular don't start the series on the best terms since Tsurugi is a SEED from Fifth Sector who is supposed to tear the team apart. After his motives are clear and he stops serving Fifth Sector for his brother's sake, their relationship improves significantly. By the time of the Holy Road finals, they are close enough that Tsurugi starts addressing Tenma by his given name.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III: When Rean first meets Randy, they are on Last-Name Basis. However, as time passes, they grow closer, and after a heart-to-heart, they agree to call each other more casually.
Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story: One sign of how close Yachiyo has become with Iroha is her undergoing a Significant Name Shift from calling her "Tamaki-san" to calling her "Iroha".
Mario & Luigi: Bowser can't be bothered to remember the name of Luigi, the brother of his Arch-Enemy, Mario, and instead refers to him as "Green 'Stache. Once the Bros. win the day at the end of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Bowser promises the brothers that he will be back, before shouting their names, and once he's about to say "Green 'Stache," he backtracks and finally calls Luigi by his real name.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater: While everyone else always refers to him as "Volgin," for the majority of the game, Ocelot addresses him as "Colonel." However, during Volgin's fight with Snake, Ocelot calls the man out on his underhandedness, saying, "Fight like a man, Volgin!" It is at roughly this point where Ocelot no longer feels the need to maintain his cover, as Volgin's plans begin unravelling, and Ocelot no longer needs to feign loyalty to Volgin.
Persona 5
- Throughout much of the game, Kasumi Yoshizawa, a character added in the Updated Re-release Royal is on a Last-Name Basis with the Phantom Thieves, partly because she's extremely polite and partly because she doesn't know them all that well- her Confidant can only reach the halfway point prior to the Royal-exclusive third term, and she only has a handful of interactions with other Phantom Thieves besides the protagonist. However, around the time she joins the party, she asks to get on a First-Name Basis with them, partly to acknowledge that they're friends and partly because she's accepting her own identity as Sumire rather than pretending to be her late older sister Kasumi.
- A small but noticeable one happens with Akechi. At first, Makoto and Haru, two of the more polite Phantom Thieves and the only third-years besides Akechi, call him "Akechi-kun," but after it turns out that he is planning on double-crossing them and killing the protagonist, not to mention that he is the one responsible for killing Haru's father, the two of them, like the other Phantom Thieves, refer to him by his last name without honorifics- which is especially notable in Haru's case, since she uses "-kun" or "-chan" on her friends. However, after the Phantom Thieves learn of his tragic backstory and come to pity him in spite of his misdeeds, Makoto and Haru start using "-kun" on Akechi again, and Ann gets in on it in the third term in Royal.
Prayer of the Faithless: After Mia and Aeyr meet up again and talk to Reyson, he drops enough clues about his past that the protagonists, and therefore the Character Status screen, know him by Full-Name Basis instead of the First-Name Basis he was using up to that point. A.k.a Reyson Cadmus.
Resident Evil 4 (Remake): Throughout their interactions, Major Jack Krauser calls Leon Kennedy "rookie", being his former instructor during his training as a government agent. Once defeated in his Boss Battle, Krauser tells Leon how proud he is of how far he's come and refers to him as "Leon" in his dying moments.
Shovel Knight: Throughout the King of Cards campaign, King Knight's mother constantly refers to him with several cutesy pet names like "sugar plum" and "my shining son" as she supports his endeavors to gain a royal title of his own. At the end, however, as he accepts the Enchantress's offer and plunges the land into darkness, stealing King Pridemoor's castle as well, she refers to him as "King Knight" as she leaves him forever, hoping he'll be very happy with his ill-gotten gains.
Titanfall 2: BT-7274 initially refers to the player character Jack Cooper simply as "pilot" before switching to "pilot Cooper" after you spend some time together, and then finally "Jack" after you attach his core to a new chassis after he is destroyed.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy: Nadine Ross starts out calling Chloe Frazer by her last name, but switches to "Chloe" as their mutual fondness deepens.

Visual Novels

Ace Attorney:
- The Great Ace Attorney duology:
  - Throughout the duology, Barok van Zieks keeps sarcastically calling the main character Ryunosuke as "my learned Nipponese friend". Near the end of the second game, Ryunosuke has managed to gain van Zieks' trust and respect, and he properly calls him "Mr. Naruhodo" from that point on.
  - Iris usually calls Herlock with the nickname "Hurley". In the post-credits scene of the second game, she wrote a letter finally calling him "Daddy", which moved him to tears.
- Case 4 of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth shows the first meeting between Edgeworth and Detective Gumshoe, who at the time didn't think much of the young prosecutor and called him "pal" just like he does with everyone else. At the end of the case, his newfound respect for Edgeworth makes him decide to call him "sir" from that point on.
- In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies, Athena Cykes' long-time friend Juniper Woods usually calls her "Thena", but switches to "Athena" when they meet in Case 3 (which is before Case 1), since they haven't met in a while and Juniper is trying to stay professional as Student Council President of her school. The original Japanese takes this a step farther; while Shinobu Morizumi usually calls Kokone Kizuki "Koko-chan" ("Thena") she switches to "Kizuki-san" ("Ms. Cykes") instead.
CLANNAD: In the Ryou ending (which is actually considered a "Bad End" for the Kyou route), Tomoya and Ryou's Relationship Upgrade is punctuated in the final scene by Tomoya addressing her as "Ryou" (previously he addressed her as "Fujibayashi" while addressing her twin sister as "Kyou"). Ryou understands the significance of this, reciprocating by addressing him as "Tomoya-kun" as opposed to "Okazaki-kun".
Danganronpa
- Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony:
  - Such a shift occurs in the Japanese script of the game, specifically for Kaito and Shuichi. Kaito referring to Shuichi by his given name in the Japanese script is a sign of great respect and closeness. In the aftermath of chapter 4, the events of the trial's climax lead to Kaito feeling angry at Shuichi, and he shows this by going back to calling him Saihara, his surname. This is Lost in Translation, due to the English script having everyone just use given names, and as such, even when Kaito is angry, he still refers to Shuichi as such (with "Shuichi" inexplicably being highlighted in yellow).
  - For most of the game, Himiko typically doesn't refer to Tenko by name. Shortly after Tenko agrees to serve as the medium for Himiko's dead friend Angie in a seance so Himiko can say goodbye to Angie, Himiko starts referring to Tenko by name, although tragically, she only does this after Tenko is murdered in the middle of the seance. In the original Japanese, Tenko ends up being the only character who Himiko calls by her first name.
- At the start of Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, Toko Fukawa doesn't like Makoto Naegi's younger sister Komaru very much, so she calls her "Omaru," which means "toilet," and in the original Japanese, Komaru politely calls Toko "Fukawa-san," (roughly equivalent to "Miss Fukawa"). Late in the game, after Toko starts to consider Komaru a friend, she starts calling her by her proper first name, while Komaru calls Toko the informal and affectionate "Toko-chan." In the localization, Komaru goes from using Toko's first name to a nickname.
Fate/stay night:
- Archer usually refers to Rin by her first name, but at the very end of Unlimited Blade Works, he calls her "Tohsaka," like Shirou, his past self, generally does. Something similar happens in Heaven's Feel when Archer does a Heroic Sacrifice midway through the route.
- Sakura generally calls Rin "Tohsaka-senpai," due to being polite towards her upperclassman. However, midway through Heaven's Feel, Sakura starts referring to Rin as "Nee-san," and later openly calling her that, since this route reveals that she's Rin's younger sister.
Galaxy Angel: At the beginning of the game, Tact tells the Angel Wing that he wants to be on a First-Name Basis with them. Forte is the only one who decides to pass it for the time being, instead addressing him as "Mr. Commander". It's only during her chapter when they share a moment together in the Space Whale's room that she begins to call him by his name, which he takes notice of. It's also used during the finale as well: if Tact botches the final choice, Forte dumps him and goes back to calling him "Mr. Commander", but if he doesn't, when she saves him during the climax she says "What did you expect, my Mr. Commander?" in a rather flirtatious tone.
In Kindred Spirits on the Roof, Seina Maki and Miki Aihara change how they address each other at significant milestones in their relationship. At the start of the game, they call each other "Aihara-senpai" and "Maki-san," but after Seina gives Miki a love letter and they agree to start off as friends, Miki calls Seina "Maki-chan." After Miki forgives Seina for kissing her while she's asleep, Miki asks Seina to call her by her first name, and Seina accepts, calling her "Miki-san" from this point forward. When Seina attacks some third-years who were badmouthing Miki, Miki gets her to stop by calling her "Seina" for the first time, and they become a couple soon afterward.
In Shinrai: Broken Beyond Despair, Kamen Eiga calls the protagonist, Raiko Shinpuku, "Shinpuku" for most of the game when she isn't using insulting nicknames on her (e.g. "Miss Gloomy"). Kamen is the only character besides the ultra-polite Runa (who calls everyone by their last names with the "-san" honorific) to call a character by their surname, and the lack of honorifics is rather rude by Japanese standards. However, in the good ending, after Raiko clears Kamen's name and prevents her from being falsely accused of murder, Kamen starts calling Raiko "Raiko-chan," a change Raiko immediately notices.
Tavern Talk: At first, Zephir refuses to address Melli by her name because he thinks she's annoying, but he eventually grows to care about her, and he finally addresses her by nickname when she comes back safe and sound from the Morlya quest after leaving to investigate it without telling anyone.

Webcomics

Don't Worry, Dear NPC!: When thanking the Adventurer for reuniting her and Slaki, Iragneff the Avatar of God starts to call him 'Hero' like she usually does, only to stop herself and call him 'Adventurer' instead. It reflects how she now feels comfortable enough to relax and be her old self around him, and how their relationship has also become something much more personal than that of the chosen one and his divine guide.
The Order of the Stick:
- O-Chul spends a long time as a prisoner of Xykon, during which he bonds with Xykon's ineffective minion The Monster in the Dark and encourages him to think for himself instead of only following orders. The Monster only calls O-Chul "Mr. Stiffly" at first, based on the fact that O-Chul was under the effects of a paralysis spell when they met. During an attempted attack on the villains' lair, O-Chul breaks out of his prison and rushes off to join the fight. The Monster — knowing that Xykon will almost certainly kill him — desperately calls for him to come back:
  Monster: Wait, Mr. Stiffly! Come back! Mr. Stiffly! MR. STIFFLY! O-CHUL!
- In the prequel Start of Darkness, the goblin brothers call themselves Redcloak and Right-Eye for Xykon's convenience but refer to each other as "Brother" in private, even after they begin to grow apart. When Redcloak murders Right-Eye to protect Xykon and his own plans, Right-Eye addresses his brother as "Redcloak" in his dying breaths.
The Greenhouse: Mica is the only person the demon 'Red' has ever gotten to know this well. As their relationship warms, Red starts calling her 'munchkin', a short annoyance bad at taking care of herself. As Red starts to realize how important Mica is to her, that gets shortened to 'kin'. And shortly before their bond is finally severed, Red even calls her by her name.

Western Animation

Adventure Time: After Ice King's real name Simon Petrikov is revealed, it naturally occurs as a sign of him shifting from a villain to even some variety of a Classical Anti-Hero in the late seasons. Finn is the first to starts to address him by the birth name in few episodes, usually in the moments of sympathy. The shift doesn't occur in a single moment is more subtle but still noticeable. Princess Bubblegum starts using the real name in the first episode of eighth season when she agrees to help on behalf of Marceline (who herself is an aversion as she knew him before the transformation and never shifted in the first place, just continued to refer to the Ice King as Simon).
Batman: The Animated Series: The episode "Joker's Favor" ends with the Joker cornered by his ex-pawn Charlie Collins, who is holding one of Joker's own bombs and threatening to blow them both up. Batman appears from the shadows and says "Put it down, Charlie." Then Collins reveals that the bomb was a fake; he just tricked Joker into thinking it was real. Batman laughs and says "Go home, Mr. Collins" — clearly switching to Last-Name Basis as a gesture of respect.
Ed, Edd n Eddy: Throughout the series, Kevin often calls the titular characters "dorks" to show his dislike of them, especially Eddy. At the end of Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show, Kevin calls Eddy "pal" to signify that the Eds are finally accepted by the kids after Eddy's brother's defeat and his abuse being the reason behind Eddy's behavior.
Fireman Sam: Station Officer Steele usually refers to Elvis by his surname, Cridlington, as a gesture of their strained relationship due to being opposites in personality. In "Steele Under Par", when it's revealed that Steele has to retire, Elvis begs him not to, and Steele reassures him that he'll be alright, calling him by his first name for the first time in the series.
Little Princess: At the end of "I Want My Treehouse", Princess finally calls Algernon by his name instead of his Embarrassing Nickname Algie, while he becomes fine with her using the nickname. This signifies that they've made friends.
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: In "Find Her, Keep Her", Rabbit adopts a baby bird named Kessie, who is sort of halfway between a pet and a daughter to him. She calls him "Rabbie", but when she returns as an adult in "A Bird in the Hand", she begins calling him by name instead. This isn't due to any animosity towards Rabbit, but rather because she's grown up and sees the nickname as childish.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: After Ahsoka abandons the Jedi Order, she no longer calls Anakin "Master" but by his name.
Steven Universe: Near the finale, the Diamonds learn that Rose Quartz, Steven's mother, was actually Pink Diamond. As he has his mother's gem, the Diamonds treat him like Pink, repeatedly referring to Steven as such. They also treat him rather poorly, punishing him and his friends for fusing or doing anything that disobeys their caste system's strict rules. During a confrontation with Blue, Steven manages to show her how screwed up her world and family are. Now wanting to mend her relationship with him and having grown closer, when facing Yellow, Blue immediately corrects the other Diamond when she calls Steven 'Pink'.
Transformers: Prime: For most of the series, Megatron doesn't bother to call most of the main Autobots by their names — until the final episode, during the final battle, when he finally acknowledges Optimus Prime as a Worthy Opponent by calling him by name.
Wakfu: Nox tends to refer to his foes by mocking nicknames such as "Mighty Dragon" and "Kiddo", and when he instead starts calling someone by their actual name, it indicates he's developed a respect for them. This happens midway through Nox's battle against Grougaloragran, and when he bids Yugo farewell after realizing his entire Tragic Villain quest was All for Nothing.

Significant Name Shift
16 Following

Examples:

Previous

Index

Next

Significant Name Shift 16 Following

Examples:

Previous

Index

Next

Significant Name Shift
16 Following