History Main / MistakenForName

** In "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E23AreYouMyDad Are You My Dad?]]" and "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E24IAmMyMom I Am My Mom]]", a mysterious gem named Aquamarine asks Steven to help her find "my dad", which confuses him because Gems don't have parents. It turns out she's acting on behalf of the Diamonds to kidnap Steven's friends in an attempt to lure Rose Quartz ([[ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity whom every Gem thinks he is]]) to Homeworld so she can stand trial; the people she took are what she thinks to be [[HumansThroughAlienEyes one of each from a "species" of human]], [[NiceJobBreakingItHero which are exactly the ones Steven told Peridot about all the way back in]] "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E44MarbleMadness Marble Madness]]".

* In ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'', the titular protagonist is already nervous about his first trial, and introductions get off on the wrong foot when Apollo meets his client, [[spoiler:Phoenix Wright, who has been accused of murder]].
-->'''Phoenix:''' So, you're...
-->'''Apollo:''' Fine! I-I'm fine!
-->'''Phoenix:''' Mr. Fine, is it?
-->'''Apollo:''' Uh...
-->'''Phoenix:''' I did remember you having an odd name.
-->'''Apollo:''' ([[FirstPersonSmartass Well, we're off to a great start.]])

-->'''Krillin:''' So stranger, what's your name?
-->'''Trunks:''' Can't say.
-->'''Krillin:''' Well Mr. Can't Say, I'm Krillin!
-->'''Trunks:''' That's not funny.
-->'''Krillin:''' What isn't?

--> Gumball: Gum...Ball-oops! Uh...Egg...Wobble...Underpants!
--> Anais: [[{{Facepalm}} (facepalms)]]
--> Penny: Is that a foreign name?
--> Gumball: Yes! Yes! I'm, uh, from, buh-duh-duh... Europe!
--> Tina: Where in Europe?
--> Gumball: Uh... Gum... bald-- No! Uh... wig... battle-ax... ninja!

--> Richard: Hmm? Who's your pretty friend, Anais?
--> Gumball: It's me, Dad.
--> Richard: Hello, "It's Me Dad." Is she foreign?
--> Anais: (Facepalms) [[OnlySaneMan Ugh!]]

* In ''Film/CaptainMarvel'', Carol's nametag was meant to read "Carol Danvers", but part of it [[SignsOfDisrepair broke off]], so people think her name is Vers (pronounced "veers").

--> Anais: [[OnlySaneMan (Facepalms)]] Ugh!

* ''[[WesternAnimation/BarbieFairytopia Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow]]'': When Elina is looking for her room in the Fairy School, she asks Fabian, who assumes she wants his autograph. When she says that she's just looking for her room, he writes her an autograph addressed to "Just Looki Formiroom".

* ''Series/GetSmart'': [[LaughablyEvil The Claw]] has a SpeechImpediment that means he pronounces his L's like R's. This leads to [[TheDitz Max]] thinking he's called the ''Craw'', and due to his speech impediment, the Claw can't correct him.

* In ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'''s, ''Dreamtime Duck of the Never-Never'', Scrooge visits Australia, and meets an Aboriginal man on a mystical quest. Scrooge, never the most patient with magic, snorts "[[AndImTheQueenOfSheba And I'm John Philip Sousa]]". The aboriginal man refers to him as Jonflip for the entirety of the comic. Curiously, in the Italian translation, Scrooge instead invoked Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, who wasn't even born at the moment the comic is set in.

* In an episode of ''Series/CharliesAngels'' where the Angels work at a circus, [[Creator/PattyMaloney a midget]] asks Bosley his name. He responds, "Bosley; John Bosley," and she addresses him as 'Bosley John Bosley' for the rest of the episode.

* ''Series/KenanAndKel'': In episode "In The Line of Kenan", US president Bill Clinton visits the local convenience store Rigby's and meets Kenan and Kel. Kenan, overwhelmed by the encounter, stutters his name as "Kiki", which Clinton mistakes for his name. Kel being [[Cloudcuckoolander Kel]], he gives his name as "Sharona", out of nowhere. The president then keeps calling the duo Kiki and Sharona.

** ''[[http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/335.htm Kupti and Imani]]'' (India) - Princess Imani is trying to untie a knot when a messenger goes to ask her what gift she wants, and she shouts "Patience". The servant misconstrues this as an object.
** ''[[https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/31209/pg31209-images.html#Page_193 The Fan Prince]]'' (India) - the princess is saying her prayers from a prayer book when a servant asks her. The princess then answers "Sabr", as in, "to have patience". The servant misunderstands this to mean a thing named "Sabr".

* What do you call a nun with a washing machine on her head? [[spoiler: Sister Matick.]]

The mistake often results in confusion, misunderstandings, and amusing interactions among the characters, as they struggle to correct the error. May also result in a RunningGag or the character to [[AppropriatedAppellation accept this wrong name]].

** It happens again when Steven attempts to tell Yellow Pearl what to call him. He has some fun with it:

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOctonauts'': In "The Hermit Crabs", Peso asks the titular hermit crab for his name, to which he yells "Get me out!" (since he is stuck inside his shell, which he has grown too big for). Peso then addresses him as "Mr. Getmeout".

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
** In "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E18MissingIdentityPlanktonsArmy Missing Identity]]", there is a woman who [=SpongeBob=] calls Betty because that was what was written on her nametag. However, it turns out she actually borrowed the uniform, nametag included, of a different woman named Betty.
** Inverted in "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS5E4SpyBuddiesBoatSmartsGoodOlWhatshisname Good Ol' Whatshisname]]" where someone named "Mr. What Zit Tooyah" gives his name and Squidward mistakes it as a phrase that means "none of your business". As a result, the octopus steals What Zit Tooyah's wallet in an attempt to learn the man's name and gets arrested for it.

A variation would be when the lapse involves a language barrier where a character or animal assumes the words they are being addressed by to be their own or someone else's name.

* ''WebVideo/FoldingIdeas'': In "The Art of Storytelling and ''The Book of Henry''", Dan consistently refers to the teacher character as Goddammit Janice--because the first time her name is mentioned in the movie, it's when Henry bursts into her office and declares "Goddammit, Janice!"

* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'': This exchange happens between Krillin and Future Trunks in Episode 33, where Trunks is trying to prevent any information about himself from being known or else he messes up the current timeline.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'': In "Tradies", Sparky mentions his "missus". Bluey has never heard this term before, so she thinks Me Missus is the woman's name until Sparky explains that "missus" is slang for "wife" and his wife's name is Jules.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'': In "Fish Out of Water", Zog is mistaken for a contestant in a wrestling match. When the promoter asks Zog what his name is...

* ''Series/TheWire'': Bunk and [=McNulty=] come down to The Pit to talk about D'angelo who is sitting with Bodie.

-->'''[=McNulty=]:''' Just you, me, my partner and Mr. Shit here.

* In ''VideoGame/AnotherCode''. when D asks for her name, Ashley (still rattled by the fact that she's talking to a ghost) stammers "A-Ashley". D mistakes the stammering for part of her name and replies, "'A-Ashley'? That's a funny name".

* ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'': When Baby Sinclair is getting named, the guy naming him dies mid-sentence, so he ends up saying, "This child shall be named... Ah! Ugh! ... I'm dying, you idiot!". [[BlackComedy Baby then gets renamed Ah Ugh I'm Dying You Idiot]] before being [[StatusQuoIsGod renamed back to Baby]].
* ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'': When Dr. Quinn sent a telegram to apply for a position as a frontier doctor she signed her full name, Michaela Quinn. The telegraph operator thought she had written "Michael A Quinn" and decided to omit the middle initial to save the town a few pennies. Thus everyone was surprised when she arrived to start her new job and was a woman.

* In ''Film/ElectricDreams'', main character Miles mistypes his name as "Moles" when first setting up his new computer. This is more of an Main/AccidentalMisnaming, except even after Miles tries to correct the mistake, and long after his computer becomes sentient and able to speak, the machine still calls him Moles.

* At the end of ''Literature/FreakyFriday'', it's revealed that the man whom Annabel had thought was named Boris all the book is actually named Morris, but she got it wrong due to his CongestionSpeak.
* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has Arthur give his name to Slartibartfast as "Dent. Arthur Dent"; Slartibartfast then refers to him as "Dentarthurdent."

* Discussed in ''Literature/TheRaven'': The narrator jokingly asks the eponymous raven its name, and it replies with its catchphrase "Nevermore". The narrator says that the answer bears "little relevancy", since "Nevermore" isn't a name.

-->''''[[TheDitz Harry]]:''' Okay, such.

* In ''Film/ElectricDreams'', main character Miles mistypes his name as "Moles" when first setting up his new computer. Even after trying to correct the mistake, and long after his computer becomes sentient and able to speak, the machine still calls him Moles.

* In ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'', when [[BigBad the Red Queen]] first officially meets Alice (who is standing behind a hedge because [[ItMakesSense she ate a magic cake that made her grow too big for her clothes]]), the White Rabbit says "Um..." when the Red Queen asks who she is (because obviously, the White Rabbit ''doesn't want to say she's the Queen's enemy and foretold slayer of her Jabberwocky''). Alice immediately decides SureLetsGoWithThat and says she's "Um from Umbridge" to trick the Queen into letting her inside her castle so Alice can find the imprisoned Hatter. This causes some WhosOnFirst hilarity later on...
->'''Knave of Hearts:''' (''upon seeing Alice'') And who is this... ''[[AbhorrentAdmirer lovely creature]]?''
->'''Red Queen:''' Um, my new favowite.
->'''Knave:''' Well, does she have a name?
->'''Red Queen:''' ''Um.''
->'''Knave:''' (''to Alice'') I believe your name... has slipped the Queen's mind.
->'''Red Queen:''' ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Her name. Is. Um,]]'' '''''[[SuddenlyShouting IDIOT!!!]]'''''

* There is also Hodgesaargh, who raises birds of prey that often don't like him much. The "aargh" part might possibly not be part of his actual name, but Agnes figures it's polite to call someone by the name that they introduced themselves with.

* In the trailer for ''WesternAnimation/{{Elio}}'', Elio's planet is referred to as "Um-Earth" because he [[https://youtu.be/2w_K3CB8PuE?t=56 hesitated]] saying his planet's name when asked.

* ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool'': Gwen goes to a costume store to get a superhero costume. The store's owner Big Ronnie asks Gwen her name - which is Gwen Poole. She assumes it's her superhero name and she's a Deadpool derivative, so she designs her costume as a pink and white version of his red and black outfit. Despite not actually being a fan of Deadpool, Gwen just goes with it.

* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'' has Scrooge sarcastically declaring himself [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Philip_Sousa John Phillip Sousa]] to an Australian shaman, who [[SarcasmBlind takes him completely seriously]] and calls him "Jonfilip" for the rest of their adventure.