Renaming
From Transformers Wiki
For a Transformer, a name is not just a convenient handle for referring to someone — it's a way to describe yourself. As a result, Transformers sometimes take new names upon going through major changes.
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Generation 1
Jazz's real name is unpronounceable in English, so just call him Jazz. Man of Iron This may imply that the Transformer names as we know them are generally English aliases.
Probably the most famous name changes are the new names taken by the faction leaders. Different versions of Optimus Prime have had the previous names Orion Pax and Optronix, Megatron changed his name when he became Galvatron, and Hot Rod (alternatively known as Rodimus Major or just Rodimus) became Rodimus Prime upon receiving the Matrix of Leadership. In addition, Bumblebee has displayed a tendency to change his name to Goldbug.
Other Transformers have changed their names in specific universes; for instance, the most prominent version of Elita One was once known as "Ariel", and one version of Outback changed his name to "Fallback". Also, Swoop was called "Divebomb" in the past in UK Marvel Comics continuity and Dreamwave Generation One continuity. In the 2005 IDW continuity, Springer was born as "Ostaros". Before he defected from the Decepticons, the Autobot Drift was known as "Deadlock". And in the Wings Universe, Fizzle changed his name to Blaze.
Beast Era
Nearly every member of the Axalon and Darksyde crews appeared to take a new name upon first taking an animal alternate mode, though Cheetor was the only one seen to do so explicitly. Beast Wars (Part 1) Megatron claimed to have taken his own name from a figure in the Covenant of Primus, which suggests that he had had a different name before that point. Nemesis Part 2 In one version of the timeline, Airazor had previously been known as "Wing Saber", but her memory banks were damaged and her body was reverted to a protoform state before she was reborn in the Beast Wars, so her new identity was more than a mere name-change. The Razor's Edge Dawn of Future's Past
In Beast Wars II, several of the Predacons who fought Lio Convoy's Maximals on Gaia took modified names upon being upgraded by Angolmois Energy. Lio Convoy himself took that name after scanning a mysterious white lion.
In Beast Wars Neo comic, Big Convoy was originally named "Big" before becoming a Transformer.
In Beast Wars: Uprising, Megatron used to be known as "Gnashteeth", and "Wasp" changed his name to "Waspinator" upon becoming partially Vehicon.
Robots in Disguise (2001)
Megatron changed his name to "Galvatron" upon being upgraded, while the Autobot Brothers simply added the prefix "Super" to their names.
Unicron Trilogy
Megatron has a tendency to change his name to Galvatron when he receives a power boost, but for some reason back to Megatron when getting an all new body. Others, such as Overhaul and Cyclonus, prefer to reserve name changes for when they are upgraded into entirely new bodies. Others yet, such as Demolishor, retain their name even when upgraded into a new form. Perhaps this is because some Transformers change their name to reflect their new body's abilities; for example, it makes little sense for a snow machine to be named "Cyclonus", while the gorilla-like Demolishor still maintains a destructive personality. Or maybe Hasbro just wants to use certain names for certain toys.
In the Japanese version of the Unicron Trilogy, characters change names whenever they get a new body, though not necessarily when they get a power boost that results merely in new colors. For example, in the Japanese version, Megatron stayed Megatron throughout Armada's entire run even after his power-up (that merely changed his colors). In Superlink, the Japanese equivalent of Energon, he was called Galvatron throughout the whole show. In Cybertron's Japanese counterpart, Galaxy Force, this rule does not necessarily hold true, as Galaxy Force was originally a separate universe until being retconned into continuity. In Galaxy Force, Master Megatron renamed himself Master Galvatron after becoming powered up, despite the only change being, once again, his colors.
Live-action film series
According to the second issue of the movie adaptation, Optimus tells Sam that the Autobots changed their names to English descriptions of themselves.
When Mirage and Wheeljack were severely damaged in battle, Rising Storm #4 Ratchet managed to fix them and give them new bodies in the process, and they were renamed "Dino" and "Que", respectively. Dark of the Moon
