Name changing ceremony

"I have gathered the Clan to witness the giving of your new name. I'm sorry you have suffered so much. The whole Clan knows how brave you've been. Your new name may describe your face, young kit, but it doesn't describe your heart. I know you are as true and loyal as any warrior."

— Hailstar renaming Stormkit in Crookedstar's Promise, page 55

In the Warriors series, a name changing ceremony is an event in which a Clan cat gets their name changed. This change can happen because of injury, a wrong choice by a previous leader, or an individual's dislike of their current name. A Clan leader is the cat to perform this ceremony, as warriors generally do not choose their own names, with the exception of Crowfeather, who chose his suffix in honor of Feathertail.

Process

Names are important part of Clan culture. When a cat's name no longer portrays who they are, a Clan leader can perform a ceremony to change a cat's name to something different. The main cause of this ceremony is likely due to a life-changing injury, and is not always taken well by the cat being renamed or their family. Some cats have been known to embrace their new name and use it to their advantage, and not letting their name define them. This process is not always welcome in the Clan, and given that warriors do not choose their name, it is considered disrespectful to ask for a new name and to reject what the Clan leader has chosen for you. While a leader can compromise with a request to change a name, they do ultimately have the final say in what a cat's name will be due to Clan tradition.

Ceremony

A Clan leader calls for a Clan meeting, and can use the following words to rename a cat by speaking to StarClan:

Spirits of StarClan, you know every cat by name. I ask you now to take away the name from the cat you see before you, for it no longer stands for what [they are]. By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this cat a new name. From this moment on [they] will be known as (new name), for (description of the reason).

List of cats who have changed their names in the Warriors series

Name	New Name	Book
Hopkit	Deadpaw	Tallstar's Revenge
Stormkit	Crookedkit	Crookedstar's Promise
Sparrowpelt	Halftail	Bluestar's Prophecy
White-eye	One-eye	Bluestar's Prophecy
Lostface	Brightheart	The Darkest Hour
Flameheart	Nightheart	River

Reasons for name changes

Examples of cats getting their names changed:

• During Hopkit's apprentice ceremony, Heatherstar names him Deadpaw, believing that a name like his would trick his enemies into thinking that he could not fight. Deadpaw embraces his new name and uses it to his advantage, eventually becoming one of WindClan's deputies under Tallstar's leadership.
• Rainflower speaks to Hailstar and demands that he change Stormkit's name to Crookedkit due to the injury to his jaw. This name was not accepted well by Shellheart, Rainflower's mate, and the two subsequently broke up due to Rainflower's treatment of their son.
• Sparrowpelt gets his name changed to Halftail some time during Bluestar's Prophecy, due to his tail having been injured and losing half of it because of a badger attack.
• Due to White-eye's failing eyesight, she had her name changed to One-eye when she retired to the elders' den.
• Firestar is asked to change Lostface's name to something less cruel after a dog attack, as Bluestar had named her to spill her hate of StarClan, believing that she was dying. Firestar then names her Brightheart to honor her brave spirit and the light that shines within her.
• Nightheart rejected his warrior name of Flameheart since he felt it did not properly represent him and to cut off his connection with his great-grandfather Firestar. While wanting a completely different name, he compromised with Bramblestar and accepted the name Nightheart, in honor of his pelt color and his father, along with the qualities he shares with his ancestor, Firestar. Nightheart did not have an entirely new ceremony, due to his name change request being during his own warrior ceremony.

Quotes

"It's okay; I don't mind! I'm going to be a warrior. My paw may be dead, but the rest of me is still alive!"

―Deadpaw about his new name ^{Tallstar's Revenge, page 409}

"Do you think One-eye or Halftail started off with those names? They had other warrior names first, you can be sure of that. There must be a ceremony of some sort. And I know the rest of the Clan won't accept a new name until you've said the right words."

―Cloudtail about the name changing ceremony ^{The Darkest Hour, page 99}

Flamepaw: "Flameheart will not be my name."

Squirrelflight: "What do you mean? How dare you reject your name!"

^{River, pages 236-237}

See also

• Cat names
• Ceremonies