If I give a character any kind of temporary name, it might stick. That’s why I never do it. I give them the name they will keep, or I identify them in strictly descriptive terms—the Prince, the Enemy Leader, the Chief. The less descriptive, the better. (Though sometimes, even those stick. I’m looking at you, True Head Cultist.)

It’s a lot easier to give a name to the Swordsman than it is to rename a character with an ill-considered temporary name. Temporary names have a way of becoming permanent.