Indiana Jones could have been Indiana Smith. Buzz Lightyear nearly went by Lunar Larry. Even Mickey Mouse almost ended up with a completely different name. Coming up with memorable characters is one thing, but naming them can apparently take a few attempts. Writers and filmmakers often try out different names before settling on something that works, and some of their early choices are pretty strange. A few were changed at the last minute, while others survived through multiple drafts before getting dropped. Luckily, plenty of those original ideas have been documented. Here are 15 famous characters whose names looked very different before they became household names.IMDbIndiana Jones Was Almost Indiana SmithGeorge Lucas originally named the character Indiana Smith, but Steven Spielberg disliked the surname. They agreed on Indiana Jones before Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981.IMDbLuke Skywalker Was Luke StarkillerLuke Skywalker was called Luke Starkiller in early drafts of Star Wars. George Lucas changed the surname before the film’s release in 1977.IMDbBuzz Lightyear Was Lunar LarryPixar considered several names for Buzz Lightyear during the development of Toy Story, including Lunar Larry, before settling on the one used in the 1995 film.IMDbWoody Was Simply Called DummyDuring early development of Toy Story, Pixar referred to the cowboy character as Dummy before eventually naming him Woody.IMDbMickey Mouse Could Have Been MortimerWalt Disney originally considered Mortimer Mouse, but his wife Lillian suggested Mickey instead. Mortimer later appeared as a separate character in the 1936 cartoon Mickey’s Rival.IMDbSpongeBob Was Almost SpongeBoyStephen Hillenburg initially named his character SpongeBoy and planned to call the series SpongeBoy Ahoy!. The name was already taken, so he changed it to SpongeBob SquarePants.IMDbHermione Puckle? Seriously?J.K. Rowling’s early notes for Harry Potter listed Hermione with the surname Puckle. She crossed it out and replaced it with Granger.IMDbSherlock Holmes Had Another First NameArthur Conan Doyle originally called his detective Sherrinford Holmes in his early notes. Dr. Watson had a different name too: Ormond Sacker.IMDbNancy Drew Was Nearly Stella StrongEdward Stratemeyer considered several names for his teenage detective, including Stella Strong. Another option was Nan Drew, which eventually became Nancy Drew.IMDbTiny Tim Had Some CompetitionCharles Dickens considered calling the young boy in A Christmas Carol Small Sam, Little Larry, or Puny Pete before choosing Tiny Tim.IMDbLittle Orphan Otto Almost HappenedCartoonist Harold Gray originally planned to create a comic strip about a boy named Little Orphan Otto. His editor suggested making the character a girl instead.IMDbGoofy Started Out as Dippy DawgDisney introduced the character as Dippy Dawg in 1932. He gradually became known as Goofy, with the name appearing in the 1939 cartoon Goofy and Wilbur.IMDbWinnie-the-Pooh Was Edward BearChristopher Robin’s teddy bear was originally called Edward. The name Winnie came from a bear at London Zoo, while Pooh was borrowed from a swan.IMDbCurious George Was Called FifiThe monkey first appeared under the name Fifi in the Reys’ 1939 book Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys. He became Curious George when he got his own book.IMDbDraco Spungen Doesn’t Sound Quite RightJ.K. Rowling’s original Hogwarts student list included Draco Spungen, later changed to Draco Spinks. Both surnames were crossed out before she chose Malfoy.The post 15 Iconic Characters Who Didn’t Start Off With the Name You Know appeared first on Den of Geek.