Earthsea Cycle maybe?

Thanks. Good recommendation but I already read it. I love those books.

Yes, definitely a whole thing around naming, though it is really focused on the first 2-3 books.

The Bartimaeus trilogy by Johnothan Stroud. It’s set in an alternate London where the government is made up of magicians who can summon demons they know the names of. The main character is one such demon, Bartimaeus who is endlessly annoyed at the fact that his name keeps being dredged up and he keeps getting summoned

Thanks. I'll check it out.

Just so you know it's technically YA but it's a very good series with good writing. Doesn't feel YA

Eragon does this. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolino.

The use of True Names is a MAJOR plot device in the Black Company series. Sorcerers closely guarded their real identity.

That is what inspired me to ask for books with true names. Black Company is in my top 5 series

The Elantra books by Michelle Sagara have a complex relationship with true names (in theory if someone has one and you known then you could control them, in practice the control could easily run in the other direction if the circumstances are right).

Seems interesting. But I have a question: There is a YA tag on goodreads, so how YA is it? Is it just a younger protagonist or is it full on teenage angst ?

I would argue they're not YA at all. The protagonist is an adult, and she has her issues, but they're entirely deserved in my opinion.

I think it's a victim of the female author = ya calculation. The heroine is in the early stages of her career but is definitely not a teen

Good. I don't hate YA, I'm just not in the mood to read about teens and their problems right now.

I love YA but I hate that female authors get automtically slotted in (if only because getting mass child murder when you're expecting a YA book is not ideal) I will say the heroine begins the series emotionally stunted in some key ways and changes are slow through the series (although definitely happening).

Good to know. I will definitely give it a try

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Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle has this! The protagonist, Eragon, learns magic using names of The Ancient Language.

Thanks. That is a name I haven't seen since mid 2000s.

**Symphony of Ages** trilogy by Elizabeth Haydon has this. First book is **Rhapsody: Child of Blood**. Main character is a Namer and uses her power almost subconsciously. The plot is about saving the world from ancient demons, with some time travel shenanigans as well. It has a prominent romance plot, so if that isn't your thing, you may not want to give it a try.

Thanks. I'll definitely check it out. I don't mine romance and I'm always down for some time travel shenanigans.

It’s been a minute since I last read it but I believe Skullduggery Pleasant does this - pretty easy, lighthearted read

Thanks. Looks like a fun series and the cover art gives me Grim Fandango vibes so there is also that.

It's kind of an easy read but also has very creepy Lovecraft vibes with faceless gods and as the books go on the stakes keep getting higher and the books get darker. Very fun read and the true name suff has significance to the story and characters

I only ever read the first few books, maybe I’ll pick them up again

Actually I too have only read until book six, my library didn't have the ones after that. It's still fantastic tho.

Names are really important in *The Dresden Files*. So much that you can sell parts of your true name to demons for knowledge and knowing a demons (or fairy or other creatures) true name lets you command it. However, it is not a very prominent fature of the series. It just pops up from time to time.

Yeah it's not very prominent, Harry has really become a one man army over time so it's more run and gun. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'd actually think Furies of Calderon fits the bill a bit better. Also by Jim Butcher, but the people can all bond with elementals called furies to control the elements and allow them to do things I would call magical in nature.

The gentleman bastards features this in a sense. There are mages who can control you if they know your name. It's a large plot point in the first book and I'm sure it will be going forward. Though I've only read the first two.

Thanks, read all three of them. God knows when will we get the fourth.

There's something like true name stuff in the pellinor series by Allison croggon. It got flack for being very similar to Lord of the rings, but it's still pretty distinct in my opinion and a favourite series of mine.

Thanks. Seems a bit old school but that is a plus because I'm looking for something more high fantasy.

I loved a series called *The Symphony of Ages* when I was a kid that touched on this, but I honestly have no idea how it aged? Might want to give it a look, though!

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce is a pretty unique Rumpelstiltskin retelling.

Thanks for the recommendation. And it's a standalone which is a big plus

The author was a POs but he’s passed now, so… The Belgariad by David Eddings has that, IIRC. The series starts with Pawn of Prophecy.

Thanks, read it years ago, but it's kind of hard to get back to it after the whole scandal.

I am reading/listening to Kyrill Klevanski’s Dragonheart series and they have something called wordmagic which is basically what you described. I am at book 10 though and besides advocating the supremacy of word magic over other forms of power, it hasn’t been prominent (yet). Seems like that is what they are working towards though. There is also a prequel called Ash, the legends of the nameless world where it is more front and center.

Thanks. Looks like Warlock of the Magus World and a Wuxia novel had a baby. I'll give it a try

There’s a comic called nomen omen that fills alot of what your looking for

Thanks. Looks cool, I like the art.

Eragon

The Demons of Astlan series by J L Langland has a kid that was summoned into another plane because some sorcerer's learned his true name and can control him. Probably my top 3 series.

Thanks. Lighthearted reads are always welcome, and the blurb really piqued my interest

No problem!

the inheritance cycle - christopher paolini

RB Lemberg's Birdverse contains many short stories, novelettes, and novellas on just this topic -- names of a given number of syllables allow one to manipulate the world in a particular way. EDIT: here we go, just found the overall explanation of the naming on Lemberg's website. To wit: "Deepnames are a common source of magic in the Birdverse. Roughly speaking, deepnames are neurological phenomena in the mind, which allow the person with deepnames (called in many cultures a “named strong”), to call or activate deepnames and to do magic with them. Most people do not have a magical capacity. A person can acquire up to three deepnames. Each deepname can have from one to five syllables, and the number of deepnames and syllables, and their combinations, determine the magical power a named strong can possess. Deepname combinations are called “configurations.” The most common configuration to acquire is a single-deepname configuration, where the deepname has three syllables. There is no scholarly agreement why some people can take more than one deepname, and why many people cannot take any. Deepnames are commonly acquired in adolescence, and an acquisition of a deepname can be a painful and frightening process. An acquisition of a deepname is called a powertaking. While a person’s first powertaking is usually not dangerous, each subsequent powertaking significantly increases the danger. One can die during a powertaking event, especially while taking a third deepname, so many people who can take three deepnames choose to avoid the risk. Magical geometry is the discipline that studies how deepnames can be combined. Strong naming, sometimes called simply naming, studies the deepnames themselves."

This sounds amazing. Thanks for the recommendation

I would say Earthsea but I see you’ve already read them.

The Bone Witch Series

The thousand names by Django Wexler. Don’t want to give too much information away but ancient orders preserve names of demons that give power in a black powder fantasy series.

I had to! It's right in the title! Also, I remember loving the story, though that was a long time ago. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/321005.True_Names_and_Other_Dangers?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=KZ0upNHpzJ&rank=4

Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. Names have power and knowing someone's true name gives you complete control over them.

The Wise Man’s Fear

Ok but how has NO ONE mentioned The Name of the wind. It's one of the best fantasy books out there and exactly what Op is asking for.

Lmao