Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: How to Rename Pokémon

A Pokémon Trainer and their Palkia standing outside of the Eterna Condominiums of Eterna City in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.


A Pokémon Trainer and their Palkia standing outside of the Eterna Condominiums of Eterna City in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, your main role as a Pokémon Trainer is to inevitably collect and train Pokémon so that yourself and Professor Rowan can learn more about them. Each time you acquire a new Pokémon, you can nickname them too; they are supposed to be your friends, after all!

If, for whatever reason, you need to rename a Pokémon, we explain how in this guide.

Read More: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: How To Unlock the National Pokedex

How to Rename Pokemon

Unless you run into it by chance or have played previous versions of the Pokémon series, finding exactly how to go about changing the nicknames of your Pokémon is not obvious at first. This is where we've stepped in!

The map of the Sinnoh Region in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The player is situated at Eterna City.
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First, to go about renaming your Pokémon, you must travel to Eterna City. This is the city where you will spend a lot of time, as it is here where you learn about the Grand Underground and acquire yourself a bicycle too.

Once in Eterna City, you will need to go to the Eterna Condominiums building. The building is just to the right of the Pokémart and towers over it, so it's hard to miss. When you enter, the man you need to speak to will be sat on a table directly in front of you. He offers name rating services, and after giving the name of your Pokémon a rating, he will enquire whether you'd like to give them a 'better' one; and this is where you can change the nicknames of your Pokémon!

A Pokémon Trainer speaking with the elderly man, known as the Name Rater, in Eterna City's Condominiums, to change a Pokémon nickname in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
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The Name Rater is pictured above. When it comes to altering the nicknames of your Pokémon, it is important to note that you can only rename Pokémon you have caught or bred yourself. Pokémon that you have received via trading must, unfortunately, keep the nickname that they were given to you with. So, be sure to check what nicknames Pokémon have before confirming any trades, too!

That's all there is to know about renaming or changing the nicknames of your Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. For more on the game, check out our guide to countering all eight gyms, our type-chart for the best battle party, and our evolution guide to how each Pokémon in the faithful remake can be evolved!

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