What was Mickey Mouse’s original proposed name before Walt Disney chose “Mickey”?

Mickey Mouse’s original proposed name was Mortimer Mouse.

Walt Disney reportedly wanted to name the new cartoon character Mortimer, but Lillian Disney thought the name sounded too formal and suggested Mickey instead. The change helped give the character a friendlier, more energetic identity as Disney’s studio developed him in the late 1920s.

Mortimer was not entirely discarded. The name was later used for a rival character who competes with Mickey for Minnie Mouse’s attention. This often causes confusion, because Mortimer appears in Disney stories but is not Mickey’s original public name.

Mickey’s official debut came in the 1928 short Steamboat Willie, although two earlier completed shorts, Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Gaucho, were produced before it. The name change therefore belongs to the character’s creation period, before his worldwide fame was established.