I was forced to rename character

Moved one of my toons to a more populated server & when i logged in, I was prompted to amend her name.

Could names on one server be already taken on another or did an old account get reactivated which may have been using the name i chose?

Any help would be appreciated.

Names are separate on each server, so it's very possible to transfer and find that someone already has the name you were using, in which case you must rename your character.

A name on one server could be taken on another. If an one of your older accounts had that name on it, and on the server in question, then yes, that name is taken on that server.

Sorry you lost a transfer before knowing, that's gotta sting a bit.

You can check the availability of name on your target server using the first screen of the character creator before making the transfer. You would have to be extremely unlucky for somebody to take the name in the time between checking and transferring.

In Paragon City since June 2005.

Heh. I had made a character on one server a couple of years ago, but could not get the name I wanted, so I settled for second choice. He'd been unplayed for over 300 days when I used a free transfer this week to move him over to Champion for the Tanker Tuesday Anniversary event last night.

I paid no attention to whether his name would be available, as I thought it was a weird enough choice no one else would want it -- I toyed with the idea of checking but didn't bother to waste the mouseclicks.

I was shocked to discover his name was taken, and I was forced to rename him. I thought back to the original concept behind the character, tried the name I had originally wanted years ago, and it was available!

So in effect, I was forced by a server transfer to get the name I had always wanted.

But what will happen when you transfer him back, if you do? If the "new" name is already taken on that server, you will again have to change it.