I just was wondering when in canon does Lois learn that Sperman/Clark are named Kal-el.

I am thinking he uses that name in contact. Did Lois learn it before then, my impression was she knew what he was talking about.

Also, it would seem that Clark first learns that name in "Foundling".

I think it's pretty clear that Clark finds out from the globe but I got the impression from the show that he never told anyone except his parents i.e. Superman never announced to the world his more expanded background, even though he now knew it himself. I even suspect that he never told Lois (until she was fully aware who he was anyway).

She never uses the name, in fact I don't remember anyone using it at all until the NK arc, and then only the Kryptonians. As a side effect of this, the world will have become aware of Superman's Kryptonian name at this point. I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong

When Star is hypnotizing Clark, she asks him his name, and he replies, "Kal-El." Lois covers for him, saying something about him liking to joke around, I think. She obviously knows what he's talking about here. I don't think they had him tell her his birth name on screen, though.

He never tells her his Kryptonian name on screen - but I do assume that he told her his whole story once she found out that he was Superman. He does use "Kal-El" when Star asks his name under the trance she puts him in - Lois covers for him. And Lois uses "Kal-El" once or twice during the NK arc when speaking about him to the other Kryptonians - I seem to remember her saying something along the lines of "Kal-El is being scattered all over the galaxy" when she's trying to get the NKers to reverse the machine that was breaking Clark down into his molecules.

The whole world probably knew the name after TPvLL. Taken from the script:


BAILIFF
Please state your full name for the
record.

SUPERMAN
Kal El, son of Jor-El and Lara.


I can't imagine that Superman's "real" name wouldn't make all of the headlines in short order.

Joy,
Lynn

I don't think they used that line in the show though. I believe they used "Superman" or deleted the question entirely (by showing it later on).

Actually, I seem to remember something along these lines. I thought it was in Whine, Whine, Whine though. Guess not...

My guess is that it is one of the fact so widely known about Superman, as with his not being able to see through lead, that none of the people making the show ever stopped and asked "how do other people know that."

On the other hand the scene in "Contact" does suggest that Kal-el is not publicly known to be Superman's name.

Does he ever use that name as Superman in court?

I just watched the scene in TP V. LL, and Superman does state his name as "Kal-el, son of Jor-el". The judge cuts it off with "Superman is fine, we know who the witness is".

So I guess after the fact Star learns that CK=SM.

Jimmy in talking with Ching in the first episode of S4 also calls him "Kal-el". Lois gets Zara calling him that a lot, but it is not clear that name is used in talking with anyone else in the last 2 episodes of Season 3.