Why I’m Changing My Name, And Maybe You Should Too
People routinely change many aspects about how they present themselves: the clothes they wear, the careers they pursue, the habits they demonstrate. Why not their names? Names are assigned to us at birth by the generation prior — I reject this norm. Our names are used everyday, and can be optimized to more fully express our personalities. By the end of this article, you may discover a newfound urge to reinvent your identity (or at the very least, understand why I have).
The great majority of people who change their names are newlyweds, divorcees, transgenders, or people looking to refine their personal brand, often to improve employment prospects. Some occupations encourage name changes. Spies assume cover identities. Examples of writers using pen names are more recognizable, like George Orwell, Voltaire, and Dr. Seuss. Additionally, many performers take stage and screen names, including Harry Houdini, Charlie Sheen, and Katy Perry. In fact, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists doesn’t allow actors to use the same screen names to avoid union confusion.
While less common, self-expression is an equally valid reason to change one’s name. Several successful people that I look up to have reinvented their personal brand, for example: Astro Teller (CEO of X, Alphabet’s research and development lab) and Natasha Vita-More (a prominent transhumanist).
Ask yourself this question: How well do you think your name describes you? If your answer isn’t “perfectly,” perhaps it’s time to reflect on better alternatives. Then, you can make a list of names that you find both aesthetically pleasing and symbolically resonate.
I surveyed 60 of my friends and family about changing names, and the results were surprising: 40% of respondents said that, before taking the poll, they had never considered how people commonly customize everything about themselves except their birth names. Consider this your moment for reflection.
People often wrongly assume that I don’t like my name because I’m changing it. But the truth isn’t that simple. I was born Brandon Anthony Whale, which is a fine name, but I feel only fits me 7/10. As an aspiring writer, I quite like the ring of B.A. Whale. However, I’ve long searched for a better fit.
Brandon is too common of a name. Despite a lifetime of practice enunciating, people mishear what I’ve said and call me Brenden, Brandan, Branden, Branton, or one of the various other bastardizations of Brandon. Frankly, I don’t have the patience for this regular frustration. According to the Social Security Administration, Brandon is the 41st most common name for American men in the last century. In 1989, when I was born, Brandon was the 18th most popular name. My parents were slightly ahead of Brandon peaking in popularity, which occurred in the years 1992–1994, when it was the 6th most popular name among baby boys.
I wanted a name that is balanced. Brandon is two syllables and English, Anthony is three syllables and Italian, Whale is one syllable and Germanic. According to 23&Me, a consumer genomics company, I’m 99.3% European (mostly Italian, French, and German). As such, it was important to me to select a name that represents my ethnic heritage. Also, I’m quite fond of my surname, Whale.
My chosen name is Faust Whale. Both words are Germanic, five characters, and one syllable. It’s concise and powerful, with similar punchiness and rhythm to Bruce Wayne.
Additionally, I like what the name Faust represents. The story of Faust dates back to the 16th century, and centers around an idealistic scholar who trades his soul to the devil for infinite knowledge and supernatural powers (like raising the dead). In Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s version (my favorite), Faust experiences a moment of bliss in the service of others, and is admitted to Heaven. So much of the story appeals to me, from Faust’s quest for knowledge, to its integral commentary on morality, science, mythology, philosophy, aesthetics, and more. In German, Faust means fist, and Faustus in Latin means auspicious. I like my name on multiple levels: visually, phonetically, symbolically, and literally.
Hopefully, each of you likes your name just as much as I do now; if you don’t, changing your name shouldn’t be difficult. Under the 14th Amendment, every U.S. citizen is guaranteed the right to change his or her name at will. This can be done by filing a court application and paying a fee. In California, it’s $450, but many people qualify for a fee waiver. Additionally, you must advertise your name change in a printed newspaper for four weeks (an archaic rule that will undoubtedly be phased out). Assuming the court finds no objections with your new name, the process should take a couple of months. Then, you will be granted a court order that allows you to change all of your IDs, bank accounts, and subscriptions to your new, legal name.
Your name impacts your experience. If you doubt that, watch the “Meet the Hitlers” documentary, or listen to the “How Much Does Your Name Matter?” Freakonomics podcast.
I urge you to consider your options and test out a potential name before legally changing it (which is semi-permanent). We’ve all had nicknames that we outgrew. On the other hand, there’s numerous examples of people with nicknames that stuck, and became their primary identifiers, for instance: Plato, Caligula, and Rasputin. I suggest you go to a new place, perhaps a bar, and introduce yourself with a different name. Observe how saying it feels, and how others react. Repeat this process several times with different names. This will help you make a more informed decision.
Don’t let fear stop you from what you want to do. I was apprehensive to change my name for a long while, thinking that it would distance me from my past accomplishments and make it more difficult for others to find me online. However, Facebook and LinkedIn make it easy to change your name and remain socially connected. They offer similar features, which allow other users to find you in search results using either your current or former name. As a bonus, having a more unique name increases the likelihood that you’ll secure the handle that you want on increasingly competitive social networks. Additionally, with a little effort I can improve my search engine optimization, and consolidate all my portfolio online, making it more visible than ever. Postponing my decision to change my name lingered in my mind far more than thoughts around overcoming these, and related, challenges.
Eventually, everyone will come around to calling you, and me, by our chosen names. During the inescapable transitional period (which I’m in right now), the change is frequently a topic of conversation. My mom was understandably offended by my plan to change her “carefully chosen gift.” But, I realized her speech was riddled with the word “I.” Coming out years ago was an introspective process that taught me to importance of living authentically, for myself. My brother, a theater director, explained to me why union actors have distinct names, and warned me not to become a caricature of myself. With a heavy heart, his advice led me to not change my middle name to “Adventure.” In any case, I feel certain that everyone will soon call me by my chosen name, as they call my transgender half-sister by hers. Indeed, my close friends and unconditionally-loving partner already do.
Parents increasingly name their kids more distinct, eccentric names. This trend began in the 1960s, when counterculturalism largely replaced conformism. Laura Wattenberg, the founder of Baby Name Wizard, says:
In the Fifties, normal really was the norm. The top 25 boys’ names and top 50 girls’ names accounted for half of babies born. This meant that the typical child received a name that was very broadly used, so the name didn’t communicate much about the family that chose it.
Over the last several decades, social emphasis on individualism gradually increased, as did the number of parents hunting for uncommon names. This international trend is no doubt catalyzed by the ease of researching evermore obscure names via the internet. According to one site, England & Wales Baby Names, the number of distinct names has increased by more than 50% since 1996. Hopefully, increased variance in how we present ourselves translates into valuing multiculturalism and tolerating, even celebrating, our differences. Though having a distinct name doesn’t prevent one from wishing to change it later in life.
Now you know how I analyzed my options and selected my name, but your path will invariably differ. Believers of numerology may wish to calculate the significance of several names and redefine their fate with a name change. Alternatively, my friend Michael Tartre takes analysis a step further, saying: “I’m torn between choosing a name with symbolic meaning in standard / etymological space, or creating a new name synthetically from Markov Models or Neural Nets that has an implied embedded meaning.” In such a way, one could engineer a name that encodes a hidden meaning, or evokes a precise reaction. Another friend, Liane al Ghusain, wrote in an interview that she considered changing her name to “something that would bring joy to say, [like] Zaza Tralala.”
Changing one’s name shouldn’t be taboo. Marilyn Monroe changed her name from Norma Jeane Mortenson, and virtually nobody would argue that her previous name was prettier. Aesthetic self-expression motivated my change as well. However, a myriad of reasons to change ones name exist, from political sedition to a fresh start. If someone you know wants to change his or her name to something that sounds like an obscure font, in all probability it wont adversely impact your life in any way. So support them! As William Shakespeare’s Juliet famously says: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
