Funniest names people legally change their names to?

[SweetHomeColorado]

I was just talking about legal name changes.... we all remember the NFL player who changed his name to ocho cinco, the swedish guy who is now Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116
People changing to 'whatever'dotcom......
my favorite is the British kid who is now 'Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine The Hulk And The Flash Combined'

What are your favorites?

[A Spoonful of Awesome]

This one is amusing. (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/145983/die_hard_chicago_bears_fan_loses_more.html)

[Der Trihs]

I recall reading of some religious loony legally changing his name to IIRC Lord Lightning Thunderstroke.

[Covered_In_Bees!]

While I think it's stupid and not funny, a Magic: The Gathering player changed his name from Ian to I@n (http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/vintage/5446_Round_6_In_DeGraff_vs_Kenny_Oberg.html).

[Serenata67]

Get this... people have some crazy passions, such as...

Some people just love Madonna (http://www.nancy.cc/2009/05/07/madonna-fans-change-names-in-honor-of-the-material-girl/)

Others are in love with, well, things and decide to... um... marry them. Like Mrs. Berliner-Mauer (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2035996/Woman-married-to-Berlin-Wall-for-29-years.html) and Mrs. La Tour Eiffel. (http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/living/i-married-the-eiffel-tower-832519.html)

It's a crazy world out there...:smack:

[the first supraliminal]

A few years ago a joker went to court to change his name to Natty Bumppo.
He thought it was his own funny nickname. Only after the hearing did he learn
that it was the name in James Fenimore Cooper's "The Deer Slayer".

This took some of the fun out of it for him but he let the change stand.

[the first supraliminal]

Here's a list I ran into trying to research this question.
These people didn't change their names, but probably ought to http://f2.org/humour/language/oddnames.html
Among them this gem: Ivan Karamanov [Changed his name to John Dinkof Doikof].

[Rick]

Obligatory link (http://humor.beecy.net/misc/jobad/index.aspx?n=8)
My good friend Heywood.

[VanillaGorilla]

the swedish guy who is now Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116

That name would never be allowed in Sweden. And as wikipedia will tell you, it was the parents of a small child that wanted to name their child that... thing, not a person who wanted to change his name.
Their second suggestion: "A", was not allowed either, apparently.

[BunnyTVS]

I was trying to google fu a good cite for Mr Yorkshire Bank PLC Are A Bunch Of Facist Bastards. I did find this. (http://www.setexasrecord.com/arguments/214946-legally-speaking-whats-in-a-name-as-it-turns-out-a-lot)

[RealityChuck]

Yahoo Serious. (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000635/)

[legalsnugs]

A swimming coach at a college in South Carolina, where I used to work, legally changed his name to Butterball. It's his sole name, like "Cher" or "Madonna." He's listed in switchboard.com.

[Max Torque]

This guy (http://www.coastalview.com/center.asp?article=12251) legally changed his name to "Trout Fishing In America".

[Hippy Hollow]

From anecdotage.com (http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:5AtPXdH3uLQJ:www.anecdotage.com/index.php%3Faid%3D18338+anthony+level+42+name&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari):

"A fanatical British pop fan has changed his name to include the titles of his favorite group's records," Reuters reported in July 1994. "And for good measure, Anthony Hicks, 23, added the names of the original line-up of the group, level 42.
"Hicks this week signed legal papers changing his name to: 'Ant Level 42 The Pursuit of Accidents The Early Tapes Standing in the Light True Colors A Physical Presence World Machine Running In The Family Platinum Edition Staring At The Sun Level Best Guaranteed The Remixes Forever Now Influences Changes Mark King Mike Landup Phil Gould Boon Gould Wally Balarou Landup-Balarou.'

I am a huge Level 42 fan, but this takes the biscuit! Not to mention that I hope the Reuters report has it wrong: Wally Badarou is the gent's name that he is trying to honor.

[Sitnam]

Ocho Cinco, all the more hilarious since the number on his jersey is actually ochenta y cinco.

[Lagavulin]

When I was a registrar I had a couple come in to register their baby's birth. The father had at some point changed his own name to Ghoot the HighMinkMonk, Believer of RealitieS Emaho. I didn't ask why. The wife and son had normal names.

[Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor]

Optimus Prime is fighting for us in Iraq.

[longhair75]

There is a guy I know who changed his name to Mister Forty Niner. After a few years, he changed it back to his original name

[Lord Mondegreen]

Locally we have Tim the Yowie Man (http://www.destinytours.com.au/tym.htm), which is his legal name.

Edited to add: And I completely forgot about Lord Bloody Wog Rolo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Bloody_Wog_Rolo).

[Lord Mondegreen]

(Missed the edit window)

Of course, from the UK there is the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Monster_Raving_Loony_Party). I believe their leader Screaming Lord Sutch legally changed his name to that. Also from the wiki page, "[John] Dougrez-Lewis stood at the by-election as Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel ..., having changed his name by deed poll from the somewhat plainer John Desmond Lewis, ..."

[Odesio]

Crescent Dragonwagon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Dragonwagon

Though her original name was Ellen Zolotow so maybe the new name isn't any stranger.

Odesio

[Gyrate]

Optimus Prime is fighting for us in Iraq.Presumably he's taken over from Staff Sergeant Max Fightmaster (real given name, AFAIK), who used to be there.

[racer72]

There is a guy in the Seattle are that had his name legally changed to Mike The Mover. Yep, owns a moving company and likes to run for political offices, I don't think he has ever won an election.

[Shot From Guns]

Knew a guy in high school who changed his name from Mike/Matt/something like that to Lorand S. (Sentala?) D'Caltan.

[Mudz]

Didn't Homer Simpson change his name to Max Power?
He got the name from his hair dryer.
Great episode, btw.

[furryman]

Moon Unit Zappa
Ima Hogg

[Rack-a-Bones]

Ocho Cinco, all the more hilarious since the number on his jersey is actually ochenta y cinco.

Even better is that he wanted "Ocho Cinco" but goofed on the paperwork and got "Ochocinco"

[Lord Mondegreen]

Moon Unit Zappa
But isn't that her given name, not one she changed it to?

[jovan]

This was mentioned today on Slashdot and is timely for this thread:
http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-nemesis-has-name-changed-by-pranksters-090607/
Antipiratbyrån lawyer Henrik Pontén, one of the Pirate Bay’s arch rivals, had quite a surprise recently when he received an unexpected piece of mail. The letter from the Swedish tax authority informed him that his request for a name change had been accepted and from now on, he would be officially known as ‘Pirate Pontén’.


Apparently, he was pranked by someone who applied for the name change in his place.

[VarlosZ]

Didn't Homer Simpson change his name to Max Power?
He got the name from his hair dryer.
Great episode, btw.
Probably the last great episode, if you keep track of those sorts of things.

The other names on Homer's list: Hercules Rockefeller, Rembrandt Q. Einstein, Handsome B. Wonderful.

"Max Power" was the only name he spelled correctly.

[Ann Hedonia]

That name would never be allowed in Sweden. And as wikipedia will tell you, it was the parents of a small child that wanted to name their child that... thing, not a person who wanted to change his name.
Their second suggestion: "A", was not allowed either, apparently.

I have an Ikea coffee table that I think was named Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116

[Shot From Guns]

Sound Mind, can't be. Doesn't have nearly enough diacriticals.

[Shirley Ujest]

Crescent Dragonwagon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Dragonwagon

Though her original name was Ellen Zolotow so maybe the new name isn't any stranger.

Odesio

Thank you for this. I saw her book at the store and her name was a WTFH moment. More that I found. (http://crescentdragonwagon.typepad.com/nothing_is_wasted_crescen/is-that-your-real-name-.html)

[Shadez]

Knew a guy in high school who changed his name from Mike/Matt/something like that to Lorand S. (Sentala?) D'Caltan.

Heh, I knew him too. Although I only met him once (at a renfaire!); I mostly knew him online through Avatar MUD. Good guy.

[Talon]

I work in the criminal court and came across a guy, charged with a serious crime, whose name was Felon B. Good. I'm not sure if it was real or changed. Same with another guy whose business card read Monsterville Horton.

[j_sum1]

A guy in New Zealand changed his name to ... well over 2000 names. His birth certificate ran to seven pages.
A university student in Christchurch changed his name to Canterbury Draught. It was part of a radio stunt and earned him a year's supply of beer. Not sure if he changed his name back though.

[Serenata67]

Arnold George Dorsey changed his name to... Engelbert Humperdink. Granted, there was a real person whose given name was that, but who would choose to change their name to that?

Also, Bono, our beloved King of Ireland, I mean, lead singer of U2 wasn't born with the name Bono. (Real name Paul David Hewson)

Not quite sure if this qualifies as a weird name change, but perhaps it's a name change most people don't know about. Elton John's given name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight. How our sequined friend Reggie came up with Elton is still a mystery to me. (When he changed his name, he also changed his middle name. His full name is Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE.)

While I'm on sparkly gay pianists, Wladziu Lee Valentino changed his name to Liberace. Odd in my opinion.

I'm sure people realize that Sid Vicious wasn't born with that name; he was born Simon John Ritchie.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I guess that when you're famous, you can buy a new name... or at least order people to call you whatever you'd like. When I get famous, I think I'll have people call me Lady Lemonjello of Gardenspade.

[Malleus, Incus, Stapes!]

Arnold George Dorsey changed his name to... Engelbert Humperdink. Granted, there was a real person whose given name was that, but who would choose to change their name to that?

Wasn't that the villian from The Princess Bride?

[Serenata67]

Wasn't that the villian from The Princess Bride?

Yep, the bad guy was named Humperdink... but the original Engelbert Humperdink was this guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Humperdink).

Fun, fun!

[jellyblue]

One of my favorite Eddie Izzard bits (http://engelberthumperdinck.net/blog/?tag=eddie-izzard-engelbert-humperdinck) on how Englebert Humperdinck's name was decided upon.

[Snooooopy]

From anecdotage.com (http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:5AtPXdH3uLQJ:www.anecdotage.com/index.php%3Faid%3D18338+anthony+level+42+name&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari):



I am a huge Level 42 fan, but this takes the biscuit! Not to mention that I hope the Reuters report has it wrong: Wally Badarou is the gent's name that he is trying to honor.

And Mike Lindup is one of the others he is trying to honor.

I found this anecdote on another site with Badarou and Lindup spelled correctly, so it would appear that this guy is literate, if scarily enthusiastic.

[Hrududu]

Big Brother UK has a new thing this year. The housemates have had to earn their places. Some had to shave their eyebrows off to get housemate status etc.

Two contestants were told they could be fully fledged housemates if they legally changed their names. The guy's name was changed to Halfwit, the girl's name was changed to Dogface. That's how BB refers to them now, even in the narration.

[Eliahna]

Not quite sure if this qualifies as a weird name change, but perhaps it's a name change most people don't know about. Elton John's given name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight. How our sequined friend Reggie came up with Elton is still a mystery to me. (When he changed his name, he also changed his middle name. His full name is Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE.)

...Dwight was going by the American-sounding name "Elton John", in homage to Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.Bluesology being the band that Reggie Dwight and his friends formed in 1964.

So I guess the real question is... how did Elton Dean's parents come up with Elton? :)

[Serenata67]

Bluesology being the band that Reggie Dwight and his friends formed in 1964.

So I guess the real question is... how did Elton Dean's parents come up with Elton? :)

And where does the Hercules come from? Does he think he's a mythical hero?

[wonderlust]

This guy (http://www.coastalview.com/center.asp?article=12251) legally changed his name to "Trout Fishing In America".Darn! Beat me to it!

[Morbo]

Back in the 80's, shortly after John Cougar did the same, the guitarist for the Dead Milkmen, Rodney Anonymous, changed his name to Rodney Anonymous Mellencamp.

[lost4life]

? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question_Mark_&_the_Mysterians)




.

[Steve Wright]

I used to know a guy who changed his name to Lord Henry Plantagenet.

[manila]

48 posts and nobody mentioned the artist formerly known as Prince?

How was that pronounced? :)

[Chief Pedant]

Well there was Joe Dickhead who had his named changed to John Dickhead because he became tired of people asking "Hello, Joe...whattaya know?"

And then of course there is Isaac Praise-God Barebone's kid, back in the 1600s, named Hath Christ Not Died for Thee Thou Wouldst Be Damned Barebone (who eventually changed his name to Nicholas). http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/MUHLBERGER/2006/01/praise-god-barebone-and-his-son.htm

Gotta be something to it; that name stuck with me from my childhood when I first came across it in Ripley's Believe It or Not! .

More odd names: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unusual_personal_names

[astorian]

Remember ? and the Mysterians, who recorded the classic song "96 Tears"?

Their leader was Rudy Martinez. And according to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, he legally changed his name to ?

[lost4life]

Remember ? and the Mysterians, who recorded the classic song "96 Tears"?

Their leader was Rudy Martinez. And according to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, he legally changed his name to ?

I wasn't very verbose in my post, but see #47 ;)

[Kobal2]

48 posts and nobody mentioned the artist formerly known as Prince?

How was that pronounced? :)

I wanted to, but checked and apparently, it's only his stage name he keeps changing. AFAIK, it still says "Prince Rogers Nelson" on his ID, just as Diddy/P. Diddy/Puff Daddy is still officially Sean Combs.

[Serenata67]

I wanted to, but checked and apparently, it's only his stage name he keeps changing. AFAIK, it still says "Prince Rogers Nelson" on his ID, just as Diddy/P. Diddy/Puff Daddy is still officially Sean Combs.

Same with Meat Loaf. I thought he legally changed his name to that, but that's not so. He was born Marvin Lee Aday, legally changed his name to Michael Lee Aday in 2001. Alas, a name change, but it's still a normal name.

[GuanoLad]

I knew a guy who changed his name to Cloud Of Knowing. He even showed me his credit card, which read "Mr Cloud O. Knowing".

He was an idiot.

[AskNott]

...
More odd names: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unusual_personal_names

The first guy on that list, Armand Hammer, was asked for years if he owned the Arm & Hammer Baking Soda company. He was the very wealthy head of Occidental Petroleum company, and he eventually did buy a chunk of Church and Dwight, the parent company of Arm & Hammer, just for fun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm_%26_Hammer

[Malleus, Incus, Stapes!]

And then of course there is Isaac Praise-God Barebone's kid, back in the 1600s, named Hath Christ Not Died for Thee Thou Wouldst Be Damned Barebone (who eventually changed his name to Nicholas). http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/MUHLBERGER/2006/01/praise-god-barebone-and-his-son.htm


What did they call him for short? Hathie?