# Can I change my real name to "Almighty God"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892 "2007-01-06T01:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/21 "2007-01-08T05:06:26Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] Alias, perhaps? [/QUOTE] :smack: Thank you… :o ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/22 "2007-01-08T17:33:06Z")
Have you considered other languages? A little bit (too little maybe) of googling suggests “L. Dios Todo Poderoso” might be a nice usable name. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/23 "2007-01-08T18:18:12Z")
I would just hate to be in the john when the OP moves in a mysterious way. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/24 "2007-01-08T18:46:17Z")
Why do you want to change your name? Do you want a photo-opportunity? Do you want a shot at redemption? Don’t want to end up a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard. Me? I’ll just call you [Bruce](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315327/). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/25 "2007-01-08T19:17:30Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny] But when Prince made headlines with odd name changes, the judge had to hear testimony because a lot of business assets, like residuals and trademark law were involved. [/QUOTE] Judge? Testimony? Do you have a cite for this? I don’t recall news of court proceedings regarding Prince’s name change. In any case, my understanding is that he never changed his legal name, only his professional name, which I don’t think requires any legal action. So far as I know, anyone writing him a cheque would still make it out to “Prince R. Nelson.” ---
**Author:** ![JimSox5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@JimSox5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimSox5)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/26 "2007-01-08T22:08:30Z")
I knew a guy in high school who changed his middle name to “The Robot.” It made him sound like a wrestler or something. I contemplated doing it, but I couldn’t think of anything cool enough to top him. Then my senses kicked in. ---
**Author:** ![Chasing\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@Chasing\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chasing_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/27 "2007-01-09T02:51:24Z")
[QUOTE=pmwgreen] Have you considered other languages? A little bit (too little maybe) of googling suggests “L. Dios Todo Poderoso” might be a nice usable name. [/QUOTE] That would work for a Spanish person, but I’m Chinese and that would just be plain weird. 🙂 On another note, I found out that there is someone in my city named Bruce Lee! No joking! The guy works at a survey company and I think it is freaking hilarious. I bet he gets quite a few fight matches 😃 ---
**Author:** ![exar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f475e1/32.png) [@exar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/exar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/28 "2007-01-09T17:37:59Z")
[QUOTE=Chasing Dreams] That would work for a Spanish person, but I’m Chinese and that would just be plain weird. 🙂 On another note, I found out that there is someone in my city named Bruce Lee! No joking! The guy works at a survey company and I think it is freaking hilarious. I bet he gets quite a few fight matches 😃 [/QUOTE] Hey I’m a chinese too. And I actually have a friend name Bruce Li (close enough). There’s something to top that though - a chemistry lecturer in a school near my junior college was purported to have named his eldest kid Proton, and the second, Neutron. You might say that it’s just a regular nuclear family. It might not be too bad a deal for the second kid though - after all, wherever he goes, there’s always no charge. (teehee sorry) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/29 "2007-01-09T18:03:38Z")
Think about the practical aspects. If you change your name to Almighty God, you could be sued for damages due to “acts of God.” You would also have to spend a lot of time saying, “You’re welcome.” What would you say if you hit your thumb with a hammer? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![IBJammin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cab0a1/32.png) [@IBJammin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IBJammin)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/30 "2007-01-11T04:14:47Z")
This is probably apocryphal, but I remember hearing a story about someone in California who just changed the way his name was pronounced - for instance, he kept it “Joe Smith” but told everybody it was pronounced “Bill Jones” (except that it was something much more outlandish than that). The story goes that he got a judge to uphold his right to pronounce his name anyway he wished, regardless of how it was spelled. Like I said, it’s probably not true. Jammin’ ---
**Author:** ![Flipshod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@Flipshod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipshod)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/31 "2007-01-11T13:51:44Z")
[thread=288434]This[/thread] past discussion was burned into my brain by the OP’s choice of what-if names. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/32 "2007-01-11T14:42:46Z")
[QUOTE=Flipshod] [thread=288434]This[/thread] past discussion was burned into my brain by the OP’s choice of what-if names. [/QUOTE] Unfortunately, that thread seems to be full of Urban Legends. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/33 "2007-01-11T21:08:38Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] The US doesn’t have many laws about name changes at all. You are free to change your name to anything at anytime whenever you want in the general sense. All you have to do is start using it. Stage names for actors often follow this model. However, getting other people to accept this name is up to them. They wouldn’t have to accept checks from a made-up name for example. The other step is government acceptance to the name. This has to be heard by a judge which is usually routinely approved in the case of most conventional name changes. In the case of an unusual one like this, it would depend on the judge. The only names that are routinely barred are those meant to defraud but it still would be at the discretion of the judge. Some may not want you to become a God so you would just have to try it and see. [/QUOTE] My mother-in-law arrived in the US in 1939. She had her married name, but she had a cousin named Reicenbein with the “c” in the middle pronounced “ts” (they were from Vienna). They tried to change it to Rice giving as reason that it was hard to pronounce. The judge, who had a long Italian name simply said “No” and that was that. It was clear that he just didn’t want Jews “passing”. Canada seems to be sticky. I have refrained from becoming a Canadian citizen because they told me that I would have to resume using the name on my birth certificate (a name I never used since my parents started using Seldon around when I was born). ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/34 "2007-01-11T21:37:21Z")
I used to work at a university. We had one pretentious wanna-be “artist” who had legally changed his name to Mostamazing Mostbeautiful. He had the nerve to whine that he couldn’t find a job! ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/35 "2007-01-11T21:48:52Z")
If I changed my name to **The Antichrist** maybe would could hang out together. Or we could wrestle in exhibition matches and make lots of money. “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! In the Central Arena at the Green County Fairgrounds! Almighty God vs. The Antichrist! (with special guests Truckasaurus and Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey)!” ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/36 "2007-01-11T22:17:11Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] Think about the practical aspects. If you change your name to Almighty God, you could be sued for damages due to “acts of God.” You would also have to spend a lot of time saying, “You’re welcome.” What would you say if you hit your thumb with a hammer? 😛 [/QUOTE] Me damn it, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/37 "2007-01-12T00:46:18Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Judge? Testimony? Do you have a cite for this? I don’t recall news of court proceedings regarding Prince’s name change. In any case, my understanding is that he never changed his legal name, only his professional name, which I don’t think requires any legal action. So far as I know, anyone writing him a cheque would still make it out to “Prince R. Nelson.” [/QUOTE] He was still on the voting register in Hennepin County in recent years, under the name Prince Rogers Nelson. So I think he only changed his performing name, not his legal one. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/38 "2007-01-12T02:45:31Z")
Just make sure Danger is your middle name. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892/39 "2007-01-13T20:40:07Z")
I think it would be a pretty cool name myself but I think that this side if the pond theres some sort of blasphemy laws in place to prevent that sort of thing . I quite fancy the idea of being "Satan defiler of the pure " but it would be a bastard of a task getting employment with ,say,the local education authority ,or the National Health Service. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-my-real-name-to-almighty-god/386892.md?page=1)