# Is it possible to get my name changed and keep my post count? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 23, 2001, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764 "2001-08-23T19:11:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/1 "2001-08-23T19:11:25Z")
…since I was in fact the one who posted them. I keep thinking of good names and I am tired of mine. It just doesn’t have the same ring as some of the other names I have come up with. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/2 "2001-08-23T19:20:55Z")
yes, email **TubaDiva** at [Tubadiva@aol.com](mailto:Tubadiva@aol.com) she’ll take care of it for you ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/3 "2001-08-23T19:37:35Z")
**wring** , thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2001, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/4 "2001-08-23T21:49:57Z")
yr wrelcome 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2001, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/5 "2001-08-24T01:53:49Z")
Everything in the Board keys off of your userid, not your name. Thus, so long as your userid does not change (which if it did, would really screw the database up) you can change your name as many times as Tuba will allow before she bans you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2001, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/6 "2001-08-25T19:24:21Z")
Wait, what’s your userid then? Do I have one? Does everyone? ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2001, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/7 "2001-08-25T19:31:41Z")
Yeah. Your user ID is 8939. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2001, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/8 "2001-08-26T04:13:49Z")
{b]Wishbone\*\* don’t sweat it you’d make up the measley 1000 posts in no time. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/9 "2001-08-27T20:08:09Z")
Why does it say in the FAQ that once you register, the username you pick is yours for life? Are they being sarcastic? ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/10 "2001-08-27T20:36:38Z")
I haven’t read the FAQ lately, suspect if it does say exactly that, they’re trying to disuade people from the practice of picking a user name, then wanting it changed 10 minutes later. Yes, they can change them. They don’t want to have to do it even once for each person. there’s what something over 10,000 registered users? granted many are not regular posters, but even so if each one of us asked to have their name changed even once, poor **Tuba** wouldn’t have time to eat all of the bribery induced chocolates. And we can’t have **that** (so, suspecting the answer is, yes, you can change user name, but don’t push the issue) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/11 "2001-08-27T23:07:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cuautemhoc \* > \*\*Why does it say in the FAQ that once you register, the username you pick is yours for life? Are they being sarcastic? \*\* Right now, we’re not recycling handles. That means that if wishbone got his wish, and we changed his handle, nobody else would be able to use the handle wishbone. And wring is completely right. If even the regular posters started changing handles, Tuba and I (yes, I can change handles, too) would be hardpressed to do anything else. Plus it would use up the pool of interesting usernames rather rapidly. So we tend to discourage casual changes. If you REALLY want to change your handle, yes, we’ll do it for you. But we would rather that you pick the name you want, and stick to it. Lynn For the Straight Dope ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/12 "2001-08-28T13:17:22Z")
So how come I didn’t keep my 1300+ posts from my former username when I became vanilla? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/13 "2001-08-28T14:25:32Z")
::through gritted teeth:: Because, vanilla, you changed your username (more than once!) back when we were using UBBS, not vBulletin. As has been explained to you repeatedly. There is not a thing that you or we can do about this, as it is simply the way the software works, and bringing it up repeatedly smacks of complaints about the message board, which belongs in the Pit. If those post numbers actually meant that much to you, perhaps you shouldn’t have decided to change handles. You **knew** , when you changed handles, that your post count would go back down to zero, and you’d have to work up from there. Lynn For the Straight Dope ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-get-my-name-changed-and-keep-my-post-count/77764/14 "2001-08-28T14:38:47Z")
Lynn, Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you grit your teeth. Apologies. vanilla(who really has about 3,600 posts)