# The name of the NSA leaker is...Reality Winner?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655 "2017-06-10T22:29:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/1 "2017-06-10T22:29:41Z")
This is the ultimate mundane, pointless stuff but I recently read an article talking about the alleged NSA leaker and her name is the most ridiculously stupid, weird name I think I’ve ever heard. [Reality Winner](http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/06/politics/reality-winner-who-is-accused-leaker/index.html)?! WTF. I’m curious what the story is behind her name. I believe it is the name her parents originally gave her (Winner is the last name of her parents). What were they smoking?? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/2 "2017-06-10T23:05:45Z")
She’s about to get some Reality. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/3 "2017-06-11T00:19:56Z")
This is worse than Taliesin Myrddin Namke-Meche. Who was a hero, but still. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/4 "2017-06-11T00:23:58Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > She’s about to get some Reality. Winner! ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/5 "2017-06-11T00:41:43Z")
It’s a rare name perhaps, but it’s not an unknown name in the U.S. There have been more than 200 people named Reality in American records. Some years recently there have been at least 17 people with that name. I think you underestimate the wide variety of names used in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/6 "2017-06-11T00:44:54Z")
I kept expecting Trump to tweet something like “Reality is fake! Winner is a loser!” ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/7 "2017-06-11T00:50:08Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I kept expecting Trump to tweet something like “Reality is fake! Winner is a loser!” …and some pot in every chicken dinner??? …although that would explain a shitload of Drump tweets… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/8 "2017-06-11T01:10:50Z")
Okay, I’ve long said that I don’t understand the naming of bands and of race horses. Now I have to add NSA leakers to that list. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/9 "2017-06-11T01:23:16Z")
If we only had a NSA leaker named Hoof Hearted… ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/10 "2017-06-11T01:24:06Z")
I once worked with someone named Justice Tower. She was tiny and mean as a nest of vipers. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/11 "2017-06-11T01:45:44Z")
Seriously though, what fucking drugs do you have to be on to feel inspired to name your child “Reality”?? With many of the wtf first names I can at least understand how the person sees it as unique, creative or bold. This? This sounds like the parents were tripping balls on LSD and muttering, “Realityyy mann, it’s like, like, everywhere maaaan! It’s like connected to everything! Like fractals and love and cockroaches…this is Reality growing inside me!” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/12 "2017-06-11T02:42:15Z")
Lavoris, like the mouthwash. Kids, I’ve seen em all. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/13 "2017-06-11T03:15:09Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Seriously though, what fucking drugs do you have to be on to feel inspired to name your child “Reality”?? With many of the wtf first names I can at least understand how the person sees it as unique, creative or bold. This? This sounds like the parents were tripping balls on LSD and muttering, “Realityyy mann, it’s like, like, everywhere maaaan! It’s like connected to everything! Like fractals and love and cockroaches…this is Reality growing inside me!” My understanding is that her birth name is Sarah, or something mundane like that. She changed her name to Reality as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/14 "2017-06-11T03:30:44Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I kept expecting Trump to tweet something like “Reality is fake! Winner is a loser!” Trump was asked if he had spoken with Winner and he said, “No, I am not in touch with Reality at this time.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/15 "2017-06-11T04:01:22Z")
When I first saw the headline a few days ago, I assumed it was the winner of a Reality TV show they were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/16 "2017-06-11T05:07:18Z")
I was looking through mugshots online once and there was a black guy named monki, made me wonder about the parents thought process given that calling black people monkeys has been used as a racial epithet so often. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/17 "2017-06-11T05:48:07Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Winner! Thank you, but I feel I need to defer to these: > [@Shoeless](#): > > I kept expecting Trump to tweet something like “Reality is fake! Winner is a loser!” > [@cochrane](#): > > Trump was asked if he had spoken with Winner and he said, “No, I am not in touch with Reality at this time.” ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/18 "2017-06-11T06:43:52Z")
suranyi writes: \> My understanding is that her birth name is Sarah, or something mundane like that. \> She changed her name to Reality as an adult. Can you give any citation to show this is the case? All the news stories I’ve found say that her name has always been Reality Winner. What’s confusing you may be that she uses the name “Sara Winners” on Twitter. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/19 "2017-06-11T16:53:16Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > suranyi writes: > > \> My understanding is that her birth name is Sarah, or something mundane like that. > \> She changed her name to Reality as an adult. > > Can you give any citation to show this is the case? All the news stories I’ve found say that her name has always been Reality Winner. What’s confusing you may be that she uses the name “Sara Winners” on Twitter. I’ll warn you, this [link is from the Daily Mail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4583088/How-Reality-Winner-got-unusual-name.html), but it’s an interview with her step-father who confirms that Reality is her birth name. > [@](#): > > ‘He always wanted to have a ‘Real Winner’ so he named her Reality Leigh Winner. It’s just a beautiful name. The plan was to call her Leigh because Reality is kind of a strange name but everyone who knew her just loved the name Reality and it stuck with her. I forget sometimes that she has ever been called Leigh – she’s always been Reality.’ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655/20 "2017-06-11T17:21:58Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > My understanding is that her birth name is Sarah, or something mundane like that. She changed her name to Reality as an adult. [Her older sister](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4589154/Reality-Winner-s-sister-says-accused-leaker-patriot.html) is named Sarah. Why she posts on Twitter under her sister’s name, I couldn’t tell you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-name-of-the-nsa-leaker-is-reality-winner/788655.md?page=2)