# What would you do if you woke up tomorrow morning and your name was different? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342 "2017-04-12T20:41:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![guitario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/1 "2017-04-12T20:41:34Z")
Say your name is… Steve. (other names are available) You wake up tomorrow morning, pick up the mail, and notice it’s addressed to Dave. You wonder who Dave is… especially with the same surname… so you put them to one side, and go to work as normal. You look down and notice your name badge/ID says Dave… confused… you start thinking someones playing a prank… but who? You try log in to your work computer or something, and it doesn’t let you in… so you try ‘Dave’ whilst smirking… it works… those bastards are good… but seriously, who’s doing this? Your boss calls you Dave… you start wondering what the hell is happening… mainly because your boss is an idiot, and has the sense of humour to rival Stalin on a bad tache day. In a mild panic, you check out your email address… Dave… You find a recent payslip… Dave… You check your driving licence… Dave… Your passport… Dave… Bloody Dave! Why not Zac, or Max, or Stavros… Dave is just… (no offence to any Dave’s out there - other boring names are available) Your mum calls you Dave… you check your high school yearbook photo… ‘David’… But you’re on a roll… you’re having that one. Every piece of evidence you can think of… refers to you as Dave. … But you’re Steve… So if you woke up tomorrow and you found out your name wasn’t what you thought it was, and it was something completely different… what would you do? Would you tell anyone? ‘Hey, this may sound weird… but I thought I was called Steve…’ ‘Shut up Dave.’ See? It would be insane. Would you think you’re clearly going crazy… that the world has gone crazy… that you’ve slipped into an alternate universe… that it’s one hell of an elaborate trick… How much would you doubt your own existence? Or would you just shut up and be the best ‘Dave’ you could be? All opinions and thoughts welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/2 "2017-04-12T20:43:30Z")
“Dave’s not here, man!” ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/3 "2017-04-12T20:43:54Z")
Could I be a giant cockroach? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/4 "2017-04-12T20:57:38Z")
I would assume that I did something while sleeping that caused me to enter the alternate universe where my parents chose to name me Dave. The weirdest would be figuring out how this alt-universe Dave managed to make every other life choice exactly the same as real-world Steve. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/5 "2017-04-13T00:43:19Z")
What if I became a boy named Sue? ---
**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:** [April 13, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/6 "2017-04-13T01:15:37Z")
Okay, the OP is fucking diabolical. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/7 "2017-04-13T01:34:21Z")
I’d try to figure out who managed to change all my documents without me knowing. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/8 "2017-04-13T01:53:58Z")
I’d assume some strange neurological event had occurred and/or was still occurring and seek immediate medical attention. The simplist explanation would be that my belief that my name had always been Steve is a delusion and my suddenly becoming delusional could be the sign of some major shit going down in my brain that I’d want attended to before it killed me or something worse (and yes various adverse neurological outcomes would be to me worse than death.) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/9 "2017-04-13T02:54:20Z")
What, again? ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/10 "2017-04-13T02:57:32Z")
I would check my bank account and see if Dave is doing any better than me. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/11 "2017-04-13T03:25:43Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > “Dave’s not here, man!” I was going to be very disappointed if this was not the first response. Thank you for not letting me down. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/12 "2017-04-13T07:44:46Z")
That happens to me all the time. You get used to it. Regards, Shonan ---
**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:** [April 13, 2017, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/13 "2017-04-13T07:51:39Z")
Might take me a few days to notice. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/14 "2017-04-13T10:35:15Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > “Dave’s not here, man!” "I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/15 "2017-04-13T12:41:04Z")
I would assume my name has always been Dave, and the idea it could possibly have ever been Steve was just a weird dream I had. There are four lights. ---
**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:** [April 13, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/16 "2017-04-13T13:14:42Z")
Do I have a gotee as Dave? And where is my personal guard!? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/17 "2017-04-13T13:47:36Z")
This is actually one of my dream pranks. If I ever win the lottery I’'m going to invest whatever it takes to spirit away my mother’s purse and have all her IDs changed to a name that rhymes with her name, have all her bills changed, and bribe everyone she knows to call her by the new name. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/18 "2017-04-13T13:52:15Z")
I suppose it depends on if I like the new name or not. I like my name, so if I like the new one too, I guess I’ll keep it. What about my middle name, is it changed too? Does it sound ok with the new first name? If I really hate the new first name, I’ll ask to be called by my middle name… but really, with a name like Elizabeth, everybody calls you everything in the world anyway. Also, **[del]TokyoPlayer[/del] [del]TokyoBayer[/del] Shonan** wins the thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/19 "2017-04-13T14:05:12Z")
Not the same thing but up until my late twenties or early thirties I had very real memories of St Patrick’s Day being on March 16th. Then suddenly, something happened and now it’s on the 17th. I’m fairly convinced I somehow slipped into an alternate universe. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342/20 "2017-04-13T14:41:41Z")
Being an identical twin, I don’t see the OP as being a problem. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zRi9pX1JsDM/hqdefault.jpg "All Fred & George Weasley Scenes Movies 1-8 [1/2]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRi9pX1JsDM) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-you-woke-up-tomorrow-morning-and-your-name-was-different/784342.md?page=2)