# What's the story behind your screen name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 29, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498 "2012-12-29T17:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/21 "2012-12-30T00:28:26Z")
my student ID at university. I use it 'cos it incorporates my name and has not yet been taken anywhere I’ve shown up. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Like\_Pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I\_Like\_Pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Like_Pie)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/22 "2012-12-30T00:31:57Z")
I like pie. I really do. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/23 "2012-12-30T00:42:27Z")
I like esoteric cars that few besides devout motorheads have ever heard of. Lancias, of course, top the list. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/24 "2012-12-30T00:43:24Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > When I got my first computer and used AOL, I had to have a name. Having no imagination, I chose my first name/first 4 letters of my second name. Been than on the interenet since. So wait a second here, you are not Mark Twain? Get out 😃 **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/25 "2012-12-30T00:49:30Z")
Many years ago I went on a camping trip with a group of new friends . When I was introduced around, one of the girls said, “Isn’t he the blondest bear ever?” Thus I became blondebear. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/26 "2012-12-30T00:51:27Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > When I got my first computer and used AOL, I had to have a name. Having no imagination, I chose my first name/first 4 letters of my second name. Been than on the interenet since. If your middle name is Langhorn, well, reports of your demise have been greatly exaggerated. ---
**Author:** ![Pinmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@Pinmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pinmin)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/27 "2012-12-30T00:53:44Z")
My son’s wildly incorrect pronunciation of his own name when he was learning to talk. Short, unique, and looks foreign or mysterious (cue someone from outside the US telling me it means something rude in their native tongue 🙂 ). ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/28 "2012-12-30T00:55:34Z")
Combination of my last name and [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHak7veAz3w). ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/29 "2012-12-30T01:01:02Z")
My original user name was FirstName+LastInitial, which after while I found boring and dull. So I changed it to my main WoW character’s name, which had taken a bit of thought and time to come up with and I think suits me better. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/30 "2012-12-30T01:01:03Z")
[The epic saga of Meatros](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=147733&highlight=Meatros) ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/31 "2012-12-30T01:23:43Z")
Because this is my favorite [bass guitar](http://medias.audiofanzine.com/images/normal/ibanez-soundgear-series-sr505-brown-mahogany-486827.jpg) to play. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/32 "2012-12-30T01:26:21Z")
Ephemera is something of no lasting significance, such as a message board post. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/33 "2012-12-30T01:28:03Z")
Boulter’s Canaries - A short SF story by Keith Roberts, published 1965. The ‘canaries’ of the title are invisible energy beings who share the Earth with humans. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/34 "2012-12-30T02:29:21Z")
In a fit of blazing creativity, I just used my RL first name. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![UsernameTaken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ebca7d/32.png) [@UsernameTaken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UsernameTaken)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/35 "2012-12-30T03:11:22Z")
Mine just comes from pure obnoxiousness 🙂 I just signed up today, and I tried a few usernames, all of which were taken. So, I thought “UsernameTaken” would be somewhat amusing, especially if some other frustrated would-be user tries it out of spite to find it taken 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/36 "2012-12-30T03:44:40Z")
From a previous thread… > [@What's Your Username Mean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-username-mean/168324/79): > > At one time I was working in a factory and bet a co-worker I could grind a pallet of parts by hand faster than an automated machine the company paid big bucks for. > > I won and people started to tack the letters -ziod onto the end of my name I guess to indiacte I was part machine. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/37 "2012-12-30T03:54:16Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I won and people started to tack the letters -ziod onto the end of my name I guess to indiacte I was part machine. Or, they could have just re-named you [John Henryzoid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_%28folklore%29) 🙂 And what does it mean when people have -goid tacked to the end of their name? 🆒 No way I’m using ever going to use any part of my IRL name to create a screen name. And no way I’m going to tell where my screen name comes from. It’s left as an exercise for the reader. It’s intended to be something that at least certain readers will be able to figure out reasonably easily (it’s fairly obvious, I think). And once certain readers figure _that_ out, perhaps a certain few of those will be able to figure out the deeper meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/38 "2012-12-30T04:04:42Z")
An even more fun thread (although I’m not going to start it myself) would be one where we try to guess the meaning of _other users_ screen names. I’m amused by the name **rowrrbazzle** (and yes, I know where it comes from). ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/39 "2012-12-30T04:14:29Z")
Because I was around 19 years old when I first joined anything that needed a username, and was originally Poison Ivy since I thought it sounded oh-so-sexy and mysterious. :rolleyes: I just keep it now since I have had it so long, even though I don’t find it sexy or mysterious. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498/40 "2012-12-30T04:21:09Z")
initials+last 2 digits of YOB. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-your-screen-name/645498.md?page=3)