# What's your screen name origin? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 27, 2000, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690 "2000-06-27T04:05:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigGiantHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b4bc9f/32.png) [@BigGiantHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigGiantHead)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/1 "2000-06-27T04:05:48Z")
Lots of people’s are obvious, but many seem like an esoteric joke only they get. Some I’ve seen explained in their .sig (e.g. **SwimmingRiddles, Socks On Shoes On** ), but some are completely mysterious ( **SuaSponte, Esprix, Nacho4Sara** ). So come on, tell us your little story! I’ll start: on top of being a physical description of me (7 3/4 hat size), it’s obviously a reference to the character from 3rd Rock from the Sun. When the Navy first transferred me to SE Georgia here, I felt rather like an alien. BUT, in my defense, I started using it before he physically showed up on the show, and hence before any association with - evil hiss - _Shatner_. Now You! ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/2 "2000-06-27T04:18:37Z")
It is my name, only in all lower case. ---
**Author:** ![BigGiantHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b4bc9f/32.png) [@BigGiantHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigGiantHead)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/3 "2000-06-27T04:36:41Z")
Gee thanks, **lee** , I might not have gotten that one. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/4 "2000-06-27T04:47:37Z")
Lola Granola was Opus’ fiancee in Bloom County, my favourite cartoon. Somehow, it just seemed to fit… ---
**Author:** ![argyle87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90ced4/32.png) [@argyle87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/argyle87)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/5 "2000-06-27T04:48:13Z")
argyle is a song by my favorite band The Bouncing Souls. Also a reference to the title of their second record “The Good, The Bad, and The Argyle”. '87 was the year the band formed, and the title of another song of theirs. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/6 "2000-06-27T05:00:13Z")
I got my name from my youth hockey coach – He couldnt get my full name out, so he shortened my name to Kinoons ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/7 "2000-06-27T05:05:00Z")
I like to play with Colt .45s, also a reference to Stephen King’s **Dark Tower** series (see sig). ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/8 "2000-06-27T05:06:59Z")
Do I get to be the first deep one? Oh boy! 😃 Forces in balance form an important part of my worldview: I’m a cynical romantic, and optimistic pessimist, a rational person with strong intuitions…those pairs and more hang in balance in my personality, generating creative tension. It’s like pulling quarks apart–the harder you pull, the more energy you concentrate in between; eventually new complementary quarks precipitate to change the bonds\*. Since this weird model is how I view my creative process, I chose Balance as descriptive. I use it everywhere I post–it’s more my name than my name is, I think. BTW, I currently have 2 novels at the outline stage–one fastasy and one SF–2 IFGS games written–one intrigue/political and one high adventure–etc… \*Boy, did I bury the needle on the geek meter! I just created an analogy between my personality and the Standard Model of Particle Physics–I should sleep now… ---
**Author:** ![BigGiantHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b4bc9f/32.png) [@BigGiantHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigGiantHead)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/9 "2000-06-27T05:19:51Z")
You know, **lola** , I knew yours sounded familiar but it was buried WAY in the back of the BigGiantCortex. I was hoping you’d show up - thanks! **Balance** , very cool. I like it\*. \*And yes, you did. **Gunslinger** … well, duh. You also earn a :rolleyes:. Everyone else, great! Keep 'em coming! Invite your friends, please! ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/10 "2000-06-27T06:02:59Z")
When you translate my surname into English, it comes out sorta like ‘rice field’ or ‘rice paddy’. I guess in the old country, my kin were pretty close to the land, eh? ---
**Author:** ![muffinman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@muffinman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muffinman)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/11 "2000-06-27T06:22:20Z")
I was working at a local grocery store about a year ago. 4 female friends of mine entered the store and bought muffins. I of course provided them with exeplary customer service, carrying their groceries out for them. And then stood there and talked to them for about a half hour. And had Tatiana, the foreign exchange student feeding me pieces of a chocolate chip muffin. And turned around after they drove away to find my manager watching me the entire time… after that, my best friend started calling me the Muffinman, and the name stuck! ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/12 "2000-06-27T07:01:29Z")
Topaz cuz its my birthstone. Plus I like the stone itself and Antares because its a star in Scorpio (my horoscope) and because its supposed to be a name that brings strength of heart (aka courage) to the bearer. (and my sig, the Enlightened One part, has to do with a Lightbulb joke… How many of your sign does it take to change a lightbulb? Scorpio: “That information is strictly secret and shared only with the Enlightened Ones in the Star Chamber of the Ancient Hierarchial Order.”) ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/13 "2000-06-27T08:09:25Z")
Mine goes back to about 8 years ago, during a time before the world was populated with Starbuck’s and my stomach could handle more than just a half-cup of coffee. I was a tried-and-true coffee lover, and frequented the little coffee houses near the University in my area. I took a friend to one of these, and it was his first time ever seeing the mind-boggling menu of bean-juice drinks. I was rattling off what was in everything, when he just turned to me, and said, _“well, aren’t you just the little Java Maven…”_ It stuck. As for the .sig, I think it’s pretty self-explanitory. ---
**Author:** ![Kiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@Kiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiva)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/14 "2000-06-27T08:27:10Z")
Kiva’s been the name I’ve had for years on AOL (Kiiva–two 'i’s because some irritating girl took “kiva”) I’m a TimeLapse (the game) freak. It’s one of the best, most beautiful games ever made, and in that game, in the Anasazi world, the kiva is the gateway to Atlantis (Silly, I know–I had to put my skepticism on hold to enjoy the game). It’s a Myst-type game, but is ever so much better than Myst or Riven. Hard to find, nowadays. If you see it, buy it, and while you’re at it, buy me a copy. My little brother destroyed mine. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/15 "2000-06-27T09:01:16Z")
It’s from _Red Dwarf_. If you’ve seen it, you understand. If you haven’t, go find it and watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/16 "2000-06-27T09:08:08Z")
Commander Fortune was a secret agent in the British Comedy “Eat the Rich”. I liked the ring of it. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/17 "2000-06-27T12:43:52Z")
I’ve been collection cast CDS from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s shows for years. Annie Christmas is a song from his latest, Whistle Down the Wind. My last name is Anne, and my B-day is December 25th. Andrew Lloyd Webber is very glad I’m not a stalker. ---
**Author:** ![JimmyNipples](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@JimmyNipples](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyNipples)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/18 "2000-06-27T13:49:14Z")
It’s my given. It’s Gaelic, meaning: Really Swell Guy Pronounce it like Graham. Say it like you mean it. I want to change my screen name…how do I go about doing that? ---
**Author:** ![Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/779978/32.png) [@Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zumba_The_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/19 "2000-06-27T14:03:47Z")
This is a great question. I have wondered about people’s screen names. My cat’s name is Zumba. Zumba is a name that I made up years ago when I was just a little girl. I was going to get a German Shepherd dog when I got older and name it Zumba. I lost out on the naming of the family dog. Now I live in an apartment and can’t have a dog so when I got my kitty I named her Zumba. She kept walking on the keyboard when I was trying to think of a screen name. ---
**Author:** ![struuter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@struuter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/struuter)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/20 "2000-06-27T14:07:05Z")
This is actually kinda strange…(how fitting is that?) When I first stumbled upon the SDMB, my first stop was the Pit. I can’t quite remember the thread, but it was in response to someone being rude in GD–imagine!-- and taking his grievance to the proper place. One of the first usernames I saw was, ironically, WallyM7. He was hilarious. When I decided to register and think of a username, I typically went blank. I couldn’t think of ANYTHING. (Should’ve gone with twit, stoopyd or empty) But the only thing I could think of was that ‘Wally’ was the name of one of the Time Bandits. I love Time Bandits. I couldn’t take Og–just asking for too much trouble. And then I remembered Struuter. I always meant to tell Wally that he inspired my username–to some extent–but I never got the chance. It’s cool though, because every time I log in I think of him. struuter [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690.md?page=2)