# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/61 "2000-06-27T21:39:04Z")
Comes from a promo card I once sent out trying to solicit work for myself. (I make a living as a cartoonist/humorous illustration type person) The tag beneath the particularly silly drawing was “Serious Art for Serious People”. Isn’t it ironic? Don’t cha think? After 8 years of art school, it was also my way of thumbing my nose at certain “fine artists” who really do take their artwork way too seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Edwardina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Edwardina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwardina)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/62 "2000-06-27T21:49:31Z")
My name is based on a character in my favorite novel: “The River Why.” Her name is actually “Eddy,” but that is always taken, and it causes mucho gender confusion, so I extrapolated what her name might have been in order to get nicknamed Eddy. I liked this better than “Edwina,” and because I invented it, I knew it would always be available. Of course, people still get the gender wrong all the time . . . ---
**Author:** ![MissMonica7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@MissMonica7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMonica7)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/63 "2000-06-27T22:00:19Z")
I used to teach dance class for little girls, and in dance you always call your teacher Miss (whatever). Being that my name is _Monica_, thats where my name came from. Seven’s my lucky number, my bday is 7/7/77. Born at 7PM. 7 pounds, 14 oz. ---
**Author:** ![Calredic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@Calredic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calredic)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/64 "2000-06-27T23:19:03Z")
Pretty simple: “Calredic” is just a cooler-sounding and -looking variation of my real name, Caleb. Glad to finally clear that up and put an end to all the heated debates and baseless speculation… ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/65 "2000-06-27T23:37:22Z")
I responded to this in one of the earlier threads. It’s **AuntiePam** because I’m the oldest woman I know who has children but **no grandchildren**! The situation hasn’t changed. Sigh. The earlier thread had at least one good result. (No, my kids didn’t go on a breeding frenzy.) A fellow Doper sent me an e-mail asking me not to feel bad, there’s still time, some people aren’t cut out to be parents, yadda yadda yadda. It’s been over a year, and we’ve exchanged e-mails every day and are enjoying a neat on-line friendship. But needless to say, if any of the kids (ages 29 through 36 – yeah, it was a busy few years) produces an heir, I’ll be happily changing my sig. Till then, hubby’s got tons of grandkids, including a new granddaughter just three weeks old. Torrie Renee – wanna see pictures? ---
**Author:** ![Retief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Retief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retief)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/66 "2000-06-28T00:06:46Z")
Retief is the absolute coolest SF hero ever. Keith Laumer wrote many of his adventures that some day undoubtably will happen. Retief has savouir-fair (sp) of Bugs Bunny, absolutely nothing gets to him. Havn’t read any of his stories in 15-20 years I guess, must get one down off the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/67 "2000-06-28T00:22:15Z")
Welcome aboard, Jame (Retief). I just reread a bunch of the short stories, myself. The two-fisted diplomat absolutely _rocks!_ ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/68 "2000-06-28T00:34:15Z")
Sycorax: witch and mother of Caliban in The Tempest. I just liked the name. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/69 "2000-06-28T01:00:44Z")
Oops! I just realized my sig didn’t show… here you go. ---
**Author:** ![Eposia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Eposia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eposia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/70 "2000-06-28T02:34:53Z")
Eposia is a Gaulish Celtic tribal goddess of animals. The horse is often considered one of her sacred animals. For those who care, Eposia is believed to be similar to the pan-Celtic goddess Epona. The difference is that while Epona is very horse-specific, Eposia is more generally a goddess of all animals. (The horse was an extremely important animal to the Gauls.) While I don’t consider myself to have a patron deity, horses have been a lifelong passion of mine. Epona is quite a popular username, whereas nobody has ever heard of Eposia. So it goes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tiggeril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tiggeril/32/7234_2.png) [@tiggeril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiggeril)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/71 "2000-06-28T02:38:52Z")
I like Tigger… and I live in Illnois (IL), so… I just slapped the two together. My God, that is boring. ---
**Author:** ![jamshid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@jamshid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamshid)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/72 "2000-06-28T02:45:06Z")
Oh, this is gonna sound lame… I snagged the name out of a National Geographic from several months ago. IIRC, an out of work oilworker on the Caspian Sea. I used this name for \<\\> a D&D character I recently rolled up–a Drow Spellfilcher, if you really must know… Someone later told me Jamshid was also the name of some Persian deity–like it mattered to me at the time. ---
**Author:** ![fluffinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@fluffinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluffinator)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/73 "2000-06-28T05:09:22Z")
Several parts to this answer… When I first started posting anywhere, the place I started at wasn’t one where you’d want to use your own name and mine is fairly original so it was really out of the question… However, I like my own true name and wasn’t willing to go with Mary or Suzy or something common… And I couldn’t use a name that described what I think of as my true self or everyone would put me on ignore… I mean, who talks to somebody who already labels THEMselves as semi-arrogant and occasionally bitchy… So I went for a name that was the exact opposite of anything I considered myself to be and became Fluff… And then a friend would greet me as anything BUT Fluff… I was fluffolicious and fluffomatic and the fluffinator… so… ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/74 "2000-06-28T05:37:02Z")
Not very exciting, but Trouble is my eldest cat’s name. I use his name a lot, thus, TroubleAgain. Also, I can be a bit of a trouble-maker when I want to… 😃 My favorite user names are ones that make literary references, or reference to TV or movies. I really like 1. Rincewind 2. CKDextHaven 3. Smeghead 4. Wonko the Sane I’m sure there are others out there that have tickled me (I think I remember at least one that came from LotR, but I’m not sure…) So why didn’t I use a literary one? Dunno…Guess I went blank. ---
**Author:** ![tshirts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tshirts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tshirts)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/75 "2000-06-28T05:44:32Z")
I had a customer who’s product was tshirts. In the process of creating his website, I created a test email address for it as [tshirts@email.com](mailto:tshirts@email.com), which I happened to use when signing up at the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![gunnera4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@gunnera4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gunnera4)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/76 "2000-06-28T06:02:34Z")
## the origin of my screen name is fairly mundane. way back in the stone age i was working for my (and your) rich uncle running a gadget called an “m1919a4 browning .30 air-cooled” whatever happens we have got the maxim gun, and they have not ---
**Author:** ![\_dpr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b9e5f3/32.png) [@\_dpr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_dpr)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/77 "2000-06-28T06:18:49Z")
dpr is a dirty acronym. Think pussy. ---
**Author:** ![Bluemonchichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Bluemonchichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluemonchichi)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/78 "2000-06-28T06:53:22Z")
My BF nick-named me. While I was growing out my hair (I had it shaved) I dyed it blue and looked like a monchichi. I fought the nick-name at first, but it kind of grew on me, so I decided to use it here. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/79 "2000-06-28T07:37:47Z")
Excitingly, Kyla is my given name. At least it’s unusual. It has a variety of meanings in various languages. It supposedly means beautiful in some Celtic language, but McCaffertA disputed that rumor years ago by pointing out that Kyle is Gaeilc for Harbor, indicating that Kyla must mean Harborina. Which is the basis for the the nick I often use in #straightdope and my hotmail address. It’s also a derogatory term for Jew in Amharic. When I introduced myself to Ethiopians when I lived in Israel, they would be completely shocked. ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690/80 "2000-06-28T07:39:14Z")
Monster is actually my nickname IRL. My friend dubbed me Monster because I’m so big. For quite a while that’s how people got to know me, and they didn’t even learn my real name for quite a while after they met me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-screen-name-origin/23690.md?page=5)